Braided Spaghetti Bread

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Spaghetti is always a hit with little ones.  This twist on the family favorite is a fun way to eat the same old thing.  This recipe can get time consuming if you make everything from scratch.  I usually have some leftover spaghetti sauce in the freezer so I use that to maximize my time.  The bread used in this recipe is a take off of my favorite crusty loaf of bread.

Special Equipment: none
Time Management:
Prep time: 3 hours, mostly inactive
Cook time: Bake time 35 minutes

Bread
Ingredients:
3/4 Tbsp active dry yeast (not fast acting)
1/2 tsp sugar
1 1/2 cups 110 degree water
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
3 cups flour

Directions:
Mix water, yeast and sugar and let sit covered 10 minutes. Mix in salt, garlic powder and flour and let sit covered for 2 hours to rise.

Spaghetti filling:
8 oz spaghetti
2 cup spaghetti sauce (divided)
8 oz mozzarella cheese shredded
1 egg white
Parmesan cheese to sprinkle

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350
Cook spaghetti according to package directions.
Mix 1 cup of spaghetti sauce with cooked noodles.
Divide bread dough in half and reserve half for later. (I freeze it for my next braided spaghetti dinner night)
Roll out remaining bread dough on well floured surface (use a lot of flour!) to 12 x 16" rectangle.
Place spaghetti lengthwise along center of dough.
Cover with mozzarella cheese.
Cut 1 inch hash marks along sides of dough to 1/2 inch of filling.
Alternate left and right strips and braid along length of spaghetti, tuck in remaining edge.
Brush with egg white and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
Bake on pizza stone or cookie sheet for 30-35 minutes.
Serve with remaining spaghetti sauce for dipping.

My inspiration for this recipe came from the Rhodes dough website.  A time saver would be to use their pre-made frozen bread loaves. 

Whole Roasted Chicken

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My friend Danica was fabulous enough to share this staple of her kitchen.  Now I see why she was surprised that I'd never roasted a chicken before (successfully, anyway).  It's a cinch and tastes great!  This is one is also easy to alter to your taste preferences or for what you have on hand. 

Special Equipment: Roasting pan (or 9x13 cake pan)
Time Management:
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 60 minutes

Ingredients:
olive oil
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
2 tsp oregano
2 tsp rosemary

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 450 degrees.
Pull that yucky stuff out of the cavity of your chicken!  Then rinse it inside and outside.  Pat dry with paper towel inside and out.  If it's dry it will splatter less when cooking.
Truss your chicken with kitchen twine.  If you don't know how to do this check out this link. 
Place in your roasting pan breast side up and rub your chicken liberally with olive oil.  Rub down with seasoning blend so it's evenly distributed on bird.
Bake at 450 for approximately 60 minutes.  Juice will run clear and temp probe in breast will register 165.  Remove from oven, cover with foil, and let rest for 10 minutes before cutting to retain juices.

*Next time I will quarter some red potatoes, mix them in olive oil and the same seasonings as the chicken, and let them roast in the pan along with the chicken!

Rosemary Bread

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I love a delicious loaf of bread.  Through necessity, I have located some appetizing bread recipes that I will share.  Now I know not everyone lives quite so far from a good bakery as we do here at Coyote Canyon Vineyard, but once you try one of these easy recipes, you'll be making your own bread, too!

Special Equipment: Dutch oven with lid (mine is the perfect size at 4 1/2 quart)

Time Management: Including inactive time 3 hrs 15 minutes
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 45 minutes

Here is the basic recipe, then I will share a couple of modified recipes I have tried with success.  

Ingredients:
3/4 Tbsp active dry yeast (not "fast acting")
1/2 tsp sugar
1 1/2 cups water at 110-115 degrees
1 1/2 tsp salt
3 cups of flour (450 grams)

Directions:
Combine yeast and sugar in large bowl.  Add heated water (I measure mine in a glass measuring cup and then microwave for 45 seconds to reach desired temp).
In a separate bowl, mix the flour and salt together then combine with your water, yeast and sugar solution.  Salt and yeast are not friends so you don't want to dump the salt directly onto the yeast mixture without the flour. 
Mix with a spatula for a minute or so trying to get everything into an even consistency.  It will be thick so don't worry if it's not perfect.  Once it's combined, cover with a towel and set aside on counter (not in refrigerator) for 2 hours.
After 2 hours, preheat oven to 450 degrees and let it get up to temp.
Add your dutch oven with lid and let it heat for 30 minutes (yes, empty).
While pan is heating, sprinkle 1 Tbsp flour onto a large plate.
Move your dough onto floured plate, cover, and let rise again for 30 minutes while your'e heating your pan.
Flour your hands a bit (this dough is sticky!) then drop dough ball into hot pan, replace lid, and place in oven for 30 minutes.
Remove lid and bake another 10-15 until bread is golden and crusty.
Cool on wire rack and enjoy!

*Try some of these alterations!  Add the suggested ingredient when you are mixing the flour and salt.  Otherwise the dough will be too thick to distribute your additional ingredients.

- Add 1 Tbsp dried rosemary when combining flour and salt
- Add 1 cup of 1/2 inch cubes of cheddar (and 1/4 cup of jalapenos if your in the mood)
- Exchange 1 cup of all purpose flour with rye flour and 1 tsp caraway seeds (will be more dense, but
   yummy)

Tell me if you try something else that turns out great - I'd love to add it to the collection!!

Double Crunch Chicken with Honey Garlic Sauce

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This is a recipe that I found online.  The seasoning mixture makes much more than necessary.  I mixed it according to the recipe, but then I reserved 2/3 before I seasoned the chicken so I have some for the next time (or 2) without all the measuring.  This dipping sauce is so great!  I recognize the flavors from restaurant dining, but I've never made it at home.  The sauce makes a large quantity, too, so maybe only make a 1/2 batch for family meal time.

Special Equipment: none


Time Management:
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes

For the Chicken
Ingredients:
4 boneless chicken breasts filleted or pounded flat
2 cups flour
4 tsp salt
4 tsp black pepper

2 tsp ground thyme
2 tsp ground sage

1 tsp cayenne pepper
3 Tbsp ground ginger
2 Tbsp nutmeg
2 Tbsp paprika
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil
4 eggs
8 Tbsp water

Directions:
Whisk together eggs and water for egg wash.
Season the chicken breast with salt and pepper, then dip in flour and spice mixture. Dip in egg wash, and a final time in flour.  Make sure to get good contact with the meat so it is covered.
Add enough oil to cover bottom of pan.  Heat over medium heat.
Cook until chicken is cooked through 4-5 minutes per side.
Set on wire rack or paper towels to absorb extra cooking oil.  Serve with rice and dipping sauce (below).

For the Sauce (remember you may only want a 1/2 batch!)
Ingredients:
2 Tbsp olive oil
4 cloves minced garlic
1 cup honey
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tsp black pepper

Directions:
Cook garlic in oil over medium heat until garlic is soft but not yet brown.  Add remaining ingredients and simmer 5-10 minutes.  Watch closely as sauce will easily boil over.

Original source http://www.nlrockrecipes.com/2012/04/doube-crunch-honey-garic-chicken.html

"Ilan's Ziti"

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I have been using a recipe for Ilan's Ziti for years.  I have yet to meet Ilan!  This recipe has been handed down several times and been through many iterations so for a lack of a better name, I'll stick with Ilan.  I'd use Ziti noodles, but they don't sell them at Costco so we make due with spirals most of the time.

Special Equipment: none

Time Management:
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:
12 oz of your favorite noodles
1/2 medium onion, diced small
1 medium zucchini, shredded in a cheese grater
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tsp oregano, divided
1 (15 oz) can crushed tomatoes
1 (15 oz) can petite diced tomatoes
8 oz ricotta cheese
1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, divided
2 Tbsp Parmesan cheese
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 chicken breast, diced small
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Bring water to a boil, add pasta, and cook according to package directions.  Drain and set aside.
While making pasta, add 1 Tbsp olive oil to large pot and add chicken, 1 1/2 tsp oregano, salt and pepper to taste and cook through.  Remove from pot and set aside.
In large pot, add remaining 1 Tbsp olive oil then onion, zucchini, garlic, remaining 1 1/2 tsp oregano, salt and pepper to taste.  Cook for aprox 5 minutes or until vegetables are soft. Remove from heat.
Add crushed and diced tomatoes, ricotta, mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses, and add back diced chicken and combine well.  Add in noodles until you reach desired sauce to noodle ratio.  Sometimes I don't end up adding all the noodles.
Place mixture in 8x13 pan or use two 8x8 pans (so you can freeze one!).  Sprinkle remaining mozzarella cheese on top and bake for 40-45 minutes until cheese is bubbling.

Mexican Stuffed Shells

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Tacos are always a safe bet.  This recipe will give that tired dish a new twist.  This is a pretty plain version (I have a tough crowd!) but the original recipe called to mix cream cheese (4 oz) in with the taco meat for a creamier taste.  I would have loved to serve this one with some avocado slices, but somehow they didn't have any at the store!  I guess we'll have to settle for rice and beans this time around.

Special Equipment: none

Time Management:
Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 60 minutes


Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
taco seasoning
jumbo pasta shells
1 1/2 cups salsa
1 cup taco sauce (a smooth textured sauce found on the Hispanic aisle)
1 cup cheddar cheese
1 cup Monterey Jack Cheese

Directions: 
Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Boil your pasta shells and then put them in ice water to stop the cooking process.  While cooking pasta, cook beef and season according to taco seasoning directions and set aside.
Place salsa on bottom of 9 x 13 baking dish (or two 8x8 if you want to freeze one).  Once shells are ready, add a heaping tablespoon of meat mixture to each shell.  Place stuffed shells on salsa covered dish until full.  Top with taco sauce.
Bake covered for 30 minutes.
Remove cover, add cheese, and bake additional 15 minutes or until cheese bubbles.


Top with your favorites (avocado, green onions, black olives, chopped fresh tomatoes, sour cream)

This recipe was found at http://thewaytohisheart.wordpress.com/2011/09/30/mexican-stuffed-shells/ where she credits the source http://apinchofthisandthat.wordpress.com/2009/01/02/mexican-stuffed-shells/

Chicken Parmigiana

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I have tried many recipes to make Chicken Parmigiana, and I finally found a winner.  Thank you, Pioneer Woman!  What I really like about this recipe is the method for the chicken.  If you have a different marinara that you really like, you could definitely substitute it and be just as successful (and save yourself a little time).

Special Equipment: None

Time Management: 

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed and pounded flat

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

3/4 cups wine (red or white is fine)

3 (14.5 oz) cans crushed tomatoes

2 Tbsp sugar

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 pound of your favorite pasta

Directions:

Mix flour, salt, and pepper together on large plate.

Dredge your pounded chicken breasts in mixture and set aside.

Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.  When mixture is hot, fry chicken until golden brown (aprox 3 minutes per side)

Remove chicken and keep warm.

Add onion, and garlic to pan and stir for 2 minutes.  Pour in wine and scrape bottom of pan.  Allow wine to cook down until reduced by half, about 2 minutes.

Pour crushed tomatoes and stir to combine.  Add sugar and more salt and pepper to taste.

Simmer 30 minutes. - and this is a good time to start your pasta water! (and cook according to package directions)

Carefully lay chicken breasts atop sauce and completely cover with Parmesan.

Place lid on skillet and reduce heat to low.  Allow to simmer until cheese melts and chicken is hot.

Plate on top of pasta.

*Original source http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2009/10/chicken-parmigiana/