tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44630456307148781192024-03-18T21:57:51.513-05:00The Foodie MommieA BLOG about healthy cooking from scratch, made from whole foods, that saves you time and money!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13314647891531315733noreply@blogger.comBlogger378125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4463045630714878119.post-54739391576160945882015-06-02T20:51:00.002-05:002015-06-02T20:51:34.088-05:00Elizabeth's "CLEAN" Dirt Cake (with a BONUS Vanilla Pudding recipe)<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">If you have ever lived in, or are from the Midwest, you KNOW about Dirt Cake. It's pretty much the Midwest staple dessert for any summer backyard get together. It's almost as well known as Corn Hole. I'm not sure where it got its name seeing as it is neither dirt nor cake but it's still a total indulgence. Many of you who have been following me for awhile know that I lived in Iowa for 5 years. In fact, I started writing this blog in Iowa. The problem with Dirt Cake (also known as "Dirt Dessert " depending on what part of the midwest you are from, also Worms and Dirt) is that it's HIGHLY processed. The original recipe calls for cool whip, instant pudding, and oreo cookies. Cool Whip alone scares the poop out of me! Fortunately, I have successfully found a way to eliminate most of the highly processed ingredients and clean it up a bit, and frankly, I think it even tastes better! Please don't confuse "clean" for low fat or low calorie, this dessert is a definite decadence. I hope you like it!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Elizabeth's CLEAN Dirt Cake</b></span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1 pkg. organic cream filled cookies <i>(like Oreos- I used Newman's Own brand- yes these are processed but they have organic ingredients that I can both recognize and pronounce. Trader Joe's also has a version of a cleaner oreo)</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">8 oz cream cheese, softened</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1/2 stick butter, softened</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1 cup powdered sugar ( I used organic from Trader Joe's)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">2 cups prepared vanilla (or chocolate) pudding- <i>note- I made my own pudding from scratch- see the recipe below)</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">8 oz whipping cream, whipped (I always whip my own cream, it's SO easy)</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Crush the cookies and set aside, I do this in a ziplock bag and crush them up with my hands. Whip together the butter, cream cheese, and powdered sugar using the paddle attachment on your stand mixer or electric mixer. Stir in the whipped cream and the pudding. Layer the crushed cookies on the bottom of a trifle bowl (or you can do it in a 13X9 baking dish) and then add a layer of the pudding mixture on top of the cookies, continue layering with cookies and pudding until you have used it all. Refrigerate 2 hours. ENJOY!</span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1 1/4 cups milk</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1/3 cup sugar (I always use raw sugar)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">2 tbsp. cornstarch (I make sure to use NON GMO organic)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">2 egg yolks </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1 tbsp. vanilla</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">3 tbsp butter, sliced</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">In a medium sized saucepan, whisk together the cornstarch and the sugar. Heat over medium heat and stir in 1/4 cup of the milk, whisking constantly until smooth. While whisking, add the egg yolks and whisk quickly so they don't scramble. Continue whisking and add the rest of the milk. Continue whisking until the mixture begins to thicken and bubbles, about 5 minutes. Switch to a rubber spatula and continue stirring until very thick. Remove from heat, add the vanilla and the butter and stir constantly until butter is melted. Strain mixture into a bowl using a mesh strainer, cover with plastic wrap that sits on the surface of the pudding (to prevent a skin) and place in the fridge to set up at least two hours. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Until next time, happy and clean cooking!</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13314647891531315733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4463045630714878119.post-28008607668866106592015-05-06T17:12:00.001-05:002015-05-06T17:12:54.417-05:00Family Breakfast: French Toast made with Sourdough Buttermilk Cinnamon Brioche <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7yJCCEQAS-k928VRG_bA1YR-l701eAC6b3HTdGeoDq5bCuv3HCM0Ci3BUPP7LBxQpZQ92WgbAOlZyEfj_Wztqu_keDf1Cvv-s8teK7IrhNtFp5wC4lfu3rropMz3kpJrhlWOC_G7qbTk/s1600/IMG_8191.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7yJCCEQAS-k928VRG_bA1YR-l701eAC6b3HTdGeoDq5bCuv3HCM0Ci3BUPP7LBxQpZQ92WgbAOlZyEfj_Wztqu_keDf1Cvv-s8teK7IrhNtFp5wC4lfu3rropMz3kpJrhlWOC_G7qbTk/s1600/IMG_8191.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">My 6 year old son loves to have family breakfast, and I try to do it at least twice a month. Most of the time I make waffles or pancakes because those are my son's favorites but every once in awhile I will change it up. I LOVE good French toast, and when I say "good," I mean it has to be GOOD. I am very picky when it comes to French Toast. It has to be made with the right kind of bread, it has to be thick and chewy, not soggy, and it can't be dry. I make my French toast with homemade brioche (or sometimes I splurge and get the cinnamon burst loaf from Great Harvest). Today I decided to experiment and made a sourdough buttermilk cinnamon brioche. It was AH-MAZING! So here's the recipe! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>This recipe makes one loaf but you can easily double it to make two.</i></span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">2/3 cup buttermilk</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1/2 cup FED sourdough starter</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1/2 stick butter, softened</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1 egg</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1 1/4 tsp salt</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1/4 cup brown sugar, loose (not packed)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1/2 tbsp. cinnamon</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">3 cups bread flour</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">2 1/2 tsp. yeast</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Place ingredients in your bread machine in the EXACT ORDER LISTED and set to dough cycle. Once the bread machine has finished (mine takes 1 hour and 30 minutes) preheat your oven to 350 and grease a loaf pan generously with butter. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and form into a ball. Using the heel of your hand, press the dough ball into a rectangle and roll up tightly to prevent air bubble from forming. Tuck in ends to form a loaf shape. Place in your loaf pan and cover with a clean kitchen towel. Allow to rise until doubled in size, about 30 minutes. Once doubled in size, bake 45 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 191-210 degrees and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped. Remove the loaf immediately from the loaf pan and brush melted butter over the top (this keeps the crust from hardening). Enjoy!</span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1 cup whole milk or buttermilk ( I LOVE Buttermilk)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1/2 cup cream</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">4 eggs</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1/4 cup brown sugar</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1 tsp. cinnamon</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">2 tbsp. melted butter</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1 tbsp. vanilla</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1 loaf good bread, sliced about 1/4 inch thick</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Preheat oven to 350 degrees, place bread on a baking sheet and toast in the oven about 5 minutes on each side. While bread is toasting, whisk together the remaining ingredients. Heat a griddle on medium high heat (or you can do this in a nonstick skillet). Working in batches, dip the bread in the egg mixture and soak 10-20 seconds per side. You want to get the bread nice and coated in the mixture but you don't want it to be soggy. Place the coated bread on the griddle and cook until golden brown on one side, about 10 minutes then flip and cook on the other side until golden brown. Remove from the griddle back onto the baking sheet and place back in the oven. </span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13314647891531315733noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4463045630714878119.post-25996057973473518992015-04-22T18:18:00.005-05:002015-04-22T18:18:53.562-05:00Easy Peasy Frozen Pizza <span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Whenever I go out of town with the boys and my husband stays home to work, I always stock the freezer with these easy frozen pizzas. You can use the dough recipe for fresh baked pizzas as well, it's very universal. These pizzas freeze really well and bake up crisp in the oven straight from the freezer. They're also great for a night when you don't feel like cooking or a gift for someone who just had a baby or is going to have surgery. Each recipe makes four 12 inch pizzas, but you can easily halve the recipe if you want to make less. I make the dough in my bread machine so that saves me a lot of time and effort. The best part about these is that you know EXACTLY what goes in them!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Easy Peasy Frozen Pizzas</b></span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">2 cups warm water</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">2 tbsp. olive oil</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">2 tbsp sugar or honey</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">4 tsp. salt</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">6 cups bread flour (or 00 flour)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">4 1/2 tsp. yeast</span></li>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2o_tWDyQ49JfxwKkVuE82ovNSuJJk7LtzjoPLDVappiUWV328T34q9_E5f7cJLXVFhlNOzTYoalrChBT4flvxrErVJAYsMcC5bykSzPfcAar0ZIYvMfY-C-OrCBQ5xKxDnDxq9xw4R8g/s1600/IMG_7857.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2o_tWDyQ49JfxwKkVuE82ovNSuJJk7LtzjoPLDVappiUWV328T34q9_E5f7cJLXVFhlNOzTYoalrChBT4flvxrErVJAYsMcC5bykSzPfcAar0ZIYvMfY-C-OrCBQ5xKxDnDxq9xw4R8g/s1600/IMG_7857.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Place ingredients in your bread machine <i style="font-weight: bold;">in the order listed</i> and set to dough cycle. When the dough is done, remove from bread machine and form into 4 tight balls. Allow to rest on a floured counter covered with a clean dish towel for about 30 minutes. Preheat your oven to 550 degrees (or the highest setting on your oven). Once the dough has rested lightly flour a pizza peel and roll out your dough to a 12 inch circle. Slide the dough from the peel onto a preheated pizza stone (or alternatively you can roll your dough out onto a baking sheet) and par bake about 2 minutes on each side. Allow crusts to cool at room temperature about 30 minutes.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>To Assemble the Pizzas</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Once the crusts have cooled, assemble your pizzas. You can top with whatever toppings you like. This time around I made 2 barbecue chicken pizza and 2 pepperoni pizzas. Once your pizzas are assembled, wrap them tightly in foil or in a gallon size ziplock freezer bag and write the instructions on the bag or the foil:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmF8KAIl7Z0JIYbNBUEDcXcJN3l6_yFxGFeAd-Wa3ME3HW3aNqyI-ywjTIRywDvHAaHsQ0TgSBPs8-qNNUiAqeizPMwfQEJQ0phHan6vpv6IVq0blkSJBwKvXBqy5dUHzjuJ4xsTC-jUU/s1600/11156290_10153212123530682_1717775525521361773_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmF8KAIl7Z0JIYbNBUEDcXcJN3l6_yFxGFeAd-Wa3ME3HW3aNqyI-ywjTIRywDvHAaHsQ0TgSBPs8-qNNUiAqeizPMwfQEJQ0phHan6vpv6IVq0blkSJBwKvXBqy5dUHzjuJ4xsTC-jUU/s1600/11156290_10153212123530682_1717775525521361773_n.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLtvd6u8gyRrOIQ3zcelv9FILeqzkEPvBaB6p7SijRwUxyuQJjrd_KmcI8TTa-GEGG4V5vc1DbbRTTZ3E5fcZVTn-yoIpmy-ysGdGrz60TVxYt2msm1AeBGy4IrJv737S7yhngkqjgqjk/s1600/IMG_7861.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLtvd6u8gyRrOIQ3zcelv9FILeqzkEPvBaB6p7SijRwUxyuQJjrd_KmcI8TTa-GEGG4V5vc1DbbRTTZ3E5fcZVTn-yoIpmy-ysGdGrz60TVxYt2msm1AeBGy4IrJv737S7yhngkqjgqjk/s1600/IMG_7861.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">When ready to bake the pizzas, simply remove from the freezer and follow the directions above! Voila, homemade frozen pizzas! Yum!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Until next time, happy and clean cooking!</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13314647891531315733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4463045630714878119.post-3792124106857107722015-03-17T14:47:00.001-05:002015-03-17T14:47:40.225-05:00Clean Chocolate Cake with CLEAN Chocolate Buttercream Frosting (NO POWDERED SUGAR)<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Cakes. I have always completely sucked at baking cakes. That's blunt I know, but I totally suck at it. Lately though, I have really found the need to really work on my cake baking skills. The reason is that my older son, who is 6, is Autistic and has some very severe food Autism related food sensitivities to processed sugar and food dyes. We have even gone so far as to have it written in his IEP because even if he has a little bit of something, the reaction lasts for DAYS. It is definitely getting harder as he gets older because of birthday parties. Anywhere you get a cake, it's going to be decorated with copious amounts of unnatural food dyes and tons of processed sugar. Let me be clear, processed sugar is completely different than all natural raw sugar. Processed sugar has been messed with, bleached, had stuff added to it, changed in a lab somehow from its natural state. In my house, I either use honey, or when making treats I use organic, fair trade raw sugar. Anyway, I started doing research on how to make a cake using all natural, organic ingredients, raw sugar, and zero food dyes. I did happen to come across a line of all natural, organic food dyes in my research, but will save those for another project at a later date. In true Elizabeth fashion, I combined the best of several different recipes to come up with this delicious cake. The best part is that it does not have ANY unnatural ingredients, it is made with completely raw sugar- not even the buttercream has any powdered sugar! SCORE! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">One note before sharing the recipe is that I used dark chocolate cocoa powder because I love dark chocolate, but you can use any type of cocoa powder you like. Now...onto the recipe...because we all love birthday cake!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>CLEAN Chocolate Cake with CLEAN Whipped Chocolate Buttercream Frosting</b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRcgg9kMCAC0Y2707Yl1SG-ojOLmJoy7O88dnLy77d25iRSM7QeTUTVGvtIELvHrXrgeQbD8PRYv9quiCM8vOc7JFK_-f7x7xhY4hLn-2wSYYKFJgeenmVU5isbuJYAV864w2-81XS-rs/s1600/11061309_10153126240330682_636396689352543820_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRcgg9kMCAC0Y2707Yl1SG-ojOLmJoy7O88dnLy77d25iRSM7QeTUTVGvtIELvHrXrgeQbD8PRYv9quiCM8vOc7JFK_-f7x7xhY4hLn-2wSYYKFJgeenmVU5isbuJYAV864w2-81XS-rs/s1600/11061309_10153126240330682_636396689352543820_n.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>For the cake</i></span><br />
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1 1/2 cups cake flour (I used Bob's Red Mill)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1 1/2 cups organic fine raw sugar (or granulated sugar)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1 cup cocoa powder (I used Dagoba)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1 1/2 tsp. baking powder</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1 1/2 tsp. baking soda</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1 tsp. salt</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">3/4 cup buttermilk</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1/4 cup vanilla yogurt (I used organic Greek vanilla)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">2 eggs (it is best to use eggs at room temperature)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1/2 cup coconut oil, melted</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1 tbsp. pure vanilla extract</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">3/4 decaf coffee or hot chocolate, HOT (I used organic hot chocolate)</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Preheat oven to 350, generously grease two round cake pans with butter and set aside. Sift together the dry ingredients (the first 6) into a medium bowl and set aside. In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment (or you could use a hand mixer too), mix together the buttermilk, yogurt, eggs, oil, and vanilla until very smooth. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet and beat for a full 2 minutes once incorporated. Add the coffee or hot chocolate and mix until just combined. Pour batter evenly into prepared cake pans and bake for 30-35 minutes until set in the middle and a cake tester comes out clean. Allow to cool 30 minutes, then carefully remove cakes to a wire rack to finish cooling. Allow to cool completely before frosting.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>For the frosting</i></span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1/4 cup cake flour (I used Bob's Red Mill)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">2/3 cup cocoa powder (I used Dagoba)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1 1/2 cups milk (or you can use cream if you want it extra rich)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">3 sticks butter, at room temperature</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1 1/2 cups fine raw sugar (or granulated)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1 tsp. pure vanilla extract</span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">In a small saucepan, whisk together the flour and cocoa powder over medium heat until very thick (like pancake batter thick) and glossy. Add the vanilla and whisk to incorporate. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely. In a stand mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the butter and the sugar together for a full 5 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add the cooled chocolate mixture to the butter and sugar mixture and beat for a full 5 minutes, scraping down the sides to make sure it all gets whipped together. The mixture will turn light and glossy. Place in the refrigerator for 10 minutes. You are ready to frost your cake!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>To assemble the cake</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Place one cake round on a large plate or cake pedestal. I like to cut off the top to make it more even, so the second round will lay flat on the bottom round. Spread the top of the cake round with frosting then place the second round on top of the first with the dome side up. Frost the rest of the cake, tops and sides. Decorate as you see fit! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">And there you have it! A CLEAN birthday cake! Enjoy!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Until next time, happy and healthy cooking!</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13314647891531315733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4463045630714878119.post-66521087039489971522015-01-18T16:23:00.003-06:002015-01-18T16:23:56.143-06:00Tuna Burgers<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I absolutely LOVE Tuna. It's a great source of protein and it is super cheap compared to other fish. You can buy cans of high quality tuna at Costco for a good price. Some people are worried about tuna consumption because of mercury. The truth is, you have to consume an insane amount of tuna in order to get a dangerous amount of mercury in your system, so unless you are pregnant, a small amount once a week isn't going to hurt you. The benefits of tuna really outweigh the risks. That being said, this week I made these tuna burgers and my kids DEVOURED them. Daniel ate two and then asked for a third, then next day, he asked for a tuna burger in his lunchbox! I serve these on my homemade wheat buns topped with homemade tartar sauce. YUM YUM!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Tuna Burgers</b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4iwrH0qWMThbSoak3wKr8l7sdyTssqWlsJlEfNQxiHEaYHdNgHSWbP-AgwzedF_2jkT6HBv8hYhqP6ewaUqcAfPS_WrqPa770jbKCFthKdQT_4fr7zzgYJlSnHR5bk1bLL_K1NpFHpxE/s1600/IMG_7358.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4iwrH0qWMThbSoak3wKr8l7sdyTssqWlsJlEfNQxiHEaYHdNgHSWbP-AgwzedF_2jkT6HBv8hYhqP6ewaUqcAfPS_WrqPa770jbKCFthKdQT_4fr7zzgYJlSnHR5bk1bLL_K1NpFHpxE/s1600/IMG_7358.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">2 (7 oz) cans chunk light tuna</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">zest and juice from 1/2 lemon</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">2 tsp. dried dill weed</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1 tsp. dried onion flakes</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">2 green onions, white and green parts, finely chopped </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1 egg, lightly beaten</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1/4 cup breadcrumbs</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">salt and pepper to taste</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1 tbsp butter or cooking oil for cooking</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">In a large bowl, mix together the ingredients until thick and they hold together (if you are having trouble getting it to hold together you can add a little more bread crumbs). Form into 4 round patties. Heat oil or butter in a nonstick skillet and swirl around to coat the bottom. Cook the patties in the skillet for about 5 minutes on each side or until very brown. Serve on a bun of your choice with tartar sauce and a crispy leaf of romaine if desired. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Honey Wheat Buns</b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCX4db2nkX2ZWTLAWP_WGsNDEU5pRY_d10My-8YJGjcjo7jCoFtXNQ2mPQjbenvBwwxk7G42FEVEZDpJvF_CSvYSs_ZnTX-Vfc0R-2_9tnFqJ6Fvm15R9WvCEWJloAJdjajxha9_TpjM0/s1600/1463691_10152985265365682_3377727781630481594_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCX4db2nkX2ZWTLAWP_WGsNDEU5pRY_d10My-8YJGjcjo7jCoFtXNQ2mPQjbenvBwwxk7G42FEVEZDpJvF_CSvYSs_ZnTX-Vfc0R-2_9tnFqJ6Fvm15R9WvCEWJloAJdjajxha9_TpjM0/s1600/1463691_10152985265365682_3377727781630481594_n.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1 cup milk</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1/2 stick butter, softened</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1/4 cup honey</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1 tsp. salt</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">2 cups bread flour</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1 cup wheat flour (wheat bread flour is even better)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1 1/2 tsp. yeast</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1 tbsp. melted butter (optional)</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Place ingredients in the bread machine -EXCEPT THE MELTED BUTTER- in the order they are listed and set to dough cycle. When the cycle is done divide dough into 8 equal pieces (12 if you want to make slider sized buns) being careful not to punch it down too much. Form each piece in to a tight ball and place on a baking sheet (I use my stone baking sheet- if you use metal cover with parchment paper first). Flatten each ball into a disk to the desired size you want your buns. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Cover your buns with a dish cloth and allow to prove until doubled in size about 30 minutes (I do this on top of the preheating oven). Bake 15-18 minutes or until buns are brown and puffed up. Brush tops of buns with melted butter once they come out of the oven if desired- this is not a required step but this will definitely make your buns softer and help them from getting tough.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Tartar Sauce</b></span></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1/2 cup high quality mayonnaise (I make my own cooked egg mayonnaise and it is YUM-MY)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1 tbsp. high quality dijon mustard</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1 tbsp. dill pickle relish (watch out for Yellow food dye!)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">2 tsp. dill</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1/2 tsp. dried minced onion</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">juice and zest of 1/2 lemon</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">salt and pepper to taste</span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">In a medium sized bowl, whisk the ingredients together until well combined. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes to allow the flavors to come together. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Happy and clean cooking everyone!</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13314647891531315733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4463045630714878119.post-2888347489277207142015-01-07T22:14:00.003-06:002015-01-07T22:14:47.449-06:00Meatball Sub Casserole<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Once a week I take my older son Daniel to his Autism therapy and get home around 5:30 pm. I need dinner ideas that are super easy to throw together during my baby's nap time and throw in the oven or in the crock pot. This recipe is awesome because I can prep it during nap and have the sitter put it in the oven so it is ready to eat when we get home from therapy. You can use whatever meatballs you like for this recipe- if I have time I make mine quickly from scratch, or I also like to use the Aidelle's meatballs you can get at Costco. You can also use frozen meatballs. I always have meatballs on hand in the freezer because they are so versatile and easy to prepare ahead of time and freeze. There are lots of different versions of this casserole out there on the Internet. Here's my version! Every time I make this it gets eaten up quickly!</span><div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Meatball Sub Casserole</b></span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">4-6 slices of French bread (depending on size of the slices- I use the same bread that I use for my <a href="http://foodymommy.blogspot.com/2014/03/bbq-sloppy-joes-on-garlic-toast.html#.VK2StHuJnzI">bbq sloppy joes on garlic toasts</a> - but you could use a French loaf from the grocery store or whatever you like)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">2 cups spaghetti sauce</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1 lb meatballs (about 30 meatballs) - (as mentioned earlier you can use whatever meatballs you like- homemade, frozen, refrigerated, turkey, chicken, beef, whatever you have on hand...I like to make meatballs in large batches and freeze them, I also like the Aidelle's chicken meatballs that are in the refrigerated section at Costco).</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1 cup ricotta</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1 clove garlic, minced</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1/2 tsp. dried Italian herbs, crushed</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">salt and pepper to taste</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1/2 cup grated parmesan </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1 cup grated mozzarella</span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a 13 X 9 inch baking dish with cooking spray (or grease with butter). If your meatballs are frozen, defrost them. Arrange the bread in a single layer in your baking dish. In a small bowl, mix together the ricotta with half of the parmesan, dried herbs, garlic, salt, and pepper. Spread ricotta mixture evenly over the bread. Arrange the meatballs evenly over the bread and ricotta mixture. Pour the sauce evenly over the meatballs and spread to cover them. Top with the rest of the parmesan and mozzarella. Cover with foil and bake 25 minutes, then uncover and bake an additional 5 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly. </span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13314647891531315733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4463045630714878119.post-73086999757933316842015-01-05T23:52:00.000-06:002015-01-05T23:52:49.263-06:00Slow Cooker Italian Lemon Chicken over "French" Oven Rice<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh67BYZmB52aYecOIuv4Xmk04TlsUojTZ8JgXHl1-73PtGcoFmV2y0m1yjcgzJF66-vH7v3tYz7YbjVG4yuApd7a22COkKe6V4vG42DYnqVzdIjRghMAFkmO_xzSPwwNR_dBk8DxqVG_d4/s1600/IMG_7223.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh67BYZmB52aYecOIuv4Xmk04TlsUojTZ8JgXHl1-73PtGcoFmV2y0m1yjcgzJF66-vH7v3tYz7YbjVG4yuApd7a22COkKe6V4vG42DYnqVzdIjRghMAFkmO_xzSPwwNR_dBk8DxqVG_d4/s1600/IMG_7223.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Here's a recipe that appears frequently in my dinner rotation. I found a similar recipe on Pinterest and of course I messed with it a little :). It's really easy, flavorful, and excellent if you LOVE lemon like I do. I serve it frequently over my "French " Oven Rice that one of my best friends in France makes quite a bit (it's not really a French recipe, I just call it French oven rice because my French friend taught me how to make it). I should also add that my husband LOVE LOVE LOVES the oven rice. Every time I make rice he asks me, "is this the oven rice?" It's SO good and SO easy! Enjoy!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Slow Cooker Italian Lemon Chicken</b></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOUMC0omsBbZgB2STwJ6Ouc2RhTPFCmto_ZG1VxtiQBJMOKMSvjSz_8ECFgHsEWL2GrF81eEqPWqTPtdSrdCiZvdApil7wBjtow2bZ8ZACy4fqw_E012tWFR9yzLDhcg0UrgPvJ-HEjxk/s1600/IMG_7221.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOUMC0omsBbZgB2STwJ6Ouc2RhTPFCmto_ZG1VxtiQBJMOKMSvjSz_8ECFgHsEWL2GrF81eEqPWqTPtdSrdCiZvdApil7wBjtow2bZ8ZACy4fqw_E012tWFR9yzLDhcg0UrgPvJ-HEjxk/s1600/IMG_7221.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">3/4 cup flour</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1 tsp. ground black pepper</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">4 tbsp. butter</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1 packet Italian dressing mix (I use an Organic brand I like- you can also easily make it yourself)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">zest and juice of one lemon</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1/2 cup chicken stock</span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Mix the flour and pepper together in a shallow dish. Dredge each chicken breast in the flour so that both sides are evenly coated. Melt the butter in a large skillet and brown the chicken breasts, about 2 minutes on each side. You don't need to cook the chicken though because it's going in the crock pot. Place the browned chicken in the crock pot and sprinkle the Italian dressing mix evenly over the tops of the chicken breasts. In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, zest, and chicken stock. Pour over the chicken breasts. Cook on low for 4 hours. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>"French" Oven Rice</b></span></div>
<div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmUWaZ9KO1cb3Lxzkbhpdl_Abfco8AelF9DLb-IY1XUJ1i7yqBAWG63sROrHIOOjrVo5vOK8nKERQppalR9tt17PH57ag2952JBNVI5rUjf1SG8dtSkJX6Lk-dRtVrtIz5Ez7mR8TcJOY/s1600/IMG_7222.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmUWaZ9KO1cb3Lxzkbhpdl_Abfco8AelF9DLb-IY1XUJ1i7yqBAWG63sROrHIOOjrVo5vOK8nKERQppalR9tt17PH57ag2952JBNVI5rUjf1SG8dtSkJX6Lk-dRtVrtIz5Ez7mR8TcJOY/s1600/IMG_7222.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1 cup high quality long grain white rice - I use organic basmati. (I've never tried this recipe with brown rice...if I ever do, I will let you know).</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1 shallot, finely chopped</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">3 cloves garlic, minced</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1 tsp. dried herbes de provence (or thyme), crushed</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1/2 cup dry white wine (I like to use pinot gris or pinot grigio )</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">2 cups chicken stock</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">2 tbsp butter</span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Rinse your rice for two minutes under cold water using a mesh strainer. This is important because it releases the starch. In a large deep sided, oven proof pot or dutch oven saute the shallot and garlic in the butter until very soft. Add the rice and herbes de provence, and saute another two minutes, coating the rice with butter, until very fragrant and beginning to toast. Add in the white wine, and cook down another two minutes, stirring frequently. Add in the chicken stock, bring to a boil, cover the pot with the lid and stick in the oven. Bake 15 minutes, remove from the oven, fluff rice with a fork, cover, and let stand 5 more minutes. Serve hot. YUM!</span></div>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Until next time, happy and clean cooking!</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13314647891531315733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4463045630714878119.post-13104999016355434072014-12-30T23:04:00.000-06:002014-12-30T23:05:55.714-06:00Ranch Taco Rolls<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Here's a super easy weeknight dinner recipe. I make all sorts of different rolls with my homemade crescent dough. My boys' two favorites are pizza rolls and taco rolls. Tonight I decided to add a packet of ranch to my taco filling. My boys gobbled these up! </span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Ranch Taco Rolls</b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCFCvpD0EzVPuQElRXYNiamRPfW0mJZTxwPJKQdbT_YeCevwVgOTt-tNRqSOCLDhKQpgL7HSp3w7gN08zcpthjrn5msF6hzwakeKT31qCSPLzGXFESj3z_MoU3EifgMN_gO6m0CK2m3VU/s1600/10297563_10152924346770682_8765050897718256041_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCFCvpD0EzVPuQElRXYNiamRPfW0mJZTxwPJKQdbT_YeCevwVgOTt-tNRqSOCLDhKQpgL7HSp3w7gN08zcpthjrn5msF6hzwakeKT31qCSPLzGXFESj3z_MoU3EifgMN_gO6m0CK2m3VU/s1600/10297563_10152924346770682_8765050897718256041_n.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>1 lb ground turkey (or you could use beef if you prefer)</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>1/2 onion, finely chopped</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>1 green pepper, finely chopped</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>1 tbsp. taco seasoning (I use Trader Joe's or make my own)</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>1 packet ranch dressing mix (I use an organic brand that my store sells)</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>1 recipe <a href="http://foodymommy.blogspot.com/2010/05/chicken-pockets.html#.VKOBFXuJnzI">crescent dough</a>- or you can use store bought crescent dough</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>1 cup grated cheddar cheese</i></span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>In a large, deep sided skillet, cook the onion, green pepper, and turkey with the taco seasoning and ranch mix until turkey is fully cooked (no longer pink). Roll out the dough into a large rectangle (about 12 inches by 16 inches). Sprinkle the dough with half of the cheese. Spread the turkey mixture evenly over the dough and cheese (whenever I make taco rolls I never end up using more than half of the meat filling, but you can put as much in as you like, just do not overfill or it will make the dough soggy and it will tear), leaving a 1/4 inch boarder all around. Roll up the dough (as you do when you are making cinnamon rolls) into a log and seal, pressing the dough together to seal it tightly once rolled up. Place seam side down on a cutting board and cut the ends off to make them even. Generously grease a 13X9 inch baking dish. Cut the log into 12 equal slices and place them in rows of 3 facing up in the baking dish. Cover baking dish with plastic wrap and let rest for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Bake 30 minutes or until golden brown and cheese is starting to bubble. Top with a dollop of sour cream. Delicious!</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="color: red; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>* Note- these can be made ahead of time- just prepare as directed but instead of letting them rest for 30 minutes place them in the refrigerator. Remove from the fridge 1 hour before you are ready to bake them. </i></span></div>
</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Until next time, happy and clean cooking!</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13314647891531315733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4463045630714878119.post-36009029871416236072014-12-30T22:43:00.000-06:002014-12-30T22:43:23.565-06:00Brownie Pan Chewies- The Only Cookie Recipe You will EVER Need!<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I. LOVE. COOKIES! LOVE THEM! Cookies are my absolute weakness. I absolutely love a good, soft, chewy cookie. Especially chocolate chip. When I was in grad school I had a professor who would bring us cookies. For the life of me I cannot remember her name, what she taught, or even what she looked like, but boy do I remember her cookies! One day she brought in the most fabulous chocolate chip cookie I have ever eaten. It was big and soft. It was chewy and chocolaty. I immediately asked her for the recipe and I've made this cookie ever since. Being true to myself, I had to mess with it to take it to the next level. I have used the base of this recipe and changed it up from chocolate chips, to cherries and chocolate chunks, to chocolate toffee bits, to caramel bits. These cookies are AH-MAZ-ING. Oh, and did I mention that I bake them in a brownie pan, which gives them a unique square shape and thick, soft texture? That takes them to the limit of cookie deliciousness! Don't have a brownie pan? NEVER FEAR! You can bake them in muffin tins! YUM!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Brownie Pan Chewies</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">(makes 24 brownie pan cookies or muffin tin cookies)</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtPJ5VO_Ijeol8RKoIfGSBsAe6v9OU5OA81lh0wVSHIJswSGPDzQeARzLCto7B7ELUJQadebnhJNp4kUg7-LHyXtxXPMLRKKssftdJbThD26_5UkbynIfhWKhlaGeJ-TFFgh_kAN5WRUU/s1600/10897991_10152918358935682_1068137377709620722_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtPJ5VO_Ijeol8RKoIfGSBsAe6v9OU5OA81lh0wVSHIJswSGPDzQeARzLCto7B7ELUJQadebnhJNp4kUg7-LHyXtxXPMLRKKssftdJbThD26_5UkbynIfhWKhlaGeJ-TFFgh_kAN5WRUU/s1600/10897991_10152918358935682_1068137377709620722_n.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dark Chocolate Chunk Cherry Chewies</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Wet ingredients:</i></span><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>1 1/2 sticks melted butter</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>3/4 cup brown sugar, loosely packed</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>1/2 cup baker's sugar </i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>1 egg (room temperature)</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>1 egg yolk (room temperature)</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>2 tsp. vanilla</i></span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Dry Ingredients:</i></span></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>2 1/4 cups pastry flour </i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>1 1/2 tsp. cornstarch</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>1 tsp. baking soda</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>1/2 tsp. salt</i></span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Mix in ideas (any one of these or combination of these):</i></span></div>
</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>1/2 cup chopped dried cherries</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>1 cup milk chocolate chips (or semisweet or whatever chocolate chips you like)</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>4 oz chopped dark chocolate chunks</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>2 cups chocolate toffee bits</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>1 cup m&ms</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>1 cup caramel bits</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Any other thing your heart desires!</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>A small amount of sea salt (for the top)</i></span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>In a medium sized bowl, sift together the dry ingredients and set aside. In a large bowl, mix the wet ingredients together (I like to use my KitchenAid). Gradually mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until fully mixed together. Fold in your mix-ins until well incorporated. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for AT LEAST two hours. A cold dough is VERY important otherwise the dough will not bake properly. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees and grease two brownie (12 count) brownie pans or muffin tins. Using a medium cookie scoop or a large tablespoon drop large rounds of cookie dough into each tin (do not flatten). Sprinkle the top of each cookie with a small amount of sea salt - yes this sounds weird but trust me, it is WORTH IT! Bake 15-20 minutes, watching carefully after 15 minutes so they do not over bake. Cookies will be lightly golden brown and soft in the middle. Remove from the oven and allow to cool 5-10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.</i></span></div>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Until next time, happy and clean cooking!</i></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13314647891531315733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4463045630714878119.post-55455780622913376582014-12-27T22:15:00.000-06:002014-12-27T22:15:24.380-06:00Authentic French Bonne Maman Bûche de Noël<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">For years I have been trying to make a Bûche de Noël- the traditional dessert that the French serve at Christmas. When I lived in France, I either bought one from the local bakery, or one of the many French grandmothers I knew made one. The last time I had a really good one was in 2007 when David and I spent Christmas with my French family in Paris and Bonne Maman made one. Since then, I have been trying to replicate the cake without success- until now! So here's the thing...I SUCK at baking. I mean, I am terrible at it. Except bread- I am pretty awesome at baking bread- and cookies. But cakes? Forget it. I can never seem to make a good cake. I think the mistake I have been making all these years of trying is that I have been trying to bake a regular chocolate cake in a jelly roll pan. So this year, I decided to do some research, I asked some of my French friends and some of my francophile friends if they have a good recipe or if their grandmothers have a good recipe (since most of my friends in France also buy theirs from the boulangerie). One of my friends was kind enough to ask her "Bonne Maman" (one of the things kids in France call their grandmothers) for her recipe. I converted it, and it is amazing! I no longer have to be afraid of making a bûche, and I can permanently make it part of our family Christmas tradition...as I have so desired for so long! So...here's the recipe!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Authentic French Bonne Maman Bûche de Noël</b></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOP9fc71c5taxi9mgsZNHHIOxMYePQn-XarSuOtHZJVtSkcOQCZewTvXz-2QZny5TND-xJdDIeHdXY9l3ie-MtcE5rdR14KeUiALLmLX6lEKEBTaRkYKjNX2VcPxIZSM6ZQzDYAU9W3xM/s1600/10421406_10152903745520682_6756994079178126327_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOP9fc71c5taxi9mgsZNHHIOxMYePQn-XarSuOtHZJVtSkcOQCZewTvXz-2QZny5TND-xJdDIeHdXY9l3ie-MtcE5rdR14KeUiALLmLX6lEKEBTaRkYKjNX2VcPxIZSM6ZQzDYAU9W3xM/s1600/10421406_10152903745520682_6756994079178126327_n.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b><i>Sponge:</i></b></span><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">4 eggs, separated</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1 tsp. almond extract (or you could use vanilla)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">1/3 cup + 1/2 cup bakers' sugar (like fine granulated) </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1/3 cup cake flour (or I used Bob's Red Mill pastry flour)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">1/4 cup cocoa powder (I used a mixture of natural and dutch process)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1 tsp. baking powder </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1/4 tsp. salt</span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a jelly roll pan with parchment paper that is sprayed generously with cooking spray (I use a stone jelly roll pan but you can also use metal- note- this is NOT the same as a 13X9 inch baking dish). Sift the dry ingredients together and set aside. Beat egg yokes together with almond extract on high speed until thick and glossy- about 5 minutes. Continue beating on high speed and gradually add in the 1/3 cup of sugar and continue to beat on high another 5 minutes. Remove egg yolk mixture to another bowl. Clean your bowl and whisk and dry. Beat the egg whites on high speed until soft peaks form, then gradually add in the rest of the sugar and continue to beat on high speed until thick, glossy, and stiff. Carefully fold the egg yolks into the egg whites with a rubber scraper, then sift the dry ingredients into the eggs and very carefully fold them together until just mixed- DO NOT OVER MIX! The mixture will resemble mousse. Pour the batter into the prepared jelly roll pan and spread evenly. Bake 12-20 minutes or until the sponge lightly springs back when touched and a cake tester comes out clean. Watch it closely, it will appear under done when it is actually ready and will over bake very quickly. While sponge is baking, dust a clean kitchen towel with powdered sugar. When the sponge has finished baking, remove immediately from the oven and turn out onto the kitchen towel. Carefully remove the parchment paper- it is ok if some of the sponge sticks to the parchment paper. Roll up lengthwise in the towel - DO NOT ALLOW TO COOL or else you will not be able to roll it. Allow the roll to cool completely- this teaches the sponge to stay rolled once it is filled. Once sponge is completely cooled (at least two hours) unroll and fill with buttercream frosting (recipe follows), roll back up (don't be surprised if your sponge cracks a bit as it is slightly fragile...it will be covered up so don't worry!) and refrigerate for an hour. Frost with chocolate ganache frosting (recipe follows) about an hour before serving, and decorate! In France they decorate usually with little Santa figurines or holly leaves and berries. I chose to decorate mine simply with powdered sugar and sprinkles. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><b>Buttercream filling:</b></i></span></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">2 sticks butter at room temperature</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">3 cups powdered sugar</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1 tsp. almond extract (or vanilla)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">3 tsp. heavy cream</span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Whip the butter on high speed using the whisk attachment until light and fluffy- about 3 minutes. Lower the speed to medium and add the sugar gradually. When all the sugar has been added, increase the speed to high again and whip another 2 minutes. Add the heavy cream and the almond extract until it is soft and spreadable. </span></div>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b><i>Chocolate Ganache Frosting</i></b></span></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">4 oz. high quality chocolate (I use the Ghirardelli semisweet baking bar)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">3 tbsp. butter</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1 1/4 cup powdered sugar</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">2 tbsp. heavy cream</span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Melt the chocolate, butter, and heavy cream together over medium heat, being careful not to scorch the bottom or the chocolate will seize (keep stirring with a whisk). Transfer to stand mixer and mix in powdered sugar until well incorporated and smooth. If the mixture is too thick, you can add drops of water a little at a time until desired consistency.</span></div>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13314647891531315733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4463045630714878119.post-86490106881883894362014-12-27T22:02:00.001-06:002015-01-04T12:24:18.248-06:00Another Bread Post- French Baguettes like from the Boulangerie! But at Home!<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">One of the things I miss the most about living in France is the bread! Those delicious, golden baguettes that are crispy on the outside and light and fluffy on the inside. I miss going twice a day to my local boulangerie where I would pick up my fresh bread, as is the tradition in France. In the years since I have lived there, I have tried to find a baguette to match the ones in France- whether it be from a local bakery or making it at home- but I have never found anything even remotely close...until TODAY! For Christmas I got some Baguette pans and baguette banneton proofing baskets from my husband and sons. The last year or so I've been working really hard learning how to make bread so that I don't have to buy it anymore. Not only is it much cheaper to make your own bread, it is also much healthier. There's all sorts of crazy gross stuff in store bought bread. Last Christmas David bought me a bread machine, and so I have combined the ease of using the bread machine with baking artisan type breads in my oven on a baking stone. The result has been beautiful and much easier than I thought once I learned the technique. The last several days I have been making baguettes with my new equipment and today I perfected the baguette- it's just like in France! I've made 6 baguettes today just to be sure I had it right and they all turned out the same! I have found the most successful loaves I made were the ones that used a starter. There is a specific starter you can make for baguettes or you can just pull out some of my sourdough starter from the fridge (see my sourdough post). I did it both ways and honestly, it turned out exactly the same. Also, I used artisan bread flour for these. I also tried them with regular bread flour and 00 flour. The artisan bread flour yielded the best results, but the other two flours were also delicious. </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> So don't be afraid, give this a try! I promise you, it will be well worth it! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Now, before I get to the recipe and the process, let me tell you- you DO need to have the correct equipment. The bannetons were around $25 on Amazon and the baguette pan was around $18. I also use my bread machine to make the dough. I know that bread purists would probably scream at me for doing this, but I have found that it makes life easier and why not let the machine do all the kneading and the first rise for me! I have an Oster bread machine which costs around $60 and I never bake my bread in it, not even my sandwich loaves, I only do the dough in it. I also have a baking stone in my oven. The stone is a fibrament stone from Forno Bravo. To make the baguettes you do not need a stone, but it does help with the distribution and retention of heat in the oven while baking the bread.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Ok so on with it...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>French Baguettes</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Starter:</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>1/2 cup water</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>a pinch of yeast</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>1 cup bread flour</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Mix the ingredients in a clean non reactive bowl (like a glass bowl- not metal). Cover lightly with a kitchen towel and allow to rest overnight (at least 12 hours). It should rise slightly and become bubbly. </i></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Note- You can use 1 cup of my <a href="http://foodymommy.blogspot.com/2014/09/perfect-and-simple-sourdough-bread.html#.VJ9K3f8GtA">sourdough starter</a> straight out of the fridge.</i></span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Bread Dough:</i></span></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Starter (all of the prepared starter or one cup of sourdough starter straight out of the fridge, unfed)</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>1 1/4 cups warm water</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>1 1/2 tsp. salt</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>3 1/2 cups artisan bread flour (like 00 or other good bread flour)</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>1 1/2 tsp. yeast</i></span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>For Baking:</i></span></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>1/4 cup cold water in a clean spray bottle</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>10 ice cubes</i></span></li>
</ul>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>1. </i></span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Place all ingredients IN THE ORDER THEY ARE LISTED in the bread machine and set to dough cycle. </i></div>
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<i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></i></div>
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<i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">2. When the dough is ready, preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Turn the dough out carefully onto a lightly oiled and floured surface. Without deflating it, cut it in to three equal pieces (about 6 oz each- you can weigh them using a kitchen scale if needed but it's not essential). </i></div>
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<i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></i></div>
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<i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">3. One at a time, press each piece out into a small rectangle with your fingers and preform. To preform- take the top half of the rectangle and press it into the middle with your fingertips to create a crease. Bring the bottom half up to the crease and press lightly with your fingertips. Bring the two halves together and press together with the heel of your hand. </i></div>
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<i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></i></div>
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<i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">4. Place each preformed dough piece seam side down on a lightly floured surface and cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rest for 15 minutes. (note-I only have two proofing baskets and two slots in my baguette pan, so I actually only work with two at a time, forming the third piece of dough into a ball and placing it into the fridge for the next round of baking). </i></div>
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<i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></i></div>
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<i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">5. Once the dough has rested, working with one piece of dough at a time, press the air out evenly and gently with the tips of your fingers. Using the same action as you used to preform the dough, form your baguette. Cup your hands over the formed dough and gently roll from the middle outwards to elongate the baguette. Place each roll into floured proofing baskets and cover with a clean kitchen towel. Allow to rise until doubled in size about one hour.</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>6. Spray your baguette pan generously with cooking spray and sprinkle lightly with flour. Turn the risen baguette rolls out carefully into the baguette pan, being extra careful not to deflate them. Use a very sharp knife or bread lame to make three slashes about 5 inches each along the length of the baguette at about a 45 degree angle. Use a spray bottle and spray the tops of the baguettes generously with water (this will help create the super crispy crust). Place the baguettes in the oven and toss the ice cubes in the bottom of your oven (this will create steam and contribute to a crispy crust...and no...it will not hurt your oven). </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>7. Bake baguettes 25-30 minutes until deep golden brown and the internal temperature reaches 205 degrees (internal temperature is important because it is what tells us what type of crumb the bread will have- dense, soft and chewy, or light and airy).</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Enjoy! My husband has been eating jambon beurre sandwiches using our leftover Christmas ham! YUM!<i> </i></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBL0cBgb8IgkOWqrhFYOkZcJ7LMhtadmo_09RhdCHIm9Qbm7lLKIIB_NKiOqCnxe48iLMw-EXHmx1fSOG-U9RIcU-_lqJ0kZ-leaLZoMzMQ9lQLtnEK4ys3eYcmvB6CaafFf_yKkXYY-8/s1600/1461266_10152909928380682_3449215539023515263_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBL0cBgb8IgkOWqrhFYOkZcJ7LMhtadmo_09RhdCHIm9Qbm7lLKIIB_NKiOqCnxe48iLMw-EXHmx1fSOG-U9RIcU-_lqJ0kZ-leaLZoMzMQ9lQLtnEK4ys3eYcmvB6CaafFf_yKkXYY-8/s1600/1461266_10152909928380682_3449215539023515263_n.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Please let me know if you have any questions or need any clarification! <br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Until next time, happy, healthy, and CLEAN cooking!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13314647891531315733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4463045630714878119.post-22128882835671114602014-09-18T18:59:00.000-05:002014-09-18T18:59:12.062-05:00Cinnamon Raisin Sourdough<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Today I baked two loaves of Cinnamon Raisin Sourdough. A few weeks ago my mom's best friend told me about this recipe she'd seen on King Arthur Flour so I went to check it out! The first two times I made this bread, I did it exactly as the King Arthur recipe read, then the third time I made it, I decided to mess with it...in true Elizabeth fashion. I gave a loaf of my version to a friend of mine and she asked me to blog the recipe, so here I am! I have made my version two more times, including today and it's SO delicious! YUM!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Cinnamon Raisin Sourdough</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>makes two loaves</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>For the dough:</i></span><br />
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1 1/3 cup milk</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1 cup FED sourdough starter </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1 stick butter, softened</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">2 eggs</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">2 1/2 tsp salt</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">2 tbsp honey (or you can use sugar)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">6 cups bread flour</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">5 tsp. yeast</span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>For the filling</i></span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1 egg + 1 tbsp water, beaten </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1/2 cup brown sugar</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1 tbsp cinnamon</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1 tbsp flour</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1/2 cup raisins</span></li>
</ul>
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<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>1 tbsp butter to brush on the top after the loaves have baked</i></span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Place all the dough ingredients in your bread machine in the EXACT ORDER LISTED and set to dough cycle. When the dough cycle is done, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Turn the dough out onto a VERY LIGHTLY floured surface and lightly coat your hands in flour. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Punch down dough. Break dough in half and then form each half into a ball and allow to rest for 5 minutes. While dough is resting, mix the brown sugar, cinnamon, and flour in a small bowl and set aside. Grease two loaf pans and set aside. Starting with one dough ball, punch the dough out into a large rectangle with the short side facing you (about 16 X 20 inches). Brush the egg wash onto the dough with a pastry brush or spread on with a spoon. Sprinkle with cinnamon mixture and top with raisins. Carefully roll up the dough into a log. Pinch the seam closed and fold the ends over and pinch closed. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Place in loaf pan seam side down. Repeat with second dough ball. Cover loaves with a clean kitchen cloth and allow to proof until doubled in size, about 30 minutes (I like to let my loaves proof on top of the preheating oven). Place in the oven and bake 40-45 minutes or until the internal temperature of the loaf reaches 190 degrees (this is important because this will ensure your loaf is full cooked and will not be dense). Remove the bread from the oven and brush the top with butter (I just use softened butter because it melts on contact with the bread and spread it on with my pastry brush- this gives it a nice soft crust which is good for this type of bread). Allow to cool 5-10 minutes then carefully remove the loaves from the pans. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Until next time, happy and HEALTHY cooking!</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13314647891531315733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4463045630714878119.post-8262336480530293202014-09-17T14:18:00.001-05:002014-09-17T14:18:23.408-05:00Fruit Sauce for Yogurt (and whatever else you want to put it on- and you will want to put it on EVERYTHING)<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I read an article recently that a yogurt cup has more sugar than a Krispy Kreme donut. YUCK! I DEFINITELY do not like Krispy Kremes, I've never been a donut person, but I really don't understand all the hype about Krispy Kremes...maybe it's all the sugar. Anyway, when I found this out it made me sick. And then I found out that a lot of brands, including the ALL NATURAL and ORGANIC brands add Carrageenan to their yogurt! What is Carrageenan you ask? It's an "all natural" ingredient that is added to certain products like yogurt, milk, and ice cream to provide a smoother texture and make "less fat" products seem fuller. Here's the deal, it comes from red algae, so while it is all natural, it's not meant to be eaten! It has been linked to gut irritation, digestive problems, and even certain types of digestive cancers! It causes inflammation of the gut which can lead to ulcerations and bleeding. This is scary to me because I suffer from a form of severe Irritable Bowel Disease, something that caused me to have a bowel obstruction and almost die 10 years ago. Since then I have been SUPER vigilant about my diet and making sure I am eating things that don't irritate my gut, which is the main reason why we are such clean eaters in my house. So, a few weeks ago I started having a flare up of my IBD and could not figure out why. On my last trip to Costco I bought some Activia, which I don't usually buy because I don't like to support companies like Danone, but I bought it because it was on sale and David likes it. My symptoms continued to get worse and could not figure out what it was! And finally, I was reading about Carrageenan and BAM I checked the ingredients label of Activia and what's included? CARRAGEENAN! In a yogurt that is SUPPOSED TO PROMOTE GUT HEALTH! What a crock! SO...I started thinking about this, I love yogurt, my family loves yogurt, I don't want all that sugar, and I don't want the carrageenan. Here's my solution. Plain greek yogurt with this delicious fruit sauce poured over it. You can use berries, you can use peaches, you can use fresh fruit, you can use frozen fruit...whatever you like! Daniel likes it so much he calls it his "special sauce yogurt." I make my own yogurt cups by placing some berry sauce on the bottom of a small mason jar and topping it with yogurt. I then pack these "cups" in David's and Daniel's lunch boxes. YUM! Give it a try! You will want to eat it by itself it is so good!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Fruit Sauce</b></span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">2 cups fresh or frozen berries of your choice (or peaches)- I used a berry mix.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1/4 cup honey (if you like it sweeter add a little more, if you don't like it very sweet add a little less)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1 tsp. pure vanilla extract</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1/2 cup water</span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">In a medium sauce pan, stir together the ingredients over medium high heat until hot and starting to bubble. Turn down heat to low and allow to cook down for about 10-15 minutes stirring occasionally breaking up the fruit. You will know the mixture is ready when it is slightly thickened. Remove from heat and using an immersion blender, CAREFULLY (it splatters and is very hot) puree the mixture. Place back on low heat and allow to bubble another 10 minutes, then remove from heat and allow to cool. Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate. I store this sauce in mason jars in the fridge. It will keep for about a week. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Until next time, happy and HEALTHY cooking. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13314647891531315733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4463045630714878119.post-8458490652826863372014-09-16T19:56:00.000-05:002014-09-16T19:56:25.366-05:00Coffee Creamer<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I have been working really hard to eliminate all the processed foods from our home. To be fair, we don't eat a lot of processed foods, but there are certain things I DO buy, like ketchup, mustard, and coffee creamer. Lately I've been working really hard to learn to make these things because not only does it save money, it is cleaner and healthier. After a bit of trial and error, I have come up with this delicious coffee creamer and the best part about it is that I KNOW WHAT'S IN IT! It also cost me about half the amount to make a 16 oz bottle as it does to buy it at the grocery store. And it also tastes way better than that other gunk too, if I do say so myself! </span><div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Coffee Creamer</b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEginrO4bfVDDHS-5Ysyf4rGttrBoPH_XkUtpOFHTizZj0OjNcaTibROP78m43ukYU6ydLbmi824lhJCrtLzx3n-C8rqfm__rTVCiqkJqPZPhN9jJoDBeK8NiBmR-oTVUPOQvgvHtHyo8F0/s1600/10708395_10152681066170682_1398187460_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEginrO4bfVDDHS-5Ysyf4rGttrBoPH_XkUtpOFHTizZj0OjNcaTibROP78m43ukYU6ydLbmi824lhJCrtLzx3n-C8rqfm__rTVCiqkJqPZPhN9jJoDBeK8NiBmR-oTVUPOQvgvHtHyo8F0/s1600/10708395_10152681066170682_1398187460_n.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1 cup milk </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1 cup cream</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">2 tbsp sweetener of your choice (for example- sometimes I use maple syrup, sometimes I use honey, sometimes I use raw sugar. If you like it a little sweeter, add a little more, if you like it less sweet, add a little less).</span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">To these ingredients add the following depending on which kind of creamer you want to make. My favorite is salted caramel vanilla. </span></div>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Salted Caramel Vanilla </i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: red; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>(note, for this recipe I take out the sweetener because the caramel sauce has sugar in it)</i></span></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>2 tbsp homemade salted caramel sauce (I use the recipe from <a href="http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/homemade-salted-caramel-recipe/">Sally's Baking Addiction</a>)</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>1 tbsp pure vanilla extract</i></span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Classic Vanilla</i></span></div>
</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>1 tbsp pure vanilla extract</i></span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Maple Cinnamon</i></span></div>
</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>1 tsp cinnamon (you can add more if you like a strong cinnamon flavor)</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>1 tsp pure maple extract</i></span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Almond Mocha</i></span></div>
</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>1 tsp almond extract</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>1 tsp cocoa powder</i></span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Pumpkin Spice</i></span></div>
</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>2 tbsp pumpkin puree </i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>1/2 tsp. cinnamon</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>1/4 tsp. cloves</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>1/4 tsp. nutmeg</i></span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>Peppermint Mocha</i></span></div>
</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>1 tsp cocoa powder</i></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>1 tsp peppermint extract</i></span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">In a small saucepan combine all ingredients. Whisk over low heat until steaming (do not allow to boil) and continue to whisk for 2 minutes after it starts steaming. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Store in the fridge in a glass container with a tight lid. Will keep for 10 days. YUM!</span></div>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Until next time, happy and HEALTHY cooking.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13314647891531315733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4463045630714878119.post-16655013907332872472014-09-14T23:06:00.000-05:002014-09-14T23:06:27.605-05:00Perfect and Simple Sourdough Bread<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhp17ATYW8hZxKUQYrmsT9GM0G5hLfDZ-ttT8DUIrxhCOomfgp669AZwiF_heXphW4xKxWjwdClE5Zrppi7r3cJnqVEXM0sLV_oWgfyQvraEttD9BX7toyO-0JoWyRtBpBecPB1DJ-eDk/s1600/10685097_10152665157650682_1606231641_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhp17ATYW8hZxKUQYrmsT9GM0G5hLfDZ-ttT8DUIrxhCOomfgp669AZwiF_heXphW4xKxWjwdClE5Zrppi7r3cJnqVEXM0sLV_oWgfyQvraEttD9BX7toyO-0JoWyRtBpBecPB1DJ-eDk/s1600/10685097_10152665157650682_1606231641_n.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I have been working really hard at perfecting bread making. One of my favorite types of bread to make is sourdough. Sourdough might be totally daunting but YouTube has some EXCELLENT videos on how to make it and I've tried a ton of different methods and techniques to make mine PERFECT! The best part is that I can cheat and make the dough in the bread machine, shape by hand, and bake on my stone in the oven. I've got this bread so delicious that my friends have even started asking me if I will sell it! The tricky part is the starter. My starter isn't traditional by any means, but it works really well and makes the bread taste AMAZING. I was thinking about making a video tutorial but since we've moved I can't find my video camera. As soon as I can find it, I will make one cause it really helps to see it done. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">One thing to note, when making bread, ESPECIALLY sourdough, the type of flour you use REALLY DOES MATTER! I use either King Arthur flour or Bob's Red Mill. You really need to use bread flour and that bread flour needs to be UNBLEACHED and UNBROMATED. The reason for this is because you need to have flour that has a high gluten content and it needs to be more nutrient rich. All purpose flour isn't going to cut it, even if it's unbleached, you need a high quality flour. So, my advice to you is, spend the extra money to get a good quality flour. In addition to good flour, I add 4 tsp. per loaf of vital wheat gluten. Vital wheat gluten isn't essential, but it helps give the dough a nice rise as well as an amazing texture. It also gives a little longer life to your loaf of bread. You can find the Vital Wheat Gluten right next to the yeast in the baking aisle of your grocery store.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Also remember, the older your sourdough starter, the more sourdough flavor you will have. So if you use this recipe for a sourdough starter, it will probably take a few months before you start to really notice that delicious sourdough flavor. Don't despair if your bread doesn't have that distinct flavor to start, give it time, like a fine wine, sourdough gets better with age :). If properly maintained, your starter can be kept alive indefinitely! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Basic Sourdough Starter</b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9LoqJWkKPzOwCYXACG0kWm0GkHYSFQYC05C2t13XBHBDzP9JnDwOSR08uJljiMAQ7uR_KhAUAxMZPZ05_VLYG4xO6DjUTsebeGX2_ugHJqp3xx7vsc6wiUTIToJPNmfONRuXhLpF3soA/s1600/photo+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9LoqJWkKPzOwCYXACG0kWm0GkHYSFQYC05C2t13XBHBDzP9JnDwOSR08uJljiMAQ7uR_KhAUAxMZPZ05_VLYG4xO6DjUTsebeGX2_ugHJqp3xx7vsc6wiUTIToJPNmfONRuXhLpF3soA/s1600/photo+1.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1 cup high quality flour (I use Bob's Red Mill or King Arthur- you can also use whole wheat flour that has a high gluten content)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1 cup cool, filtered water</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1 tsp sugar</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1 tsp. yeast (Note- Sourdough purists would probably have a fit about me adding yeast to my starter, however I find that it gets the starter going quicker, and keeps it really active. I have tried it both ways and find that I prefer adding yeast to my starter)</span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i><b>To Make your Starter:</b></i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">In a large, non reactive (non metallic) container (I use a large, glass mason jar), mix all the ingredients together with a rubber scraper or wooden spoon. If you have lumps, don't worry about it, lumps are OK! Cover loosely with plastic wrap (not too tight, you don't want air to make it explode), or I use a piece of cheese cloth held in place by a rubber band. Store in a warm, dry place like a pantry or kitchen cabinet. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8hNBaigGK9NJtgBSKFrYt0_iJuk_Q7dhjPmsytShS0OIMz55LDSQE1FvbWY7Mu00q5-J5Gb0dWxSPWdjYlxsPGO50N7bSo2SdquXqSB7nDx_ktlHGp7_k0dadMIX8tkQhPmx05OE3luc/s1600/photo+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8hNBaigGK9NJtgBSKFrYt0_iJuk_Q7dhjPmsytShS0OIMz55LDSQE1FvbWY7Mu00q5-J5Gb0dWxSPWdjYlxsPGO50N7bSo2SdquXqSB7nDx_ktlHGp7_k0dadMIX8tkQhPmx05OE3luc/s1600/photo+2.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">For the next 8 days you are going to start fermenting your starter. Your starter is a living thing and needs to be fed to keep it alive. While you are fermenting your starter- feed your it morning and night. Here's how you feed your starter:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">At each feeding - </span></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Remove 1/4 cup of starter and discard it.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">To your remaining starter, add 1/4 flour, 1/4 cup water, and a pinch of sugar.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Stir with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, cover, and place back in your storage spot. </span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">As the starter ferments it will get bubbly and have a sweet smell. If a brown liquid forms on the top that's A GOOD THING! It's called the Hooch and it's alcohol caused by fermentation. Simply stir it back into the starter when you feed it. After 8 days you can cook with your starter or you can place it in the refrigerator. If you keep it in the fridge, <b>it needs to be fed once a week</b>. To feed once a week, remove 1/2 cup of starter and either discard or bake with it, feed with equal parts flour, water, and a pinch of sugar, stir, cover, and place back in the fridge. If you choose to keep it out of the fridge, it needs to be fed once a day.</span></div>
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<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b><i>To bake with your starter:</i></b></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">24 hours before you are ready to bake, remove 1/2 cup of starter from the refrigerator and feed it with 1/2 cup flour, 1/2 cup water, and a pinch of sugar. Place in your warm, dry storage spot (I keep mine in a kitchen cabinet). Before placing the remaining starter back in the fridge, feed it with 1/2 cup flour, 1/2 cup water, and a pinch of sugar. Stir to mix, cover, and place back in the refrigerator. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Feed the starter you are going to use to bake WITHOUT REMOVING ANY STARTER twice on the first day 1/2 cup flour, 1/2 cup water, and a pinch of sugar. Feed it again on the second day right when you are ready to add it to your recipe. You should always bake with starter that has been just fed. Add the amount of starter you need to your recipe and add the remaining starter to your starter in the fridge.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">*<i>Note- when you feed your starter, it should get bubbly and after a few hours look frothy. If it does not bubble up, you can add a pinch of yeast to revive it (again, I am not a traditionalist here). If it looks pink or orange and has a foul odor then it's dead and you need to discard it, but most of the time, it can be very easily revived. If it is BROWN that is GOOD! BROWN IS GOOD!</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Perfect and Simple Sourdough Bread</b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZr1aMBZVeuVEivK211zJvmGYw_YdJF6j8PGzFzPNkkscna13INx-vH_hbZgKMyhWCV0B2meb7rSPnSeGtSZbVV3wt7jvUo6kJhOb0QUa_tc1R3MZNS7DrXe7VO-0dVZ9TqIU1UCpn6nw/s1600/10656315_10152654301835682_419526848_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZr1aMBZVeuVEivK211zJvmGYw_YdJF6j8PGzFzPNkkscna13INx-vH_hbZgKMyhWCV0B2meb7rSPnSeGtSZbVV3wt7jvUo6kJhOb0QUa_tc1R3MZNS7DrXe7VO-0dVZ9TqIU1UCpn6nw/s1600/10656315_10152654301835682_419526848_n.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1 cup milk</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">2 tbsp. butter, softened</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">3 tbsp. honey </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">2 1/2 tsp. salt</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1 1/2 cups sourdough starter</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">4 1/2 cups bread flour</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">8 tsp. vital wheat gluten</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">2 1/2 tsp. dry active yeast</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">10 ice cub</span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihREszpNhBCstKYYl5RpQm49MmDsGi9O_JHgEx2T2JtLVN4VOrbhjxaVxcPRgeKWGMakk5smvdXIHJ3UaIc8fHXMcC3EOhTeMz2tlsvnPNSNGIFd4KirPlFdA27m9L8eW7b6WYu5cnIdc/s1600/10622233_10152654779655682_1161468251_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihREszpNhBCstKYYl5RpQm49MmDsGi9O_JHgEx2T2JtLVN4VOrbhjxaVxcPRgeKWGMakk5smvdXIHJ3UaIc8fHXMcC3EOhTeMz2tlsvnPNSNGIFd4KirPlFdA27m9L8eW7b6WYu5cnIdc/s1600/10622233_10152654779655682_1161468251_n.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Place ingredients in the bread machine in the EXACT ORDER LISTED and set to the dough cycle. When the dough cycle is done, coat a medium sized non-metal bowl with oil, or a banneton lightly with flour and set aside. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide in half. Take one mound of dough and form it into a tight ball. The easiest way to do this is to place the dough on the counter and pull it towards you, turn it one quarter turn, then pull it toward you, and repeat until you have done four turns. Then, using the side and heel of your hand, shift the dough in small circles so that it tightens into a tight ball. Turn the dough upside down into the banneton or oiled bowl, cover with a clean kitchen towel, and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 30-60 minutes. Repeat with the second mound of dough. While the dough is rising, preheat your oven to 375 degrees. If you are using a baking stone- which is recommended- preheat the stone in the oven. Coat a pizza peel lightly with semolina flour or cornmeal, or line with parchment. Turn the risen dough CAREFULLY out onto the pizza peel. Carefully slash the top of your dough with a VERY SHARP knife, taking care not to deflate it. Open your oven and toss the ice into the bottom of your oven (NO THIS WON'T HURT IT!! This will create steam in your oven and give your bread a crispy crust and chewy inside). Carefully slide your dough balls out onto the baking stone using a pizza peel. Bake 20-30 minutes or until the internal temperature of your bread reaches between 190 and 210 degrees when measured with a meat thermometer (this is REALLY important for good texture). Allow to cool slightly before cutting into it...although I know it will be hard to wait! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Until next time, happy and HEALTHY cooking!</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13314647891531315733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4463045630714878119.post-22106587340326802272014-09-14T18:24:00.003-05:002014-09-14T18:24:36.860-05:00Chicken and Broccoli Rolls<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">There is SO much you can do with crescent dough. Unfortunately the stuff you buy in the tubes has undesirable ingredients. Homemade crescent dough is SO easy to make, especially if you have a bread machine. I love to make my <a href="http://foodymommy.blogspot.com/2010/05/chicken-pockets.html">chicken pockets</a> with this dough, but I also came up with these chicken and broccoli rolls and they were a HUGE hit! I love easy recipes like this! Make it vegetarian by leaving out the chicken! Change it up, by using pizza toppings, mushrooms, whatever you fancy!</span><div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Chicken and Broccoli Rolls</b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgPqHJ2aO17755drT_4ra7uIpO2DU8OR1tlzyeOqRyn39hQqzKaa_dSfSWuUdB5fSpiGzo0CFV5_rWjo_jtCkWsWgTWggoTUbUim1-k8gGHHm53UzE7buJxkfW9fnh6Ja-KEK3WAyndMI/s1600/10705022_10152667553475682_76318254_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgPqHJ2aO17755drT_4ra7uIpO2DU8OR1tlzyeOqRyn39hQqzKaa_dSfSWuUdB5fSpiGzo0CFV5_rWjo_jtCkWsWgTWggoTUbUim1-k8gGHHm53UzE7buJxkfW9fnh6Ja-KEK3WAyndMI/s1600/10705022_10152667553475682_76318254_n.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1 recipe <a href="http://foodymommy.blogspot.com/2010/05/chicken-pockets.html">homemade crescent dough</a> (note, when using this dough for a savory dish, I decrease the amount of sugar to 1/4 cup...I also use honey most of the time instead of sugar)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1 cup cooked broccoli, chopped</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">8 oz. cream cheese, softened</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1 clove garlic, minced</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1/4 cup chives, chopped</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">3 green onions, chopped (green and white parts)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1/2 cup cheddar cheese (or parmesan, or whatever kind of cheese you like), grated</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">2 cups cooked chicken, cut into small pieces</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 13X9 inch baking dish (or I use my 13X9 casserole stone, which you don't need to grease if you are using stoneware). In a small bowl mix the cream cheese, garlic, and chives. Roll out crescent dough into a large rectangle, roughly 12X16, with the long sides horizontal and the short sides vertical. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOq2HqZTXTakbaADStkTGrluRTUoMKvxKeEy3PDn8jQdOKAG2gF2zwHkE_1LYHAunPj1-MQQkNU9o_mKRhmsZ1sZV_YEfb2LxlDtX3trUqvDDEpt34g1quenwT2B_6kYuUGWmgyiOYsts/s1600/10668184_10152667484380682_329191071_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOq2HqZTXTakbaADStkTGrluRTUoMKvxKeEy3PDn8jQdOKAG2gF2zwHkE_1LYHAunPj1-MQQkNU9o_mKRhmsZ1sZV_YEfb2LxlDtX3trUqvDDEpt34g1quenwT2B_6kYuUGWmgyiOYsts/s1600/10668184_10152667484380682_329191071_n.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> Spread the cream cheese mixture over the rolled out dough leaving a boarder of about 1/4 inch at the top and bottom. Spread the broccoli and chicken evenly over the cream cheese mixture, then sprinkle evenly with cheese. Roll up horizontally from the bottom to the top to form a log. Slice log into 12 rounds and place in rows of 3 in the baking dish. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until slightly browned and dough is cooked through. I like to serve these with a nice tossed salad! YUM!</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Until next time, happy and healthy cooking!</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13314647891531315733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4463045630714878119.post-39100217789324715432014-09-11T16:55:00.001-05:002014-09-11T16:55:05.418-05:00Clean Ketchup and a RANT about ANNIE'S HOMEGROWN!<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I am highly upset today over Annie's Homegrown selling out to General Mills. We buy almost nothing processed but Annie's was one of those companies I still supported. My boys LOVE the Annie's Bunnies and I felt ok about letting them have them every once in awhile. But....IS NOTHING SACRED ANYMORE? I mean REALLY! It really irks me that all these large corporations buying up the small organic brands to make themselves look good when we all know what they're REALLY up to. I mean, it saddens me, but I can no longer support Annie's Homegrown and buy their products anymore. Annie's representatives swear up and down that they will stay true to their mission and true to their ingredients, however, how can we really trust that when they are now owned by a company that is in bed with Monsanto? A company that paid millions of dollars AGAINST GMO labeling. The fact of the matter is, now when we buy Annie's our money is going to General Mills. And let's face it, General Mills will eventually win over Annie's mission because the almighty dollar will speak. They will find a way to make Annie's products cheaper and essentially that will mean adding unsavory ingredients to their products. It's only a matter of time. And even if they manage to stay true to their mission, the principal of the sell out is what speaks here. Even if they stay true to their mission, the money we spend on Annie's will go to supporting the exact OPPOSITE of what Annie's stands for. Plus, I felt better about supporting the little guy...So...I am going to speak with my wallet. I will no longer buy Annie's Homegrown, and it saddens me because they were actually a company I felt good about supporting. Another note along those lines- I just found an App for my phone called Buycott, which has information on all sorts of products and the companies that own them. You can select all sorts of "conflicts" you have (such as use of GMOs, supporting campaigns against same sex marriage, use of HFCS, etc) and it will tell you if the company that owns the product supports anything you are against in great detail! I LOVE this app! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Now, onto ketchup. You will notice on many of my posts, if a recipe calls for Ketchup, I usually mention that I use Annie's. Annie's Ketchup is what I buy. We go through a lot of ketchup in this house and so when I found out this week that Annie's was bought out by General Mills, I thought I'd better learn to make ketchup! And learn to make ketchup I DID! I tried several different recipes, took the best from all of them, added a little bit of Elizabeth flair, and THIS was the result:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Clean Ketchup</b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6F0mV2B8E7xNCPQc71eTK5dAegAw2mq5TrE7f-aeloCtyttsAq9qP433tHEj-GhND_Xu9poY53DHC-vVEV4hi-qxn1nRvQf1JdR78P-bLFUdvxDMCUKBnJuccIzJFufU7D2tsQlWzmEA/s1600/10668586_10152670862420682_892037787_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6F0mV2B8E7xNCPQc71eTK5dAegAw2mq5TrE7f-aeloCtyttsAq9qP433tHEj-GhND_Xu9poY53DHC-vVEV4hi-qxn1nRvQf1JdR78P-bLFUdvxDMCUKBnJuccIzJFufU7D2tsQlWzmEA/s1600/10668586_10152670862420682_892037787_n.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">6 oz tomato paste</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1/2 cup white vinegar</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1/2 cup water</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">2 tbsp brown sugar - (note- I tried making it with honey instead and my husband thought it tasted like a "dirty sweat sock." I didn't mind the taste with the honey but since David didn't like it I tried the sugar instead and it WAS better. This is one case where I will use sugar instead of honey).</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1 tsp onion powder</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1/2 tsp granulated garlic</span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Whisk all ingredients together in a small saucepan and bring to a slow boil. Turn heat down to low and simmer, stirring very often, for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. If you want a very smooth and shiny ketchup, you can press it through a mesh strainer, otherwise it is excellent as is. I store mine in a mason jar in the fridge. YUM!</span></div>
<br />
<a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/" style="background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; left: 233px; line-height: 0; min-height: 20px; min-width: 40px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; top: 645px; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/" style="background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; left: 233px; line-height: 0; min-height: 20px; min-width: 40px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; top: 645px; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13314647891531315733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4463045630714878119.post-7948301345699806372014-09-02T23:40:00.000-05:002014-09-02T23:40:59.197-05:00Simple White Sandwich Bread<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYWUDdBxbgWlm4LU6-D7JEYBMhm1c6VPlV35OPDW-vDGkMNH26-KjxcOc2rEnOFMXPN_hsPRq4p5BYdiGvWCG07OSSMNK-yLar8BLIDOERwzKGEh8lHntOYJ_McRewT6dLs9x7mGzZ96c/s1600/10656445_10152647897700682_497754487_n-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYWUDdBxbgWlm4LU6-D7JEYBMhm1c6VPlV35OPDW-vDGkMNH26-KjxcOc2rEnOFMXPN_hsPRq4p5BYdiGvWCG07OSSMNK-yLar8BLIDOERwzKGEh8lHntOYJ_McRewT6dLs9x7mGzZ96c/s1600/10656445_10152647897700682_497754487_n-1.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I have said this before, but I have totally given up buying store bought bread. I have learned to make bread so easily at home and it's so much better in so many ways! Not only does it taste better, but it's healthier and I know EXACTLY what is in the bread. I use my bread machine to make the dough, then I shape by hand and bake in the oven. That makes it so much easier for me! I have started adding Vital Wheat Gluten to my bread and it gives it a really nice texture. The Vital Wheat Gluten isn't essential, but if you add it, I think you will be very happy with the results! Vital Wheat Gluten can be found right next to the yeast in the baking aisle of your grocery store! </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Here's my simple white sandwich bread recipe and it is soooooooooo good. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Simple White Sandwich Bread </b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><i>makes 2 loaves</i></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcP1Hcup0WzTy4Tp_buPz6VSY_rblpCRBWv98FYDi0RXx4OwjAtAeeNHDgS2Z0PsqTGFfi_EsRQXRg2kJ6Udv-MDXcRLzPIjyGqVuEl5PBu_zXnF2cq_GhIQhgNHhTP9Q5dobxMUyYL0c/s1600/10615674_10152648517610682_1219522695_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcP1Hcup0WzTy4Tp_buPz6VSY_rblpCRBWv98FYDi0RXx4OwjAtAeeNHDgS2Z0PsqTGFfi_EsRQXRg2kJ6Udv-MDXcRLzPIjyGqVuEl5PBu_zXnF2cq_GhIQhgNHhTP9Q5dobxMUyYL0c/s1600/10615674_10152648517610682_1219522695_n.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">2 cups milk</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">2 tsp. salt</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">4 tsp honey (or you can use sugar but if you use sugar add it after the flour)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">2 tbsp. butter, softened</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">5 1/2 cups bread flour</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">8 tsp. vital wheat gluten (You can leave this out if you can't find it or if you don't want to put it in, but it really makes a beautiful loaf of bread)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">3 tsp. yeast</span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Add ingredients in your bread machine in the EXACT ORDER LISTED (if you use sugar instead of honey, add it after you add the flour) and set to dough cycle. Once dough cycle is finished, preheat oven to 375 degrees and generously grease two loaf pans with either cooking spray or butter. Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface and roll into a ball. Cut ball in half. With one half, form into a ball, then do a little karate chop action down the bread to form into a rectangle. Roll up the bread pinch the seam together, pinch the ends together, and place seam side down in loaf pan. Do the same with the <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfWArGJC29fgmKp9Nm8aqjMhRMyeSbnpl8RQLYrFk79EdNw849rlQkv38LOIk4OzPJGUIaGH_YYyP8kMg8Tcf0QtTkzJkgQGqLTItLHkT3wt1Kd2CfgGmM6E01escVDB4bulNLmi6YhK8/s1600/10660827_10152648645195682_301505435_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfWArGJC29fgmKp9Nm8aqjMhRMyeSbnpl8RQLYrFk79EdNw849rlQkv38LOIk4OzPJGUIaGH_YYyP8kMg8Tcf0QtTkzJkgQGqLTItLHkT3wt1Kd2CfgGmM6E01escVDB4bulNLmi6YhK8/s1600/10660827_10152648645195682_301505435_n.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
second ball. Cover with a kitchen towel and allow to rise until doubled in size about 30 minutes. Bake 30 minutes or until the internal temperature of the bread is between 190 and 210 degrees (I take the temp with a meat thermometer). Yum, yum, YUMMMY, YUM, YUM!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Until next time, happy and healthy cooking!</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13314647891531315733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4463045630714878119.post-26448465248495110922014-09-02T23:18:00.002-05:002014-09-15T13:18:19.264-05:00Spaghetti O's<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Spaghetti O's, that can of pasta every '80s kid knows. I can see how these were popular with '80s kids and even more so with '80s moms- they're small, fun shaped, and SUPER easy to prepare. Back in the day, they probably didn't have all the disgusting and questionable ingredients in them that they have today either. Recently I've seen recipes for homemade Spaghetti O's popping up on blogs. I was never a huge Spaghetti O's eater back in the '80s, but they were certainly a staple of most kitchen pantries back in the day. Recently I was in Trader Joe's and I noticed a Trader Joe's version- Trader Joe's O's. I thought to myself, with the resurgence of Spaghetti O's popularity, I should try my hand at making my own! And so I did, and the result was AWESOME! My kids LOVE them and my version doesn't have any of the nasty ingredients that the original Campbell's Spaghetti O's has. NO HFCS in my version! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Spaghetti O's</b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9yBKH0mMuaUROlbULdvPNx0PVWW-BpcwwpseOHx2bA8LZ0ExRkl-BTdSt0h-miz8UThxLEdtGSWrJjDUIPq5InilshDLM1sISy082Zwi5BOIA074kRmzvEHqE9_LN5uEYy-ZEoatvoII/s1600/10656147_10152650612285682_1822627957_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9yBKH0mMuaUROlbULdvPNx0PVWW-BpcwwpseOHx2bA8LZ0ExRkl-BTdSt0h-miz8UThxLEdtGSWrJjDUIPq5InilshDLM1sISy082Zwi5BOIA074kRmzvEHqE9_LN5uEYy-ZEoatvoII/s1600/10656147_10152650612285682_1822627957_n.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">16 oz plain tomato sauce </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1/4 cup milk</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1/2 tsp. onion powder</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1/2 tsp. paprika</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">2 tbsp honey (or sugar)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1 tsp. salt</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">3 tbsp. butter</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">16 oz. Anelletti (O shaped pasta) or small pasta like ditalini (which is what I used. Anelletti can be a little difficult to find)</span></li>
</ul>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPS5Ixm-b9gTlCCi-A5yIIy83cvWDhFv9l5e8tuI3GviyXJ1A4sGwxN7ij0AMJDin26hge4IeHxBl3FmQvTDl2Y2aNPQMX01u00X6ku33jkgaiELpldUtTwhvKyAY2oqAxjxwfoWRsjug/s1600/10656304_10152650612455682_546483642_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPS5Ixm-b9gTlCCi-A5yIIy83cvWDhFv9l5e8tuI3GviyXJ1A4sGwxN7ij0AMJDin26hge4IeHxBl3FmQvTDl2Y2aNPQMX01u00X6ku33jkgaiELpldUtTwhvKyAY2oqAxjxwfoWRsjug/s1600/10656304_10152650612455682_546483642_n.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Noah approved!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Cook pasta according to package directions, drain, and set aside. In a small saucepan, mix together all the ingredients (except the pasta), and bring to a simmer, stirring frequently until the butter is melted. Once hot and butter is melted, add the pasta to the sauce and stir to coat. Serve warm. If reheating leftovers, add a couple of tablespoons of milk before reheating to loosen up the sauce. Serve with a sprinkling of grated cheese if desired! </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Until next time, happy and healthy cooking!</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13314647891531315733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4463045630714878119.post-34777383574093026992014-09-01T10:49:00.002-05:002014-09-11T11:07:22.799-05:00 White Cheddar Meatloaf<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I. LOVE. MEATLOAF. I love it! I think it's one of those classic comfort foods that is just sooooo yummy! I have a meatloaf recipe that I've made for years and years. My <a href="http://foodymommy.blogspot.com/2011/10/oh-holy-cow-tuscan-meatloaf.html">Tuscan Meatloaf</a> has always been my "go to" meatloaf recipe, but a couple of weeks ago, I couldn't find the red currant jelly I needed to make this recipe. So...I decided to create a NEW meatloaf recipe, and OMG the results were DELICIOUS! I always use ground turkey because I have never been a fan of ground beef. I would like to try making it with ground beef just to see how it turns out, or maybe a mixture of beef and turkey. This White Cheddar Meatloaf is my new favorite! YUM! I paired it with white cheddar mashed potatoes (cause you can NEVER have enough white cheddar) and green beans. Unfortunately I didn't get a great picture of the meatloaf, but I promise you, it was DELICIOUS! Next time I make it I promise to get a better picture :).</span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>White Cheddar Meatloaf</b></span></div>
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<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1 lb ground turkey (or ground beef, although I haven't made it with ground beef so I am not sure how it changes the flavor-if you do make this with beef, let me know how it turns out! I would love to hear!)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1 tbsp. dried minced onion (I like to use dried onion in meatloaf because the meat holds together better around it. You can certainly use fresh onion if you prefer, I just like the result better with dried onion)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">2 cloves garlic, minced</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1 tbsp. worcestershire sauce</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1 tbsp. and 2 tsp. mustard (I used dijon), divided</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1 tbsp. and 1/4 cup ketchup, divided</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1 cup breadcrumbs</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1/2 cup buttermilk (you could also use regular milk but I like the rich flavor of buttermilk in this recipe)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">2 eggs</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1/2 cup sharp white cheddar (I used Beecher's but any sharp white would be good, like Kerry Gold would be AWESOME too!)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">salt and pepper to taste</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1/4 cup brown sugar</span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a small bowl, soak the breadcrumbs in the buttermilk for about 5 minutes until the milk is absorbed and the breadcrumbs are moist. In a large bowl, add the turkey, onion, garlic, worcesterhire, 1 tbsp. mustard, 1 tbsp. ketchup, breadcrumbs in buttermilk, eggs, salt and pepper, and cheddar. Mix well (I use my hands). Shape loaf in a large baking dish or loaf pan- I use my Pampered Chef deep covered baker for meatloaf. In a small bowl, mix the remaining ketchup, remaining mustard, and brown sugar. Spoon over meatloaf and spread evenly. Bake 60-65 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees. Remove from the oven and cover with foil or baker lid and allow to rest for 10 minutes before cutting. Yum!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: red; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">* UPDATE- I made this with ground beef and it was AH-MAZ-ING! I still prefer it with turkey but David actually liked it better with beef! YUM!</span></div>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Until next time, happy and healthy cooking!</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13314647891531315733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4463045630714878119.post-39202216111599757532014-08-28T23:04:00.004-05:002014-08-28T23:07:18.823-05:00Creamy Tomato Meatball Soup with Acini de Pepe<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This is one of my FAVORITE soup recipes! I've never been a huge fan of plain old tomato soup, so I decided to change it up a bit! This soup is ALWAYS a big hit in my house! I use Acini de Pepe which is a small round pasta. If you can't find Acini de Pepe, you can use something like orzo, stars, or even alphabet shaped pasta! I use ground turkey, but you could certainly use ground beef if you prefer!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9EJwTAN8ptwcZzxUs-qeq0-cgLwk2YyDxBSoERnh53Kw6TOtILCQdYyU8MSck21nOKyYXyfmtjxpp_7tIEoqNHy7XGANjBDhnfFtPIoMtxK-OjLSPZl4UiKkaNrlbs7W6qtv53nbBTa0/s1600/10569185_10152586105055682_815451034_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9EJwTAN8ptwcZzxUs-qeq0-cgLwk2YyDxBSoERnh53Kw6TOtILCQdYyU8MSck21nOKyYXyfmtjxpp_7tIEoqNHy7XGANjBDhnfFtPIoMtxK-OjLSPZl4UiKkaNrlbs7W6qtv53nbBTa0/s1600/10569185_10152586105055682_815451034_n.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Creamy Tomato Meatball Soup with Acini de Pepe</b></span><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">2 (28 oz) cans (or 4- 14.5 oz cans) diced tomatoes</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1 medium onion, chopped</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">3 large carrots, chopped</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1 rib celery, chopped</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">3 cloves garlic, minced</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">6 cups chicken stock </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">8 oz garden vegetable cream cheese</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1 lb ground turkey </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1 tsp. worcestershire sauce</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1 cup breadcrumbs</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">2 eggs</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">2 tbsp. Italian herbs (divided- half for the soup, half for the meatballs)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1 cup uncooked Acini de Pepe</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">salt and pepper to taste</span></li>
</ul>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNLBGoIvxbSVoYJDXlcpbk4KPK0iq051o8k4qifHXcrcA-tdVoSje6GoDm8a43YfqS4r4RwORgy11LCXtnZT4pJYEkeb9HuZrGBtAtL16nTvQFYFtE8qC5QU4z89XF1LrvJREe8I0PsyE/s1600/10643271_10152639565625682_742722232_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNLBGoIvxbSVoYJDXlcpbk4KPK0iq051o8k4qifHXcrcA-tdVoSje6GoDm8a43YfqS4r4RwORgy11LCXtnZT4pJYEkeb9HuZrGBtAtL16nTvQFYFtE8qC5QU4z89XF1LrvJREe8I0PsyE/s1600/10643271_10152639565625682_742722232_n.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">In a large soup pot or dutch oven, sauté the onion, carrots, celery, and garlic in grape seed (or vegetable) oil for 2-3 minutes or until beginning to sweat. Add the tomatoes and chicken stock, and half the Italian herbs, and bring to a boil. Turn down and simmer on medium low about 15 minutes or until carrots are very soft. Meanwhile, mix together the turkey, worcestershire, breadcrumbs, the rest of the Italian herbs, the eggs, and the parmesan cheese, in a medium bowl. Using an immersion blender (or a regular blender in batches) puree the soup. Add the cream cheese and stir gently to start melting it, then use the immersion blender to finish blending it into the soup. Form meat mixture into small (teaspoon sized- I use a small cookie scoop for this) meatballs and drop them into the soup (they will poach in the soup). Once all the meatballs are added, add the acini de pepe. Simmer another 10 minutes until the pasta and meatballs are cooked. Serve with a sprinkling of good parmesan! YUM!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span>
<a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/" style="background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; line-height: 0; min-height: 20px; min-width: 40px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/extension/" style="background-image: url(data:image/png; border: none; cursor: pointer; display: none; height: 20px; line-height: 0; min-height: 20px; min-width: 40px; opacity: 0.85; position: absolute; width: 40px; z-index: 8675309;"></a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13314647891531315733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4463045630714878119.post-33305287651800664322014-06-17T22:13:00.002-05:002014-07-13T15:06:18.509-05:00Mexican Rice<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I LOVE Mexican rice. It's SOOOOO yummy and tastes fabulous as a side or in a burrito or tacos. This recipe takes awhile but it is WORTH it! I created it by taking the best parts of several recipes I have tried, plus adding a little Elizabeth flare! Because I have two little boys, I don't like to make my food super spicy, so instead of using jalapeños I used homemade jalapeño jelly. If you don't want to use the jelly, you can definitely use jalapeños. I think you will agree that this rice is pretty amazing!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Mexican Rice</b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia2W2WvULI3p8bzUx4q_kmTv08K5JeUCOblxEiHl9urzQ-GSUfx2h5jBNi1Fc10pwP0KhlLTBUnzoywg9COZdD0ausA2Adk4br47QN1gwgDKkD4HDq6WjBpqx7QL99nLYRDy170PQlzQc/s1600/10478811_10152471533935682_1986318200_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia2W2WvULI3p8bzUx4q_kmTv08K5JeUCOblxEiHl9urzQ-GSUfx2h5jBNi1Fc10pwP0KhlLTBUnzoywg9COZdD0ausA2Adk4br47QN1gwgDKkD4HDq6WjBpqx7QL99nLYRDy170PQlzQc/s1600/10478811_10152471533935682_1986318200_n.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">2 cups uncooked long grain white rice (I used basmati- DO NOT USE INSTANT)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">4 cups chicken stock</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1 can diced tomatoes</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1/2 white onion</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1/2 stick butter (or 1/4 cup grape seed oil)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1/4 cup jalapeño jelly (or 2 jalapeños, seeded and diced)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1 can (4 oz) diced green chilies</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">4 cloves garlic, minced</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">juice of 1 lime</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">salt and pepper to taste</span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Preheat oven to 350. Rinse the rice in a mesh strainer for about 2 minutes (this step is really important). In a food processor or blender, add the diced tomatoes, onion, and jalapeño jelly (or diced jalapeño). Process until pureed and set aside. Melt the butter in a large, oven proof dutch oven (if you don't have an oven proof dutch oven you can transfer the rice when it's time to put it in the oven to a casserole dish and cover with a lid or foil). Add the rice and garlic to the butter and sauté until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Add the tomato puree and chicken stock, green chilies, salt and pepper, and bring to a boil. Place the lid on the pot and transfer to the oven. Bake in the oven for 35 minutes, stirring after about 20 minutes. When rice is done baking, squeeze lime juice over the rice and stir to mix. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Until next time, happy and HEALTHY cooking! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13314647891531315733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4463045630714878119.post-90691974646997212572014-06-16T23:35:00.004-05:002014-06-16T23:35:47.401-05:00Honey Wheat Sandwich Loaf<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I have taken the final step in eliminating unhealthy processed chemicals from my family's diet. We've always been very clean eaters, but one thing I have wanted to master for a long time was making bread. Bread is one of those things that is laden with chemical ingredients and HFCS, and organic bread can be expensive. I used to make bread all the time, but it was never very good. My bread machine broke a few months before moving from Iowa to Washington and I had a baby, so I stopped making bread. For Christmas, David got me a new bread machine and I bought a baking stone, so I felt it was FINALLY time to learn to properly make bread. I now make all my bread from scratch and it is SOOOO delicious! This honey wheat sandwich loaf is super soft and delicious. It is REALLY important that you use bread flour for both the white and the wheat flours as it has a higher gluten content which makes the bread less dense.</span><div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Honey Wheat Sandwich Loaf</b></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFYLCwZZEDtdFM6kqvdLIEA-IxcWkA_yE_RcNIbe-QpX0xr91WWc1ZOYFL_HDeyX3cK-sWzQYk2OoFoXISh18jYUxPbb-HZp9Z_4R9v-6ycQUfuSJMyqJydY15kXKSlFyufqSwD45vAQw/s1600/10485771_10152469440005682_190188991_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFYLCwZZEDtdFM6kqvdLIEA-IxcWkA_yE_RcNIbe-QpX0xr91WWc1ZOYFL_HDeyX3cK-sWzQYk2OoFoXISh18jYUxPbb-HZp9Z_4R9v-6ycQUfuSJMyqJydY15kXKSlFyufqSwD45vAQw/s1600/10485771_10152469440005682_190188991_n.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1/2 cup warm water</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1/2 cup warm milk</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1 egg</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1/2 stick butter, softened</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1/4 cup honey</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1 1/2 tsp. salt</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">2 cups white bread flour (I use Bob's Red Mill)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1 cup wheat bread flour (I use Bob's Red Mill)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">2 1/2 tsp. yeast</span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Place the ingredients in the bread machine in the exact order listed and set to the dough cycle. Once the dough cycle has finished, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a loaf pan with cooking spray or butter. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Do a little karate chop action to punch the dough out into a rectangle - about 8 inches by 10 inches. Roll up the rectangle tightly and fold the ends over. Pinch the seams tightly. This is important because otherwise you will have a hole in your loaf. Place into the loaf pan and cover with a towel, allow to rise until doubled in size about 30 minutes. Once doubled in size, bake the loaf 30-35 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 190 to 210 degrees (I take the temperature with my digital meat thermometer). </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Until next time, happy and HEALTHY cooking! </span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13314647891531315733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4463045630714878119.post-64427607576839192302014-06-16T23:09:00.002-05:002014-06-16T23:09:17.379-05:00Honey Lime Chipotle Grilled Chicken<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I have a SERIOUS addiction to grilling chicken! I have been posting a ton of grilled chicken recipes lately because quite frankly I LOVE our new barbecue! I absolutely LOVE playing around with marinades and then serving the beautiful grilled chicken over a lovely salad, folded into some delicious tacos, or served alongside some brown rice and asparagus. YUM! It's the perfect answer to dinner in the summer! This particular marinade was an experiment gone RIGHT! I served it over a beautiful bed of romaine lettuce, sautéed bell peppers and onions, and brown rice- what I call chicken fajita bowl! Yum!</span><div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Honey Lime Chipotle Grilled Chicken</span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6i8dz3hq12BXn-jvNrj0GhYqJa4O8u3VM9lIks_s_x1kkPglV614TQKd9HVWtLriUHIiikM7fITBP-ypUpVBYfvOP40YOraLtekudTrrm2GIbZFTY9vYFks7prrvJksfVW_S4BExg4Rs/s1600/10485520_10152466878890682_1984538137_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6i8dz3hq12BXn-jvNrj0GhYqJa4O8u3VM9lIks_s_x1kkPglV614TQKd9HVWtLriUHIiikM7fITBP-ypUpVBYfvOP40YOraLtekudTrrm2GIbZFTY9vYFks7prrvJksfVW_S4BExg4Rs/s1600/10485520_10152466878890682_1984538137_n.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">juice and zest of 2 limes</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">2 tbsp. honey (I use a really lovely local organic honey)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1/4 tsp. chipotle chili powder (you can use more if you want it spicy but chipotle </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">chili powder can be VERY strong and a little goes a long way)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">1/4 red onion, chopped</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">salt and pepper to taste</span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Place the chicken in a large ziplock bag. In a bowl, whisk the rest of the ingredients together. If you taste the marinade and it is too hot, add a little more honey. Pour the marinade over the chicken in the bag. Seal the bag squeezing the air out as you seal. Massage the marinade into the chicken and place in the fridge to marinate 2 hours up to 8 hours (the longer you marinate, the better the flavor). </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Until next time, Happy and HEALTHY cooking!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13314647891531315733noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4463045630714878119.post-49831529635432455142014-06-14T17:55:00.001-05:002014-06-14T17:55:50.553-05:00Pineapple Chicken Tacos with Black Bean and Corn Salsa<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2mUvPsbMivVb8v0emorsB-Yzuwd_PgRGSG938tTYR3aAxGyjkxmxwNDifqjJYVNPayxMRno-m-JgKFU1Vo0MP5Tf0XRWWPZzlBOQUTMSZMJfcOTwrRtrgtAZkNuw9HIL_xu9MC1FvuEQ/s1600/10437070_10152454394335682_1696113783_n-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2mUvPsbMivVb8v0emorsB-Yzuwd_PgRGSG938tTYR3aAxGyjkxmxwNDifqjJYVNPayxMRno-m-JgKFU1Vo0MP5Tf0XRWWPZzlBOQUTMSZMJfcOTwrRtrgtAZkNuw9HIL_xu9MC1FvuEQ/s1600/10437070_10152454394335682_1696113783_n-1.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I know, I know, I have been posting a lot of taco recipes lately. We have Tacos Tuesday every week and since we got our new grill I've been big into experimenting with different marinades for chicken and fish tacos. My aunt, who is the chef, was here last weekend and we made a winner recipe! The chicken is marinated in a mixture of pineapple juice and taco seasoning and then grilled to perfection. I then piled the chicken in warm corn tortillas and topped them with my Auntie Teri's black bean and corn salsa, sour cream, and guacamole. You could also serve this over rice, or in a salad. </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">YUM! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
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<b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Pineapple Taco Grilled Chicken</span></b><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1/2 cup 100% pineapple juice</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">2 tbsp. taco seasoning (I use the Trader Joe's brand or I use Frontera taco sauce)</span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Put the chicken in a large ziplock bag. Mix the pineapple juice and the taco seasoning together and pour over the chicken. Close the ziplock, pressing out all the air as you do so. Massage the marinade into the chicken and place in the fridge for 2 hours up to overnight. Grill about 5 minutes on each side or until internal temperature is 165 degrees. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>Black Bean and Corn Salsa</b></span></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">2 ears corn, kernels removed from cob (I look for NON GMO corn)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1/2 can black beans, rinsed (if you buy organic black beans the cans do not contain BPA)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1/2 red onion, finely chopped</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1/4 cup pineapple, finely chopped</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">a handful of cilantro, finely chopped</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1 tsp. jalapeño jelly (or 1 fresh jalapeño finely chopped if you like it spicy...I am not a fan of spicy so I like the taste of the pepper jelly)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">salt and pepper to taste</span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Saute the corn and the onion in olive oil (or grape seed-if you are going to cook with olive oil, do not use extra virgin, it is not safe when heated at high temperatures) until the onion is starting to sweat and the corn begins to caramelize about 5 minutes. Remove from pan to a bowl and mix in the rest of the ingredients. Place in the refrigerator to cool or serve warm. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Until next time, happy and HEALTHY cooking!</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13314647891531315733noreply@blogger.com0