If you know me you know I LOVE pastas & breads,,,ie carbs LOL Years ago I made spaghetti squash and like it but for some reason just never made it again. After starting on W30 I started looking for carb alternatives. I did a little research and tweaked my recipe.
1 fresh spaghetti squash
Olive oil
3-6 leaves of fresh basil
coarse salt
coarse ground black pepper

  Preheat oven to 375 degrees (I use a large toaster oven). Cut squash and remove seeds (set aside and roast later). Place on an oven safe baking tray. Drizzle olive oil over the top of both sides. Grind salt and pepper of top. Chiffonade basil and place over tops of squash. Place in oven and bake for about 35 minutes. If tops are not browned yet turn to broil and broil for another 10 minutes. Cook less time if you like the squash a little more al dente. Take fork and shred squash. Serve as you would regular spaghetti.

I have been looking for a good crusty bread recipe for years. I think I have finally have found it. It is very crusty yet chewy in the middle. I did use a Perforated Baguette Pan to help get a crusty bread and it worked wonderfully.  Also I think brushing the bread down with water as well as having a pan of water in the oven lead to the crustiness of the bread. I did buy King Arthur flours because it really does matter what flour you buy. I bought the Italian flour here at KingArthurflour.com .      

1 ½  cups lukewarm  water
1 tbsp yeast
1 cup sourdough starter
1 ½ cups bread flour & 1 ½ cup Italian flour
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
½  cup bread flour & ½ cup Italian flour
Flour for kneading
 
 
     Place water in a large bowl and add yeast and stir till dissolved. Add starter and stir till combined. Add first 3 cups flour, sugar and salt and stir hard for 2 or 3 minutes. Notate where the level of the dough is. Cover with a cloth and place in warm place and let rise 1-1/2 to 2 hours or until doubled in size.
     Combine baking soda with remaining cup of both flours and stir into the dough. When combined, turn out onto a floured surface and begin kneading. If needed, you can add additional bread flour to get smooth, non sticky dough.  Knead until the dough feels, between 5 and 10 minutes. When you think you have kneaded long enough give that ball of dough a firm poke in the middle with your finger. If the indentation fills back quickly, the dough is ready to rest. If it stays looking like a deep dimple, continue kneading until the hole fills back quickly. It should be smooth and how I describe as "feel like a baby's bottom" - silky smooth and soft.
      Divide ball into 3 equal parts. Shape into 3 oblong loaves, If desired you can shape into 1large round loaf, I placed them on a perforated baguette pan.( If you don’t have one place them on a baking stone or heavy cookie sheet that has either semolina flour or cornmeal sprinkled on it.   Cover with a cloth, set in warm place, free from drafts and let rise 1 to 2 hours or until nearly doubled in size.
        When dough has risen, brush outside with water and make diagonal slashes across the top with a very sharp knife or single-edge razor blade.
         In the bottom of the oven place a shallow pan. Fill pan with hot water. It may be necessary to refill pan with hot water during baking process.
          Bake at 400° F for 35-45 minutes or until the crust is golden brown or has a hollow sound when thumped.

This happens to be one of my kids favorite things. The hardest part is peeling the apples.



APPLE BUTTER
3lbs of cored peeled chopped apples
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/16 tsp ground nutmeg
1/16 tsp ground cloves
1/16 tsp ground all spice
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup of apple juice.
I usually double the recipe

Place all in a ingredients in a large crockpot and cook over night.
I go light on the spices cause I wanta taste the apple not just spices. I stir the pot ever so often and shake off the water that has built up on the lid to help thicken the butter.

I then can the butter or store in frig.
Fill hot butter into sterile half-pint, leaving ¼-inch headspace. Place sterilized rings and lids on jars. Recommended process time for Apple Butter in a boiling-water canner.   Process Time at Altitudes 0 - 1,000 ft  is 5 minutes 1,001 - 6,000 ft is 10 minutes Above 6,000 ft 15 minutes

You can use the butter to make apple butter dumplings by just dropping your favorite dumpling recipe into the hot butter you have placed in a pot and the stove and brought to simmering butter.

 This has to be my second favorite cake only falling behind the Slice of Heaven Cake. It is Chocolate so it has to be good. The icing is like no other.

1/2 cup coconut                                                red food coloring
1/2 cup shortening                                          1 1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs                                                                     2 oz red food coloring
2 Tbs cocoa                                                         1 scant tsp salt
2 1/2 cup sifted all purpose                         1 tsp baking soda  
1 cup butter milk                                              1 tsp vanilla                             1 Tbs vinegar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl mix coconut and a few drops of red food coloring. Toss until coconut is covered. Set aside. Grease and flour 3 9" round cake pans and set aside. In a large bowl cream shortening, sugar and eggs together until sugar is no longer grainy. In a cup combine cocoa & 2 oz of red food coloring until a paste. Add this to sugar mixture. Add salt.  Combine buttermilk and vanilla. Alternate adding flour & butter milk mixture. Stir don't beat. Then add 1/3 of soda and vinegar until all is added. Pour into prepared cake pans and bake for 30 minutes in preheated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Top with Red Velvet icing


Red Velvet Icing

3 Tbs flour                                                        1 cup shortening
1 cup milk                                                         1 tsp vanilla
1 cup sugar

In a small pan combine flour & milk. Blend until smooth. Cook on low heat until thick. Remove from heat and cool. (I have been known to place mine in the freezer to cool off faster.) In a large bowl combine shortening and sugar and cream. Add in flour mixture and blend in vanilla. Spread over cooled cake and top with colored coconut.

One of my favorites things to make is banana nut bread. What usually warrants me making bread is bananas the have gotten to ripe for me to eat.  Every time I make it it makes me think of 2 people. My Mom who's recipe I just tweeted to make it mine and my PawPaw Achord who LOVED over ripe bananas. Me & my daughter LOVE bananas that are a little green. I would never get to make bread if he was still around. The bread is better the next day. One of my favorite was to serve the bread is with cream cheese. Take and warm the bread for a few seconds in the microwave and slather the cream cheese and dig in.

1/2 cup butter                                                     2/3 cup milk
1 Tb lemon juice                                                 1 tsp salt    
2 1/3 cup all purpose flour                           1 3/4 cups sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder                                 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
3 eggs                                                                      1 Tb honey
2 -2 1/4 cup mashed bananas                      1 tsp vanilla 
2/3 cup pecans

Spray 2 regular size loaf pans or 18 mini pans with Pam. Soften butter, but NOT liquid and place in a large bowl. In a measuring cup place milk Stir until smooth. Measure dry ingredients and set aside.  Place  eggs, honey, bananas and vanilla into softened butter. Alternate adding and beating in dry ingredients & milk mixture. When combined beat on high for 3 minutes. Fold in pecans. Pour into pans and bake 45 to 50 minutes 25 minutes for mini loafs.

I used 1 small bag of the baby carrots & halved the recipe. I also used light Blue Plate Olive Oil Mayonnaise when I made it as well. It wasn't quite as good as hers but still good. Trying to watch our fat intake and olive oil is good for you. (at least that is what they say today who knows what tomorrow holds LOL) When I make it next time I will use regular mayonnaise.

I chopped the carrots into 1/4" bites.

Place carrots in a pot and covered with water. I placed a pat of butter in the water and boiled for 15 minutes or until tender.

Enjoy!!!

This has to be our families FAVORITE pie!! It is sooooo good that my son and husband always asked for this from my Mom as their birthday present

3 eggs                                    1 tsp vanilla          
1 cup sugar                         1/4 tsp salt
1 cup Karo Syrup              2 Tbs. butter
1 cup pecans                       1 unbaked pie shell

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl combine eggs and sugar and blend until sugar has begun to melt. Add Karo syrup, and butter and beat with a whisk. Add vanilla and pecans and then pour into unbaked pie shell. Bake 45-60 minutes or until   center reaches 200°F. Tap center surface of pie lightly - it should spring back when done.  If pie crust starts to get too brown cover edges with foil.

Our family's favorite way to eat this pie is with vanilla ice cream and a big glass of milk. Hope you enjoy and share it with friends

2 cups water                                            1/3 cup quick grits
1/2-1 tsp of salt                                      fresh ground pepper
butter

Place water in a small pot and bring water to a boil. Sprinkle grits into boiling water and stir immediately until combined and no lumps. Sprinkle salt & pepper to taste.  You will cook them for about 20 minutes. THEN and only then add your butter at the end. Then you can serve as one of the above pictures with sausage that has been skillet sauteed with caramelize onions with drippings.