Amish Sweet Bread

I've made a ton of breads over the past few years and many never seen this website.  This is by far one of the best bread recipes I've ever made. The texture of it is spot on and the sweetness makes it so delicious.

2 cups warm water
2/3 cups sugar
1 1/2 tbsp yeast
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup vegetable oil
5 - 6 cups flour

Combine the warm water, sugar and yeast in the bottom of a stand mixer. Once the mixture is foamy add the oil and salt to the mixture. Using the dough hook attachment to mix add one cup of flour at a time stopping at 5 cups. If more flour is needed at in 1/4 cup scoops until the dough is no longer sticky. Mix for 5 minutes. Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover with a towel and let rise for 1 hour. Punch down the dough and divide into two even balls. Shape and place into 9x5 loaf pans and let rise for 30 minutes. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool in pan for 3 minutes then remove from pan and let cool completely.

Creamy Pesto Vegetable Tortillini

Sometimes the best recipes come from cravings and changing up what you thought you would originally be making. That's how this recipe came about for me and it turned out pretty delicious.

4 cups frozen cheese tortellini
1 red pepper (diced)
1 red onion (diced)
1 zucchini (sliced in halves)
1 yellow squash (sliced in halves)
2 cups portabello mushrooms (cleaned and trimmed)
2 cups cherry tomatos
2 cups broccoli (chopped)
1/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
2 garlic cloves minced
2 tbsp butter
2 cups milk
2 tbsp flour
1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1 jar prepared pesto sauce

Heat oven to 425. Toss the vegetables in the olive oil, salt and pepper.  Layer on a sheet pan and roast for 13 minutes. Remove and stir then cook for another 10 minutes. While the vegetable are roasting cook the pasta according to directions.  In a sauce pan melt the better then saute the garlic for 1 minute. Whisk the flour into the milk. Slowly add the milk mixture into the sauce pan, letting thicken into a sauce. Once the mixture has thickened slightly, stir in the parmesan. Cook for 2 minutes then remove from heat and stir in the pesto sauce. Toss the roasted vegetables, cheese tortellini and creamy pesto sauce all together and serve.

Loaded Chicken Tostadas

These chicken tostadas are so easy to make! With the chicken cooked in the crock pot all you have to do is layer them and throw them in the oven for a few minutes then they are done!

1 recipe crock pot mexican shredded chicken
8 tostada shells
1 can refried beans
2 cups shredded monterrey jack cheese
toppings: lettuce, tomato, salsa, sour cream, guacamole

Heat oven to 350.  Place the tostada shells on a lined sheet pan. Spread a spoonful of refried beans over the shell then top with chicken and cheese. Bake for 12-15 minutes in the oven. Remove and top with your choice of toppings.

Baked French Toast Sticks

About a year and half ago one of my best friend's got married. I was a bridesmaid in the wedding and that meant that Gray had both of our children in a hotel room all day.  Our youngest had just turned a year old and was also sick.  He had both of them at the hotel breakfast that morning and our oldest, who was still kind of picky at the time, was hungry but not happy with the options. He had never had french toast but Gray knew he would not be down with it at all so he told A that the french toast sticks were pancake sticks because he LOVES pancakes. A ate a ton of them and Gray and I have laughed and laughed about the "pancake sticks".  When I saw this recipe I had to try it.  I have to say, they were great and we ate all of them! This recipe is from Cooking Classy.

2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 cup whole milk
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 pinch salt
8 slices thick white bread (texas toast or similiar)
2 tbsp melted butter
syrup for serving

Heat oven to 350. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. In a small bowl whisk together the sugar and cinnamon. In a medium size bowl whisk together the milk, eggs, vanilla and salt. Cut each slice of bread into three strips. Dip each stick into the egg mixture, let the extra drain off then place on the baking sheet. Once all of the strips are dipped and on the baking sheet, brush with half of the butter and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Bake for 13 minutes. Flip the french toast sticks and brush with remaining butter and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Bake for 13-18 more minutes then remove from oven. Let cool for 3 minutes then serve with syrup.

Homemade Chex Mix

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I have had this recipe sitting here waiting to be typed up for over a year. Ridiculous. This is one of my absolute favorite things to make. I like to make it around football season because it's the perfect easy to eat salty snack.  Now I kinda always change it up and add or take away different things. I got this recipe from Mrs. Kathy, you have seen her recipes on my blog before. I'm going to post her original recipe. But sometimes I sub the cheerios for mini bagel chips, I used all peanuts and not mixed nuts, I also sometimes sub another box of cheez-its for 1 of the bags of pretzels. The great thing about this recipe is you can adapted it to the things you like best!

1 box Rice Chex
1 Box Corn Chex
1box wheat Chex
1 Box Cheerios
1 Box Chrispix
1Box Cheez-it's
2 bags pretzels
 1 lg (52oz) can mixed nuts
1 cup butter-melted
1 cup bacon grease-melted (or another cup of butter)
8T Worchestershire sauce
4t seasoning salt
4t garlic salt

 Preheat oven to 250. Mix all of the ingredients in a deep roasting pan. Mix together the butter, bacon grease, worchestershire sauce, seasoning salt and garlic salt.  Pour over the chex mix while stirring to coat well.  Bake for 2 hours, stirring every 20-25 minutes. Remove and let cool before storing in an airtight container.

Creamy Tomato Italian Parmesan Chicken

This chicken has been on my "must make" list for a while and I'm glad I finally got to it. The sauce was so easy to make yet it had such great flavor.  This recipe is adapted from The Recipe Critic. 

3 tbsp olive oil (divided)
4 chicken breast cutlets
1 small onion (diced)
2 cloves garlic (minced)
1 (15oz) can tomato sauce
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tsp italian seasoning
salt and pepper to taste 
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1 box spaghetti noodles (cooked according to directions)

In a large skillet heat 2 tbsp olive oil. Season the chicken with salt and pepper on both sides then cook the chicken over medium heat for 3-5 minutes on each side or until it is cooked through. Remove the chicken to a plate and cover to keep warm and moist. Add the remaining olive oil to the skillet and saute the onion until tender then stir in the garlic for 30 seconds. Pour in the tomato sauce, heavy cream, italian seasoning and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a simmer then add the chicken back to the pan. Top with parmesan cheese and let melt before serving over pasta.

Roasted Italian Vegetables

I love roasted vegetables, they are so easy to throw together and pretty hard to screw up. These vegetables turned out fabulous and will be going into the rotation for sure. This recipe is adapted from The Mediterranean Dish.

1 1/2 cup baby bella mushrooms (cleaned and trimmed)
2 cups baby potatoes (rinsed and scrubbed)
1 1/2 cups grape tomatoes
2 zucchini (sliced and cut in half)
4 tsp minced garlic
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 tbsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried thyme
salt and pepper to taste

Heat oven to 425. Lightly grease a baking sheet.  Toss the vegetables together then coat with olive oil, garlic, oregano, thyme, salt and pepper. Spread evenly on the baking sheet. Roast for 20-25 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.  Remove and serve. 

Magic 5 Cookies

These are my new favorite cookie! They have everything I love in them and they were so chewy and delicious.  Everyone was raving about them as they should have been.  I thought some people might not like them because of the coconut but it just added a nice sweetness and texture, they weren't overly coconut flavored.  This recipe was adapted from Sally's Baking Addiction.

1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
3 cups old fashioned rolled oats
1 cup butter (softened)
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp molasses
1/2 cup milk chocolate chips
1/2 cup butterscotch chips
1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans

Whisk together flour, baking soda, salt and oats in a medium size bowl.  In a stand mixer using the paddle attachment cream together the butter, brown sugar and white sugar.  Cream together for 2 minutes or until smooth. Add in the eggs one at a time and beat on high until combined scrapping down sides as you go.  Mix in the vanilla and molasses until combined. Slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet on low speed until combined. Stir in the milk chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, sweetened shredded coconut and pecans. Chill dough for at least 1 hour.  Heat oven to 350. Line a baking pan with parchment paper.  Roll a spoonful of cookie dough into a ball and place on the cookie sheet, repeat with the remaining dough. Bake for 10 minutes, the middles will still look very soft.  Remove and let sit on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to cool on a wire rack.

Crock Pot Mushroom and Onion Italian Beef Sandwiches

I love a good crock pot recipe and these sandwiches were so tender and flavorful. Everyone was very pleased with them at dinner time.  This recipe was adapted from Will Cook for Smiles.

4 cups beef broth
1 chuck roast
1 garlic bulb
1 1/2 tsp dried basil
1 1/2 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried thyme
1 large yellow onion
1/2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
6 club rolls
6 slices provolone cheese

Place the chuck roast in the bottom of the crock pot. Using a sharp knife cut slits in the top of the roast and place the garlic cloves down in the beef. Sprinkle the basil, parsley, oregano, thyme, sugar and salt over the roast. Cut rings of the onion and place on top. Pour the beef broth over the top of the roast and cook on low for 6-8 hours.  Remove the chuck roast from the crock pot and shred. Place back in the crock pot and stir in the mushrooms. Let cook for 30 minutes. Slice the club rolls and layer the with beef mixture and provolone cheese then serve.

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Coffee Cake

I love a good coffee cake but I find that if you buy one they are usually dry and not very flavorful. This coffee cake was soooo good though. I had to stop myself from taking a fork to the whole thing. This recipe is adapted from Bake or Break.

Crumb Topping:
1/4 cup unsalted butter (softened)
1/3 cup flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 cup chopped pecans
pinch of salt

Cream Cheese Layer:
8oz cream cheese
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon
1/3 cup chopped pecans

Cake:
3 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup unsalted butter (softened)
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup sour cream

Heat oven to 350. In a small bowl combine all the ingredients for the crumb mixture using a fork and until it resembles coarse sand. Set to the side. In a medium mixing bowl beat the cream cheese and brown sugar together until fluffy. Mix in the vanilla, cinnamon and pecans. Set to the side.  Grease a 9x13 baking dish. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add the eggs one at a time then mix in the vanilla. Add the flour mixture in 3 parts until combed then mix in the sour cream. Spread the batter in the bottom of the greased baking dish.  Pour the cream cheese mixture evenly over top the swirl in with a knife.  Sprinkle the crumb topping evenly over the cake. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until cooked through. Remove and let cool before slicing.

Chicken Bacon Florentine Fettuccine

Those little Tasty videos on facebook get me every time! I've made several of the recipes and they've always been pretty good. I mean they do have some weird ones out there so I usually try to stick with the more normal and delicious sounding ones!

2 tbsp olive oil
2 chicken breasts (sliced into thin strips)
2 cups spinach
1 cup tomatoes (diced)
6 strips bacon (cooked and crumbled)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 cups milk
1 box fettuccine 
1 cup shredded parmesan

Heat the oil in a pot over high heat. Cook the pasta in a separate bowl according to the directions on the box.  Cook the chicken in the pot until it is cooked through. Stir in the spinach, tomatoes, bacon, salt and pepper and cook until the spinach is wilted. Pour in the milk and bring to a boil. Stir in the pasta and let cook until the milk has thickened up and is coating the pasta then remove from heat. Add the parmesan cheese and stir until it is melted. Serve warm.

Bacon Caramlized Onion Dip

I made this for the super bowl this year and it was a great dip. I  love onion dip and bacon can only make it better right? This recipe is adapted from The Cookie Rookie.

6 slices bacon
2 tbsp chives
1 large onion (diced)
16oz sour cream
salt and pepper to taste

Cook the bacon then crumble it and set the the side leaving the grease in the pan.  Cook the onion in the bacon grease over medium low heat until the onions are caramelized and brown.  Remove and allow to cool.  Chop the chives.  In a medium bowl, whisk together the bacon, chives, caramelized onions and sour cream. Season with salt and pepper. Place in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours before serving with chips or veggies.

Garlic Bread Grilled Cheese Sandwich

I made these sandwiches when I made tomato soup one night and they were spectacular. They stole the show for sure.  This is a new favorites for sure. This recipe is adapted from Blog Chef.

4 tbsp salted butter
1 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves (minced)
1 tsp dried parsley
8 slices white bread
4 slices provolone cheese
4 slices mozzarella cheese

Melt the butter then stir in the olive oil, garlic cloves and dried parsley. Let sit fro 3 minutes. Heat a griddle to medium heat brush the outside of each slice of bread with the butter mixture then place one slice of provolone and one slice of mozzarella on the inside. Cook the sandwiches on the griddle until they are golden brown on each side. Remove and serve. 

Maple Balsamic Pork Tenderloin

Pork tenderloin is always a welcomed site on my kitchen table by my family.  I have made several different recipes over the years and this one sounded intriguing to me. Overall everyone was pleased with how it turned out and I would make it again. This recipe is adapted from The Healthy Foodie.

3 tbsp olive oil
2 pork tenderloins
2 shallots (minced)
2 garlic cloves (minced)
1 tbsp fresh thyme (chopped)
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp dijon mustard
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

In a bowl whisk together the shallots, garlic cloves, thyme, maple syrup, balsamic vinegar, dijon mustard, salt and pepper.  Place the pork tenderloins in a large zip lock back and pour the marinade over them. Let marinate for 6 hours. Heat oven to 375. Heat the oil in a large skillet. Place the pork tenderloin in the oil and let sear for 2 minutes on each side. Transfer to a baking dish and brush with the left over marinade. Cover with foil and bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Remove from oven then remove the foil, pour the remaining marinade over the pork then place back in the oven for 10-15 minutes. Remove and let sit for 5 minutes before slicing. Drizzle the sauce over the pork and serve.