Super Fast Cheesy Garlic Breadsticks

I was on the hunt for a new breadstick recipe, so my cousin's wife, Jenny, sent me this one. It was originally called "one hour breadsticks".  But, seeing how I have made them a gazillion times and I still haven't gotten them finished entirely in one hour (probably due to the fact that I'm usually talking to my sister on the phone while I'm making them!) I thought that "one hour" part would be a little deceptive.  Despite not making the hour-cutoff, they are the fastest breadstick recipe I've found--I can start them and have them on the table in a short one hour and twenty minutes.

I must admit that I was a bit skeptical about the topping the first time I made it; but, it works--I promise.

Super Fast Cheesy Garlic Breadsticks

1 1/2 cup warm water
2 Tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon yeast (I use 1 little square package)
3 1/2 cups flour

Topping
1/3 cup soft butter
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1/4 cup mozzarella cheese, grated
1/4 cup Monterrey jack cheese, grated (or just use all mozzarella)
1-2 tsp minced fresh or bottled garlic
Parsley flakes

1. Mix water, sugar, salt, and yeast in a large bowl.  Rest 5 minutes.  Add flour and mix well.  Rest 15-20 minutes. 

2. In a separate bowl, make the breadstick topping by combining butter, mayonnaise, Parmesan cheese, mozzarella, Monterrey jack, and garlic.  Set aside.

3. Remove dough and place on floured covered surface and knead until smooth and not sticky.

4. Coat a big cookie sheet with butter (I use cooking spray).  Place dough on sheet and spread out with fingers to edges.

6. Spread breadstick topping over dough.  Sprinkle with parsley flakes.  Let dough sit for 15-20 minutes or until dough has risen a little.

7. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 18-25 minutes, or until golden brown on the bottom.  Cut in to squares or rectangles.  (Tip--use your pizza cutter for this step--makes it a ton easier!)

Morning Greens Smoothie

This is the smoothie before blending in the fruits

My family and I love vegetables and have recently recommitted ourselves to getting our max daily servings. That means more veggies every meal- but breakfast is always problematic. So when my friend, Alisa, posted this on her blog, I was excited to try it out. I was a little skeptical (although hopeful) at first- but the fruits really do mask both the color and flavor of the greens. My kids think this smoothie is delicious- and I love that we get a full serving of leafy greens early in the morning!


Morning Greens Smoothie

1 cup water or juice (I use juice)
1 handful cabbage (I used red cabbage)
1 handful collard greens
2 huge handfuls fresh spinach
1 fresh banana 
1 peach or 1 cup frozen peach slices
1 cup fresh or frozen pineapple
1 cup frozen blueberries

Blend the juice and greens in a blender until smooth. Add banana and blend til smooth. Add the frozen fruits and continue blending til smooth. Add more fruit juice if necessary to achieve desired consistency. Serve immediately. Makes about 4-5 cups.

 

All blended- enough for 4 servings

Notes: When adding my greens, my blender is nearly full with the juice and the leaves, but don't worry, they blend down quite well, with plenty of room for the fruit.  I used frozen peaches, pineapple, and blueberries. Also, I used red cabbage instead of green (I know, I said leafy greens, but my daughter asked if we could try it, so I did!) My friend Alisa buys the prebagged/washed greens, which I couldn't find at my supermarket. I just bought the greens in a bunch or head, washed and cut them, then put then in a ziptop bag. I leave a small space open at the top of the bag when I close it so the greens stay fresher and can 'breathe.'

Yum!

Chocolate Fondue

Every year on February 14th, Dr. C and I make our annual Valentine's Day Fondue--cheese fondue for dinner and chocolate fondue for dessert.  While I'm still searching for the perfect cheese fondue recipe (I try a new one just about every year) a few years ago, I found the best (and easiest) chocolate fondue recipe from Hersheys Kitchens. 

The key to this yummy treat is that it uses cocoa powder instead of spending forever grating chocolate bars that end up just melting in your hand--leaving you with less to actually eat!  This year we dipped banana and strawberry slices, but we've also done pound cake, sugar cookies, cherries, grapes, mandarin orange segments, pineapple chunks...pretty much anything that tastes good in chocolate!

Fudgy Chocolate Fondue

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup Hershey's Cocoa Powder
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
 
Directions:
1. Melt butter in small saucepan over low heat.  Remove from heat; immediately stir in cocoa.  Add sugar and evaporated milk.
2. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until sugar is dissolved and mixture is smooth.  Remove from heat; stir in vanilla.  Serve warm with assorted fondue dippers.

Raspberry Linzer Cookies

We made these dainty Linzer Butter Cookies for Valentine's Day. They are different from traditional linzer cookies in that they do not contain nut meal or nut flour, but instead are a sturdier version of a butter cookie. They are crisp, tender, and melt-in-your mouth delicious! It is a wonderful recipe from the folks at King Arthur Flour. ~Whitney

Linzer Butter Cookies

(slightly adapted from the recipe at the King Arthur Flour website)
Ingredients
-1 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar
-1 cup + 2 tablespoons salted butter
-1 large egg yolk
-1/2 teaspoon salt *If using unsalted butter increase salt to 1 teaspoon.
-2 teaspoons vanilla
-2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
-2/3 cup filling or jam (apricot, raspberry, strawberry, chocolate, or even icing)
-confectioners' sugar for dusting

1) Combine the sugar, butter, egg yolk, salt, and vanilla in a bowl, beating until smooth.
2) Add the flour, mixing until smooth. The mixture will seem dry at first, but will suddenly become cohesive. If it doesn't, dribble in a tablespoon of water.
3) Divide the dough in half, shape each half into a flattened disk, and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate for 2 hours, or overnight.
4) Remove the dough from the refrigerator, and let it soften for about 20 to 30 minutes, until it feels soft enough to roll. It should still feel cold, but shouldn't feel rock-hard. If dough softens too quickly, return to refrigerator. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
5) Sprinkle your rolling surface with flour, and flour your rolling pin. Working with one piece of dough at a time, roll it 1/8" to 3/16" thick.
6) Use a linzer cutter to cut a base and a cutout top for each cookie. It's good to cut them in pairs so you know you have an even number of each. Re-roll and cut the dough scraps.
7) Place the cookies on ungreased, parchment-lined, or silpat-lined baking sheets. They can be close together; they'll barely spread.
8) Bake the cookies in a preheated 350°F oven for 12 to 14 minutes, until they're set and barely browned around the edges. Remove from the oven, and cool right on the pan.
9) To create the beautiful white sugar tops, fill a fine sifter with confectioners' sugar. Hold the sifter a few inches above the cookie and shake or tap the sifter to drift sugar onto the cutout piece of the cookie. Be sure to cover the cookie with an even layer, all the way to the center and edges.
10)If using jam, put in microwave safe bowl and microwave for a few seconds to liquefy it. On the solid base of the cookie, spread 1/2 teaspoon of your filling or jam. To complete the cookie, place the sugared top gently on the filled base and press together.
11) It's best to let these cookies sit for a few hours to let the "sandwich" set. Overnight is fine as well; just cover the cookie tray with plastic wrap.

Jared's Hot Wings

Have you ever noticed that around the time of the Superbowl there are so SO many pictures of hot wings everywhere? I know that food companies push a lot of their "game food," but it seems like there are photos of buffalo hot wings in every grocery circular, magazine cover, and on television. That gets me a hunkering for some- and I don't even watch the Superbowl! (Yes, the power of persuasion is strong.) This is my brother-in-law's recipe; these wings have a nice flavor and some heat. It is a simple recipe, temper the spiciness to your own liking. This makes a lot- enough for a main dish for a family of four or an appetizer for a really big party. Cut it in half if you don't want to make quite so much. ~Whitney

Jared's Hot Wings
- 1 pkg. French's Hot Buffalo Wings Seasoning
-4 TBS. butter, melted
-juice of 1 lime (about 1/4 cup) fresh squeezed is best
1/2 cup Frank's Red Hot Sauce
8 lbs. frozen chicken wings and drums

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil. Place frozen chicken in single layer on baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes. (You will probably need two baking sheets to do all 8 lbs.) Remove from oven and drain the grease from the pan. Turn the chicken over and return to oven. Bake for an additional 30-45 minutes until the wings are fully cooked and somewhat crispy. If desired, drain again and place under broiler for 4-6 minutes to further crisp and brown wings. While chicken is cooking, melt butter and mix seasoning packet, butter, lime juice and Frank's Hot Sauce in a small bowl. When chicken is cooked transfer to a paper-towel lined baking sheet. Pat the chicken wings with additional paper towels to remove as much grease as possible. This step is important if you want the wing sauce to stick to the wings. Put chicken in large bowl and drizzle sauce over the top. Stir the wings to coat all sides. Serve with blue cheese dressing and celery sticks.
*To tone down the spice, use more lime juice and less Frank's Red Hot Sauce. Or dip in more blue cheese dressing...