French Bread

This was the best homemade bread I have ever made.

7 cups flour divided3 cups warm water

1/3 cup sugar

2 tsp. salt

1 1/2 packages yeast

Instructions

Mix 3 and 1/2 cups flour with all ingredients.

Let sit one hour. Add remaining 3 and 1/2 cups flour (one at a time) and knead till dough forms a ball (dough sticky).

Cover with a damp cloth for 30 minutes.Divide and shape into 2 oblong loaves (long and narrow). Place on greased cookie sheet. Slit top with scissors 1/2 down diagonally. Paint top with slightly beaten egg whites.

Let sit for 8-10 minutes.

Bake at 375 degrees F for about 30 minutes.

This recipe from: http://www.chef-in-training.com/2012/05/french-bread/

Brownie Batter Dip

I have made this dip twice now, and everyone is in love with it. It is from Chef-In-Training http://www.chef-in-training.com/2012/03/brownie-batter-dip/. It is now my go to recipe for any kind of party I have (it's replaced my cream cheese chocolate chip ball). Watch out, because you will eat the whole thing.

8 oz. cream cheese

1/2 c. butter

2-3 c. powdered sugar (varies by desired consistency)

5 tbsp. All Purpose flour

5 tbsp. cocoa powder

2 tbsp. brown sugar

3+ tbsp. milk (varies by desired consistency)

1 tsp. vanilla

Instructions

1. In a stand mixer, whisk together the cream cheese and the butter.
2. Add 2 cups of the powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, and 1 tbsp. milk.
3. Add the flour, cocoa powder, vanilla, brown sugar, and 1 more tbsp. of milk if needed.
4. Whisk all until smooth.
5. Add remaining powdered sugar and milk alternately until dip reaches your desired consistency.

Enjoy!

Shea's 2nd Birthday Mickey Mouse Cupcakes

1 box of any flavor cake mix (ingriedients needed to make cake)

24 cupcake liners

24 large oreos

48 mini oreos

1 bag of White chocolate chips

red food coloring

frosting

Ingredients:1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine softened1 teaspoon vanilla

4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar (approximately 1 lb.)

2 tablespoons milk

Cupcakes:

Preheat oven to 350.Line a cupcake pan with 24 cupcake liners. make cake batter as suggested on box. Bake as recommended on box. Pour into cupcake liners and bake.

Frosting:

In large bowl, cream shortening and butter with electric mixer. Add vanilla. Gradually add sugar, one cup at a time, beating well on medium speed. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl often. When all sugar has been mixed in, icing will appear dry. Add milk and beat at medium speed until light and fluffy.

For the Mickey Mouses:

take a large oreo and dip it in the melted, colored white chocolate chips, let dry on wax paper. add 2 little dabs of the white chocolate chips that isn't colored. Top each cupcake with frosting and add one of the large oreo's and add 2 little oreo's for the ears.

Frosting recipe http://www.wilton.com/recipe/Buttercream-Icing

Lemon Cupcakes

These cupcakes were made for my daughters Girl Scout troop, for the Girl Scouts 100th Birthday, yesterday. They were made with the new lemon Girl Scout cookie on top. They were delicious.

Preheat oven to 350. Line a 24 cupcake tin, with cupcake wrappers

Lemon Cake mix, prepare with the box directions. (3 eggs, oil and water)

orange zest

and the juice of 1/2 an orange

yellow food coloring.

Bake for 15-20 min, or until fork comes out clean. cool and frost, with the Lucious Lemon frosting, and top with a Savannah Smiles Lemon Girl Scout cookie.

Lucious Lemon frosting: http://low-cholesterol.food.com/recipe/luscious-lemon-frosting-54666

1 teaspoon
fresh orange
rind , grated
3 tablespoons butter
3 cups
confectioners' sugar ,
sifted
2 tablespoons lemon juice and a a squeeze of an orange
1 tablespoon water
1 dash
salt

yellow food coloring

I added the orange to give it a little something different, since I didnt have a fresh lemon for the rind, and it turned out fantastic.

French Dip

Here is a recipe I got from Rachael Ray. I changed it a bit.

Ingredients

6 hoagie buns

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil plus some for drizzling

1 small onion, chopped

2 large clove garlic, divided, 1 chopped, 1 crushed

2 cups beef stock

Salt and pepper

1/4 pound sliced roast beef

f6 slices provolone cheese

Preparation Slice hoagie buns open lengthwise.Transfer the bread to a cookie sheet and toast in the oven until golden brown, 8-10 minutes, or toast under the broiler but keep an eye on it so it doesn’t burn! Once the bread is toasted, rub cut side with the crushed clove of garlic then drizzle it with a little Olive Oil and cover it with grated cheese.While the bread is toasting, heat a medium-sized skillet over medium-high heat with Olive Oil, about 2 tablespoons. Add onion, chopped garlic, with a little salt and pepper, and cook until the onions start to get soft about 2-3 minutes. Add beef stock, bring up to a simmer and cook for 2-3 minutes to let the flavors come together.Using tongs swish a few slices of roast beef at a time through the hot broth then transfer to the cheesy garlic bread. Once all the roast beef has been mounded on the bread, top each half with slices of provolone cheese and transfer to the broiler or oven to melt the cheese.

Peanut Butter Pie

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 cup peanut buter
1 cup milk
1 (16 ounce) package frozen whipped topping, thawed
2 (9 inch) prepared graham cracker crusts
Mini Chocolate chips and crushed mini Nutter Butter cookies, for decoration.

Beat together cream cheese and confectioners' sugar. Mix in peanut butter and milk. Beat until smooth. Fold in whipped topping.
Spoon into two 9 inch graham cracker pie shells; Add the mini Chocolate chips and crushed Nutter butter cookies. cover, and freeze until firm.

recipe from: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/No-Bake-Peanut-Butter-Pie

Tagalong cupcakes

Just in time for Girl Scout cookies.
cupcakes:
1 chocolate cake mix (with all ingredients that it suggests on the back of the box)
2 boxes of Tagalongs, or if it;s not GSC season you can use the Keebler knockoff brand)
24 cupcake liners

Frosting:
1/2 cup butter
1 cup creamy peanut butter
4 cups confectioners' sugar
1/3 cup cream

Preheat oven to 350. Line a cupcake pan with cupcake liners (makes 24). add a tagalong to the bottom of each liner.
Make chocolate cake according to the package directions. and pour on top of Tagalongs, in the liners. and bake according to directions.

For frosting:
In a large bowl, beat butter and peanut butter until light and fluffy. Slowly beat in 1/2 of the confectioner's sugar. Mix in 1/4 cup of the cream. Beat in the remaining confectioners' sugar. If necessary, add a little more cream or milk until the frosting reaches a good spreading consistency.

Frosting recipe from: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/peanut-butter-frosting/detail.aspx