Awesome Baking Bread Video!

This is very similar to my No Bricks Allowed recipe, with like I say in that post isn't really as much of a recipe as it is a method.  Hope this helps anyone is who scared to try making your own whole wheat bread.  It really isn't hard and the product is so worth the time and effort.  Enjoy!

Tale of Two Muffins: Classic Rhubarb vs. "Stealthy Healthy" Rhubarb Muffins

So I tried to do this fancy schmancy thing where I make one "classic rhubarb" muffin and on that is a little more my style.  Well, the not so healthy muffin failed the taste tests across the board.  Bad.  I'm not going to link the recipe I used (it is a pretty common one out there on the interwebs) because it really was that bad.  But they were dry and the flavor just wasn't there.  I had been planning on bringing them to my son's school for the teacher appreciation breakfast but instead I got up early this morning and made a second batch of the whole wheat version.  By the time I left the room they were half gone!

Now...the healthy muffin was fab.  So good that my mom , who usually does not like whole wheat or wheat anything, loved them.  She even took one home when she could have chosen the other!  I would say that's a win for sure.

So here is the recipe for my "stealthy healthy" rhubarb muffins.  Enjoy!

p.s.  Pics are stuck on my camera for now.  I will have to get them uploaded to my husband's computer or will put them up when my computer is back up and running.  I actually took pretty decent pics too!  Figures. :P

Lemon Flax Seed Muffins (Breakfast Rumble!)

My little guy is a tough kid to cook for in the morning.  He doesn't like traditional breakfast food and most mornings it's a fight to get him to eat anything...well other than candy or ice cream.  That doesn't fly with this momma.  The closest he's going to get to ice cream in the morning is a homemade smoothie with some whip cream and sprinkles on top.  And even that is pushing it. Smoothies yes...but I'm not usually awake enough in the morning to manage whip cream and sprinkles.

But we have found some common ground in the breakfast war.  He hates eggs but loves bacon.  He once told us, in a dreamy teenage crush type voice, that he could never deny bacon.  He hates french toast but will eat pancakes, as long as they are blueberry and not chocolate.  And he likes muffins.  A lot.  Any kind.  But lately he's been asking for lemon muffins.  I didn't have a lemon muffin recipe.

Well, he turns seven on Saturday so momma decided to make a lemon muffin recipe for him.  I looked on line and read a bunch of different recipes.  Then I looked through some of my great grandmother's old church & VFW cookbooks.  Now I had a plan.  Something that would be sweet and tangy for the picky kid and something healthy that would appease the parent too.  I made them yesterday morning and they were snapped up fast.  And Monkey thought they were so good he asked if I could make them again today.  I'm a softy, so I did.

Best part, the batter can be made the night before and stored covered in the fridge.  Just spoon into muffin tin and bake in the morning.  Easy peasy and they still taste awesome!  Sweet but not too sweet and with a nice lemon zing.  But even if you make them all in one chunk of time you still have a fresh, hot & homemade breakfast in under 30 minutes. Hope you like them as much as the birthday boy did.  Enjoy!

Creamy Ham & Potato Soup (but surprise - no cream used!)

Who doesn't like soup? Especially when it's cold and damp like it has been around here lately. I stocked up on hams after Easter (gotta love sale prices) and I experimented with a smaller ham (about 7 pounds) to see how many meals I could get out of one ham. Well...I did manage to get 4 meals out of it but I also managed to slice up my finger and win a trip to St. Joe's fancy schmancy new ER. It's way nicer than it used to be. But I digress...back to food.

This is a super easy, flavorful creamy ham & potato soup. It can be made dairy free very easily and is already gluten free for those that can't have gluten. Of course I served it with my No Bricks Allowed Whole Wheat Bread which is most surely NOT GF. The pureed beans up the protein and give that creamy mouth feel without needing to add a lot of cream to the dish so that helps keep this soup low fat too. Best part is that the soup is also one of those soups you can park in the crock pot all day or throw on the stove and get on the table in just under 30 minutes. It all depends on how much time you have and how small you chop the potatoes. Enjoy!

Stromboli - A Guest Post

Hi, this is Amanda from The Eco-Friendly Family. I have fallen in love with Stromboli and wanted to share the recipe that I've played with and keep craving. I hope you like it as much as I do :)

Killer Cornbread

This is a simple and sweet cornbread. It works every time I make it and everyone who tries it loves it. Now...keep in mind I live in Minnesota. Someone from south of the Mason-Dixon line might think that this is Cornbread Sacrilege because this is a sweet cornbread. Sorry. I've tried it your way and we hate it. By we I mean my entire family. If I make it using any less honey then I've listed it goes to waste. So Southerners you've been warned. ;) Everyone else should be good to go. Especially if you like the cornbread from Boston Market. This is a very similar recipe.

And it's super easy to make this cornbread into a full meal and not just a side dish. Top pieces of cornbread with any of 'toppings' you can think of and you are good to go. Leftover chili, taco meat, veggies, canned beans, fresh chopped veggies and cheese are all just starting points. Have fun and enjoy!

Tastefully Simple Beer Bread

Tastefully Simple Beer Bread

3 c. Flour
1 1/2 tsp. Salt
1 1/2 tbsp. Baking Powder
1/2 c. Sugar
1 can Beer or Soda Water
½ c. shredded cheddar cheese (optional)
2 tbsp. melted butter (optional)

Pre-heat oven to 375. Spray bread pan with non-stick cooking spray.

Mix all dry ingredients in bowl. Add beer or soda water and mix until blended. Add cheese if you choose to do so.

Pour into prepared pan and bake for 30 – 45 minutes. Check at 30 with a toothpick to see if it comes out clean. I pour melted butter over the top of the bread when it first somes out for an over the top treat!

Cinnamon Coffee Cake Variation:

I just modified this recipe to make a Cinnamon Coffee Cake. OMG does it smell divine! And hte batter tasted so good I can't wait to get to the cake!

Cranberry Orange Scones

This was both a success and a fail in one recipe. The success was that for the most part these were great. The texture was good and the flavor was right. The fail was that I forgot to add the dried cranberries early enough and then I had the oven set too high and didn't watch them like a hawk because I got distracted with the cute baby.

So...they were good and the recipe is good. They would have been perfect if I could have given them my undivided attention. But realistically that won't be happening for a couple of more years. Oh well. At least the top half tasted great. And maybe me forgetting to add the cranberries wasn't such a bad thing because Monkey got to have a few plain orange scones.

Homemade Biscuits

My family loves biscuits. My Monkey is 5 and he said he would eat them at every meal if I made them. My husband also loves them although he prefers that I cover them in a rich sausage gravy. On Saturday he was forced to suffer through only being able to have them with homemade strawberry jam. Somehow he survived.

I tried Paula Deen's recipe from FoodNetwork.com. Overall the texture was great but they were a little on the salty side. Also, they took longer to cook then the recipe said they should and the recipe didn't have a temp to cook them on. I read the comments and tried the 400 degrees that most people used. Next time I'll try 450. I also used sour milk (my substitute for buttermilk in most recipes that require buttermilk) and it really worked out well. Finally, one of the comments suggested to leave the biscuits for 20 minutes after you cut them to let them rest. I left them for just over 10 minutes and really think it helped to keep them so light and fluffy.

I have marked the changed I made or will make the next time I make these...which I will for sure do. Maybe even tonight with dinner.

Word to the wise...

If you make your own bread at home please don't omit the salt. It really makes for a horrible loaf of bread.

And how would I know this? Let's just say my morning toast wasn't so yummy today.

By request - White Bread

I don't make a lot of white bread. If I do use white flour it's usually in conjunction with something else, be it whole wheat or flax seed or whatever else I might have on hand. But I know my friend Kimmy has used this recipe to make bread for her family a number of times and she really like is. I hope this works for you. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Dark Chocolate Chip Muffins

These are my Monkey's favorite muffins. He asks for them all the time. I liked the Vegan Lunch Box version but played with it and like this version much better. Chocolate is so much better then Carob!!!

Pumpkin Dark Chocolate Chip Muffins
Adapted from recipe at veganlunchbox.com

French Bread

I found this recipe on allrecipes.com( http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/French-Bread/Detail.aspx) and it works great. It makes a great bread that goes perfect with artichoke dip or soups. Or anything else you can think of.

Homemade Pizza Crust

This is quick and makes a great crust. It's also easily adaptable so if you have an adventurous side add in herbs, spices and other yummy stuff like roasted garlic.

Aunt Mickey's Famous Banana Bread

My aunt gets asked to make this bread all the time. She gives it out as gifts each Christmas and we literally fight over the loaves. It's so easy and fool proof.

Aunt Mickey's Famous Banana Bread
Ingredients:

4-5 really ripe bananas (the blacker the better)
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup oil
2 eggs
3 tbsp milk
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
2 cups flour

1. Mash or mix bananas
2. Mix sugar, oil, eggs milk and vanilla. Add in bananas and mix well.
3. Add flour
4. Bake at 350 for 60 minutes in large loaf pan or 30-35 minutes for muffins.

You can add just about anything to the recipe and it works great. Walnuts, almonds, craisins, chocolate chips.

Bread Pudding

This recipe is based off of the good old standard from the Betty Crocker cookbook. Enjoy!

Bread Pudding

1/2 loaf French or Italian bread, cubed
2 1/2 cups milk, scalded
2 tbs butter
1/3 brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/3 cup raisins or craisins
3 eggs, slightly beaten
1/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
dash of salt

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Spray 1 1/2 qt baking dish with cooking spray.
3. Heat milk and butter to scald.
4. Mix brown sugar & cinnamon together.
5. Layer cubed bread, raisins and cinnamon sugar mixture into making dish.
6. Mix eggs, vanilla, salt and sugar in bowl. Slowly add in heated milk mixture.
7. Pour egg mixture into baking dish, coating all pieces.
8. Cover and let sit for 10 minutes.
9. Bake in water bath (make sure to use hot or boiling water) for 65 - 70 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Serve with ice cream or whipped cream.

~ This is even better if you use left over cinnamon rolls to make it. Reduce the sugars to 1/4 cup each and omit the cinnamon, craisins and raisins if you like.
~ Sometimes I'll add a little bit of fresh grated nutmeg to the custard and it changes everythign ever so slightly and is such a yummy addition.

Cinnamon Rolls

This recipe is from allrecipes.com http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Cinnamon-Rolls-I-2/Detail.aspx

Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients:

1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
3/4 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
1/4 cup white sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg, room temperature
2 1/2 cups bread flour

1/4 cup butter, softened
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup brown sugar


DIRECTIONS

1. In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.

2. In a large bowl, combine the yeast mixture with the sugar, salt, egg and 1 cup flour; stir well to combine. Stir in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, beating well with each addition. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Cover with a damp cloth and let rest for 10 minutes.

3. Lightly grease an 8x8 inch square baking pan. Roll dough out on a lightly floured surface to 1/4 inch thick rectangle. Smear the dough with butter and sprinkle with cinnamon and brown sugar. Roll up the dough along the long edge until it forms a roll. Slice the roll into 16 equal size pieces and place them in the pan with the cut side up.

4. Cover pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or cover and let rise at room temperature until doubled in volume, about 45 minutes.

5. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Bake rolls until golden brown, about 20 minutes.

Have Leftovers? Make bread pudding using the left over rolls instead of bread. You will not be disappointed.

I love Saturday mornings (The Perfect Pancakes)

Saturdays equal pancakes in my house. And I LOVE pancakes. I can't get enough of them. I would even eat them for dinner once or twice a week if my husband didn't hate breakfast food for dinner.

And they are so easy to make from scratch! Once I made this recipe up I have never turned back. They are yummy, light, filling and fool proof. Enjoy.

No Bricks Allowed (Whole Wheat Bread)

I love homemade bread. Up until I year ago I was terrified of yeast so I avoided making it at all costs. But then I decided to give it a try and with the help of my good friend's Robin & Kathy I actually got pretty good at it!

But 100% Whole Wheat bread eluded me. Try as I might, it turned into a brick. I did great with a combo of white and whole wheat flour, but I wanted 100% whole wheat. I was about to give up when my friend Brea told me her husband made bread all the time and had a recipe I could try. I was very skeptical, but figured I'd give it a try.

And it worked! It worked great! But I wasn't 100% happy so I tinkered a bit and now I love making this bread. Now I don't have to worry about creating bricks...I have to worry about stopping my husband from eating an entire loaf by himself when I take the fresh baked loaves out of the oven.

Very Basic Muffin Recipe

Good morning from the Frozen Tundra. Breakfast is one of my favorite meals to make. Especially on the weekends when I have a little more time. But there are days when I don't have time to make something hot and yummy or when I'm just too sleepy to think. This is my go-to recipe that helps me look like a super star even on days when I'm not feeling up to par.