English Muffin Bread  

Ingredients:
2 pkgs. active dry yeast
1/2 c. warm water
5 c. all-purpose flour, divided
2 tsp. cinnamon
 2 T. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1-1/2  c. warm orange juice
1/4 c. oil
1/2 c. chopped walnuts or pecans
1/2 c. dried apricots, chopped cornmeal to taste  


Dissolve yeast in water; set aside.  Combine 2 cups flour, cinnamon, sugar, salt and baking soda; stir in yeast mixture. Blend in orange juice and oil.
Beat mixture on low until thoroughly combined. Increase speed to high and blend for an additional 3 minutes. Stir in nuts, apricots and remaining flour to form a stiff batter. Do not knead. Spoon batter into 2 lightly oiled 9x5 loaf pans; sprinkle with cornmeal over tops of loaves. Cover and let rise for 45 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes. Makes 2 loaves.  

Doesn't this sound good? I love that it has orange juice in it!! Bet it's amazing toasted. I can already smell the cinnamon and orange...oh wait, that's just my tea. Never mind.  ;)  And no kneading...sounds like a yeast quick bread. :)

Cherry Orange Snack Mix
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes


Ingredients:
10 cups rice cereal squares
12 oz. can salted mixed nuts
2 egg whites
2 Tbsp. orange juice
1-1/4 cups sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 cup butter
1-1/2 cups dried cherries


Preparation:
Combine cereal and mixed nuts in large bowl. Beat egg whites, orange juice, sugar and cinnamon in medium bowl until very soft peaks form. Pour over cereal mixture and stir to mix well. Melt butter in 15x10 jelly roll pan. Spread cereal mixture in prepared pan.

Bake at 275 degrees for 30 minutes, stirring twice during baking. Stir in dried cherries and bake 10-15 minutes longer until mixture is lightly browned and crisp. Cool completely, break up into small chunks, if necessary, and store in aitight containers.  

We usually make this at Christmas time, buuuut, it would be excellent any time of the year with a good book or movie.  :)  This is just yummy and different from other snack mixes, and stores well.

Irish Freckle Bread 


 1 pkg. (1/4 oz.) active dry yeast
8 T. sugar, divided
1 c. warm water (110-115 degrees)
1/2 c. butter or margarine, melted 
2 eggs
1/4 c. warm mashed potatoes (w/out added milk or butter)
1/2 tsp. salt
3-1/4-4 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. raisins       

Directions:
In a mixing bowl, dissolve yeast and 1 T sugar in warm water. Add the butter, eggs, potatoes, salt, remaining sugar and 2 cups flour; beat until smooth. Stir in raisins and enough remaining flour to form a soft dough. Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.     
Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide into eight portions. Shape each into a ball. Place dough balls in a greased 10-in. spring-form pan. Cover and let rise until doubled. about 30 minutes. Place on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown Remove sides of pan. Place on a wire rack to cool.   Yield: 1 loaf    

This bread was just so tender and delicious!  I did a single recipe, but made smaller balls and crammed them all into a 9x13. Being close together is no problem, and just makes them more tender since there isn't as much crust.  Also, I did the dough in the bread machine, which saved time.  Ended up having to add a lot more flour, but it still worked fine. 

Irish Soda Bread Muffins

INGREDIENTS

2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar, divided
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon caraway seeds
1 egg
1 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup dried currants or raisins

DIRECTIONS

 In a large bowl, combine the flour, 1/2 cup sugar, baking powder, salt, baking soda and caraway seeds. In another bowl, beat the egg, buttermilk, butter and oil. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in currants.
    Fill greased muffin cups three-fourths full. Sprinkle with remaining sugar. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing from pan to wire rack. Serve warm.
Yield: 1 dozen.

Light Guacamole

INGREDIENTS

2 large ripe avocados, peeled, divided
1 cup (8 ounces) fat-free sour cream
1/4 cup chopped onion
3 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped
6 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
4 teaspoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 large tomato, seeded and chopped
Tortilla chips or fresh vegetables


DIRECTIONS
 In a food processor, combine one avocado, sour cream, onion, jalapenos, cilantro, lemon juice, salt, cumin and pepper; cover and process until smooth.
    In a bowl, mash the remaining avocado with a fork. Stir in the pureed avocado mixture. Gently fold in tomato. Serve with tortilla chips or vegetables. Yield: 3 cups.


Made this today...though one of my avocados was bad...so it wasn't as thick. And I didn't use the jalapenos, since nobody here likes 'em. But it was really delicious on fajitas and tortilla chips!! 

Broccoli Au Gratin  

3 large broccoli heads, florets and stalks, cut into bite-size pieces
3 tablespoons butter
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2/3 cup sour cream
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper
Steam the broccoli over boiling water for 4 to 5 minutes, until tender-crisp. Plunge into a bowl of cold water to stop the cooking. Drain well and set aside.

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until soft­ened, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for one minute longer. Remove from the heat.

Mix in the broccoli, sour cream, and 3/4 cup of Parmesan cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Preheat the broiler.

Spoon the mixture into a 2-quart gratin or souffle dish and sprinkle the top with the remain­ing Parmesan cheese. Place under the broiler for 2 minutes or until the cheese is melted and slightly golden. Serve hot.

White Chocolate & Apricot Scones

2 c. flour
1/4 c. sugar
2 1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
6 T. butter

--Mix first 4 ingredients.  Cut in butter.  Mix in 1/2 c. dried fruit (apricots, cherries, cranberries, etc.) and 1/2 c. white chocolate chips. 
--Mix together 1 egg with enough buttermilk to make 1 cup.
--Mix with dry ingredients just until combined.  Make circle & cut triangles.  I usually place the whole dough onto the cookie sheet and pat it into a circle and then cut the the circle into triangles right before I bake it.  Then, when it comes out of the oven, I cut the lines of the triangles again.  I find it keeps the scones moister as the edges do not dry out.
--Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes on ungreased pan until the top is light brown.

Makes about 8 triangles.


Devonshire Cream

Beat:
3 oz. cream cheese
1 T. powdered sugar
1/2 t. vanilla

Add 1/3 c. whipping cream and beat until thick.

I usually double this as I think the more Devonshire cream, the better.

Ham and Veggie Strata (make-the-night-before recipe)  

Ingredients
2 T. olive oil
3 medium onions, chopped (about 1-1/2 cups!)
1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
1 T. minced garlic
1 pkg. (8 oz.) sliced cooked ham, cut into small pieces
3 medium tomatoes, seeded, chopped
12 slices day-old English muffin OR sourdough bread (about 1-1/2 lbs), torn into pieces
8 eggs
3 c. milk
1-1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese (4 oz.)  



In 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions, bell pepper, and garlic; cook 6-8 minutes, stirring frequently, until tender. Stir in ham and tomatoes. Cook 2 minutes longer.     
Meanwhile, spray 13x9-inch (3 qt) glass baking dish with cooking spray. Place torn bread in baking dish. In large bowl, beat eggs, milk, salt and pepper until well blended. Spoon ham mixture over bread. Pour egg mixture over top. Cover; refrigerate at least 6 hours or overnight.    

When ready to bake, heat oven to 350*F.
Uncover baking dish; bake 30 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese; bake 30 minutes longer or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.

Cut into squares.   Would be yummy to mix up in the morning and have for supper with a fruit salad or sweet rolls too.  :) 

Sugar 'n' Spice Nuts

INGREDIENTS
3 egg whites
2 tablespoons water
3 cups walnut halves
2 cups pecan halves
1 cup whole unblanched almonds
2 cups sugar
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons grated orange peel
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves


DIRECTIONS
In a mixing bowl, beat egg whites and water until frothy. Add nuts; stir
gently to coat. Combine the remaining ingredients. Add to nut mixture and
stir gently to coat. Spread into two greased 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking
pans. Bake, uncovered, at 300 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until lightly
browned, stirring every 10 minutes. Cool. Store in an airtight container.
These are amazing nuts!! I've tried several types...but this is just the perfect combination of spices and stuff. We omitted the walnuts though, and used more pecans and almonds.   

Bagel Crisps
Ingredients:
8 bagels, slightly frozen
6 T. margarine
3 tsp. dried oregano leaves
or        
1-1/2 tsp. garlic powder  


Slice the slightly frozen bagels 1/4-inch thick. 
Lightly butter and sprinkle with oregano or garlic powder.
Bake at 250 degrees for 15-25 minutes or until crisp.