A Delicious Variation...

... of French Bread. You've got to try it!

French Herb Bread

1 tablespoon yeast

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon salt

3 1/2 cups flour

1 cup milk

1 tablespoon vinegar

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup butter

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 cup minced onion

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon dried parsley

2 tablespoons butter

  In a large bowl combine yeast, sugar, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 1/2 cups of the flour. In a saucepan, combine milk, water and 1/4 cup butter; heat until approximately 110 degrees. Add this milk mixture to the flour mixture along with the the vinegar. Beat dough until silky and smooth (about 3 minutes). Stir in 1 1/2 cups more flour. Knead (adding a little more flour if necessary), about 4 minutes until smooth. Let rise 1 hour, or until doubled. Punch down, and roll dough into a 16"x8" rectangle. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, heat garlic, onion, salt, parsley, and butter until butter is melted. Spread over dough, and roll up tightly to form a long loaf. Place bread seam-side down on a greased baking sheet and let rise 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Slit top of loaf 5 times; bake 20 minutes.

Apple - Cream Cheese Bundt Cake

Cake Batter:

1 cup finely chopped pecans

3 cups flour

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon allspice

3 eggs, beaten

3/4 canola oil

3/4 cup applesauce

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 cups peeled and finely chopped apples

Cream Cheese Filling:

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup butter softened

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg

2 tablespoons flour

1 teaspoon vanilla

Prepare filling: Beat first three ingredients until blended and smooth. Add egg, flour and vanilla; mix in well. Set aside.

Prepare batter: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Stir together flour, sugar, brown sugar, salt, baking soda and spices. Stir in eggs, canola oil, applesauce, and vanilla, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Stir in apples and pecans. Spoon 2/3 of the apple mixture into a greased and floured 14-cup bundt pan. Spoon cream cheese filling over apple mixture, leaving a 1-inch border around edges. Swirl filling through batter a little. Spoon remaining apple mixture over filling. Bake at 350 for one hour, or until done. Cool cake in pan on wire rack 15 minutes; remove cake from pan and cool completely. 

Praline Frosting:

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup butter

3 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup powdered sugar

Bring brown sugar, butter and milk to a boil over medium heat, whisking constantly. Boil 1 minute, whisking constantly. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla. Gradually whisk in powdered sugar until smooth. Stir gently 3-5 minutes, or until mixture begins to cool and thickens slightly. Pour immediately over cooled cake.

{my picture from Lens Love this morning}

Baked Spaghetti Squash with Beef and Veggies

   I recently found this recipe on All Recipes and thought that it looked delicious! I made it for dinner last night, tweaking it just a little to fit my taste. My family and I really enjoyed it, so I decided to share it with you!

1 spaghetti squash, halved and seeded

1 pound ground beef

1/2 cup diced green bell pepper

1/2 cup diced red bell pepper

1/2 cup diced onion

8-10 ounces frozen french cut green beans

1 clove garlic minced

1 (14.5 ounce) can Italian-style diced tomatoes, drained

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

2 1/4 cups Italian shredded cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place squash on a baking sheet, and bake 1 hour, or until tender. Remove from heat, cool slightly and shred the pulp with a fork. 

Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees. Meanwhile, cook the ground beef in a large skillet over medium heat.

 Drain, and mix in the peppers, onion, garlic and green beans. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally until vegetables are tender. Mix the squash and tomatoes into the skillet, and season with oregano, basil, salt and pepper. Cook and stir until heated through.Remove from heat and mix in 2 cups cheese. Transfer to a lightly greased casserole dish. Bake 25 minutes. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese, and continue baking 5 minutes until cheese is melted. Enjoy! Serve with salad and garlic bread.
I had a pretty big squash, so I doubled the rest of the ingredients and cooked it in a 9"x13" dish. It turned out perfectly - definitely a keeper! :)

My Nieces

   They are the most darling little girls ever!

I love being an aunt! *grin*

Travels

Missouri

Illinois

The church where my parents were married 25 years ago...

Michigan

These are from our trip to Michigan last month. We saw so much beautiful scenery and lots of family and friends!