Brent Bowden's Amazing Bread

Mix 2 Tbsp Saf Instant Yeast with
1 Tbsp of sugar
Into a bowl with 1/4 cup warm water.
Set Aside.

In breadmixer, Mix:
2 Cups warm water
2 Tbsp Lecithan (buy in bulk at Maceys)
2 Tbsp Gluten (buy in bulk at Maceys)
1 1/3 Cup of Sugar
1/2 Tbsp. Salt

Then add Yeast and Around 6 cups of flour. (He uses Lehi Roller Mills from Costco)
Mix until the dough balls up and then mix an additional 5 minutes.

Turn oven to 350 and turn on for 1 minute then turn off.

Put dough in bowl to raise inside turned off oven. Let raise 20 minutes.

Punch dough down and pan it into two loaf pans.

Return to oven to raise another 20 minutes.

Take out of oven and turn oven on 350 degrees, when heated place loaves in oven and bake for 18 minutes.

This is such good bread!
Thanks Brent for the recipe!

Yukon Gold Potato Salad

2 pounds small Yukon gold potatoes
2 large eggs
Kosher salt
1/2 bunch sliced scallions, white and green parts
2 tablespoons drained capers
2 cups mayonnaise
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1/4 cup finely chopped dill pickles with 1/4 cup juice, about 2 pickles
1/2 small red onion, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/2 bunch dill, chopped
1/2 lemon, juiced
Freshly ground black pepper
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
Directions
Put the potatoes and eggs into a big saucepan of cold salted water. Bring to a simmer. After 12 minutes remove the eggs with a slotted spoon and let cool. Continue cooking the potatoes until a paring knife poked into them goes in without resistance, about 3 minutes longer. Drain the potatoes in a colander and let them cool.

Reserve some scallion greens and capers for garnish. Meanwhile, stir together the mayonnaise, mustard, pickles and their juice, onion, remaining scallions and capers, parsley, and lemon juice in a bowl large enough to hold the potatoes. Peel the cool eggs and grate them into the bowl. Stick a fork into the potatoes and lift them 1 at a time out of the colander. Break up the potatoes by hand into rough chunks, add them to the bowl and toss to coat with the dressing. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Drizzle with a little olive oil before serving.

Chicken Wings (Sunny from Food Network)

1 habanero, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons fennel seed
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons allspice
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 teaspoon ground ginger
4 garlic cloves, chopped
4 green onions, chopped
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 cup orange juice
7 pounds chicken wings
Directions
In a food processor, blend together all the ingredients but the chicken until smooth. Reserve 1 cup of marinade. Place chicken wings into a large resealable plastic bag and pour remaining marinade over them. Seal and marinate in the refrigerator 4 to 6 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 sheet trays with parchment. Remove chicken from bag and place on the baking sheets. Bake 20 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan bring reserved marinade to a boil. Reduce by 1/3 until it thickens slightly, about 10 minutes. After 20 minutes, remove chicken from oven. Brush chicken with the glaze. Raise the heat to 400 degrees F and cook chicken until cooked through, another 20 minutes.

Roasted Shrimp and Orzo (Barefoot Contessa)

salt
olive oil
3/4 pound orzo pasta (rice-shaped pasta)
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (3 lemons)
Freshly ground black pepper
2 pounds (16 to 18 count) shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 cup minced scallions, white and green parts
1 cup chopped fresh dill
1 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 hothouse cucumber, unpeeled, seeded, and medium-diced
1/2 cup small-diced red onion
3/4 pound good feta cheese, large diced
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Fill a large pot with water, add 1 tablespoon of salt and a splash of oil, and bring the water to a boil. Add the orzo and simmer for 9 to 11 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it's cooked al dente. Drain and pour into a large bowl. Whisk together the lemon juice, 1/2 cup olive oil, 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper. Pour over the hot pasta and stir well.

Meanwhile, place the shrimp on a sheet pan, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to combine and spread out in a single layer. Roast for 5 to 6 minutes, until the shrimp are cooked through. Don't overcook!

Add the shrimp to the orzo and then add the scallions, dill, parsley, cucumber, onion, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Toss well. Add the feta and stir carefully. Set aside at room temperature for 1 hour to allow the flavors to blend, or refrigerate overnight. If refrigerated, taste again for seasonings and bring back to room temperature before serving.

Roasted Eggplant Spread By the Barefoot Contessa

2 medium eggplants, peeled
1 red bell pepper, seeded
1 red onion, peeled
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons good olive oil
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons tahini
3 tablespoons chopped parsley, plus extra for garnish
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Cut the eggplant, bell pepper, and onion into 1-inch cubes. Toss them in a large bowl with the garlic, olive oil, cayenne and salt and pepper. Spread them on a baking sheet. Roast for 45 minutes, until the vegetables are lightly browned and soft, tossing once during cooking. Cool slightly.

Place the vegetables in a food processor fitted with a steel blade, add the lemon juice and tahini, and pulse 3 or 4 times to blend. Taste for salt and pepper. Transfer to a bowl and add the chopped parsley. Garnish with extra parsley.

Coconut Cake (Barefoot Contessa)

3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for greasing the pans
2 cups sugar
5 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons pure almond extract
3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the pans
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup milk
4 ounces sweetened shredded coconut

For the frosting:
1 pound cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon pure almond extract
1 pound confectioners' sugar, sifted
6 ounces sweetened shredded coconut
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 2 (9-inch) round cake pans, then line them parchment paper. Grease them again and dust lightly with flour.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on medium-high speed for 3 to 5 minutes, until light yellow and fluffy. Crack the eggs into a small bowl. With the mixer on medium speed, add the eggs 1 at a time, scraping down the bowl once during mixing. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and mix well. The mixture might look curdled; don't be concerned.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the dry ingredients and the milk to the batter in 3 parts, beginning and ending with dry ingredients. Mix until just combined. Fold in the 4 ounces of coconut with a rubber spatula.

Pour the batter evenly into the 2 pans and smooth the top with a knife. Bake in the center of the oven for 45 to 55 minutes, until the tops are browned and a cake tester comes out clean. Cool on a baking rack for 30 minutes, then turn the cakes out onto a baking rack to finish cooling.

For the frosting, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the cream cheese, butter, vanilla and almond extract on low speed. Add the confectioners' sugar and mix until just smooth (don't whip!).

To assemble, place 1 layer on a flat serving plate, top side down, and spread with frosting. Place the second layer on top, top side up, and frost the top and sides. To decorate the cake, sprinkle the top with coconut and lightly press more coconut onto the sides. Serve at room temperature.

Chunky Guacamole

Ingredients
4 ripe avocados
3 limes or lemons, juiced
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp cumin
Salt and Pepper
Directions
Halve and pit the avocados. Scoop out the flesh with a tablespoon into a mixing bowl. Mash the avocados with a fork, leaving them somewhat chunky. Add the remaining ingredients, and fold everything together to gently mix. Lay a piece of plastic wrap right on the surface of the guacamole so it doesn't brown and refrigerate 1 hour before serving.

Fudge Stripes Cookie Salad

My MIL gave me this recipe and it is so yummy! This is the one I made for Christmas Eve!

1 pkg. Keebler Fudge Stripe Cookies (off brands don't seem to work as well)
1 lg. pkg. INSTANT vanilla pudding
2 lg. cans each
Mandarin Oranges (drained)
Pineapple Tidbits (drained) Not crushed pineapple
1 C. buttermilk
12 oz. Cool Whip (sometimes I even add more if there is left over in the carton).

Mix pudding mix with 1 C. buttermilk and stir with wire whip etc. Mixture will be kinda lumpy until Cool Whip is added. Fold in thawed Cool Whip. Blend until smooth and add drained fruit. Break up cookies and add at the very last before serving as the cookies will get soggy.

Sparkling Virgin Cosmo

from delicious recipes blog:
Ingredients:
Ice
2 ounces cranberry cocktail juice
1 ounce sweetened lime juice
5 ounces club soda
lime wedges
lime juice
sugar
maraschino cherries
Directions:
Mix Cranberry juice, lime juice, and club soda together. Add ice and put in refrigerator.
Cut lime wedges . Rub the rim of the glass with lime juice and dip in sugar to cover. Pour drink w/out ice in chilled glass then add lime wedges and cherry for garnish!

Aunt Karen's HOMEMADE GRANOLA (no sugar)

4 C Old-fashioned Rolled Oats
2 C Shredded Coconut
2 C Slivered Almonds

Toss the oats, coconut,& almonds together in a large bowl. Then whisk together the following ingredients:

1/2 C Vegetable Oil
1/2 C Honey
1 Tsp Cinnamon
2 Tsp Vanilla
1 Tbsp Hot Water

Pour the liquids over the oat mixture and stir until all the oats and nuts are coated. Pour onto a cookie sheet. Bake in a *325 degree oven, stirring every 15 minutes until the mixture turns a nice golden brown - about 40 minutes. Remove the granola from the oven and allow to cool stirring occasionally. Then add your choice of all or any of the following:

Small diced dried apricots
Dried Cherries
Dried Cranberries
1 C Roasted Salted Cashews
1 C Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
1 C Roasted Pistacio nuts

Serve Granola with berries and yogurt.