Sharp Cheddar Dill Bread for the Bread Machine - 1 lb

I love making bread in my Cuisinart Bread Maker.  It is fun to take the recipe book and alter the recipes to create new recipes.  This recipe came after I made chicken noodle soup with dill and I was looking to make a bread to go with it.  After seeing Cheddar on sale at the grocery store, I knew what to make.  This bread can be served with soup or even made into a sandwich ...grilled cheese perhaps? This recipe is the one pound loaf.  I make this bread using King Arthur flour as I think it is the best around.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup water, 80-90 degrees F
3/4 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp sugar
2 cups bread flour
1 tsp dried dill
2 tsp yeast, active dry, instant or bread machine
1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Here's how:

Place all of the ingredients except the cheese into the bread pan, fitted with the paddle, in the order listed. 


Wet ingredients in

Dry Ingredients in

 Place the pan into the machine.

Pan in the machine

On the machine, press Menu select White.

Press Crust and select Medium.

Press Loaf and select 1 lb.

Press Start.

When the Mix-In's sound goes off, add the cheese.

Dough is ready for mix-ins

Cheddar cheese ready to go in

Cheese added

Remove the paddle when the pause signal goes off.  This is optional, but optimal.

When the done signal goes off (6 beeps), remove the loaf from the machine and let cool on a rack.

It is best to let it cool before slicing.

Chicken Noodle Soup

This recipe is just like you remember from your childhood, slow cooked on the stove, fresh chicken and full of herbs.  This soup takes a while to make but it makes a ton of soup that you can freeze, give away or eat yourself.  I use mostly organic ingredients and I think it makes a huge difference.  If you are home on a cold Sunday in February like I am, make this soup.

Cook time: 3 hours 55 minutes
Yields: 7.5 quarts soup

Ingredients:

1 celery heart, divided as follows:
     5 stalks cut in half
     the rest of the hearts thinly sliced, about 2 cups
1 lb carrots, divided as follows:
     4 carrots, cut in half
      the rest small dice, about 2 cups
2 onions, quartered
2 parsnips, cut in half
20 parsley sprigs, divided as follows:
     10 sprigs whole
     10 sprigs chopped
12 sprigs dill, divided as follows:
     6 sprigs whole
     6 sprigs chopped
12 thyme sprigs, divided as follows:
      6 sprigs whole
       6 sprigs, leaves removed
2 Bay Leaves
4 garlic cloves, smashed and skin removed
1 TBS whole peppercorns
3 TBS kosher salt divided into 1 TBS and 2 TBS
     1 4.5 - 5 lb whole chicken
1 gallon and 1 quart of cold water
1 TBS, freshly ground pepper
1 chicken bouillon cube (optional)
1 lb bag of egg noodles, I use extra wide but use your favorite

Here's how:

Add the following to a large stock pot: 5 celery stalks, 4 carrots, 2 parsnips, 10 parsley sprigs, 6 dill sprigs, onions. bay leaves, garlic,1 TBS salt, peppercorns, chicken and water.

First part of the veggies that go in

Organic chicken

Everything in the pot

Turn on the stove on to high.  Bring the pot to a boil.  This should take about 30 minutes.


Water added and being heated

Turn the stove down to low and let the soup simmer for 1 hour and 45 minutes.

Remove the chicken from the pot and remove the meat from the bones and skin.

Chicken removed

Cut up or pull the chicken with 2 forks and set it aside.

Place the bones and skin back into the pot and simmer for another hour.

Strain the stock and throw away the solids.  Add the stock back into the pot.

Solids to be discarded

Stock all ready to become soup

 Add in the remaining vegetables,herbs, salt, pepper, chicken and bouillon cube. Simmer for 30 minutes.

Add in the noodles and cook 5-10 minutes until the noodles are cooked through.

Ready to eat

Eat now or refrigerate for later.

Serve with bread or a sandwich on the side.  Or eat it as a meal! 

Sun-dried Tomato and Mozzarella Bread for the Bread Machine

I have a Cuisinart Bread machine and love to make bread from the recipe book that came with it. I made this recipe twice in two different sizes and discovered that more water was needed.  Since it is winter and dry, I assume the flour is very dry and needs extra water.  The recipe below is as written in the book, but I suggest looking at the dough as it kneads to see if extra water is needed.  You can tell this by looking to see if all the flour has been incorporated.  I had to add an extra 1/2 cup to the 2 pound loaf and 1/4 to the 1 pound loaf.  If you make this recipe on a warm humid day, the extra water may be unnecessary.

Makes 2 lb loaf

1 cup water, 80-90 degrees F
1 tsp salt
1 tsp granulated sugar
3 3/4 cups bread flour
1 1/4 tsp Italian seasoning
2 1/4 yeast, active dry, instant or bread machine
1 1/4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup + 2 TBS oil packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and roughly chopped

Here's how:

Place water, salt, sugar, flour, seasoning and yeast in the pan, fitted with the paddle in the order listed.

Wet ingredients added

Dry ingredients added

 Place the pan into the machine.

Press Menu and select White.

Press Crust and select Medium.

Press Loaf and select 2 lbs.

Press Start.

Check during the first kneading cycle to see if extra water is needed. Add as necessary.

This is what the dough looks like with enough water.  If there is flour on the bottom, add water until the flour is incorporated.

When the Mix-in's sound beeps, add the cheese and tomatoes.

Chopped tomatoes and shredded cheese

Mix-ins added to the dough

 When the pause signal beeps (6 beeps), remove the paddle from the dough.  This is optional.  You can remove the paddle after baking.

Press Start to continue.

Remove bread from pan when done and let cool on a wire rack completely.

Serve as a sandwich bread or use as a dipping bread in olive oil.

Buffalo Chicken Dip

Buffalo chicken wings are a classic sports watching food.  Whether it is the Super Bowl, Final Four or World Series, no sporting event on television is complete without some Buffalo wings.  But sometimes you want the flavor of the wings without the mess.  Served with some scoop shaped tortilla chips or warm pita, this recipe is easy and delicious.  No sporting event at your house should be without this dip.

Ingredients:

2 8 oz bricks cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup Ranch dressing
1/4 cup bleu cheese dressing
1/2 cup shredded Mexican cheese mix, plus more for garnish
1/2 cup cayenne pepper sauce, such as Frank's Red Hot
1 store bought, pre-cooked rotisserie chicken, or your own roasted chicken, meat removed and cubed

Here's how:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine all the ingredients except the chicken in a medium sized bowl.

All the ingredients

All ingredients in the bowl

Use your hand mixer or stand mixer to combine all the ingredients.  Do not leave cream cheese lumps.

Add the chicken and stir in by hand.

All combined

Pour into a large casserole dish.

Placed in the casserole dish

Sprinkle the extra cheese on top.

Ready for the oven

Place in the oven and heat for 30 minutes, until bubbly and hot.

Serve with tortilla chips or warm pitas.