Whole Wheat Bread

BRM 100% Whole Wheat Bread

1 pkg. Bob's Red Mill 100% Whole Wheat Bread Mix
1 egg
1 1/3 c. warm water
2 T. butter, room temperature
2 T. sugar
1/2 t. cinnamon

I made this in my bread machine, but it turned out so good that I wanted to post the photos/recipe, and give props to Bob's Red Mill brand once again. I love their stuff.

And, no, they are not paying me to say that, and no, I don't have any friends or family who work for the company. They just have awesome products, that's all.

You could just as well follow the instructions on the package and have just as pleasant results. With tired arms, maybe. (from kneading—humor!)


Here's the French toast I made for my husband, using this bread:

He loved it!

Acorn Squash Tart

This turned out fantastic. I think it is one of the best things I have ever made!

Acorn Squash Tart

crust:
1 1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. butter (1 stick)
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. ground black pepper
tiny dash of cardamom
3 or 4 T. cold water

filling:
3 eggs, slightly beaten
2 c. mashed, cooked acorn squash (about two medium squashes)
1/3 c. milk
2 T. butter, melted
3 T. honey
1/8 t. salt

Preheat oven to 425˚.

To make the crust: in a medium bowl, combine flour, salt, and pepper. Using a pastry blender, cut in cold butter until it looks like crumbs. Add dribbles of cold water, just 1 tablespoon water at a time, until dough is just moistened enough to form dough into a ball.

On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough to a 15-inch circle.


Carefully place dough in an ungreased 11-inch tart pan with a removable bottom.


Press gently into fluted sides of pan; trim edges.

Generously prick the bottom with a fork (so it won't bubble up while baking). Line with a double thickness of foil (to help keep it down and keep it from over-browning). Bake for 10 minutes.

Remove foil and bake another 8-10 minutes until golden. Set aside on a wire rack. Decrease oven temperature to 350˚.


To make squash:
Rinse outside of 2 medium- sized squash; cut in half and remove seeds. Place squash halves, cut sides down, in a large roasting pan. Bake, uncovered, at 375˚ for 45 to 60 minutes. Poke with a fork to make sure it is tender and done. Let stand until cool enough to handle. Scoop pulp out of shells and mash; cover and chill (I cooked the squash one day and left it in the fridge overnight to make the tart the next day).


For filling: in a large bowl, combine eggs, squash, milk, melted butter, honey, sage, and salt.


Place crust-lined pan on a pizza pan. Spoon squash mixture into crust, smoothing top.


Bake at 350˚ about 40 minutes or until set and a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Remove and cool slightly on a wire rack (about 20 minutes).

Remove sides of tart pan; carefully place tart on a serving platter.

Chop Suey in the Pressure Cooker

This was one of my favorite meals that my mom used to make semi-regularly. I still love it for its taste and simplicity.

Chop Suey in the Pressure Cooker

1 round steak (about 1.5 to 2 pounds)
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 medium onion, minced
1 T. oil
2 to 3 T. soy sauce
2 c. (approximately) water
2 T. cornstarch + 1/4 c. water (for thickening it later)

1. Cut steak into small cubes—it will break up after cooking, but being in smaller pieces will help when browning the meat.
2. Put oil, onions and celery in pressure cooker pot and brown over medium-high heat. Add meat to brown as well.
3. Add soy sauce and enough water to just barely cover the meat. DO NOT fill pressure cooker more than 2/3 full. DO NOT put cornstarch in your pressure cooker, either. That's for later.
4. Bring to a boil and put lid on pressure cooker, sealing it.
5. Heat to full pressure and cook at least 30 minutes.
6. Carefully remove pot from heat, and cool in sink with cold water until pressure seal releases. Remove lid and set it aside.
7. Place pot, without the lid, back on stove over medium heat to bring to a boil again.
8. In measuring cup mix together 2 T. cornstarch + 1/4 c. water, and keep stirring it until you are ready to add it. Once you see some bubbles in the liquid in the pot, add the cornstarch mixture all at once, and stir the pot quickly.
   
9. Allow to thicken over heat, then serve the chop suey over rice.

Egg Drop Soup

I put some chopped baby spinach leaves in my soup, and then I made the mistake of using canned mushrooms, which I wasn't happy with. You have to use fresh mushrooms for this recipe. I mean, I still ate it, but I really wanted fresh mushrooms.

Egg Drop Soup

4 c. canned chicken broth (or your own chicken stock)
1 T. butter
5 or 6 mushrooms, sliced
1 green onion, sliced
1 clove garlic, minced/pressed
1 egg, well-beaten
dash of: soy sauce, black pepper, salt

1. Sauté mushrooms in butter until browned; then add garlic and green onion and cook for only 1 minute more. (you don't want the onion to get too done)
2. In a medium saucepan, bring chicken stock to a good boil.
3. Meanwhile, in a measuring cup, or something with a pouring spout, mix egg, salt, pepper and soy sauce.
4. Timing is everything at this point. You need to stir the broth in the pan and get it moving in a swirling motion—like a whirlpool—and it needs to be hot enough to cook the egg as soon as it hits the broth. Spoon in one hand, cup of egg in the other.
5. Quickly remove your spoon from the broth you were stirring, and immediately pour the egg from up high to make a thin stream going into the pot of swirling liquid.
6. It will take a few times of making this to really get the hang of it, but once you see the results, you will understand the process much better.
7. When the stream of egg hits the broth, it will cook the egg and create these long streamer-looking blobs. Some of it will look sorta like noodles and some will look kinda like sheets of tissue paper. Or something. Hey, YOU try to describe it better.
8. If you pour too fast, it will end up looking like scrambled egg soup. Which will taste fine, but not really be what you were after.
9. If you pour too slow, the broth will slow down its swirl and the egg will clump up when it hits the broth. Again, scrambled egg soup.
10. But what you DON'T want to do is stir the broth a lot once you've poured the egg in.
11. So now you very gently drop your cooked mushrooms and onions into the soup. Don't mix them in; just let them combine with the soup and dish them out evenly when you serve the soup.

Really, it is a simple enough recipe, and after a couple of tries, you'll get the hang of it.

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Barry Trotz is a pumpkinhead

I've been saying this for years: the Nashville Predator's head coach ("head" coach! ha, ha!) has a head like a pumpkin.


Okay, maybe these photos are slightly altered, but, c'mon, the guy has a pumpkin for a head.


Believe me, if this guy yells at you on the bench, you're gonna do what he says!


Happy Halloween, Barry!!!

Pumpernickel Bread

I kept one loaf and gave the other away...this is a great one to share with friends!

Pumpernickel Bread

2 c. white flour (or bread flour)
1 1/2 c. rye flour
1 1/2 c. wheat flour
1/4 c. cocoa
2 t. instant coffee (I use Maxwell House)
2 T. sugar
2 t. salt
1/2 c. molasses
2 T. butter, softened
2 pkts. quick active dry yeast
1 1/2 c. water (warm)

1. Blend all dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Set aside.
2. In a separate large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Stir in molasses; then add butter.
3. Pour water mixture into center of dry ingredients and mix to form a dough.
4. Turn out onto a floured board and knead until smooth, about 10 minutes, or until you feel your arms may fall off.
5. Put dough in a large bowl that has been coated with butter (or canola oil), turning to coat the dough so that it won't stick to anything.
6. Cover with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel, and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
7. Punch down dough; kneading it several times.
8. Divide and shape into 2 loaves and place in well-buttered loaf pans. Cover and let rise again until doubled, 30-45 minutes.
9. Preheat oven to 400˚.
10. Bake at 350˚ for 25-30 minutes, or until the loaves sound hollow when tapped. Cool on wire racks.

NOTE: Another alternative is that you can mix in your bread machine on "dough only" cycle, adding the ingredients in the order suggested by your bread machine manufacturer (e.g. add wet ingredients first, then dry, and the yeast last).

Banana Nut Muffins

I actually made these without the nuts because of a family member who has an allergy to tree nuts. But they were just as tasty!

Banana Nut Muffins

3 ripe bananas, smashed
1 1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. baking soda
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 c. melted butter, cooled slightly
1/4 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. vanilla extract
Optional: 1/2 c. toasted nuts of your choice

1. Grease 12 (standard size) muffin cup pan, or use paper liners. Set aside.
2. Heat oven to 400˚.
3. In medium bowl, stir together your dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside a moment.
4. In another (larger) bowl, beat the eggs into the smashed bananas; add butter, vanilla and cinnamon. Mix well.
5. Dump in the dry ingredients all at once and stir to incorporate—do not beat or overmix. (option: this is when you'd then stir in the nuts.)
6. Fill each muffin cup 2/3 full with batter. If you'd like, you can top with extra cinnamon sugar.
7. Bake at 400˚ for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown.

Best if served warm. Try not to burn your mouth!

Almond Rye Bread

Alas, this bread was made with a package mix, not from scratch, but I believe my additions made it a much more authentic, homemade-tasting loaf of bread. Putting it in a round glass casserole dish to bake also gave it more visual character.

Almond Rye Bread

1 pkg. Bob's Red Mill Rye Bread Mix
2 T. butter, melted
1 1/8 c. warm water
1/2 c. sliced almonds
1/2 t. almond extract
2 T. honey

Mix ingredients as directed on package (I used my bread machine on "dough" cycle); place dough in buttered round casserole dish to rise. Bake 30 to 35 minutes until golden brown.




LINKY:
Bob's Red Mill Rye Bread Mix
Bob's Red Mill - main

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icanhascheezburger.com

random amusements

They say everyone in the world has a twin, whether they know it or not. This can be amusing.

For instance, have you ever noticed that Blackhawks defenseman Brent Sopel looks a lot like Anthony Kiedis, the singer for the Red Hot Chili Peppers? LOL... I wonder if Sopel can sing...?



Look-alike sites:

ICHC network's Look-Alikes: totallylookslike.com
Cats that look like Hitler: www.catsthatlooklikehitler.com
Men who look like Kenny Rogers: www.menwholooklikekennyrogers.com

There also used to be a site called "Hockey Twins" where they had photos of NHL players matched up to celebrities, cartoon characters, musicians, and other famous people who resembled them. Unfortunately, that site is gone now.


Wait, here's more Sopel/Kiedis evidence:






NOTE: My sincere apologies to Brent Sopel, should he find this insulting for some odd reason. I mean no harm, dude. Honestly!

Recipe request - lemon bars

"AZ Patticakes" made the request...this is my mom's recipe. I have no idea where it originated—it is older than me…

Mom's Lemon Bars

crust:
1/2 c. butter (1 stick)
1/2 c. sugar
1 1/4 c. flour
1/2 t. fresh grated lemon peel (won't ruin it if you leave this out; mom always did)

filling:
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 c. flour
1 c. brown sugar
1/2 t. baking powder
1/4 c. lemon juice

glaze:
1 T. butter, melted
2 T. lemon juice
1 c. powdered sugar

1. Heat oven to 350˚.
2. In large mixing bowl, beat butter, sugar, and lemon peel. Stir in flour to form dough. Press into 9x13 pan. Bake 15 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.
3. In small mixing bowl, beat filling ingredients well. Spread over baked crust. Put back in the oven for 20 minutes at 350˚.
4. For glaze: Blend a small amount of powdered sugar into butter. Add lemon juice and remaining powdered sugar. Drizzle over bars. Keep leftovers in fridge.

NOTE: Patti, I hope this works out well for you!

Vanilla Caramel Latte Smoothie

This was my breakfast today. I'm going to try to drop a few pounds before Halloween so that I don't look like a heifer in my costume (which I still need to go get). Not that I think I'm "fat" but the jeans I want to wear as part of the costume are too tight (in my opinion).

Vanilla Caramel Latte Smoothie

1 c. 2 % milk
1 scoop vanilla protein shake mix*
1 (rounded) t. Maxwell House instant coffee
1 t. caramel ice cream topping
4 or 5 ice cubes

Put all ingredients in blender, secure lid, blend until smooth. Make sure the ice cubes are blended in and not still in chunks.



*NOTE: I use Optimum Nutrition's 100% Whey Gold Standard, Vanilla Ice Cream

Rice Pudding with Fruit

This is a lovely warm dessert to serve for company this Fall...

Rice Pudding with Fruit

1 1/2 c. fruit juice
1 1/2 c. instant rice
2 small handfuls raisins
1 apple; peeled, cored & chopped
6 to 8 dried apricots, chopped
1 small handful dried cherries
1/2 c. heavy cream (or half & half)
1 pkg. Jell-O Cook & Serve Pudding
3 c. milk
1/2 t. ground cinnamon

1. In large, deep glass bowl, combine fruit juice (I used leftover juice drained from a can of pears), cinnamon, and rice; microwave 5 minutes.
2. Stir in fruit and cream; microwave 5 more minutes.
3. In medium sauce pan, combine milk and dry pudding mix. Cook over medium heat until it boils. Pour immediately over rice and stir well.
4. Serve warm. Store leftovers, if there are any, in the fridge.

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Happiness is...

...a bacon sandwich!

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We typically have a lot of wind out here in the countryside, but tonight it is completely ridiculous. It's SO freakin' loud. My poor trees are taking a beating, and the small stand of birch trees already got pummeled in the last rain storm. One of them snapped off, which almost made me cry...

So, enough with the wind, already!!! Weather channel says it won't quit 'til 3am. Ack!

Healthy Oatmeal Cookies

This is a re-post. I made these the other day, so I took photos this time to accompany the recipe. Plus, I changed a few things, so the edits are included below...

Healthy Oatmeal Cookies

1 c. dry oatmeal
1 scoop vanilla-flavored protein shake powder
1 1/2 c. shredded coconut
1 1/2 c. raisins
2 egg whites
1/2. low-sugar applesauce (a snack cup)

1. Heat oven to 350˚.
2. Mix dry ingredients well. Blend in wet ingredients.
3. Drop by teaspoonful onto lightly greased cookie sheet.
4. Bake 20 minutes, until edges are browned.


NOTE: Flattening cookies on sheet before baking will make them crispier. Using a mini-muffin pan will make the cookies chewy like a macaroon.

I did also make some in a mini-muffin pan, with added chocolate chips and dried cherries, but I neglected to photograph those. Sorry!


Linky:
Original Post: Healthy Oatmeal Cookies

Strawberry Smoothie

I promised my good friend Claire that I would post a smoothie recipe for her. This is just a basic one, but I will try to post more recipes in the near future...

Strawberry Smoothie for Claire

1 c. milk
1 single-serving container of yogurt (any flavor)
1 c. frozen berries (any kind)
1 t. honey
optional: 1 scoop vanilla protein powder

Blend all ingredients on high until berries are no longer in chunks.
Pour into a glass and enjoy!

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies for Tom

I had a note in my list of "tasks" that said I needed to make oatmeal raisin cookies for our friend Tom. It was dated 11/2/08. I feel kinda bad about that. But the good news is that Tom finally got his cookies. Here's the recipe:

Chewy Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

2 1/4 c. flour
1 c. oatmeal
1 t. baking soda (I used a heaping teaspoon, because my spoon got caught on that cardboard flap inside the box and it all dumped into the bowl.)
1/2 t. salt
1 c. dark brown sugar, packed
1/2 c. white sugar
2 sticks butter, softened
2 eggs
2 t. molasses
1 1/4 c. raisins
1/2 c. golden raisins

1. Heat oven to 300˚.
2. Combine dry ingredients—flour, baking soda, salt, and oatmeal—in a small mixing bowl. Set aside.
3. In a larger, deep mixing bowl, combine butter and sugars; beat with electric mixer until it looks about the color of peanut butter. (i.e. pasty)
4. Add eggs, and beat them in well. Beat in the molasses next.
5. Add about half the flour mixture and beat it as best you can with the mixer.
6. Then stir the rest of the flour mixture in by hand (I use a wooden spoon) and mix in the raisins.
7. Measure out dough by heaping tablespoon onto a cookie sheet (ungreased), and be sure to leave a little room in between; although, they won't spread a lot, not like chocolate chip cookies would.
8. Bake at 300˚ for 18-20 minutes, or until lightly browned.
9. Do not overbake—these are supposed to be chewy cookies! (the way Tom prefers them!)

Pear Cherry Pie

This recipe was assembled in pieces from other pie recipes, to suit my purpose. The combination is not a rampantly popular one, but, trust me, it's a doosie. Pulled from a childhood memory, this was inspired by a tv dinner, of all things. I think it might have been a cheap-o turkey & gravy dinner with sides of those dry mashed potatoes and over-cooked corn. But the "dessert" in the middle square was a compote of pear-cherry mixture. I loved it. I wanted the tv dinner just for that reason! LOL! Flash forward to now. Here's my interpretation of that flavor combo, made Saturday night:

Pear-Cherry Pie

1 can (29 oz.) pears, drained*, chopped
2 cans (21 oz.) cherry pie filling
1/4 c. corn starch
dash of cardamom
teeny dash of allspice
2 ready-made refrigerated pie crusts (hey, it was after 9pm, I wasn't about to roll out pie crust!)

1. Heat oven to 375°.
2. In large bowl, empty can of cherry pie filling; sift in corn starch and spices. Mix well with a spoon. Add diced pears and stir gently.
3. Flatten out packaged pie crusts—or make your own—and lay bottom crust into pie dish.
4. Spoon filling into crust. Dot with bits of butter.
   
5. Place top crust on and fold its edges under the edge of the bottom crust; press to flatten. Using a fork, press to seal the edge all the way around the pie. Cut slits in top to vent steam.
6. Bake at 375° about 55 minutes or until bubbly. Watch for crust to brown, but not over-brown. If you need to, cover the edges with foil for last 15-20 minutes of baking, to prevent burnt crust. (some people like that, though)
7. Cool on wire rack for at least 2 hours before slicing, or else you'll have a soupy pie that does not make nice individual pieces.

*NOTE: I saved the liquid from the pears for another use. I think I might make sweet rice with it.

I'll post the photos later today...I don't feel like screwing around with my [stupid, hateful] camera right now.

random amusements

Why is there an expiration date on toothpaste?

Seriously.

What's going to happen if you use expired toothpaste? Will it just be ineffective in preventing tooth decay and gingivitis? Or does the fluoride create some kind of chemical reaction with the humidity, and other environmental factors, in your bathroom to form a fluorite compound which will melt your face off?

I suppose if you've had a tube of toothpaste for so long that it has expired, then you've probably got more serious problems than dental hygiene.

Band-aids are another one. What happens when a band-aid expires? The adhesive breaks down and will no longer cling to your skin? I find that hard to believe, because most band-aid adhesives rips my skin off. Then again, I'm allergic to a lot of things. Band-aid adhesive included.

I'm trying to think of some other things which I would not normally consider checking the expiration date before using...