French Dip Squares

INGREDIENTS

• Cooking spray
• 2 (8-oz.) tubes refrigerated crescent rolls
• 4 tbsp. butter, divided
• 2 medium onions, thinly sliced
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme, divided
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 c. whole-grain mustard
• 1/2 lb. deli roast beef, patted dry
• 9 slices provolone
• 1 tbsp. freshly chopped parsley
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 c. low-sodium beef broth
• 1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350° and grease a 9"-x-13" baking sheet with cooking spray. Place one unrolled can of crescents on prepared baking sheet and pinch together seams. 
2. Bake until edges are slightly golden, about 12 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.
3. Meanwhile, caramelize onions: In a large skillet over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Add onion and 2 sprigs thyme and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions begin to soften and turn slightly golden. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until onions are soft and caramelized, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat.
4. Build squares: Spread an even layer of mustard onto prepared crescent, leaving a 1/2" border clear on all edges. Top with a layer of roast beef and a layer of provolone. Top with caramelized onions.
5. Unroll remaining tube of crescent rolls and place on top of onion layer. Press seam into bottom crust to seal all edges. Melt 1 tablespoon butter and brush all over top of crescent dough, then sprinkle with parsley and salt. 
6. Bake until dough is golden and cooked through, about 35 minutes. (If dough is browning too quickly, cover with foil.) 
7. Let cool 15 minutes before slicing into squares.
8. Meanwhile, make au jus: Melt remaining 1 tablespoon butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant. Add beef stock, Worcestershire sauce, and remaining 2 sprigs thyme, stripped from stem. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer for 10 minutes until reduced slightly. 
9. Serve squares with au jus on the side for dipping. 

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From: Delish

Posted by: Jasmine

Basic White Tin Bread

This is an excellent recipe if you are new to breadmaking; it's easy to follow and explains the steps as you go along. It's basically the same as the White Cob Loaf, only this one is smaller and is made in a bread tin (so it's easier to cut into slices). Google has easy weight-to-volume conversions if you need them.

Rise time: 2 hours, divided

Bake time: 30 min

Ingredients

• 400g strong white bread flour (or all-purpose flour)
• 8g salt
• 7g active dry yeast
• 25 unsalted butter, softened
• 250ml cool water (about 15-20° celsius -- basically room temp)
• Olive oil for kneading and oiling the tin

Instructions

1. Tip the flour into a large mixing bowl and add the salt to one side of the bowl and the yeast to the other. Don't put the salt directly onto the yeast, as you may kill the yeast or at the very least slow it down.
2. Add the butter and three-quarters of the water, and turn the mixture round with your fingers. Continue to add the remaining water, a little at a time, until you've picked up all the flour from the sides of the bowl. You may not need to add all the water, or you may need to add a little more -- you want dough that is soft, but not soggy. Use the mixture to clean the inside of the bowl and keep going until the mixture forms a rough dough.
3. Coat the work surface with a little oil; using olive oil rather than flour on the work surface to prevent sticking keeps the dough soft. Then tip the dough onto the surface and begin to knead. Keep kneading for 5-10 minutes. Work through the initial wet stage until the dough starts to form a soft, smooth skin.
4. When your dough feels smooth and silky, put it into a lightly oiled large bowl. Cover with a tea towel and leave to rise until at least doubled in size -- this means at least 1 hour, but it's fine to leave it for 2 or even 3 hours. [1] Resting the dough strengthens it and helps develop a robust crumb structure.
5. Prepare a 1kg loaf tin or two 500g loaf tins [2] by rubbing olive oil over the inside.
6. Tip your dough onto a lightly floured surface. If you are making 2 smaller loaves, divide the dough in half.
7. First shape into a ball by folding the dough inwards repeatedly until all the air is knocked out and the dough is smooth. Then form into an oblong by flattening the dough out slightly and folding the sides into the middle. Roll the whole lot up -- the top should be smooth with a join running along the length of the base. Put your dough into the prepared tin, making sure the join is underneath.
8. Put the tin(s) inside clean plastic bag(s) and leave it to prove [3] for about 1 hour, until the dough is at least doubled in size and springs back quickly if you prod it lightly with your finger. Meanwhile, heat your oven to 220°C and put a roasting tray [4! important!] in the bottom to heat up.
9. Dust the risen, springy dough with flour and slash the top with a knife -- a sharp serrated blade is ideal. Fill the roasting tray in the oven with hot water to create steam and put the bread into the oven.
10. Bake for 30 minutes or until the bread is cooked through. Check by tipping the loaf out of the tin and tapping the base -- it should sound hollow. Cool the loaf. out of the tin, on a wire rack.

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Posted by Piera

Original recipe: How to Bake by Paul Hollywood of the Great British Bake Off. I copied the recipe without any modifications, for the British charm. Click the "Read More" link for photos of the original.

[1] The oven (but turned off!) is a good place for this.

[2] I'm still not super clear about how these sizes correlate to the typical American bread pan. I have one larger pan and one that seems "normal"-sized, so I follow the instructions for the 1kg tin and it seems to work out.

[3] This is British for "cover and let rise." The Brits, I am told, have plastic bags specifically designed for covering bread dough, and "prove" is the Queen's English for "rise" (because the yeast has to prove its worth). Anyway, I cover it with the same tea towel from step #4 and have had no problems. Only more-American bread.

[4] Metal! Use metal! Do not use glass, trust me on this.

All-Purpose Gravy

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp butter
• 3 tbsp flour
• any spices you feel are appropriate
• 2 c beef or chicken broth (or 1½ cups of broth and ½ cup milk

Instructions

1. Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Sprinkle flour and spices on top and whisk until fully incorporated. Cook until it's golden.
2. Slowly add liquid, whisking constantly, until mixture begins to bubble. Reduce heat to medium-low-ish and simmer, stirring frequently, until gravy thickens.

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Posted by Piera

(this was kinda patchworked from various recipes I've seen over the years. I like this ratio of ingredients but, as Jasmine says, YMMV)

Fajita Chicken Casserole

Ingredients

• 4 cups shredded cooked chicken (off a rotisserie chicken, out of a can, or about 3 large breasts)
• 2 cups instant rice
• 1 (10.5-ounce) can cream of chicken soup (or powdered good stuff)
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 cup frozen diced onion and bell pepper blend (or 1/3c onion and half or so of a red or green bell pepper)
• 1 (10-ounce) can diced tomatoes with chilies (like Ro*Tel), undrained
• 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 1 (1.12-ounce) packet fajita seasoning
• 1 (8-ounce) shredded Mexican blend cheese ( about 2 cups)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly spray a 9x13 inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. 
2. In a large bowl, combine the chicken, uncooked rice, cream of chicken, sour cream, diced onion and bell pepper, tomatoes with chilies, chicken broth, fajita seasoning, and about half of the cheese. Mix to combine. Pour the mixture into the prepared dish and spread it evenly. 
3. Bake for about 25 minutes. Remove from the oven, top with the remaining cheese and return to the oven until the cheese is melted. (Or just add it at the beginning, that works fine)

I'm not usually much for "cans of stuff" recipes, but sometimes you just gotta feed your family quick and easy
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Original recipe: Southern BitePosted by Jasmine

Cream of Whatever - for Use in Recipes

When a recipe calls for Cream of Whatever soup concentrate, that stuff has lots of salt and garbage in it, so here's a slightly better replacement:

Ingredients

• 1c Dried Milk Powder
• 3/4c Cornstarch
• 1/4c Bouillon (veg or chicken, preferably low-sodium)
• 1/4c Dried Minced Onions
• 1tsp each Basil, Thyme, Pepper

Directions

1. In your hot dish recipe or whatever, mix 1/3c of this good stuff with 1c water in place of 1 can of goo - the og recipe says 1 1/4c water, but I've found that it's too wet, YMMV
2. If it's cream of mushroom or celery or another veg, you should probably add some of that vegetable as well, to get the rest of the flavor.  If cream of mushroom is your standard, Asian stores often have dried mushrooms you could add to the mix

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Original recipe: No idea - I'm reading this off the side of the big jar I've been making this stuff in for years, lol

Posted by Jasmine

White Cob Loaf

Best for dipping, eating warm, recipes that call for "crusty bread"

Rise time: 2 hours, divided
Bake time: 30 min

Ingredients

• 500g bread or all-purpose flour
• 10g salt
• 10g active dry yeast
• 30g unsalted butter, softened
• 320ml cool water (about 15-20° celsius -- basically room temp)
• olive oil for kneading

Instructions

1. Tip the flour into a large mixing bowl. Add salt to one side of the bowl and yeast to the other. Add the butter and three-quarters of the water, and turn the mixture round with your fingers. Continue to add the remaining water, a little at a time, until you've picked up all the flour from the sides of the bowl. You may not need to add all the water, or you may need to add a little more -- you want dough that is soft, but not soggy. Use the mixture to clean the inside of the bowl and keep going until the mixture forms a rough dough.
2. Coat the work surface with a little olive oil, then tip the dough onto it and begin to knead. Keep kneading for 5-10 minutes. Work through the initial wet stage until the dough starts to form a soft, smooth skin. When your dough feels smooth and silky, put it into a lightly oiled large bowl. Cover with a tea towel and leave to rise until at least doubled in size -- at least 1 hour, but it's fine to leave it for 2 or even 3 hours. [1]
3. Line a baking tray with baking parchment or silicone paper.
4. Once risen, the dough should be bouncy and shiny. Scrape it out of the bowl onto a lightly floured surface. First shape into a ball by folding it inwards repeatedly until all the air is knocked out and the dough is smooth. Then form it into a smooth, round cob shape.
5. Put the dough on the baking tray and place in a clean plastic bag [2]. Leave to prove for about 1 hour, until the dough is at least doubled in size and springs back quickly if you prod it lightly with your finger. Meanwhile, heat your oven to 230°C (about 450°F) and put a roasting tray [3] in the bottom to heat up.
6. Dust the dough with some flour, then slash deeply with a knife. Fill the hot roasting tray in the oven with hot water: this will create steam and give your bread a lighter crust. Put your bread into the oven and bake for 30 minutes or until it is cooked through and sounds hollow when tapped on the base. Cool on a wire rack.

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[1] Leave it somewhere warm and dark. I like to put it in the (turned-off) oven.
[2] this is British for "cover to let rise" (aka "prove"). I guess plastic proofing bags are a thing there? Anyway, I use a tea towel and put it in the turned-off oven (the same thing as step 2). Alternatively you can put it in the fridge overnight, which is really useful if you want fresh bread in the morning.
[3] make sure the roasting tray is metal. Glass ... does not work so well. Trust me on this.

Posted by Piera

Original recipe: How to Bake by Paul Hollywood of the Great British Bake Off. I copied the recipe without any modifications, for the British charm. Click the "Read More" link for a photo of the original.

Brown Butter Ham Gnocchi With Asparagus & Peas

INGREDIENTS

• 1 package (16 oz*) potato gnocchi
• 1/4 cup butter
• 2 tsp finely chopped garlic
• 1 Tbsp chopped fresh thyme leaves
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1 1/2 cups sweet peas, fresh or frozen
• 3/4 lbs ham, cut in chunks** 
• 1 lb asparagus, cut into 1” lengths
• 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Heat a 12-inch cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. 
2. Add 1/4 cup butter to skillet. Melt over medium heat and continue to cook for about 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly.
3. Once the butter is brown and smells nutty, remove all but 1 or 2 TBS from heat to a small bowl.
4. Add gnocchi (and peas, if frozen) and cook over medium heat in the skillet until browned, about 5 minutes.
5. Stir in garlic and thyme leaves, cooking until fragrant, about 1 minute.
6. Stir in salt, pepper, ham, and asparagus (and peas, if fresh/thawed), along with half of the brown butter. Cook until vegetables are bright green and cooked through. This will take about 2 to 3 minutes.
7. Stir in remaining brown butter and lemon juice, cooking until fragrant, about 1 minute.
8. Stir in 1/4 cup parmesan cheese.

*The package sold at our store was 12oz, which was fine

**I had a big ham steak (on sale after Easter) and just cut up as much as "looked right," which ended up being about half of it.  YMMV

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Original recipe: Cake n Knife

Posted by Jasmine

Green Pea Pesto

Fresh herbs and pine nuts are expensive, as is premade pesto.  This is not that.  It's actually pretty tasty and is perfect for those times when the cupboard is bare, because it uses mostly pantry staples.
Ingredients

• 1 cup frozen organic green peas
• 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped 
• 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 Tablespoons parmesan cheese
• Penne

Instructions

1. In a small saucepan combine the garlic and green peas with just enough water to cover. Bring to a boil over medium heat then lower the heat to simmer and cover the pan. Cook for 3 minutes or until peas are cooked through and garlic is no longer raw. 
2. Drain the peas, reserving the water. 
3. Place the peas and olive oil in the blender and blend, adding just enough water to make a smooth paste, about 1 tablespoon. 
4. Combine mixture with parmesan cheese. 
5. Serve 2 tablespoons of sauce over each serving of penne pasta.