The Best Baked Beans

This is from my sister Bobbi.  Sometimes I don't add the hamburger to make it cheaper :).

1 can Bush's baked beans (28 oz.)
1 can dark kidney beans (drained_
1 can butter beans (drained)
1 c. ketchup
1 c. brown sugar
1 Tbs. liquid smoke
2 Tbs. vinegar
1 lb. browned hamburger
1 large onion (chopped)
1 lb. bacon

Sauté onions and bacon together.  Mix all other ingredients  together in a crockpot and let simmer about 3-4 hours. 

Hamburger and Hot Dog Buns

I rarely buy hot dog or hamburger buns anymore.  These are so much better than store-bought.  Each recipe will make about 9-10 hamburger buns and about 12 hot dog buns.




Hot Dog and Hamburger Buns:
1 c. warm water
2 tbs. yeast
1/4 c. sugar
1/3 c. oil
1 tsp. salt
1 beaten egg
3 1/3 c. flour

Add water to a mixer and sprinkle yeast over top.  Sprinkle sugar over top of the yeast and mix it slightly to get everything wet.  Add in the oil, salt, egg, half of the flour.  Mix until smooth.  Slowly mix in the rest of the flour, letting the flour incorporate between each small addition.  You may not need all of the flour, and yet you may need a little more.  You want a soft dough that is not sticky to the touch.  I always know there is enough flour when the dough cleans the sides of the bowl itself as it mixes. Let the dough knead at least 5 minutes.  

If you are making hamburger buns, roll out on your counter top about 1/2' thick.  Cut out the buns using a wide-mouth mason jar lid.  Place on a greased cookie sheet and let rise until double, about 25 minutes.  Bake at 425 for about 10 minutes.  

I like to determine if the thickness of the dough by knowing that the dough should be as thick as the ring itself.  

If you are making hot dog buns, first make rolls with the dough. I use a kitchen scale.  I measure the dough and then divide it into 12 equal pieces.  If you don't have a kitchen scale, just eyeball 12 equal pieces.  Now take one of the rolls and stretch it slightly so that it is about 4 inches long or so.  Next, use a rolling pin to make a rectangle that is approx. 3" x 6".  It doesn't need to be exact.  Then roll up the rectangle starting with the wide side.  Pinch the ends and tuck them under slightly, and place seem side down on a lightly greased cookie sheet.  Do this with the remaining rolls until you have 12 buns.  Bake at 425 about 10 minutes.  

For hotdog buns form 12 rolls first. 

Stretch the roll slightly by pulling on it. 

Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a small rectangle.

Roll the rectangle up, starting with the long end.  Pinch the ends under and place seam-side down on a greased sheet.  Let rise and bake.  

For a video on how this is done, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNWx8qxP704&t=193s.  There is no need to watch the entire video as she gives a recipe that is not the same as mine (and also is in metric units) in the beginning.  Skip to the tutorial on how to roll them out which is around 3:15 on the video.  This is where I learned to shape my buns.  

Caramel Pecan Rolls

I love caramel and pecans!  Plus I hate making frosting, so this is a great alternative to cinnamon rolls. 
 

Caramel Pecan Rolls

Dough:
1 c. warm water
2 Tbs. yeast
1/4 c. sugar
1/3 c. oil
1 tsp. salt
1 large egg 
3 1/3 c. flour

Add water to a mixer and sprinkle yeast over top.  Sprinkle sugar over top of the yeast and mix it slightly to get everything wet.  Add in the oil, salt, egg, half of the flour.  Mix until smooth.  Slowly mix in the rest of the flour, letting the flour incorporate between each small addition.  You may not need all of the flour, and yet you may need a little more.  You want a soft dough that is not sticky to the touch.  I always know there is enough flour when the dough cleans the sides of the bowl itself as it mixes.  Refer to the pictures below to see what I'm talking about.  Let the dough knead for at least 5 minutes.  In the meantime, prepare the pan by making the caramel sauce: 

Caramel Sauce:
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 c. butter
1/4 c. dark corn syrup (light will work if that's all you have)
3/4 c. pecan halves.

Bring the sugar and butter to a boil.  Remove from heat and add the corn syrup.  Pour into the bottom of an ungreased rectangular pan (13"x9" or slightly bigger) that has tall sides (not a cookie sheet).  Sprinkle with pecan halves.  

When your dough is done kneading, grease a counter-top with either a little shortening or oil (using flour will make the dough too dry).  Roll the dough out into a rectangle. Then add the filling.

Roll Filling:
2 Tbs. soft butter
1/2 c. chopped pecans
2 Tbs. sugar
2 Tbs. Packed brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon

Spread the butter overtop of the rolled out dough. Mix the pecans, sugars, and cinnamon together and sprinkle over top of the dough.  Roll up tightly starting with the long end.  Pinch the seam together.  Cut into 12 equal slices.  Place in the bottom of your prepared pan on top of the caramel.  Let rise until double in size.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 30-35 minutes.  Cover with tin foil towards the end if the rolls are getting too dark on top.  Remove from oven and immediately invert onto a heatproof tray.  I use a cookie sheet.  Let stand 1 minute to allow the caramel to drizzle down.  Enjoy!

This is what the dough should look like as you first start to mix in the flour.  

In this picture you can see a little more flour is needed since the dough is still sticking to the sides of the bowl.

Here you can see the dough is perfect.  It is not over-floured, yet it is no longer sticking to the sides of the bowl either.  It has essentially cleaned the bowl as it has mixed.  By the way, I didn't back when I took these pictures but I now have a little plastic gadget called a dough hook extender that I use with the dough hook.  It is fabulous because it cleans the center of the bowl as it mixes so you don't get the build up of dough around the centerpiece.  It works amazingly!  If you have a Bosch, I highly recommend it. 

Chicken Enchilada Casserole

These are the same ingredients I use to make chicken enchiladas.  However, I've learned that casserole is so much faster and easier than enchiladas, and they are just as good.  So go ahead and make enchiladas if you prefer.

Chicken Enchilada Casserole

1 c. cooked chicken (or more if you prefer)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1 can diced green chilies (optional, sometimes I make the kids happy by only putting them in half)
1 tsp. chili powder
10-12 corn tortillas, torn into bite-sized pieces
fresh or canned mushrooms (optional)
Shredded cheese

Mix everything together.  Spread into a 9"x 9" casserole dish.  Cover with foil and back at 375 for about 25-30 minutes.
 

Baked Chicken Strips

I'm sure this recipe could be fried instead of baked if you prefer, but I like the baked option.  Sorry, I didn't take hardly any pics.
  

Chicken Strips:

1 c. bread crumbs (I use Italian flavored)
1/2 c. parmesan cheese
1 tsp. garlic salt
1 tsp. salt
1 cube melted butter
chicken cut into strips

Mix crumbs, cheese, garlic salt, and salt.  Roll chicken breasts in butter and then in the crumb mixture.  Bake at 375 for 40 minutes, turning half-way through the cooking process.

Notes: Ignore that in the picture I put the chicken strips on a wire rack before baking them.  This was an experiment, and I din't like the results as well as just placing the chicken on the pan directly.  For easy cleanup line the pan with tin foil first.

Broccoli Cheese Soup

I used to love broccoli cheese soup until one day it dawned on me how awful Velveeta cheese is for you!  I never made it again after that, until I found this recipe.  Though still a far cry from being a healthy choice, this recipe is great.  The original recipe came from here: http://77easyrecipes.com/panera-broccoli-cheese-soup/.

Broccoli Cheese Soup

1 tablespoon melted butter
1/2 medium chopped onion

1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups half-and-half cream (or I sometimes use 1 cup cream and 1 cup milk)
2 cups water with 2 tsp chicken bouillion
1/2 lb fresh broccoli
1 cup carrot, chopped
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg (optional)
8 ounces grated sharp cheddar cheese
salt and pepper

Saute the onion in the 1 tablespoon butter.  Melt the 1/4 c. butter and mix it with the 1/4 c. flour to make a rouge.  Slowly add in the half-and-half.  Next add the chicken stock.  Let simmer for about 20 minutes as it thickens.  Add the broccoli, carrots, and sauteed onions.  Cook on low about 20 more minutes, or until the vegetable are tender.  Add cheese, nutmeg and salt and pepper (to taste).  

Pumpkin Pie Cake

The original recipe can be found here: http://www.mybakingaddiction.com/pumpkin-crunch-cake/. 

• Pumpkin Pie Cake

• 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
• 1 (12 ounce) can evaporated milk
• 4 large eggs
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice 
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 box yellow cake mix
• 1 cup chopped Fisher Pecans
• 1 cup  butter, melted

Mix together the pumpkin, milk, eggs, sugars, vanilla, pumpkin spice and salt.  Pour it into a buttered 9X13 pan.  Sprinkle dry cake mix evenly over top.  Press slightly into the batter.  Sprinkle pecans over top and then top it off by drizzling melted butter over all.  

Bake at  350° for 40 minutes.  Check it, it may need an additional 10-20 minutes until it is set.  It is recommened to let it chill for a couple of hours before serving. 

Stuffed Pepper Soup

Stuffed Pepper Soup
Ingredients:
- 1 pound ground hamburger
- 6 cups beef broth (or water with beef bouillon)
- 2 (14-ounce) cans diced tomatoes, undrained (or 1 jar bottled tomatoes, chopped)
- 2 green bell peppers, chopped (or substitute 1 red bell pepper)
- 1 small onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 cups cooked rice (added at the end) - Freshly grated Parmesan cheese for garnish (optional)

Directions:
In a large skillet, brown the ground beef with the diced onion and minced garlic over medium heat until the beef is no longer pink. Drain excess grease and transfer the mixture to a large stockpot. Add the beef broth, diced tomatoes, bell peppers, brown sugar, salt, pepper, and Worcestershire sauce. Bring the soup to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20–25 minutes. Stir in the cooked rice during the last few minutes of cooking. Serve hot, topped with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and saltines if desired.

Notes:
I prefer adding the rice at the end so it doesn’t overcook, but this can be adjusted to taste. I usually simmer the soup closer to 20 minutes when short on time. Extra fresh tomatoes can be chopped and added if available. Original inspiration: Six Sisters’ Stuff Stuffed Pepper Soup https://www.sixsistersstuff.com/recipe/stuffed-pepper-soup/, with personal adjustments made.