Outback Bushman Bread Clone

Bushman Bread

The Finished Product Bushman's Bread

Dough:
1 1/2 cups warm water
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 cup honey
2 cups bread flour
2 cups wheat flour
1 tablespoon cocoa
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 teaspoons instant coffee ( espresso powder)
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/4 teaspoons (1 pkg.) yeast

Coloring: (May substitute 1 Tablespoon Kitchen Bouquet)
1/4 cup water
75 drops red food coloring
45 drops blue food coloring

30 drops yellow food coloring
Cornmeal for dusting

1. If using a bread machine, add all of the ingredients for the dough
in the exact order listed into the pan of your machine. Set it on
“knead” and when the machine begins to mix the dough, combine the
food coloring with 1/4 cup of water and drizzle it into the mixture as
it combines. After the dough is created let it rest to rise for an
hour or so. Then remove it from the pan and go to step #3.

2. If you are not using a bread machine, combine the flours, cocoa, sugar,
coffee and salt in large bowl. Make a depression or “well” in the
middle of the dry mixture. Pour the warm water into this “well,”
then add the butter, honey and yeast. Combine the food coloring
drops with 1/4 cup of water and add that to the “well.” Slowly mix
the ingredients with a spoon, drawing the dry ingredients into
the wet. When you can handle the dough, begin to combine it by hand,
kneading the dough thoroughly for at least ten minutes, until it is
very smooth and has a consistent color. Set the dough into a covered
bowl in a warm place for an hour, to allow it to rise.

Bushmans’s bread first rise

3. When the dough has risen to about double in size, punch it down and
divide it into 8 even portions (divide dough in half, divide those
halves in half, and then once more). Form the portions into tubular
shaped loaves about 8 inches long and 2 inches wide. Sprinkle the
entire surface of the loaves with cornmeal and place them on a cookie
sheet, or two. Cover the cookie sheet(s) with plastic wrap and let
the dough rise once more for another hour in a warm location.

Dough Size after first rise

Punched Down

Shaped and Scored

4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Uncover the dough and bake it for
20-24 minutes in the hot oven. Loaves should begin to darken slightly
on top when done. Serve warm with a sharp bread knife and butter
on the side. If you want whipped butter, like you get at the
restaurant, just use an electric mixer on high speed to whip
some butter until it’s fluffy.

Makes 4 medium or  8 small loaves.

Quick Salisbury Steak

A huge personal triumph in the kitchen today. I have the pickiest kids on the planet. One hates ground beef and the other hates all vegetables. Tonight for the first time they ate what I fixed without complaints. I had leftover fresh ground beef after my DH made taco’s last night. So I decided to make Salisbury Steak with gravy. What a huge hit and none left. Here is how I made it.

Quick Salisbury Steak

1 lb. Ground Beef

½ Dry Bread Crumbs

½ Cup Milk

1 Egg, slightly beaten

1 pkg. Beefy Onion Soup Mix

1 Can French Onion Soup

2 Tablespoons Corn Starch

1/2 Cup cold Water

1.       In a large mixing bowl combine ground beef then add bread crumbs, milk, egg and package of beefy onion soup then mix all together with your hands. Form beef into 4-5 patties.

2.       In a large skillet, Sauté beef patties in a little oil until brown on both sides. Set patties aside.

3.       Add French onion Soup to skillet, stir

4.       Mix water and corn starch and add to soup in skillet stirring until slightly thickened.

5.       Return beef patties to pan and spoon gravy on top. Cover and let finish cooking about 10-15 more minutes.

Buttermilk Banana Nut Muffin’s

I love to recreate recipes of foods that I enjoy while eating out. These muffins are reminiscent of a large banana nut muffin I use to buy when I went to my health clinic for check ups. The snack shack didn’t always have these little beauties so it made them all the more enticing to buy one and devour! So after a long search I finally created my own recipe from scratch and managed to make these awesome muffins.

Buttermilk Banana Nut Muffins

2 1/2 Cups All-purpose Flour

1/2 Cup Granulated White Sugar

1/2 Cup Light Brown Sugar, packed

2 Teaspoons Baking Powder

1 Teaspoon Baking Soda

1/2 Teaspoon Salt

3/4 Cup Buttermilk or

(4 tablespoons dry buttermilk powder plus 3/4 Cup warm water)

2/3 Cup Canola Oil

1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

1 Large Egg, lightly beaten

2 large Very Ripe Banana’s, mashed

1/2 Cup Walnuts, Chopped

Preheat oven to 350*F. Line 12-16 muffin cups with cupcake papers, set aside till batter is completed.

In a large mixing bowl combine egg, buttermilk, oil and vanilla extract. Mash banana’s and add to this mixture mixing well. In another large bowl combine the flour, sugars, baking powder, baking soda and salt then mix thoroughly. Combine the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients folding the two gently by hand being sure not over mix. Use an ice cream scoop to measure out the batter into muffin cups. Take a spoon and drop walnuts over the top of each muffin pressing lightly so the nuts stick. Bake at 350*F for 18-22 minutes or until muffins spring back with touched and tops are lightly browned. Be sure to store any left over muffins in plastic wrap to keep muffins from drying out. These muffins can be frozen and thawed out when needed.

Margarita Cake

My daughter and I came up with this cake and served it for a large group we cook for. They all loved it and I can’t wait to make this again!

Margarita Cake

1 Box Yellow or Lemon Cake Mix

1 3.9 oz. Pkg Lemon Pudding Mix

3 Eggs, Lightly Beaten

1/3 Cup Vegetable Oil

1 1/4 Cups Jose Cuervo’s Margarita Mix

**********

1/3 cup Fresh Lime Juice

1/3 Cup White Sugar

Preheat oven to 350*F.Lightly grease and flour a 13×9 inch baking pan. In a mixing bowl add the cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, oil, and Margarita mix, beating on medium speed for 3 minutes. Pour batter into the prepared pan. Bake at 350*F for 30-40 minutes. Cake should spring back when lightly touched. Cool cake completely before frosting it.

In a sauce pan on medium heat, dissolve lime juice and sugar. After the cake has cooled for 10 minutes, use a straw or the end of a wooden spoon to poke small holes in  the cake. Pour sugar lime syrup over cake and allow cake to absorb the syrup. Chill the cake while you make the frosting.

Margarita Whipped Cream Icing

8 oz Container Cool Whip or Lite Cool Whip

1 3.9 oz. Pkg. Lemon Instant Pudding Mix

1/4 Cup Powdered Sugar

1/2 Cup Fresh Lime Juice* (juice of 3- 5 limes)

1/2 Cup Milk

(*or a combo of Margarita Mix and Fresh Lime Juice to equal 1/2 cup)

Grated Fresh Lime Peel for Garnish

Beat pudding, powdered sugar, lime juice with a wire whip, then stir in milk. Gently fold in cool whip. Frost the cooled  cake as usual. This frosting can be made up to 2 days ahead and then frost cake. You may also choose to serve the cake with the frosting on the side.

Note: Do not use bottled Lime Juice since it has more acid.

Note: Be sure the cake is completely cooled before frosting

Shredded Beef and Bean Burritos

I made this for my husbands Saturday Crew and they raved that these ‘wet burritos’ were wonderful.We kept a few for our dinner and wished there were more ! I was going to use ground beef but managed to get the roast on sale for less than the ground beef would have cost. I doubled the recipe and fed 20 people.

These are wonderful the next day and can be frozen and reheated later. To Reheat: Cover pan with foil and heat in the oven at 350*F for 30 minutes. These are definitely going in my regular meal rotation.

Shredded Beef and Bean Burritos

3-4lb Chuck or Eye of Round Roast

1 small Onion, chopped

1 -2 cloves of Garlic, minced

2 pk. Taco Seasoning Mix

1 16oz can Chicken Broth

1 15 oz. Can Rotel Tomatoes or Mexican Diced Tomatoes

1 10 oz. can Enchilada Sauce

1 18 oz. Jar Beef Gravy

4 cups Sharp Cheddar Cheese, shredded

2 cups Monterey Jack Cheese, shredded

4 Cups Refried Beans, warmed

24 Flour Tortillas, warmed

Add roast beef, onion, garlic, taco seasoning and broth to the slow cooker. Set cooker for 8-10 hours. When the beef is very tender, take two forks and shred the beef. Return the beef to the slow cooker until time to assemble the burritos. Use a slotted spoon to drain the meat when assembling the burritos.

Mix the diced tomatoes, enchilada sauce and beef gray in a sauce pan and simmer on low for 5 minutes . Set the ‘gravy’ aside for the assembly.

Spray a glass 13×9 inch pan. Heat oven to 375*F.

Warm the Tortillas in the microwave. On each tortilla layer 1/4 cup shredded beef, 1/4 cup refried beans and 1/4 cup shredded cheddar/jack cheese. Fold in the sides of the tortilla then roll the tortilla away from yourself to make a burrito ‘envelope’. Place burrito seam side down in the 13×9 pan. Finish rolling the rest of the burritos.  When the pan is full ladle  ‘gravy’ over the top of the burritos. Top with more cheese and bake in the oven at 375*F 15-20 minutes.  Serve this with sour cream or salsa. To reheat: Cover the 13×9 pan with foil and reheat at 350*F for 30 minutes.

Pork and Pineapple Kabobs

I made these last weekend but I have been so busy I have not had a chance to post them yet. I want you to know they were just fantastic. My whole family loved them and I plan on making them for one of the eat fest at hubbies work.

Grilled Pork and Pineapple Kabobs

2 lbs. Pork Tenderloin, cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes

2 Red Bell Peppers, cleaned of seeds and cubed

1 Fresh Pineapple or 3 Peaches, Cleaned and Cubed

3/4 Cup Soy Sauce

2 Cloves Fresh Garlic, Minced

1 Tablespoon Brown Sugar, Packed

Wooden Skewers, soaked for 30 full minutes

Place pork cubes in a zip lock bag, add 1/2 cup soy sauce(reserve 1/4 cup soy sauce for basting meat on grill), brown sugar and minced garlic zip closed and mix thoroughly and place in fridge overnight to marinade.

Heat Your Grill:

Then on your skewers alternate the pork, pineapple and red peppers.  When coals or gas grill is hot grill for 3 minutes each side then baste with remaining 1/4 cup of soy sauce. Finish grilling until pork is done about 6-8 more minutes. Meat juices should run clear when tested.

Easy Sloppy Joes

3 pounds ground beef
2 whole onions, chopped fine
1 whole green pepper, chopped fine
2 tablespoons oil
4 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper, each
3 cups ketchup
2 tablespoons worcestershire sauce

1. Heat oil in a large frying pan set over medium-high heat. Sauté onions and green pepper for 5 minutes.

2. Add beef to the pan. Cook, stirring until browned, about 5 to 10 minutes. Drain off fat.

3. Add remaining ingredients,Stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened.

4. Serve on sandwich buns.

This serves 8-10 so freeze the extra once cooled and reheat on a busy night.

Cheap Basic Skillet Potatoes

My boys had baseball practice today and one thing I like to make is fresh hash brown potatoes for them. They come in starving hungry and eat every bite I fix. Ree at the Pioneer Woman cooks them up the same way I do. Take a look at her fabulous pictures and you will want to grab the grub and run. Hop on over and see what I mean. You gotta use the bacon grease in these as thats the best way to make them. Why? Like Ree says ‘Because they taste good, thats why’!

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2008/04/basic-breakfast-potatoes/

Now my camera is down but along with the skillet taters I made the fastest omelet in the west.

3 Eggs

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 Zip Lock Steamer bag

Scramble the eggs in a bowl with a fork till light yellow. Pour the eggs in the steamer bag, seal and microwave for 1 1/2 minutes or until just set. Place on a plate and top with the cheese. You can also split the cheese up placing half in the steamer bag. In fact you can add just about anything to the steamer bag like diced cooked vegetables, salsa, fried bacon and my favorite chopped chives. Serve with the taters and you got a quick meal! And they left nothing, not one drop!!

Did I mention these are cheap?? Real cheap. I got a 10lb bag of potatoes for $1.00 and the eggs for the same!!

Slow Cooker Spaghetti Sauce

How many times have you purchased a jar of spaghetti sauce just because it was easier to heat it and serve?? Well I am here to tell you that you can make your sauce in the crock pot go off to work and eat when you get home. Right now my house smells wonderful and its the second time I have made this sauce in my crock pot. You can use the jarred sauce as a base of flavor and double your yield of sauce and save money. My husband and his buddies at work eat my cooking once a month. I made this for the June eat fest and they loved it and there was NOT ONE DROP LEFT!!

Try browning your ground beef, onions and garlic the night before then place the ingredients in the crock. Put the crock in the fridge until time to start the cooker.

Spaghetti Bolognese

1 lb Italian Sausage

1 lb Ground beef

1 large Onion, chopped fine

6 Cloves of Garlic, minced

1 Jar of  Pasta Sauce*

1 14oz. can Diced Tomatoes

2 8z. cans Tomato Sauce

1 Cup Milk

In a large skillet, brown the meat and onions. Drain off fat, Add garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes. Spray your crock pot with vegetable spray. Add the meat mixture, jar of sauce, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce and milk. Set crock pot for 4, 6 or 8 hours. Serve over pasta with fresh grated Parmesan cheese or grated mozzarella. If your lucky enough to have extra then freeze it and defrost on a busy night at another time.

Here is another tip: Can’t get the picky children to eat vegetables? In a food processor chop a carrot, stalk of celery, the onion and garlic then add right to the sauce in the crock pot! Great way to add fiber and vitamins to the meal.

*You may use a can of diced tomatoes in place of jarred sauce and add your herbs: 2 teaspoons parsley, 1 teaspoon dried oregano , one bay leaf. 1 teaspoon dried basil.

*You may also use the cheapest pasta sauce and this will still taste amazing. Hunt’s makes one in the can that is a lot cheaper and this method still works.

1 teaspoon of the dried herb = 1 tablespoon of the fresh

Fried Rice in the rice cooker

I had a buffet meal to make for my husbands work, which I do the last Saturday of each month. This month we did a healthy meal with Asian Chicken Salad, Fried Rice and Fresh Fruit for the meal. Everyone loved it and I thought I would tell you how I made it for 20 people.

I used the rice cooker and it kept the rice warm for hours!! This not only made it easy for me but it keeps the rice at a safe temperature so no one becomes ill from improper heating.

You can purchase these seasoning packages very cheaply at Walmart !! I got my Sunbird Seasoning Packages for $.84 each.

Rice Cooker Fried Rice

1 Cups White Rice or converted rice (Like Uncle Ben’s)

2 Cups Water

1 pkg Sunbird or Kikkoman’s Fried Rice Seasoning

2 Eggs

1/2 ham steak, cubed small

In your rice cooker add the rice and water and seasoning packet and cubed ham. Start rice cooker. Scramble the eggs and set aside till rice is done. Stir in the scrambled egg in the last few minutes of cooking time to heat the eggs. Stir and close the lid till time to serve. This was easy and everyone loved it. If you like a firmer rice use converted rice or use less water.