Homemade Hamburger Buns

This is not a soaked wheat recipe, I haven't gotten too great at soaked wheat breads yet. I've managed pancakes and the crepes I did the other night were awesome. Even still, making your own bread is usually better than store bought because you know what the ingredients are and they won't include high fructose corn syrup. I based this off of the homemade hotdog bun recipe I made last summer, but I updated the oils to be healthy oils (vegetable oil is NOT a real food, it is a highly processed oil that is not good for you.) I also used whole wheat instead of white flour which means these buns are a bit more dense than the hot dog buns, but you can either half it or use white-wheat.
-Amanda

Hamburger Buns

1 tbsp honey
2 1/2 tsp active dry yeast (1 packet or 1/4 ounce)
1/4 cup warm water (105-110F)
1 cup warm milk (105-110F)
2 tsp coconut oil/non-homogenized lard
2 tsp sea salt
3-3 1/2 cups whole wheat
1 egg white (for egg wash)
sesame seeds (optional)

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine sugar, yeast and warm water. Stir to dissolve and let set until bubbly, about 5 minutes. Add in milk, vegetable oil and salt. With the mixer on a low speed with the dough hook attached, gradually add the flour. Once 3 cups have been incorporated, add the remaining flour a tablespoon at a time until the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl. Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead for 2-4 minutes, until smooth and supple. The dough should be soft, but not sticky. Place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise until doubled, 1-1 1/2 hours.

Punch down the dough and make a log. Cut the log into four pieces. Cut each piece into two more pieces. Using your hands, form each piece of dough into a little ball, pinching the dough to the bottom so that the top is very smooth. Let the buns rise for 30-40 minutes covered with a towel. Brush the dough with egg whites. Sprinkle the tops with sesame seeds, if desired. And bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.

 I made little sliders for the girls. I took their dough pieces and divided again so it was half the size of a regular bun.

Carrot Cake

I have a backlog of posts, though I lost some of the photos when my hard drive crashed.  This summer I got married.  My mom wanted to make the cake herself.  Well actually, she wanted us to make it together as a special activity to do together.  She was right, it was special, knowing that together we had made it.   We baked the cakes the week before and froze them, then assembled them the day before the wedding.   The day before we frosted them and stacked them.  We had to measure out wooden dowels to support the weight of the layers so it would not collapse.  My mother is the one who decorated it with flowers and ribbon.  My aesthetic skills are not as finely developed as hers.  Scale is hard to tell below, but there were three tiers which each had two layers of cake.

-Jules

 

This recipe is just for one cake, not the three batches we needed for the wedding cake.

Carrot Cake

• 4 eggs
• 1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
• 1 cups white sugar
• 1 cup of brown sugar
• 3 cups grated carrots
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 3/4 cup golden raisins
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 8 ounces of cream cheese
• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla

Cake

Preheat oven to 350 F  and prepare two cake pans.  To prepare the cake pans cut out a circle of parchment paper the same size as the bottom of the pan, put it in the bottom of the pan and spray the whole thing with butter or cooking spray.    In a bowl mix thoroughly the sugar, eggs, oil and vanilla.   Mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt together with a whisk.  Incorporate the wet and dry ingredients and add the carrots, pecans and raisins.    Split the batter and pour half into each cake pan.  cook for 25- 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. 

Frosting

Beat together the cream cheese, butter and vanilla.  Slowly add the powdered sugar until it has all been incorporated.   Frost the cake when it is cool and enjoy. 

Happy Accident Cupcakes- aka, Wow! These are Awesome Chocolate Cupcakes

I baked cupcakes tonight! I don't bake, I cook and cooks don't follow recipes. At least this cook doesn't, even when I really, really, really try. I made sure I had all the ingredients, times two. I made the decision to do the recipe twice so I wouldn't mess up trying to double it (that is a major mistake I commit time and time again.) But yes, somehow I still messed up. This time though, it resulted in very rich, moist super delicious chocolate cupcakes. And since I misused my chocolate chips and didn't have any for the icing, I went with a plain white icing which actually was okay, because these things are so decadent that chocolate icing would have been overkill. To see the original recipe please visit Pink Parsley. I know that my twin girls are going to love them for their three year old birthday party tomorrow!
-Amanda

Happy Accident Chocolate Cupcakes

Ganache Filling

2 ounces dark chocolate chips
1/4 cup heavy cream

Chocolate Cupcakes

6 oz dark chocolate chips
3/4 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup (4 1/8 ounces) ap flour
3/4 cup (5 1/4 ounces) organic sugar
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
6 Tablespoons coconut oil
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons white vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Creamy Frosting

1/3 cup (2 1/3 ounces) granulated sugar
2 large egg whites
pinch table salt
12 Tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened and cut into Tablespoon pieces
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the ganache filling, place chocolate and cream in a small microwave-safe bowl. Cook on high power until mixture is warm to the touch, 20-30 seconds.  Whisk until smooth, and transfer to the refrigerator.  Let stand until just chilled, no longer than 30 minutes.


For the cupcakes, Preheat the oven to 350 and line a muffin pan with cupcake liners.

Place chocolate and heavy cream in a microwave bowl, melt on high for about 45 seconds.  Whisk until smooth, and transfer to the refrigerator to cool completely, 20-30 minutes.

Whisk flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda together in a medium bowl; set aside.

Whisk oil, eggs, vanilla, and vinegar into the cooled chocolate mixture until smooth.  Add flour mixture and whisk until batter is smooth.

Divide batter evenly among muffin pan cups, filling each 3/4 full.  Place one slightly rounded teaspoon of the ganache filling on top of each cupcake.

Bake until cupcakes are set and firm to the touch, 17-19 minutes.  Allow to cool in pans 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.


For the frosting, combine the sugar, egg whites, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer.  Set over a small saucepan of simmering water, and whisking constantly, cook until the mixture is slightly thickened, foamy, and registers 150 degrees on an instant read thermometer, 2-4 minutes.

Fit bowl to stand mixer, and with the whisk attachment, beat at medium speed, until mixture is the consistency of shaving cream and slightly cooled, 1-3 minutes.  Add butter 1 piece at a time, until smooth and creamy.  The frosting may look curdled halfway through, but it will smooth out eventually. 

Once all the butter as been added, pour in the vanilla.  Mix until well combined.  Increase speed to medium-high and until light and fluffy, another 30 seconds to a minute.

Frost cupcakes as desired.

Taco Mini Mufins

I loved the response from my homemade chicken nuggets! Many of my friends told me they were going to try out the recipe. Please let me know how yours turn out if you do!

Today's recipe is another very toddler friendly meal idea. Although I'm going to serve this for dinner for the adults too, paired with a salad. These Taco Mini Muffins can also be made in bulk and frozen. Reheat in the toaster oven or microwave. This isn't an exact science, you can change the recipe to your preferences. Oh and I actually doubled the meat and veggies so I could have easy taco salads later this week.
-Amanda

Taco Mini Muffins

Cornbread Mix
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cup cornmeal
4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup applesauce
2 eggs
approx 2 cups of milk, start with slightly less and add until you get a "pancake" batter consistency.

Taco Mix
1/2 lb lean ground beef
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 small onion
1/4 cup frozen or fresh corn
1/4 cup drained black beans
1/2 red bell pepper
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp cumin
3 tsp chili powder
2 tbsp tomato paste or ketchup (I used homemade)
salt & pepper to taste

Dice onion into small bits. Place oil in a skillet (I used cast iron.) When it gets hot, add onion. While the onion is cooking, dice red bell pepper. Add it to the onion, stir occasionally. When onion and bell pepper are soft, add corn and beans, heat until the corn is thawed. Remove vegetables from skillet (Or if pressed for time, cook them at the same time as the meat in a separate skillet.)

Once vegetables have been removed from the skillet, add the meat. Add the cumin, chili powder, oregano, tomato paste or ketchup, salt and pepper. Cook on medium-high heat until meat is cooked all the way through.

Add meat to the vegetables and stir.

In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients for the cornbread mix, except the milk. Add 1 1/2 cups of milk and stir. Add enough milk until you have a loose "pancake" like batter. Stir in the meat/vegetable mixture. Dish about 2 tbsp in mini muffin tins. Bake at 375 for 12 minutes. If you do larger muffins, adjust your cooking time. A toothpick should come out clean and the tops of the muffins should start to brown.

Another Beef Taco

I have really been enjoying the homemade from scratch cooking I've been doing. Everything tastes so much better. Meals have become simpler because the ingredients are more complicated. Instead of fixing a fancy side dish to go along with these tacos, I cut up a fresh pear, because my focus was on making homemade wheat tortillas. I used to take about 30-45 minutes to cook a meal. I got this one on the table in 30 minutes and everything was fresh. My dough was already prepared ahead of time, but I did roll it out and cook it in the 30 minute time slot.)
-Amanda

Another Beef Taco

8 small tortillas
1 lb lean ground beef
1 cup fresh or frozen corn
1 small red bell pepper
1 small onion
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cumin
salt to taste
favorite cheese as garnish

Saute beef in a large skillet (I prefer cast iron.) When it is about half way cooked, add diced onions. Add seasonings as beef is still cooking (oregano, chili powder, cumin and salt.) Add corn and last bell pepper. Cook just a few minutes, but leave bell pepper a bit crunchy. Put about 1/4 cup of meat mixture on each tortilla and grate fresh cheese on top. Serve with fresh fruit.

Homemade Graham Crackers

In attempt to get processed foods out of our diet, I needed to ditch the store bought graham crackers and gold fishies. These are so great with a bit of all natural, no sugar added apple butter! I have not made my own apple butter... yet! I'm still in the baking realm of homemade cooking, I have not ventured into canning. I have dabbled a bit with a few condiments (ketchup and bar-b-q sauce.) I got this graham cracker recipe from Not Dabbling In Normal. Although next time I make it I'm going to sub some of the butter for coconut oil, and instead of white flour I want to try white wheat flour. (I also used a food processor instead of doing it by hand.)
-Amanda

Graham Crackers
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup whole barley flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp clove
1/2 cup unsalted butter, chilled
1/4 cup milk

Combine flours, sugars baking powder, cinnamon, salt and cloves in a food processor. Add chilled butter and pulse until crumbly. Add milk and mix until you get a stiff dough. Knead the dough lightly to be sure it is smooth. Cut into 2 pieces and flatten each into a rectangle. Wrap the pieces in plastic wrap and chill until firm (at least 1 hr.)

Preheat oven to 350degrees. Working with one piece of dough at a time, turn out onto floured parchment paper and roll until it is 1/16 inch thick, the thinner, the crispier the cracker. Trim edges (use the trimming later for another batch) and you will have about a 9x12 inch rectangle. Cut into squares and prick with a fork, transfer to baking sheet. Bake until lightly browned 12-15 minutes. Cool on rack.

Roasted Garlic Bread

This is an easy and impressive bread to bring to your next dinner party.
-Amanda

Roasted Garlic Bread

Roasted Garlic:
1 head of garlic
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1 piece of foil about 6 in square

Dough:
1 package or 2 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
1 1/4 cup of warm water
3 cups bread flour (or all purpose)
2 tsp honey
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp olive oil
cornmeal for dusting

To roast the garlic, peel all the garlic cloves and cut them in half. Place them in the middle of foil. Cup the foil up and drizzle salt and olive oil over the garlic. Close the garlic in the foil and put in the oven at 250 for an hour. I use my toaster oven and I also place the garlic in a small oven proof bowl because somehow the oil always leaks out.

Dough: Combine yeast, water and honey. Let sit for 5 minutes until the yeast gets really bubbly. In your stand mixer, using a dough hook, put the flour, oil and salt in the bowl. Add yeast mixture. Knead in the machine for about 8 minutes. Dough should be smooth and satiny. Add more flour a tiny bit at a time if needed. Sometimes I like to finish the kneading off by hand, slightly dusting my hands and counter top. Form the dough into a ball. In a clean oiled bowl, place the dough ball in and spray or rub oil ontop of it. Cover and let rise for 1 hour. After one hour, punch down the dough. Sprinkle cornmeal on a cookie sheet (I used a stone baking pan) and then form dough into a rectangle that is about 4 inches across and 8 inches long. The dough will double in size, so keep that in mind. (Alternately you could make two smaller loaves.) With a sharp knife make small slits throughout the top of the dough and insert one garlic clove in each slit. Drizzle the olive oil that was baking with the garlic over the dough. Cover dough with lent free towel and let rise for another hour. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Serve warm!

Brown Sugar

Did you know that brown sugar is super easy to make? And apparently it's cheaper too. I ran out of brown sugar the other day trying to make some homemade oatmeal raisin cookies so I looked it up and found out that brown sugar is basically 1 cup of white sugar mixed thoroughly with 2 tbsp of molasses. I went ahead and made a big batch of it. Also worth mentioning, if you want to keep your brown sugar soft, place a piece of terracotta in the jar. Any clean, unglazed will do. They sell decorative ones, but if you have a clean terracotta pot that broke into shards, a piece of that will do nicely!
-Amanda

Avocado Black Bean Veggie Wrap

Last night my mom and I went to a presentation put on by Dee McCaffrey at a Sprouts Market. I heard about the class from the Dallas Morning News Moms Blog. The topic was "How to eat Organic on a Budget." Dee is also a proponent of getting all processed foods out of your diet, including white flour and white sugar. She lost 100lbs this way and has kept it off for 17 years. And when she said that you should eat some avocado everyday, she had my attention! She did a demo of this recipe and it was really great! I did not buy her Plan-D Whole Wheat Flour Tortillas, but I did make my own from scratch using The Homesick Texan's recipe. Currently I am using 1/2 wheat and 1/2 white but in the future I want to play around with a "white" wheat that Dee McCaffrey told me about; she said it was good for baked goods.
-Amanda

Avocado Black Bean Veggie Wrap 

1 1/2 cups black beans (about 1 15oz can, drained and rinsed)
1 large, ripe avocado
1/2 cup shredded or crumbled cheese
2 tbsp minced red onion
1 cup shredded red cabbage (I used green, since it is what I had on hand)
1 carrot, shredded
1/4 cup cilantro
1/2 cup cucumber, cut into small cubes
1/2 cup salsa
4  whole wheat tortillas*

Mash the beans adn avocado in a bowl with a potato masher or fork. Add in the cheese, minced onion and salsa. (I also added the juice of one lime.) Stir to mix.

Warm tortillas by placing on a hot griddle on high heat. Spread about 1/2 cup of the avocado-bean mixture onto one of the tortillas. Top with cucumber, carrot and cabbage. Roll up and serve. Repeat with the remaining tortillas and ingredients.

*Homemade Tortillas, courtesy of The Homesick Texan
(adapted from The Border Cookbook by Cheryl Alters Jamison and Bill Jamison)
Ingredients:
Two cups of all-purpose flour (can make them whole wheat by substituting one cup of whole-wheat flour for white flour)
1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
1 teaspoon of salt
2 teaspoons of vegetable oil**
3/4 cups of warm milk

**UPDATE: I don't use processed vegetable oils any more. I now would make this with coconut oil**
Method:
Mix together the flour, baking powder, salt and oil.
Slowly add the warm milk.
Stir until a loose, sticky ball is formed.
Knead for two minutes on a floured surface. Dough should be firm and soft.
Place dough in a bowl and cover with a damp cloth or plastic wrap for 20 minutes.
After the dough has rested, break off eight sections, roll them into balls in your hands, place on a plate (make sure they aren’t touching) and then cover balls with damp cloth or plastic wrap for 10 minutes. (It’s very important to let the dough rest, otherwise it will be like elastic and won’t roll out to a proper thickness and shape.)
After dough has rested, one at a time place a dough ball on a floured surface, pat it out into a four-inch circle, and then roll with a rolling pin from the center until it’s thin and about eight inches in diameter. (If you roll out pie crusts you’ll have no problem with this.) Don’t over work the dough, or it’ll be stiff. Keep rolled-out tortillas covered until ready to cook.
In a dry iron skillet or comal heated on high, cook the tortilla about thirty seconds on each side. It should start to puff a bit when it’s done.
Keep cooked tortillas covered wrapped in a napkin until ready to eat.
Can be reheated in a dry iron skillet, over your gas-burner flame or in the oven wrapped in foil.
While you probably won’t have any leftovers, you can store in the fridge tightly wrapped in foil or plastic for a day or so.
Makes eight tortillas.

Omelet Braid

I made this by using a Pampered Chef recipe from the "All the Best" cookbook as my launching point. I changed the croissant dough for homemade pizza dough and I just made a simple egg/bacon/cheese stuffing. I brought it to a kid friendly brunch this morning and it was a hit for the grown-ups and kids alike.
-Amanda

Omelet Braid

Basic Pizza Dough (or crescent dough package)
8 eggs
1/4 cup Greek Yogurt or cream cheese
8 strips of bacon
1/2 cup shredded cheese
1 tbsp flour

Cook your bacon using your favorite method. (I laid it out on my Pampered Chef Stoneware Bar Pan and baked at 400 for 20 minutes, then chopped it.) While bacon is cooking, in a big bowl crack 7 eggs and the yolk of the 8th egg. Reserve the 1 egg white for later. Add yogurt to the eggs. Whisk to mix together. Add salt and pepper and 1 tbsp of flour. Last mix in chopped bacon. Roll pizza dough into a large rectangle. Every 1.5 inches cut a slice in the dough to almost the middle.

Lay egg mixture down the center of the dough. Then bring each section together over the egg mixture, twisting the sides together and laying it down over the eggs. Work your way down the length of the dough. Pinch off any dough that is too thick and discard. Brush the dough with the egg white. Bake at 400 for 20 minutes.

Homemade Hot Dog Buns

OMG. I will never buy store bought hot dog buns again. These homemade hot dog buns were so tasty!!! Plus every time I buy store bought hot dog buns, half the bag gets moldy. This recipe made 9 hot dog buns, but I was told they are easy to freeze, so I'll try that with the leftovers. Yeah right. I'll probably make some excuse to fill them up tomorrow. Like making my Chicken Cheddar Hoagies, which I've been craving anyway.

(I found this recipe all over the internet so not sure who to give credit too.)
Hot Dog Buns

1 tbsp sugar
2 1/2 tsp active dry yeast (1 packet or 1/4 ounce)
1/4 cup warm water (105-110F)
1 cup warm milk (105-110F)
2 tsp vegetable oil
2 tsp salt
3-3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 egg white (for egg wash)

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine sugar, yeast and warm water. Stir to dissolve and let set until bubbly, about 5 minutes. Add in milk, vegetable oil and salt. With the mixer on a low speed with the dough hook attached, gradually add the flour. Once 3 cups have been incorporated, add the remaining flour a tablespoon at a time until the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl. Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead for 2-4 minutes, until smooth and supple. The dough should be soft, but not sticky. Place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise until doubled, 1-1 1/2 hours.

Punch down the dough and make a log. Cut the log into three pieces. Cut each piece into three more pieces. With a rolling pin, roll out each piece at at time into a rectangle about the length that you want your hot dog bun to be. Fold the long sides of the rectangle in the middle overlapping. Round out the bottoms a bit and place on a cookie sheet. I used a stone cookie sheet (The Pampered Chef Large Bar Pan # 1445) and I sprinkled a bit of cornmeal on it so they dough wouldn't stick. Let the buns rise for 30-40 minutes covered with a towel. Brush the dough with egg whites and bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.

I made the girls their first "real" hotdog by cutting the hotdog meat in half lengthwise and placing that in half of a bun.

Playdate Cupcakes

This afternoon, my son had a friend over to play. With 2 5 year old boys, I should have expected anything. And I did, mostly. But I was thrown for a loop when they asked if we could bake something. Really?

My mind immediately registered the fact that there was not a single egg in the house, and I'm not exactly well versed in vegan baking, so I had to improvise. Meaning, I called my mom to jog my brain.

She reminded me of any easy-peasy way to make cupcakes using soda. Yup, soda. So simple. Which is the only criterion I had at the moment. And since it's St. Patty's Day, I threw in a little food coloring for festivity.

I highly recommend keeping the few ingredients required on hand (hey, you probably do already), just in case a similar situation, or some other last minute baked good need arises. No, it's not capital H Homemade with freshly milled flour and eggs from your chickens in the backyard, but even Martha Stewart needs something in a pinch (OK, maybe not, but us normal people do). This whips up fast and delights all.

Playdate Cupcakes

1 Box Cake Mix (Choose your flavor)
12 oz. Soda Pop (I tend to go with a clear soda like 7Up or Sprite, but colas work well, too, especially in darker cake flavors)
1 Tub Frosting

Blend the cake mix and soda until combined. Fill muffin tins and bake according to the directions on the box. After cooling, let the kiddoes go to town with the frosting.

Whole Wheat Bagels

I'm not exactly sure how I got onto this baking kick, but I love making bread! Today I decided to make whole wheat bagels with oats. I thought they were going to be harder than they actually were. I did have to go to Sprouts a more specialty store to buy the barley malt syrup, but everything else is pretty standard. I got the recipe from  www.homemadebagels.com. Which has really good step by step photos.. you should check them out!

-Amanda

Whole Wheat Bagels

1 1/2 cups of warm water (110 to 115 F / 45 C)

1 Tbsp dry bread machine yeast
1/4 cup of honey
1 Tbsp barley malt syrup (Available at health food or bakery supply stores)
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup of bread flour
3 1/2 cups of whole wheat flour
*1/2 cup of Oats + 1/4 Cup (Optional, to top bagels with)
2 tsp of wheat gluten
2 tsp of kosher salt
1/4 cup corn meal (Used to keep the formed bagels from sticking to the cookie sheet)

Note: Makes 12 bagels

Bloom yeast in 1 1/2 cups of water with the honey, barley malt syrup and vegetable oil. Add to 1 cup bread flour. Let sit for about 5 minutes. Add 3 1/2 cups of whole wheat flour, wheat gluten, and salt. Knead in machine for about 20 minutes. Bring water to a boil while bread is kneading. Also preheat oven to 450º. Divide dough into 12 balls. Place on a cookie sheet that is sprinkled with corn meal. Make a big hole in the center of each ball. Boil bagels for 45 seconds.(Dip in oats, while wet if you are going to cover the top with oats.) Replace on cookie sheet and bake for 2 minutes. Flip after 2 minutes and cook for an additional 10 minutes. 

  

 Bagels before they are boiled.

 

At first the bagels sink to the bottom, but then they float to the top.

Homemade Pita Bread

Tonight I made a Greek "feast." I only have time to post the homemade pita bread tonight, I'll post the One Pot Greek Chicken and Rice and the Homemade Hummus another night. Recipe found HERE.
-Amanda

Homemade Pita Bread

2-1/2 cups bread flour (I used Heartland Mill Organic Strong High-Gluten), plus more for sprinkling while kneading & rolling out dough
2 teaspoons salt
1 Tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
2 Tablespoons good olive oil
1 cup warm water (105-110 degrees)

 

In a large bowl combine 1 cup flour with the salt, sugar, and yeast. Add the oil and water.Beat vigorously with a wooden spoon for three minutes, then stir in the rest of the flour 1/2 cup at a time.The dough should be a rough, shaggy mass that will clean the sides of the bowl. If the dough is moist, add a small amount of additional flour. 

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead for 6 minutes.Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Divide the dough into 8 pieces.I patted the dough into a circle and used my metal dough scraper to quickly and evenly cut it into eighths (as if cutting up a pie). Roll into balls, dust lightly with flour, and cover with a damp tea towel. Let rest for 30 minutes.

 Use the palm of your hand to flatten each ball into a disk. Finish with a rolling pin, (I used a tortilla press) flattening the dough into a disk about 6" in diameter and 3/16" thick. Their thinness is more important than making them perfectly round. Place each round on a thin cookie sheet. Bake for 5 to 8 minutes, or until they are puffed.

Jalapeno Cheese Bread

I wanted to make a Jalapeno Cheese Bread for the Farewell to Texas party we are throwing for John's co-worker James and his wife Penny. I knew right away I needed to turn to the Homesick Texan for a good recipe. Sure enough I wasn't disappointed and she had the perfect recipe. Her recipe called for fresh jalapenos, which I'm sure would be more spicy and tasty, but I made this bread on a whim and had pickled jalapenos I needed to use up, so I substituted them. Here is The Homesick Texan's recipe:
-Amanda

Jalapeno Cheese Bread (adapted from a Sheila Lukins recipe found in the Houston Chronicle) (From the Homesick Texan)

Ingredients:
1 packet of yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)
1/4 cup of warm water
4 tablespoons of melted butter
1 egg
2 1/2 cups of bread flour (I used King Arthur) plus more if needed
1 cup of semolina flour
5 jalapenos, stemmed and seeded, diced (should be about a cup)
2 cups of Longhorn (or any other cheddar such as Colby) cheese, grated.
1 cup of buttermilk
1 teaspoon of sugar
1 teaspoon of salt (can add more to taste)

Method:
1. Mix together the yeast and water.
2. Mix together the melted butter, egg and buttermilk and add to yeast and water.
3. Add the salt, sugar and bread flour to the liquids and mix well. Then add the semolina flour to the dough and mix well. If the dough is too wet, gradually add more bread flour 1/4 cup at a time.
4. Place dough on a floured surface and knead for five to ten minutes until dough is smooth.
5. Form dough into a ball and place into a bowl greased with butter.
6. Cover the bowl, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size—about an hour.
7. Turn out dough on a floured surface, and slowly knead into the dough the jalapenos and cheese, a little bit at a time.
8. When cheese and jalapenos are incorporated into the dough, place dough into a greased bread loaf pan (8-1/2" x 4-1/2" x 2-3/4). You can also sprinkle semolina in the bread pan for additional friction.
9. Cover the pan and let dough rise until doubled in size (it should be at the top or a bit over the top of the pan)—about an hour.
10. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
11. Bake bread for 40-45 minutes on a center rack (when you thump the top and it sounds hollow, the bread is done).
12. Let cool for ten minutes, and then slide it out of the pan, slice and enjoy!

Granola

I've been on a very big "homemade" kick. I mean taking it even farther than I normally do. I hope to be able to maintain this super from scratch, for one thing it can be alot cheaper and healthier. I made this granola a few days ago and now I'm on my second batch. Granola is yummy. I plan on replacing some of my expensive cereal habits with some fresh granola. It's so good with milk and a lot less of it fills me up than boxed cereal. I plan on experimenting with different flavors but this is what I made this time with what was in my cabinet. The girls are loving this mixed into their yogurt too! By the way, these are just rough guesses on measurements!
-Amanda

Granola

2 1/2 cups of oats
3/4 cup walnuts
3/4 cup almonds
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/4 cup craisins
1/4 cup crunchy dehydrated strawberries
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
2 tbs vegetable oil
1/4 cup honey

In a large bowl mix the oats, nuts and coconut together. In a small bowl mix the brown sugar, honey, oil, vanilla and cinnamon together. Then poor the brown sugar mixture into the oats and stir until everything is mostly moistened. I actually put in it my kitchen aid mixer and used the paddle attachment to mix it quickly. Dump it all in one layer on a cookie sheet. Cook for 45 minutes at 250º stirring it every 15 minutes. Add the dried fruit and store in a sealed bag or container.

Wheat Bread

My wheat bread has a funny story to tell...

It's hollow inside! Not sure what happened, except that it must have risen funny. Either way, it still was a great texture and yummy taste. By the way, I used this white bread recipe but substituted about a cup and half of the white flour for wheat flour.

Also, after talking to some people, I realized the hollow came from not punching down the bread well enough after the first rise.
-Amanda

French Toast

French Toast is another one of those memories I have of being a kid at Mema's house. I think she'd serve it to me every day for a week if I asked for it. Some people put powdered sugar or maple syrup over their French Toast, but Mema's recipe has so much sugar in the batter that no topping is necessary. Serving it with sausage is a good idea because it helps cut through the sweetness! After making a perfect loaf of bread yesterday I had to use some of it to make some French Toast. Not to mention my girls are 2 and have never had this family meal so I made it for dinner tonight. Breakfast for dinner can never be bad.
-Amanda

French Toast

4-5 eggs
2/3 cup of sugar
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp vanilla (not in Mema's recipe, but I love vanilla)
6 slices of bread

Mix all the ingredients together in a square brownie pan. Beat really well to make sure the eggs break up completely. Dip white bread one piece at a time in the egg batter. Let the excess batter drip off and place bread on a hot buttered griddle. Cook for about 3 minutes per side, or until the bread starts to brown. Serve with sausage. 2-3 pieces per serving. Enjoy!

Homeade Sandwich Bread

First cut.


Right out of the oven.


About to go in the oven.


For some reason I'm in a baking mood. Well more specifically a bread mood. I made popovers last month and the other day I made mini French Loaves (they were only a moderate success and I never did photograph them.) I wanted to make some sandwich bread but I've never had success at the breadmachine so I decided to ditch it and make this in the oven. It is so beautiful. The sad part? NO butter in the house. NONE. How can one have homemade fresh from the oven bread with NO butter? That is cruelty at it's finest. Sigh.

By the way I followed the instructions from The Simple Dollar that I found when googling "homemade sandwich bread." The Simple Dollar had really great step by step pictures and instructions for making it by hand. I used the my kitchen aid.

Reprinted here:

1/4 cup milk
5 teaspoons sugar (or 1 1/2 tablespoons)
1 teaspoons salt
5 teaspoons butter (or 1 1/2 tablespoons) (or use Olive Oil)
1 cup warm water
1 package active dry yeast (you can get yeast near the flour at your local grocery store)
2 1/2 to 3 1/2 cups flour (get unbleached white for your first attempt)
Corn starch or nonstick cooking spray (just to prevent the bread from sticking to the bowl or pan)

Prep yeast in 1 cup of warm water & sugar (food for the yeast.) In kitchen aid mixer (and using the dough hook add melted butter, milk and salt. Then add the yeast after it has had time to "bloom" (about 5 minutes.)

Next add 2 cups of the flour and mix well. Slowly add flour 1/4 cup at a time until dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and isn't as "wet." Knead on medium for 5-6 minutes with the dough hook. Remove dough and form into a smooth ball. If the dough isn't smooth you probably didn't use enough flour.

Oil a bowl and place dough in the bowl. Spray the dough with oil spray so it doesn't form a skin. Cover with a towel and let rise for 1 hour.

Punch down the dough really well. (I skipped this step with my wheat bread and I got a hollow loaf!) Form into a square and roll it like a jelly roll. Place in your bread pan and cover. Let rise for another hour. Bake at 400 for 30 min.

Let cool completely (yeah right...) before cutting. It really does make it easier to cut if it is cool. Also, using an electric knife will help get "sandwich" thin slices!

Upside Down Chicken Pot Pie

I'm getting over a head cold so the only requirement for tonight's dinner was that it be realtively healthy and easy to make. The fact that I made homemade biscuits just goes to show that I'm a bit crazy. Feel free to substitute pre-made biscuits.
-Amanda

Upside Down Chicken Pot Pie

3 small chicken breasts, diced
2 cups of frozen mixed vegetables
1 large potato, diced
1/2 onion, diced
2 cans of cream of mushroom soup
1 cup milk, water, chicken stock OR half & half
thyme, oregano, salt & pepper to taste
1 tsp olive oil
6-8 biscuits*

Heat olive oil in skillet. Saute onions and potatoes. Add chicken. Add seasonings. When chicken is almost cooked through, add frozen vegetables. Stir. Add mushroom soups and thin out with 1 cup of liquid (milk, water, chicken stock or half & half.) Let simmer until potatoes and chicken are cooked through. Serve over one or two biscuits.

* Homemade Buttermilk Biscuits

2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup shortening
3/4 cup buttermilk

In a food processor put all dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Cube shortening and place in processor. Pulse a few times to blend shortening in with the flour. Add buttermilk and pulse just until a ball forms. Dust counter with flour. Roll dough out about 3/4" thick. With a biscuit cutter, clean vegetable can or glass, cut out rounds. Gently reshaping leftover dough until you cut out all the circles. Place circles on a greased cookie sheet and bake at 400º for 12 minutes.