Spudnuts

Yield: 50 donuts

1. Proof 2 packages yeast with 1/2 cup warm water and 1 tsp. sugar. 

2. Scald 2 cups milk. 

3. Add milk to 1 cup mashed potatoes, 1/2 cup shortening, 1.5 tsp salt and 1/2 cup sugar. 

4. Add proofed yeast to above mixture. 

5. Add 2 previously beaten eggs and 1 tsp nutmeg to mixture. 

6. Add flour to mixture until nice dough consistency, approximately 7 cups. 

7. Place dough in bowl that is sprayed with cooking spray, cover with towel, raise until doubled in size-1 hour. 

8. Punch down down, roll dough out, cut into donuts. 

9. Place cut donuts on a pan sprayed with cooking spray, let raise 30 minutes. 

10. While donuts are raising, mix glaze to dip donuts into-2.5 cups powdered sugar, 1.5 tbs melted butter, 1 tsp vanilla, hot water to thin to consistency. 

11. Heat oil to 400 degrees. 

12. Cook donuts

13. Dip in glaze, place on skewer over glaze bowl to let excess drip off. 

14. Place finished donuts on racks. 

Banana Bread

Banana Bread 

1 cup Sugar                                           1 tsp. Vanilla 

1/2 cup shortening/butter                       2 c. Flour 

3 medium bananas (over ripe)               1/2 tsp. Salt

3 Tbsp. Sour Cream                              1 tsp. Soda  

1 tsp. cinnamon                                     Nuts (optional) 

Cream Shortening, Sugar and add smashed bananas; Beat until creamy. Add sour cream, vanilla, cinnamon, dry ingredients; Beat well. Bake at 325 for 1 hour.

White Sandwich Bread

Makes 2 loaves (can easily be divided in half to make 1)

2 1/2 cups warm water
1 Tbsp. active dry yeast
1 Tbsp. sugar
6-6 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup butter, softened

Pour 1/2 cup of the water into a bowl (preferably that of a stand mixer) and stir in the yeast and sugar. Let sit for 5 minutes, unit foamy. (If the yeast doesn’t do anything, toss it out and buy fresh yeast.)

Add the rest of the water and about half of the flour. Stir until well blended. Add the rest of the flour, the salt and butter and stir with the dough hook (or by hand) until well combined and shaggy. Continue to knead (let the dough hook go for about 8 minutes, poking it down once in awhile) until it’s smooth and elastic. You could do this by hand, too. If you used the dough hook, turn the dough out onto the countertop and knead a few times to make sure it’s evenly smooth. Doesn’t it feel great?

Shape it into a ball and put it back into the bowl. Cover with a tea towel and let it sit for 1 – 1 1/2 hours, until it’s doubled in size.

Butter two 4″x8″ loaf pans. Punch the dough down (love that part!) and pat each piece into a rectangle that’s about 9″x12″ – or a bit bigger than a standard piece of paper.

Starting at a short end, fold it in thirds, like a letter. Place seam side down in the loaf pans, tucking the ends in. Cover with the tea towel again and leave them for an hour, until they puff right up out of the pan.

Preheat the oven to 375°F and put the rack in the middle of the oven. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until the loaves are honey brown. Immediately turn the loaves out of their pans and onto a rack to cool.

Whole Wheat Pita Bread

Yields 8-10 pitas

1 1/4 cups warm water
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups bread (or all-purpose) flour
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

In a large mixing bowl (or bowl of a stand mixer), sprinkle the yeast over the barely warm water and allow to sit about 5-10 minutes until activated (looks frothy). Mix in the olive oil, and salt. Gradually add bread flour and whole wheat flour, mixing until the dough comes together. If the dough is too dry and will not come together, add small amounts of water until it does. Conversely, if the dough is too sticky, add flour until it becomes workable; however, do not add too much flour or the bread will become dense.

Turn out dough on a lightly floured surface and knead the dough for 7-10 minutes, or until elastic. Alternatively, using the dough hook on a stand mixer, knead the dough on the slowest setting for 7-10 minutes, or until elastic. Cover dough with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Punch down the dough before turning out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough evenly into 8 to 10 pieces (depending on how large you would like the pitas) and roll into balls. Using a rolling pin, roll out the balls until they are 1/4 to 1/8-inch thick. If the dough resists rolling out, allow it to rest for 10 minutes and it will roll out easier. Cover the rounds with a kitchen towel and let rise for another 30 minutes or until puffy.

Preheat oven to 500 degrees F (260 degrees C). Place a baking sheet in the oven and allow it to heat as well.

Toss as many pitas into the oven as you can fit onto the hot baking sheet and bake for 3-5 minutes. Once they are finished baking, wrap each pita in a damp paper towel or cloth to soften them. Press down on the pitas lightly to flatten.

Serve warm or store until later use.

Copy Cat Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana Soup

1 lb. ground Italian Sausage
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 medium white onion
4 slices bacon
2 tsp minced garlic
6 C. chicken broth
2 C Heavy cream
5 potatoes
1/4 of a bunch of Kale

Directions:
Brown italian sausage together with red pepper flakes. Drain and set aside. In same pan, fry bacon, crumble once cooked. Then sautee onions and garlic in bacon grease until onions are soft. Bring chicken broth to a boil. Thinly slice potatoes, and add to boiling broth. Cook until soft through, 20-30 minutes. Add italian sausage, onions and garlic, and crumbled bacon to the soup. Add heavy cream and cook until just heated through. Chop Kale into bite sized pieces and add. Stir all together and serve!

Baked Ziti

1 Box Tortilini (or really any type of pasta, cooked and drained, we use penne a lot)
1/2 lb. spicy italian sausage (you can also use hamburger)
1 jar Spaghetti Sauce
1 jar Classico Alfredo sauce

Cook and drain both noodles and meat. Add spaghetti sauce to meat and noodles and mix. Pour into a 9x13 pan, and pour the alfredo sauce over the top. Top with shredded cheese. Bake at 350 until bubbly and warmed all the way through. You may want to cover it with foil towards the end so the top doesn't get too brown. When I make it for just Austin and me I don't always use a full box of pasta and just cook it in and 8X8, it reheats really well though!

Cafe Rio Salad Dressing

3 Garlic Cloves
3 tomatillos, peeled
1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch Buttermilk Dressing
1 C. Milk
1 C. Mayonnaise
1 C. Sour Cream
1/2 C. fresh cilantro
1/4 tsp. Cayenne Pepper

Put all ingredient in blender and blend until smooth. We like it on salads and burritos. Tastes better if chilled in the fridge for a few hours before serving.