Easter Bread.....An Easter Tradition!

Easter Bread!

It's Good Friday, and I've been busy preparing for our Easter feast!  This year I'm cooking Lasagna, with a big pot of sauce, meatballs, a baked ham, and a most delicious salad. And for dessert my Ricotta Rice Pie, along with some other delicious goodies.

I love traditions, and baking Easter Bread is one of them.  I started baking this bread the first year my baby girl, Becca was born. We always had traditions while growing up, and I want my children to learn to love them as well.  This bread is so easy, and if you have a Kitchen Aid Mixer, it's even easier!  Make this Easter Bread, have a piece toasted with butter for your Easter "Resurrection Day" breakfast, you and your family will love it!

Have a most blessed and wonderful Easter!

Easter Bread

1 cup warm milk (105 - 115)
1 pkg active dry yeast
2 TBS Sugar

Heat the milk to 105 - 110 degrees,  Let the milk cool or if it's too hot it will kill the yeast. In a large bowl add the yeast, milk and 2 TBS sugar, mix with a fork, and let the yeast get all bubbly.

In your Kitchen Aid mixer, or a big bowl, add the following ingredients:

5 cups flour
1 cup butter melted COOLED butter
4 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp grated Lemon Zest
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp. almond extract

Using the dough hook, or your hands, give it a whirl, then add the milk- yeast mixture.  Turn on the mixer and let the dough hook knead the dough, then add another cup of flour, continue kneading, what does the dough look like?  If it looks like a cake batter, you need to add another cup of flour, until all the dough is wrap around the dough hook.  If it's too dry, just add about 2 TBS water.

Dough wrapped around the dough hook

Take the dough off the hook, knead it a little with your hands, and put it in a well oiled big bowl.  Cover and let it rise in a warm place for 2 hours, until doubled in size.  I like to heat up the oven for about 3 minutes, then turn it off, and put the bowl of dough in the oven, it's a nice warm place for it.

All risen, ready to shape into braids!

While the bread is rising.....Dye 6 - 8 RAW EGGS (3 or 4 for each bread sometimes I do 3, sometimes I do 4!) in whatever Easter colors you want, I like to do this when the kids are dying all the hard boiled eggs, then at the very end they carefully dye the raw eggs for the Easter Bread.

When it's done rising, punch it down turn it out onto a floured board.  You can make 2 loaves of bread with this recipe.  Divide the dough in half, then divide each into thirds, roll out each piece into a long rope, you are going to start braiding.  Bread the dough, and then pinch the ends together making a circle. Place the dyed eggs into the bread, right before it goes for it's 2nd rise.

All braided and shaped into a circle!

With the raw eggs waiting for the 2nd rise!

Put on a greased baking sheet, or what I do is put them in greased spring form pans, I like the shape when it's all baked.  Let them rise again for the 2nd rising,  Carefully brush with an egg wash of 1 egg yolk and 1 TBS water.  Bake in a 350 oven for 20 minutes.  Let cool, and ENJOY!

My traditional Easter Bread!  YUMMO!

Ricotta Rice Pie....An Easter Tradition!

Ricotta Rice Pie!

I will be having my family here for Easter this year....and every year, no matter where we go for Easter, I make this most delicious Ricotta Rice Pie.

This recipe was handed down to me from my Mom.  She use to make this pie every Easter, and even around Christmastime when she hosted the "Deacon's Christmas Party".  I remember it all so well, she would be cooking all week for this Christmas Party, all the delicious foods that us kids would love to eat.  On her menu was "Ricotta Rice Pie".  My sister and I loved this pie, and we were so worried we wouldn't get a piece, after the platter went around to all the Deacon's and their wives. 

Finally the time came, and the platter went around the huge table, there was at least 20 people around that large table. There we were in our P.J.'s, (yes we were very young) waiting in the kitchen for the leftover pie. Would you believe the platter was empty!  YES, EMPTY....but my sister and I enjoyed the crumbs, and they were delicious!

This pie, is so creamy from the ricotta cheese, and you don't even know there's rice in it, it's so tender.  I like to serve this with sliced strawberries and whipped cream, or you could just eat it plain.  Here's the recipe!

Ricotta Rice Pie

2 cups COOKED white rice COOLED (I use Carolina Long Grain)
2 cups Ricotta Cheese
1 & 1/2 cups sugar
5 eggs beaten
1/2 stick butter softened
1 TBS almond extract
1 pint fresh strawberries sliced, and sweetened with 1 TBS sugar
Freshly whipped cream

HINT - Cook the rice the day or night before so it's cooled down. Leave all the ingredients at room temp for about 1 hour before you start mixing, you do not want cold ingredients just won't work!

With an mixer,  beat the butter, eggs, sugar, and almond extract.  Add the Ricotta cheese and beat until smooth.  Add the rice and mix really good.

Grease a spring form pan, and add the batter, or a 9x13 dish.  Bake at 350 for about 45 minutes.  When cooled, run a sharp knife around the spring form pan, and unmold.  Put on a pretty platter, serve with fresh strawberries, sweetened with 1 TBS sugar, and freshly whipped cream! YUMMO!

Beef and Bean Burritos, with Salsa Verde Sauce

Ricotta Rice Pie!

I will be having my family here for Easter this year....and every year, no matter where we go for Easter, I make this most delicious Ricotta Rice Pie.

This recipe was handed down to me from my Mom.  She use to make this pie every Easter, and even around Christmastime when she hosted the "Deacon's Christmas Party".  I remember it all so well, she would be cooking all week for this Christmas Party, all the delicious foods that us kids would love to eat.  On her menu was "Ricotta Rice Pie".  My sister and I loved this pie, and we were so worried we wouldn't get a piece, after the platter went around to all the Deacon's and their wives. 

Finally the time came, and the platter went around the huge table, there was at least 20 people around that large table. There we were in our P.J.'s, (yes we were very young) waiting in the kitchen for the leftover pie. Would you believe the platter was empty!  YES, EMPTY....but my sister and I enjoyed the crumbs, and they were delicious!

This pie, is so creamy from the ricotta cheese, and you don't even know there's rice in it, it's so tender.  I like to serve this with sliced strawberries and whipped cream, or you could just eat it plain.  Here's the recipe!

Ricotta Rice Pie

2 cups COOKED white rice COOLED (I use Carolina Long Grain)
2 cups Ricotta Cheese
1 & 1/2 cups sugar
5 eggs beaten
1/2 stick butter softened
1 TBS almond extract
1 pint fresh strawberries sliced, and sweetened with 1 TBS sugar
Freshly whipped cream

HINT - Cook the rice the day or night before so it's cooled down. Leave all the ingredients at room temp for about 1 hour before you start mixing, you do not want cold ingredients just won't work!

With an mixer,  beat the butter, eggs, sugar, and almond extract.  Add the Ricotta cheese and beat until smooth.  Add the rice and mix really good.

Grease a spring form pan, and add the batter, or a 9x13 dish.  Bake at 350 for about 45 minutes.  When cooled, run a sharp knife around the spring form pan, and unmold.  Put on a pretty platter, serve with fresh strawberries, sweetened with 1 TBS sugar, and freshly whipped cream! YUMMO!

Chinese Chicken with Veggies...and Fried Rice!

Homemade Chinese Chicken with Veggies!

Well yet another MONSTER Storm is headed our way.  I don't understand, I've been living here in Northern, New Jersey now for 20 years, and years back the storms were never called, "Monster, or Super", just plain old snow storms.  I am hoping this storm passes us.  I feel Spring in the air, and really would love some warmer temps. I actually saw a Red Robin today!  My Mom said it's a sign that Spring is near!  

I have been experimenting with Chinese recipes now for the past couple of weeks.  This past Thursday I made an awesome dish.  Chinese Chicken and Veggies. It was so delicious! I made Fried Rice to go along with it, and everyone loved the meal.  A very easy recipe, a few pots and pans, and planning, but so well worth it.

Chinese Chicken with Veggies

4 Chicken Cutlets sliced in strips
1 Cup Broccoli florets
1/4 cup Snow Peas
1/2 Red Pepper sliced in strips
1 small onion sliced in strips

Marinade
1/4 cup low sodium Soy Sauce
2 Tbs Sesame Oil
2 Tbs Rice Vinegar
1 Tbs freshly grated Ginger
2 tsp sugar
2 TBS chopped Green Onions

Whisk all the Marinade ingredients together and pour half of it over the sliced strips of chicken and marinate for 2 hours in the frig.  Reserve the rest of the marinade for cooking.

In a large skillet, on medium heat, add 2 Tbs of canola oil and saute the onions until done, add the rest of the veggies, and lightly saute them until just about done, but don't overcook!

Take the veggies out of the skillet and put them aside.  Turn the heat to med/high, add 2 more Tbs of canola oil to the skillet and brown the chicken strips until done, no longer pink, and cooked through.

Turn down the heat to med/low, add the veggies back to the skillet, add the reserved marinade to the chicken and veggies and stir constantly so nothing burns for about 3 minutes until everything is combined.  Now TASTE IT!  What does it need?  Probably nothing right since there is plenty of salt in the soy sauce.

Fried Rice

2 cups cooked Rice, I used Jasmine
2 large eggs
1 Tbs chopped green onion
1/4 cup frozen peas
3 - 4 splashes of low sodium Soy Sauce
2 Tbs butter

Cook up the rice. While the rice is cooking, in a large skillet add about 2 Tbs butter and melt.  Add the 2 eggs and scramble really well.  Turn off the heat and add the cooked rice, add the peas, and soy sauce.  Mix well, add the green onions for garnish.  Taste it....does it need more soy sauce?  YUMMO!

You can use whatever long grain Rice you want.  But Jasmine is really delicious. Also, you can add whatever you want to your Fried Rice.  This is the way my Mom use to make it for me when I was a kid, and it's so satisfying! 

Homemade Fried Rice!