Ollie's Shortbread Cookies

Ollies Shortbread Cookies

1 lb butter softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup cornstarch
3 cups flour
dash of salt

Whip butter and add rest of ingredients.  Roll into balls (or use small cookie scoop).  Put on greased cookie sheet and flatten with the bottom of a glass or fork.  Bake at 375 for 10 minutes.  Edges will be lightly browned.  Makes 3 1/2 dozen

After cooled, I like to dip half in melted chocolate.

Artisan Bread

No-Knead Bread
Jim Lahey,  Sullivan St. Bakery NYC
Yields one 1 1/2 pound loaf

3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting
¼ teaspoon instant yeast
1¼ teaspoons salt
Cornmeal or wheat bran as needed.
1. In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 5/8 cups water, and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.
2. Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.
3. Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.
4. At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is O.K. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack.

You can do the second rise in a regular loaf pan and after the 2 hours, bake it at about 375 for 30 to 40 minutes.  The crust isn’t “crusty”, but it is still delicious!

Cheeseburger Pie

1 # hamburger
1 cup shredded cheese
1/3 c chopped onion
2 c milk
1 c Bisquick
4 eggs
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper

Heat oven to 400.  Lightly grease large pie pan.

Brown hamburger and onion together and place in bottom of pie pan with cheese.  Mix remainder ingredients in blender until smooth.  (not long!)  Pour into pie pan.

Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.  Let stand 5 minutes

Baked Potato Casserole

Baked Potato Casserole

8 medium potatoes (about 2 ½ to 3 lbs total weight, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks)
1 cup evaporated 2% milk
½ cup light sour cream
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (divided)
6 slices bacon (cooked until crispy and crumbled)
sliced green onions

Place the potato chunks in a large pot. Fill with enough water to cover the potatoes. Bring to a boil. Cook over medium-high heat for 15 to 20 minutes or until tender. Drain. Preheat the oven to 350⁰F. Grease a 2 ½-3 quart casserole dish. Return potatoes to the pot. Add evaporated milk, sour cream, salt and pepper. Beat with a hand held mixer until smooth. Stir in 1 ½ cups of cheddar cheese and half of the bacon. Spoon the potato mixture into prepared casserole dish. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until heated through. Top with remaining ½ cup of cheddar cheese, remaining bacon, and green onions. Bake for an additional 3 minutes or until the cheese has melted.

Chocolate Cherry Bars

1 pkg devils food cake mix
1 tsp almond extract
1 21 oz can cherry pie filling
2 eggs

Combine above ingredients and pour into greased and floured 15 x 10 jelly roll pan.  Bake at 350 for 20 to 30 min.

Frosting:

In small sauce pan, combine:
1 c sugar
5 TBS butter
1/3 c milk

1 c chocolate chips

Boil first 3 ingredients, stirring constantly for 1 minute.  Remove from heat and stir in chocolate chips until melted and smooth.  Spread over warm bars.

Puffed Wheat Bars

Boil together for 2 to 3 minutes:

1 C brown sugar
1/2 C butter
1/2 C honey or syrup
1 TBS cocoa

Add 1 tsp vanilla.  Let cool slightly

Mix with 10 cups of puffed wheat.  Press into a lightly greased 9 by 13 pan

Best EVER Bread

(This is for a Bosch, but you could use other mixers as well)

2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup oil
4 cups really hot water
6 cups flour
3 TBS rapid rise yeast

I mix the first 4 ingredients, then 3 cups of flour, then the yeast, and then 3 more cups of flour.  Let mixer go for 8 to 10 minutes.

Add 1 TBS salt and enough flour to make a soft dough.  I only add enough so that the bowl comes clean while mixing.  About 4 cups more of flour.

Let sit in bowl for 30 to 40 minutes or until it starts coming out of the top.

Turn mixer on low for a few strokes to beat the bread down.  Remove bread from mixer.

Form in to loaves or rolls.  Let rise for 30 to 40 minutes.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes (bread) or 20 minutes (rolls or cinnamon buns)