Pasta Primavera

This is one of our family'e favorite pasta dishes. It is quick to throw together and easy to double the batch. I use fresh carrots if I have them. When using fresh carrots, you need to simmer the sauce until the carrots are tender instead of turning off the heat and allowing it to just sit and re-hydrate the veggies. I also trade up the noodles sometimes using spaghetti noodles and sometimes fettuccine. 

This dish freezes well so I always double it and put the extra in a freezer bag. To use the frozen pasta dish, just thaw and microwave in a covered, glass dish until heated through, stirring occasionally. It makes for a quick and easy dinner with garlic bread and lettuce salad served on the side.

Pasta Primavera
Everything can be done in the time it takes the pasta to cook for a quick dinner any night.
1 can cream of mushroom soup	¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
¾ cup reconstituted powdered milk	½ tsp dried, minced garlic
¼ cup dehydrated carrots	⅛ tsp pepper
2 cups frozen broccoli florets	3 cups cooked spaghetti
Combine everything but the spaghetti in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil and turn the heat off. Allow to sit for 15–20 minutes until vegetables are tender. Stir in pasta and heat through. Source: All Things Provident by Tamara Price

Whole Grain Pancake Mix

Here's my latest and greatest attempt at a whole grain pancake that doesn't require eggs. The battery is dead on my camera so you'll just get to imagine how good they look. I'd wait until I could take pictures again, but that could be forever with as crazy as my life has been. I decided you would probably rather get the recipe now and not wait on photos. Enjoy! Whole Grain Pancakes
1 cup whole wheat flour	1 Tbsp baking powder
1 cup rolled oats	1 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup corn meal	5 Tbsp dry milk powder
1/4 cup sugar	Approx. 1 1/2 cups water
1 tsp cinnamon	2 Tbsp white vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
Mix all the dry ingredients together. Add the water and mix well. Allow to sit for 10-15 minutes to soften the oats. Stir in the vinegar just before baking and add more water if needed to give you the right consistency. Cook on a hot griddle. This recipe can easily be turned into a large mix. Just multiply the recipe of the dry ingredients by 6 or more and store in an air tight container. To use: Measure out 3 cups of mix and then add the water and vinegar as in the recipe above.

Storable Breakfast Ideas

We all know we need to start our day off with a good breakfast. Here are a few recipes to try that could be added to your 3 month menu plan.

Good Morning Cookies
I used to make these many eons ago when my children were small. They are made with lots of healthy ingredients and can be refrigerated or frozen. I always freeze them because they never get really hard and thaw quickly. It is fun to have some of these cookies to pull out for a quick breakfast. The recipe calls for them to be sandwiched with peanut butter or cream cheese but this time I tried a couple of different fillings and loved them. I used raisins in the cookies (which I didn’t always do years ago and added some mini chocolate chips to some – which was a fun change.) For the filling I used homemade strawberry cream cheese on some and Nutella on the rest. Peanut butter is good too.

Here is the recipe for the cookies. It makes 8-10 sandwich cookies and I doubled the recipe since I was freezing them anyway.
¼ c. butter 

½ c. brown sugar
¾ c. applesauce
1 egg
½ c. rolled oats
1/3 c. bran
¼ c. dry milk
¾ c. whole wheat flour (use any flour combo you want to)
½ t. soda
½ t. cinnamon
¼ t. baking powder
¼ t. salt
¼ t. ground cloves
½ c. raisins (opt.)
¼ c. chopped nuts
Mini chocolate chips (optional)

Combine butter and sugar, mixing till creamy. Mix in egg and applesauce until well blended. Add remaining ingredients. Stir in raisins and nuts. Spray a baking sheet with Pam or use a Silicon baking mat. Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls 2-3” apart. Spread dough so each cookie is about 2” across. Bake at 375º for 10 minutes or until set. Cool on rack. Use flavored cream cheese, peanut butter or Nutella to make “sandwiches”. Refrigerate or freeze. Y: 8 large sandwich cookies.

Source: preparedness365.blogspot.com

BAKED OATMEAL

Ingredients:
2 c. quick oats
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/3 c. raisins
1 T. chopped pecans
1 t. baking powder
1-1/2 c. skim milk (or 4-1/2 T non-instant, non-fat dry milk and 1-1/2 c. water)
1/2 c. applesauce
2 T butter, melted (or Red Feather Canned Butter or butter powder)
1 large egg, beaten (or 2 T dry egg powder and 4 T water)

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Combine the first five ingredients in a medium bowl. If using dry milk and dry eggs, add those powders to the dry ingredients. Combine the milk (or water), applesauce, butter, and egg (or water) in a separate bowl. Add wet mixture to dry ingredients; stir well. Pour into a greased 8″ square baking dish. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until just set. Makes 4-5 servings.

Source: foodstoragemadeeasy.net

Potato Pancakes/Latkes
Quick and easy–we love them for breakfast or dinner.
3 cups dehydrated hash browns	Salt and pepper to taste
¼ cup dried, minced onion	¼ tsp garlic powder
¼ cup flour
Place hash browns and onions in a pan. Cover with water so the water comes above the potatoes 2–3 inches. Bring to a boil, cover, and remove from the heat. Allow to sit for 15–20 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Drain off any extra water. Place potatoes in a bowl and mix in flour and seasonings. Shape into patties and fry in a frying pan with about ¼-inch of oil in the bottom. Flip when potatoes begin turning brown on the edge and cook until done. Drain on a paper towel. Enjoy! Leftovers freeze well. Reheat in the oven to keep them crispy. Source: All Things Provident by Tamara Price

Surprise Pancakes
When we sit down to the table for breakfast, the kids always try to guess the "secret" ingredient. It makes for a fun and healthy breakfast.
Pancake mix	Cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice
Fruit puree or yogurt
Use your favorite pancake mix. Before adding the water, pour in some fruit puree or yogurt. Add the water you need to make the right consistency. Sprinkle in a little spice. To help you know how much, we use about 3 cups of mix and I pour in ½–¾ cup fruit puree. Cook on a hot griddle. Source: All Things Provident by Tamara Price
Whole Grain Pancakes
1 cup whole wheat flour	1 Tbsp baking powder
1 cup rolled oats	1 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup corn meal	5 Tbsp dry milk powder
1/4 cup sugar	Approx. 1 1/2 cups water
1 tsp cinnamon	2 Tbsp white vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
Mix all the dry ingredients together. Add the water and mix well. Allow to sit for 10-15 minutes to soften the oats. Stir in the vinegar just before baking and add more water if needed to give you the right consistency. Cook on a hot griddle. This recipe can easily be turned into a large mix. Just multiply the recipe of the dry ingredients by 6 or more and store in an air tight container. To use: Measure out 3 cups of mix and then add the water and vinegar as in the recipe above. Source: allthingsprovident.blogspot.com

Storable Dinner - Scalloped Potatoes

This recipe relies on my white sauce mix that speeds up the preparation of many meals.  They are my Sarah's favorite potatoes! Fresh potatoes can store for many months so can easily be part of your 3 month menu plan. Just put them in a box out in your garage during the cold winter months. Keep them away from light as much as possible and if you can store the box up off the cement floor, your potatoes will last longer. Whisk sauce ingredients together in a pan. Stir and heat until thick. Layer sliced potatoes, dried, minced onions and chopped ham (optional) in 9x13 pan. Pour sauce over the top. Make sure potatoes are evenly coated. Cover with foil. Bake at 325° for about 2 hours or until potatoes are tender. Remove foil and serve. We cooked up some frozen veggies to serve on the side. Scalloped Potatoes
Creamy and delicious—great as a side dish or add some chopped ham to make it a meal.
7–8 large potatoes, peeled and sliced	3 Tbsp mayonnaise
½ cup dried, minced onion	1 tsp salt
¾ cup white sauce mix	¼ tsp pepper
3 cups hot water	Paprika, optional
1 Tbsp chicken bouillon	Cooked ham, optional
Layer potatoes and onions in a greased 9x13-inch pan. You can use dehydrated potato slices that you have soaked in boiling water for 15–20 minutes. You can also add precooked ham pieces if you'd like. Whisk white sauce mix, water, bouillon, and mayonnaise together in a saucepan. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened. Stir in salt and pepper. Pour sauce over potatoes. Sprinkle with paprika if desired. Cover and bake at 325° F for 2 hours or until potatoes are tender. I also cook this in the microwave. It always cooks faster on the edges so you have to stir it a few times when you use the microwave. You can also do it in the crockpot. Cook on high for 3–4 hours or on low for 6–8 hours. Recipe source: All Things Provident by Tamara Price

Storable Dessert - Chocolate Cream Pie

Pie crusts freeze so well.  I always keep some on hand for a quick dessert or a pot pie for dinner.

When baking an empty crust, place a piece of foil on the crust and fill it with a handful of dry beans.  I used black beans.  They hold the crust down so it isn't full of air bubbles when you take it out of the oven.  Bake at 400 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool.

Mix a small box of chocolate pudding or any other flavor you would like with 1 1/2 cups of reconstituted powdered milk.  Chill until set.  Fold in 8 oz of frozen whipped topping, thawed. Fill pie crust with pudding mixture. We like to add bananas to our chocolate pie and coconut to vanilla pudding for a coconut cream flavor. Top with additional whipped topping before serving.

The last time I made pie crusts, I did 5X the batch so I ended up with 10 pie crusts. We used some at Thanksgiving and then I have had them ready to go since then.

Pie Crust
This crust recipe freezes very well. Double or triple the batch and freeze in individual crust sizes. It will keep for 6 months or more in the freezer.
2 cups all-purpose flour	1 cup shortening
½ tsp salt	Ice water
Cut the shortening into the flour and salt mixture with a fork until the pieces of shortening are between the size of quarters and nickels (no smaller.) Add ice water a tablespoon at a time. Toss the moistened area with a fork until it begins to pull together into a ball. Set it aside and add more ice water to the dry parts, tossing as you go. When all the dough is moistened, but not sticky, separate it into two parts. Shape into disks about 4 inches across and wrap in plastic wrap. (You can freeze the dough at this point to use later. Thaw and roll out when it is still cold.) Refrigerate the dough for at least 10 minutes, but 2–3 hours is best. (The trick to a crispy crust is larger pieces of fat that are cold so they can create pockets of steam in the crust when it bakes.) Roll out between two pieces of plastic wrap to fit the pan. If baking empty, place a piece of foil over the crust and fill with a hand full of dry beans. This will keep bubbles from forming in the crust. Bake at 400° F for 8–10 minutes until lightly browned. If filling crust, use a precooked filling that is already thickened to speed up the baking process. Top with crust, cut a few vent holes, and bake at 400° F for 30–35 minutes or until golden brown. Check after 25 minutes and cover edges with foil if crust is browning too quickly.

Powdered Milk 101

How to incorporate Powdered Milk into every day cooking
This newsletter was put together by Katie Turley and Megan Roylance from the Edinburgh Ward

Nutrition
Nonfat powdered milk, instant or regular, is an excellent storage item. It contains all the nutrients, except fat, found in fresh milk. It is one of the richest sources of absorbable calcium. It is also high in protein, potassium riboflavin and vitamins A, D, and B12, all essential to optimal health.
“If all you had in your food storage was powdered milk, you could survive on that alone because it’s a balanced carbohydrate, a balanced protein, and it has a lot of essential vitamins and minerals. That is why we have milk in our food storage.” - everydayfoodstorage.net -

Storage
If powdered milk is stored properly, it has a shelf life up to 20 years. So when storing, remember these conditions…
Temperature:  Store products at a temperature of 75°F/24°C or lower whenever possible. If storage temperatures are higher, rotate products as needed to maintain quality.
Moisture: Keep storage areas dry. It is best to keep containers off of the floor to allow for air circulation. Insects and rodents: Protect products stored in foil pouches and PETE bottles from rodent and insect damage.

Recommended containers for longer-term storage include the following:

• # 10 cans (available at Church home storage centers)
• Foil pouches (available through Church Distribution Services)
• PETE bottles (for dry products such as wheat, corn, and beans)

These containers, used with oxygen absorber packets, eliminate food-borne insects and help preserve nutritional quality and taste. Oxygen absorber packets are available at Church home storage centers or through Church Distribution Services.

Under certain conditions, you can also use plastic buckets for longer-term storage of wheat, dry beans, and other dry products.  – providentliving.org  -

Storage Amount

The amount of milk your family stores is really dependant on your individual family needs. Refer to your meal plan for how much you cook with milk and also the amount you will need for drinking. A guide could be how many gallons your family drinks in a week.

1 lb of powdered milk makes about 1 gallon of milk

This is just a suggested amount for a 1 year supply of powdered milk

Nonfat dry milk -------------- 14 lbs per person for 1 year supply

Evaporated milk ------------- 12 cans per person for 1 year supply

Total --------------------------  16 lbs per person for 1 year supply

- Instant VS Non-Instant -

QUESTIONS	Instant Powdered Milk	Non-Instant Powdered Milk
What is the powder consistency?	Higher quality powdered milk is finer Others are thicker/grittier	Fine powder…like flour
What does it take to mix?	You can use cold water. Mixing is easier.	Needs to be mixed in warm water.
How much powdered milk does it take to make a quart of milk?	Twice the amount of Non-Instant.  1½ cups instant powdered milk	Less than Instant. ¾ cup non-instant powdered milk.
What is the difference in taste?	Depends on brand. Easier to drink.	Has a different flavor, but not a bad flavor.
Is there a difference in baking?	No difference	No difference
How much to store?	Depends on individual family needs and meal plan. However, you will need twice the amount of Instant.	Depends on individual family needs and meal plan. * 25lbs of non-instant milk from the cannery will make about 25 gallons of milk.
How long does it last?	20+ years in sealed #10 can	20+ years in sealed #10 can

- Reconstituting Non-Instant Powdered Milk –

To equal this amount of liquid milk	Use this much Fresh Water	And this much                   Dry Milk Powder
1/4 cup	1/4 cup	3/4 Tablespoon
1/3 cup	1/3 cup	1 Tablespoon
1/2 cup	1/2 cup	1 ½ Tablespoons
2/3 cup	2/3 cup	2 Tablespoons
3/4 cup	3/4 cup	2 ¼ Tablespoons
1 cup	1 cup	3 Tablespoons
1 quart	1 quart	¾ cup
2 quarts	2 quarts	1 ½ cups
1 gallon	1 gallon	3 cups

*or to your own taste. For instant milk, follow directions on label. It is usually twice the amount.

STEPS:

1. Fill your pitcher or container with half the amount of water you will be using.

2.  Measure in the appropriate amount of dry milk powder.

3. Stir with a whisk to dissolve. Using a blender will make mixing non-instant milk fast and easy.

4. Fill the pitcher with the balance of the water called for above.

5. Stir again and chill.

TIPS: Some people add a drop or two of vanilla to their milk to improve the flavor. Other people add a spoonful or two of sugar for the same purpose. For the best flavor chill the milk for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Tammy Price’s Substitutions

Whole Milk: 1 cup water + 1/3 cup non-instant powdered milk


Buttermilk: 1 cup water + 1/3 cup non-instant powdered milk + 1 Tbsp white vinegar or lemon juice
To make 1 cup buttermilk or sour milk, put 1 Tbsp white vinegar or lemon juice in the bottom of a 1 cup measuring cup. Fill it to the top with reconstituted powdered milk and then add to your recipe. If adding buttermilk to a cake or some other baked good, you can add 3 Tbsp non-instant dry milk powder to the dry ingredients and then 1 scant cup water and 1 Tbsp white vinegar or lemon juice with the wet ingredients.

Evaporated Milk: 6 Tbsp non-instant powdered milk + 1 cup hot water (evaporated skim milk) 
6 Tbsp non-instant powdered milk + 1 cup hot water + 2 Tbsp vegetable oil (evaporated whole milk)
To make 1 – 12 oz can of evaporated skim milk, mix 6 Tbsp of non-instant dry milk powder with 1 cup hot tap water with a wire whisk or in your blender. If using the blender, allow the milk to sit just a minute or two for the foam to rise and then pour it slowly out of your blender, leaving the foam behind. If you would like evaporated whole milk instead of skim milk, you will need to add some fat. Mix the evaporated skim milk as described and then add 2 Tbsp vegetable oil. Whisk the oil vigorously to emulsify the fat and milk. It will separate as it stands so quickly add it to your recipe.

Sweetened Condensed Milk: ½ cup water + 1 cup sugar + 1 Tbsp margarine or shortening + 1 cup non-instant powdered milk

Mix ½ cup water, 1 cup sugar and 1 Tbsp margarine or shortening together in a saucepan. Bring to a full boil, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. Pour into your blender and add 1 cup of non-instant dry milk powder. Blend until smooth. Store in the fridge for up to one year. If it begins to crystallize in the fridge, put it in the blender. This recipe makes about 2 cups. Use in all your baking and candy making. You can double the batch if you are making lots of holiday goodies. When your recipe calls for 1 can of sweetened condensed milk, it is equal to ½ cup + 2 Tbsp (10 Tbsp total) of the                            homemade version.
“Eagle Brand” Sweetened Condensed Milk: 1 cup hot water + 2 cups sugar + 4 cups non-instant powdered milk + ¼ c. butter.
Blend in blender very well. Can be stored in refrigerator or frozen.

White Sauce Mix: 3 cups non-instant powdered milk + 2 cups all purpose flour + 2 tsp salt
Mix together 3 cups non-instant dry milk powder, 2 cups all purpose flour, and 2 tsp salt and store in an airtight container. Use in any recipe that calls for making a white sauce using milk, butter, and flour. It is a completely fat free alternative and tastes great! It will store for up to 5 years on the pantry shelf. Mix up a large batch – believe me, you’ll find a million uses for it. It will become a great time saver.

Cream of Chicken Soup:
5 Tbsp white sauce mix + 1 cup hot water + 1 tsp chicken bouillon + seasoning to taste
Whisk all ingredients together in a saucepan. Seasonings can include onion powder, garlic powder, parsley, pepper, and poultry seasoning. Experiment until you get the flavor you like. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until very thick. Use in any casserole or recipe calling for 1 can cream of chicken soup. You can easily double the recipe as needed. To thin for using as chicken gravy, just add a little more water.

Ricotta or Cottage Cheese:
2 cups warm water + ¾ cup non-instant powdered milk (1 ½ cups instant) + 3 Tbsp lemon juice or white vinegar
If using non-instant milk, blend water and dry milk together and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. (If using instant milk, bring water to a boil and remove from heat. Stir in milk with a wire whisk.) Drip lemon juice or vinegar around edge of the pan and gently stir. Milk will immediately start to curdle, separating into curds and whey. If the liquid is still a milky color, add just a little more lemon juice or vinegar. Let rest one minute. Pour into a colander and rinse with hot then cold water. Drain until no whey remains. Makes about 1 ½ cups of curds. The dry cheese curds will work for ricotta cheese in most recipes. To turn it into cottage cheese add a little yogurt to cream it and stir to combine. You also may want to add a little salt. Instant milk gives you a softer curd. The non-instant milk creates curds that are more chewy, but they still work great in lasagna or other similar dishes. Our family enjoys this in baked recipes. We prefer the store-bought cottage cheese for eating plain or using in salads.

Homemade Yogurt:
Reconstitute powdered milk to make 1 quart. (Do no use the “Morning Moo” brand. It will not turn into yogurt.) Heat milk to 180° F stirring constantly, if heating on the stove. You can also heat the milk in the microwave. It takes about 7 minutes in my microwave. Remove from heat and let cool until milk reaches 120-125° F. Set a timer for about 20 minutes so you don’t forget about it. Use an instant read food thermometer to measure the temperature. Mix in ¼ - ½ cup of plain yogurt with active cultures. Stir with a wire whisk. Pour into a thermos and screw on the lid. Allow to incubate for 2 ½ -8 hours on your counter. I’ve found that when I use plain yogurt from the store it take 4+ hours to set up. If I use my homemade yogurt as a start, it is often done in 2 ½ -3 hours. The longer you incubate the yogurt, the tangier it will be. You know it is done when you open your thermos and you see a small amount of clear, yellowish liquid (whey) on the top and thick white yogurt below. If you still see milk, it needs to incubate longer. Quickly close the thermos so you don’t lose much heat and let it sit another hour or more before checking again. Refrigerate after incubating. It will thicken a little more as it cools.
If you have problems having success, it is one of two things. Either your thermometer is off or your thermos does not hold the temperature at 120° F. You can test your thermometer by putting it in boiling water. It should register 212° F. If your thermometer is on, then you can assume it is your thermos and you’ll have to try another one. There are other methods for incubating yogurt. A quick search online will lead you to some articles describing the other methods. The thermos method has always worked for me, it is the least costly, and requires less steps so it is my method of choice.

Storable Snack - Honey Graham Crackers

When it comes to food storage, I am a HUGE believer in needing to know what I can actually make with what I am storing.  With 5 kids, snacks are a BIG part of everyday.  Here is one of my favorite, healthy snacks.  I've been playing with this recipe for a little while and I think I have finally come up with a winner that has been taste tested and approved by over 100 people who have attended my most recent classes on food storage.  It makes a large batch, but the dough freezes very well so I can roll them out another day.  Enjoy!

Roll out dough between two pieces of plastic wrap.

Red plastic wrap was on clearance after Christmas so that is why this appears pink.

Cut out with cute shapes or just use a pizza cutter.

The flecks you see are from the ground flax seed.

Place on a greased baking sheet.

Cute and adorable - what kid wouldn't love these!  They taste very similar to Teddy Grahams but are just a little less sweet.

Honey Graham Crackers
1 cup butter or shortening	2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup brown sugar, packed	2 tsp baking powder
½ cup honey	1 tsp baking soda
1 Tbsp vanilla	½ tsp salt
4 ½ cups wheat flour	3 Tbsp dry milk powder
1 cup ground flax seed, wheat germ, or oat bran or additional wheat flour	1 cup water 2 tsp cinnamon, optional
Cream together the butter and brown sugar.  You can use a combination of butter and shortening or just one or the other.  Add the honey and vanilla.  Mix until combined.  Add the dry ingredients.  Use a combination of ground flax seed, wheat germ, or oat bran, if desired.  Begin mixing and add the water gradually until it pulls together into a stiffer cookie dough consistency.  Divide dough into 5-6 balls.  Wrap all but one in plastic wrap and flatten into a disk.  Refrigerate or freeze for later.  Roll the remaining ball out between two sheets of plastic wrap.  You want it to be very thin, much like pie crust.  Peel off the top layer of plastic wrap and cut the dough using mini cookie cutters or use a pizza cutter to cut into rectangles.  Prick the rectangles with a fork, if desired, for appearance.  Place crackers on a greased baking sheet and bake at 350° for 4-6 minutes until they are just turning brown along the edge.  Remove to a wire rack to cool.  You can roll them a little thicker and cut with a larger cookie cutter.  Bake for 7-8 minutes and use as a sugar cookie substitute.  The kids love to frost these and they have no idea they are eating a much more healthy treat.  You can store any leftovers in an airtight container or freeze for later.  For a dairy free version, you can substitute powdered soy or rice milk for the dry milk powder or you can omit it all together and use liquid soy or rice milk in place of the water.  You may have to adjust the amount of liquid slightly to make a stiff cookie dough.  For a honey free version, you can substitute brown sugar for the honey and adjust the water amount as needed. Recipe Source: All Things Provident by Tamara Price

Storable Dinner - Chicken Bistro Twist

This looks fancy and tastes even better!

Mix filling ingredients like you would for a chicken salad. Canned chicken is great in this recipe.

Roll out bread dough into two recitangles.

Spread filling down the center of each rectangle.

Snip the dough with kitchen scissors, cutting from the outside in towards the middle.

Fold pieces over the filling alternating each side as you would for a braid.

Don't they look pretty?

Go ahead - WOW your family with this one! It is a great freezer meal which is why I always make two at a time.

Chicken Bistro Twist
Soft garlic breadstick dough	¼ cup chopped black olives
1 cup chicken, cooked and chopped	¼ cup mayonnaise
⅓ cup dehydrated peppers	¼ cup Parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp dried basil	½ cup shredded cheese
1 tsp dried, minced garlic
Check out the bread section for the garlic breadstick dough recipe and make a double batch. After the first rise, punch it down and divide in half. While it is rising, rehydrate peppers and garlic. Make a chicken salad filling out of all the ingredients. On an oiled surface, roll each piece into a 14x10-inch rectangle. Spread half of the filling down each loaf. Cut 1-inch wide strips using kitchen scissors down either side of the dough, cutting from the outside edge of the dough into the edge of the filling. Braid the loaf by folding top strips together across the filling and continue alternating strips until you reach the bottom. (This will look similar to a Danish braid.) Spray the tops of each loaf with oil and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and Italian seasoning or some of the bread dipping herb mix found in the bread section of this book. Bake at 350° F for 25–30 minutes. If browning too quickly, cover loosely with foil before baking the final 5 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before slicing. To freeze: Remove from oven after 25 minutes of cooking. Allow to cool. Wrap in a few layers of plastic wrap and freeze. To use frozen loaf: Thaw and wrap in foil. Place on a baking sheet and bake at 350° F for 10–15 minutes or until heated through. *Source: All Things Provident by Tamara Price