Calico Baked Beans

 

INGREDIENTS

• 1 (15-ounce) can red pinto beans
• 1 (15-ounce) can white kidney/cannellini beans
• 1 (15-ounce) can black beans
• 8 ounces bacon, chopped
• 1 cup chopped onion
• ½ cup ketchup (see note)
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 teaspoons dry mustard
• ⅓ cup brown sugar
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon apple cider or red wine vinegar
• ⅓ cup water or low-sodium broth
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch, optional, helps thicken the sauce a bit

INSTRUCTIONS 

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly grease a 3-quart baking dish (see note).
• Drain and rinse all the beans (go ahead and throw them all together in one colander) and set aside.
• In a large skillet, cook the bacon until crisp. Drain on paper towels, leaving about 1 teaspoon grease in the skillet.
• Add the onion to the skillet over medium heat and cook until softened, 4-5 minutes. Off the heat, add the beans and bacon.
• In a liquid measuring cup or bowl, combine the ketchup, Worcestershire, dry mustard, sugar, salt, vinegar, water (or broth) and cornstarch, if using, and whisk to combine thoroughly. Pour the sauce into the skillet and stir well.
• Scrape the entire mixture into the prepared baking pan. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 45-60 minutes. Serve immediately.

  NOTES

  Ketchup: I use the Simply Heinz brand of ketchup - other brands may differ in flavor and sweetness so taste as you go to make sure it's spot on. 

  Beans: also, if you'd rather, the beans can be cooked in a slow cooker on low for 4 hours instead of in the oven.

  Baking Dish: I use a 3-quart baking dish for these beans which is a little smaller than a 9X13. If you are going to use a 9X13-inch, decrease the baking time slightly so the beans don't dry out since they'll be in a thinner layer.
  FROM: Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Lemon Chicken Rice Soup

 

INGREDIENTS

1–2 tablespoons butter or oil
2 ribs celery, diced
1 large or 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
1 medium-large yellow onion, diced
2–3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon dried dill
8 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup dry/uncooked rice
2 cups shredded, cooked chicken (rotisserie works great)
2 cups finely chopped kale leaves (a couple of large leaves, trimmed and chopped- see instructions in recipe details)
2–4 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

INSTRUCTIONS

Heat large stock pot to medium heat.  Add oil or butter.  Add chopped celery, carrot, and onion.  Saute 3-4 minutes until tender.  Add garlic and stir for 30 seconds more. Stir in salt, pepper and dill.  Add broth, stirring to scrape any bits off the bottom of pot.

Bring soup to a boil and reduce to a low simmer. Add rice and stir occasionally until cooked through (about 20 minutes.)

While soup is simmering, wash kale leaves and use a sharp knife to remove leaves from stems. Holding leaves tightly together, finely chop into very small pieces.

After rice is cooked through, add chicken and kale and stir for 1-2 minutes until chicken is heated through and kale is wilted.  Remove soup from heat and stir in lemon juice to taste. (A little grated lemon zest would be good, too!)

Makes about 8 cups of soup, and even though it’s broth-based, with the rice absorbing liquid, it can become quite thick the longer it cooks.  If you’d like to thin it out a bit, or extend serving sizes, feel free to add more broth to your liking.

FROM: Our Best Bites

1 Hour Breadsticks

 

INGREDIENTS

Dough:

• 1 ½ cups warm water
• 1 tablespoon instant yeast
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 to 4 cups (426-568 g) flour (see note)

Butter and Topping:

• 3 tablespoons butter, melted (for the baking sheet)
• Dried herbs, garlic salt and grated Parmesan cheese

INSTRUCTIONS 

• In an electric stand mixer fitted with the dough hook (or in a large bowl by hand), mix together the water, yeast, sugar, salt and one cup of the flour.
• Continue adding the flour until the dough just clears the sides of the bowl; knead for about three minutes. It should be soft and slightly sticky without leaving a lot of residue on your fingers.
• Let the dough rest in the bowl for 10 minutes.
• While the dough rests, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Spread the melted butter onto large, rimmed baking sheet (about 11X17-inches).
• On a lightly greased countertop, pat the dough into a long rectangle, about 16-inches by 7-inches or so. Cut the dough every 1-inch (more or less) into strips with a pizza cutter.
• Twist each strip slightly and place about 1/2-inch apart on the baking sheet. Sprinkle lightly with dried herbs of choice, garlic salt and Parmesan cheese.
• Let rise for 20 minutes (you can cover with greased plastic wrap, if desired, I usually go without). Bake for 15 minutes until golden.
  FROM: Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Knotted Orange Sweet Rolls

 

Makes 24 Rolls

Ingredients

Orange Rolls

• 4 Tablespoons granulated sugar, divided
• 2 Tablespoons active dry yeast
• ½ cup warm water
• 1 ⅓ cups whole milk, scalded
• 2 large eggs
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt
• 1 Tablespoon orange zest (from 1 orange)
• 5 cups all-purpose flour (625g)

Filling

• ½ cup salted butter, softened
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 2 Tablespoons orange zest (from 2 oranges)

Orange Glaze

• 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
• 1 Tablespoon orange zest
• 2-3 Tablespoons orange juice

Instructions

• In a small bowl, combine warm water, 2 tablespoons of sugar, and the yeast and allow to proof until foamy, about five minutes. Meanwhile, scald the milk by heating it in a small saucepan over medium-high heat without stirring just until bubbles form around the edge of the pan and the milk starts to steam a bite. Remove from the heat and let cool for 10 minutes. 
• Once the yeast has proofed, stir in the other 2 tablespoons of sugar and the salt. Add eggs and slightly cooled scaled milk along with 2 cups of the flour and orange zest. Beat with the paddle attachment until smooth, about 2 minutes.
• Switch to the dough hook. Add remaining flour 1 cup at a time, kneading until a smooth, soft dough is formed, about 5 minutes on medium speed. Transfer the dough to a large greased bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise for one hour or until doubled in size. 
• Roll out the dough into a large rectangle. Spread softened butter evenly over the surface of the dough, then sprinkle with granulated sugar and reserved orange zest. 
• Fold one long edge of the dough over about ⅓ of the way, then do the same with the other side sort of like folding a piece of paper to fit in an envelope but lengthwise. Use a pizza cutter or sharp knife to cut into 16-20 strips that are about 1-inch wide. 
• Pick up one strip of dough and cross the ends over to form a loop. Push one end of the strip through the loop to form a knot and place the roll on a baking sheet. 
• Repeat with the remaining dough to shape all the rolls, then cover loosely with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and let them rise for 30 minutes until puffy.
• Bake at 400°F for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned on top.
• Make glaze by combining ingredients and whisking until smooth. Brush or drizzle glaze over the rolls, then let it set up for 30-45 minutes before serving.

Notes

• To reheat, place rolls on a baking sheet and warm in a 350 degree F oven until warmed through, about 5-10 minutes.
• To reheat frozen rolls, let them thaw on the counter, then warm them as directed above.

FROM: House of Nash Eats