Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Amish Friendship Bread



Amish Friendship Bread

Ok this stuff is super super yummy... it is more of a dessert bread...

Usually you get a bag of starter mix and the instructions for what to do with your starter bag of batter are as follows... you can put it in a plastic container if you like as well and then you would just need to stir it daily.


Do not use any type of metal spoons or bowl for mixing. Do not refrigerate. If air gets into the bag, let it out. It is normal for the batter to rise, bubble, and ferment.

Day 1: Do nothing. This is the date on which you receive the bag.
Day 2: Squish and mush the bag.
Day 3: Squish and mush the bag.
Day 4: Squish and mush the bag.

Day 5: Add to the bag 1 C. flour, 1 C. sugar, 1 C. milk. Squish and mush the bag.

Day 6: Squish and mush the bag.
Day 7: Squish and mush the bag.
Day 8: Squish and mush the bag.
Day 9: Squish and mush the bag.

Day 10: Add 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar and 1 cup milk. Mix well. Take out 3 cups and place 1 cup each into three separate plastic containers. Give one cup and a copy of this recipe to three friends.

To the balance (a little over one cup… well mine is always almost 2 cups) of the batter, add the following ingredients in a bowl and mix well.

1 cup oil (can use 1/2 applesauce and 1/2 oil to reduce fat)
1/2 cup milk
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

In a separate bowl combine the following dry ingredients and mix well:

2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1-1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 - (5.1 oz) box instant vanilla pudding
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup nuts (optional)

Grease or butter 2 large loaf pans and mix an additional 1/2 cup sugar and 1-1/2 tsp cinnamon. Dust the greased pans with half the cinnamon/sugar mixture. Pour batter evenly into the pans and sprinkle the top with remaining sugar mixture.

Bake for 1 hour at 325 degrees. Cool until bread loosens from sides of pan (about 10 agonizingly long
minutes) and turn out to serving dish. (ok so mine are never done at 325 for an hour so I say bake at 350 for an hour if that is the case for you as well)

If bag isn't passed on to a friend on the 10th day, be certain to tell recipient which day the bag is at when given to them. If you keep a starter bag for yourself, you will be baking every 10 days.

The starter can be frozen if you don’t want to give it away and you can take it out of the freezer let it thaw for approx 3 hours on the counter and then either bake with it immediately or you can begin the 10 day process again if it is your last starter bag.

Now if you don't have someone to give you a bag of starter you can make your own... it is very easy...

Starter Recipe
1 cup of flour
1 cup of milk
1 cup of sugar
1 pkg of active dry yeast.
1/4 cup of warm water

please note if you make your own starter mix... the first time you split off the bags you will have 4 bags of starter plus about 2 cups left in your bowl for the bread you will bake.


This recipe can easily be changed to create more variations of this delicious bread. Simple things such as....

Chocolate Bread - use choc pudding instead of vanilla   (you can go an extra step and add choc chips)
Butterscotch  - add butterscotch chips to the recipe (you can also exchange the vanilla pudding for butterscotch pudding if you want I haven't tried that version of it but I have simply added butterscotch chips)
Banana Friendship Bread - Simply add in 3-5 ripe bananas (you can also omit cinnamon and use banana pudding mix)
White Choc Almond - Substitute almond ALMOND flavoring (NOT Imitation) for the vanilla flavoring... substitute WHITE CHOCOLATE pudding For the vanilla pudding....`
Strawberry Bread - use 1 small box of strawberry jello, 1 c. thawed strawberries
Pineapple - add small can of crushed pineapple (drained)  you can also add some coconut  to this
Apple  - add some diced apple pieces

Experiment... it is really hard to mess this bread up.  Try different puddings and Jello, add in fruits.

And here is a link to more recipes you can use the starter in everything from cookies to pancakes and biscuits. Recipes to use Amish Friendship Starter in

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Oh my gosh!!!

So walking through the store the other day I stopped to look at a cookbook that caught my eye... oh man... the food looked soooooo yummy! So I bought it...   The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Recipes from an Accidental Country Girl and guess what... she has a blog - you can view many of her yummy recipes as well as get some tips on other things. Check it out... especially if you like good country cooking... yummmmmm..

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/

Monday, October 19, 2009

Beef Enchiladas

Beef Enchiladas

1lb ground beef 
1 can (10 oz) old el paso enchilada sauce (the red sauce) 
1 can of cambells tomato soup 
1 1/2 cups shredded cheese (6 oz) - (or more) 
1 pkg flour tortillas (6 inch) 

 1. Heat over to 375... 
 2. in skillet brown and drain hamburger 
 3. mix the enchilada sauce and tomato soup in a bowl then add about half the mixed sauce to the hamburger meat 
 4. spoon enchilada filling onto tortillas... add some cheese... roll up and place seam sides down in 13 x 9 glass baking dish 5. top with the remaining sauce mix (or most of it) and cheese... bake at 375 for 20-30 min

Chicken Enchiladas

Chicken Enchiladas

3 or 4 large chicken breasts 
1 pkg (8oz) cream cheese 
1 can (4.5oz) of old el paso chopped green chiles 
1 package of flour tortillas for soft tacos 6 inches 
2 cans (10 oz each) old el paso green chile enchilada sauce 
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese ( 3oz) (you can use more if you like) 


 1. pre-heat oven to 350 
2. boil chicken with some chicken bullion cubes for flavor once cooked... cool slightly and then shred by hand 
3. in a 10 inch skillet.... put cubed cream cheese, shredded chicken, and chiles on medium head until blended and cream cheese is melted. 
4. spoon chicken filling onto tortillas.. roll up and place seam sides down in baking dish (13x9). pour enchilada sauce over top... sprinkle with cheddar cheese bake 30-45 minutes of until hot and cheese is melted.

Sunday, February 22, 2009

Jim -N- Nick's Cheese Biscuits



Jim -N- Nick's Cheese Biscuits

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
3/4 cup milk (2% works best)
1 egg, beaten well
4 Tablespoon butter, softened
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together. Pour into greased muffin pan and bake at 400 for 15 - 20 minutes.

This recipe make about 12 muffins.

Source: kitchenlink.com


Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Homemade Salsa

Homemade Salsa

Most of this is just to your own taste so actual measurements on the items are not listed. But the basic layout is as follows... 

 Approx 4-5 firm tomatoes 
approx 1/4 - 1/2 of a white onion 
1 clove of garlic (you need a med size one or just use less than a whole one) 
some cilantro leaves 
salt 
optional: jalapeno pepper 
optional: lemon juice or lime juice 

 Cut your tomatoes into chunks and add to a bowl. Dice your onion to your preferred size... add to the bowl Chop your garlic clove as fine as you can chop it... add to the bowl tear off some cilantro leaves... I usually use about 14 leaves (the entire leaf not just part of it) ... add to the bowl add some salt to taste optional - jalapeno peppers (if you don't want it to be hot... don't put the seeds of the pepper into the salsa... just use the meat of the pepper.)... (if you opt for lemon juice or lime juice add it now too... just a little...) put it in the fridge and let it sit overnight .... serve it with nachos, tacos or any other Mexican dish and don't forget the sour cream! YUMMY! This can stay in the fridge for approx 5-7 days.

Sunday, August 17, 2008

Homemade Chili (great for hotdogs)

1lb hamburger meat 
ketchup 
chili powder 
pepper 
garlic powder 
onion powder 
water 


 Brown and drain hamburger meat. Add ketchup (approx 3-4 cups) add approx 1-2 cups of water. Add a few shakes of the following... garlic powder, onion powder, pepper and chili powder. Stir and simmer on low for at least 15 minutes.