Multi-Grain Bread

This is THE most delicious bread I have ever made!  I got the recipe from the blog All Things Delicious.  (it's a great blog, check it out!)  It's as good or better than my "prize winning" bread. It stays moist longer.  It tastes like the multi-grain bread I have been buying and wishing I could duplicate!   Make it as soon as you can!

This is her exact recipe.  I'll make my comments at the end.

1/4 c sesame seeds
1/4 c millet
1/8 c flaxseed
1/4 c sunflower seeds
1 c 9 grain cereal (or 7 grain or 11 grain whatever you want)
3 c very hot water

1/4 c oil
3 T molasses
1/4 c honey
1 (heaping) T instant yeast (my mom uses 3 leveled T instant yeast, so take your pick or anywhere in between)

1/2 c gluten
1 T dough enhancer
1 T salt
1 c whole wheat flour

4-5 c additional whole wheat flour

Combine first 5 ingredients (the seeds) and let them soak in the very hot water for 15 minutes.  Then combine the oil, molasses, honey, and yeast and add it to the soaked seeds and water.  To this mixture, add the gluten, dough enhancer, salt, and 1 c flour; mix well for 1 minute.  Then add 4-5 cups more flour, enough until the sides of the bowl are clean.  Mix with a Bosch on speed 2 (medium) for 8 minutes with a dough hook.

Turn out dough.  Put in loaf pans.  Let rise for an hour.  Bake at 350 for 35 minutes.

My notes:  I used the three level (or close to it) T yeast.  I didn't have dough enhancer, so I omitted, and the bread came out great. When it's mixing with the dough hook, WATCH YOUR MIXER!  I wasn't, and when I turned around the whole mixer was about to go off the counter.  The dough is tough and the mixer really moves.  (maybe that's where the dough enhancer comes in??) Thank heaven for electricity, the cord saved my mixer.  You only have to let this rise once, in the pans.  I didn't let mine rise quite an hour.  They rose more than double though, and I love the consistency.  I made 3 large loaves (9x5x3).  If you have the smaller ones, it's probably more like 5-6.  You'll want to adjust the time if you do smaller loaves--maybe 10 minutes less??

Mom's Corned Beef & Cabbage

This blog cannot be complete without Mom's signature Corned Beef and Cabbage! This is on the menu tonight for our green day celebration and my mouth is already watering. This is the best you will ever have, trust me.

3-4 lbs corned beef (Shenson's is good), choose one with the least fat and DO NOT use seasoning packet that comes with it-I prefer 4 lbs and so does Mom
2 onions, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 whole cloves
2 bay leaves
6 small red potatoes, cut in wedges
6 small carrots, peeled and cut in thirds
1 medium green cabbage, cut in 6 wedges

-Put corned beef in large pot, barely covering with hot water. Add onion, garlic, cloves, and bay leaves. Cover and simmer-don't boil-for 1 hr. per pound of meat.
-When done, take out the meat and set aside on plate and cover with foil. To liquid in pot add potatoes and carrots. Cover and boil 20 minutes. Add cabbage wedges and boil 10 more minutes.
-Cut meat across the grain. Put slices on plates or large soup bowls and spoon veggies and some juice over the meat. And smother with butter and lots of salt of course!!

Lemon Cakes

If you are a lemon fan you will LOVE LOVE these!!!!!! I'm making them for Dad's 70th!

Generously butter and sugar 8 (5 oz) ramekins.

Preheat oven to 325.

5 T butter @ room temp.

6 T plus 3/4 C sugar, divided

5 eggs @ room temp., separated

grated zest of two lemons

6 T flour

1 1/4 C whole milk @ room temp.

2/3 C fresh lemon juice @ room temp.

garnish with whipped cream and berries

Cream butter and 6 T sugar until light in color, about 2 min. Add egg yolks one at a time. Stir in lemon zest and flour. Add milk and lemon juice and beat thoroughly.

Whip eggs whites until soft opaque peaks form. Slowly drizzle in 3/4 C sugar and whip until meringue forms stiff glossy peaks. Gently fold meringue into lemon mixture.

Scoop the mixture into the ramekins and gently smooth the tops. Place ramekins in a large baking pan in oven. Pour boiling water into pan within 1" of tops of ramekins. Bake 30 minutes. Remove from water bath and cool completely.

Oatmeal Banana Cake

When you want an extra special banana "bread" try this! I like it better that any of my other recipes for banana bread.

Serves 8-10

4 oz. (8 T) butter at room temp.

3/4 C brown sugar

2 eggs @ room temp.

2 large very ripe bananas, mashed

1 t vanilla

zest of half a lemon

3/4 C flour

1 1/4 C oats

heaping 1/4 t salt

1 t baking soda

Topping:

3/4 C oats

1/3 C brown sugar

zest of 1/2 lemon

1/2 t cinnamon

1 T flour

1/3 finely chopped pecans

4 T butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350.

Prepare a 9" spring form pan with butter and flour.

Whisk dry ingred. for topping. Add melted butter and stir with fork until crumbly. Set aside.

For cake, mix like you would for banana bread. Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time. Add vanilla, zest and banana. Mix in dry ingred. Pour into prepared pan. Spread topping on top and push down slightly. Bake 30-35 minutes until toothpick inserted comes out clean but moist. Let cool on rack for a few minutes. Release ring. Cut and serve warm!

Cranberry, Orange Scones

These are so moist and delicate when fresh out of the oven! Very quick to make for a special week day breakfast! Kelly says they are one of his favorite "desserts" that I make! You can use different fresh fruits and zests such as blueberry lemon, or raspberry lemon. Give them a try!

1C fruit (dried cranberries)
2 C flour
1/2 C sugar
1 T baking powder
1/2 t salt
1 t orange zest
6 T cold butter cut into 1/4" pieces
1/2 C plus 1 T light cream
1 t vanilla
1/4 C light sour cream

Preheat to 425. Line large cookie sheet with parchment.
Mix dry ingred. Cut in butter. Add fruit and gently toss. Add 1/2 C cream, vanilla and zest. Stir to form ball. If you need more moisture, add a little more cream but you don't want dough to be too moist. It shouldn't stick to your hands! DON'T overwork! Form ball. Let sit a minute. Transfer to pan and pat into 8 inch circle. Cut into 8 equal wedges and separate by 1 inch apart at least. Brush tops with 1 T cream and sprinkle with raw sugar. Bake 18 min or until golden. DON'T over bake!!! Watch these! Cook slightly and serve with honey butter or just plain!

Hot Mexican Spinach Dip

Lately, I have been making hearty dips on Sunday for dinner.  It's quick, easy and I don't have to think ahead more than just making sure I have the ingredients.  We just all sit around the bowl and chow to our hearts content.  No fuss.  This one is really good.  I tweaked it from the original I found on allrecipes.com.  I like this because you can use any salsa to spice it up or down and same with the cheese.

1 (16 oz) jar salsa
1 (10 oz) pkg frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
2 cups shredded pepper jack (you can also use monterey jack for a milder version)
1 (8oz) pkg cream cheese, diced and softened
1 (2.25 oz) can chopped black olives, drained (I just chopped my own)
1 T red wine vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 lb or so loose Italian pork sausage, cooked (it didn't call for this, but my family is carnivorous, so it went in, and it was delish)

Preheat oven to 400.  In medium baking dish, mix together all ingredients.  Bake 12-15 minutes or til bubbly.  I gave it a quick stir cuz I didn't want a mouthful of hot cream cheese.  Serve with torilla chips or fritos.  I thought this might be good with cubed bread or crackers, too.

Shepherd's Pie

Here's a good 'ole standby from my college days. I got the recipe from Heather--she used to make it when we were at Ricks College. My family loves it. I love the simplicity of it and the fact that I always have the ingredients on hand. It's a great food storage recipe, especially if you use potato pearls instead of fresh. It makes the perfect amount for our family too--11x7 casserole dish or the equivalent.

1 lb ground beef
1 small onion, diced
1/2 t salt (or more)
lots of fresh ground pepper
1 can green beans, drained
1 can condensed tomato soup
5 medium potatoes, cooked
1/2 c milk
1 egg, beaten
1/2 c cheddar cheese, grated

-Brown meat with onion and salt and pepper. When cooked through, add green beans and tomato soup. Mix well.
-For fresh potatoes, peel, dice, and cook until fork-tender. Drain. Mash with milk and egg.
-For potato pearls--follow directions on can if you're using ones from the cannery--I use 1 c potato pearls and 2 1/4 c boiling water. I still add the beaten egg to this.
-In an 11x7 greased dish, put all of meat mixture in and spread even. Then top with mashed potatoes, spread to cover meat mixture. Top with grated cheese.
-Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes, uncovered, until bubbly.
-Let rest 10 minutes before serving.

Jay's Signature Pizza Crust

I was in a bind the other night, busily trying to get my typing done, when I asked Gwen to make dinner for us. It was pizza night but I couldn't find my regular pizza crust recipe and had no time to look for it, so I quickly looked on allrecipes and printed this one out. It turned out amazingly good. Usually my crust is too thick and bready, but this one came out crispy on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside. We didn't rise the dough for an hour like the recipe states since we were short on time, but it still turned out great and I know would be even better made the proper way. We also baked it a little differently than stated on the original recipe because pizza cooked at a higher temperature is how they do it in restraurants and the secret to good crust, so I hear, so the following is how we did it. This was the best homemade pizza I've had and Gwen did a better job than I think I could have done!

2 1/4 t active dry yeast
1/2 t brown sugar
1 1/2 c warm water
1 t salt
2 T olive oil
3 1/3 c flour

-In a large bowl, dissolve yeast and brown sugar in water. Let sit for 10 minutes.
-Stir the salt and oil into the yeast solution. Mix in 2 1/2 cups of the flour.
-Turn dough out onto a well-floured surface and knead in more flour until the dough is no longer sticky. Place dough in a well-oiled bowl and cover with a cloth or plastic wrap. Let the dough rise until double; this should take about an hour.
-Punch dough down; form a tight ball; let dough relax for a minute before rolling out.
-Gwen just pressed the dough into a large 16" pizza pan (the kind with tiny holes in the bottom-important for crispy crust) to the edges, making the dough thicker around the very edge for that extra "crust". You can spray your pan, but we didn't so that the crust could "grip" the pan and stay put.
-Preheat oven at 500. Bake for 5-8 minutes. Take out. Put on toppings. Put back in oven and bake for approximately 8 more minutes, or until cheese is bubbly, crust is golden, and toppings look cooked how you like them.

Easy Chocolate Lover's Cheesepie

I made this for Valentine's Day.  It is fast, easy, and really delicious!  It's rich, but not over the top.  I have had this recipe for years.  It's from Hershey's. 

3 packages cream cheese (8 oz ea), softened (I use the 1/3 less fat)

3/4 c sugar

3 eggs

1 t vanilla extract

2 c (12 oz pkg) Hershey's Mini Semi-Sweet Chips, divided

1 extra-serving-size packaged graham cracker crust (9 oz)

(I made my crust, I like homemade better.  I used a deep dish 9" pie plate)

2 T whipping cream

1. Heat oven to 450.

2. Beat cream cheese and sugar in large bowl with mixer until well blended.  Add eggs and vanilla; beat well.  Stir in 1 2/3 c small chocolate chips; pour into crust.

3. Bake 10 minutes.  Without opening oven door, reduce tempurature to 250; continue baking 30 minutes or just until set.  Remove from oven to wire rack.  Cool completely.  Cover; refigerate until thoroughly chilled.

4. Place remaining 1/3 c chips and whipping cream in a small bowl.  Microwave at high 20-30 seconds or just until chips are melted and mixture is smooth when stirred.  Cool slightly; spread over top of cheesepie.  Refrigerate 15 minutes or until topping is set.  Cover; refrigerate leftover pie.  Serves 10.

Sugar Crinkles

I have had this recipe for years.  They are delicious and so quick and easy!  If you're in the mood for sugar cookies, but don't have the time for the traditional recipe, these are a great substitute.

1 c shortening (I do half butter, it's really a must)
1/2 c sugar
1/2 c brown sugar
1 egg
1 t vanilla
Cream this together. 
Add to creamed mixture:
2 c flour
1/2 t soda
1 t cream of tartar
1 t salt
Mix well.
Roll 1 tablespoon dough into a ball.  Roll in sugar.  Place on an ungreased cookie sheet.  Do not flatten.  Bake 10 minutes (or a little less) at 350.  Makes about 30 cookies.  (in an effort to make these festive, I used colored sugar.  I only had large granulated.  They weren't quite as yummy with the big chunks.  Use fine colored sugar, if they make it. Or just don't bother!!)

Weeknight Ravioli Bake

This is the one I told you about at girl's day! You probably have made something similar, but this is so good!
1 jar Prego, any flavor
1 can diced tomatoes, undrained. I like petite diced.
1/2 cup water
2 pkgs (1lb. each) frozen cheese ravioli, leave frozen. Can do meat filled if you prefer.
1 pkg shredded Italian cheese blend (2 cups)
Parmesan
Mix Prego with tomatoes and water. Pour 1 cup sauce on bottom of 9x13 baking dish. Layer half the frozen ravioli and 1 cup cheese blend. Repeat ravioli layer and remaining sauce. Top with remaining cheese blend. Cover and bake at 400 for 30 mins. Uncover and continue baking 15 mins till bubbly. Remove from oven and sprinkle with parmesan, let stand 10 mins. Serve.

Brownie Trifle

1 pkg. brownie mix
2 1/2 cups cold milk
2 boxes chocolate instant pudding (3.4oz)
12 oz cool whip
3 Heath candy bars, chopped
Bake brownies, cool completely. Cut into bite-sizes cubes. Beat milk and pudding 2 mins. Fold in cool whip. Place 1/2 the brownie cubes in bottom of trifle pan , cover with 1/2 pudding layer. Repeat layers. Top with Heath crumbs.

Yummy French Dip Sandwhich

Crockpot on low, 10-12 hrs:
3 lb. roast
2 pkts. au jus mix
1 pkt onion soup mix
7-8 cups water
Shred beef and serve on buns and use juices from crock pot for dipping.

Hot Hammies

I stole this recipe from some blog I ran into!
Rhodes rolls, thawed
10-15 thin slices deli ham
10 slices swiss cheese
Roll out each roll into big as you can circle
Place slice ham and 1/2 slice or so swiss in center. Wrap dough around meat and cheese and seal all edges. Melt 1 cube butter. In a seperate bowl, mix 1/2 cup parmesan, 1/2 T dry parsely flakes, 1/2 tsp garlic powder. Dip each roll into butter then parmesan mixture. Place in greased baking pan. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise to double, about 1 hr. Bake according to roll's package, 350 for 20 mins?? Be careful to watch for burning.

Chewy Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

I finally found the perfect oatmeal chocolate chip cookie recipe! I was so excited once I baked them to find out that they were nice thick, soft, and chewy cookies--just the way we love them. In the past my oatmeal cookies have always gone flat, but not these babies! (Found at allrecipes with some adjustments).

1 c butter, softened
1 c brown sugar, packed
1/2 c white sugar
2 eggs
2 t vanilla extract
1 3/4 c flour
1 t baking soda
1 t salt
3 c quick oats (I'm sure you could use reg.)
1/2 c chopped pecans or walnuts
1 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips

-Cream together butter and sugars until smooth. I like to do this for a few minutes until it gets light and fluffy.
-Beat in eggs one at a time.
-Add vanilla.
-Combine flour, baking soda, and salt into separate bowl. Gradually add to creamed mixture UNTIL JUST BLENDED.
-Stir in oats, nuts, and chocolate chips. If you don't think you like nuts in cookies, you will in these. It's a small amount and hardly noticable but adds great flavor.
-Drop by heaping spoonfuls ontol ungreased baking sheets. I use medium size cookie scoop heaping.
-Bake at 325 degrees for 12 minutes. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. I found 12 minutes to be perfect. Don't overbake. If your oven tends to cook fast check cookies at 10 minutes or so.
-Store in airtight container.