Chicken Caesar Salad Wraps

Ingredients:

Cooked chicken, shredded or cubed

Chopped romaine lettuce

Fresh grated parmesan cheese

Croutons

Caesar dressing

Tortillas

Directions:

Fill tortilla with ingredients, wrap, and enjoy!

You can also mix everything together like a salad and then scoop into tortilla. My kids are picky and like to be able to choose what they want and how much on their wraps. 

You can also add in avocados or bacon. Both are yummy too!

The Best Blueberry Muffins (w/a hint of lemon)

Muffins

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup vanilla yogurt thinned slightly with water*

1.5-2 cups blueberries, washed and dry

Juice of 1/4 lemon

Crumble Topping

1/4 cup flour

1/4 cup sugar (white or brown or a mixture)

3 TB butter, softened

sprinkle of cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cream the butter and sugar together using a hand mixer. Add in eggs one at a time, beating well in between. Add vanilla and mix.

Switch to a mixing spoon or fork and stir in flour, salt, baking powder, and yogurt. 

Crush 1/2 cup of blueberries with a fork, and mix into batter.  Toss remaining blueberries in a flour coating then fold into the batter. Squeeze in fresh lemon juice, about 1/4 of a lemon (or more or less to taste).

Line a 12 cup muffin tin with cupcake liners, and fill 3/4 with batter. 

Mix together the crumble topping,  and drop onto the tops of the muffins.

Bake for 25-30 min.  Allow to cool and enjoy!

*Note: You can substitute the vanilla yogurt for milk, buttermilk, or plain yogurt. 

Raspberry Lemon Sweet Rolls

 DOUGH:

4 1/2 tsps yeast (or 2 packets) dissolved in 1 cup very warm water

6 TBS shortening (butter is OK too)

1 cup sugar

9 cups unbleached all purpose flour

2 cups hot water

2 eggs, beaten

1 TBS salt

FILLING:

1/4 cup butter softened

1/3 cup brown sugar mixed with 1/4 cup white sugar

    RASPBERRY PUREE:

    1-2 cartons raspberries, pressed through a fine strainer to make a puree

    3 TBS sugar

    Zest and a couple squeezes of juice of half a lemon

    1 1/2 tsp corn starch

FROSTING:

8 oz cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup butter, softened

2 cups powdered sugar

Zest and a couple squeezes of juice of half a lemon

INSTRUCTIONS:

Add yeast to very warm water and let sit for 5-10 minutes until bubbly and poofy.

In stand mixer, add shortening, sugar, salt, and hot water and mix together.  Let cool slightly and then add in 2 cups of flour and mix until smooth. Add yeast mixture and mix until well combined. Add in beaten eggs and mix.

Gradually mix in remaining flour and mix for about 2 minutes with the dough hooks. Remove dough from bowl and knead by hand until dough is satiny and smooth. Grease bowl and put the dough back into the bowl and cover with a towel. Let rise until double, about 30-60 min.

Remove dough from bowl and place on lightly floured counter. Divide dough in half.  (You will repeat these same steps with the second half of the dough. So only use half of the brown sugar mixture and half of the raspberry puree) Roll one half of the dough out into a rectangle shape. Spread softened butter on the dough (I just use my hands, it works the best!) and then sprinkle with the brown sugar/white sugar mix. It's ok to not use it all, just put as much as you like on. Take your raspberry puree and combine it with the sugar, lemon zest and juice and corn starch. Mix together until smooth. Pour a couple lines of raspberry puree on the dough.  

Gently roll up the dough into one long row.  Using dental floss, cut the rolls into pieces about 2" thick.  Place into a greased 9x13 pan. Drizzle tops of rolls with more raspberry puree, dripping into the middle of the roll.  

Repeat using the other half of the dough.

Let rolls rise until doubled, about an hour.  

Bake at 350 degrees for 25-32 minutes. Tops should be golden brown and middles cooked through.  

Allow to cool while making the frosting.

Combine cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, lemon zest and lemon juice and beat with electric beaters until smooth.  Spread frosting on rolls and enjoy!

Recipe adapted from twopeasandtheirpod

Artisan Crusty Bread

This recipe uses an enameled Dutch Oven/cast iron pot with a lid.  You can also use a regular Dutch Oven if needed.  It also needs to raise for 12+ hours (I make it before bed and let it raise overnight until the next afternoon.)

In a plastic bowl, combine:

1 teaspoon active dry yeast (really any yeast should work)

1 3/4 teaspoons salt

1 3/4 cups warm water

3 cups flour

Use a plastic or wooden spoon, mix the ingredients until dough forms and there are no longer dry patches of flour.  Do not over mix or knead the dough.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and double cover it with a lid.  Let the dough sit for at least 12 hours, up to 24 hours.   

Dump dough onto floured surface and shape into a ball.  Place on a sheet of parchment paper and let rise 1-2 hours.  

While it's rising, heat your oven to 450 degrees and heat your enameled dutch oven/cast iron for 30-40 min.  (Just put it in the oven empty while the dough is rising on the parchment paper.) 

Remove hot pot from oven and transfer the parchment paper holding the dough into the pot.  Cover with the lid and return to oven.  Bake for 30 min, then remove the lid and bake another 15 min.  Let cool, slice, and enjoy!

(recipe from Amber's Kitchen) 

This is what an enameled Dutch Oven pot looks like:

Cookie Bars

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups butter, softened

1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons regular sugar

1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons brown sugar

3 eggs

1/2 Tablespoon vanilla

3 1/3 cups flour

1/2 Tablespoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

3 cups chocolate chips

Optional: mix in M&M's

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375.

Beat butter and sugars until creamy and fluffy.  Add eggs, one at a time, and beat in-between.  Add vanilla, flour, salt, and baking soda.  Mix well.  

Gently mix in the chocolate chips and M&Ms.  

Spread batter into a 17x12 inch jelly roll cookie sheet.  Bake for 17-18 min, until golden brown.  Middle should still be slightly gooey, which is so yummy!  Cut and enjoy while warm.  Add vanilla ice cream to top it off!

(Original recipe from Amber's Kitchen)

Instant Pot French Dip

 Ingredients

2.5 lb London Broil Roast (or your favorite beef roast)

2 Tablespoons EVOO

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 Tbs Worcestershire sauce

1 Tbs Balsamic Vinegar

12 oz. beef broth

Buns

Butter

Provolone cheese

Prepared Au Jus Gravy (either from a packet or from scratch)

Directions:

1. Season all sides of the roast with salt, pepper.

2. Push "saute" on instant pot and add the oil.

3. Sear the meat for about 30 seconds each side.

4. Add Worchestershire, vinegar, and broth.

5. Close the lid, seal the steam valve, and cook on the "meat/stew" setting for 100 minutes.

6. After it is done cooking, let it do a natural pressure release for at least 10 min.

7. Shred the meat. It turns out fall apart tender and so good.

8. Butter some buns and broil until toasted.

9. Top the bottom bun with meat, then cheese, then broil to melt the cheese.

10. Serve immediately with Aus Jus sauce to dip.

Canned Grape Juice

Put freshly picked concord/backyard purple grapes into a sink full of water.  Wash grapes.  Remove grapes from stems and put grapes into prepared quart jars.  Fill jars up a little more than 1/3 the way full of grapes.

Add 1/4 heaping cup of white sugar to each jar.

Fill the rest of the jar up with hot/boiling water.  

Put canning lids and rings on and shake jar to dissolve sugar.

Steam Can the jars for 20 mins (time starts once the steam is steady coming out of the canner).  

Jars need to sit at least 1 month to really infuse the grape flavor.  We like to wait closer to 3 months.  

Our favorite way to drink this is by making up our own fresh lime rickey drinks.  Strain the jars of grapes into a pitcher, add a bottle of sprite and fresh limes!