I love to make homemade pizza! If you are looking for an easy dough recipe, please consider trying this one.

Pizza Dough

3 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 package yeast
1 cup water
2 teaspoons vegetable oil

In the Tupperware Thatsa Bowl, mix together the flour, salt and yeast until all 3 ingredients are combined. Stir in the oil and the luke-warm water with the Tupperware Saucy Silicone Spatula. Knead the mixture until the dough is formed. (about 5 minutes). Cover and allow to rise at room temperature for 45 minutes while you prepare your pizza toppings.

Cut dough ball in half (in two) for thin pizza crusts. Roll out dough ball and place onto your pizza pan. Shape the edges (for a thick pizza). Apply your desired pizza toppings. Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 15-17 minutes or until done.

A super simple recipe that uses Bisquick baking mix to make cheesy biscuits.

Cheese Biscuits

2 cups Bisquick Baking Mix
1/2 cup cold water
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large Tupperware bowl, combine all ingredients so that it forms a soft dough. Gently smooth dough into a ball on a floured dough board. Knead 5 times. Roll dough so that its a 1/2" thick. Cut with a floured 2" round biscuit cutter. Bake on a baking sheet lined with the Tupperware Silicone Wonder Baking Mat (its nonstick) for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned. This recipe will make 10-12 biscuits.

I was at Starbucks earlier today and they were handing out recipe cards with some of the recipes of the foodie items that they make and sell. This is an authentic Starbucks recipe.

Banana Walnut Bread

2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 egg
1 1/8 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tbsp. buttermilk
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 ripe bananas (mashed)
1/2 + 1/3 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease a loaf pan and dust with flour. Blend together the flour, baking soda and salt and set aside. Mix together the egg, sugar and vegetable oil until combined. Add the flour mixture and when blended add the buttermilk, vanilla and mashed bananas and mix until combined. Fold in 1/2 cup chopped walnuts and pour batter into prepared loaf pan. Top batter with remaining 1/3 cup of chopped walnuts. Bake for 45-60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack before removing from pan.

How To Make Homemade Soft Pretzels

Just like most people, I enjoy a good soft pretzel from time to time. However, I hate paying $3.00 for one at my local mall or area sporting event, when I can make a great tasting one at home.

This recipe was given to me by an Amish woman that I had gotten to know back in the late 1980's. The Amish here in South Central Pennsylvania, are great pretzel makers. This recipe will make 28-30 pretzels, so I recommend freezing the ones you won't be eating that day.

Pretzel Making Tips

1. You can buy kosher coarse salt at most grocery stores.
2. Follow the recipe closely and in the order that the steps are given.
3. If you want to freeze them after baking, cut the baking time down by 2-3 minutes. Let them completely cool, then wrap for freezing. To reheat them from the freezer, microwave on 50% power for 1 minute.

Soft Pretzels Recipe

2 1/2 cups warm water
2 packages dry yeast
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons salt
5 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
1 egg
7-8 cups all-purpose flour

In a large mixing bowl, combine the warm water and yeast; stir until yeast is dissolved. Stir in the granulated sugar, salt, butter, egg and 3 cups of flour. Beat mixture at medium speed until all ingredients are combined and smooth. Add remaining flour and mix until dough is still. Place dough mixture in refrigerate for 4 hours.

Remove dough and divide in half. Return the other half back to refrigerator until you have the other half worked. Place dough on a lightly floured dough board and divide into 15 equal pieces, form each piece into a log shape that measures 18" long. Shape into a pretzel form.

Place onto a greased cookie sheet or a baking sheet lined with a nonstick silicone baking mat. Brush each pretzel generously with egg white. Sprinkle each one with coarse salt. Let them sit on baking sheet to rise for 5 minutes. Place baking sheets into a preheated 350 degree oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until they are golden brown.

Article Copyright © 2009 By Shelly Hill and Shakin 'N Bakin Recipe Blog. This article can not be reproduced without my permission.

How To Make Your Own Homemade Bread

When it comes to baking your own homemade loaf of bread, it's really a lot easier than you might think. All you need are a few basic ingredients and a loaf pan.

Here are a few tips to get you started.

1. Make sure you use warm water. Hot water kills yeast!
2. Always make sure your yeast is fresh and not beyond the expiration date.
3. Let dough rise in a warm area of your kitchen. Do not let the dough rise in a hot area near your oven or stove.
4. Follow bread making recipes exactly. Do not skip any steps or ingredients.

Homemade Bread Recipe

2 cups milk, scalded
4 tablespoons granulated sugar
4 tablespoons shortening (Crisco)
3 teaspoons salt
2 packages dry yeast, softened
1 cup warm water (not hot)
6 cups of Robin Hood Flour

Using a small bowl, dissolve yeast in lukewarm tap water. Let yeast mixture stand for 10 minutes. Scald milk in a saucepan. Add granulated sugar, salt and shortening in a large bowl. Cool to lukewarm temperature. Add yeast mixture and then add flour gradually, beating thoroughly after each addition.

Turn dough out on a lightly floured dough board. Knead until smooth, then let it sit for about 10 minutes. Shape into a ball and place in a large bowl. Let dough rise until it has doubled in size, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Shape into loaves. Place in greased bread pans (use 1 1/4 pounds of dough for each loaf). Cover and let rise until double in size. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Remove from oven to cool, then place bread in an airtight bread container.

This article is Copyright © 2009 By Shelly Hill and can not be reproduced without my permission.

We love using vegetables that we harvest from our garden every year and Zucchini is one of them! We always harvest more than we could possibably use so I like to freeze my zucchini.



To Freeze Zucchini: First wash and peel your zucchini. Then use a grater to shred it or cut into round slices and place into the Tupperware Quick Chef to shred it down. I measure mine out into 2 cups and fill ziplocs (the new vacuum seal bags) and seal them. I label them, date them and put on the bag that there is 2 cups inside it. It's good for up to 1 year in your freezer. Most of my Zucchini recipes call for 2 cups of shredded Zucchini so that is why I freeze in 2 cup measurements. Now onto my recipe that I made on Sunday.



Zucchini Pineapple Bread



With the addition of crushed pineapple to this recipe, your bread will come out super moist!



3 eggs

1 c. vegetable oil

2 c. sugar

2 tsp. vanilla

2 c. shredded zucchini

1 ( 8 1/4 oz ) crushed pineapple, drained

3 c. flour

2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. baking powder

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp. nutmeg

1 tsp. salt



Beat eggs, oil, sugar and vanilla in the Tupperware Thatsa Bowl until thick. Stir in remaining ingredients and mix well. Pour into 2 greased loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for about 1 hour. Makes 2 loaves.



This bread freezes well for up to 3 months in your freezer. Cool your loaves. I then wrap mine in plastic wrap tightly and then take foil and wrap around that. I then label them and freeze them.

I enjoy making this bread recipe because its easy, requires only a few ingredients and it tastes delicious.

2 (10 ounce) pkgs. frozen sliced strawberries, thawed
4 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups granulated sugar
3 cups flour
1 Tbsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 1/4 cups chopped nuts

Beat eggs in a bowl until fluffy. Add oil, sugar and strawberries. Sift together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Add the strawberry mixture and blend until well mixed. Stir in the chopped nuts. Pour batter into 2 greased and floured loaf pans. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 1 hour or until done. Cool in loaf pans for 15 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool.

Biscuits Tips

Biscuits will be crisp on the outside and flaky in the center if you roll the dough thin and fold it over once before cutting out biscuits. They'll also split open easily when you're ready to butter them.

To re-freshen and heat biscuits, put them in a well-dampened paper bag, twist it closed and put in a 300º oven for several minutes or until warm.

If you want soft-sided biscuits, bake them in a pan with sides and put the biscuits close together.

If you want crusty biscuits, bake them on a cookie sheet and place them apart from each other.

Here in our household none of us like the crust from bread, not sure why...but none of us eat the crust! So...over the years I have learned to freeze the crusts from bread along with any breads or rolls that are starting to get stale. One recipe I like to make that uses up all of my frozen bread stash is homemade bread pudding. When I make bread pudding, this is the recipe I like to use because it's quick and easy.

Classic Bread Pudding Recipe

3 cups of bread cubes
4 eggs
2 cups of milk
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 cup of raisins

In a large bowl combine eggs, milk, sugar, cinnamon, vanilla and salt. Mix by hand until blended. Stir in raisins. Place bread cubes in a 3 quart casserole baking dish. Pour egg mixture over the bread cubes and stir until they are coated with the mixture. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. You can serve warm or cold. Refrigerate left-overs.

Here at our house, I make homemade cinnamon rolls twice a week for my husband to take into work and for our family. In the morning, I don't want to deal with complicated recipes so here is how I make our cinnamon rolls.

Easy Cinnamon Rolls

2 loaves frozen bread dough, thawed and cut into bite-sized pieces
3/4 c. butter or margarine
1 1/2 c. brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 large box Vanilla Cook & Serve Pudding Mix (not instant)

Place bite-size pieces of bread dough into a greased 9x13" baking dish. (I like to line mine with the Tupperware Silicone Wonder Mat so nothing sticks to it). In a large saucepan cook the remaining ingredients over low heat, stirring constantly, until butter is melted. Pour the cooked mixture over the bread and let rise until double in size. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 25 minutes or until done. Turn upside down immediately onto a baking sheet lined with the Tupperware Silicone Wonder Mat to cool. You can leave them plain or whip up your favorite vanilla frosting recipe.

If you have not tried the Tupperware Silicone Wonder Mats, you are really missing out! They are fabulous for baking and nothing sticks to them! They are super easy to clean up (hot soapy water) and they roll up for storage. You can locate them in my Tupperware Store. They are also imprinted with circles and are great for rolling out pie dough!

I made these for Easter to go along with our Easter Meal. Instead of using a round biscuit cutter, I decided to use a heart shaped one. My daughter likes putting gravy over top of her biscuits, but I just like them plain with a little butter.

Sweet Potato Biscuits Recipe

3 c. flour
6 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 c. mashed sweet potatoes
4 tbsp. shortening
1 c. milk

Sift together flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Stir in cinnamon. Add the mashed sweet potatoes and then the milk. Cut in the shortening. Mix into a soft dough, I find it best to just use my hands. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface. Use a biscuit cutter and cut out your biscuits. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Do not over-bake them!

I guess at times you could call me a frugal cook! I like to make homemade bread crumbs 4-5 times every year and this is how I make them.

You will need:

food dehydrator
blender or food processor
parsley, oregano, basil, dried chopped green onion, rosemary, seasoned salt, black pepper and garlic salt or garlic powder
left-over bread

Breads: I save all the crusts from our bread, any bread that is becoming stale, left over rolls, potato rolls, crackers that are stale, etc. You can even throw in a few thin pretzels!

I keep big freezer zipper close bags in my upright freezer and fill them up with left over bread products, then 4-5 times a year, I get them out and thaw out my bread and rolls.

I use a 7 tray Ronco (tm) food dehydrator. I lay my bread slices down onto the trays and turn it on. It takes around 6-8 hours so I usually do it before I go to bed and then in the morning, its ready to go.

Remove your miscellaneous bread products from the dehydrator trays and break them into smaller pieces. (make sure they are completely dried out). I separate them into smaller piles. I place one pile at a time into my food processor along with my desired amounts of spices (see above, I don't measure any spices out, just season it to your taste). Turn on the food processor and chop it up until its of fine crumb consistency. Pour the crumb mixture into a large bowl and repeat the steps until all your piles are done.

Pour your crumb mixture into an air tight container. I like putting mine into the Tupperware (tm) Oval Modular Mate Container. Label and then store in your pantry.

I use these bread crumbs in meatloaf, in meatballs, on fish and chicken.

You will need to experiment with your spice choices as the ones I listed above are the ones we like to use. Pretty simple and a lot cheaper than buying your bread crumbs at the grocery store!

Have fun and mix up the variety of breads that you use to make the bread crumbs to create some unique flavors!

If you love a very flavorful and moist banana bread, then I would like to recommend to you this Banana Beer Bread Recipe.



Banana Beer Bread Recipe



2 c. self-rising flour

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1/2 c. sugar

1 c. mashed ripe banana

1 c. warm beer

1 1/2 tsp. honey



Mix all ingredients in a large bowl using a rubber spatula. Place batter in a loaf pan sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Bake on center rack of oven at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes or until toothpick tests clean. Allow to cool slightly before serving.

This is one of my favorite recipes to make on the weekend for my family and its a Tupperware Recipe! It's super simple to make and it tastes delicous! You can make it as a side dish bread helping or as a snack and its absolutely great to make if you are hostessing a party!

Tomato, Red Onion and Basil Bruschetta Recipe

1 loaf ready to bake French bread or baguettes
2 tsp. Simple Indulgence™ Italian Herb
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cup red or white onions, chopped
3 tbsp. basil, chopped
2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tbsp. shredded Parmesan cheese

Place loaf on baking sheet; rub with olive oil and sprinkle with 1 tsp. Simple Indulgence™ Italian Herb. Bake according to package directions or use a pre-baked French bread baguette. Combine cherry tomatoes, onion, basil, balsamic vinegar, sun-dried tomatoes and garlic in bowl; season with 1 tsp. of Simple Indulgence™ Italian Herb, salt and pepper. Cover and let stand at room temperature. Preheat broiler. Cut baguette in half lengthwise and place on baking sheet. Top with tomato mixture and sprinkle with cheese. Broil about 2 minutes until cheese melts and bread is toasted. Cut each half into 4-5 pieces.

Butterscotch Pull-Apart Bread Recipe



24 dinner rolls, thawed but still cold

1/2 small box non-instant butterscotch pudding mix

1/2 c. chopped pecans

1/2 c. butter

1/2 c. brown sugar



Spray bundt pan with non-stick cooking spray. Cut rolls in half and roll in dry pudding mix. Arrange in pan alternately with pecans. Sprinkle remaining pudding mix over top. Combine brown sugar and butter; heat together until butter is melted and syrup has formed. Stir well. Pour syrup over rolls. Cover with sprayed plastic wrap.



Let rise until double in size or even with top of bundt pan. Remove wrap and bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. Cover with foil the last 15 minutes of baking time. Do not under or over bake! Immediately after baking turn out onto a serving platter to cool. Serve slightly warm.

Chocolate Bread Pudding Recipe
Serves 12

1 loaf (1 lb) challah bread, cubed
2 cup heavy cream
2 cups milk
¾ cup sugar
12 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1½ tsp. Simple Indulgence™ Cinnamon & Vanilla
6 eggs

Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine the cream, milk and sugar in Chef Series™ 2 ½ Qt. Nonstick Saucepan. Heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved; remove from heat and cool slightly. Add chocolate and Cinnamon and Vanilla seasoning, stir until chocolate completely melts and is blended in. Break eggs into a medium Wonderlier® Bowl; gradually beat in the warm chocolate. Place bread cubes into a buttered 16-oz./500 mL OvenWorks™ Casserole and a 9” square baking pan. Pour chocolate mixture over the bread, pressing down on bread to coat. Bake 16-oz./500 mL OvenWorks™ Casserole 35-45 minutes and 9” square baking pan 45-60 minutes until centers are set and knife comes clean when inserted into center.

Crème Anglaise
Makes 1½ cups

¾ cup heavy cream
¾ cup whole milk
1/3 cup granulated sugar
3 egg yolks
1 tsp. vanilla

Combine the cream and milk in a Chef Series™ 2 ½ Qt. Nonstick Saucepan and heat over medium heat. In a medium bowl, combine the sugar and egg yolks and whisk until well blended and pale yellow in color. Once the cream and milk come to a simmer, remove from heat and pour about 1/2 cup of the warm mixture over the eggs and whisk to blend. Do not add too much hot liquid or you will curdle the eggs. Return the saucepan to the stove, and pour the hot mixture into it. Use the Saucy Silicone Spatula and stir the anglaise in the saucepan and cook until it begins to thicken about 5 minutes. Add vanilla and remove from the heat and pour through a fine mesh strainer into the 8-oz./250 mL OvenWorks™ Shallow Casserole/Cover. Pour over bread pudding.

One of my favorite fruits are bananas and I was hungry for some banana bread. Early this morning I baked a fresh loaf of Banana Raisin Bread. You can top it with vanilla or cream cheese frosting (we did vanilla). It came out super nice because I used a silicone bread loaf baking pan...nicely browned on all sides as you can see! I like to store my handmade breads in the Tupperware Modular Mates Rectangular Size 4 Container.

Banana Raisin Bread Recipe

1/3 c. butter, melted
2/3 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 c. mashed ripe bananas
3 tbsp milk
2 c. flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 c. raisins
1/2 c. chopped walnuts, optional

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a loaf pan. Stir together butter, sugar and eggs, blend in banana and milk. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt. Add to banana mixture, stir until dry ingredients are moistened. Fold in raisins and walnuts. Spoon batter into pan. Bake for 60 minutes or until done.

Pineapple Banana Bread Recipe

3 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 tsp. salt
2 tsp. vanilla
2 c. sugar
3 eggs, beaten
1 c. oil
2 c. bananas, mashed
8 oz. can of crushed pineapple
*optional* chopped pecans or walnuts

Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl, set aside. Mix remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Add dry ingredients and mix. Grease and flour 2 loaf pans. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 50-60 minutes or until done.

Note: If you want them to come out nice and brown, try baking your bread in silicone bakeware.

This particular recipe for Apricot Bread is a really delicious moist bread. If you are allergic to nuts, you can substitute the nuts for an equal amount of raisins.

If you like to bake and freeze items ahead of time, this bread will freeze well. Let it completely cool and then wrap in plastic wrap, followed by a layer of aluminum foil. It will keep for up to 3 months in your freezer.

Apricot Nut Bread Recipe

1 cup dried apricots
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup shortening
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup nuts, chopped
1/2 cup orange juice

Preparation: Soak the dried apricots for 15 minutes in warm water; drain and then chop them into small pieces and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium-sized bowl, sift together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt and the baking soda. In a large bowl, cream together the vegetable shortening and granulated sugar; add in the beaten egg. Stir in the water and orange juice until all ingredients are well combined.

Slowly blend in the flour mixture with the wet ingredients until all are combined. Gently fold in the chopped nuts and apricot pieces.

Lightly grease a loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray. Pour batter into the loaf pan making sure that its even. Let it stand for 5 minutes before placing it into a preheated oven. Bake the Apricot Nut Bread at 350 degrees for 45 to 60 minutes or until its done. Remove from the oven and let it cool down for 10 minutes in the loaf pan, before transferring it to a wire rack to cool.

Copyright © 2009 Shelly Hill, all rights reserved. If you would like copies of my cooking and recipe articles for your site/blog, please contact me for my free reprint policy. Thanks!