Comfort & Peace

This is my "does everything" bread recipe. You can use it to make loaves of bread, rolls in various forms and best of all... cinnamon rolls. It's from my mom and it's what bread has meant to me my whole life.  When we made bread, this is what we made, every Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter and every special event in between.  Our family's favorite use for this bread dough was cinnamon rolls.  They are fantastic, as many of my friends will attest to; I'm thinking of a certain red-haired music minister and his soon-to-be-wife as I write this post.  In my own family they have become a Christmas morning tradition.  This year, Christmas was riddled with illness, so I'm a little late in making them.  Better late than never though and my house smells absolutely amazing at the moment.  There is something so utterly peaceful and comfort-filled in the act of making home-made bread.  From the time it takes to rise -you can't rush it and knowing that you've set aside time to focus on this is calming - to the kneading of the dough, my mind and my body calm and focus on all that's important in my life.  It's as if I've gotten back to an elemental state.  I think this is why I've loved having a garden this year and making food from scratch.  It's slower paced, it's full of thought and patience, it takes you back to memories of family and it brings your family in to help, to watch, to enjoy. 

Take a moment to step out of the frenetic pace of life and let peace and comfort rise up in you with this delicious bread.

***A tip:  Kneading the dough is crucial.  The more time spent kneading, the better and lighter your bread will be.  It's also one of the best parts of making bread, so don't skimp on it!

Sweet Bread Dough/Cinnamon Rolls 

Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
4 cups milk
1 cup shortening

8 cups flour (I use whole wheat)

2 pkgs. of yeast (dissolve in 1/4 cup water & 1 tsp. sugar)

1 cup flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

3/4 tsp. salt

***For Cinnamon Rolls

butter

brown sugar

cinnamon

Method:
1.) Heat sugar, milk & shortening, until melted & sugar is dissolved.
2.)  When mixture is cool, add 8 cups of flour & yeast
3.)  Let rise until dough doubles in size

4.)  Mix together the remaining 4 ingredients (flour, baking soda, baking powder & salt)

5.)  Punch down dough and add the flour/soda/powder/salt mixture.

6.)  Knead and shape into desired shapes (loaf, rolls or cinnamon rolls)

****For cinnamon rolls:  Take a ball of dough and roll out to about 1/2 inch thickness, spread melted butter over rolled out dough, sprinkle brown sugar & cinnamon over it (also delicious to add nutmeg, ginger &/or cloves to this mixture!).  Once butter, brown sugar & spices are spread over the rolled out dough, roll dough up into a long log.  Cut into desired size slice and place face up in a baking dish.  Make sure you leave enough room between the rolls in order for them to rise. 

7.)  Let dough rise again (proofing)

6.)  Bake at 350 degrees until bread sounds hollow when tapped with a finger.

Click here for printable version

Follow Your Heart

When I asked my friend Shannon how she made Taco Soup, a deliciously enticing soup I'd been hearing about in our church for a few months, she gave me a few main ingredients and then laughed and said, "Just follow your heart!".  I loved that statement and the sentiment behind it.  The best things I've concocted in the kitchen often come from following my heart and pouring not only great ingredients into the dish, but also my love; love for the food I'm cooking and love for my family.  So on Christmas Eve, when time was crunched and I wanted a meal that we could sit down together and enjoy, I took Shannon's advice and followed my heart to this amazing tasting and wholly satisfying soup.  You can use the recipe below as a general guide, but take my friend Shannon's advice and go with those ingredients in your cupboards that make your heart sing!

Make some hearts, and mouths happy tonight in your home!

Taco Soup   

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground turkey (or meat of your choice)
1 medium sweet onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup taco seasoning (or 1 packet)
2 tsp. Mexican chili powder
2 tsp. ground cumin
2 cans (or 4 cups cooked) beans (I used red kidney & black beans)
1 can (or 2 cups frozen) corn
1 20 ounce can of tomato product (I used crushed, but you can used chopped or stewed for the flavor and consistency you'd like best).
2 cups of broth (chicken or vegetable) - I used this to thin out the crushed tomotoes and make the soup less "chili" like.

Method:
1.)  Brown the ground turkey in 1 Tbsp of olive oil.
2.)  When meat is mostly browned, add onions and saute until tender.
3.)  Add garlic and saute for 1 minute more
4.)  Stir in taco seasoning and spices
5.)  Add beans and corn, mix well
6.)  Add crushed tomatoes & broth.
7.)  Bring to a boil
8.)  Serve & garnish with shredded lettuce, grated cheese, sliced green onions, sour cream & tortilla chips - basically anything you love on tacos tastes fantastic on this soup!

Click here for printable version

Cinderella's Soup

I've had this recipe since high school, when I visited Germany for a month.  My host mother made this soup and I loved it so much that she gave me the recipe.  It took a bit of time for us to figure out amount conversions and English names for certain ingredients, namely the boullion, but we did it!  I've always thought of this as "Cinderella's Soup" because of the name.  We often have this on Christmas or New Year's Eve.  It's a hearty and flavorful soup that satisfies on a cold evening.

This is another simple recipe, but with HUGE flavor.  I hope you enjoy it, anytime of the day!

Mittenacht Suppe (Midnight Soup)
Ingredients:
Pat of butter or olive oil
2 lbs. chicken tenders, cooked & cubed
3 bunches of green onions, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 8 ounce can tomato paste
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 can kidney or black beans, drained
1 cup red wine
2 chicken boullion cubes (I've also used 1 - 2 cups of chicken or vegetable stock here for a thinner soup).

Method:
1.)  Brown onions, pepper & garlic in a pat of butter.
2.)  In a large soup pot, mix beans with tomato paste.
3.)  Add all other ingredients.
4.)  Simmer for 20 minutes.
5.)  Garnish with sour cream if desired.


Click here for printable version

Winner, Winner, Chickpea Dinner!

When my husband decided he wanted to change his diet to "mostly meatless", I scoured cookbooks and the internet for recipes that sounded like they would be filling and delicious as well as vegetarian.  I found this very simple recipe in my "Express Lane Meals" cookbook by Rachael Ray.  I love her and I love meals that you can make quickly!    The chickpeas (garbanzo beans) in this sauce make it very creamy and filling.  My youngest, who can be very hard to please when it comes to dinner, scrapes his plate clean after this meal. 

Enjoy a "Roman Holiday" tonight with your family!

Spaghetti alla Ceci
"Spaghetti with Chickpeas"
Ingredients: 
Salt
1 pound spaghetti (I also like to use whole wheat penne pasta)
3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (I cut this in half for my little guy's sake)
3-4 garlic cloves, finely chopped or minced
1 14- ounce can of chickpeas, drained
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
Black pepper (to taste)
1/2 cup dry white wine or chicken/vegetable stock
1  14-ounce can crushed tomoatos
Grated Parmesan cheese.

Method:
In a large pot, bring water for pasta to boil.  Salt the water & cook the spaghetti according to box directions.
While the spaghetti cooks, heat olive oil in a  large skillet.  Add the red pepper flakes & garlic.
Place the chickpeas in a food processor & pulse until finely chopped.
Add the chickpeas to the skillet with the garlic & season them with thyme, salt & pepper.
Saute them for 3-4 minutes.
Add the wine or stock & cook down for about 30 seconds, then stir in the tomoatoes.
Drain the pasta & toss with the sauce.
Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese
ENJOY!

Click here for printable recipe

An Apple A Day

On Saturday our family took a quick trip over to Johnson's Orchard, one of our favorite places in Yakima.  I can't tell you how much I adore going there when the air is crisp and cold and I can choose from over 8 different kinds of apples and 5-6 different kinds of pears.  My youngest son and I enjoy filling a box with every kind we can find to bring home and try.  When we got home, we couldn't wait to sample some of that crisp and juicy fruit we'd just chosen and I decided that it was time for another of our favorite fall recipes found in the Gooseberry Patch, "Flavors of Fall" cookbook (and ammended only slightly by me).  This one is super simple but oh so satisfying!!!  I was just telling my friend Shannon about it.  One of the best parts is the delicious "glaze" that is leftover in the pan.  So be sure you volunteer to do dishes that night!  You won't mind scraping the pan this time, you might even find yourself licking it clean - it's that good - I promise!!!

Sausage n' Apples

Ingredients:

1 lb. pkg of sausage (I have used links, sliced polish sausage & ground sausage.  ALL are good.  The best flavor comes from ground sausage, although the final presentation is less aesthetically pleasing than sausage links or sliced polish sausage.)
6 medium apples, cored, peeled & sliced
1 sweet onion, thinly sliced (optional, but it really adds great flavor & you don't notice it's there once it all cooks down).

1/2 cup sugar (I like using brown, but white is just fine too)

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 cup water

Method:

Brown sausage in a large skillet, add onions and saute until translucent (about 5 min.).  Mix apples, sugar & spices and water together and add to skillet.  Cover and simmer until apples are tender, about 30 minutes.  It serves 4, just barely, so I'd advise doubling it if you have more than that!

Click here for printable recipe

"Chai" adding a little spice to your life!

My husband and my friend Anna adore Chai tea and I'm quite partial to it myself.  When looking for a recipe to make for our recent small group gathering, I found one for Chai Gingerbread bars on the Tasty Kitchen food blog.  These bars smell absolutely heavenly while cooking! My boys could not stay away from the kitchen, asking every few minutes if they were ready to taste. 

A few hints, when you spread the batter in the pan it will not look like it's enough, but as the recipe assured, it most certainly is.  The flavor of the chai is fairly mild and is far more pronounced when the bars are cold, although they are very tasty warm out of the oven too.  I think I will double the Chai spice in my next batch because we like spice in our family!

"Chai" spicing up winter with this delicious treat!

Chai Gingerbread Bars 

Recipe adapted from Tasty Kitchen food blogIngredients:
2 cups Whole Wheat Flour
1 tsp. Cinnamon
½ tsp. Ground Nutmeg
1-2 tsp. Chai Tea Leaves (Orginal recipe calls for 1 tsp, which is one tea bag full.  We like more spice so use 2 tsp.)
½ tsp. Ground Cloves
1 tsp. Ground Ginger
½ tsp. Baking soda
1 cup Butter, softened
¾ cup Brown Sugar
½ cup White Sugar
2 Large Eggs
1 tsp. Vanilla
1 Tbsp. Fresh Grated Ginger

Method:
* Preheat oven to 350 degrees & prepare a 9X13 inch baking pan with either butter or cooking spray.
* Combine flour and spices in a large bowl, mix 

   well.
* Beat butter and sugars together until soft 

* Add eggs one at a time, mix well. 
* Add in vanilla & grated ginger.  
* Mix ingredients on low, adding the flour mixture

   until flour is blended in.
* Scoop the batter into the prepared pan. 

* Spread it out evenly. 

 (It won’t look like enough batter, but it is, don’t 

 worry!)
* Using a greased spatula (b/c the batter is very

  sticky), smooth the batter out evenly.
* Sprinkle the top with white sugar

  (this is optional, but it adds a nice texture

  contrast & looks very pretty)
* Bake for 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
* Cool completely before cutting.

These bars are great while warm, but seriously amazing when cold!!!

Click here for printable link

Getting Back To Your Roots

This soup caught my eye immediately as I looked through my "Complete Vegetarian" (published by Hermes House) cookbook.  It is an absolutely gorgeous looking soup and the ingredients shout warmth and comfort!  Honestly, I would've been happy eating the roasted vegetables just by themselves!  They were absolutely incredble, flavor-wise.  The original recipe encourages you to use other root vegetable and adapt the quantities you put into the soup.  Well, I change recipes up all the time and if the recipe encourages it then all the more reason to experiment!  I have used both butternut squash and sweet potatoes as the base for this soup and our family has enjoyed the flavor of both.

So, get back to your roots with me and enjoy a hot and hearty meal with your family!

Roasted Root Vegetable Soup 

Ingredients:

1/4 cup oilive oil

1 medium butternut squash or 3 medium sweet potatoes

2 carrots, sliced

1 large parsnip

2 leeks, thickly sliced (after slicing leeks, place in a bowl of cold water and allow dirt to fall to the bottom of the bowl, then scoop leeks out with slotted spoon)
1 onion, quartered
3 bay leaves
4 thyme sprigs
3 rosemary sprigs (I've used dried rosemary too)
5 cups vegetable stock
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Sour Cream to garnish

Method:
1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Combine olive oil and chopped vegetables in a large bowl, tossing until vegetables are coated with oil.
2.  Spread vegetables in a single layer on a baking sheets.  Tuck bay leaves, thyme and rosemary sprigs into vegetables.
3.  Roast for 50 minutes or until vegetables are tender.  Turn vegetables occasionally, ensuring browning on all sides.
4.  Remove from oven and discard herbs and transfer vegetables to a large saucepan.
5.  Pour the stock into the pan and bring to a boil.  Reduce the head and season to taste, then simmer for 20 minutes.
6.  For a smooth soup, transfer soup to food processor or blender and process for a few minutes until thick and smooth.  Also good left as is with large pieces of vegetables.
5.  Return soup to pan and heat through.  Season and serve with a garnish of sour cream.

Click here for printable version

It's Salsa Time!

This is another recipe from my great friend Regina, of the "To Die For Blueberry Muffins" fame.  I recently made this for a work Christmas party.  It's such a festive looking dish and combines some really great flavors. That's why I decided it should be next up for sharing.  That and I just wanted to continue the "dance party" with a spicy "salsa".  All "corniness" aside, this is a simple yet beautiful looking dish that really satisfies on so many levels, including the ever important "healthy choices" option! We love to eat it with some tortillas and rice for a full meal.

Keep on dancing with us and enjoy some of this delicious salsa!

Black Bean & Corn Salsa  

Ingredients:
⅓ cup fresh lime juice
½ cup olive oil
1 clove minced garlic
1 tsp. salt
⅛ tsp. cayenne pepper
⅛ tsp cumin (I added this spice)
4 cups black beans   (also great with black eyed peas!)
1 ½ cups corn (frozen or fresh)
1 large avocado (diced)
1 red bell pepper (chopped)
2 medium tomatoes (chopped)
6 green onions (thinly sliced)
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro

Method:
1.) Place lime juice, olive oil, garlic, salt, cayenne pepper and cumin in a small jar.  Cover with the lid and shake until all ingredients are well mixed.
2.)  In a salad bowl, combine beans, corn avocado, bell pepper, tomato,green onion and cilantro.
3.)  Shake lime dressing again and pour over the bean mixture.  Stir to coat.
4.)  Serve with tacos, nachos, plain tortilla chips......

Click here for printable link

Come On Everybody and do the "ConGo"!!

This recipe comes from my mother-in-law, Conny.  Beyond just loving the name, I love making recipes from my youth or my husband's and sharing them with our children.  It's another way of passing on family history and love, in my mind anyway.  I find that sharing in the baking, aroma and eating of an old favorite can conjure up memories of times past like almost nothing else.  My boys love it.  I mean who wouldn't? Listening to old funny stories AND eating delicious treats!  There is nothing like the warmth of a kitchen, aroma of baked yumminess and time with each other to strengthen the bonds of family!  Well, except maybe for a family dance party!

Come on and "ConGo" with us!

Congo Squares   
Ingredients:
2 3/4 cups flour
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2/3 cup shortening or butter
3 eggs
1 cup chopped nuts (optional, I never put them in.  I don't like nuts or raisins in baked goods).
1 pakage chocolate chips
2 1/2 cups brown sugar (you could probably use less, they are quite sweet)

Method:
1.  Cream together butter/shortening & sugar.
2.  Add eggs, 1 at a time.
3.  Sift together dry ingredients (flour, baking powder & salt)
4.  Add sifted dry ingredients to butter mixture.
5.  Fold in chocolate chips and nuts (if desired)
6.  Spread in a 10 X 15 pan and bake at 350 for 30 - 40 minutes.

Click here for printable recipe

Handed Down 3 Generations and Counting!

I'd never heard of Harvey Wallbanger before I met my husband.  I never knew it was a mixed drink and I certainly didn't know it was a delicious cake!  This recipe mixes the ingredients from the famous drink with ingredients for cake to create a magnificent mixture of texture and flavor.  It's a very easy cake to make and tastes like you must have spent a great deal of time on it.  In fact, my older son has been helping me make it since he was about 2 years old.  

The recipe I'm about to share is a very special one.  As I type this I am looking his grandmother's worn recipe card that contains the instructions for creating it.  It's written in the hand of my husband's grandfather and is his first choice of birthday cakes, always.  So today, I'm making this in honor of my husband and his life and in loving memory of his wonderful grandmother Jeanette. 

It's a family favorite and has been for 3 generations, and counting!

Harvey Wallbanger Cake  
Ingredients:
1 package yellow cake mix
1 package instant vanilla pudding (3 3/4 ounce)
1 cup of liquid shortening (also known as oil )
4 eggs
1/4 cup Vodka
1/4 cup Galliano (a sweet herbal liqueur)
3/4 cup orange juice
Powdered Sugar (for dusting cake after baking)

Method:
1.  Mix all ingredients and beat 4 minutes
2.  Pour batter into a well greased and lightly floured Bundt pan
3.  Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes.
4.  Let cook on rack for 30 minutes
5.  Turn upside down on plate or platter
6.  Dust with powdered sugar

Click here for printable link

Christmas Movie Nights Begin!

Four years ago, we started a tradition in our family (actually we copied some friends and added our own little twists) and we call it Christmas movie nights.  Beginning the first Friday in December we watch old Christmas classics, like White Christmas, Shop Around the Corner and The Bishop's Wife while testing out new Christmas treats and deciding whether they rate high enough to be considered a Buegge family Christmas tradition.  For me this combines two great loves, old movies (and by old, I mean black and white, MAYBE technicolor) and trying out new baking recipes!!  It doesn't feel like we've rung in the season until these nights begin.  We had a slower start this year and had our first official "movie night" last night.  I played it safe with a tried and true favorite, Pumpkin Bars, and then as tradition mandates a new recipe, Cranberry Orange Bread.  I love these flavors together and this bread didn't disappoint. 

You'll find lots of recipes for this combination  bread, I've taken a few and combined them into one that we loved.  We hope you love it too!

Cranberry Orange Bread      
Ingredients:
2 cups flour (I used white whole wheat and it was very tasty!)
3/4 cup of sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 large egg
3/4 cup orange juice
zest of 1 orange (less if you like a more mellow orange flavor)
2 Tbsp. melted butter
1 Tbsp. vanilla
1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries (I used a bit more, 1 1/4 cup b/c I really like them.)

Method:
1.  Combine all dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt) in a large mixing bowl.
2.  In a separate bowl, stir together egg, orange juice, orange zest, melted butter and vanilla.
3.  Add egg/orange juice mixture to flour mixture and mix.  Combine until dry ingredients are just moistened
     by wet to achieve best bread texture.  Over mixed batter becomes hard and chewy.
4.  Fold in cranberries.
5.  Pour into a greased loaf pan and bake at 325 degrees for about 60-75 minutes, or until toothpick inserted
     in middle comes out clean. 
6.  Cool for 10 minutes before trying to remove from loaf pan.

Click here for printable version