Bunny Buns - Mindee W.

The kids and I saw these cute buns in this months issue of The Friend (April 2011).  We decided to give them a try last Sunday.  They do take some time and patience, but they were really yummy and fun to make!

Ingredients:
1 pkg. active dry yeast (2 1/4 tsp.)
1/4 cup warm water
1 cup milk, warmed not quite to boiling
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup shortening
1 tsp. salt
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup orange juice
2 Tb.grated orange peel
5 1/2 cups flower, sifted
Glaze: 2 cups powdered sugar, 1/4 cup hot water, 1 tsp. butter.

1. Sprinkle yeast in warm water and set aside
2. In another bowl, blend milk, sugar, shortening, and salt.  Cool until lukewarm, then add eggs, water with yeast, orange juice, and orange peel.
3. Stir in flour a few cups at a time to make a soft dough.  Let stand for 10 minutes.
4. Knead dough 5-10 minutes on a lightly floured surface until dough is smooth and elastic.  Place it in a lightly greased bowl, turning once to grease surface.  Cover bowl and put in a warm place.  Let rise for 2 hours or until doubled in size.  Punch down and let stand for 10 minutes.
5. On lightly floured surface, roll dough into a rectangle 1/2 thick.  Cut dough into strips 1/2 inch wide and 14 inches long.  Roll between hands into rounded snake shapes.  Cut one of the strips into pieces 1/2 inch long, and roll into balls (for tails).
6. Place one long piece of dough on a greased cookie sheet.  Place one end of the strip over the other to make a loop; bring the end that is underneath up and cross it over the other end.  Place a ball of dough on top of the bottom loop.
7. Cover bunnies and let raise in warm place for 45-60 minutes, until nearly double in size.  Bake at 375 degrees for 12-15 minutes.
8.  For the glaze, stir powdered sugar, water, and butter together.  Frost bunnies with the glaze while still warm.

* Changes:  I did a thicker vanilla frosting instead of the glaze and added decorations to make bunny faces.  I did mini choc. chips for the eyes, jelly bean decors for the nose and chocolate jimmies for the whiskers. This recipe made about 23 buns for us.

My new favorite Oatmeal Cookie recipe

These are so yummy and stay soft for a couple days.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Time: 1 1/2 hours
Yield: about 70 cookies

1 C butter softened
1 C shortening
1 1/2 C brown sugar
1 1/2 C white sugar
4 eggs
2 t vanilla
1 t water
3 C flour
2 t baking soda
2 t salt
2 t baking powder
1/2 t nutmeg
1 t. cinnamon
4 C oatmeal (quick cooking or regular)
4 C chocolate chips (milk chocolate or semi sweet)
1 C. walnuts
1.C. Coconut

May substitute chocolate chips for raisins.

1. Cream together the butter, shortening, brown sugar, and white sugar. Cream the mixture well, now! I would get to creaming this buttery bliss for about 4 minutes.

2. Add your vanilla and water and mix just until combined.

3. In a separate bowl combine the dry ingredients (all but the chocolate chips) together with a wooden spoon.

4. Add the dry mixture to the creamed mixture and stir to incorporate. Add your chocolate chips, give them a stir to incorporate and you are good to go.

5. Roll into 1 1/2 inch balls and place on a sprayed cookie sheet.

6. Bake at about 350 degrees for 8 minutes. (For convection ovens bake at 325 for 6 1/2 minutes). Don't over bake my friends! When your cookies have cracks down the middle, take them out and let them finish cooking on the pan for about 3-5 minutes

~ One Pot Slow Cooker Indian Chicken Stew~ Sundee Yardley

I'm always looking for a good one pot crock pot meal. I found this recipe in a magazine while waiting at the doctors office with Kallie and Rayne. It was a $400.00 winner of a recipe contest. It is healthy and yummy.

Slow Cooker Indian Chicken Stew

2 lbs skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1 inch pieces.
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
5 tsp curry powder
2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp. pepper and/or cayenne pepper
2 15-oz cans garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained.
2 14.5 oz cans diced tomatoes, undrained
1 cup chicken broth
1 bay leaf
2 Tbsp. lime juice
1-9 ounce pkg. fresh spinach.

Hot cooked rice

Directions. In a slow cooker add chicken, onion, and garlic. Then add curry powder, ginger, salt, and pepper. Toss to coat. Stir in drained beans, undrained tomatoes, broth, and bay leaf. Cover and cook on high heat for 4 to 5 hours or on low heat for 8 to 10 hours.

Stir lime juice into cooked stew. Stir spinach leaves into stew and let stand 2 to 3 minutes to wilt. Serve with rice. Make 8 (1 1/2 cup) servings.

~Hamburger Veggie Skillet~

This recipe is best when using fresh garden veggies, and can be played with using and combining different veggies.  I decided to try it with some asparagus, it's one thing I cant grow in my garden, but wish I could. I had it and the other things on hand, so decided to whip it up for dinner the other night. I DO have to admit it's much better with the red potatoes, onion, carrots, and squash from my garden, but the asparagus in this was sure a yummy combo!

* 1lb hamburger, ground (don't drain off the grease, unless it's tons. Works well for the veggies to not stick)

* One medium sized onion, diced

* 5-6 whole carrots, peeled, chopped in circles or cubed

* 6-8 Red potatoes, skins left on and cubed

* One bundle of asparagus, cut into thirds

* Salt, pepper, garlic salt, and parsley to taste

In large skillet brown the hamburger, onion and seasonings.

Add the carrots and potatoes, cook these until tender.

Then add the asparagus, cover and cook about 10 min longer, stirring occasionally.

Serve & Enjoy!! 

Me and the fam love this made all different ways, it's easy, and you only dirty up one skillet :)

Just added the asparagus...

 Lookin good....

 Ready to dig in......

Garlic Bread with ham, cheese and asparagus- Sylvia Brindley

Ingredients:

1 loaf pre-made garlic bread (I like Lin's the best)

Provolone or Swiss cheese

Thin sliced deli ham

fresh asparagus

Directions:

Steam asparagus in 4TBS water, 3TBS olive oil, 1-2TBS garlic salt, and pepper to taste. Steam for 7-10 mins only.

Open garlic bread and broil until toasted brown

Take out and top with thin sliced ham, asparagus, then the cheese on top. In that order.

Put loaf of garlic bread back in broiler until cheese is melted and slightly brown.

Take out and Enjoy!!

This is SO,SO good!! It's now one of our favorites! We love asparagus at our house and it's so healthy for you!

Starting the layering...

Topped with provolone cheese....

Back into the broiler....

DELICIOUS!! Melty, Crunchy, Goodness! And the other best part...it's easy to make!

Honey Chicken Stir Fry with Chinese Noodles- Cindee

Honey Chicken Stirfry
Ingredients
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 garlic clove, minced
3 teaspoons olive oil, divided
3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 (16 ounce) package frozen broccoli stir-fry vegetable blend
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon cold water
Hot cooked rice or chinese noodles below
Directions
1. In a large nonstick skillet or wok, stir-fry chicken and garlic in 2 teaspoons oil. Add the honey, soy sauce, salt and pepper. Cook and stir until chicken is lightly browned and juices run clear. Remove and keep warm.
2. In the same pan, stir-fry the vegetables in remaining oil for 4-5 minutes or until heated through. Return chicken to the pan; mix well. Combine cornstarch and cold water until smooth; stir into chicken mixture. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1 minute or until thickened. Serve over rice.

Footnotes

Nutritional Analysis: One serving (1 cup stir-fry mixture; calculated without rice) equals 243 calories, 5 g fat (1 g saturated fat), 66 mg cholesterol, 470 mg sodium, 19 g carbohydrate, 3 g fiber, 28 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 3 lean meat, 3 vegetable.

Chinese Noodles
Cold spaghetti, 1-2 garlic cloves minced, 1 bunch of green onions chopped, 1 C. celery chopped. Sautee garlic, green onion, celery in 2t of oil. Add spaghetti and mix well. Add soy sauce to taste, mix again and Serve with stir fry.

Gingerbread Cookies

So I'm sure many of you have a gingerbread recipe you already use. I found this one on allrecipies.com and they turned out really moist and soft. Also I took a pic of some of the different ways I decorated them and wanted to share how they turned out. - Cindee B.

Ingredients
3 cups flour
2 teaspoons Ginger, Ground
1 teaspoon Cinnamon, Ground
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon Nutmeg, Ground
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup molasses
1 egg
1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
Directions
Mix flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg and salt in large bowl. Beat butter and brown sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add molasses, egg and vanilla; beat well. Gradually beat in flour mixture on low speed until well mixed. Press dough into a thick flat disk. Wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Roll out dough to 1/4-inch thickness on lightly floured work surface. Cut into gingerbread men shapes with 5-inch cookie cutter. Place 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheets.
Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until edges of cookies are set and just begin to brown. Cool on baking sheets 1 to 2 minutes. Remove to wire racks; cool completely. Decorate cooled cookies as desired. Store cookies in airtight container up to 5 days. Yield 2 dozen.
Footnotes
Gingerbread Cookie Variations:
White Chocolate Kissed Gingerbread Cookies: Prepare and refrigerate dough as directed. Shape into 1-inch balls. Roll in granulated sugar. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake in preheated 350 degrees F oven 8 to 10 minutes or until edges of cookies just begin to brown. Immediately press a white and milk chocolate swirled kiss-shaped candy into center of each cookie. Remove to wire racks; cool completely. Makes 5 dozen.
Gingerbread Whoopie Pies with Lemon Creme: Prepare and refrigerate dough as directed. Shape into 1-inch balls. Roll in granulated sugar. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake in preheated 350 degrees F oven 8 to 10 minutes or until edges of cookies just begin to brown. Remove to wire racks; cool completely. For the Lemon Creme, mix 1 jar (7 ounces) marshmallow cream, 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, softened, 4 ounces cream cheese, softened, and 1 teaspoon McCormick® Pure Lemon Extract in medium bowl until well blended. To assemble whoopie pies, place about 1 tablespoon filling on the flat side of 1 cookie. Top with a second cookie, pressing gently to spread the filling. Roll edge of whoopie pie in 1 cup crushed peppermint candy. Repeat with remaining cookies, filling and candy. Store whoopie pies between layers of wax paper in airtight container in refrigerator up to 5 days. Makes 2 1/2 dozen.
Caramel Pecan Gingerbread Thumbprints: Prepare and refrigerate dough as directed. Shape into 1-inch balls. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake in preheated 350 degrees F oven 8 to 10 minutes or until edges of cookies just begin to brown. Immediately press a pecan half into center of each cookie. Top each with 1/4 teaspoon of caramel topping. Remove to wire racks; cool completely. Drizzle cookies with 2 ounces semi-sweet baking chocolate, melted. Let stand until chocolate is set. Makes 5 dozen.
Almond Gingerbread Cookies: Prepare and refrigerate dough as directed. Shape into 1-inch balls. Roll in 1 1/3 cups sliced almonds, pressing almonds into dough. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake in preheated 350 degrees F oven 8 to 10 minutes or until edges of cookies just begin to brown. Remove to wire racks; cool completely. Makes 5 dozen.