Whole Wheat Bread

I get lots of requests for this recipe. I am just going to post it here to share with everyone. I make it every week and have been for over a year, I have never had a batch not turn out. It is easy and beginner friendly too.

This recipe works best if you have a Bosch because it makes about 6 loaves. Using a Kitchen aid is fine too, just half the recipe.

Whole wheat bread

Mix until smooth:
2/3 cup gluten
2/3 cup honey
2/3 cup oil
3 cups whole wheat flour
5 cups of water (add slowly)

Then add:
3 T yeast
1 T salt
5 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 t vitamin C crystals (I have omitted this when I was out and it still works fine. If you cant find it, I think you'd be fine to leave it out)

Mix it all together until incorporated. Then add enough dough til the dough pulls from the sides. Your bowl should be absolutely clean of any bits of dough. Keep adding flour until this happens. (I usually add about 5 more cups of flour) Once your dough pulls from the sides, let your mixer do the work. Leave it on low for 6 minutes to knead.
Let it rise once in the bowl.
Punch down and shape into loaves.
Let it rise until doubled.
Bake 350 for 30 minutes

I use fresh ground wheat. It raises super fast. I also add different grains to my wheat when I grind it. Millet, quinoa, and kamut. I am going to start trying spelt too as soon as my order comes. I have had to order all those grains online but think I get a pretty good deal from and organic provider. They work out great and add lots of extra nutritional value to your (already pretty healthy) bread.

Quick and Easy Alfredo Sauce

I have been searching for a recipe for homemade Alfredo sauce for a while. I dont buy it at the store anymore, and I miss having it. I finally came across a recipe that tasted pretty good, not like the canned stuff you can buy at the store, but it was still good.

4 servings (12 ounces of pasta)

Ingredients
1/2 C Margarine or Butter
1 C Cream
1-1/2 C Parmesan cheese
1/2 Tsp Salt
1 Dash white pepper
Romano cheese to taste

Directions
Heat cream and butter until melted. Stir in cheese, salt, and pepper.

Look how easy that is! Not to mention, it is cheaper than the store bought stuff. I omitted the Romano Cheese. And I added shredded chicken and peas to my sauce. We ate it with fettuccine noodles(made from artichoke flour). It was tasty!

Lasagna

This is my version of lasagna. I have switched some of the ingredients from traditional lasagna to incorporate some healthy additions.
Red sauce:

sauce:
-can of spaghetti sauce (if you are making a big pan and want to extend your sauce, just add a can of tomato sauce)
-grated carrots or zucchini (in the summer, when our garden is overflowing, I add fresh tomatoes, grated squash, corn...you can add any veggies you want here)
-fresh garlic
-if you dont want to pre cook your lasagna noodles, fill the spaghetti jar about 1/3 full of water and add it to the sauce mix.

white cheese layer:
-cottage cheese (you could use the original ricotta too)
-2 eggs
-spinach about 4 cups fresh or 1 box of frozen, thawed
-salt and pepper
-1 cup mozzarella cheese

layer everything in a pan. starting with red sauce on the bottom. then press uncooked noodles into the sauce. top with white cheese layer. repeat until you have a few layers in the pan. top with cheese

bake at 400 for about 40 minutes. If you want to make 2 of these and stick one in the freezer, this freezes really good. Do all the steps, minus the baking. cover it with foil and freeze for up to 2 months. It makes for a quick meal if you are in a bind. You can pull it right out of the freezer and stick it in the over for about 2 hours.

Serve with salad or french bread

Sweet n Sour Meatballs

for the meatballs:
1 1/2 lb ground hamburger or turkey
1 egg
1 Tbs. cornstarch
2 tsp salt
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp season all
mix all together form into meatballs. Brown on stove top.
Sweet n Sour Sauce:
1 cup pineapple juice (from cubed pineapple)
1 tsp soy sauce
3 Tbs. vinegar
1/4 cup sugar.
add all ingredients to pot and stir to dissolve sugar.
then mix together
6 Tbs. water
3 Tbs. cornstarch
Dissolve cornstarch in water and add to sauce mixture. Cook until thickened. Add chunk pineapple and meatballs.
Serve over rice and vegetables.

Ham and Potato Soup

5 cups peeled potatoes, cubed
1/2 cup celery, chopped
1/2 cup onion, diced
1 1/2 cups ham, chopped
5 cups water
1/8 cup chicken bullion (about 6 cubes)
1 tsp salt
Add all above ingredients (minus the bullion) and bring to a boil. Boil for 20 minutes. Stir in bullion.
Make roux and slowly stir into soup.
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup flour
3 cups milk
melt butter add in flour. slowly pour in milk and whisk while pouring so it does not get lumpy. Cook 4-5 minutes before adding to soup.

Sugar Cookies

This recipe makes the best thick soft sugar cookies. They are so yummy! It will be the best recipe, guaranteed! It makes a ton, you may want to half it.
3 cups sugar
1 pint sour cream
1/2 butter softened
4 well beaten eggs
8 - 12 cups flour (I usually have to add more)
1 tsp soda
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp vanilla

Mix sugar, sour cream, butter and vanilla until smooth. Add eggs. Mix in dry ingredients. If the dough is too sticky, add a little more flour. I usually have to add more than 12 cups.
Roll out and cut into shapes. Leave the dough thick when cutting.
Bake at 400 for 8-10 minutes. Dont over cook.

Taco Seasoning

Tacos are always a fast meal. I found this recipe for taco seasoning mix. I try to stay away from pre packaged stuff, because it usually has mysterious ingredients in it.

I triple this and leave it in a shaker in my spice cupboard.

Taco Seasoning Mix

1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons onion powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
cayenne pepper, to taste (optional)


To make tacos, you'll need:

1 lb. ground beef (or other ground meat of your choice)
1/3 c - 1/2 c water
taco seasoning mix
hot sauce of your choice, to taste
tortillas or hard shells

Toppings:
cheese, onions, lettuce, sour cream, salsa, tomatoes, avocado or whatever floats your boat!

It's really easy...
1. Brown the meat in a pan.
2. Drain off the fat.
3. Add taco seasoning and water.
4. Stir to combine and heat thru
5. Serve in tortillas or shells and top how ever you would like.