Johnny Cake (Corn Bread)

1 cup corn meal yellow or white (I used corn flour as I didn't have corn meal)
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1 cup cream style corn
1/4 cup oil
1 cup sour cream or plain yogurt

Stir together corn meal, baking powder, soda and salt. Add eggs and mix. Stir in corn, oil, and sour cream. Pour into greased
8 x 8 cake pan. Bake in 400 degree oven for 25 minutes or until browned.

I like this recipe as it's nice to have the corn pieces in the bread. Other corn bread recipes I have tried tend to be dry, this one is moist and light! Kyle prefers using corn flour as it's less grainy than corn meal.

Breadsticks - Olive Garden and Pizza Hut Style

Olive Garden Style:
In your stand-mixer or breadmachine, mix together:
1 1/3 cups of water
4 tsp soft butter
4 cups of flour (I used 2 cups white and 2 cups whole wheat flour)
2 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp salt
2 tsp yeast

Then, roll it out into a log and divide it into 16 pieces.

Roll these pieces into cigar-shaped sticks of bread. Arrange on a baking sheet. Cover, and let rise for 45 minutes. Preheat your oven to 400*F.

Use your brush to butter each stick, saving some butter for later. Sprinkle with kosher salt. Cook for 15 minutes.

Remove, then brush twice more and add another sprinkling of kosher salt and a light sprinkle of garlic powder.

Pizza Hut Style:
in a food processor, mix:
1/3 cup of parmessan cheese
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp herbs (it's for the green, I used Italian Pizza Seasoning)
1/2 tsp garlic powder

Then shake these onto your breadsticks to your liking (don't overpower the sticks though)

Cheesesticks? Sprinkle shredded mozerella onto the tops, then pop under the broiler until the cheese bubbles and burns a bit.

Sour Cream Buns

Dissolve 10 minutes:
1 cup warm water
1 tbsp. sugar
2 tbsp. yeast

Mix above mixture with these listed ingredients:
3 cups water
1 cup sour cream (I used my homemade yogurt)
6 eggs
1 tsp. salt
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup oil or margarine (I used 1/2 cup oil and 1/2 cup applesauce)
2 cups flour

Add 8-10 more cups of flour to make a soft dough. Let rise 1 hour. Punch down and let rise again. Divide dough into 6 - 8 parts depending on how large you want your buns to turn out. Roll each part into 12 inch circles. Brush with butter. Sprinkle this mixture on buttered dough:
1 1/2 cups sugar
grated rind of 3 oranges
1 3/4 cups unsweetened coconut

Cut each dough circle into 8 wedges. Roll up and let rise. Bake 20 mins at 350 degrees.

Orange glaze:
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup sour cream(or yogurt)
3 tbsp. grated orange rind
1/2 cup butter

Boil 1 minute and brush over baked rolls as soon as they come out of the oven.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup margarine
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup white flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 3/4 cups chocolate chips, smarties or whatever add ins you choose
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional) - I like using macadamia nuts if using white chocolate for the add in

Cream margarine and sugar. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Combine flour, baking soda and salt. Gradually blend into creamed mixture. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts. Drop from small spoon onto cookie sheets. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 to 12 mins.

Friendship Brownies

These are called Friendship Brownies because you can layer all the dry ingredients in a jar and give it to a friend. All they have to do is mix in the wet ingredients and bake! This was done for me at one of my bridal showers years ago.

Brownie Mix:
1 cup flour
2/3 cup brown sugar
pinch of salt
2/3 cup white sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1/3 cup cocoa
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Wet ingredients:
3 eggs
2/3 cup oil (I like to use 1/3 cup apple sauce and 1/3 cup oil)
1 tsp. vanilla

In a bowl beat eggs, oil and vanilla. Add the brownie mix, stir well. Spread into a greased 9 inch square baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 35 min.

Wild Olive Tees

This post is not about a recipe but Wild Olive Tees does have a food listed in it's name! I saw this link on a friend's blog and fell in love with the tees available from this company. Check out these Bible inspired Tee-shirts by clicking on the button on my side bar. Maybe wearing Bible verses will help me with my Bible memory passages!

Taco Soup

1 lb. ground beef
1 onion large
1 pkg taco seasoning (I used 2 tsp. Epicure taco seasoning and 1 tsp. Epicure Louisiana Hot and Spicy Dip Mix)
1 can (19 oz.) white kidney beans
1 can (14 oz.) red kidney beans
1 tin kernel corn
1 can (28 oz.) tomato pieces
2 cups salsa
4 cups water
pinch of salt and pepper
1 pkg (1 oz.) Ranch dressing mix (I used 1 tbsp. Epicure Ranch dressing mix)

cheddar cheese
homemade yogurt or sour cream
tortilla chips

Brown ground beef in frying pan, add onion and taco seasoning. Transfer to large pot. Add remaining ingredients except cheese, chips and yogurt. Simmer half an hour. Serve, garnish with cheese, yogurt and crushed tortilla chips.