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Whole Grain Wheat Bread

I finally tried my stand mixer yesterday!! I have to say, I felt like I was cheating, like I wasn’t really baking. I didn’t have to do any work 😛  At the same time it was nice for it to be easy for once. I made a loaf of whole grain wheat bread. It’s a recipe that came with my mixer. Pretty simple. And very good. I realized yesterday morning that I didn’t have enough whole wheat flour in the house for it. But I had a whole bag of white whole wheat flour. So I used that instead. Still turned out fine. And I followed their instructions for shaping a loaf of bread. I had never done that before (roll out the dough, roll it up, tuck in ends). That worked well too. And I got to try my new french rolling pin. Love it! And Rebecca had fun helping with it too. I only made a half recipe (1 loaf).

Whole Grain Wheat Bread

1/3 cup + 1 Tbsp. brown sugar, divided
2 cups warm water (105 – 115 deg. F)
2 pkgs. active dry yeast (4 1/2 tsp.)
5 to 6 cups whole wheat flour (I used white whole wheat)
3/4 cup powdered milk
2 tsp. salt
1/3 cup oil (I used canola)

Dissole 1 Tbsp. brown sugar in water in small bowl. Add yeast and let mixture stand.

Place 4 cups flour, powdered milk, 1/3 cup brown sugar, and salt in mixer bowl. Attach bowl and dough hook to mixer. Turn to Speed 2 and mix about 15 seconds. Continuing on Speed 2, gradually add yeast mixture and oil to flour mixture and mix about 1 1/2 min. longer. Stop and scrape bowl if necessary.

Continuing on Speed 2, add remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, and mix until dough clings to hook and cleans sides of bowl, about 2 min. Knead on Speed 2 about 2 min. longer.

Place dough in greased bowl, turning to grease top. Cover. Let rise in warm place, about 1 hour, until doubled in bulk.

Punch dough down and divide in half. Shape each half into a loaf. Place in greased 8 1/2×4 1/2×2 1/2 in loaf pans. Cover. Let rise in warm place, about 1 hour, or until doubled in bulk.

Bake at 400 deg. F for 15 min. Reduce oven temp to 350 deg. F and bake 30 min. longer. Remove from pans immediately and cool on wire racks.

Pumpkin Pasta

I tried a new recipe last night for our New Year’s dinner. I’ve been  meaning to try this pasta for a long time. I was hesitant since it’s a pumpkin recipe…and meatless. But no worries now, it was great!! All 3 of us loved it. I was surprised by how much I liked it. Quite a mix of spices, but they really work well together. Definitely a keeper recipe.

I got the recipe from Katelyn’s Food. The original recipe calls for cauliflower added to the pasta. I don’t have any cauliflower right now. So I just made the pasta and served a mix of home grown veggies on the side (beans, corn, zucchini). It still worked great. I served it with a mix of nuts to sprinkle on top for some crunch and protein(cashews, walnuts and pecans). Yum!!

Pumpkin Pasta

8 oz whole wheat pasta
1/2 cup pumpkin puree (I used a little more than this…and could have even added more)
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1 cup Chicken broth or liquid of choice
1 head of cauliflower cut into florets, or 1 16 oz bag of frozen cauliflower, thawed
2 tsp. sage (I didn’t add this since I don’t have any, and I don’t see it in the directions :P)
1/2 tsp. rosemary
1 tsp. thyme
1 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. cinnamon
salt and pepper to taste
3 cloves garlic
2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil

Bring water a to a boil. Cook pasta as directed

While pasta is cooking, heat olive oil in a large skillet on medium high. Add garlic, rosemary, thyme. Cook for about 2 minutes. Add cauliflower. Stir to coat with oil. Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce to a simmer and cook until tender, about 10 minutes.

Once pasta is cooked, drain & return to stock pot. The cauliflower should be done soon. Once the cauliflower is done, pour into the pasta. Add pumpkin puree, nutmeg, cinnamon, ground pepper, salt and parmesan. Stir to combine. Serve warm.

Corn Custard Pudding Casserole

This is a recipe that I got from my MIL. It is served at many family gatherings and is always a favorite. I made it with our Thanksgiving dinner. Easy and delicious 🙂

Corn Custard Pudding Casserole

1 pkg. frozen corn, cooked until separated (this refers to a home-frozen pkg…maybe 2 cups or so?, I never cook it. I just let it thaw a bit)
1 cup milk
1 Tbsp. butter, melted (not sure how necessary this is…I should try it without sometime)
2 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
dash pepper
1 egg, beaten

Beat egg in bowl. Add corn, milk, butter, sugar, salt and pepper. Stir to combine well. Pour into greased 1 1/2 qt. casserole. Place in a pan of hot water. Bake for 1 1/4 hours at 350, until set.

*I totally forgot about the pan of hot water yesterday and it worked just fine.
*I baked it at 325 for about 1 1/2 hours (that was the temp for the turkey:).

Pumpkin Soup

I’ve been making a lot of things with pumpkin this month…but all sweet stuff. I decided to be brave and try something savory. I made pumpkin soup for dinner last night. I got the recipe from All Recipes and modified it a bit. I wasn’t sure any of us would like it. But we all did! Even Rebecca loved it. It definitely had good flavor. And it was super easy to make. I prepped it in the morning (cooked and pureed it) and then just simmered it for a bit at dinner time. I love prep ahead meals. And I think it really adds to the flavor to let it sit for a bit. I only made a half batch, and there isn’t much left. Next time I’ll make the full recipe. We had it for our main dish…a light, healthy fall meal…pumpkin soup and homemade bread with homemade apple butter. But it would be good as a first course/part of a meal for guests.

Pumpkin Soup

6 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 tsp. salt
4 cups pumpkin puree
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme or 1 tsp. dried thyme
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
5 whole black peppercorns
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg

Heat the broth, salt, pumpkin, onion, thyme, garlic, and spices. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 30 minutes uncovered.

Puree the soup with an immersion blender if necessary
Stir in the heavy cream.

Pumpkin Pie Muffins

Yesterday afternoon Rebecca and I made some pumpkin pie muffins. I had pumpkin and buttermilk to use up after making the pumpkin scones. And I’ve been wanting to make these for a while. I found the recipe a couple months ago when I read through my Ellie Crieger cookbook. Plus it’s one more attempt at pumpkin. These are very easy to make. And they taste great! Since Rebecca thinks everything tastes better with “coca chips” I let her sprinkle some mini chips on a few of the muffins 🙂 They are good with the chocolate added. Some dried fruit or chopped nuts would be good too. The recipe says it makes 12 muffins. I made 16. And they took a little longer than 20 min. to bake for me. And I didn’t add the pumpkin seeds.

Pumpkin Pie Muffins

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole-grain pastry flour or whole wheat flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar (I used light brown…that’s all I had)
3 Tbsp. unsulphered molasses
1/4 cup canola oil
2 large eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 cup lowfat buttermilk
1/4 cup raw, unsalted pumpkin seeds

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Coat a 12-cup muffin pan with cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose and whole-wheat flours, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg.

In a large bowl, whisk the sugar, molasses, oil and 1 egg until combined. Add the other egg and whisk well. Whisk in the pumpkin and vanilla. Whisk in the flour mixture in 2 batches, alternating with the buttermilk. Whisk just until combined.
Pour the batter into the prepared muffin pan and sprinkle with the pumpkin seeds. Tap the pan on the counter a few times to remove any air bubbles. Bake for 20 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center of 1 of the muffins comes out clean.
Let cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Run a knife around the muffins to loosen them and unmold. Cool completely on the rack

Pumpkin White Chocolate Scones

Last night for dinner I made quiche. And I always like to make scones when I make quiche. I saw a recipe for pumpkin white chocolate scones recently on Two Peas and Their Pod, and I knew I had to try them! These were so good!!! All 3 of us loved them. Simple to make, like most scones. I love that. Plus I had some buttermilk to use up. I didn’t add the glaze last night. I might try that tonight or if we have them for breakfast some day this week (**Update…the glaze is awesome!!! I didn’t think they could get any better…but they did 🙂. I got 8 scones out of the dough. I baked 3 and froze 5. I’ll bake another 3 with dinner tonight and save 2 for a breakfast. Some dried cherries might be good in these, but definitely not necessary. The chocolate chips added just the right amount of sweetness. There aren’t enough to make them super chocolatey. But you get a little hint of chocolate in most bites. I bet milk chocolate would be good too in place of the white. Definitely a keeper recipe. And that’s one positive pumpkin experience for me. Hopefully there will be many more this month 🙂
Pumpkin White Chocolate Scones

Scone Dough:

2 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/3 cup white chocolate chips
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
1 tsp. pure vanilla
1 Tbsp. cream
Turbinado sugar for sprinkling on top

Spice glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. cloves
sprinkle of nutmeg
milk
Add as much milk until desired consistency. Drizzle or spread over cooled scones.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and place rack in middle of oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or Silpat.In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, spices, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Cut the butter into small pieces and blend into the flour mixture with a pastry blender or two knives. I use my hands! The mixture should look like coarse crumbs. Stir in the white chocolate.

In a separate bowl mix together the buttermilk, pumpkin puree and vanilla and then add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture. Mix just until the dough comes together. Do not over mix the dough.Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead dough gently four or five times and then pat the dough into a circle that is about 7 inches (18 cm) round and about 11/2 inches (3.75 cm) thick. Cut this circle in half, then cut each half into 3 pie-shaped wedges (triangles) (I cut it into 8 triangles). Place the scones on the baking sheet. Brush the tops of the scones with the cream and sprinkle a little Turbinado sugar on top.Place the baking sheet inside another baking sheet to prevent the bottoms of the scones from over browning. Bake for about 20 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack to cool and drizzle scones with the glaze.

Beer Bread

I guess I’ve never actually posted the recipe for beer bread even though I make it all the time. I posted the link a long time ago…I got it from my cousin’s wife, Melissa. This is about as easy as it gets. Always a good option when you want fresh bread but don’t have time to deal with yeast, rising, etc. Rebecca could even help me make it 🙂

Beer Bread

3 cups self-rising flour
3 Tbsp. sugar
1 (12 oz) bottle or can of beer

Mix all ingredients. Put in large bread pan. Bake at 350 for 45-50 min.

*I ususally sprinkle some coarse salt over the top before baking. Gives it a nice flavor.

Fruit Salad

Last night Rebecca and I made a fruit salad for Justin to bring to a work picnic. I got this recipe from my mom. We grew up eating it…it was my favorite. I haven’t made it in a long time now. And I realize how unhealthy it is. I’m sure it could be modified a bit to make it better (some fresh fruit…or even frozen, some better quality ingredients), but I didn’t have the time. And I knew it wasn’t for us :p So I made it as is. Rebecca loved making the pudding. And she got to try mandarin oranges for the first time. She kept saying “mow onja.” She got her own little pudding cup too 🙂 This is super easy to make. And a great one to make with kids.

Fruit Salad

1 pkg. (3.8 oz.) instant vanilla pudding
1 cup whipped cream (I used frozen whipped topping, thawed)
1 large fruit cocktail, drained
11 oz. mandarin oranges, drained
4 oz. jar marachino cherries, drained
6 oz. pkg. mini marshmallows
2 medium bananas sliced

Mix pudding according to package directions. Fold in whipped cream. Fold in well-drained fruit. Fold in marshmallows. Add bananas shortly before serving. Chill thoroughly.

Risotto Cakes

I tried a Barefoot Contessa recipe for dinner last night. I saw it on one of her recent shows. The risotto cakes were pretty simple. And quite good. I served them as a main dish. They would probably be better paired with some kind of protein. I didn’t have all of the ingredients on hand, so I improvised with what I had. I used basil instead of chives. I used plain yogurt instead of greek yogurt. And I used parmesan and gouda cheese instead of fontina. You could do lots of different variations on this. They didn’t hold their shape as well as I would have liked. But from other reviews of the recipe that is pretty common. Only one really fell apart. And that’s because it slid off the spatula when I was trying to flip it. It helped to cook them longer on the first side (she says 3 min.), maybe 6 min. or so. Then it gets a good crust and hold together. You definitely have to plan ahead for these since the rice mixture has to set for a while. I made the rice the night before and added the other ingredients the next morning. I only made a half recipe and got 8 cakes out of it. I’ll post the original recipe and my mods.

Chive Risotto Cakes

Kosher salt
1 cup uncooked Arborio rice
1/2 cup Greek yogurt (I used plain yogurt)
2 extra-large eggs (I just used large)
3 Tbsp. minced fresh chives (I used basil and added some salt and garlic powder)
1 1/2 cups grated Italian fontina cheese (5 ounces) (I used parmesan and gouda)
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup panko (Japanese dried bread flakes)
Good olive oil

Bring a large (4-quart) pot of water to a boil over medium-low heat and add 1/2 tablespoon salt and the Arborio rice. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes. The grains of rice will be quite soft. Drain the rice in a sieve and run under cold water until cool. Drain well.

Meanwhile, whisk together the yogurt, eggs, chives, fontina, 1 1/4 teaspoons of salt, and the pepper in a medium bowl. Add the cooled rice and mix well. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight, until firm.

When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 250 degrees F. Spread the panko in a shallow dish. Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Form balls of the rice mixture using a standard (2 1/4-inch) ice-cream scoop or a large spoon. Pat the balls into patties 3 inches in diameter and 3/4-inch thick. Place 4 to 6 patties in the panko, turning once to coat. Place the patties in the hot oil and cook, turning once, for about 3 minutes (I’d recommend 6 min.) on each side until the risotto cakes are crisp and nicely browned. Place on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and keep warm in the oven for up to 30 minutes. Continue cooking in batches, adding oil as necessary, until all the cakes are fried. Arrange on a serving platter and serve hot.

I served them with peas and roasted cheddar cauliflower. I just wanted to post a pic of the cauliflower. I’ve never had this variety before. It doesn’t taste a lot different, but I don’t think it’s as sweet. I like regular better.

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

Last night I made some red pepper hummus for our picnic today. Super easy and very good! I’m excited to have it tonight. This was my first time using tahini. Probably something I should keep on hand for good hummus 🙂 I got the recipe from All Recipes. Not the best picture but I was in a hurry.
Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained
1/3 cup tahini
1/3 cup lemon juice (I only used about half this much)
1/2 cup roasted red peppers
1/4 teaspoon dried basil

In an electric food processor, combine garlic, garbanzo beans, tahini, and lemon juice. Process until the mixture is smooth. Add roasted peppers and basil; process until the peppers are finely chopped. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer hummus to small bowl, cover and chill until you are ready to serve.