Pita Bread

I made my own pita bread using the following recipe, which I found at allrecipes.com - here.  It's a simple recipe, just a little time consuming.

• 1 1/8 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons white sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast

1. Place all ingredients in bread pan of your bread machine, select Dough setting and start. When dough has risen long enough, machine will beep.
2. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface. Gently roll and stretch dough into a 12 inch rope. With a sharp knife, divide dough into 8 pieces. Roll each into a smooth ball. With a rolling pin, roll each ball into a 6 to 7 inch circle. Set aside on a lightly floured countertop. cover with a towel. Let pitas rise about 30 minutes until slightly puffy.
3. Preheat oven to 500 degrees F (260 degrees C). Place 2 or 3 pitas on a wire cake rack. Place cake rack directly on oven rack. Bake pitas 4 to 5 minutes until puffed and tops begin to brown. Remove from oven and immediately place pitas in a sealed brown paper bag or cover them with a damp kitchen towel until soft. Once pitas a softened, either cut in half or split top edge for half or whole pitas. They can be stored in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for several days or in the freezer for 1 or 2 months.

Chicken Gyros

This recipe for the chicken comes from allrecipes, found here (a friend referred me to this favorite).  The sauce recipe I have had for years, I'm not sure where it was found.

Chicken Gyros

Marinade:

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 T. lemon juice

2 teaspoons red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1 1/4 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into strips

Pita Bread

Mix the first six ingredients together in a bowl.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Stir in chicken strips and to evenly coat.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and marinate in the refrigerator for 1 hour. 

Remove chicken from marinade.  Discard the remaining marinade.  Place chicken on a large baking dish.  Broil chicken in preheated chicken until light browned and no longer pink in the center, 2 – 4  minutes per side.

Transfer cooked chicken to a plate and allow to rest for 5 minutes.

Serve with warmed pita bread topped with chicken strips, sauce, tomatoes, red onion, lettuce, cucumber slices, olives, and feta cheese.

Tiffani's Tip:  I double the above recipe for my family.  Click here for the recipe for making your own pita bread.

Sauce:

1 cup sour cream or plain yogurt

2 cloves  garlic, minced

2 tsp. dried dillweed

½ tsp. onion powder

1 tsp. red wine vinegar

Spanish Rice

This is one of Grandma Anderson's recipes, a family favorite.  Chase just requested that I (Bev) bring a dish of this with me when I come tomorrow to see him and Danielle (just recently admitted to the hospital).  After looking through the cupboard, I was able to find this original recipe!

3 small onions
2 lbs. hamburger
2 T. butter
2 tsp. salt
1 green pepper, chopped
1/4 tsp. black pepper
3 cups stewed tomatoes
2 cups cooked rice
2 T. prepared mustard

Cook onions, peppers in butter till brown.  Add meat, salt, pepper, mustard and stir constantly till meat is seared well.  Butter baking dish and add alternating layers of meat and rice until all is used.  Pour tomatoes over all.  Bake 1 hour at 350.  Serve hot.

Asian Sesame Salmon

I have had this salmon recipe before and it's delicious.  Now you can make it yourself without having to buy this little packet at the store (like I did) - and save money on spice packets.  The recipe is on the back of this McCormick package.

1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup thinly sliced green onions
2 T. soy sauce
2 tsp. toasted sesame seed
1 tsp. minced garlic, dehydrated
1 tsp. minced onion, dehydrated
3/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper (optional)

2 lbs salmon fillets

Mix honey, green onions, soy sauce and all of the spices except red pepper in small bowl until well blended.  Stir in red pepper to taste, if desired.  Place salmon in 13 x 9 inch baking dish.  Spoon  honey mixture evenly over salmon.

Roast salmon in preheated 375 oven 20 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork, basting occasionally with honey mixture.

Laura Bush's Cowboy Cookies

Laura Bush's Texas Governor's Mansion Cowboy Cookies
**These are just simply really amazing cookies. So yummy and makes a ton of dough to freeze for later. 

Yield: enough cookies to feed most of the Lone Star State

3 cups flour

1 tbsp baking powder

1 tbsp baking soda

1 tbsp cinnamon

1 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups butter, at room temperature

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

3 eggs

1 tbsp vanilla

3 cups semisweet chocolate chips

3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

2 cups sweetened coconut flakes

2 cups chopped pecans (8 oz) (optional - I omit)

Preheat oven to 350ºF.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.

In a second bowl, beat the butter on medium speed until smooth. Add the sugar and brown sugar and beat for another 2 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla. 

Stir in the flour mixture, blending until just combined. Add the chips, oats, coconut, and pecans and stir until fully incorporated.

Drop by rounded tablespoon onto an ungreased baking sheet, making sure to allow plenty of room between cookies. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the edges are set and golden brown. Allow the cookies to cool on the pan for 1-2 minutes before placing on a cooling rack.