Zesty Veggie Soup

This soup is very easy to make on a lazy day, either in the crock pot or stove top.  Makes about 10-12 servings.

4  c   hot & spicy tomato juice

1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes

2 c each; frozen or fresh corn, green beans, peas, carrots; etc.

2 c potato; chopped

1/2 medium onion; diced

2 tsp garlic; minced

2 tbsp worchestershire sauce

1 tbsp sugar

1 tsp salt

1 tsp basil; dried

1/4 tsp pepper

Combine all ingredients in a large stock or crock pot.  Simmer 4-6 hours. Enjoy!

You asked for it! Soft Pretzels!

Prep time, 1 hour, 40 minutes

Bake time, 10 minutes

Ready in 2 hours

3 to 3 1/2 c all purpose or unbleached flour, divided (can use 1/2 and 1/2 with whole wheat flour as well)

1 tbsp sugar

1 tsp salt

1 (1/4 oz) dry active yeast

1 c water

1 tbsp shortening

6 c water

1/4 c baking soda

pretzel salt, sesame seeds, poppy seeds, etc.

In a medium bowl, combine 1 c flour, sugar, salt and yeast; blending well. Heat 1 cup water and shortening in a small sauce pan to 100-110*f. Add water mixture to flour mixture. With an electric mixer, blend at low speed until moistened. Beat 2 minutes at medium speed. Stir, by hand, and additional 1 1/2-1 3/4 cups of flour, or until dough pulls cleanly away from the sides of the bowl. Knead in 1/2-3/4 cup flour on a floured surface, until dough is smooth and elastic. Place dough in a greased bowl, turning once. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and cover with a tea towel. Let rise in a warm place until light and doubled in size, about 45 minutes.

Spray 2 cookie sheets with non stick spray. Punch down dough. Divide into 12 pieces. Roll each piece into a 16 inch rope. Form into pretzel shape (if ends won't stick to the middle of the knot, use a drop or 2 of water to bind). Place on greased cookie sheets. Cover and let rise again for 15-20 minutes.

Adjust baking rack to top position and heat to 375* (non stick and dark sheets)/ 400* (light/glass sheets). Combine 6 cups of water and baking soda in a shallow sided sauce pan. Bring to a gentle boil. Slowly drop pretzels into water, one at a time, cooking 15 seconds on each side. Remove from water with a slotted spoon and return to the baking sheet. Sprinkle with desired topping.

Bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately remove from baking sheet. Best served warm.

Makes fabulous 12 pretzels!

This recipe was on the side of a flour bag. (not my photo)

SUPER AWESOME Oven Fried Chicken

I LOVE this oven fried chicken. It's a hit every time I make it. I always make at least double what I think everyone will eat- apparently, their stomachs enlarge at the very smell! It's also very good the next day, cut up and placed on a salad as well.
1 to 1.5 lbs chicken

1 c cracker crumbs & rice chex crumbs, mixed (bread crumbs are ok too)

1 c flour

1 egg

1/2 c half & half or milk

1/4 c finely grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 c butter, melted

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp thyme

1/4 tsp Crazy Jane's seasoning salt

1/8 tsp black pepper

Preheat oven to 350* for dark, non-stick pans and 375* for light or glass. Grease a cookie sheet.

Clean chicken.

Place flour on a small plate.

In small bowl, beat egg and half & half.

In a separate bowl, mix all spices, Parmesan cheese and crumb mixture.

Dredge chicken in flour, followed by half & half mixture, then crumb mix. Place on Greased cookie sheet. Continue until all pieces are covered. Drizzle melted butter evenly over all pieces. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until no longer pink. (I used 1 lb of chicken tenders, baking at 350* for 30 minutes)

(not my photo)

Holy Starches!

Yesterday, I was on a baking streak...
Brownies, biscuits, pretzels, pot roast and beef barley soup with lots of veggies. I'm sure that I'm missing something, but...I'll have recipes up soon. No pictures as everything was eaten before I got a chance to take any. Boo. MMMM, homemade pretzels!

I need a better camera.

So, as you can see, I need a better camera, so I'm taking donations. Ha. Please let me know if you'd like to donate so that you don't have to see any more ugly food photos.

Drunken Apple Crisp and Drunken Squirrels

So- I come home from a lovely trip up north to realize that we've had torrential rains, flooding my back yard and causing the ground to become so soft- that my beloved apple tree has toppled over. You should have seen it in the spring- so many flowers, you could hardly see the leaves. Ahhh, so beautiful. Because of it's size and age, many of the limbs were almost touching the ground, creating a serene canopy under the tree- peaceful, quite and private. Yes... just you and the mosquitoes. And a chair, and a book, and a citronella candle... Anyway, we had grown to love this apple tree.

Two years before, the year we moved into the house, the apple tree had blossomed and given a bountiful harvest as well. So many apples had dropped on to the ground that we couldn't keep up with picking them up. Unbenounced to us, some of them had become fermented.

Wild life- mainly squirrels- began to eat the apples to fatten up for winter. Apparently, they had no prior knowledge (or maybe their memory served them well from prior years) of the fermentation process of these apples and the effects of eating them. On any given day, you would see 3-4 of them, nibbling, scavenging, playing, toppling over and falling out of trees. That's correct, DRUNKEN SQUIRRELS. Like a college kid after too many beers, they too were falling over drunk. I have video. I'm giggle-snorting the entire time. Hilarious.

Anyway, the squirrels drunken-ness really has nothing to do with the recipe, except for the same source of their good time, is the basis for the recipe below. Without further adu, I give you the Drunken Apple Crisp!

Ingredients:
5 cups apples (peeled, cored and sliced)
1/4 cup amaretto
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 cup brown sugar

Topping:
2/3 cup flour
2/3 cup rolled oats
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 cup butter (melted)

Directions:
1. Toss the apples with the amaretto, lemon juice, cinnamon, nutmeg and brown sugar.
2. Mix the flour, rolled oats, brown sugar, cinnamon and butter in a separate, large bowl.
3. Place the apple mixture into an 8x8 inch baking dish and pour the topping on.
4. Bake in a preheated 350F oven until it is bubbling and the top is golden brown, about 45 minutes.

Garlic Cheddar DOG Treats

GARLIC CHEDDAR DOG TREATS
My fur babies love these! I say they're pretty good too!

Ingredients
1 c whole wheat flour
1 c shredded cheddar cheese
1 T garlic powder
1 T oil or butter, softened
.5 c milk (may not need all)

Combine flour and cheese. Add in garlic powder and oil.
SLOWLY add milk, a little at a time, until a thick dough is formed.
Knead and roll out on lightly floured work space until 1/4 inch thick. Cut into shapes and place on greased cookie sheets.
Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes. Turn oven off, cool in oven, on sheets, with the door open.