nicole's french bread

I met a few friends for breakfast one morning (our husbands work together) and Nicole brought us each a loaf of this amazing French bread.  It was so soft and delicious.  Would you believe that three out of the four of us lived in the same town across the country not many years ago?  It's the smallest world ever!

nicole's french bread (my friend Nicole W.)
2 1/2 cups very warm water
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoons oil
6 cups flour
2 tablespoons yeast


Pour all ingredients except half of the flour (3 cups) into the bowl of a standing mixer.  Beat vigorously 2 to 3 minutes using the wisk attachment.  Stir in remaining flour except 1/4 cup.  Let rest in warm place for 10 minutes.  Gently fold down dough using a spoon.  Repeat until you have folded down the dough 5 times.  After the final 10 minutes roll out onto lightly floured surface, using the remaining 1/4 cup flour.  Lightly handle into long roll.  Cut dough into four pieces.  Roll each piece into a small rectangle.  Roll each rectangle jelly roll style tapering the ends.  Brush tops with olive oil and sea salt.  Make 3 to 4 snips on the tops with kitchen shears.  Bake at 375 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes.

What Nicole has to say- you can bake them in French bread pans instead of on parchment paper like she did.

cranberry jelly

I love being an Activity Day leader and getting to do fun activities with the 8 to 12-year old girls at church.  We're going to make jelly at our next activity so I experimented with cranberry jelly since Thanksgiving is just around the corner.  My kids were my samplers and they gave it a two thumbs up.  We went through a whole lot of toast yesterday afternoon!

cranberry jelly (Kraft recipes) 
4 cups (1 quart) cranberry juice cocktail
1 box pectin
1/2 teaspoon butter
4 1/2 cups sugar

Prepare jars and keep warm until ready to use.
Measure juice into a 6- or 8-quart saucepot.  Stir in pectin.  Add butter to reduce foaming.  Bring mixture to a full rolling boil (a boil that doesn't stop bubbling when stirred) on high heat, stirring constantly.  Stir in sugar.  Return to a full rolling boil exactly 1 minute, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat.  Skim off any foam with metal spoon.
Ladle immediately into prepared jars, filling to within 1/8" of tops.  Wipe jar rims and threads.  Cover with two-piece lids.  Screw bands tightly.  Process 5 minutes.  Remove jars and place upright on a towel to cool completely.  After jars cool, check seals by pressing middles of lids with finger.  If lids spring back, lids are not sealed and refrigeration is necessary.

party idea: fancy nancy

It was time for a Fancy Nancy party!  Five very fancy young ladies attended the party.  We enjoyed hors d'ouvres (raspberry lemonade, cucumber sandwiches, cheese & crackers, embellished celery sticks, fruit kabobs and poppy seed muffins), read Fancy Nancy stories, took a trip to the King's Crown for parfaits and played the game "Packing for Paris".  The girls left with party bags and the decorations- roses and balloons which made for a cost effective and quick clean-up!  You've got to try the raspberry lemonade, my new favorite party drink.

chicken skillet with mexican green rice

Score!  A dinner that all four kids will gladly eat.  It is super flavorful and delicious.  We even topped it with some sour cream- tasty, tasty.  I should have made more!

chicken skillet with mexican green rice (adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe) 
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (1 1/2 to 2 pounds)
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 (4 ounce) can green chiles
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
20 ounes green enchilada sauce (my favorite is Las Palmas, I get the 28 oz can, freeze the rest)
1 cup brown instant rice
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 cup chopped fresh spinach leaves 

Season chicken with salt and pepper.  In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat until it is rippling and hot.  Brown the chicken on each side for 1-2 minutes until it is golden but not cooked all the way through.  Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside.
In the hot skillet, add the onion, chiles and cook until the vegetables are softened.  Stir in the garlic and cumin and cook for 30 seconds.  Add the enchilada sauce and rice, stirring to combine.  Add the cilantro and spinach and stir to combine.  Add the chicken.  Cover the skillet and set the heat to low and cook for 15 to 20 minutes until the rice is tender.  Be sure to stir every 5 minutes to ensure the rice doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan.  Serve!

What I have to say- if you want to use white rice, the original recipe says to use 1 1/2 cups and also 1 1/2 cups water.

pumpkin chicken chili

Could there be a more perfect, seasonal chili for the month of November?  I thoroughly enjoyed this soup and it was a cinch to make.  I will be making this soup again for sure. Hall of fame.

slow cooker pumpkin chicken chili (adapted from Get Crocked)
1 can (14 ounces) petite diced tomatoes
14 ounces pumpkin puree
2 cups chicken broth
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin, ground
1 heaping teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, seeds removed, minced (optional; I omitted)
2 chicken breasts (I used 2 huge frozen chicken breasts- Foster Farms from Costco)
28 ounces chickpeas, rinsed (I omitted)
1 cup frozen sweet corn
cilantro, fat free sour cream, shredded cheese, tortilla chips for garnishing

Add tomatoes, chicken broth and pumpkin to a 4 or 5 quart slow cooker.  Whisk pumpkin mixture until well combined.  Add garlic, chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt, pepper and chipotles, combine well.  Add chicken (mine was frozen!), chickpeas and corn.  Cover.  Cook for 6-8 hours on low if chicken is not frozen, on high if frozen.  Serve with cilantro, sour cream and other yummy toppings.

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yakisoba chicken

I so overate tonight.  It just tasted so good.  I ate my own portion, picked at my sons bowl while he slowly slurped noodles then shamefully had the few last bites of my daughter's.  I may have even had the last bite or two in the pan.  I highly recommend this recipe!

yakisoba chicken (adapted from food.com)
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 tablespoon Thai red curry paste
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/4 cup soy sauce
3 green onions, sliced
1 zucchini, sliced
1/2 cup carrots, shredded
1/2 red bell pepper, cut into strips
1 pound yakisoba noodles, cooked (I found them in the refrigerated section of the store with the won ton wrappers and such)

Heat a large wok over medium heat.  Add sesame oil, canola oil and Thai red curry paste and saute for one minute.  Add garlic and saute an additional minute.  Add chicken and soy sauce and saute until chicken is no longer pink.  Remove mixture from pan and set aside to keep warm.  In the emptied pan, combine the vegetables.  Stir fry until veggies are tender crisp.  Add the chicken and cooked noodles and mix it up.  Heat through.

What I have to say- this recipe was on the dry side which I loved.  If you want more sauce add another tablespoon of Thai red curry paste mixed with 1/4 cup soy sauce.