Bacon Pizza Bread

1¾ tsp yeast

1½ cups 2% milk, warmed to room temperature

4 cups unbleached flour

1½ TBSP gluten

1 package spaghetti sauce mix (the dry mix, not the sauce)

¼ cup medium salsa

½ tsp white pepper

¼ tsp cayenne pepper

¾ tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp dark chili powder

2½ TBSP garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

½ cup chopped sweet onion

2 TBSP sugar

3 TBSP butter, room temperature

1½ TBSP buttermilk powder

1½ cup shredded cheese

1 package bacon bits

Make this in the oven, not in the bread machine.

• Put yeast and warm milk in the mixing bowl. Let it set for 5 minutes.
• Add flour, salt, spices (including packaged mix) and butter. Mix at low speed until a soft dough forms. Increase speed to medium-high and beat 3 minutes more. Add most of the cheese and mix until combined.
• Cover bowl with a clean kitchen towel (not terry cloth) to keep a crust from forming and let dough rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until doubled in bulk, two hours or so.
• Turn bread to a well-floured board or counter. Divide according to your whim for bread pans or smaller loafs. Coat pans with oil. Place dough in pans, and turn over so tops are also oiled.
• Cover dough with same clean kitchen towel and let dough rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until dough completely fills pan and rises above it slightly, 1 hour or so.
• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 400°F.
• Brush each loaf with egg, then sprinkle a little cheese down center of loaf.
• Bake until bread is golden and sounds hollow when tapped on bottom, 50 minutes to an hour. 

Fried Spaghetti and Awesome Sauce

In a cast iron frying pan, fry

2 slices bacon, chopped until it’s about halfway cooked.

Add:

1 clove garlic, chopped

¼ cup chopped sweet onion.

Cook until the bacon is nearly done; the garlic & onion should be only partly done.

Add:

1 serving of cold, leftover spaghetti. Stir it in with the onions, garlic & bacon. When it’s warm, add:

1 large dollop Awesome Sauce, pre-heated in the microwave.

Stir until the Awesome Sauce is thoroughly mixed in with the spaghetti etc. If desired, add some shredded cheese. When the whole concoction is well mixed, form it into a (thick) pancake kind of shape.

Turn the heat to medium high, and let it completely brown on the bottom. Then flip over and let it completely brown on the top.

Serve on a plate. Top with shredded cheese if you like, or maybe a fried egg. Or maybe both.

Awesome Sauce

Melt together in a medium saucepan.


4 TBSP butter, melted
3 TBSP all-purpose flour

Stir until very smooth. 
Slowly add 1 cup of warm milk, stirring constantly.

In a frying pan, melt 1 tsp butter. Add:
4 cloves garlic, chopped
½ of a sweet onion, chopped small


When they're partway cooked, add:
8 - 10 medium size mushrooms, chopped fairly small. Add more butter if needed.
Fry until everything is very soft.

When the saucepan mixture is warm, add the contents of the frying pan, and:
2 tsp low-sodium chicken bouillon paste
1½ cup shredded parmesan cheese (a little at a time)
1 teaspoon ground sage
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
½ tsp white pepper
Freshly ground pepper

The sauce will be thick, really thick. It will become thicker once it's cooled. 
It is really good for Chicken Pasta Mornay.

Mediteranean Burgers

Ingredients:

1 pound lean ground beef
⅓ cup crumbled feta cheese
¼ cup coarsely chopped fresh oregano
¼ cup coarsely chopped olives. Best if you mix green & black
2 TBSP chopped red onions
1 egg, raw
¼ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 TBSP fresh thyme leaves
2 TBSP fresh basil chopped
salt and pepper to taste


Muck it all together. Sorry, you want use your hands for this. Yeah, it’s a mess, but it’s worth it.

Shape it into two patties and fry it in a good old fashioned cast iron skillet. Serve on a whole wheat hamburger bun with the usual condimental accessories.

Serves two.

Brown Chicken Pasta

In your largest frying pan, heat 1½ tsp vegetable oil. When it’s hot, add:

5 medium cloves fresh garlic, smashed and chopped

⅔ sweet onion, chopped.

When they are transparent, add

1½ tsp chicken stock concentrate

1 TBSP butter

While they’re melting, mix

2 TBSP dark rye flour into

1½ cups cold milk.

Add this mixture to the frying pan.

Season with:

½ tsp dried sage,

1½ tsp Italian seasoning

⅛ tsp white pepper.

Fresh ground black pepper to taste,

Add:

½ cup Mexican cheese mix (shredded cheddar, jack & mozzarella)

½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese

While you’re making this sauce, boil 5 or 6 quarts of water, add a TBSP of salt to the boiling water, and add

1 pound whole wheat (penne) pasta.

Cook the pasta to al dente, about 9 minutes.

While those are cooking, season

1 large chicken breast relatively heavily, with

Italian seasoning

Johnny’s garlic spread seasoning

Fresh ground black pepper

Grille the chicken to 190⁰ or more. It will be almost blackened, if there’s enough seasoning on it.

Slice the chicken into medium sized pieces.

In individual bowls, layer the chicken on top of the wheat pasta. Cover with the sauce. Garnish with freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Serve very hot.

Note: A good Belgian-style amber ale like Brother Thelonious goes well with this meal. 

Mexican Pizza Bread

1½ tsp yeast
4 cups unbleached flour

1½ TBSP gluten
1 package spaghetti sauce mix (the dry mix, not the sauce)

2 tsp garlic powder

2 TBSP medium salsa

½ tsp black pepper

⅛ tsp cayenne pepper

½ tsp (smoked?) paprika

1 tsp dark chili powder

1 tsp garlic powder

½ tsp onion powder

¼ cup chopped fresh onion
No salt (oops: I added salt by habit)
2 TBSP sugar
2 TBSP butter, room temperature
1½ TBSP buttermilk powder
1 cup shredded cheese (I used a 4-cheese blend; cheddar & Monterrey Jack work well)
1½ cups 2% milk, warmed to room temperature

Make this one in the oven, not in the bread machine: The texture is better, and it cooks through better. 

• Put yeast and warm milk in the mixing bowl. Let it set for 5 minutes.
• Add flour, salt, spices (including packaged mix) and butter. Mix at low speed until a soft dough forms. Increase speed to medium-high and beat 3 minutes more. Add most of the cheese and mix until combined.
• Scrape dough down side of bowl (all around) into center, then sprinkle lightly with flour. Cover bowl with a clean kitchen towel (not terry cloth) to keep a crust from forming and let dough rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until doubled in bulk, 2 to 2 1/2 hours. (Alternatively, let dough rise in bowl in refrigerator 8 to 12 hours.)
• Turn bread to a well-floured board or counter. Divide into two pieces (⅓ & ⅔) for bread pans, or more pieces for smaller loafs.
• Form larger portion into a rectangle; place in an oiled 9- by 5-inch loaf pan; divide smaller portion among small pans, or place on parchment paper. Cover dough with same clean kitchen towel and let dough rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until dough completely fills pan and rises above it slightly, 1 to 1 1/4 hours.
• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 400°F.
• Brush each loaf with egg, then sprinkle a little cheese down center of loaf.
• Bake until bread is golden and sounds hollow when tapped on bottom, 50 minutes to 1 hour. 

Italian Pesto Bread

1½ tsp yeast
4 cups unbleached flour

1 package Zesty Italian Dressing mix (the mix, not the dressing)

3 tsp garlic powder

2 TBSP Italian seasoning

½ tsp black pepper
1½ TBSP gluten
No salt
2 TBSP sugar
2 TBSP olive oil
2 TBSP milk powder

1 egg
½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese 1½ cups 2% milk, warmed to room temperature

in the machine. Press go.

(Note: pesto is mostly herbs [such as the Italian herbs] and garlic mixed in olive oil)