Olive Garden Copycat Breadsticks

Tags

baking, bread, Breadsticks, Cooking, Food, garlic, Olive Garden, recipe, Sticks, vegetarian

So I cannot take credit for this recipe, I found it at Cooking Classy. I made these breadsticks yesterday for my mother-in-law’s birthday. She is a huge Olive Garden fan, but with the COVID situation we decided to have a small luncheon at home. My daughter challenged me to find a recipe and try to recreate the Olive Garden breadsticks instead of baking my usual bread loaves. This recipe fit the bill!!! My MIL said the breadsticks were even better than Olive Garden’s!!!

I did find that when I measured out 2 oz balls to form into the breadsticks, I actually got 14 breadsticks out of this recipe.

I also chose to make these a day ahead and par-baked them for 6 minutes and then stored them in a ziplock back over night. Then the day of I baked them an additional 7-8 minutes until golden brown and then brushed with the butter and seasoning. You could definitely freeze these too.

Delicious!!! I will definitely make these again! Everyone loved them!

Servings: 12-14

Prep 25 minutes

Cook 11 minutes

Resting 2 hours 30 minutes

Ready in: 3 hours 6 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 cup + 2 Tbsp warm water(110 – 115 degrees)
• 1 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
• 2 Tbsp granulated sugar,divided
• 3 – 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 3/4 tsp salt
• 3 Tbsp vegetable oil or olive oil

Topping

• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1/4 tsp salt (or to taste)
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder

Instructions

1. In the bowl of an electric stand mixer whisk together warm water, yeast and 1/2 tsp granulated sugar until yeast has dissolved. Allow to rest 10 minutes.

2. Add in remaining 1 Tbsp + 2 1/2 tsp granulated sugar, 1 1/2 cups flour, 1 3/4 tsp salt and vegetable oil, then fit mixer with paddle attachment and blend mixture until well combine.

3. Switch mixer to dough hook attachment, add in remaining 1 1/2 cups flour and knead mixture on low speed, adding up to 1/4 cup additional flour as needed, and knead until dough is smooth and elastic.

4. Transfer dough to a large buttered mixing bowl, cover with plastic wrap and allow to rest in a warm place free from draft until double, about 1 1/2 hours.

5. Punch risen dough down, divide into 12 equal portions (2 ounces each by weight), keep them covered with plastic wrap as you work. Roll each piece into a 9 inch rope on a lightly floured surface, then transfer to two parchment paper lined baking sheets. Cover and let rise 1 hour.

6. Preheat oven to 425 during the last 10 minutes of rising. Bake in preheated oven 11 – 13 minutes until golden.

7. Meanwhile, in a small bowl whisk together 1/4 tsp salt and garlic powder.

8. Remove breadsticks from oven and run a stick of butter over hot breadsticks (using 2 Tbsp, or brush with melted butter) and immediately sprinkle with garlic salt mixture.

Broccoli with Garlic, Bacon, and Parmesan – Even the Picky Eaters Can’t Resist This Veggie!

Tags

Bacon, Broccoli, garlic, parmesan, side dish, taste of home, vegetable

I have to admit I am not the biggest fan of broccoli. My husband loves the stuff, so I try to cook it on a regular basis. My youngest daughter, who is a lover of all things bacon,found this recipe in one of my Taste of Home cookbooks. It is packed with flavor and is absolutely delicious! The title of the recipe says it all! Broccoli, garlic, BACON and Parmesan. It’s all good!!! This is a broccoli recipe that even I enjoy! We have made it a few times at our house. If you’re looking for a way to get your picky eaters to eat some broccoli, give this recipe a try!

Broccoli With Garlic, Bacon and Parmesan

1 teaspoon salt

2 bunches broccoli (about 3 pounds), stems removed, cut into florets

6 thick-sliced bacon strips, chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

6 to 8 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions

Fill a 6-qt. stockpot two-thirds full with water; add salt and bring to a boil over high heat. In batches, add broccoli and cook 2-3 minutes or until broccoli turns bright green; remove with a slotted spoon.

In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp, stirring occasionally. Remove with a slotted spoon; drain on paper towels. Discard drippings, reserving 1 tablespoon in pan.

Add oil to drippings; heat over medium heat. Add garlic and pepper flakes; cook and stir 2-3 minutes or until garlic is fragrant (do not allow to brown). Add broccoli; cook until broccoli is tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in bacon; sprinkle with cheese. Yield: 8 servings.

Enjoy!

Balsamic Mushroom Spread – A Flavor Packed Topping for Bread or Appetizers!

Tags

balsamic, garlic, mushrooms, paste, sundried tomatoes, tapenade, vegetarian

This was originally posted by another blogger, but I made it last night. It was delicious! I added 3 Sundried tomatoes to mine. The consistency reminded me of a tapenade. It made for wonderful spread on the fresh baked Hawaiian sweet bread that I made. This could be great served on little toasts as an appetizer too! I also happened to have some of my homemade garlic infused olive oil on hand, so I used that and did not add any additional garlic. The results were. Delicious!!!
Yesterday morning the word mushroom paste popped up in a book I was reading. No recipe, just the mention of a chef being in the process of making mushroom paste. This got me thinking about how you would make this, and somehow I envisioned something creamy, like the vegetarian mushroom spreads I know from whole […]

https://dinnerfornone.wordpress.com/2016/05/15/balsamic-mushroom-paste/

Slow Cooked Citrus Garlic Chicken – Let the Slow Cooker Work It’s Magic!

Tags

Chicken, citrus, Cooking, Food, garlic, healthy, lemon, low-fat, recipe, slow cooked, slow cooker

  
I had purchased a really large whole chicken on sale. I knew this monster was going to take a while to cook, so I decided to throw it in the slow cooker and let that wonderful appliance work its magic! I adore lemon with chicken and we usually stuff our barbecue chicken and turkeys with fruit, so I did sort of a hybrid thing. The chicken was stuffed with lemons, oranges and garlic, but I went crazy with the lemon! It was a great choice! The chicken was so moist and tangy and the garlic and shallots added that nice rustic, savory flavor to the dish.

This was really easy to make and took maybe 10 minutes to put together. You just let it cook all day and then when you’re ready to eat, pull that chicken out and carve off the meat. It practically falls apart! You do want to watch carefully for the bones and pull those out, but this step wasn’t difficult.

In the recipe, you’ll notice that I did not add any additional fat; no oil, no butter, no chicken broth. So the only fat you’re getting is from the chicken itself. I did try to discard the skin after cooking to cut back on the fat.

I served my chicken with a mix of roasted potatoes, sweet potatoes and carrots along with some sautéed greens. Look for a future blog post on the potatoes! I’ve done something similar before, but this version was even better! Let’s just say there was gourmet garlic olive oil and balsamic vinegar involved!

Slow Cooked Citrus Garlic Chicken

1 whole chicken, clean out the cavity and rinse

2 lemons

1 orange

1 shallot

6 garlic cloves, peeled and cut in half or thirds

Salt and pepper

Season the outside and inside of the chicken with salt and pepper. Place your chicken in your slow cooker pot. Cut your orange into 4-6 pieces, small enough so they can fit in the cavity of the chicken, and stuff into chicken. You can also squeeze out some of the juice into the cavity. Zest both of your lemons onto a separate plate and set aside. Cut your lemons in half and squeeze the juice over your chicken, then cut the halves in half and place in and around your chicken. Sprinkle your garlic chunks in and around your chicken. Peel and rough cut your shallot and sprinkle this around your chicken. Sprinkle your lemon zest over the chicken. Cover and cook on low for about 8 hours.

Enjoy!

Thanksgiving Tip #8 – The Joy of Mashed Potatoes

Tags

Cooking, Food, garlic, healthy, low-fat, Mashed potatoes, recipe, recipes, sour cream, Thanksgiving, Tips, vegetarian

  
What’s a Thanksgiving dinner without mashed potatoes? What’s dinner period without mashed potatoes??? I kind of like mashed potatoes! Can you tell?

The great things about mashed potatoes are they’re easy to make, most people love them, and you can get creative with them. You can even keep them pretty healthy and low-fat.

As I mentioned in one of my first Thanksgiving tip posts, I like that you can peel the potatoes the day before and get them soaking in water, so you don’t have much to do on Thanksgiving Day. You can even take it a step further and completely make your mashed potatoes and then warm them up in your slow cooker the day of the holiday.

My Basic Mashed Potato Recipe

4-5 russet potatoes, peeled, washed and cut in half

1 cup fat free sour cream

¾ cup fat free milk

2 garlic cloves, pressed or chopped (or you can substitute garlic powder)

Salt and pepper to taste

In a size appropriate pot, cover potatoes with water and add about a teaspoon or two of salt. Bring to a boil and boil for about 20 minutes or until potatoes are soft. Turn burner down to medium low. Drain the potatoes and return to the pot. Add sour cream, milk, garlic, salt and pepper and stir. Enjoy!

Options – Here’s where you get to play:

• Instead of all Russet potatoes, use half or more of sweet potatoes.

• In addition to your potatoes, boil, mash and mix some carrots with your potatoes. These turn your potatoes a beautiful orange color that is very Thanksgiving appropriate. It sneaks some veggies in too!

• Sliced chives or green onions can be a nice addition that add both flavor and color.

• Of course, you can add butter! It’s delicious, but it does bump up your fat and calories. I choose to make butter available at the table and let people make their own choice about that.

What are your creative mashed potato innovations?

Tawook Chicken with Laban Sauce – A Delicious Lebanese Dinner!

Tags

Chicken, Cooking, cucumber, Food' healthy, garlic, Laban, Lebanese, mint, recipe, Tawook, yogurt

 

Growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area was a great experience! One of the best things about this area is cultural diversity. I was fortunate enough to grow up living across the street from a Lebanese family and I LOVED eating at their house! I love my mom, but she was not known for her cooking talents. Eating at our neighbor’s house introduced me to some new, exotic flavors; garlic (LOTs of it!), olive oil, plain yogurt, cumin, etc.

I’ve been craving some of those exotic flavors and decided to try my hand at making them. I didn’t have the recipes, so I hit the internet and found a great website that helped me satisfy my cravings; mamaslebanesekitchen.com. All credit for the recipe’s mentioned in this post go to that Lebanese Mama!!!
At my neighbor’s, I remember eating this boldly seasoned chicken with a garlic sauce. I think at that time the garlic sauce was more of a garlic paste, but I had a bunch of plain yogurt left after making the chicken marinade, I thought I would use it to make a Laban sauce. With the combination of yogurt, cucumber, lemon and mint, this was a very cool and refreshing sauce that complemented the Tawook chicken very well.

Tawook chicken is usually served as kabobs. I didn’t feel like going through all the work of making kabobs, so I just grilled the whole thighs that I marinated and then cut up the meat. We ate it in pita bread with tomatoes, onion and the Laban sauce. It was delicious this way as well!

Tawook Chicken

Ingredients

2 lbs of skinless boneless chicken breast, cut into cubes/Kabab chunks

1 cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice

a small slice of lemon with the peel (optional, don’t put too much)

15 cloves of garlic, crushed

6 table spoons of plain yogurt (Greek yogurt)

6 table spoons of olive oil

2 table spoons of red vinegar (apple cider vinegar)

1.5 to 2 teaspoons of ground white pepper

⅓ teaspoon of ground ginger spice

½ teaspoon of ground thyme, or ground oregano

⅓ teaspoon of paprika

1+ teaspoon of salt (or to taste)

½ to 1 teaspoon of tomato paste
Instructions

Mix all ingredients well together while rubbing the chicken

Place in a container, cover, and let rest/marinate in the fridge for at least 4 hours

Skewer the chicken right before grilling

Grill on medium heat for 12-18 minutes maximum

As soon as you remove them from the grill, place them in a big warm pot, replace the lid tightly, and let rest for 8-10 minutes – this helps the chicken become more moist (this step is optional)

– See more at: http://www.mamaslebanesekitchen.com/poultry/shish-tawook-chicken-kabob-recipe/#sthash.MfMNTgu4.dpuf 

Laban Sauce

Ingredients

4 persian cucumbers (or equivalent), finely chopped

4 cups of plain yogurt

1/2 cup of water

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

a few leaves of green mint finely chopped, or 1 teaspoon of dried mint powder

a dash of salt

1/2 teaspoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice (optional)

Preparation Method

In a bowl, whisk the yogurt, water, crushed garlic, salt and lemon juice well. If you’re preparing this in summer, you can add 2-3 ice cubes in the mix to cool the yogurt and make it even more refreshing

Finely Chop the cucumbers into cubes of ~ 1/3 inches, add to the mixing bowl

Add the finely chopped green mint or the dried mint powder and salt, mix well

Serve in small soup bowls as an appetizer or snack, enjoy and thank the Lord! 🙂

– See more at: http://www.mamaslebanesekitchen.com/dips/refreshing-cucumber-yogurt-dip-recipe-khiyar-bi-laban/#sthash.ItnBqAZE.dpuf