Delicious Wheat Bread

About a year ago a high school friend who lives nearby told me about a great recipe for wheat bread. I went to her house and she gave me a demonstration and I have been making it ever since. It is healthy, delicious and relatively easy to make. I have a wheat grinder and grind my own wheat for it but I am sure you could use whole wheat flour from the store. This year for Christmas I gave about 12 loaves away, with a jar of jam, to neighbors and friends. Everyone loved it. I have a big kitchen aid mixer but I do this all by hand and it really isn't a big deal. In fact, I think it is kind of therapeutic kneading the dough. So, if anyone feels ambitious or is wanting a good bread recipe, here you go.

Perfect Whole Wheat Bread

10+ cups whole wheat flour (freshly ground white wheat is the best)
2 T. yeast (SAF) - this yeast comes in a vacuum packed block, I buy it at Macey's
½ c. wheat gluten - this is just on the baking aisle and it says right on it wheat gluten
4 c. warm water
1/3 c. oil
1/3 c. honey
1 T. salt

Combine 4-6 cups of the flour, yeast, gluten and water together in a large bowl. Mix/stir for one minute. Cover and let sit for 10 minutes. Add oil, honey, salt, and the rest of the flour a little at a time until the dough handles easily. Knead by hand until elastic, about 12 minutes. Keep adding flour as needed to keep the dough from sticking to the table. Divide into three portions for loaves and place in bread pans. Let rise on the counter until they double in size, about 30 minutes; just watch them so they don’t rise too much lest they fall during baking. Bake @ 350 for 30 minutes.

****If you are ever in the market to invest in a big wheat grinder, NutriMill is awesome.

Orange-Cranberry Pull-Apart

This was a request.....ENJOY!!!


24 Rhodes Dinner Rolls, slightly thawed but still cold
1 small box non-instant vanilla pudding
1/2 cup sugar
1 orange rind, grated
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
1/2 cup dried cranberries

Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon butter, melted
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice


Cut rolls in half. Mix pudding, sugar and orange rind together. Dip rolls in butter and then in pudding mixture. Arrange, alternately with dried cranberries in sprayed bundt pan. Pour any leftover butter and pudding mixture over rolls. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until double or even with the top of the pan. Remove wrap and bake at 350* for 30-35 min. Cover with foil last 15 min of baking.

Immediately after baking invert onto a serving platter. Combine powdered sugar, butter and orange juice. Mix well. Drizzle over pull-aparts.

Orea Cookie Truffles

If you remember I made these for the Beckstead Christmas Party last year, they are delicious!!


1 package (8oz.) cream cheese, softened

1 package Oreos

Milk Chocolate or White Chocolate Dipping Chocolate


Crush Oreos in food processor to fine crumbs. Using a mixer combine crumbs with cream cheese. Chill for 15 min.

Mold into 1 in. balls and place on wax lined cookie sheet.

Melt chocolate in medium bowl, one by one dip balls into melted chocolate then lift out with fork or slotted spoon allowing excess chocolate to drip back into bowl.

Place on wax paper until chocolate hardens.

Divinity Success!!

Yea!! I did it, success at last!

Erin, I was talking with a divinity expert at work the other night and I was telling her about your divinity tragedy. She said her grandma taught her how to make divinity and that if it was high humidity or raining that after the sugar mixture is done and you add it to the egg whites, to add half the mixture then put the pan back on the stove and bring the remaining sugar mixture back to a boil then add the rest to the egg whites. She claims it works every time. If you try it let me know so I can tell her if her grandmas way is fool proof. Good Luck! Kris

Blondies

I made these today and loved them! They are my new favorite treat!

Blondies

1 cup butter, melted

2 cups of tightly packed dark brown sugar (I used light brown sugar)

2 eggs lightly beaten

2 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

2 cups flour

1 cup mix-in of your choice (chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, walnuts, etc)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter and flour a 9x13 inch pan. Whisk together the melted butter and sugar in a bowl.

2. Add the egg and vanilla extract and whisk.

3. Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt, mix it all together. Add the mix-in of your choice.

4. Pour into the pan and spread evenly. Bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool. Cut into squares and serve.

English Toffee

So after my misfires in the kitchen (see post below), I decided to stick with what I know for our  friend, teacher, and neighbor gifts this year.  My mom makes this every year and it is so tasty.  (How could anything with this much butter and sugar NOT be tasty?)

ENGLISH TOFFEE

On a cookie sheet lined with foil, sprinkle about 1 1/2 - 2 cups chopped nuts in an even layer. (I use walnuts).  Set aside.

In a saucepan, combine 1 cup butter, 1 cup sugar, 1/4 tsp salt, and 1 tsp vanilla, and bring to boil over high heat.  Stir quickly until butter and sugar combine, and continue to cook until light brown in color and crack stage has been reached.  Stir constantly.  

 Pour over chopped nuts and spread thin.  Sprinkle on 1 package of chocolate chips (I use milk, my mom uses semi-sweet).   Allow to melt for one minute, then spread.  Sprinkle more chopped nuts on top and chill.  Break into pieces when cold.

I think I have made this every year since we got married and I still haven't perfected it.  It's hard to know when the mixture is done.  Sometimes I get it just right and the toffee is very hard and crunchy, and sometimes I don't cook it enough and it is a little softer - but still yummy!  This year I actually used a candy thermometer and let it reach 300 degrees - or hard crack stage - but the toffee was still a little soft for my liking.  So I guess it's an art.  Maybe if I keep on making it every year like my mom does, I'll master it, too!!

My Divinity Disaster

Dear Dana,

So I tried your divinity recipe.

Is it supposed to look like THIS?????

What is wrong with me?  I followed the recipe and mixed it in the Kitchenaid for an hour, I swear!  Maybe I am not born to be a good candy maker!  I guess I will have to wait for a neighbor or friend who IS to bring some divinity to me this year!  (Dana, don't feel bad - it's ME, not the recipe!!  I tried the peppermint bark, too, and dang, was it tasty!  I just thought everyone could laugh about it like I did!)

Christmas Mice

These are just adorable and so easy to make! I saw them along with this tutorial video on a friends blog and had to share with all of you. Erin, I am sorry to post anything to do with mice on your blog! :)

My Grandma's White Bread

For Thanksgiving this year I made this bread to use in the stuffing, when ever I make bread for us to eat I always try to make a healthy recipe - whole wheat flour, oatmeal, etc. Filipe and Mir liked this bread so much they asked me to make it again so they could actually enjoy some of it (I only let them have a slice - it was for stuffing!). It is my Grandma's recipe and is not one bit healthy, but I do have to admit - it is really, really good. It makes great toast and grilled cheese sandwiches - plus it makes the house smells so cozy and warm, very good up here in the Northwest in December while it is wet, cold and gets dark around 4:30!!!

This recipe make 4 loaves (they freeze pretty good), but you can easily half it.

Grandma's White Bread

1 qt. milk (whole works best), warmed

1 cube butter, melted

2 tblsp yeast
1/2 cup sugar

3 tblsp salt (I told you it wasn't healthy!)

8-12 cups flour

Dissolve the yeast and sugar into the milk. Add 4 cups flour and then the salt. If you have a Kitchenaid Mix use the dough hook and add flour a cup at a time until it doesn't stick to the sides, if not add flour until the dough is workable without sticking to your hands. Let double in size once, shape into loaves, let double again and them bake at 350 for about 40 minutes.

Peppermint Bark

I made this the other day and loved it! I made mine with green and red candy canes and it turned out really cute! (I stole the picture off the recipe site!)

Peppermint Bark

12 oz. Chocolate Chips (I used milk chocolate chips, but you can use any kind you wish)

1 pound white chocolate chips

1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract

12 candy canes, crushed

**Preheat oven to 250 degrees.

**Line a cookie sheet with foil and spray the foil with non-stick cooking spray. (I turned the cookie sheet upside down for this. It is easier to spread the melted chocolate without the cookie sheet sides in the way)

**Pour the milk chocolate chips in an even layer on the foil and place in the oven for 3-4 minutes or until almost melted.

**Remove milk chocolate chips from the oven and smooth with an offset spatula or knife.

**Place the melted chocolate in the fridge until cold and firm, at least 30 minutes.

** Melt the white chocolate chips in a double boiler or in a metal bowl over simmering water (don't let the bottom of the bowl touch the water), until chocolate is melted. Remove the bowl from the water and stir in peppermint extract.

**Pour the white chocolate over the cold, hard milk chocolate and spread it out (do this quickly since your milk chocolate is beginning to melt)

**Immediately sprinkle with crushed candy canes and press the candy gently into the white chocolate so it will stick (do this as fast as possible or your candy won't stick)

**Return to the fridge and chill until firm. Break the peppermint bark into pieces and store in a airtight container in the fridge.

**Makes about 2 pounds

Divinty

I love Divinity! It is probably my favorite holiday candy! I made it a couple of days ago and it was perfect! However, I do not have a Kitchen Aid mixer and would have enjoyed making it a lot more if I did. It took a long, long time to make with my hand mixer, but it was still worth it! Remember, patience it key when making Divinity.

Divinity

5 1/3 cups white sugar

1 1/3 cups light corn syrup

1 cup water

4 egg whites

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 1/3 cups chopped walnuts (optional--I never add nuts!)

***Cook sugar, corn syrup and water in a 2-quart pot over low heat, stirring constantly, until sugar is dissolved.

***Cook, without stirring, to 260 degrees on a candy thermometer (hard ball stage--this took about 20 minutes to get to 260 degrees because of the low heat)

***While sugar mixture is cooking, beat egg whites in a large bowl until stiff peaks form. Make sure you have stiff peaks when you add the sugar mixture.

***Continue to beat while pouring the hot syrup in a thin stream into the egg whites.

***Add vanilla and continue beating until mixture holds its shape and becomes slightly dull (This took 20-30 minutes with my hand mixer. I am not sure how long it would take with a Kitchen Aid.)

***Fold in nuts (if you choose).

***Drop from a buttered spoon onto waxed paper. Let stand at room temperature until outside of candy is firm (this takes at least 3 hours).

***Store in an airtight container.

Carmelized Onions

These are a great side to add to any meal.  

2 tsp olive oil

2 sliced onions

2 tsp sugar

2 tsp balsamic vinegar

1/4 tsp dried thyme

1/4 tsp salt

dash of pepper

In a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray, heat oil over medium-high heat.  Add onion, sugar, thyme, salt, pepper, and vinegar, and cook, stirring, until sugar dissolves.  Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook until golden brown, about 20 - 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.  

Mexican Rice

This is a recipe from the American Heart Association so it's supposed to nice and healthy. My kids love it.

Mexican Rice
2 cups rice--brown in EVOO
add 2-4 cloves of garlic and saute, don't brown garlic
add 2 cups chicken broth
1 can green chilies
1/2 cup green onions-sliced
1 can diced tomatoes-undrained

Cover and simmer for 20-30 minutes until the rice is done.
Fluff with at fork and enjoy.

Pumpkin Dump Cake

OK just one more pumpkin recipe. They served this at a Relief Society Conference a couple of weeks ago and I loved it. I'm not a big pumpkin pie fan, but this was really good.

Pumpkin Dump Cake
1 large can pumpkin
1 can evaporated milk
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
4 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Mix all this together and pour into a greased 9x13 pan.

Sprinkle 1 dry yellow cake mix on top and pour 1 1/2 stick melted butter or margarine on top of the cake mix.

Bake 350 for 50-55 minutes. Serve with whipped cream.