From Scratch Pizza

Yum. Homemade Pepperoni and Olive Pizza.

 Homemade Red Sauce. YUM, seriously I have a trick to make this so delicious!

 Sauce on homemade dough.

 Top it how you like. There is a reason for the Christmas plastic placemat, but you could probably use an Easter one too... ;o)

 Waiting to cut into is so important, but it sure is hard to wait!

An old friend introduced me to Ranch dressing on my pizza and now there is no turning back. At least, homemade makes it good for you! (Please ignore the chips in my dishes, I usually angle my camera away from them, but this time I was too much in a hurry to eat!)

Okay, I've been on hiatus for awhile so at least I'm bringing you three yummy recipes all at once. I've done pizza on this blog before, but it's been awhile and this time I have some new methods. Now this is a traditional yeasty recipe, but if you are looking for grain free crusts, you should try a cauliflower crust or an almond crust pizza, they are actually really good!
-Amanda

Pizza Crust

1 cup of warm water
2.5 tsp of yeast (or one packet)
1 tbsp honey
1/2 cup olive oil
3 (ish) cups of flour (I used white-wheat)
2 tbsp gluten
1.5 tsp salt
cornmeal

Water should be warm, but you should be able to comfortably put your finger in it. If it is too hot for you finger it will kill the yeast. Sprinkle yeast in the water and add the honey. Whisk with a fork and set aside for 5-10 minutes. Get out either your food processor or your kitchenaid mixer (I've used both for this recipe) if you use the processor, the regular metal blade will work. If you use your mixer use the dough hook. You could also do this by hand, you'll just need to knead for a lot longer.

Pour the flour, gluten, olive oil and salt in your mixer. And stir to get it mixed in. (You can leave out the gluten, your crust just won't be as stretchy.) When the yeast has bubbled up quite a bit, pour it in the flour and mix for a good 10 minutes. If you are doing it by hand knead for 15-20 minutes. Your dough should be shiny and pulled away from the sides of the mixer. If it isn't pulling away and is really sticky within the first minute or two of mixing, slowly sprinkle more flour in until it does. Take the dough out, roll it in a ball, coat thinly with more olive oil and let it rest in a warm spot for at least an hour.

Meanwhile....

Red Sauce
(By the way, this sauce is easy to make in bulk and then freeze)

1 can of crushed/diced OR pureed tomatoes (I get the big can... I think it's 32 oz?)
1/2 stick of butter (the secret ingredient)
1.5 tbsp of dried basil
1 tbsp dried oregano
3-5 cloves garlic (depending on how garlicy you want it and how big your cloves are)
1/4 tsp hot pepper flakes (more if you want a spicy sauce)
salt and pepper to taste

Basically, put all the ingredients in a pot (I grate the garlic in) and stir until the butter melts and incorporates in the sauce. Then let it bubble away on low on your stove for 30 minutes up to an hour. Depending on if you are using this for a pizza or a spaghetti sauce, is what kind of tomatoes you want to start with. Or, if you only have diced tomatoes like I did, then I used my stick immersion blender to puree it up. This sauce is SO good, and don't you dare skimp out on the butter.

Using high quality butter from grass fed cows (kerrygold is a great brand) is actually GOOD for you. Read this article on the Untold Story of Butter. Also, eating enough high quality animal fats helps with preventing sunburns!

Homemade Ranch Dressing

There are fancy homemade recipes, but I like my simple one. It does start with homemade mayo, which does take some practice.

1 cup of homemade mayo
1/4 -1/2 cup sour cream (do this to how sour you like the taste)
1/2 tsp grated garlic clove
2 tsp dried dill
1/2 tsp celery seed
salt and pepper to taste

Mix everything together and enjoy!

I love the quote, "If you want to make an apple pie from scratch, first you must create the universe." So keeping this in mind, I could have taken this pizza even further by making my own mozzarella and a few of the other prepared ingredients, like the pepperoni, but I'm satisfied with this "from scratch" version!

Low Carb Avocado Ham Cheese Sandwich

I was surfing the web and came across a blog about grilled cheese sandwiches. Which of course got me in the mood for a grilled cheese sandwich. While this open-faced sandwich is good, and definitely post worthy, it is not what I had in mind. The bread I used is a low-carb coconut flour savory waffle bread. And it is okay. But it tastes too eggy to me and too spongy. Considering the recipe is mostly eggs, that makes sense but this sandwich needs a crusty bread, which I'm just thinking can't be achieved with coconut flour. (If anyone knows of a recipe, please do share!) But basically I took the waffle bread, buttered one side and put it on my griddle. I sprinkled a bit of balsamic vinegar, layered on a piece of fresh, whole milk mozzarella, a piece of msg/nitrate free deli ham. When I took it off the heat, I added the avocado and a sprinkle of sea salt. Below is the recipe for the coconut flour savory waffle bread that I got from Living Gracefully.
-Amanda

Coconut Flour Savory Waffle Bread

4 tablespoons melted butter
6 eggs
2 tablespoons yogurt
2 T Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoons honey
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/3 cup coconut flour

1. Melt the butter.
2. Add all the ingredients minus the coconut flour into the melted butter.
3. Using a sifter (or a sieve like I do!) measure out and add the coconut flour to the butter mixture
4. Using your hand mixer, mix on high for one minute, scraping down the sides
5. While you are letting your mixture rest, heat up the waffle iron.


Their recipe says it makes 16 waffles. I've made it twice and both times I've only gotten 8, even trying to stretch the batter.

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.

Soaked Wheat Crepes

I've talked before about why soaking grains, legumes and nuts is good for you. So I wanted to learn how to make soaked wheat crepes. Crepes are excellent recipe for soaking since most recipes tell you to "rest" the batter for awhile anyway. This time you are just "resting" it overnight! These crepes are so tasty and light. I am doing a (mostly) low-carb diet right now, so I actually made this for the girls and my hubby. I did taste a few bites though! I stuffed them with a mixture of grated cheddar cheese, cream cheese, a splash of heavy cream (to help mush the cheeses together) and shredded chicken. They got a thumbs up from the family!
-Amanda

Soaked Whole Wheat Crepes

2 cups of whole wheat flour
1 cup of raw milk (you can use yogurt instead of milk too.)
1 cup of water
4 tbsp of yogurt or milk kefir
3 eggs
1/2 stick of butter
1 tsp salt

Stir the whole wheat, milk, water and yogurt together in a large bowl. Make sure that there is no dry flour left. You can add more liquid if need be, you want a loose batter. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and sit out at room temperature overnight (or approx. 8 hours.)

Add eggs, salt and melted butter. Stir until well incorporated. I used a crepe pan to make my crepes, but a small non-stick skillet would work also. Very lightly grease your pan with butter and pre-heat it to medium heat. I think the first crepe has to be a throw away, I've never made a pretty first crepe. Using a ladle, scoop out 1/4 cup of batter in the center of your pan. Pick it up off the heat and make a large swirling motion with your wrist. You are trying to make the batter into a large, very thin circle in your pan. When the edges start to curl up a bit, flip it over and cook the other side. It takes about one minute per side for each crepe. I got 16 crepes out of my batter.

 Loose batter

 Swirling the batter around the pan.

 Ready to flip!

Done!

Soaked Wheat Pancakes

Say what? Soaked Pancakes? I have to tell you when I first heard of soaking wheat bread overnight I was skeptical. Soak it in what? Milk? Water? Buttermilk? I finally learned that buttermilk or water with whey (the runny part of yogurt) or even water with lemon will do the trick. Then the next step is to leave it on the counter loosely covered for at least 24 hours. Sounded pretty strange to me. So I kept digging and found out the 'why' behind soaking your wheat. Grains, nuts and legumes all contain something called phytic asic. This is something that isn't easy to digest for humans that only have one stomach. Not only is phytic acid hard to digest, when it is in your system, it robs you of other minerals such as calcium and magnesium.

Have you ever heard of soaking beans over night to make them more tender? The reason that our grandmas and great grandmas did that wasn't to just make them tender, it actually was breaking down the phytic acid. They may not have known the science behind what they were doing, but through trial and error our ancestors were pretty smart people! Now we know that all grains, seeds, nuts, and legumes should be soaked before digested.

Which brings me back to my recipe....
-Amanda

Soaked Wheat Pancakes

2-3 cups of whole wheat
enough water to fully absorb into the wheat
2-3 tbsp whey

1 egg
2 tbsp butter
2 tsp cinammon
1/4 cup honey
1 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
splash of vanilla
(raw) milk to thin if necessary

The morning before, place whole wheat flour in a bowl. Mix water and whey together and pour over wheat. Stir thoroughly to get all of the flour wet. It is actually pretty hard to stir. But it should be wet enough to be a gloppy dough, not runny. Cover and let sit on the counter over night.

The day you make the pancakes. In a large bowl, whisk the egg. Add melted butter, honey, cinnamon, baking powder, salt and vanilla. Whisk thoroughly. Add gloppy wheat dough from yesterday. I ended up getting out my hand mixer to try and get the dough to incorporate. For a minute there I thought it was alive! It is a strange dough the first time you do it! Finally I got it incorporated but it was still too thick to make pancakes with. I added a splash of milk and got a great pancake consistency batter! Cook on a greased griddle just like you would any pancake.

Chili, Cornbread & Roasted Okra

The weather dipped into a bit cooler temperatures, so what do Texans do? They make chili of course! This was just a quick throw together chili that only took 30 minutes or so to throw together, but that was because I had my beans pre-prepared. I'm limiting canned foods, so I made a huge batch of brown beans a couple of weeks ago and put them in freezer bags to pull out when needed. As for my side, that's ROASTED okra! Mostly the only ways I like okra are either fried or in gumbo. Then the thought occurred to me to try roasting it. Sure enough, tossed in a bit of olive oil with salt and pepper and these were delicious! Not slimey at all.
-Amanda

Easy Chili

1 small onion finely diced
2 tsp olive oil

1 lb hamburger meat
2 cups of brown beans, previously cooked and thawed or canned
1 can of tomato sauce, or about 1.5-2 cups home prepared tomato sauce

2 tsp oregano
3 tbsp of chili powder
1-2 chilies (jalapenos, for example)
3-4 cloves garlic


Dice onion and saute them in olive oil in a large pot. Add minced garlic and diced chilies. Add ground beef, and break it up with the edge of a spoon. Before the beef is cooked all the way add seasonings of oregano, salt, and chili powder. Add beans and tomato sauce. Stir and adjust seasonings as needed. Let simmer for 10-15 minutes. Serve with cornbread.


I've made cornbread before on this blog, and yet, I'm always looking for a better recipe. Last nights cornbread came out great! Too bad I didn't measure... here are the approximates..

Cornbread

2 cups of cornmeal
1/2 cup white-wheat flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 tbsp baking powder
3-4 tbsp honey
2 eggs
1.5 cups milk

1.5 tsp salt
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp coconut oil


Preheat oven to 400. In a large mixing bowl, mix the cornmeal, white-wheat flour and whole wheat flour. Add the baking powder and salt and whisk to incorporate. In a small bowl, beat eggs, milk and honey. Add to dry ingredients and mix well. Place a cast iron skillet on the stove and pre-heat it, medium-high heat. Add the butter and coconut oil. When it is melted swirl it around to grease the sides of the skillet and the pour it into the batter. Turn off the stove. Mix the melted butter/coconut oil into the batter and immediately pour it back into the hot skillet. Put the skillet in the middle rack and bake at 400 for about 20minutes or until golden brown on top.

Cheese Crackers

Ever since I started reducing the amount of processed foods we eat, Goldfish cheese crackers haven't found a spot in our pantry. The girls for the most part haven't missed them, but the other day they did ask for some fishy crackers for snack. I just ordered some mini-cutters and I think these crackers will be perfect for them.  These crackers were a huge hit!
-Amanda

Cheese Crackers

• 1 1/2 cup flour (I've done it as all whole wheat or half whole wheat/half white)
• 3/4 stick of cold butter cut into pieces
• 1 cup grated sharp cheddar
• 1 egg, beaten
• 3-4 tbsp ice cold water
• 1 tsp sea salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Put flour into a food processor. Place the butter cubes around and pulse a couple of times until the butter is mixed in. Reserve 1 tbsp of the beaten egg for brushing on top* and mix the rest into the flour. Add a few tbsp of ice cold water, cheese and salt. Mix until dough forms. Using a rolling pin, roll out dough into an 1/8 of an inch. Cut out using whatever shape you want, or cut into strips. Bake for 8-10 minutes until golden brown.

*I did not take the time to brush the tops of mine, so they aren't as pretty and golden as they could be.

Sticky Lemon Rolls

A couple of weeks ago I was just browsing the internet and I came across a blog called The Kitchn and specifically on this recipe of Sticky Lemon Rolls. When I was asked to bring a dessert to a meeting I have tonight, I was excited to have an excuse to make these. I made them a teeny bit healthier using white wheat flour. I also doubled the recipe so that I'd have an excuse to taste test before going tonight. Here is the recipe as found on The Kitchn.
-Amanda

Sticky Lemon Rolls with Lemon Cream Cheese Glaze
Makes 12 large breakfast rolls

Lemon Roll Dough
1 envelope (0.25 ounces, or 2 1/2 teaspoons) yeast

3/4 cup milk, warmed to about 100°F or warm but not hot on your wrist
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, very soft
1/4 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
2 lemons, zested
2 eggs

Sticky Lemon Filling
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon freshly-ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon powdered ginger
2 lemons, zested and juiced *
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, very soft

Lemon Cream Cheese Glaze
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
Juice of 1 lemon
1 cup powdered sugar
1 lemon, zested

In the bowl of a stand mixer sprinkle the yeast over the warmed milk and let it sit for a couple minutes. With the mixer paddle, stir in the softened butter, sugar, vanilla, and one cup of the flour. Stir in the salt, nutmeg, and lemon zest. Stir in the eggs and enough of the remaining flour to make a soft yet sticky dough.

Switch to the dough hook and knead for about 5 minutes, or until the dough is elastic and pliable.

(If you do not have a stand mixer, stir together the ingredients by hand, then turn the soft dough out onto a lightly floured countertop. Knead the dough by hand (see this video for explicit instructions) for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the dough is smooth, pliable, and stretchy.)

Spray the top of the dough with vegetable oil, and turn the dough over so it is coated in oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a towel and let the dough rise until nearly doubled - about an hour.

In a small bowl, mix the sugar with the nutmeg and ginger, then work in the lemon zest with the tips of your fingers until the sugar resembles wet, soft sand. Stir in the juice of 1 lemon. (Reserve the juice of the second lemon for the glaze.)

Lightly grease a 13x9 inch baking dish with baking spray or butter. On a floured surface pat the dough out into a large yet still thick rectangle — about 10x15 inches. Spread evenly with the softened butter, then pour and spread the lemon-sugar mixture over top. Roll the dough up tightly, starting from the top long end. Cut the long dough roll into 12 even rolls, and place them, cut side up, in the prepared baking dish.

Cover the rolls with a towel and let them rise for an hour or until puffy and nearly doubled. (You can also refrigerate the rolls at this point. Cover the pan tightly with plastic wrap, and place it in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. When you are ready to bake the rolls, remove the pan from the fridge, and let them rise for an hour.)

Heat the oven to 350°F. Place the risen rolls in the oven and bake for 35 minutes or until a thermometer inserted into a center roll reads 190°F.

While the rolls are baking, prepare the glaze. In a small food processor (or with a mixer, or a sturdy whisk), whip the cream cheese until light and fluffy. Add the lemon juice and blend until well combined. Add the powdered sugar and blend until smooth and creamy.

When the rolls are done, smear them with the cream cheese glaze, and sprinkle the zest of 1 additional lemon over top to garnish. Serve while warm.

Chicken Salad in a Pita

A light and tasty lunch. I didn't used to even like chicken salad until recently, and now it's one of my favorite lunches! I whipped these pita pockets up quickly this afternoon since it is a  bread that doesn't have to have a long rise time.
-Amanda

Chicken Salad in a Pita

1 recipe of Homemade Pita Bread (I used 1/2 wheat and 1/2 white this time)
1 baked chicken breast (I bake up about 8-10 at at time with just olive oil & salt and then freeze them for use in casseroles or dishes like this!)
3/4 cup grapes cut in half
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
2-3 tbsp of real mayo (you could also use thick greek yogurt, which is tangier)
dash of salt
some shredded lettuce

Cut pockets in half. You may have to use a serrated knife to gently open the pocket. I used my Magic Bullet to shred the chicken breast, but a mini-food processor of any kind would work. Add the cut grapes, walnuts, mayo and salt. Stir until well incorporated. Stuff pocket with lettuce and top with chicken salad. I served mine with a diced apple and chopped raw carrot.

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!

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.

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!

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.