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

• 
  
• 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.