Round Peasant Bread

This bread works really well with soup, spaghetti, lasagna, and for making a baked french toast.

1 Tbsp. dry yeast
2 cups warm water

1 Tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. salt
4 cups flour
Oil
Corn meal
Melted butter

Place yeast, water, sugar, and salt in warm bowl; stir until dissolved. Add four and stir until blended. Do not knead. Cover and let rise 1 hour, or until double in size. Flour hands, remove dough from the bowl, (dough will be very loose, not like a normal bread dough) and place in 2 rounds on oiled sheet sprinkled with corn meal (flour works too, but corn meal really makes it great). Let rise an additional hour (I find it only takes 30 min.) Brush top with melted butter and bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes. Reduce oven to 375 degrees and cook additional 20 minutes. Remove from oven and brush with butter. Serve warm.

Variations: This works great using half whole wheat flour. If using a kitchen aid use the paddle to mix, not the kneading hook. Adding dried herbs would be great.

Chocolate Crackle Cookies

1/2 c. Crisco
1 2/3 c. Brown Sugar
2 Eggs
1 t. Vanilla
2/3 c. Milk
2 sq. Unsweetened Chocolate, melted
2 c. Flour
2 t. Baking Powder
3/4 t. salt
powder milk

Cream shortening and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla. Add chocolate. Add milk. Add dry ingredients. Refrigerate for 2 hours. Roll in powder sugar. Bake at 350 for about 15 min or until set. Don't over bake.

Couscous Salad

3/4 cup couscous (uncooked)
1 chicken bouillon cube
1/2 teaspoon dried basil, or 2 teaspoons fresh minced
1/2 pint grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (more or less to taste)
salt and pepper
balsamic vinegar

Cook couscous according to package instructions, adding the chicken bouillon and dried basil.
After couscous is ready stir in tomatoes, garlic powder, and salt and pepper to taste. A couple of drops of balsamic really finishes it off, but is not necessary.
Serve with fish or chicken.

Chocolate Cake Roll

I have tried a few in the past with OK results, but this is by far the best. It is Delicious.

Ingredients
1/3 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
4 egg yolks
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup sugar
4 egg whites
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups softened ice cream, or whip cream, or pudding
powdered sugar(to garnish)

Directions
1Grease and lightly flour a 15x10-inch jelly roll pan, and set aside.
2Stir together flour, cocoa powder, and baking soda and set aside.
3In a medium mixing bowl beat egg yolks and vanilla with an electric mixer on high for 5 minutes or till thick and lemon colored.
4Gradually add 1/3 cup sugar beating on high till sugar is almost completely dissolved.
5Thoroughly wash beaters.
6In separate bowl beat egg whites on medium speed till soft peaks form.
7Gradually add the 1/2 cup sugar, beating till stiff peaks form.
8Fold egg yolk mixture in with egg whites.
9Sprinkle flour mixture over egg mixture, folding gently just till combined.
10Spread batter evenly in the pan.
11Bake 375°F for 12 to 15 minutes.
12Cake should spring back when touched lightly.
13Immediately loosen edges of cake and turn over on towel lightly sprinkled with powdered sugar.
14Roll the cake up w/ the towel jelly roll style, short end to short end.
15Cool on wire rack, unroll and spread w/ softened ice cream.
16Roll up again wrap in plastic wrap and freeze at least 2 hours before serving.

I prefer mine with whip cream in the middle. I then serve it either plan, or with berries on it, or with ice cream on the side. This is very good. I doubled the batch and put it in a large cookie sheet. I had to throw some out as there would have been to much for the pan. Maybe 1 1/2 batch would work. I have made these for cake auctions and they usually bring one of the highest amounts. Enjoy!!!