Herbed Monkey Bread

Monkey bread is the best! Little rolls rolled in something yummy (here I used butter and herbs), baked in a bundt pan, and then when they are done, you just pull apart and dip! I love making these herbed rolls to go with spaghetti or lasagna. You can also roll them in butter and then cinnamon and sugar for a sweet treat!

Herbed Monkey Bread

Dough
1 cup (8 ounces) water
3 cups (12 3/4 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 teaspoons instant yeast
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons nonfat dry milk
1 1/2 tablespoons butter

Herb Coating
5 tablespoons olive oil or melted butter
1 tablespoon fresh stemmed thyme
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 Tbs. chopped fresh basil
2 cloves garlic, minced

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine all of the ingredients, stirring until the dough starts to leave the sides of the bowl. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased surface, oil your hands, and knead it for 6 to 8 minutes, or until it's smooth, shiny and supple. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl or dough-rising bucket, cover the bowl or bucket, and allow the dough to rise till puffy though not necessarily doubled in bulk, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours, depending on the warmth of your kitchen.

Meanwhile, melt butter (or oil) in a saute pan. Add chopped herbs and let cook for a minute or two. Add garlic and then remove from heat. Pour into medium bowl. Spray a bundt pan with nonstick spray.
Once dough has risen, remove from bowl and cut off 1 1/2 inch pieces, roll in hands to form balls. Place about 5 or 6 dough balls at a time into the butter and herbs, stir gently to coat and then place in the bundt pan, continue until all dough is in the pan. They will rise a lot, to the top of the pan, so don't worry if it looks like there isn't very much. Cover and let rise 45 minutes.
Preheat oven to 375.
Bake for 30-35 minutes until top is browned and dough is cooked through.
Let cool in pan 10 minutes and then invert onto plate, best if served warm with marinara sauce! Would be great with soups too!

Chewy White Chocolate and Cranberry Granola Bars

I've always wanted to make homemade granola bars so I did it today. They turned out fabulous! They tasted so much better than store bought, and I'm sure they were more nutritious too. Change it up with different flavor combinations, anything would be good in these!

White Chocolate and Cranberry Granola Bars

1/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. honey
1/4 c. light corn syrup
3 Tbs creamy peanut butter
1 egg white
1 Tbs reduced fat evaporated milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 c. whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 3/4 c. old fashioned oats
1 1/2 c. crisp rice cereal (rice krispies)
1/2 c. vanilla or white chocolate chips
1/3 c. craisins
1/4 c. chopped walnuts

In a large bowl, combine first seven ingredients, whisk well. Combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in a separate bowl, add to sugar mixture. Gently stir in oats, cereal, chips, craisins, and walnuts.

Press into a 13X9 pan, coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350 for 18 minutes, should have puffed up a little and be golden brown. Let cool. Cut into bars and store in airtight container, yields about a dozen.

Coconut Macaroons

I cannot describe how good these are! This is the Barefoot Contessa's recipe for her macaroons, I've seen her make them and I've always wanted to try them. I drizzled chocolate over the tops to make them extra yummy. They are even better the next day! To prevent spreading I removed 1 Tbs of the sweetened condensed milk and refrigerated the batter for 5 minutes before baking.

14 oz. sweetened shredded coconut
14 oz. sweetened condensed milk (minus 1 Tbs)
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 extra large egg white, room temp
1/4 tsp kosher salt
parchment paper (must have!)

Preheat oven to 325.

Combine the coconut, condensed milk, and vanilla in a large bowl. Whip the egg whites and salt on high speed until they form medium firm peaks. Gently fold into coconut mixture. Refrigerate for 5 minutes.

Drop the batter onto a 1/2 sheet pan lined with parchment paper using either a 1 3/4 inch ice cream scoop or two spoons. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until golden brown. Cool and serve. Makes about 14.

Sangria Punch

This is my all time favorite punch to make for a party! With the limes and the oranges, it's perfect for a summer BBQ.

Sangria Punch

1 qt. (4 cups) cold reduced calorie cranberry juice cocktail
1 cup cold orange juice
1 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
3/4 cup COUNTRY TIME Lemonade or Pink Lemonade Flavor Drink Mix
3 cups cold club soda
2 oranges, sliced
2 limes, sliced

ADD cranberry juice cocktail, orange juice and lime juice to lemonade drink mix in large pitcher; stir until mix is dissolved.

REFRIGERATE until ready to serve.

STIR in club soda and fruit. Serve over ice cubes.

Carrot Cupcakes

Thanks King Arthur for another great recipe! This was a very simple, very good carrot cake recipe that I made into cupcakes.

Carrot Cupcakes

1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 cups All-Purpose Flour
3 cups finely grated carrots
1 1/2 cups chopped pecans or walnuts

Cream Cheese Frosting

1/2 c. butter, softened
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 tsp vanilla
3 Tbs milk
about 3 cups powdered sugar (more depending on if you want a thicker consistency)

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease one 9 x 13-inch pan, or makes 22 cupcakes.

Beat together the oil, sugar, eggs and spices. Mix the flour with the baking soda, and stir in. Add the carrots and nuts, and mix until just blended.

Pour the prepared pan(s). Bake the cake(s) for 35 to 40 minutes (15 minutes for cupcakes), or until the cake tests done. Allow the cake to cool completely before frosting it. (If you're using two 9-inch round pans, remove the cake from the pans after about 15 minutes, and place it in a rack to cool.

For frosting beat together all ingredients, adjust the consistency with more milk or powdered sugar if needed. Frost and sprinkle with cinnamon!

Raspberry Cupcakes

My sister came up with this delicious idea for a raspberry frosting, I love it because it is super easy to make and you can tell there are REAL raspberries in it, not just raspberry flavoring, thanks Becky! I used it on my fudge cupcakes and Becky used it on my coconut cupcakes, both combos were great!

Raspberry Frosting

1 regular size bag frozen raspberries
2 Tbs. cornstarch
1 container Betty Crocker Whipped Fluffy white frosting
(it doesn't work with a homemade frosting for some reason, too runny)

Pour the frozen raspberries into a saucepan, turn heat up to medium and let defrost and heat up. Meanwhile, combine small amount of water (1/3 c.) with 2 Tbs cornstarch and whisk together. Add to raspberries. Let raspberries heat up and come to a soft boil, turn heat down and simmer until very, very thick. Let cool completely. At this point it has set up enough that you should be able to cut it with a knife. Stir gently into the frosting and pipe onto cupcakes. Serve same day, these don't really last overnight.

Tacosagna

This is a Rachel Ray recipe, it turned out so good, I will definitely be making this again. I love the fresh lettuce and tomatoes served on top, and that it had grated carrots and zuchinni "hidden" in the meat mixture.

Tacosagna

2 Tbs. vegetable oil
2 lbs. ground turkey
1 zuchinni
2 carrots, peeled
3 cloves garlic
1 medium onion
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1 can large black olives, drained and chopped
taco seasoning
salt
pepper
1 c. beef broth
6 soft taco sized flour tortillas
4 c. shredded Monterey Jack cheese
2 green onions, chopped
2 hearts romaine, chopped
2 roma tomatoes, chopped

Preheat oven to 400.

Heat large skillet with vegetable oil. Add the meat and brown for 5 minutes. While the turkey is browning grate the zuchinni and carrots and add to meat mixture. Add the onion, garlic, red pepper, and olives. Add about 1/4 c. of taco seasoning and salt and pepper to taste. Add beef broth and let simmer until veggies and turkey are cooked through. Spray a 13X9 pan with cooking spray. Layer 2 flour tortillas, 1/3 of meat mixture, 1/3 of cheese and repeat two more times. Sprinkle a little taco seasoning over top and bake for about 15 minutes, until hot and cheese is melted. Top with green onions, lettuce, and tomatoes and serve.

Simple Glazed Fruit Salad

This is a very simple fruit salad, by no means is it gourmet, but I like it because it adds a pretty, sweet glaze to the fruit. I love making this in the summer when the strawberries are in season!

Simple Glazed Fruit Salad

1 pint strawberries, rinsed and cut in half
2 banans, sliced
1 large orange, cut in cubes
2 cups green grapes
1 small box vanilla instant pudding
milk

Toss all fruit together in a large bowl. Sprinkle about 2/3 of the package of instant pudding over the fruit, pour about 1/2 a cup of milk over fruit. Toss gently until the milk and pudding combine to make a nice glaze. Add more milk if necessary. You can use all kinds of fruits and puddings, I tried coconut pudding once and it was yummy too.

Luscious Lemonade Cupcakes

Mmmm, mmmm! These cupcakes are perfect for spring! The lemon cream frosting really makes these delicious, and ta da! This recipe is actually from the Cooking Light magazine, who would have thought I would bake anything low fat? :) This recipe makes a two layer 9 inch round cake or about 20 cupcakes.

Luscious Lemonade Cupcakes

1 1/3 c. sugar
6 Tbs. softened butter
1 Tbs. grated lemon rind
3 Tbs thawed lemonade concentrate (I used MinuteMaid)
2 tsp vanilla
2 large eggs
2 large egg whites
2 c. flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/4 c. lowfat buttermilk

Frosting:
2 Tbs butter, softened
1 Tbs grated lemon rind
2 tsp thawed lemonade concentrate
1/2 tsp vanilla
8 oz. 1/3 less fate cream cheese
3 1/2 c. powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350.

Beat sugar, butter, lemon rind, lemonade concentrate, and vanilla together for 2 minutes. Add eggs and egg whites one at a time, beat well after each addition.
Combine baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Add flour mixture and buttermilk alternately to batter, beginning and ending with flour. Pour batter into two greased 9 inch round cake pans (or makes 20 cupcakes). Bake for 20 minutes (15 for cupcakes), let cool for 10 minutes in pan and invert onto a wire rack.

For frosting combine first five ingredients. Add in enough powdered sugar to reach the consistency you like. I did add in a little yellow food coloring to make them look lemony. Frost cake and store in refrigerator. Cupcakes are best eaten the same day.

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

This soup is amazing! So flavorful and delicious! It's even better served in a bread bowl. Thanks Dawn!

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

1 6 oz. box Uncle Ben's long grain and wild rice, prepared according to package
2 Tbs. olive oil
3 chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces
2 c. sliced mushrooms
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 1/2 c. water
4 chicken bouillon cubes
1/4 tsp dried tarragon
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1 1/2 c. evaporated milk
2 Tbs. cornstarch

Heat oil in a large stock pot, add chicken, mushrooms, onion, and garlic; saute for 5-8 minutes.

Add rice, water, bouillon, tarragon, and thyme to chicken mixture in pot. Bring to a boil. Whisk together cornstarch and evaporated milk in a small bowl, add to soup. Reduce heat to low and let simmer until thickened. Serves 5-6 adults.