A Net in Time

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recipes

Recipe: Italian Bread

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So either I missed something in this recipe or I did something COMPLETELY wrong, but this didn’t make the two loaves it said that it would, but rather made 12 small ones.   I will only be writing down the steps that I did as  I got rather confused by the end.  🙂

Ingredients

1.5 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons salt
5 teaspoons active dry yeast (2 packages )
1 tablespoon butter or 1 tablespoon margarine, softened
3/4 cup All purpose flour
1 3⁄4 cups very warm water (120 -130 F)
3-4 cups all purpose flour
cornmeal
peanut oil or light olive oil
 1 egg
1 tbsp cold water

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 375
  2. In large bowl thoroughly mix 1 1/2 cups flour, sugar, salt and undissolved yeast.
  3. Add butter. (my butter was not soft so I cut into tiny blocks)
  4. Gradually add warm water to dry ingredients and beat 2 minutes with mixer at medium speed, scraping bowl occasionally.  Our mixer is kaput right now I used a whisk and just changed the speed at which I mixed it
  5. Add 3/4 cup flour.
  6. Beat at high speed for 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally.
  7. Stir in enough additional flour to make a stiff dough. Today I added 3 cups flour.
  8. Turn dough onto a lightly floured board and knead until smooth and elastic (about 8-10 minutes).   I found I Needed this whole time and added a bit more flour as I want.  You want a non-sticky dough.
  9. Cover dough with plastic wrap and then a towel and let it rest for 20 minutes.
  10. To make loaves: Divide dough in half.
  11. Roll each half into a 15×10 inch rectangle.
  12. Starting at wide side, roll up tightly; pinch seam to seal.
  13. Taper ends by rolling gently back and forth.  If you want two loaves STOP HERE!   Skip ahead to step 18.   SEE… I just figured out what I did wrong!   🙂
  14. To make rolls: Divide dough into 6 equal pieces.
  15. Roll each piece into a rectangle 8×5 inches.
  16. Starting with wide side, roll up tightly; pinch seam to seal.
  17. Taper ends.
  18. Place the shaped dough seam side down on greased baking sheets sprinkled with cornmeal.
  19. Brush dough with oil.
  20.  FROM HERE ON I DEVIATED from the original recipe
  21. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate 2-24 hours.
  22. When ready to bake, remove from refrigerator and uncover carefully.
  23. Let dough stand at room temperature for 10 minutes.
  24. Make 3 or 4 diagonal slits in dough with a sharp knife or razor blade.
  25. Bake at 425°F for 15 minutes for rolls, 20 minutes for loaves.
  26. Remove from oven and brush with egg white beaten with cold water.
  27. Return to oven; bake 5-10 minutes longer, or until golden.
  28.  

What I did was NOT refrigerate the rolls.   I put some of them in the refrigerator just so they wouldn’t rise as I cooked the first batch.   I forgot to add the diagonal slits (my bad) and I baked them for about 15-20 minutes at 375.  I also forgot to brush them with egg white/water mix.   

I had trouble sealing the seams, but I’m guessing practice will make me better.

Result:
Me: When eaten directly out of the oven they taste like regular white bread.   BUT once they cool they taste like a loaf of Italian bread.    I like them.   I plan to use some tomorrow to make mini heated sandwiches.

The lad… “MOM!   These are too dry and crunchy.  They need to be eaten with honey or jam or something. I like the taste but mom,.. they are too dry!”   In his defence he’s never had Italian bread before in any other form than garlic bread.  🙂

For more bread recipes see below  

Traditional White Bread.
Irish brown soda bread.
Irresistible Irish soda bread. 
Amish White Bread. 
Pizza Bread. 
Python Dogs and Sun Bread. 
Kim’s White Bread, altered. 
Grandma VanDoren’s White Bread. 
Hamburger Buns. 
Buns for Thanksgiving.
Garlic and Cheese Breadsticks. 
Sweet Rolls. 
Scones. 
Scotch Scones. 
Whole Wheat Rolls and Buns.
Julia Child Sandwich Bread. 
Cheese Biscuits. 
Multi-grain, whole wheat bread. 
Tasty Buns.
 

Recipe: Honey Lemon Rabbit Pasta

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 I thought to try something new.   Note that rabbit can be exchanged for chicken very easily in this recipe eh?  

Ingredients:
 1.5 lbs of rabbit, boneless, cut into bite-sized pieces.
1 tbsp olive oil
Lemon Pepper Seasoning

1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp thyme (or two or three fresh sprigs) 
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp lemon pepper seasoning

8 oz angel hair pasta

Directions:

1. Get pot boiling for pasta
2. In a large measuring cup mix together honey, lemon juice, 2 tbsp olive oil, salt, pepper, thyme, apple cider vinegar and lemon pepper seasoning.   Mix well and let set.
3. Season rabbit with lemon pepper seasoning, be generous.  Cook rabbit in a large skillet with the 1 tbsp olive oil until 90% done.
4. Add the mixture that you set aside.   Let heat through while the angel hair pasta is cooking.  
5. Once the pasta is cooked through (about five minutes to cook through) add it to the cooking rabbit and mix well.  
6. This meal is best served warm but I will suggest that you let it sit covered for 5 minutes before serving, giving the sauce time to flavour the pasta well.

Verdict:
Me: I LOVE THIS DISH.. so glad I took a chance with it.  🙂
Hubby: I wish I were feeling better…the bit I tasted was good but I can’t eat more.
The Lad: One moderate serving followed by a much larger serving.  “I like this mom, can you make it again please?  It was really good!”

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©2006-2017 A Net In Time. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. A Net In Time/

Recipe: Tuna Noodle Salad

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Hubby suggested I make a plain tuna salad, so I went looking for a simple one and I found Amelia’s.  I made some modifications due to dislikes that we have. 
Here is Amelia’s Recipe.  

Ingredients

  • 1 (12 ounce) package elbow macaroni
  • 1 (5 ounce) can tuna, drained
  • 2 stalks celery, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons chopped sweet onion
  • 1 (10 ounce) can baby peas, drained
  • 1 cup mayonnaise
  • 2 tablespoons sweet pickle relish
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 3 hard-cooked eggs, quartered
  • 1 pinch paprika, for garnish 

Modification: I did not use the eggs or the paprika. Used miracle whip instead of  mayo.  Didn’t have any sweet onion so used regular onion chopped very finely.  Used Penne as that’s what I had on hand.

Directions

  1. Bring a large pot of
    lightly salted water to a boil. Add the macaroni, and cook until tender,
    about 8 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold running water.
  2. In a large bowl, stir
    together the macaroni, tuna, celery, onion and peas. Mix in the
    mayonnaise, relish, salt and pepper. Garnish with egg wedges and a
    sprinkle of paprika. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour before serving.

Notes: 
 Hubby said “I like it.  It’s a good salad hun.”
 Me: I like it.
 Son… has yet to be convinced that trying it would be okay.

HomeMade Tortillas!

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So guess what I made tonight!!!   I know, I know, you probably guessed it from the post title eh!  🙂       Homemade tortillas.      I’m telling you how much I like tortillas and have wanted to find a way to make them cheaper than buying them.  Hubby found this recipe for me…it is so easy and so yummy.  🙂

AND THEY TASTED GOOD!!!!

So here’s the recipe, it’s super simple.  Original recipe here.

Mix together Two cups flour, 1/2 tsp salt, 3/4 cup water and 3 tbsps of oil. 

Knead that mixture for a good 8 minutes, adding flour or water as needed to make a smooth elastic dough.
Let it rest for 10 minutes. 

Divide into 8 sections, roll each section out as thin as possible, a minimum 7 inch circle.

Cook over a medium burner on a non stick pan with cooking spray.   1 minute each side (you want them LIGHTLY browned).

Keep them warm.  Makes 8 servings.

Easy to make, tastes yummy too!  🙂

Tonight we used them wrapped around shredded beef with corn niblets.   MMMMM.. …  🙂
I can totally see cutting them into pieces and using them with a dip, or with mmmm.. melted cheese. 🙂

This post may contain affiliate links – using affiliate links from A Net in Time helps fuel this blog and our homeschool – thank you!

©2006-2017 A Net In Time. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. A Net In Time/

Recipe: Tuna Cheese Noodle Casserole

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Wow… I found it rather difficult to find a tuna noodle casserole with cheese sauce difficult.  They all seemed to use kraft dinner as a base and I didn’t want that.

I eventually found this one, declared it good enough, and modified it just a touch. 

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup butter, divided
  • 1 (8 ounce) package uncooked medium egg noodles
  • 1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
  • 1 stalk celery, finely chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 8 ounces button mushrooms, sliced
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups milk
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 (5 ounce) cans tuna, drained and flaked
  • 1 cup frozen peas, thawed
  • 3 tablespoons bread crumbs
  • 2 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese 

 Modifications: No mushrooms (goal is to have son eat it as well).  A touch more egg noodles as I wanted to use up a wee bit left left in another bag.   I put about 1 cup grated cheese into the sauce.

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Butter a medium baking dish with 1 tablespoon butter.
  2. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add egg noodles, cook for 8 to 10 minutes, until al dente, and drain.
  3. Melt 1 tablespoon
    butter in a skillet over medium-low heat. Stir in the onion, celery, and
    garlic, and cook 5 minutes, until tender. Increase heat to medium-high,
    and mix in mushrooms. Continue to cook and stir 5 minutes, or until
    most of the liquid has evaporated.
  4. Melt 4 tablespoons
    butter in a medium saucepan, and whisk in flour until smooth. Gradually
    whisk in milk, and continue cooking 5 minutes, until sauce is smooth and
    slightly thickened. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in tuna, peas,
    mushroom mixture, and cooked noodles. Transfer to the baking dish. Melt
    remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a small bowl, mix with bread crumbs,
    and sprinkle over the casserole. Top with cheese.
  5. Bake 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until bubbly and lightly browned.

Modification: Added the butter into the vegetable mixture and then mixed the flour into it and added the milk slowly to that.   Stirring the whole time.  I added finely ground old cheddar to this milk/veggie mix.  

Recipe: Tuna Cakes

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I brought home this huge bag of tuna from the foodbank (they have reams and reams of it and are having a hard time getting rid of it).   So I thought today I’d make up some tuna dishes, so to eat now, some to eat later. 
First up: Tuna Cakes.  Hubby requested I make these.  I made a small one to tempt my son and to my complete shock the rest of the tuna cakes disappeared almost instantly. 🙂   His enthusiastic “you can make these again” warmed my heart.  🙂
 I used this recipe. 

Ingredients

  • 2 eggs
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice
  • 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
  • 10 tablespoons Italian-seasoned bread crumbs
  • 3 (5 ounce) cans tuna, drained
  • 3 tablespoons diced onion
  • 1 pinch ground black pepper
  • 3 tablespoons vegetable oil 

   

Directions

  1. Beat eggs and lemon
    juice in a bowl; stir in Parmesan cheese and bread crumbs to make a
    paste. Fold in tuna and onion until well-mixed. Season with black
    pepper. Shape tuna mixture into eight 1-inch-thick patties.
  2. Heat vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat; fry patties until golden brown, about 5 minutes per side.

Notes:
I’m reading this recipe over and realized I forgot one ingredient: The bread crumbs.   But it turned out so well it surprises me.  🙂   Next time I’ll put in the bread crumbs  🙂 

My thoughts: YUM!!
Hubby’s Thoughts: These are good
Son’s thoughts: A request I make them again.

St. Patrick’s Day Meal

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 St. Patrick’s Day was named of St. Patrick.   Born as Maewyn Succat, he was born a Roman Briton who was captured by pirates and turned into a slave in Ireland.   As a slave he became a Christian. He escaped Ireland only to be captured by the French, which gave him the opportunity to study Monasticism. 

He claimed he had a dream where he was to convert Ireland to Christianity.  He wasn’t well received on the main land of Ireland so needed to start in some of the off shore islands.  

He used the shamrock to teach the idea of the Trinity to the Irish people. 
He is believed to have died on March 17, 461 AD.   The celebration of the day started in the 17th century and continues til this day.

With
me down and out with a cold that is nasty enough to take away my voice and energy,
my sweetheart was kind enough to make supper.   Since it was St. Patrick’s
Day he chose to honour St. Patty’s Day  and made an Irish inspired meal for us.  (A first for us!)

He made

Corned Beef  (original recipe here)
Ingredients:
 3 pounds corned beef, trimmed of fat

1 tablespoon honey

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon prepared Dijon mustard

10 whole cloves (or you can use 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves)

Directions:
Unwrap the corned beef, and remove the seasoning packet (use it in another recipe, such as roasted cabbage and potatoes) and trim as much of the fat from the meat as you can.

Rinse the corned beef under a bunch of cold water in a colander to wash away a bunch of the sodium.

(If you have time, you can even submerge the meat overnight in the
fridge in a tupperware of cold water to release the excess sodium. In
the morning, dump the water.)

In a small bowl,  make a paste of the honey, brown sugar, mustard, and cloves.

 Rub this mixture on all sides of the meat. Place the meat into your crockpot, and cover.

Cook on low for 8 to 10 hours, or until meat pulls apart easily with a fork. Let sit for 15-20 minutes before slicing.
Irish Champ

Irish Cream Bundt Cake (recipe)

Ingredients

  • 1 cup chopped pecans
  • 1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix
  • 1 (3.4 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix
  • 4 eggs
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 3/4 cup Irish cream liqueur
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 1/4 cup Irish cream liqueur

 Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 325
    degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease and flour a 10 inch Bundt pan.
    Sprinkle chopped nuts evenly over bottom of pan.
  2. In a large bowl,
    combine cake mix and pudding mix. Mix in eggs, 1/4 cup water, 1/2 cup
    oil and 3/4 cup Irish cream liqueur. Beat for 5 minutes at high speed.
    Pour batter over nuts in pan.
  3. Bake in the preheated
    oven for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes
    out clean. Cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then invert onto the serving
    dish. Prick top and sides of cake. Spoon glaze over top and brush onto
    sides of cake. Allow to absorb glaze repeat until all glaze is used up.
  4. To make the glaze: In a
    saucepan, combine butter, 1/4 cup water and 1 cup sugar. Bring to a
    boil and continue boiling for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove
    from heat and stir in 1/4 cup Irish cream.

Irish Champ (original Recipe here)

Ingredients
1 Package Mashed potatoe mix (we use the kind you get at Costco) uses milk and water
1 bunch green onions
1/4 cup milk

Directions:
Heat water with thinly sliced green onions and butter in it.
Add the milk (as called for in potatoe mix recipe)
Add the mashed potatoe mix

©2006-2017 A Net In Time. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. A Net In Time/