"Foolproof" Whole Wheat Bread

I really hate to pay the price that stores charge for bread when we don't eat a full loaf before it goes bad. It just isn't that good or healthy, so I decided that I would make my own. It wasn't that hard and it is much yummier! This recipe comes from "The Magic of Wheat Cookery." It is the cookbook that my parents used when they sold Bosch mixers, and it is wonderful bread!


2 Tbsp dry yeast
1/2 C warm water
5 C Hot tap water
2 Tbsp salt
2/3 C oil
2/3 C honey or raw sugar
12 C whole wheat flour

Sprinkle yeast into the 1/2 cup warm water. Let stand 10-15 minutes (1Tbsp sugar in yeast will help it to work faster.) Combing hot tap water and 7 C flour, mix on low until blended. Add salt, oil, and honey or raw sugar. Continue to mix until well blended. Add 1 C flour to the mixture. Add yeast mixture and blend thoroughly. Add 3-4 C more flour to mixture. Knead for 10 minutes on the low speed - or until the dough begins to clean the sides of bowl and is the consistency of cookie dough. (Flour amount will vary due to protein content of wheat. A stickier dough will cause a more moist bread.) Oil hands. Remove dough from mixer 1/4 at a time. Mold into loaves on oiled counter. Place in oiled pans. Oil top of leaves if soft crust is desired. Cover loaves with damp cloth. Let rise 1/3 in bulk for approximately 35 minutes. Bake at 350* for 40-45 minutes. Remove pans. Put on rack to cool. Brush tops with butter or oil. Makes 4 loaves. Serve with butter and honey while still warm.

Chicken Taco Soup

Austin's friends, Jim and Amy, invited us over for dinner one night and this is what they made for us. All of our family loved it that I begged Austin to ask for the recipe. It took him about 6 months to finally get it and it is yummy! The recipe she gave me doesn't have any measurements, so you kind of have to guess :)



Broth:
Chicken broth
green chilis, diced
onion
cumin
chili powder
salt
Rotel tomatoes (I will either use Rotel and no green chilis, or regular diced tomatoes and add green chilis).

Add together and bring to a boil. I like to take about 1/3 -1/2 of the mixture and blend it to add body.

In your bowl, add the following:
rice
pinto or black beans
cilantro
cheese
sour cream
shredded chicken
Top with the broth. We serve it with chips or homemade tortillas.

Baked Chimichungas

2 1/2 cups shredded beef, chicken, or pork (I used the leftover pork from the Aloha Pork)
1 cup salsa
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp salt
shredded cheese
tortilla shells

Mix meat, salsa, and seasonings. Place some meat and cheese in the center of tortilla shells and roll burrito style, tucking in ends. Place on a baking sheet and brush butter on the top. Bake at 400 for 13-15 minutes, until hot through and the outside is crispy. Serve with lettuce, tomato, sour cream, guacamole, etc.

So easy Enchiladas

I decided in honor of Friday night and easy meals I would post an old easy favorite.

All you need is frozen burritos any type, I prefer the El Monterey Bean & Cheese Burritos

a pint jar of your favorite salsa.

Put the frozen burritos in a casserole dish the 9x13 works great.
Dump the can of Salsa over the burritos and then enough water to mostly cover the burritos and then bake until done, about 30 min at 350. It is best to bring the liquid level above the burritos because any part that sticks out will get very dry during baking.

When my mom told me about this recipe I was really skeptical that it would be good, but it really is. Isaac has even asked me to make it.

You could easily serve rice as a side dish, or even a nice salad.

Aloha Pork

This is one that our family enjoys. I got the idea from Rumbi Island Grill. I came home and researched recipes and now I do it my way.

Rub a pork roast with about a teaspoon or so of Sea Salt and a few shakes of liquid smoke. Cook it in the crock pot until it falls apart (all day). Shred. Serve with rice and stir-fry veggies. Austin likes Terriyaki sauce on his, but I don't like the mixture of sweet and salty, so I like mine plain. The meat is usually very tender and moist.

Easy Burritos

So I made this recipe up :), I used Betty Crockers "Spanish Rice" recipe and added to it.

I used
1 can chopped tomatoes
2 little cans of tomato sauce
1 cans on black beans, rinsed well
1 costco cans of Chunk chicken
rice, cooked
chopped onion
garlic powder
chili powder
lime juice, from a few sections of the lime
cheese
and uncooked tortilla shells

I added all the ingredients down to lime juice together and simmered for an hour and half. It would probably be good with cilantro as well if you had some of that. Add the seasoning to your taste, it takes more than you think as the chicken and rice soak up a lot of the taste. Add enough rice to make it a good consistency for burritos.

cooked the tortilla shells and added cheese and rice mixture and folded your burritos.

I liked it and Kiri said it got 5 thumbs up! :)

Pesto Salmon Salad

This recipe is from the Lodge my husband stayed at on his Alaskan Fishing Trip. Sorry about the Picture this was taken of the left overs Isaac is taking for lunch tomorrow and so I couldn't mix it all together like it should be. I chopped up my piece of salmon and mixed it all together.

So you cook the Salmon using Sea Salt and a 5 pepper Blend, must be the 5 pepper blend as it has sweet pepper and other peppers. We just cooked it in the frying pan.

The Topping/ Dressing is tomatoes chopped and Mozzarella cheese or another soft cheese this time we used Panela, chopped. Then you can use either a packet mix of Pesto or we used the classico traditional basil pesto. I liked the jar type better than the dry packet kind.

Then just shred the lettuce, whatever kind you prefer (we used romaine) and pile on the fish and dressing.

I am not a fan of Salmon and I LOVED this! I wanted seconds. Kiri ate without any whining. And of course Isaac loved it.

It prepares really fast and easy, but tastes like a lot of work!

Sharing

I thought about being able to have others put their recipes on the blog too, but didn't do anything about it, and then my friend Kirsten also suggested it, so if you are interested in being able to share recipes on this blog, leave me a comment with your email address and I will add you as an author to this blog. If you are leaving a recipe, I thought it would be nice to leave the source of the recipe (who you got it from) and if possible a picture. I know that always helps me when I decide what to make. This could be a nice resource to those, like me, who struggle with mealtime!

Zuppa Toscana (Like Olive Gargen's)

**Austin gave this 2 thumbs up and Makayla gave it between thumbs up and thumbs sideways**

1lb Italian Sausage
2lg russet baking potatoes sliced in half, and then in 1/4 inch slices
1lg onion, chopped
6 slices cooked bacon crumbled
2 cloves garlic, minced
2c. kale, shopped
2 cans chicken broth
1qt water
1c. heavy whipping cream

Cook sausage and drain. Place onions, potatoes, chicken broth, water, and garlic in pot and cook on medium heat until potatoes are done. Add sausage, bacon, salt, and pepper to taste. Simmer for another 10 minutes. Turn to low heat, add kale and cream. Heat through and serve. Makes 8 servings.

(From Mindy Thompson in my Pilgrims Landing 3rd ward cookbook.)

I thought it would be fun...

I hate trying to come up with things to make for my family to eat - especially ones that they all like. I've decided to post some of the recipes that they like so that when I am making a menu, I can refer to this blog to see what we've liked in the past. Enjoy!