Breadsticks

1 1/2 cups warm water (105-115 degrees)

1 Tblsp. sugar

1 Tblsp. active dry OR bread machine yeast

1/2 tsp. salt

3-4 1/2 cups flour

In a large bowl (of a mixer, if you have one), combine water, sugar and yeast.  Let stand 10 minutes or until yeast is bubbly.  Add salt and stir.  Add 1 1/2 cups flour and mix well.  Gradually add more flour (usually between 3-4 cups, depending on your elevation and humidity), until dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl and it barely sticks to your finger.  Spray a glass or metal bowl with cooking spray and place dough (formed into a large ball) inside.  Cover and allow to rise 45 minutes or until doubled in bulk.  *I've had to make this ahead of time long before I have to bake these breadsticks, so I just put the bowl in the fridge.  Remove from dough and place on a lightly-floured surface.  Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray OR line with parchment paper.  Roll into a rectangle and cut into 12 strips with a pizza cutter.  * Time-out here for just a minute.  Instead of placing on a floured surface, I just grease my glass cutting board really well, roll the dough out on this, & then cut it into strips.  For me it's a lot easier.  Now back to where I left off.  Roll out each piece of dough into a snake and then drape it over your forefinger and twist the dough.  Place on baking sheet and repeat with remaining pieces of dough.  Try to space them evenly, but it's okay if they're too close.  Cover pan with a clean dish towel and allow dough to rise another 30 minutes.  When there's about 15 minutes to go, heat oven to 425 degrees.  When done rising, bake 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.  Rub some butter on top of the breadsticks and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and/or garlic salt, if desired.

I've made these 3 times at my house now and we all LOVE them!  They're great with soups & spaghetti dinners especially.  Tyler told me that I should keep this recipe for sure.  Thank you Our Best Bites!  :)

Raspberry Muffins

1/2 cup butter (1 stick)

1 1/8 cups sugar

2 eggs

3 cups flour, divided

3 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

pinch baking soda

1 cup milk

1 tsp. vanilla

2 cups fresh raspberries

sugar (opt.)

Cream the butter with sugar and add eggs.  Reserve 3 Tblsp. of flour and combine remaining flour with baking powder, salt & soda.  Combine milk and vanilla.  Alternately add the milk and flour mixture to the creamed butter and egg mixture.  Sprinkle reserved flour over berries and gently fold into the creamed mixture.  Bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

One of the things I LOVE about Facebook is whenever friends post about a yummy recipe that they've just tried.  I got this from Rochelle Bartschi, who was a friend of mine in my previous ward.  She had just made these for her sons for breakfast & she even let them spread homemade raspberry jam on their muffins!  To me that sounds divine!  Still, these muffins taste just as good plain or with butter.  Tyler came home from work with a raspberry bush only a couple of weeks after we first moved into our house because he's wanted to grow our own raspberries for as long as he can remember.  Now I'll know what to do with any extras if they become too numerous!  :)

Homemade French Bread

1 1/4 cups warm water (not hot)

1 Tblsp. yeast

1 Tblsp. sugar

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. lemon juice

3-3 1/2 cups Better-For-Bread flour (you have to use the better-for-bread flour or else this bread won't turn out the way that it should)

2 Tblsp. water

1/2 tsp. salt

Place water in mixer, then sprinkle yeast over water.  Let stand for 7 minutes.  It should be all foamy when you get back.  Add sugar & then wait another 7 minutes.  This will activate your yeast & let the bread rise to form into a better loaf.  Add all remaining ingredients except for remaining 1/2 cup of the flour. Mix until the dough starts to come away from the bowl & is no longer sticky.  If it's still too sticky then you'll need the last 1/2 cup of flour.  Remove dough from mixer, form into a large ball & place in an oven-safe dish.  Cover with a dishtowel, place in your oven with the light on (but don't turn on the heat!) & let it rise for 45 minutes.  Remove from oven & roll into a rectangle, as you would for cinnamon rolls.  Roll into a loaf & pinch all seams closed.  Place roll onto a tin foil-lined cookie sheet, cover with dishtowel again & let rise for another 45 minutes in your oven with the light on.  After it's risen for the 2nd time, brush the loaf with the salt & water glaze.  Once you've glazed the loaf, take a knife & make 3 large, diagonal slices on the top.  Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes, depending on how dark you like your bread.  For softer bread, wrap the loaf inside the dishtowel as it cools.  For a more crispy, outer crust, just cool on a cooling rack.  This bread can store up to 3 days.

OK, I'm not much of a bread-baker at all.  Let me say that just one more time; for years & YEARS, the thought of baking any type of bread has just intimidated the heck out of me.  I don't know why because I LOVE any type of homemade bread, but the thought of making any from scratch just scared me, especially when I was a newlywed.  However, when my sister Elena, who is the queen of bread-making, brought this yummy French bread to dinner for Easter, I knew I had to conquer my dough-head fears (pun intended) and try it.  Tyler even turned to me & said, "You are going to get this recipe, aren't you?"  :)  This is SO much better than the loaves you pick up at any grocery store.  It gives you the option of making it soft or harder on the outside, yet it's always soft & delicious on the outside.  This recipe wasn't difficult at all.  You may want to add this to your "must-try" recipe list.  :)

Poppy Seed Muffins

3 eggs

2 1/2 cups sugar

1 cup + 2 Tblsp. oil

1 1/2 cups milk

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 1/2 Tblsp. poppy seeds

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

1 1/2 tsp. almond extract

3 cups all-purpose flour

Beat together eggs, sugar and oil.  Add milk, salt, baking powder, poppy seeds, vanilla, almond flavoring and flour.  Mix well.  Bake (you can bake these as muffins or you can bake them into 3 loaves) at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until golden & toothpick inserted comes out clean.  Remove muffins as soon as you can while they're still warm and dunk tops into glaze:

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup orange juice

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp. almond extract

2 Tblsp. butter, melted

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan.  Warm until sugar is dissolved.  Once the glaze has been put on top of the muffins, place them (right side up, of course; LOL) on cooling racks until cool.  You can omit the glaze all together if you don't want the mess.  :)

I really wanted to find a good poppy seed muffin recipe because I've always loved them so much, so I Googled it & found this really YUMMY one on Allrecipes.  These are the BEST poppy seed muffins I've ever had in my life!  Store-bought muffins can't possibly compete with these yummy pieces of goodness (not even Costco's!).  I didn't get a chance to make the glaze the first time I made these, but the next time I make them I'll be adding pineapple juice instead of orange.  Tyler absolutely LOVES anything pineapple.  :)  Now, if I could just get a gigantic muffin pan sized the same as the giant muffins you can get at Costco or Sam's Club, I'll be happy.  :)