Garlic Parmesan Monkey Bread

Garlic Parmesan Monkey Bread
2 t yeast
1 1/3 c warm water
2 T olive oil
2 t salt
3 1/2 c flour
1/2 c butter, melted
2 T parsley
5 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 c grated Parmesan cheese

1. In a large bowl, mix yeast and water; let sit for about 5 minutes until yeast has started to foam; mix in olive oil, salt, and flour.
2a. If using a stand mixer, attach dough hook and knead for about 5 minutes, until elastic.
OR
2b. If mixing by hand, knead the dough on a lightly floured surface until dough becomes elastic, about 7-10 minutes.
3. In a small bowl, combine butter, parsley, and garlic; set aside.
4. Transfer dough to a lightly oiled non-metal bowl; cover with a clean kitchen towel and let it rise for 1 1/2-2 hours, or until dough has doubled in size.
5. Punch down the dough; tear into bite-sized pieces, coat in the butter mixture, and place in the bottom of a springform pan, round cake pan, or bundt pan. Repeat this process until you have one layer of dough balls.
6. Sprinkle on 1/3-1/2 of the Parmesan cheese; continue layering the dough balls and cheese until you have 2-3 layers.
7. Cover the pan with a clean towel and allow to sit in a warm place until dough has doubled in size, about 20-30 minutes.
8. Preheat oven to 350*. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until bread is golden brown. Serve hot with a side of marinara sauce.

Nutella Coconut Pecan Pie

Nutella Coconut Pecan Pie
6 tbsp butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup light corn syrup
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp coconut extract
3 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup sweetened coconut flakes
1 cup pecans
1/2 cup Nutella
1 frozen 9" deep dish pie crust, unbaked

1. Preheat oven to 350*; line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper.
2. Add butter, sugar, corn syrup and salt to a saucepan and stir frequently over medium heat until the butter has melted and the brown sugar has dissolved, about 7-10 minutes.
3. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and coconut extracts; let cool for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. While the sugar mixture is cooling, spread Nutella evenly in the bottom of the unbaked pie crust and place it on the cookie sheet.
5. Once the sugar mixture has cooled, temper the beaten eggs and then mix in until completely incorporated; stir in coconut and pecans.
6. Pour the pecan-sugar mixture over the Nutella. Place the cookie sheet in the upper third of the oven.
7. Bake for about 50-55 minutes or until golden brown and set up; place on a wire rack to cool.

Stuffing

I think store-bought stuffing is disgusting. Here's my remedy. :)

Stuffing
1/4 c shortening
1/2 c butter
1/2 onion, chopped
4-5 stalks celery, chopped
1/2 c parsley
1 T poultry seasoning
1 t salt
1/2 t pepper
1/2 c milk
1 egg, beaten
1/2 c chicken broth
12 c (about 12-15 slices) bread, cubed and slightly stale*

1. Preheat oven to 350* and grease a 9x13 pan.
2. In a large skillet, saute shortening, butter, onion, and celery.
3. Take off heat and add in parsley, poultry seasoning, salt, and pepper; mix well.
4. Stir in milk, eggs, and broth.
5. Place bread in a large bowl and pour mixture over bread; toss to coat well.
6. Press in to 9x13 pan and bake for 45 minutes.
*You can either leave the bread out overnight, or place it in the oven on warm for about an hour, tossing every 15 minutes or so.

Lasagna Timpano

This recipe changes every time I make it, so the recipe is just a guideline.

Lasagna Timpano
1 1/2 boxes lasagna noodles
1 c alfredo sauce
1 c pesto
2 c marinara sauce
3-4 c cheese (Parmesan, Mozzarella, Ricotta, Provolone)
pepperoni, sausage, salami, ground beef, etc (opt)

1. Preheat oven to 350*; lightly grease a large, heavy oven-safe bowl.
2. Cook noodles to al dente; to make the crust, line the bowl with noodles, meeting at the center of the base of the bowl, hanging over the edge of the bowl, and overlapping a bit (this is the hardest part).
3. Now you layer. Sauce, noodles, cheese, noodles, meat, noodles, etc (or however you want to mix it up - make it your own). I recommend keeping things on the drier side (1/2 c sauce per layer) to keep it from falling apart when you flip it. End by folding the crust noodles in and covering the top of the lasagna.
4. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes; let rest for at least 20-30 minutes before attempting to flip it.
5. Place plate over bowl and quickly flip lasagna out on to plate; cut like a cake and serve with extra marinara sauce.

Slow Cooker Potato Soup

Slow Cooker Potato Soup
1- 32 oz bag frozen Southern-style hash browns, thawed
1/2 onion, diced
1-2 medium celery stalks, diced
1- 32 oz box chicken broth
1 c water
3 T flour
1 c milk
2 c Cheddar cheese
4 slices bacon, cooked and chopped (opt)
4 green onions, sliced (opt)
salt and pepper, to taste

1. Mix potatoes, onion, celery, broth, and water in slow cooker; cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 4 hours.
2. In a small bowl, mix flour and milk; stir in to slow cooker.
3. Cook soup on high for 20-30 minutes, or until soup thickens; stir in cheese until melted.
4. Serve topped with bacon, green onions, salt and pepper.