A good friend gave this recipe to me.  He tried it and said it was very good.  So, I tried it too...and it is as he said...very good.

No-Knead Stone Ground Wheat Bread
This no-knead stone ground wheat bread is the easiest homemade bread you'll ever make! With no kneading required and just a short rise time, you’ll have a hearty, wholesome loaf fresh from the oven in no time. Perfect for toast, sandwiches, or simply enjoying with a pat of butter!
Prep Time: 5 minutesCook Time: 40 minutesRising Time: 25 minutesTotal Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Ingredients

• 3 cups stone ground stone ground  wheat flour 
• 1 cup all-purpose flour 
• 1 packet instant yeast (2 ¼ teaspoons)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons maple honey
• 2 cups warm water  (not hot)
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large egg

Instructions

1. Prepare the Pan – Lightly grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan with non-stick spray and line the bottom with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. Mix Dry Ingredients – In a large mixing bowl, combine the stone ground wheat flour, all-purpose flour, instant yeast, and salt. Stir well.  (scoop and level the flour...do not pack)
3. Combine Wet Ingredients – In a separate bowl, mix the honey into the warm water. Pour this mixture over the dry ingredients, then add the egg and olive oil. Stir until a soft dough forms.
4. Let it Rise – Transfer the dough to the prepared loaf pan, smoothing the top with the back of a spoon. Cover and let it rise in a warm place for 20-30 minutes, or until it reaches just below the top of the pan.
5. Bake – Preheat the oven to 400 (F). Bake for 40 minutes, or until the bread is golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped.
6. Cool & Serve – Let the bread cool in the pan for a few minutes before transferring it to a cooling rack. Once cooled, slice and enjoy!

This hearty, no-fuss bread is perfect for any meal—whether paired with a warm bowl of soup or topped with your favorite spread. Happy baking! 🍞✨

Baked Rigatoni with Beef, Mushrooms & Olives

This cozy, hearty casserole is perfect for cold days and makes a delicious, comforting meal. It's filled with tender pasta, savory ground beef, zesty olives, and melty cheese. Trust me, it’s a crowd-pleaser!
​
Ingredients:

• 2 cups uncooked rigatoni
• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 3 to 3.5 cups  of your favorite pasta sauce/Italian gravy (Ragu, Prego, Muir Glen, etc.)*  **
• 1 (3.8 oz.) can sliced ripe olives, drained
• 1/2 lb fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• Cooking spray (for greasing the baking dish)

Instructions:

1. Preheat & Prep: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Spray a 4-quart baking dish with cooking spray to make sure everything comes out nice and easy later.
2. Cook the Rigatoni: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the rigatoni according to the package instructions. Drain and return the pasta to the pot.
3. Brown the Beef: While the pasta is cooking, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Brown the ground beef, breaking it apart as it cooks. Add the chopped onions and sliced mushrooms to the skillet, cooking until they soften and the beef is fully browned. Drain any excess fat.
4. Combine Ingredients: Add the cooked beef mixture to the pasta pot. Toss in the drained olives and your pasta sauce (4 to 4.5 cups, depending on your preference). Stir everything together until well combined.
5. Cheese It Up: Sprinkle in 1/4 cup of the Parmesan cheese and 1 cup of the shredded mozzarella. Stir again to melt the cheese into the mixture, making it rich and creamy.
6. Transfer & Top: Pour the pasta mixture into your prepared baking dish. Top with the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Now it’s ready for the oven!
7. Bake It: Cover the dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes, or until the center reaches 165°F. Then, uncover the dish and bake for another 10 minutes to get that golden, bubbly cheese on top.
8. Serve & Enjoy: Let it sit for a few minutes before serving. Then dive in and enjoy your warm, cheesy, comforting baked rigatoni!

Makes 8 delicious servings.
*  I like to add 1 tablespoon of sugar to my pasta sauce...this is optional.
**  I ended up using 4 cups because I like it "saucier".

My favorite apple, MacIntosh, is in season.  And since I had a basket full of apples, I was looking around for a new recipe for anything "apple".  Somehow, I came across this recipe and it truly is a keeper!  It is dense and moist and so full of autumn flavors...apples, cinnamon, brown sugar.  BTW, it is more the density of a coffee cake rather than a cake care.  And the dough/batter is more crumbly than smooth.  Please enjoy.

Ingredients

For the cake -

4 cups chopped and peeled apples
2 cups sugar
1 cup oil
3 eggs (room temperature)
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon

For the frosting - 

1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup whole milk
1 stick butter

Directions

1. Mix cake ingredients by hand, then spread in greased a 9” x 13” pan.
2. Bake at 350 F for 35 to 45 minutes or until tester in center comes out clean.
3. While cake is baking, prepare frosting. Combine frosting ingredients in saucepan.
4. Bring to a boil and allow to boil for 4 minutes.
5. When cake is ready, pour frosting over cake.
​6. Return cake with frosting to oven for 4 minutes

A good friend came across this recipe on Tik Tok...and swore that it was delicious.  Since it was simple, I decided to give it a try.  And, yes, everything he said was true:  easy, not many ingredients, adaptable and yummy.

Here is the basic recipe:

One box yellow cake mix
Two eggs (room temperature)
One stick (1/2 cup) butter melted.  If you brown the butter, the flavor is richer.
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chunks

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine first four ingredients.  Then fold in the one cup of semi-sweet chocolate chunks.

Use an ice cream scoop to drop batter on baking pan.  Bake 13 minutes or until done.  My oven is slightly slow so it was 13 to 14 minutes.

Cool.

Enjoy

(In the cookies pictured above, I used 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chunks, 1/2 cup peanut butter chips, and 1/2 cup honey roasted mixed nuts that were coarsely chopped in food processor)

A friend introduced me to this idea for easy and delicious cinnamon rolls.  The result is so delicious that this always make any day or event extra special.

What you will need:

1 can Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls with Original Icing (8 count)
Heavy Whipping Cream
1/2 Stick Butter
3 - 4 Heaping Tablespoons Brown Sugar
Dash of Cinnamon
Dash of Vanilla Extract
1 small can cream cheese frosting

How to do it:

Spray 8" or 9" square baking pan with non-stick spray
Preheat Oven to 350 degrees
Open can of cinnamon rolls, separate and place in square baking pan
In a small saucepan, melt the butter.  Then add the brown sugar, stirring until combined.  Add dash of cinnamon,  Add splash of vanilla.  Stir.
Pour whipping cream around the sides of the cinnamon rolls until about 1/2 way up the side of the rolls.
Pour butter brown sugar cinnamon vanilla mixture over top of rolls
Bake (uncovered) at 350 for 25 to 30 minutes (my oven is a bit slow so it took 34 minutes)
Cool slightly before frosting.

​Enjoy.

During this last year the motto "keep it simple" has become a part of my life.  Therefore when I came across this three ingredient cake recipe, I knew I had to try it out.  Here is the basic recipe:

1 box of cake mix (Betty Crocker, Pillsbury, etc)
1 can of pie filling
3 eggs

Combine all three ingredients and pour into a prepared 9" x 13" cake pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes (or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean).

Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream...and enjoy.

In the cake pictures above I used one box of butter cake mix with one can of strawberry pie filling.  In a video that I saw, the baker used one box of yellow cake mix with one can of apple pie filling.  The recipe is flexible...just keep the cake mix and the pie filling compatible.

BTW, the strawberry version is delicious.  The next time I try this, I am thinking of using a box of chocolate cake mix with a can of cherry pie filling.

~Wylddane

This recipe is actually for a "lemon Cream Dump Cake."  However, the finished product is more like a bar...and I am sharing here as a recipe for "Lemon Cream Crunch Bars."  It's a simple recipe and the bars are delicious.

Ingredients:
1 box yellow cake mix
1 can (21 ounces) lemon pie filling
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

Instructions:
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the yellow cake mix and melted butter. Mix until crumbly.

Spread half of the crumb mixture evenly onto the bottom of the prepared baking dish, pressing it down lightly.
In another mixing bowl, whisk together the lemon pie filling and softened cream cheese until well combined and smooth.

Pour the lemon cream cheese mixture over the crumb layer in the baking dish, spreading it out evenly.
Sprinkle the remaining crumb mixture over the top, creating a crumbly layer.

Bake in the preheated oven for 40-45 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the cake is set in the center.

Cool before serving...and they can be served either warm or cold.  I stored mine in the fridge.

Two days ago, I tried this recipe and it is a keeper.  It is not gourmet but rather it is "comfort food"...the kind of food you can put together on a busy Saturday, have a glass or two of wine while it is cooking, and then enjoy a very good meal.

2 pounds of boneless/skinless chicken breasts (the recipe is flexible so you can use boneless/skinless chicken thighs instead...or chicken tenders)
1 1/2 cups barbecue sauce (I used Lunardi's Sweet Bourbon Grilling Sauce...but use your favorite)
1 15-oz can of crushed pineapple (packed in its own juice...not heavy syrup)

Combine all ingredients in crock pot...stir gently, then cover and cook on low for 4 hours (or cook on high for 2 hours).

Serve over hot cooked rice along with a simple salad.

Serves 4

Casseroles are part of Midwestern existence.  And when it is Winter, hearty casseroles are required from time to time.  So when the last major snow storm happened (11" of snow followed by sub-zero temps) happened, I tried out this recipe a friend had sent to me.

After reading the reviews of the recipe, I did make some modifications.  Here is the recipe and the modifications will be in red.

1 pound lean ground beef
2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
1 small can mushroom slices, drained
1 (10.5 ounce) can cream of mushroom soup (you can use golden mushroom soup)
3/4 cup milk (I used 3/4 cup sour cream)
1/2 cup chopped onion
salt & pepper to taste (try using Montreal Steak or Hamburger seasoning instead...or Slap Ya Mama)
3 cups peeled and thinly sliced potatoes (I used russet baking potatoes and left them unpeeled)
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1 - Preheat oven to 350(F)
2 - Prepare 3 quart baking casserole with Pam
3 - Heat a large skillet over medium high-heat...with butter or oil.  Cook and stir ground beef, onion and spices until brown and crumbly, 5 to 7 minutes.  Drain and discard excess grease.
4.  Combine condensed soup, milk (or sour cream), hamburger mixture, mushrooms, 1 cup cheese and potatoes until combined.
5.  Pour into greased (prepared) casserole dish.  Cover and bake for 60 minutes.
6.  Uncover, top with remaining 1 cup cheese and bake for an additional 20 to 30 minutes...until bubbly and golden brown.

​Lastly, enjoy.

This easy to make yet delicious coffee cake works well as a stand alone coffee cake with a cup of coffee...or it can easily fit in with a Sunday brunch.  Here is the recipe;

1 can (21 ounces) apple pie filling
1 package (about 15 ounces) white cake mix
3 eggs
1/2 cup butter - melted
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 - 2 teaspoons cinnamon sugar

1.  Preheat oven to 350 (F) degrees.  Spray with nonstick cooking spray or grease a 13x9-inch baking pan.
2.  Place apple pie filling in large bowl.  With a potato masher, mash apple slices into smaller pieces.  Add cake mix, eggs and butter.  Stir until well until just blended.  Spread batter in prepared baking pan; sprinkle with pecans, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.
3.  Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.  Cool in pan at least 15 minutes before serving.  Can be served warm or cold.  Also a scoop of vanilla ice cream is a nice addition.

​Makes 12 to 16 servings.