Black Raspberry Braided Bread (Bread Machine Recipe)

 One of my favorite things to make come summer is my Black Raspberry Braided Bread. It has quickly become a favorite among my family and friends as well. This year we did a fundraiser with the bread to help Bubba earn the money he needed to go to camp with our Youth Group. You need a bread machine to make the dough portion of this recipe. My hand is next to the bread so you can see how large one loaf is.

Yum Yum Sauce (Japanese White Sauce)

 

Last night I made Hibachi Chicken and Fried Rice for dinner. It was a huge hit with the family and you can find the recipe here on the blog. Today I wanted to share the recipe I used to make the Japanese White Sauce known as Yum Yum Sauce. It is a very simple and easy sauce to make that I will probably be making a lot now as my kids loved it! They even said they want it just to dip veggies in instead of Ranch.  

Ingredients for Yum Yum Sauce:

1 1/4 cups Mayonnaise (real stuff not Miracle Whip)

1/4 cup water

1 tsp ketchup

1 Tbsp melted butter

1 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp seasoning salt

Directions for Yum Yum Sauce:

Combine all ingredients in a medium size bowl and refrigerate until you are ready to eat dinner. I made mine up about 1/2 hour before dinner and put it in the fridge until dinner was ready.

ENJOY!!

Hibachi Chicken with Fried Rice Dinner

 

I have become burned out on cooking the same thing all the time and even my kids have started asking to try new foods. Mr. Anderson and I took the big to a local Hibachi restaurant a couple weeks back and they loved. So I thought I would try to fix some at home and I must say that I was terrified that I would mess it completely up. Since it was not a epic fail instead a triumph I am sharing the recipes with you and I hope you enjoy them as much as we did.

23 Kitchen Tips & Tricks

 

So I am always finding new little tricks to help me in the kitchen and I wanted to share some with you. I have a list of 23 Kitchen Tips for you below. If you try and any let me know how they work for you or if you have a tip feel free to leave it in a comment.

FRITTER AWAY: (recipe)Got zucchini? Make fritters! The key to making them crispy is to first lightly salt the coarsely grated vegetable and set aside in a colander to drain for 15 minutes. Then wrap it up in a clean kitchen towel and squeeze firmly to expel as much liquid as possible.

KERNEL KEEPER: An easy way to prevent corn from going everywhere when you are cutting it off the cob is to use a Bundt pan. Place the cob in the center, standing it up on the protrusion, and cut downward so the kernels tumble directly into the pan.

JAVA JUICE: For the ultimate iced coffee, brew several cups of your favorite blend and sweeten to taste with condensed milk. Cool, then pour into ice cube trays (silicone are the easiest) and freeze overnight. Use these to chill your iced coffee and they will only enhance, never dilute.

TOMATO TIME: Prolong the life and enhance the flavor of ripe tomatoes by keeping them at room temperature rather than in the fridge. Always store them stem end down. This prevents air from entering - through the cut stem. If possible, eat them within 2 days.

SUMMER, CUBED: (recipe) Preserve fresh herbs, such as thyme, chives, and rosemary, by chopping them finely and packing them into an ice cube tray. Top up with olive oil, then cover with plastic wrap and freeze. The cubes dissolve easily into sauces and provide bright flavor all year long.