Cinnamon Raisin Bread

This is an amazingly wonderful bread! I love a good cinnamon raisin bread and I've been looking for a recipe for awhile and of course my friend at Joy in my Kitchen had one!
I adjusted it a bit for my own personal tastes and its delicious.

Cinnamon Raisin Bread (for the bread maker)-modified from Joy in my Kitchen

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3 1/4 cups bread flour
2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp dry milk
2 Tbsp butter, cut up
3 1/2 Tbsp sugar
1 cup raisins
1 tsp cinnamon
10 1/2 oz water
1 1/2 tsp yeast

1. Place all ingredients in your bread maker as listed by your manufacturer; but add raisins right away. If you place the raisins in right away with all other ingredients, they'll get chopped up and dispersed all throughout the bread, which I like better.
2. Bake according to directions but don't use rapid cycle. My machine takes about 3.5 hours from start to finish. Believe me, it's worth the wait.
3. Allow to cool a bit before slicing.

Glaze (optional):
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 Tbsp milk

Drizzle over top of cooling bread. And enjoy!

Valentine's Day

Hubby and I don't do anything big on Valentine's Day, we try and show our love everyday and not just 1 day a year. And we also don't like spending a bunch of money, but that is just us.

So we set a $5 budget to spend on one another this year. It was fun trying to think of ways to be really creative with only $5. But I was successful!

Hubby loves Coke. We don't keep them in the house and we don't budget for them in our groceries, it's just a huge expense that we don't feel is necessary. He does occasionally buy a Coke at work from the vending machine, usually on Friday's. He calls it "Coke Friday." It's a treat for him and that is totally fine, because it's not every week.

When I was thinking of what I wanted to get him, Cokes were the first thing to cross my mind. I wanted to buy him a 12 pack and make them in the shape of a heart on the counter, instead of just handing him a box of Cokes. It had been so long since I bought a 12 pack of cokes, I was hoping that with tax, they would be under $5. And thankfully, they were!
I got him a 12 pack, Caffeine free, Coke. And he loved it!

What do you do for your Valentine's Day?

Menu Plan Monday #22

February 15th-February 21st

Monday, 15th: Chicken and Biscuits

Tuesday, 16th: Cheesy Manicotti

Wednesday, 17th: Pork Chops with Apples and Stuffing

Thursday 18th: Smothered Chicken

Friday, 19th: Calzones from my pizza dough and sauce

Saturday, 20th: Cheesy Chicken Skillet

Check out the how-to video for steps on how to make this dish

Sunday, 21st: on your own

Have a wonderful week!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Chicken Tortilla Soup-modified from Recipelink

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2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (or 1/2 whole chicken, shredded)

1 1/2 tsp olive oil

1/2 medium onion, minced

2 Tbsp garlic, minced

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp dried oregano

1 (14.5 oz) can crushed tomatoes (I use Rotel here)

1 (28 oz) can low-sodium chicken broth (I use 32 oz)

3/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp water, divided

1/4 cup cornstarch

1 (4 oz) can chopped green chiles

4 oz. shredded Cheddar cheese (I use a little more, we like cheese)

1 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro (I use dried)

2 cups tortilla chips

1 bunch green onions, sliced (optional)

1. Bring about 1 inch of water to a boil in a skillet large enough to hold the chicken in a single layer. Add chicken, reduce heat to a simmer and cook until chicken is done, about 15 minutes. Drain chicken; cut into 1/2-inch cubes. OR go here to see how to cook a whole chicken and use shredded chicken.

2. In a medium stockpot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; saute until soft.

3. Stir in chili powder, oregano, tomatoes and their liquid, chicken broth and 1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp water.

4. Stir together cornstarch and remaining 1/4 cup water; stir into stockpot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes, until broth is slightly thickened.

5. Stir in chiles, cheese, cilantro and cooked chicken. Stir until cheese melts, then let simmer for 10 minutes.

6. Ladle soup into bowls; serve chips on the side (or crumble on top of each bowl of soup). Garnish with chopped green onions (optional).

Whole Chicken in the Crock Pot & Chicken Broth

Whole Chicken in the Crock Pot-from The Happy Housewife

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1. Unwrap chicken, remove bag of stuff, (chicken can be partially frozen, that is just fine).

2. Rinse the chicken.

3. Spray crock pot with non-stick spray.

4. Place chicken in crock pot, no liquid required.

5. Pour 2-3 Tbsp olive oil over top of chicken and sprinkle with choice of spices (I like salt and pepper with onion and garlic powders; and then depending on what I'm going to use the chicken for, I make it more taste specific for that dish).

6. Place lid on the crock pot, set on LOW, cook 5 hours.

7. Remove from pot, let cool, shred amount of chicken desired and serve; or add to a dish.

(I got my whole chicken for about $.79 a pound at Aldi; I'm sure you can find it for cheaper in the adds some weeks).

Note: I usually cook my whole chicken, shred it and put all the shredded chicken in a bag in the freezer. I pull out what I need for my BBQ Chicken Pizza or whatever recipe I need that calls for shredded chicken. It's a much cheaper option then using boneless/skinless chicken breasts all the time!

Homemade chicken broth:

1. Leave liquid in crock pot, shred chicken and place bones and skin back into crock pot.

2. Add 5 cups water and cook on LOW overnight.

3. Wake up to homemade chicken broth!

4. Drain well, removing all bones and skin.

5. Place in desired containers and place in refrigerator.

6. Take out of fridge and remove layer of fat.

7. Either use in a dish or place in freezer for later use, (freezes up to 6 months).

(I got about 32 oz of chicken broth but I accidentally turned the pot on "keep warm" instead of "low." Next time I'll put on LOW and I expect to get more broth.

Check back next time for Chicken Tortilla Soup, made using meat from the whole chicken and the homemade chicken broth!

Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Bread

Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Bread-from Joy in my Kitchen

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1/4 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup water
1 3/4 cup applesauce (oil works fine here too, but applesauce makes it better for you; and you might not need as much oil)
1 cup flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cup oats (I used Old Fashioned)
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 nutmeg
1-2 Tbsp brown sugar (for sprinkling on top)

1. Cream butter and sugar together.
2. Add applesauce.
3. Add oats, flours, cinnamon, salt, baking powder and nutmeg.
4. Pour in greased bundt pant (or 2 loaf pans).
5. Sprinkle top with brown sugar.
6. Bake for 45-60 minutes, at 350 degrees F.
7. Cool 5 minutes in the pan, remove to wire rack and cool completely.
8. Place on serving plate a little warm and serve. I sprinkled mine with a little bit of powdered sugar to glam it up.

Enjoy!

This post is linked to Tempt My Tummy Tuesday.

Menu Plan Monday #21

February 8-February 14

Monday, 8th:
Chicken Bowls

Tuesday, 9th:
Brushchetta Chicken

Wednesday, 10th:
Pulled Chicken Sandwiches on Whole Wheat Rolls

Thursday, 11th:
Taco Soup-recipe to come (from someone at church)

Friday, 12th:
Breakfast (Cinnamon rolls, eggs and bacon)

Saturday, 13th:
Going away party for a friend

Sunday, 14th:
Mellow Mushroom (with friends, its new in our city! and so delicious!)

Kraft Foods was goofing up, so I couldn't link my recipes this week. I'll try again later. Sorry. Have a great week! It's a beautiful, winter wonderland here, again!