Roasted Chicken

ROASTED CHICKEN

2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoons paprika
½ teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon thyme
½ teaspoon white pepper
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
¼ teaspoon black pepper
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
1 onion, quartered
1 large, whole chicken


Mix spices in bowl. Set aside. Rinse chicken and pat dry, inside and outside. Rub chicken inside and outside with spices. Place onion inside cavity. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Bake uncovered until golden brown and the drumsticks don’t resist being pulled (about 1 ½ hours or longer depending on the size of the chicken).

*You can prep the chicken up to a day ahead and just pop it in the oven about 1 ½ to 2 hours before you want to eat.

*To make this even faster and easier, you can mix up a few batches worth of the spice rub at a time to keep on hand.

--Amy Hiatt

30-Minute Home-made Pizza

30-Minute Home-made Pizza
Ingredients: 1 Tbsp active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
2 1/2 cups flour

Toppings: Sauce, cheese, others

Steps:
1. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees.
2. Pour the yeast and sugar in the water. I like to do this in my Kitchen Aid. Let it rest for 5-10 minutes. It will be nice and bubbly. This is a good time to prepare the sauce or toppings.
3. Add the salt, oil, and flour. Knead well for about 5 minutes. You want a smooth ball. The dough will be sticky. Let it rest for about 5-10 minutes. Here's another good chance to finish the toppings and grease your pan (I use a large, 10" X 13"cookie sheet)!
4. Press the dough into a cookie sheet. Use your hands to spread it out--it doesn't even need rolling!
5. Add sauce, cheese, and toppings. One of my favorites is barbecue sauce, onions, and canned chicken (fast and easy!)
6. Bake for about 13 minutes.

--Carla Jansen

Easiest Whole Wheat Bread

Easiest Whole Wheat Bread
Many of you have asked for this and I'm finally getting around to posting it. It really is easy!!! If I can do it- anyone can!

2 (8X4 inch) loaves
3 ½ C. whole wheat flour
1/3 C. gluten flour
1 ¼ T. instant yeast
2 ½ C. steaming hot tap water
1 T. salt
1/3 C. oil
1/3 C. honey or ½ C. sugar (I always use honey)
1 ¼ T. bottled lemon juice
2 ½ C. whole wheat flour

Mix together first three ingredients in mixer with a dough hook. Add water all at once and mix for 1 minute; cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Add salt, oil, honey or sugar and lemon juice and beat for 1 minute. Add last flour, 1 cup at a time, beating between each cup. Beat for about 10 minutes until dough pulls away from sides of the bowl. This makes a very sot dough.
Preheat oven for 1 minute to lukewarm and turn off. Turn dough onto oiled counter top; divide, shape into loaves place in oiled bread pans. Let rise in warm oven for 15-20 minutes until dough reaches top of pan. Do not remove bread from oven; turn oven to 350 F and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from pans and cool on racks.
If you do not have a mixer with a dough hook and are kneading this by hand, gradually ad last cup of flour to keep dough from sticking to counter. You will add more flour when kneading by hand than when using a mixer simply to be able to handle this moist dough. With wheat bread, always add the least amount of flour possible to keep bread moist. Knead 10 minutes before shaping dough into loaves.
Gluten is natural protein derived from wheat. It is used in bread to provide elasticity and strength, added texture and helps retain moisture in bread and doughs. It helps prevent crumbling and extends the shelf life of baked bread. If you do not want to store gluten flour, you may substitute whole wheat flour in its place.
Jamie Rasmussen (Eliza Smith)

Banana muffins (or bread)

Banana Bread/ Muffins
I got this really yummy recipe from Jane Carter. My kids and Michael loved it too!

1 cup bananas
1 tsp baking soda
½ c. yogurt
¼ c. vegetable oil
¾ c. brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 C. all purpose flour
½ c. whole wheat flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 pinch salt

Preheat oven 350 degrees
Combine bananas, soda, and yogurt. Put to the side.
Combine oil, sugar, egg, and vanilla.
Combine dry ingredients.
Combine banana mixture with oil mixture.
Add wet with dry- don’t blend too much.
Bread: 50-60 minutes
Muffins: 22 minutes

Cafe Rio burritos or Salad

It's your creation, so pick your favorite meat and then add rice, tomatillo dressing, lettuce, black beans, and anything else you like on a burrito or salad.

Cafe Rio Pork/Beef
3 1/2-4 lb Pork Roast or Beef Roast
2 T Brown Sugar
1 tsp Red Cayenne Pepper
2 tsp Cumin
1 tsp Salt
1 Can Coke (I use Sprite)
1 cup Chicken Broth
2 cloves Garlic, minced
4 small onions, chopped
1 cup Brown Sugar

Night before: Mix together brown sugar (2 T), cayenne, cumin, and salt. Rub on roast. Put in crock pot on LOW all night. (I've never done this over night, just in the morning, and it's fine!)
Next morning: Add coke, chicken broth, garlic, and onions. Keep on LOW unitl ready to serve. About 1 hour before serving, shred roast and add 1 cup brown sugar. Use in Salads, tacos, or burritos. yummy! serves 12

Café Rio Chicken (This is the one I made for Dining Divas)
2 lbs chicken
3 Tbs. lime juice
½ C. olive oil
½ C. chopped cilantro
¼ C. soy sauce
2 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. cumin
2 cloves garlic

Mix everything together in a crockpot and cook on low for 6 hours (or until chicken falls apart).


Tomatillo Dressing
1 1/3 C. sour cream
¾ C. mayonnaise
½ - 1 bunch of cilantro
1 pkg. ranch dressing mix
4 Tbs. Salsa Verda – green salsa
3 cloves of garlic- minced
1/8 tsp. Tabasco sauce (makes it hot- omit if you don’t want it hot)
juice from 1 lime
Put all ingredients together and blend.


Café Rio Rice
3 ½ C. water
3 C. rice
3 cloves of garlic
1 tsp. salt
1 can diced green chilies
4 tsp. chicken bullion
½ bunch cilantro chopped fine
½ onion chopped fine
Put all together in a rice cooker and start!
Enjoy!

Caramel Rolls

Caramel Rolls

2 packages (8 ounces each) refrigerator biscuits

1/4 cup melted butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Mix sugar and cinnamon together in small bowl. Dip individual biscuits into melted butter and then into cinnamon and sugar mixture. Place each covered in biscuit in greased 3 1/2-5 quart slow cooker. Cook on high heat 2 1/2-3 hours, or until rolls are done. You can check rolls in the center after 2 hours for doneness. Makes 6-8 servings.

***When I checked at exactly 2 hours they were already burned around the edges***

--Julianna T

Apple Brownies

Apple Brownies

2/3 cup butter

2 cups brown sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup nuts (optional)

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup apples (granny smith or jonathon are best)

powdered sugar

Cream butter and sugar together. Add eggs and vanilla and mix. Then slowly add combined dry ingredients and mix again. Add apples last in chunks. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes in a greased 9x13 pan.

--Julianna T