Eggplant Parmesan

3 eggplant, peeled and thinly sliced

2 eggs, beaten

4 cups Italian seasoned bread crumbs

6 cups spaghetti sauce, divided

1 (16 ounce) package mozzarella cheese, shredded and divided

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1. Sweat the 1/4" slices by sprinkling with sea salt and letting sit for 30 min. Rinse, pat dry w/paper towel (get good & dry)
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
3. Dip eggplant slices in egg, then in bread crumbs. Place in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven for 5 minutes on each side.
4. In a 9x13 inch baking dish spread spaghetti sauce to cover the bottom. Place a layer of eggplant slices in the sauce. Sprinkle with mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Repeat with remaining ingredients, ending with the cheeses. Sprinkle basil on top.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 35 minutes, or until golden brown

Stuffed Green Peppers I

6 green bell peppers

salt to taste

1 pound ground beef

1/3 cup chopped onion

salt and pepper to taste

1 (14.5 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, chopped

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1/2 cup uncooked rice

1/2 cup water

1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed tomato soup

water as needed

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cut the tops off the peppers, and remove the seeds. Cook peppers in boiling water for 5 minutes; drain. Sprinkle salt inside each pepper, and set aside.
2. In a large skillet, saute beef and onions for 5 minutes, or until beef is browned. Drain off excess fat, and season with salt and pepper. Stir in the tomatoes, rice, 1/2 cup water and Worcestershire sauce. Cover, and simmer for 15 minutes, or until rice is tender. Remove from heat, and stir in the cheese.
3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. (175 degrees C). Stuff each pepper with the beef and rice mixture, and place peppers open side up in a baking dish. In a medium bowl, combine tomato soup with just enough water to make the soup a gravy consistency. Pour over the peppers.
4. Bake covered for 25 to 35 minutes, until heated through and cheese is melted and bubbly.

Squash in Sour Cream

2 pounds Banana or Acorn squash                     1/4 tsp. salt

2 Tbsp. Butter, divided                                            1/4 tsp. dill weed

1 tsp. sugar                                                               1/2 cup sour cream

1 Tbs. instant onion (crush dried minced onion until the size of sesame seeds)

pepper, 1/4 tsp. Mrs. Dash seasoning, and 1/8 tsp. dill weed to sprinkle on top

Stove top instructions:

1.         Scrub the squash, cut half and remove the seeds. 

2.         Cut in smaller sections to fit in the pan. 

3.         Cover the squash with water and bring to a boil on high heat.  Lower temperature to a low boil and cook about 15 minutes, or until tender.

4.         Drain the squash in a colander and cool with running cold water.  Using a spoon, remove the squash from its shell and cut into bite-sized pieces.

5.         Melt 1 Tbsp. butter in a saucepan or in the saucepan that was used to cook the squash. 

6.         Add the squash to the saucepan with the butter, cover with a lid and toss the squash to coat with butter.  Sprinkle with 1 tsp. sugar.

Sauce to squeeze over the cooked squash at serving time:

1.         Melt remaining 1 Tbsp. butter, add onion; remove from heat. 

2.         Add sour cream, salt and 1/4 teaspoon dill weed, stir well. 

3.         Place hot squash on platter; sprinkle with pepper. 

4.         Place dill sauce in zip lock bag. Snip a small part of a corner and pipe all the sour cream mixture over the squash. 

5.         Sprinkle with 1/8 teaspoon dill weed and Mrs. Dash Seasoning.

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Whole Wheat Blender Pancakes

2 cups milk                                                    1/2  teaspoon salt

1 ½ cups whole wheat kernels                              1/4 cup oil

6 egg whites                                                 2 teaspoons baking soda

2 tablespoons sugar                                    4 teaspoons baking powder

DO NOT make batter too far ahead of time.  The batter will become too thick and difficult to pour from the blender.

1.         Place milk and wheat in blender.

2.         Put on lid and blend for 4 minutes.

3.         Add remaining ingredients and blend until thoroughly mixed.

4.         Pour the batter directly from the blender onto a pre-heated 350˚ griddle.  Cook pancakes until small bubbles form and edges start to look dry. Turn and cook until done.

5.         Keep pancakes warm in a single layer on a cooling rack in your top oven at 170°.

Maple Syrup           

1 C. granulated sugar                     2 T. packed brown sugar

1/2 C. water                                       2 T. light corn syrup

1/4 tsp. maple extract

1.         Combine all ingredients except maple extract in a small saucepan.

2.         Cook, stirring, over med-high heat until syrup comes to a full boil.

3.         Remove from heat.

4.         Add maple extract and stir.

5.         Serve hot.

ExpressBake Cinnamon Raisin Bread

3/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons very warm water (120˚ to 130˚)

1 egg

1 ½ Tablespoons butter or margarine

1 teaspoon salt

2 Tablespoons sugar

1 ½ Tablespoons skim milk powder

3 cups all purpose flour

1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/3 cup raisins

4 teaspoons quick rise yeast

1.         Carefully measure hot water to make sure it’s between 115 and 125 degrees.

2.         Measure and add liquid ingredients to the bread pan.

3.         Add remaining ingredients, except yeast, to bread pan. Form a well in flour.

4.         Put yeast in well, making sure it doesn’t touch any liquid.

5.         Snap bread pan into bread maker. Close lid.

6.         Select ExpressBake 58 minute setting and press start button.

Classic White Bread

6-7 cups bread flour                                                4 ½ teaspoons regular or quick active dry yeast

3 Tbsp. sugar                                                2 ¼ c very warm tap water

1 Tbsp. salt                                                    2 Tbsp. butter or margarine, melted, if desired  

2 Tbsp. shortening

1          In your KitchenAid bowl, stir 3 ½ cups of the flour, the sugar, salt, shortening and yeast until well mixed. Add warm water. Beat on medium speed 1 minute, scraping bowl frequently. Stir in enough remaining flour, 1 cup at a time, to make dough easy to handle.

2.         Put on kneading hook and knead about 5 minutes or until dough is smooth and springy. Grease large bowl with shortening. Place dough on a greased dinner plate, turning dough to grease all sides. Cover plate loosely with plastic wrap and let rise in proofing oven 20 minutes or until dough has doubled in size.

3.         Grease bottoms and sides of three 8x4 or 9x5-inch loaf pans with shortening or pan spray.

4.         Gently push fist into dough to deflate. Divide dough into thirds. Flatten each dough portion with hands or rolling pin into 18x9-inch rectangle on lightly floured surface. Roll dough up tightly, beginning at 9-inch side/ {press with thumbs to seal after each turn. Pinch edge of dough into roll to seal. Pinch each end of roll to seal. Fold ends under loaf. Place seam side down in pan. Brush loaves lightly with butter. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise in proofing oven 20 minutes or until dough has doubled in size.

5.         Move oven rack to low position so that tops of pans will be in center of oven. Heat oven to 425°.

6.         Bake 20-25 minutes or until loaves are deep golden brown and sound hollow when tapped. Remove loaves from pans to wire rack. Brush loaves with butter; cool.

7.         Slice with electric knife to serve.

Honey Butter

Honey Butter

1/2 cup butter (not margarine), softened

1/2 cup honey

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

1.         Using wire beater on KitchenAid mixer, whip butter until light, up to 10 minutes.

2.         Gradually add honey and vanilla.

3.         Serve with warm bread.

Quick Whole Wheat Batter Bread

2 ½ cups hot water

1 tablespoon yeast

1/3 cup oil

1/3 cup honey

2 teaspoons salt

4 ½ to 5 cups whole wheat flour

1 tablespoon butter to use on the top of the baked bread

1.         In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in hot water.

2.         Preheat oven to 200°.

3.         Add oil, honey, salt, and half of flour to yeast and water. Mix with flat beater attachment.

4.         Add enough of remaining flour to make a thick, sticky batter. Yes, the dough is really sticky.

5.         Knead well (at least 5 minutes in your KitchenAid mixer).

6.         Place dough in two well-greased loaf pans. Put pans in warm oven. TURN OVEN OFF.

7.         Let loaves sit in warm oven for 20 minutes.

8.         With loaves still in oven, turn oven to 350°.

9.         Set timer for 30 minutes. Remove bread from oven when timer goes off. If loaves aren’t nicely browned, bake for an additional 3-5 minutes.

10.       Brush with butter and remove from pans to cool. Makes 2 loaves.

11.       Slice with electric knife to serve.

Honey Butter

1/2 cup butter (not margarine), softened

1/2 cup honey

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

1.         Using wire beater on KitchenAid mixer, whip butter until light, up to 10 minutes.

2.         Gradually add honey and vanilla.

3.         Serve with warm bread.

Pretzels

4 teaspoons yeast                                                                4 cups water
1 teaspoon sugar                                                                 1/2 cup baking soda
1 ¼ cups warm water                                                          kosher salt for sprinkling
3 ½-4 ½ cups bread flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 ½ teaspoons salt                                                               kosher salt for sprinkling
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1.         In a small bowl, dissolve yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar in warm water. Let stand about 10 minutes.

2.         In your KitchenAid bowl, combine 3 ½ cups flour 1/2 cup sugar and 1 ½ tsp. salt. Make a well in the center; add the oil and yeast mixture. Mix with dough hook. Add more flour if dough is too sticky. Knead 3-4 minutes.

3.         Cover dough with plastic wrap, and set in on a greased plate in proofing oven to rise until it has doubled in size, approximately 30 minutes.

4.         Gently punch down dough. Before shaping, start preheating the oven to 425 degrees, using convection bake setting.

5.         Cut the dough into 12 pieces. Roll each one until it’s about 15-inches long and the thickness of your finger. Twist each into a pretzel.

6.         Mix water and baking soda. Bring to a boil.

7.         Dip each pretzel in boiling soda water for 5 seconds. Place on greased baking sheet, lightly sprinkle with kosher salt and bake for 8-10 minutes. Cut each pretzel in half before serving. Serve with mustard.