Chicken Broccoli Casserole

I love me some comfort food! We don't make this often because it's so fattening...but when we do make it we love love love it!! 

Chicken broccoli casserole
layer #1 - 2 10 oz packages frozen broccoli (cooked)

layer #2 - 2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 Cup Mayo
1 tsp lemon juice
2 lbs cooked.diced chicken

layer #3 - 3/4 Cup grated cheese

3/4 C bread crumbs
1/4 Melted butter

layer in 9x13" pan top with crumbs and drizzle butter
Bake at 350 for 1 hour (or less, as long as cheese is melted and it's warmed through)

Butter Beer!

I found this recipe on the internet but I don't remember the source. It's a good drink for chilly winter evenings, but SPOILER ALERT! you'll get fat.

2 tablespoons of butter (yeah, Julia Child would be proud)
2 tablespoons on brown sugar
A mugful of milk
Cinnamon and nutmeg

Melt the butter and the brown sugar over medium heat in a little saucepan. You want to stir continuously so it doesn't stick or burn and let it meld so close together that it's nearly caramelized.
Add in the milk and let it simmer.
Stir in a dash of cinnamon and a little nutmeg for flavor.
If you're feeling daring and heathenish, this is also really good with a half a shot of rum thrown in.

So you're literally drinking butter, sugar, and milk. It's like a cookie in a cup, so beware.

Silas Pancake

Or German Pancake. Whatever you call it, it's a great breakfast dish...although we usually eat it for dinner.




Silas Pancake

1 1/2 sticks margarine (or butter)
9 eggs
1 1/2 c. milk
1/2 t. salt
1 1/2 c. flour

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Cut margarine into several pieces and place in 9x13 cake pan and place in oven. Beat eggs, milk, salt and flour. When margarine is melted, add egg mixture and cook for 15-18 minutes.

Serve with favorite syrup. Silas's favorite topping is lemon syrup (lemon juice mixed with powdered sugar) AND jam. The kids and I like maple syrup and powdered sugar.

Amish White Bread

I've been making this bread as the mainstay for several years, now. It turns out delicious every time; unless, of course, you forget the salt. Worse yet, using expired yeast yields less-then-desirable results. However, it's a great recipe and better bread.

Ingredients

• 2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C) I use hot tap water.
• 2/3 cup white sugar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons active dry yeast   I use just under this amount.
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt   I use 1 teaspoon.
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 6 cups bread flour   I use regular flour; sometimes a combo of wheat and white.

Directions

1. In a large bowl, dissolve the sugar in warm water, and then stir in yeast. Allow to proof until yeast resembles a creamy foam (about 10 minutes).
2. Mix salt and oil into the yeast. Mix in flour one cup at a time (I start with two cups, then add one at a time). Knead dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth. Place in a well oiled bowl, and turn dough to coat. Cover with a damp cloth. Allow to rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
3. Punch dough down. Knead for a few minutes, and divide in half. Shape into loaves, and place into two well oiled (or sprayed) 9x5 inch loaf pans. Allow to rise for 30 minutes, or until dough has risen 1 inch above pans.
4. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 minutes.   In my oven, these loaves take about 25 minutes.
5. Brush butter on top, if you want to. Let sit in the pans for about 10 minutes, then turn onto a rack or paper toweling to cool. Of course, one loaf will probably disappear long before it cools!

This recipe makes good dinner rolls, too. After shaping the rolls, let them rise until they're very light. They are best eaten the day they're baked, but are good the next day, too. This is also the recipe I use for pigs-in-a-blanket. I make the dough and immediately roll it out, wrapping it around the hot dog pieces like a crescent roll. Then, I let them rise only one time. They're always a hit.

The easiest bread ever AKA: Artisan Bread

Artisan Bread
3 Cups Flour
3/4 Tablespoon Yeast
3/4 Tablespoon Salt
1 1/2 Cups warm water

Mix together, cover with plastic wrap and let sit for 3 hours (longer if you want, or need. I often let it rise either over night, or from morning til late afternoon)
With Olive Oil on your hands and counter take the dough (which will be gooey and sticky) and form into a round/circular loaf and place in a *round casserole dish with lid(no need to grease it, thanks to all the olive oil!).
Cover and bake at 450 for 30 minutes. Take the lid off and bake for another 15 minutes.

Let it cool so it's easier to cut and enjoy. Don't forget the butter :)

*I've also done it on a pizza stone, and it works fine. Just bake it for 40-45 minutes if you do it this way.

This is the dish I use to bake it in

The olive oil seemed to make a big difference in the crust to me as opposed to using flour when forming the dough.
We love it, and we hope you do too!

Cream Cheese Potato Soup

Andy doesn't especially like soups. I do, and I've tried to push share my love of a good soup with Andy. I especially like potato soup, but until I found this recipe I didn't have Andy convinced. We love this creamy soup, and make it about once a month (more often sometimes!). We like to look past the fact that it's not super healthy.

Panera's Cream Cheese Potato Soup (Original recipe in black, my notes/changes in red)

Ingredients
4 cups chicken broth (I just use the water/bullion method)
4 cups peeled and cubed potatoes (I do closer to 5 cups, I like it a little thicker)
1/4 cup minced onion (I use about 1 Tablespoon dehydrated onion)
1/2 teaspoon seasoning salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper (I don't have this, so I just use pepper...)
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper (Instead of ground, I use red pepper flakes.)
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, cut into chunks

Directions
Combine broth, potatoes, onion, and spices. Boil on medium heat until potatoes are tender. Smash a few of the potatoes to release their starch for thickening. Reduce to low heat. Add cream cheese. Heat, stirring frequently.

Best served with Artisan bread. Yum!

Virtual family dinner (and dessert!)

For as long as I can remember our family gatherings have involved food.  Whether we're bar-b-queuing, having a sit down meal, snacking on finger foods, or just gathering for dessert we've had some exceptionally yummy gatherings! With everyone so spread out we can't always gather to eat and visit together, so what's the next best thing?! Sharing via the internet!

Sis and I started this blog a couple years ago with the intention of posting our favorite copycat recipes. It lasted for a while and we have some good recipes for you all to check out.

However, last week while Mom was visiting we started talking about a family recipe exchange/cookbook/collection and I had the thought to just make a blog. It should be very easy for us all to add our tried and true family favorite recipes here, even those of you who don't blog can figure it out. I promise. : ) Then after a while when we have a good collection of all our favorites we can think about getting it printed.

There are a few guidelines/suggestions for posting, so it's easy for us to find the recipes we're looking for-

LABEL YOUR POST - When you are posting a recipe, before you publish it, there is a box at the bottom of the post to label your post. Always put your own name there along with either the main ingredient or 'main dish', 'side dish', 'dessert', etc. The labels will show up on the side of the blog so it'll be easy to sort through the recipes.You can add as many labels to your posts as you want/think necessary.

MAKE IT FIRST - Since this is a family favorites blog, lets make sure the recipes are actually ones you like! : ) Seems simple, right? 

PICTURES ARE FUN! - that's all. I like to see pictures of what the food looks like, that way I know if it turns out right! : ) Obviously, not required. But if you happen to snap a picture, share it.

STORIES - One of the fun things about family recipes is hearing who made it first, where we got it, what parties we made it for, etc. So if you've made a recipe you're sharing for a family gathering let us know which one. It may be one we've been remembering and wanting to get from you!

So bookmark this site and lets get cooking! We're going to try keeping this blog private (meaning you'll have to log into view it), but if there's someone I didn't add to be a contributor let me know and we'll get them added!

I don't know about you, but I can't wait to try some new yummy Recipes! : )

~Kizzie