make-ahead baked egg sandwiches

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• 12 eggs, beaten
• 1/4 cup softened butter
• 6 croissants, split
• 12 slices smoked ham
• 6 slices colby-jack cheese

Recipe

Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 15 mins Ready Time: 3 hrs 30 mins


• preheat an oven to 350 degrees f (175 degrees c). spray a 9x13 inch baking dish with cooking spray.
• pour the beaten eggs into the prepared baking dish. bake in the preheated oven until they set and are no longer runny, 8 to 10 minutes. remove, allow to cool, and cut into 6 portions.
• butter the cut sides of the croissants and place one portion of the cooked egg each croissant bottom. top each sandwich with two slices of ham and a slice of colby-jack cheese. place the croissant tops on top of the sandwiches; wrap each sandwich well with plastic wrap. place the sandwiches a baking sheet; freeze until solid, about 3 hours. store frozen.
• to reheat, cook a wrapped sandwich in a microwave on high until hot in the center, 1 to 2 minutes.

Cherry Mash Bars

Ingredients

• Servings: 1
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup half-and-half cream
• 1 cup miniature marshmallows
• 1 cup cherry baking chips
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1 cup roasted spanish peanuts

Recipe

Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 30 mins Ready Time: 1 hr


• line an 8x8 or 9x9 inch square pan with waxed paper.
• in a medium saucepan, combine butter, sugar, salt and half and half. heat until boiling, stirring occasionally. boil for 5 minutes, stirring enough to keep from scorching. remove from heat and stir in the marshmallows, and cherry chips. press the mixture into the prepared pan.
• in the microwave or in a metal bowl over a pan of simmering water, melt chocolate chips, and peanut butter together stirring frequently until smooth. spread over the mixture in the pan. refrigerate for 2 hours before cutting into squares.

Dan's Old Fashioned White Bread

Ingredients

• Servings: 2
• 2 cups milk
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 1/3 cup honey
• 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 6 cups bread flour, or as needed - divided
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup butter, softened

Recipe

Preparation Time: 25 mins Cook Time: 25 mins Ready Time: 3 hrs 35 mins


• pour milk in a heatproof bowl, and gently warm in a microwave oven set on low until milk is about 100 degrees f (38 degrees c), about 15 seconds. mix in the sugar and honey, and stir to dissolve. mix in the yeast, and let stand until the yeast activates and forms a creamy layer on the milk, about 15 minutes.
• place 4 cups of bread flour and the salt into the mixing bowl of a stand mixer; pour in the yeast mixture, and mix on slow speed with a mixing paddle until thoroughly combined, about 1 minute; dough will be very wet. add the butter, and mix in the remaining 2 cups of bread flour, or as needed, until the dough begins to gather itself into a ball. change the fitting from the mixing paddle to a dough hook, and machine-knead the dough until smooth and springy, about 4 minutes.
• transfer the dough a well-floured work surface, and knead until you see the surface of the dough begin to break during folding and kneading. roll dough into a ball, and place into a lightly floured large bowl. cover the bowl with a kitchen towel, and set into a warm place to rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
• spray 2 9x5-inch loaf pans with cooking spray.
• punch down the dough, remove to the floured surface, and knead for 2 more minutes; cut the dough in half with a sharp knife. form the dough into logs, adding more flour if necessary, and place the loaves into the sprayed pans. cover the pans with a kitchen towel, and place into a warm place to rise until doubled, about 1 more hour.
• preheat oven to 400 degrees f (200 degrees c).
• place the bread loaves into the preheated oven, and turn the heat down to 350 degrees f (175 degrees c). bake until the tops are golden brown and the loaves make a hollow sound when thumped, about 25 minutes. cool the pans on baking racks for about 5 minutes before turning the bread loaves out to finish cooling on racks. cover the loaves with a kitchen towel as they cool.

peanut butter bars i

Ingredients

• Servings: 1
• 1 cup butter or margarine, melted
• 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1 cup peanut butter
• 1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 4 tablespoons peanut butter

Recipe

Preparation Time: 25 mins Ready Time: 1 hr 25 mins


• in a medium bowl, mix together the butter or margarine, graham cracker crumbs, confectioners' sugar, and 1 cup peanut butter until well blended. press evenly into the bottom of an ungreased 9x13 inch pan.
• in a metal bowl over simmering water, or in the microwave, melt the chocolate chips with the peanut butter, stirring occasionally until smooth. spread over the prepared crust. refrigerate for at least one hour before cutting into squares.

Roasted Mediterranean Chicken

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• cooking spray
• 8 small red potatoes, halved
• 1 (16 ounce) jar four cheese alfredo sauce
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into large chunks
• 4 roma (plum) tomatoes, quartered
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
• 12 pitted kalamata olives, cut in half

Recipe

Preparation Time: 25 mins Cook Time: 30 mins Ready Time: 55 mins


• preheat oven to 400 degrees f (200 degrees c). spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
• place potatoes into a microwave-safe bowl, and cook in microwave oven on high setting for 2 minutes; turn potatoes over (watch for steam) and cook 2 more minutes on high. set potatoes aside.
• mix together the alfredo sauce, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, black pepper, and garlic in a bowl. place the chicken pieces into the prepared baking dish, and generously brush chicken with about 1 cup of the mixture. arrange the potatoes, tomatoes, and garlic cloves around the chicken. brush the vegetables with the remaining sauce mixture. sprinkle the chicken and vegetables with rosemary and olives.
• bake in the preheated oven until the chicken is cooked through and the potatoes are tender, about 25 minutes. an instant-read thermometer inserted into the chicken should read at least 160 degrees f (70 degrees c).

perfect butternut squash muffins

Ingredients

• Servings: 10
• 1 small butternut squash
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon spice
• 1/4 cup raisins (optional)
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Recipe

Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 35 mins Ready Time: 55 mins


• preheat oven to 400 degrees f (200 degrees c). grease 20 muffin cups.
• cut a 1/2-inch hole into the larger part of the squash and cover with a damp paper towel.
• cook squash in a microwave oven in 3-minute increments, turning slightly after each increment, until squash can be easily pierced with a fork, 9 to 12 minutes. set aside until cool to the touch, about 20 minutes.
• halve squash lengthwise and scoop out seeds. measure 1 1/2 cups squash into a large bowl. mash eggs, water, vegetable oil, white sugar, and brown sugar into the squash. whisk whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, cloves, and spice into the squash mixture until you have a smooth batter. fold raisins and walnuts into the batter.
• spoon batter into prepared muffin cups to about 1/2 to 2/3 full.
• bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, about 15 minutes. cool in the pans for 10 minutes before removing to cool completely on a wire rack.