Sarah's No-Knead Crusty Bread

This recipe was shared with me by my sister, but it's originally from simplysogood.com.

Prep: 15 min
Rise: 18 hrs
Cook: 45 min
Serves: 10 slices

INGREDIENTS
3 cups + 2 Tbsp unbleached all-purpose flour
1 3/4 tsp Kosher salt
1/2 tsp instant or rapid-rise yeast
1 1/2 cups water, cool

DIRECTIONS
1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and yeast.
2. Add water and mix until a shaggy mixture forms.
3. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and set aside for 12-18 hrs. Overnight works great.
4. Heat oven to 450 degrees. When the oven has reached 450, place a cast iron pot with lid in the oven and heat the pot for 30 minutes. OR pot can be placed in cold oven while oven is preheating and leave in for 30 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, pour dough onto a heavily floured surface and shape into a ball. Cover with plastic wrap and let set while the pot is heating.
6. Remove hot pot from the oven and drop in the dough. Cover and return to oven for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, remove the lid and bake an additional 15 minutes uncovered. Remove bread from oven and place on a rack to cool.

Note: use silicone-coated parchment paper between dough and pot

Try add-ins:
orange zest & cranberries
gruyere & rosemary

Tiffany's Authentic Kolaches

Thanks Tiffany Urbanovsky for all your research and testing for this recipe!

SUPPLIES
liquid & dry measuring cups
small mixing bowl
large mixing bowl
whisk / immersion blender / blender*
spatula
plastic wrap
oil
2-3 baking sheets
parchment paper

DOUGH
Wet Ingredients:
3 packets of dry active yeast
1/2 cup milk or water (to activate yeast)
2 tsp sugar (to activate yeast)
1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup milk - lukewarm
2 eggs
Dry Ingredients:
4-5 cups bread flour
1 tsp salt

FILLINGS
Meat - link sausage (most traditional), lil smokies (what most local bakeries & donut shops use), or ham. Shredded cheese is also great with any of these meats.
Cream cheese - combine 8 oz. softened cream cheese, 1/4 cup sugar, 1 egg white, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1/2 tsp lemon zest.
Fruit - if you can find it, use Solo brand pastry & cake filling. Otherwise use pie filling with a little cornstarch mixed in to thicken it.

DIRECTIONS
Making the Dough:
1. Activate yeast per package instructions.
2. In a small mixing bowl, blend together melted butter, eggs, sugar, and milk.
3. In a large mixing bowl, measure 4 cups bread flour and 1 tsp salt. Stir to disperse salt.
4. Dump all wet ingredients on top of the dry ingredients and wait 5 minutes before mixing.
5. Using a spatula stir wet and dry ingredients until just combined. This will be a very soft dough.
6. Dump the soft dough onto a floured surface and knead approximately 10 times. If the dough still seems very wet, add a little more flour during the kneading process.
7. Transfer to an oiled or parchment-lined bowl** and cover with oiled plastic wrap. Make sure the plastic wrap is touching the dough ball to avoid developing a skin.
8. Rest in a warm space until the dough has doubled in size.
Baking:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Once the dough has doubled in size, take golf ball-sized pieces of dough, gently form into a round or oval shape*** and place on a baking sheet approximately 1 1/2 inches apart until baking sheet is full.
3. For klobasniky (sausage kolache) ONLY - Wrap the dough around meat.
4. Cover baking sheet with oiled plastic wrap and place in a warm space.**** The proofing time varies here--try to pull them out again once the proofed dough balls are just touching their neighbor.
5. For klobasniky ONLY - Put straight into a preheated oven. Bake for a total of 10-14 min. Check every 5ish min for browning.
6. For fruit / cream cheese kolaches, take proofed dough balls and use your fingers to create a deep well in each ball (make bigger than you think necessary as they will close back in as they bake).
7. Put a small dollop (a little less than a Tbsp) of the filling of your choice in the well.
8. Cover again with the oiled plastic wrap and let rise for 5 minutes.
9. Remove plastic wrap and bake in a preheated oven for 10-14 minutes. Check every 5ish minutes for browning.

Notes from Tiffany:
*I prefer to use an immersion blender to make sure the eggs and butter are well incorporated, however a mixing bowl and whisk or a regular blender will also work.
**In previous years I have proofed my dough in large mixing bowls in a warm room, however this year I used an instant pot on the yogurt setting and it cut down significantly on the proofing time. If you have an IP, I would recommend this method!
***round if making fruit kolaches, oval if you are making sausage klobasniky
****I used my microwave as it is directly above my oven and gets nice and warm inside when my oven is on. Makes for a great proofing cabinet!

Creamy Chicken Gnocchi Soup - Olive Garden CopyCat

Adapted from here.

PREP: 40 min
SERVES: 8

INGREDIENTS
3 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup onion, diced
1/2 cup celery, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups half-and-half
1-2 cans (14 oz each) chicken broth (I used 2-3 because it was still too thick)
1 Tbsp fresh thyme
1 cup shredded carrots (I may have used a bit more)
1 cup fresh spinach leaves, chopped (I used 3-4 cups)
1 cup diced cooked chicken breast (I used 2 cups of Italian seasoned rotisserie chicken, light & dark meat)
1 package (16 oz) potato gnocchi (on the pasta isle)
salt & pepper to taste (it needed a lot of salt)

DIRECTIONS
In a large pot add butter and olive oil. Over medium high heat, sautee onion, celery, and garlic until tender. Add the flour to create a roux and cook for another minute.
Slowly add the half-and-half and stir until thickened. Add the chicken broth, thyme, carrots, spinach, chicken, and gnocchi. Simmer for about 5 minutes or until gnocchi is cooked and soup is thickened (mine took about 15 min). Add more chicken broth is a thinner soup is desired. Salt & pepper to taste and serve.

Serving suggestions:
Ceasar salad & crusty bread

Pressure Cooker Red Beans & Rice

Adapted from frommyimpossiblytinykitchen.

SERVES: 6-8
PREP: 20 min + soaking red beans overnight if possible
COOK TIME: 2 hours

INGREDIENTS:
2 Tbsp olive oil
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 large onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced (optional)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 - 2 tsp creole seasoning, according to taste (use less if serving kids)
3 cloves garlic, chopped
3 sprigs fresh thyme
1 lb smoked sausage, sliced
2 bay leaves
1 lb dried red beans (use long red kidney beans)--I recommend soaking these overnight if possible
1 ham hock (ask for it at the butcher counter, or use smoked turkey leg/neck)
6 cups chicken stock**
green onion, for garnish

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a pressure cooker (at least 6 quarts) over medium heat, add in olive oil. Once hot, add in onion and celery. Cook over medium heat for about 8 minutes--vegetables should be soft and cooked through.
2. Add salt, pepper, and creole seasoning to the vegetables and stir to combine. 
3. Stir in garlic, thyme, and sausage. Increase heat to medium-high and cook until the sausage has browned, about 5 minutes.
4. Add the red beans and the ham hock to the pot, followed by the chicken stock. Be sure to follow your pressure cooker's manufacturer's instructions for limits on the amount of liquid that can be added to your pressure cooker. The beans should be completely covered by chicken stock, but take care not to go over your pressure cooker's "max fill line."
5. Bring the cooker up to full pressure. Once pressure has been reached, reduce the heat just enough to maintain full pressure, then start timing for 1 hour 45 minutes*. Allow the pressure to come down naturally.
6. Remove the lid and taste--adjust the seasonings and, if necessary, cook a bit longer.

*Original recipe called for 1 hour, but even at 1.5 hours, the beans were not cooked all the way through if I didn't soak the beans for 8+ hrs. 

**Original recipe called for 5 cups, but the beans need more liquid to fully absorb if they weren't soaked overnight.

Serve with steamed rice & top with sour cream. Also good with cornbread.


Note for self: below is Amy's red beans and rice recipe.

Treebeards’ Red Beans

1 pound dried light red kidney beans

2 quarts water

2 medium onions, chopped

2 stalks celery with leaves, chopped

½ large bell pepper, chopped

2 ½ teaspoons salt

1 ½ rounded teaspoons thyme

1 ½ rounded teaspoons oregano

1 ¼ teaspoons garlic powder

¾ teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 bay leaves

1 pound smoked sausage, cut into ½ inch slices

Optional: shredded cheddar cheese, chopped

Green onions, Tabasco sauce and extra sausage

Wash and drain red beans.  In a 4 quart saucepan add 2 quarts

of cold water and red beans.  Soak overnight.   Or, in a 4 quart

saucepan, add 2 quarts of cold water and red beans; bring to

boil.  Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 2 minutes.  Remove

from heat and let stand 1 hour before continuing.  Do not drain

water.

Add onions, celery and bell pepper to red beans and bring to

boil.  Cover, reduce heat and simmer about 1 ½ hours until red

beans are soft and begin to thicken.  Do not stir red beans more

than necessary or they will get mushy.

Stir in seasonings and sausage.  Simmer 30 minutes more until

red beans are tender.

Serve over hot rice and top with optional items, if desired.

Serves 6-8

Denise's Banana Bread

INGREDIENTS
1 stick butter, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup honey
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
4 very ripe bananas, mashed
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups white whole wheat flour

DIRECTIONS
Mix ingredients in order. Pour into greased bread mold(s) or greased muffin tins. Bake at 350 degrees until a toothpick comes out clean.

Approximate baking times:
1 large bread mold - 1 hour
3 small loaves - 40 minutes
muffins - 25 minutes

Spice Cake Mix Pancakes with Applesauce

*Adapted from Domestic Diva on a Dime.

PREP: 30 minutes
SERVES: 30 - 4" pancakes

INGREDIENTS
1 box spice cake mix
3 cups Bisquick or other pancake mix
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce (or two snack-size cups)
4 eggs
2 cups water
2 Tbsp ground flaxseed (optional)

DIRECTIONS
1. Mix all ingredients until most of the lumps are smooth. If consistency is too thin, add Bisquick mix until preferred thickness is reached.
2. Heat griddle and cook pancakes. Tip: keep the prepared pancakes warm in an oven preheated to 200 degrees until ready to serve.
3. Serve with butter & maple syrup. (These are more flavorful than traditional pancakes, so less syrup is required than normal.)

Denise's Mexican Quinoa

Serves: 4 (side dish portions)
Prep: 5 minutes

INGREDIENTS
1 (8.8 oz) pkg HEB Central Market Brand White & Red Quinoa - in "quick heat grains" pouch
1/2 can corn (drained except for 2 Tbsp liquid)
dash of: garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, salt, and fajita seasoning
dash of cayenne pepper, optional - I didn't use this
cilantro, optional - I didn't have this the first time I made it
1 can Goya black bean soup

DIRECTIONS
Prepare bag of quinoa according to package directions. In a medium bowl, heat corn in its liquid for approximately 1 minute in the microwave. Add quinoa and seasonings. Stir together and serve topped with black beans.

Notes: I served this with fish tacos and it was a great alternative to rice and beans. It would also be delicious served as a chopped salad with the additions of tomato, cucumber, avocado, cilantro, lime juice, and chicken.