Homemade bread

1 cup water, 110 F

1 cup milk, 110F
⅔ cup sugar, (you can use less)
1 ½ tablespoons active dry yeast
1 ½ teaspoons salt
¼ cup vegetable oil, -- coconut oil works really well here (melt it first and let it cool to 100F)! OR use melted butter
5-½ cups bread flour, you may need a little more or a little less
2 tablespoons butter, melted

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• INSTRUCTIONS

• Dissolve the sugar in the warm water and milk in a large bowl, then whisk in yeast.
• Rest 5 to 10 minutes, or until the yeast mixture gets foamy.
• Stir in 1 cup of the flour, then whisk in salt and oil.
• Add remaining flour, one cup at a time, until the dough pulls away from the bowl.

Hand kneading

• If you are hand kneading mix in the flour until you have a sticky dough, turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 10 minutes or until the dough is smooth and elastic - adding flour as needed.

Rising and shaping

• Oil a large bowl and place the ball of dough in it.
• Oil the top of the dough and then cover with a damp cloth.
• Allow it to rise until it has doubled in bulk. This will take about an hour.
• Punch the dough down.
• Knead for three minutes or so and divide in half.
• Let rest for five minutes.
• Shape into loaves and then place in greased 9x5-inch loaf pans.
• Brush the tops with the melted butter.
• Let rise for 30 minutes, or until the dough has risen an inch or so above the pans.
• Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes, or until loaves sound hollow when tapped.  ***Check at 25

For a soft crust

• For a soft crust butter the tops and place a clean tea towel over the baked loaves as soon as you take them out of the oven. Let them cool for about 5 minutes and then take them out of the pans to finish cooling, covering them back up with the tea towel.

IF USING INSTANT YEAST: just add in with dry ingredients, no need to "proof." Rising time will be less, by 15-20 minutes

DOUGH ENHANCERS: options to help dough rise higher: 2 Tbsp powdered milk, added in with the flour, or 1/4 tsp powdered ginger added with the water when proofing the yeast

OTHER USES: Dough can be rolled out into a rectangle and turned into cinnamon rolls, flattened into pizza crust, dinner rolls, etc. Try folding in crushed pineapple for Hawaiian rolls, or cinnamon for cinnamon swirl bread... 

Credits to https://www.restlesschipotle.com/amish-white-bread/ for the recipe

Cherry Cracker Dessert

Graham crackers
1 c sour cream or plain yogurt
2 c milk
9 ounces Cool Whip or whipped topping
1 pkg vanilla instant pudding (6 oz)
1 can cherry pie filling (21 oz)

Layer the bottom of an ungreased 9 x 13 pan with graham crackers. Beat until smooth - sour cream/yogurt and milk. Add Cool Whip and instant pudding mix. Mix until slightly thickened (about 2 minutes)

Spread half of pudding mix over crackers. Cover with another layer of crackers. Spread another layer of mix and a topping of crackers. Top with cherry pie filling. 

Sarah’s Bean Soup

2 1/2 c ham, chopped (Sarah’s recipe - Ham bone with 1 1/2 c ham)
2 onions sauté in butter from below ( Sarah’s recipe - 1 onion)
(Sarah’s recipe - 1 stalk celery)

(Another option to add - 1 1/2 c chopped frozen spinach)
4 carrots
1 potato
6 cans great northern beans with juice (Sarah’s recipe - 8 cans)
1/3 c butter
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 bouillon cube dissolved in 2 c water  (Sarah’s recipe - 2 Tbsp Ham base)
1/3 c brown sugar

(If using ham bone - place ham bone in crockpot) Empty cans of beans with their liquid into crockpot. Chop onion, celery, carrots and potato. Sauté vegetables in butter til onions are lightly translucent then add to crockpot.  Stir in bouillon cube water (or add ham base)  Add brown sugar, salt and pepper. Cook several hours. (If using ham bone - remove ham bone and pull meat off bone. Put meat back in crockpot.) Keep warm til ready to serve.

Bacon Lentil Soup

Ingredients

• 6 Slices of Bacon chopped into small pieces
• 1 Medium Onion finely diced
• 1 Carrot diced
• 1 Celery Rib diced
• 3-4 Garlic Cloves minced
• 1 teaspoon Paprika
• ¼ teaspoon Cumin
• ¼ teaspoon Dried Oregano
• ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
• 12 oz. Lentils sorted, rinsed and drained
• 8 cups Chicken Broth
• ½ teaspoon Salt or to taste

Instructions

Prep Work

• Cut the bacon into small pieces.
• Dice the onions, carrots and celery. Mince the garlic.
• Add the paprika, cumin, dried oregano and black pepper to a small bowl.
• Pick through the lentils looking for any foreign objects such as small stones. Rinse and drain the lentils.

Cook the bacon

• Add the bacon to a large pot and place over medium heat. Cook the bacon until crispy, about 8-10 minutes. Stir only occasionally at first, but as the bacon gets going stir frequently.
• Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon onto a plate lined with a paper towel to drain. If the bacon renders a lot of grease, remove some using a large spoon. Leave about 3 tablespoons in the pot.

Make the lentil soup

• Place the pot back over medium heat and add the onions, carrots and celery. Cook for 5 minutes until the onions are translucent, stirring frequently.
• Add the garlic, paprika, cumin, oregano and black pepper to the pot. Cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently.
• Add the lentils and the chicken broth, raise the heat to high and bring the soup to a boil. Lower the heat to medium and cover. Cook the lentils for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Lower the heat to medium-low and add the bacon back to the pot. Cook the lentils for another 15 minutes or so until the lentils are tender (depending on how tender you like your lentils), stirring occasionally.
• Taste the lentil soup and add salt if needed.
  
  

  Nutrition

  Calories: 324kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 14mg | Sodium: 1503mg | Potassium: 925mg | Fiber: 18g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 1915IU | Vitamin C: 27.1mg | Calcium: 64mg | Iron: 5.2mg

It turned out well - and super easy to make (30-45 minute meal counting the cook time) 

https://www.cook2eatwell.com/bacon-and-lentil-soup/

Make-Ahead Mashed Potatoes

• Potatoes (enough to serve between 4-10 people)
• Cream cheese (1 8 oz block - if desired can add less than full block if smaller qty of servings)
• Garlic and herb salt free mix or other spices
• Bacon bits
• Milk

Boil potatoes until soft. Drain water. Add cream cheese. Mash to desired consistency. Stir in spices and bacon bits. 

Store in refrigerator for up to 3 days ahead.

Grease crock pot. Put potatoes in crock pot. Potatoes will be stiff. Stir in 1/4 c milk to thin potatoes. Add more milk (small amounts at a time) if needed to get to desired consistency. Consistency should be similar to desired serving consistency.  Heat in crock pot on low for 4-5 hours.

Modified from:

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/13608/make-ahead-mashed-potatoes/

Egg Muffins (Easy Make-Ahead Breakfast!) - Spend with Pennies

Ruth's choice:
> https://www.spendwithpennies.com/make-ahead-egg-muffins/
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Chicken soup, Honduran style

Ingredients:
2 lbs chicken
1 chile, diced
1 tomato (tipo pera) diced
1/2 onion, diced
2 garlic, diced
1 leaf of culantro
1 Tbsp oregano
1 tsp basil
1/2 tsp pepper
1 consommé pack of chicken seasoning

Water
1-2 potatoes
1 large carrot
1 other veggie (pataste, zucchini, etc.)

Start by sautéing the Chile, tomato, onion, garlic in 1 tbsp oil - in the por you will make the soup in.

Once changing color, smelling good, and releasing their water, add the spices (oregano, cilantro, and basil) and consommé and stir in.

Add chicken, constantly moving so it cooks evenly and absorbs them flavors of the veggies.
Probably 20 minutes of sautéing for the chicken, then you can add water to cover the chicken pieces and stir. Let cook 5 minutes more then add the veggies and cook till they are soft and meat is fully cooked.

Salt to taste.

Baked Beans

1 onion, chopped 

1 clove garlic, minced

1 can pinto beans

1 can butter beans 

1 can kidney beans 

1 can any other beans (could be chili, baked, or  pork and beans, or a can of non-sauce beans)

3/4 c ketchup (can substitute some bbq sauce instead)

1/4 c molasses

2/3 c brown sugar

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 Tbsp yellow mustard 

Sauté onions and garlic in bacon grease for 5-7 minutes. Rinse beans that aren’t canned in a sauce. Place beans and all other ingredients in a crock pot. Mix well. Cook on low for 7 hours. Cook additional hour on high with lid off to thicken. 

Crock Pot Stuffing

1 bag Pepperidge farm stuffing
1 onion, diced
4 Tbsp butter or margarine
2 1/2 c broth

Grease crock pot. Put stuffing mix in bowl.
Sauté onion in butter for 5 minutes. Pour over stuffing mix. Add broth. Stir until moist.
Put stuffing mix in crockpot. Cook on low for 2 hours then change to warm til ready to serve.

Charleston Red Rice

1 c rice   

3 slices bacon
1 onion, diced
1/3 c (1/2 can)tomato sauce
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 1/2 tsp sugar
2 1/2 c water

Rinse rice (5 times) and drain. Cook bacon in large frypan. When crisp, remove bacon and crumble. Sauté onions in bacon grease til translucent. Add rice, tomato sauce, water and spices to saucepan. Bring to boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in onions and bacon. Place in greased baking dish. Bake for 20-30 minutes. Fork stir after 10-15 or so.

Cream Cheese Frosting

4 oz cream cheese

1/4 c butter

3 Tbsp lemon juice

3 1/2 powdered sugar

Collard greens

Bacon grease
1 medium onion, diced
1 tablespoons garlic
2 lbs. fresh collard greens, trimmed and washed
2 tablespoons vinegar
1 ½ tablespoons honey
½ teaspoon

salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper

Pork Tenderloin

Sugar Cookies

1 c butter
1 c sugar
1 ½ tsp vanilla

1 egg 
2 ½ c flour
¾ tsp baking powder
¾ tsp salt

Cream together butter and sugar. Add egg and vanilla. Beat til completely combined. Gradually stir in dry ingredients. Chill dough for 2-3 hours (up to 5 days)

Heat oven to 350.  Roll out dough ¼ inch thick and cut into shapes. Bake for 8-10 minutes.

Frosting

3 c powdered sugar
3-4 Tbsp milk
2 Tbsp corn syrup
½ tsp vanilla
Food coloring

Combine ingredients. If frosting is too thick add more milk.

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Chili Recipe

1 Tbsp olive oil 

1 onion, diced 

1 lb ground beef
2 ½ Tbsp chili powder
2 Tbsp cumin
2 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp tomato paste or ketchup
1 Tbsp garlic powder
1 ½ tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
1 ½ c broth
1 can diced tomatoes (15 oz)
1 can kidney beans (16 oz)
1 can tomato sauce (8 oz)

 Brown ground beef and drain.  Set aside. Cook onion in olive oil for 4 minutes. Stir in ground beef. Add dry ingredients and stir. Add broth, tomatoes with juice, drained beans and tomato sauce. Stir well.  Bring to low boil then simmer gently for 20 minutes.