I made this bread for a soup supper for my teachers at school. It's great for dipping into soups, but it definitely has a strong beer taste.

Ingredients
2 c. all purpose flour
1 c. whole wheat flour
1/3 c. packed brown sugar
4 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1 c. shredded sharp cheddar
12 oz. bottle of lager or stout
2 Tbsp butter, melted

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare loaf pan for baking. In large bowl, combine flours, sugar, baking powder, salt, and garlic powder. Whisk to combine well. Add cheese and whisk to combine. Slowly add beer to dry ingredients and stir lightly until combined. Knead dough lightly until it just comes together. Place into prepared loaf pan and pour melted butter over top. Place in oven to bake for 55-60 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into center of loaf comes out clean.

Recipe Source - http://goodthingscatered.blogspot.com/2008/09/easy-cheesy-beer-bread_16.html

I got this recipe off a blog a long time ago, and have seen it many places since, but I don't remember the original source. It's a great, easy crust.

Ingredients
1 tbsp active dry yeast
1 cup warm water (105 to 115 degress F)
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 1/2 cups flour

Directions
Dissolve the yeast in the water. Add the rest of the ingredients in and mix. Dump onto a floured surface. Knead into a smooth dough (five minutes or so). Roll out and press down onto a greased pizza pan. Add some pizza sauce and your toppings. Bake at 450 degress F for around 12-15 minutes until the crust looks crispy and lightly browned.

Our Christmas break got off to a bit of a rough start. Corey woke up on Christmas Eve with a stomach bug. :( Needless to say, it wasn't a very enjoyable day and we had to miss Christmas Eve service at church, which is always one of my favorite services of the year. On the plus side, he woke up on Christmas day feeling better, so we still got to go visit my family and Eric's family. Now that we are back home, we are looking forward to a week of relaxing together. Eric has to go back to work this week, but Corey and I have one more week off school! Woo hoo! We plan to see a couple of movies, read some books, and just enjoy some time at home. Our menu this week is pretty simple. We're trying to avoid a trip to the grocery store, so we're relying on freezer items and pantry staples. For other menu ideas, visit orgjunkie.com. We hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!

Sunday - Tuna Noodle Casserole, Corn, Orange and Apple Slices
Monday - Mexican Gumbo, Oranges (didn't get to it last week due to illness)
Tuesday - Cheese Manicotti, Salad, Garlic Muffins (from the freezer) (didn't get to it last week due to illness)

Wednesday - Chili (from the freezer), Peanut Butter Sandwiches
Thursday - Homemade pizza, Salad
Friday - Bruschetta 'n Cheese stuffed Chicken breasts (suggested by my sister-in-law, Tanya), Green Beans Almondine
Saturday - BBQ Pork (from the freezer) Baked Potatoes, Salad, Peaches

This recipe was pretty simple to make and looks very impressive. It is definitely a company-worthy dish. I took four large chicken breasts and split them half to make 8 thin breasts and avoided having to pound them thin. I also substituted Kraft Light Italian dressing for the one mentioned in the recipe because it was what I had on hand. I have an alternate, casserole-style version of this recipe listed at the end.

Ingredients
1 can (14-1/2 oz.) Italian-style diced tomatoes, undrained
1-1/4 cups Shredded Low-Moisture Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese, divided
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1 pkg. (6 oz.) Stuffing Mix for Chicken
8 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves (2 lb.)
1/3 cup Kraft Roasted Red Pepper Italian with Parmesan Dressing

Directions
HEAT oven to 350°F. Mix tomatoes, 1/2 cup cheese and basil in medium bowl. Add stuffing mix; stir just until moistened.

PLACE 2 chicken breasts in large freezer-weight resealable plastic bag. Pound with meat mallet or side of heavy can until chicken is 1/4 inch thick. Remove from bag; place, top-sides down, on cutting board. Repeat with remaining chicken. Spread chicken with stuffing mixture. Starting at 1 narrow end, tightly roll up each breast. Place, seam-sides down, in 13x9-inch baking dish. Drizzle with dressing.

BAKE 40 min. or until chicken is done (165°F). Sprinkle with remaining cheese; bake 5 min. or until melted.

Recipe Source - Kraft

OR

If you don't want to go to the hassle of pounding, stuffing, and rolling chicken breasts, you can make it casserole style with this recipe from the Stovetop website:

Bruschetta Chicken Bake

Ingredients:

1 14 oz can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 pkg stuffing mix for chicken
2 cloves garlic, minced
1-1/2 lb. boneless skinless chcken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 t dried basil leaves
1 c shredded mozarella cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place tomatoes with their liquid in medium bowl. Add stuffing mix, 1/2 cup hot water, and the garlic; stir just until stuffing mix is moistened. Set aside.

2. Place chicken in 13x9 baking dish; sprinkle with basil and cheese. Top with the stuffing mixture.

3. Bake 30 min. or until chicken is cooked through.

Makes 6 servings.

These are very tasty. I used frozen green beans that you steam in the bag and they worked great.

Ingredients:
1 1/4 lbs. Fresh green beans, trimmed
1 tsp. Butter
1/2 tsp. Shallot, minced
1 each Garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup Toasted sliced almonds
3 slices Bacon, cooked and chopped (optional)
Salt, to taste
Fresh ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:
Blanch green beans in simmering, lightly salted water for 3 minutes or until slightly tender
yet firm. Remove green beans and immediately submerge in ice water to chill thoroughly.
This step halts the cooking process allowing vegetables to retain their crispness and color.
Melt butter in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add shallot and garlic, sauté until
translucent. Add blanched green beans, almonds and optional bacon. Sauté for 3 - 4 minutes while stirring. Season with salt and fresh ground black pepper. Transfer to a warm serving platter or bowl for service.
Yield: 4 - 6 Servings

Well, I've been fighting a stupid cold all week, so this is going to be a short post. We're out of school for break, though, which is a great thing. I didn't get to a couple of recipes last week, so you'll see them repeated this week (I made one tonight). I do promise to get pictures added to the recipes this week.

As far as a family favorite holiday recipe goes, my son has really enjoyed making brownie lollipops. He even made some by himself for his girlfriend for Christmas.

Here's the menu for the week. We'll be traveling some, so friends will be staying at our house to take care of the dogs, and I have no idea what they will cook. ;) I'm going to enjoy having someone cook for me for a few days. I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas! For more menu ideas, go to orgjunkie.com.

Sunday - Herbed Chicken in Pastry, Brussels Sprouts, Peaches
Monday - Beef Porcupine Balls, Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans
Tuesday - Mexican Gumbo, Oranges
Wednesday - Cheese Mannicotti, Salad, Rolls
Thursday - Eat at my mom’s house
Friday - Eat at Eric’s mom’s house
Saturday - Eat at Eric’s mom’s house

Last week was a bit hectic for our family (which is not unusual), but on top of it all, I managed to catch a cold. I'm such a wimp about being sick. Anyway, this week shouldn't be too bad. Corey has a band concert on Tuesday, and Friday is our last of school before Christmas break. Woo hoo! They are predicting bad weather for this week. It's 60 degrees out right now, but supposedly the temperatures are supposed to drastically drop tonight, and we are under a winter weather advisory for sleet, freezing rain, and snow. They are forecasting this kind of weather all week, so we'll have to see what happens. I don't really want the weather to be bad enough that we would miss school, but there's always that part of you that can't help but root for the snow day. :)

I did a pretty good job with last week's menu (the only meal I didn't get to was the shrimp). The pork medallions were unbelievably good. They will definitely make it into the rotation. This week I have a couple of new recipes as well, so I will get photos up as soon as I make the meals. Here's this week's menu. For more menu ideas, see orgjunkie.com.

Sunday - Pot Roast, Potatoes, Green Beans, Salad

Monday - Bourbon chicken, Rice, Pea Pods

Tuesday - Eat out (band concert)

Wednesday - Herbed Chicken in Pastry, Brussels Sprouts, Peaches

Thursday - Pork Chops with Cranberry Balsamic Sauce, Rice, Broccoli

Friday - Beef Porcupine Balls, Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans

Saturday - Eat at book club