Welcome

Thanks for coming to the "KlopKitchen". I hope you find some recipes that you and/or your family will enjoy. I love to cook and am always trying new recipes. So I decided to blog my favorites as I come across them. I hope you enjoy them.

Please feel free to make comments about any recipes (suggestions, add ins, changes, etc....)you try.

Oh, and one more thing....I have tried all the recipes on this blog and only put ones that I really like on it. Thanks!


Abby

Thursday, January 29, 2009

Mom's Spaghetti Sauce

I make this and freeze it.

2 16oz cans tomato sauce
2 16oz cans Italian diced tomatoes
1 12oz can tomato paste
1/4 c spaghetti seasoning
4 cloves garlic, pressed
1/3 c sugar
1 c chopped onion
1 lb. hamburger or sausage, fried and drained, optional
2 med. fresh tomatoes, diced
1 8oz package of mushrooms (I finely chop so the kids don't complain) I added this ingredient

Saute garlic and onion in 1 t olive oil. Add all other ingredients except fresh tomatoes and simmer 1 hour or more. Add fresh diced tomatoes and simmer 5 min more.

Sunday, January 18, 2009

Refried Black Beans

This is one of my recipes that I pretty much created by completely changing a recipe. It's one of my favorites because I love refried beans.

1 t canola oil
1/2 c. chopped onion
2 large garlic cloves, mince
3/4 t cumin
1 15oz can of black beans, undrained ( I have used kidney beans or red beans before too)

Saute onion and garlic for 2 min. in oil in a small saucepan. Add cumin and stir. Then add the black beans and mash with potato masher partially. Simmer 10 min or until thickened.

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

White Mountain Bread

As requested, I am posting some bread recipes, since I love to bake bread. This is my favorite white loaf bread I use to make sandwiches, etc....
I will tell you that it takes practice making bread and when to know when you have the right amount of flour. It all depends on the humidity in the air, etc... so good luck:)
I will try and be thorough in my explanations. I am writing directions for using the stand mixer, if you want to do it all by hand, I can give you some tips too.

You can also make this into 2 found loaves on a baking sheet.

When I took this pic, mine didn't rise as high as I would have liked. I rushed it a bit. Really do wait until it rises about 2 inches past the edges of pans before baking:)
3/4 c warm water (105-115 degrees)
1 T active dry yeast or one package
Pinch of sugar
1 1/2 c milk (105-115 degrees)
3 T unsalted butter, melted or veg. oil
3 T honey
1 T salt
6-6 1/4c all purpose or bread flour

Pour 1/4 c of the warm water into a small bowl. Sprinkle yeast and sugar over the surface of the water. Stir gently a few times to moisten evenly. Let rest at room temp for about 10 min.

In large bowl of heavy duty mixer fitted with paddle attachment, combine the remaining water, milk, butter, honey, salt, and 1 cup flour. Beat hard until creamy about 1 minute (or 3 minutes by hand....have fun there). Stir in the yeast mixture. On low speed in electric mixer add the remaining flour, 1/2 c at a time, until a soft dough that just clears the sides of the bowl is formed. The dough will be slightly stiff and sticky.

Switch to dough hook and knead for 5-6 min or until dough is smooth and springy and springs back when pressed. I then transfer the dough to a floured surface and knead briefly by hand.

Place the dough in a lightly greased deep container. Turn once to coat the top so that the plastic does not stick and the surface does not form a crust. Cover completely with plastic wrap loosely. Let rise at room temp until doubled in bulk about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Do not worry or rush if the dough takes longer.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and deflate. Lightly grease bottom and sides of two 9x5 loaf pans. Without working dough any further, divide into two equal portions with a metal scraper or knife. Pat each portion of dough into a long rectangle; it does not need to be exact. Fold the dough into thirds, overlapping the 2 opposite ends in the middle. Beginning at the short edge, tightly roll up the dough jelly-roll fashion into a log that is about the same length as your pan. Pinch the ends and the long seam to seal. While placing the loaf in the pan, tuck the ends under to make a neat, snug fit. The log should be of a even thickness and fill the pans about 2/3 full. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise again until double in bulk about 2 inches over rims of pan, about 45 min.

Twenty min. before baking, preheat oven to 375. Remove plastic wrap and using a serrated knife, with a quick motion of your wrist make a long slash lengthwise down the center of the loaf, no more than 1/4 inch deep, to create a long groove that will spring open, giving the dough room for expansion. Immediately place on center rack of oven and bake 40-45 min or until the laves are golden brown in color. Transfer loaves immediately to wire cooling rack, otherwise crust will get soggy. Be sure to let the loaves rest for at least 15min, to allow excess moisture to evaporate so the center will not be doughy and to finish the baking process.

Thursday, January 1, 2009

Chicken Jalapeno Dip

Love this one. I made it for New Year's Eve and then Molly got sick so we just stayed home. But we still ate it up!

1 can cream of chicken
1 8oz of cream cheese
1 cooked chicken breast, diced (0r you can use a can of chicken)
1 large jalapeno, seeded and minced

Stir all up and put in a small slow cooker (on low for about 1 hour)or in a baking dish (bake in oven 350 for 20 min. You can also just zap in micro. til hot and bubbly.