Favorite Breadsticks

My family LOVES these, but I think what makes this my favorite breadstick recipe is that they are something that I can make even if the"What's for dinner?" question doesn't come to mind until 5:00Pm! They only take about an hour and by 6:00PM I can have warm breadsticks to go with my favorite soup or pasta recipe or whatever! This recipe is a combination of two similar recipes from two very reliable sources, so I adopted it as my own! Thanks Kristen and Melanie! If you want to see a picture, click here!

HELPFUL HINT: So before I start the recipe, I have to share something I was taught that has been priceless when it comes to bread making! In all of the recipes that use yeast, it says to combine yeast with "warm water." What in the world does that mean? The word "warm" means different things to different people! To my mom's dishwater-ravaged hands "warm" water burns mine! So a very skilled bread-and-roll-master friend of mine (she's over 70...oh how we need to learn from the wiser generation) says that you need to turn on the tap and let the water run over the inside of your wrist (the same place where you would shake a baby's bottle of milk to test it.) If it feels too hot to give it to a baby to drink, you will kill the yeast. If it feels too cold to give to a baby, it won't effectively activate the yeast. (For you thermometer happy people...it's about 110 degrees.) So there you have it! The definition of "warm water!" Thanks Kathryn!

1 1/2 cups warm water
1 Tablespoon yeast
2 Tablespoons sugar
3 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
Butter for pan (4-8 Tablespoons depending on how gooey you want to make them!)

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Add sugar and let it sit and bubble for a few minutes. Add the flour and salt. Knead for 3 minutes (adding a little more flour if needed.) Let dough rest for 10 minutes. Melt butter and pour on a cookie sheet. Roll dough on a floured surface, about the size of the cookie sheet. Cut rolled dough to desired width ( I sometimes cut mine in half length-wise as well to make make more and make them easier to work with.) Return dough to the original shape on the cookie sheet by rolling each piece in the butter on the pan and twisting the dough or laying it flat. Sprinkle with garlic salt, Parmesan cheese, and parsley (or whatever.) Let rise about 15-30 minutes. Bake at 375 for about 20 minutes or until golden. These come out puffy and soft, but if you want them thin and crunchy, use dough to roll out enough to fill 1 1/2 cookie sheets. Enjoy!

Cheese Soup

Soup is by far my favorite comfort food! This soup is one I have made for many years and is always a favorite. My sister-in-law Allison shared this recipe with me and I am so grateful! Yummy, creamy, feel-good, home cookin'!
The soup in this picture has been served with my favorite and fast breadstick recipe! If you want to see the recipe, click here!

8-10 medium potatoes, peeled and diced

1/2 yellow onion, chopped

1 1/2 cups carrots, peeled and diced

1/2 tsp salt

Put these ingredients in a pot and cover with enough water to cover veggies well. Boil until veggies are tender. (Before the next step, I like to drain out some of the water and save it just in case I have been overzealous on the veggie cutting and end up with too much water. You can always add some of the water in again if it needs thinning.)

Ten minutes before serving add:

2 cups chopped broccoli (I use just the flowers)

16 oz. Cheese Whiz or Velveeta

1 can Cream of Celery Soup

Salt and pepper to taste

Just a note: I am actually a real cheese soup connoisseur and contrary to what you might believe, Cheese Whiz and Velveeta actually make a better soup. I have tried grated cheese and it just isn't as creamy, so don't be afraid to use it! This is a no fail, simple, fast recipe...and now it's even faster thanks to my new Food Processor I got for Christmas! Thanks so much Santa's helpers!!!

Chocolate 101

Here are a few of the recipes from our latest class. The hot chocolate recipe should be sold for millions of dollars, but we both feel it is our duty to save souls from some of the stuff people dump in their water. How fun it is to teach a class about how to enjoy chocolate. It is like teaching people how to breath, it comes pretty naturally. Remember to use dutch processed cocoa where possible, and good quality chocolate.

Mom’s Hot Chocolate

2 2/3 cup dry milk
1 cup sugar
4 Tablespoons cocoa
Small pinch of salt

Combine in saucepan with:
7 ½ cups water
1 can evaporated milk
¼ teaspoon vanilla
Heat slowly on low stirring occasionally and serve. Makes 11 cups.

Note: This is delicious served with a little whipped cream and chocolate shavings or maybe a few Andes mints dropped inside. Sweet mercy!


Chocolate Bundt Cake
Taken from The Sister's Cafe
This cake is so dense and rich and such a simple cake to make, you will want to make this for every birthday or special gathering, or whenever! Be sure to use semi-sweet chocolate chips!

1 devils food cake mix (do not make according to package)
1 (4 serving) instant chocolate pudding mix
4 large eggs
1 cup sour cream
½ cup warm water
½ cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips

Place all ingredients except chocolate chips in a large mixing bowl. Blend with electric mixer for 1 minute. Scrape down sides and continue to mix on medium speed for 2-3 minutes. Stir in chocolate chips. Pour batter into prepared (generously grease, then flour or cocoa) bundt pan. Bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes, rotating half way through baking time. Cool for 20 minutes (you can make the Chocolate Glaze while cake is cooling) and then run a knife careful around edge of cake in pan and invert carefully onto a serving platter. Glaze cake while cake is warm, not hot. You can also just dust with powdered sugar.

Chocolate Glaze:
8 Tablespoons butter (not margarine)
4 Tablespoons cocoa powder
1/3 cup evaporated milk (or 2%)
4 cups sifted powdered sugar

Melt butter in medium saucepan over low heat. Whisk in cocoa and milk. Bring mixture just to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Beat in powdered sugar with electric mixer until thickened and smooth. Pour warm frosting over warm cake so that it forms pretty "drips" over the side of the cake. (This recipe makes a lot of frosting, so you won't use it all.) When the glaze and cake have cooled a bit, you can also add chocolate shavings for a triple chocolate, totally delightful experience!

Note: This can be made with peppermint candy cane pieces (put in baggie and break up) sprinkled on top before glaze cools and served with peppermint ice cream for a fabulous holiday treat. You could also try using a white frosting glaze with coconut extract added, and sprinkling coconut on top and around sides of cake platter. Ooooh! Coconut and chocolate together!


Perfect One Bowl Brownies
Adapted from The Sister's Cafe
We've tried A LOT of brownie recipes and this one has definitely passed the "Sister's Test!" So yummy and easy that we promise you will never go back to "the box!"

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup(slightly heaping) cocoa (can of dutch processed mix is best)
4 eggs
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 3/4 cup flour
1 cup chocolate chips to sprinkle on top (We like to use a mix of semi-sweet and milk chocolate)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl melt butter in microwave, then stir in oil, sugar and cocoa. Using a wooden spoon (so you don't over mix), stir in the remainder of the ingredients except for the chocolate chips. Spread into a 9 x 13 pan (glass has worked well) sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. (You can also "bang" the pan on the counter to smooth out the batter more!) Sprinkle the chocolate chips over the top. Bake for 25-30 minutes. You know they are done when they start pulling away from the edge of the pan, but a clean toothpick means you've cooked them too long...be careful not to over bake!

Note: We think these are best when they are cooled so they are allowed to increase in density and chewiness...WOW! Serve them alone or these make delicious brownie sundaes with ice cream and chocolate syrup on top.