Another Wonderful Dinner Idea: Duca d'Alba (fillets of beef in mushroom sauce)

Just because Valentine's Day has come and gone doesn't mean it's too late to cook something special for the ones you love. I found a recipe for "Duca d'Alba" (fillets of beef in a mushroom sauce) in an old Great Recipes from Great Restaurants cookbook that my grandma gave me ages ago. It's from Frank Zani's French restaurant (though why the name of the recipe is Italian I'll never know), the "Villa Victor." I don't know if the place exists anymore, but this Duca d'Alba is fantastic.

The dinner was surprisingly simple to make. If I hadn't been trying to satisfy a hungry baby, folding fancy dinner napkins, and digging our China out of storage all at the same time, it would have been a very low-key dinner. I served our Duca d'Alba with mashed potatoes, because the sauce is an excellent gravy. The original recipe calls for 1/2 c. Madeira wine, but my husband and I are LDS, so I substituted diluted red wine vinegar and it tasted delicious. So, without further ado, here is the recipe!

Duca d'Alba
Serves 6

6-1/2 tbsp. butter
1-1/2 tbsp. flour
2 c. beef broth
6 fillets (steaks) of beef, cut 1-1/2 inches thick
1 lb. sliced mushrooms
1 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. freshly-ground black pepper
1/4 c. red wine vinegar diluted with 1/4 c. water
1 shallot, chopped, or 2 tsp. chopped onions

Melt 1-1/2 tbsp. butter in a small saucepan; blend in 1-1/2 tbsp. flour until brown. Gradually add the broth, stirring steadily to the boiling point. Reduce heat to low; cook on low for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, melt the remaining butter in a large skillet. Quickly brown the fillets in the butter and remove. Saute the mushrooms in the remaining butter for 5 minutes. Return the fillets and add the salt, pepper, vinegar, onion, and brown sauce. Cook over low heat until your beef is as rare or well-done as you like it.

And don't feel compelled to tell your family that you didn't slave over a hot stove all day long. :)

Easy Dinner Recipe and a Request

Hey out there!

First, I'd like to start off by making a request:

I'm looking for an English Muffin recipe.

I tried one over the weekend, but it wound up tasting like ordinary dinner rolls. So if you have one you like, or you have one you've never tried but would like tested, leave a comment and let me know. Thanks!

Now, I'll get to the good stuff. I know we're all after ideas for dinners that are easy and quick, so I'll share one of my old standbys. This recipe came from my mother-in-law, and my husband and I love it. I had a really hard time at first getting the meatballs to keep their shape, but I discovered that if you add about 1/2 cup of water to the skillet as you fry them, it helps keep them from sticking and the water boils off so in the end, you just have nice, meatball-shaped meatballs.

Grandma Ebert's Swiss Meatballs
Serves 5-6

1 lb. hamburger
1/2 onion, diced
1 egg
1/2 c. bread crumbs (or 1 heel of bread, soaked, drained, and mashed)
1 can of mushrooms, drained
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 soup can of water
Dash Kitchen Bouquet (it's a brown meat-seasoning, used to add color and flavor. It's optional, if you can't find it or don't want to buy it.
Cooked egg noodles or rice

Mix hamburger, onion, egg, and bread crumbs. Form into meatballs and fry until well browned. Drain off fat.

Add soup, 1/2 can of water, mushrooms, and a dash of Kitchen Bouquet. Stir gently to mix and cook on low until sauce is the desired consistency. Serve over egg noodles or rice.

Homemade Bagel-y Goodness!

I'm so excited about this recipe! I found a recipe for plain bagels last week, and I've been dying to try making bagels since I failed miserably in high school. I made a batch of the plain ones, and they were delicious!! Being the sometimes health-nut that I am, I decided that I'd try and adjust the recipe from corn syrup and white flour to something a little more healthy, and here's what I came up with. I hope you enjoy making (and eating!) these bagels as much as I am!

Honey & Wheat Bagels ala Lindsay
Makes 10 bagels

1 tbsp. yeast
2 c. warm water
3 tbsp. honey
3 tbsp. molasses
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. oil
3 c. whole wheat flour
2-1/2 to 3 c. white flour (bread flour works well)
3 tbsp. sugar (for boiling bagels)
corn meal for baking

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Add honey and molasses, and let sit for a while until you can see that the yeast is alive and bubbling. In a large mixing bowl, combine yeast, salt, and oil. Add flours alternately a cup at a time (so one cup wheat, one cup white) until you have a dough that adheres to itself. Turn dough out onto a well-floured countertop and knead for 7-9 minutes, adding flour as necessary, until dough is elastic and not tacky. The longer you knead, the better the texture of your bagels.

Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl and turn once to coat. Let rise for about 40 minutes, until dough is double the size. Divide dough into 10 pieces and shape into round discs. Poke a hole in the middle of each one, and pull gently until you have a 1-1/2 (or so) inch hole in the center. Place bagels on a greased baking sheet and let rise again until nearly double (about 20-30 minutes).

When bagels have about 10 minutes left, preheat oven to 400 degrees F and get a sauce pan and fill it about 2/3 full of hot water. Add sugar and bring to a boil. Add bagels, one or two at a time, cover, and boil for 20 seconds. Flip bagels and boil for another 20 seconds. Remove bagels with a slotted spatula and let drain for about 10 seconds before placing them on a VERY WELL CORN-MEALED baking sheet. When you've boiled all the bagels, place them in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, until nice and golden brown.

If you have trouble getting them off the baking sheet, wait until they cool down. The bottoms of the bagels pull away from the baking sheet as they cool.

Enjoy!!

I Actually Won! (Plus a Recipe for Corn Bread)

This is just going to be a short little brag-blog. Our church had a chili cook-off this Thursday, so I whipped up a pot of my trusty chili, and I took 2nd place! They had a bluegrass band and everything, it was so much fun. I love living in a smaller town! We never did things like that in the bigger cities I've lived in.

Anyway, if you want to try some of my Award-Winning Chili, you can find the recipe here.

And just for the fun of it, and because you can't have chili without corn bread, here's my family's favorite best-ever corn bread recipe.

Corn Bread
Makes 9 big pieces

1 c. milk
1/4 c. melted butter
1 large egg
1-1/4 c. cornmeal
1 c. flour
1/2 c. sugar
1 tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a 9x9" square baking pan. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine milk, butter, and egg. In a separate bowl, stir together dry ingredients. Add dry ingredients all at once to milk and egg mixture. Stir just until moistened. Pour into pan, and bake at 400 degrees F for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown.

For a fun variation, you can add canned green chilies and cheddar cheese.

Also, you can bake the corn bread in muffin tins to make individual servings.

Enjoy!

Homemade Clam Chowder

We're at that time of year where winter starts to get old, but spring is still way off. What do you do to keep things interesting when you're cooped up inside wrestling babies all day? I choose to cook. It keeps my mind and my hands occupied, and it helps to heat the house! It's actually pretty amazing that my husband and I haven't put on a single pound all winter, the way we've been eating around here. Personally, I think that's because of the kinds of things I've been making lately. I still make a batch of homemade fat-free, low-sugar yogurt every week, and I've started making a batch of crackers every week too. They're really great for snacking, and I think that snacking on that kind of stuff instead of my usual cookies and chips has helped a lot.

It can be hard to think of every-day meal ideas that keep winter from being so boring. One thing I like about this clam chowder recipe is that it's very filling, and it doesn't taste so fishy that "sea-food-phobes" (like my husband!!) won't eat it. It cooks up very quickly too, so if you're running a little late on dinner, this recipe is great.

Aunt Janet's Clam Chowder
Serves 4-6

2-3 medium potatoes, peeled
1/2 c. chopped onion
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 bay leaves
2 cans clams (they look like tuna cans)
1/4 c. + 1 tbsp. butter or margarine
1/2 c. flour
1/2 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 pint half-and-half

Put vegetables and bay leaves in a pot. Add juice from clams and water to just barely cover the vegetables. Bring to a boil and cook on medium until vegetables are soft.

In another pot, melt butter and add salt and sugar. Add flour and cook and stir until mixture is light tan (about 2 minutes). Add half-and half slowly and cook and stir until thickened. Pour sauce into pot with vegetables (there's no need to drain the vegetable pot!) and add clams. Stir until warm.



This chowder goes great with French and sourdough breads! For a little variety, try adding different spices to the sauce--I tried oregano, thyme, and rosemary, and it was very tasty.

Enjoy!

More Wheat Recipes: Crackers and Chocolate Chip Cookies

Who knew that wheat would be so fun for snacking? I found great recipes for homemade crackers and chocolate chip cookie bars. I've made both of these recipes this week, and both were fabulous. The recipe for wheat crackers is easy, and the crackers taste like homemade Wheat Thins, and actually taste better when they're slightly burnt (it makes them crisper and brings out the sesame seed flavor). You can also experiment with flavors--I've tried the onion-garlic ones, and they're great.

The chocolate chip cookie bars were so good we had a hard time believing they were made using only wheat flour and oats. I made them last night and I've been snacking on them all day today. :)

Homemade Wheat Crackers
Yields: most of a gallon-sized Ziploc bag

Regular flavor:
1-1/2 c. wheat flour
1-1/2 c. white flour
1/4 c. wheat germ
2 c. quick-cooking oats (can use regular)
1-1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 c. honey or sugar
1/2 c. oil
1-1/2 c. milk or water
1/4 c. sesame seeds

Combine dry ingredients. Add liquid ingredients and knead until smooth. Use a floured pastry mat or counter top to roll the dough very thin (1/16" or thinner). Place dough on a greased baking sheet and use a pizza cutter to slice dough into squares. Bake at 350 until golden brown, between 15-20 minutes. Break up the crackers and allow them to cool completely before storing.

Flavors:
Onion and Cheese
Add with sesame seeds:
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. onion salt
1/2 tsp. garlic powder

When crackers have been rolled, sprinkle parmesan cheese on top and roll into dough with the rolling pin.

Onion and Dill
Add with sesame seeds:
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. onion salt
2 tsp. dried dill weed


Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
This makes a biiiig batch of cookies!

1 c. butter
2 c. brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. baking soda
2-1/4 c. wheat flour
2-1/2 c. rolled oats
1-12 oz. bag semi-sweet chocolate chips

Cream butter, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Add dry ingredients and stir until well combined. Stir in chocolate chips. Press dough into greased 11"x13" baking pan. Make sure to press dough to an even thickness. Bake at 350 degrees F. for 20 minutes.

Wheat Recipes: Pie Crust, Tortillas, and Pasta

Anyone else out there have hundreds of pounds of wheat stored? My mother-in-law and I have been scouring the globe for good recipes using wheat, and here are three that I found and then re-worked. They work well now, and they taste great. I would recommend using the pie crust with pies that have strong flavors and chunky textures, for instance, apple pie or chicken pot pie. Also, it's probably best to use white wheat, because the white wheat doesn't change the color or taste as much as red wheat does.

Whole Wheat Pie Crust for Savory Pies
Makes 2 single-crust pies or 1 double-crust pie

2 cups minus 2 Tbsp. whole wheat flour (can also use half all-purpose, half wheat)
2 Tbsp. corn starch
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup shortening, butter flavored
Ice water to make the dough soft

1. Combine dry ingredients.
2. Incorporate shortening using a pastry cutter, pair of knives, or your hands, until shortening clumps are penny-sized.
3. Add ice water by the tablespoon until you have a soft dough that holds together.
4. Divide dough in two equal portions, shape into disks, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 10-15 minutes.
5. Roll dough out on a floured pastry mat.
6. Carefully transfer rolled dough to pie plate.
7. For single-crust pies, trim and flute edges.
8. For double-crust pies, trim edges to size of pie plate. Roll out top crust, fill pie, and cover with top crust. Trim edges to 1/4" beyond plate, fold under bottom crust, and flute to seal.


Whole-wheat Tortillas
Makes 12-15 tortillas

1-1/2 c. whole wheat flour
1-1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1/3 c. olive oil
1 c. warm water

1. Combine flours and salt.
2. Pour in oil and blend with your fingers or a fork until well-incorporated.
3. Add water; knead until dough is soft and stretchy.
4. Divide into 12-15 balls, cover with plastic wrap, and let rest for at least 30 minutes.
5. Roll out tortillas on a floured pastry mat or coutner top.
6. Bake on a hot, ungreased griddle until air pockets start to expand. Carefully flip the tortilla, and bake the other side.

Best when warm; will stay fresh in the refrigerator for a week or more.


Wheat Pasta
Serves about 6

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp. salt
5 eggs
2 teaspoons olive oil

1. Sift dry ingredients together.
2. Make a well in the center and pour in the olive oil and eggs.
3. Mix together with a fork or your fingers.
4. Knead until stiff and elastic (hard dough!)
5. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 30 min.
6. Roll out the dough to 1/16" (really thin) on a pastry mat and cut noodles to your desired width and length. You can also use a pasta machine.
7. Hang or lay flat to dry for at least 15 minutes before boiling.
8. Boil like normal pasta. Homemade pastas cook quickly.



Enjoy!

Recipe for French Dip au Jus

Ok, this recipe doesn't have much to do with Christmas, New Year's, or anything else, but I found this French Dip recipe in a cookbook I got for Christmas, and it was wonderful. I played with the recipe, and I came up with my own version that tastes even better. It's pretty simple to make, but the people you serve it to will love it anyway. My husband was amazed that I could make it at home and have it taste better than the restaurants.

French Dip au Jus
1 lb. roast serves 4; Choose your roast size accordingly.

1-3 lb. roast (rump works well)
1/4 c. soy sauce
1 tsp. beef base (bouillon)
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. dry thyme
3-4 pepper corns
2 cloves garlic, smashed
1 sm. med. onion, quartered and split

Use a fork to poke holes all over the roast. Place roast in a slow cooker. Combine soy sauce, beef base, and thyme; rub into roast. Pour remaining soy sauce mixture into slow cooker and add remaining ingredients. Add water to barely cover roast. Cook on the high setting for 2 hours; reduce heat to low and cook for 4 more hours. Before serving, skim the fat off the au jus and remove the bay leaf, garlic cloves, and pepper corns.

For French Dip sandwiches, serve roast in crusty buns or French bread with Dijon mustard, mozzarella cheese, and mushrooms. Dip sandwiches in jus.

The jus can also be eaten alone or frozen for later use in gravies or soup bases.

For Your New Year's Eve Party: Dips

These dips are good for any occasion, not just New Years. Hot artichoke dip is great for those who love savory--it's great on baguette slices, crackers, bagels, chips, and vegetables. The sweet and creamy yogurt fruit dip is for sweet-tooths like me. It's delicious on bananas, strawberries, raspberries, mango, pineapple, apples, and pretty much anything else you can think to dip in it. And don't forget to whip up some bean dip; check here for the recipe.

Hot Artichoke Dip
Makes 1-1/2 cups of dip

1/2 c. mayo or ranch dressing (can substitute half of mayo with plain yogurt)
1/2 c. grated parmesan cheese
1/4 c. chopped green onions (about 4 onions)
1-14 oz. can artichoke hearts, drained and coarsely chopped
1-10 oz. package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained (optional)

Combine mayo and cheese in a small bowl. Add onions, spinach (if desired) and artichoke hearts. Spoon into 1 qt. microwave/oven safe casserole. Cover and bake at 350 degrees F for 20-25 minutes, or until hot.

If you're microwaving, simply combine all the ingredients in a microwave safe bowl, cover with plastic wrap (folding one edge back 1/4 in. to vent steam), and microwave on med. high for 4-5 minutes, stirring after 2 minutes.



Yogurt Fruit Dip
Makes 2 cups

1-8 oz. package neufchatel cheese, softened (or homemade cream cheese (recipe here))
1-6 oz. container orange yogurt (or homemade yogurt in the flavor of your choice)
1/2 c. orange marmalade (or a different kind of jam in a flavor similar to your yogurt)
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
2 tbsp. coarsely chopped nuts (pecans, walnuts, almonds, etc.)

Beat cream cheese in med. bowl until creamy. Beat in yogurt, marmalade, and nutmeg until smooth. Either serve immediately or refridgerate to allow flavors to blend. Before serving, sprinkle with chopped nuts.

For Your Holiday Dinner: Pan Rolls

Would Christmas dinner be complete without homemade rolls? I don't think so. This recipe for pan rolls is great for any time of year, but I especially like it for holiday dinners, like Thanksgiving and Christmas. Including mixing, kneading, rising, shaping, and baking, this recipe takes almost 3 hours, so you'll want to make sure you start it nice and early, so that your rolls will be done in time for dinner.

Pan Rolls
Makes 27 rolls.
2-1/4 tsp. yeast (1 package)
1/3 c. plus 1 tsp. sugar, divided
1-1/2 c. warm water (110-115 degrees), divided
1/2 c. butter or margarine, melted
2 eggs
1/4 c. instant dry milk powder
1-1/4 tsp. salt
5-1/2 to 6 c. all-purpose flour

In a mixing bowl, dissolve yeast and 1 tsp. sugar in 1/2 c. water. Add butter, eggs, milk powder, salt, 3 c. flour, and remaining water and sugar. Beat on medium speed for 3 minutes, until dough is smooth. Stir in enough flour to get a soft dough that leaves the sides of the bowl. Turn onto a floured surface and knead dough until it is smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a lightly greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until double, about 1 to 1-1/2 hours. Punch dough down. Divide into 1-1/2 to 2 inch balls (about 27) and shape into rolls. Place about 1/2 inch apart on greased baking pan (any pan with a 2-inch height will work well, though you may need to use two pans). Cover and let rise again until doubled, about 45 minutes. Bake at 375 for 17-20 minutes, until golden brown. Cool on wire racks, and enjoy!

Homemade Cream Cheese

This is actually a mock cream cheese, and it's made the same way as homemade yogurt. In taste tests my mother-in-law and I have had, it tastes almost the same as regular cream cheese, and you can use it in all the same recipes--cheese cake, cheese balls, key lime pie, and all the rest. The best part is, it's fat free. To incubate, you can use either a cooler with warm water or a yogurt maker.

Homemade Cream Cheese
Combine:
1-1/2 c. warm water
2 1/2 c. non-instant dry milk powder (5 cups instant)
1/4-1/2 c. plain yogurt with active culture

Add:
2 c. warm water

Pour into containers and cover with lids (use a yogurt maker or canning jars with lids).

If you're using a yogurt maker, set the timer for 12 hours and rotate the jars after 6 hours.

If you're using a cooler, surround jars with warm water, and cover. Replace the water every 2 hours or so to maintain a temperature range between 100 and 120 degrees F.

Makes approximately 6 cups of cream cheese.

Note:
If your cream cheese is too runny, you can drain it by placing the cheese in a strainer lined with cheese cloth or a towel. Just let it sit for as long as it takes to reach your desired consistency.

Holiday Party Food: Cheese Balls

Hello out there!

Christmas Eve parties are just a few days away, and New Year's Eve parties aren't that far away either. Have you started planning your menus? Cheese balls make great appetizers--they're fast and easy to make, and they look and taste impressive. You can make the cheese balls in the recipes below with either store-bought cream cheese or homemade cream cheese (for a recipe for homemade cream cheese, check my next post here). Cheese balls made with homemade cream cheese may not be as firm, but they will still set up and hold their shape, and they taste every bit as good.

Cheddar Cheese Ball
1 c. finely shredded cheddar cheese
1 3 oz. pkg. cream cheese, or 1/2 cup homemade cream cheese
2 T butter
1 T milk
1 T finely chopped green onion
1 T diced pimiento (opt.)
1 tsp. worcestershire sauce
1/2-1/3 c. chopped walnuts or slivered almonds

Bring cheeses and butter to room temperature. Combine in med. sized mixing bowl with milk, onion, pimiento, and worcestershire sauce. Cover and chill for 4-24 hours. Shape mixture into a ball; roll in nuts. Let stand 15 minutes. Serve with crackers or vegetables.


Basic Cheese Ball
1 c. cream cheese
2 tbsp. butter
1 tsp. worcestershire sauce
3/4 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. dried minced onion
1/2-1/3 c. chopped walnuts or slivered almonds

Bring cheese and butter to room temperature; combine all ingredients except nuts. Refrigerate 4-24 hours; shape into ball and roll in nuts. Serve with crackers or vegetables.

With this recipe, you're a little more free to experiment. Try adding bacon bits, sun-dried tomatoes, dried garden vegetables, or whatever flavor you want.

Bon Appetit!

Christmas Wassail

This is an old family favorite. I got this wassail recipe from my grandma, and it's the best one I've ever seen. The spices need to steep for an hour or more, and they make the entire house smell divine. Oh it's good! I like to keep a little pot of spices simmering even when I'm not making wassail just because it smells so good. The fact that it uses whole spices is nice too, because it means you don't wind up with yucky-tasting dregs at the bottom of your cup.

Cutchen's Christmas Wassail
1 qt. water
2-1/4 c. sugar
10 whole cloves
8 allspice berries
2 sticks cinnamon
2 qts. apple cider
1 qt. orange juice
2 c. lemon juice

Mix water and sugar in a small pot. Boil for 5 minutes. Remove from heat; add cloves, allspice berries, and cinnamon. Let stand for 1 hour or more. Remove spices and transfer sugar-spice water to a large 1-1/2-2 gallon stock pot. Stir in cider, orange juice, and lemon juice. Serve warm.

7-Layer Cookies

Happy birthday to my mother-in-law!

Ready for some extreme Christmas sweetness? One of my favorite Christmas recipes is this one for 7-layer cookies. It is extremely sweet, and extremely good. They're fast to make and they're a really fun change from the standard sugar and gingerbread cookies on your Christmas cookie platter.

7-Layer Cookies
1/2 c. butter or margarine
1 c. finely-crushed graham crackers
12 oz. butterscotch chips
12 oz. chocolate chips
1 c. flaked coconut
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 c. chopped walnuts or pecans

Melt margarine and pour into 9"x13" pan. Sprinkle graham crackers over margarine. Sprinkle the chips and the coconut in layers over the graham crackers. Drizzle the condensed milk over the coconut. Sprinkle the nuts over the top. Bake at 300 degrees F for 30 minutes. Cool for at least 30 minutes before cutting and serving.

Winter Dinners: Chili and Texas Spaghetti

I was just looking over the recipes I've posted to this blog, and I noticed that there are hardly any meal ideas. I decided it's time to change that, so today I'm blogging on a winter favorite: chili. I found a good basic chili recipe in a cookbook a while ago, and as I usually tend to do with recipes, I adapted it and made it my own. It's chunky and has a stew-like consistency. Feel free to adjust seasonings depending on how hot you like your chili. I like to serve this chili with hot cornbread and cheddar cheese.

Leftover chili is great for Texas spaghetti. I grew up in a suburb of Dallas, and Texas spaghetti was a family favorite. Just cook up some pasta (we like spaghetti or fettucini best) and serve it with chili on top (instead of spaghetti sauce). You can also add cheese, onions, etc. If you don't have leftover chili, you can use cannedchili. That works really well too.

Chili
This recipe serves 4-6

1 lb. ground beef
1 med. onion, chopped
1 clove garlic
1 can diced green chilies
2 14-oz. cans tomatoes
2 8-oz. cans tomato sauce
1 tbsp. chili powder
3/4 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 can kidney beans
1 can pinto beans


Cook beef, onion, and garlic in 3-qt. saucepan until beef is browned. Drain off fat. Add all the other ingredients except the beans. Heat to boiling; reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for about an hour (to blend flavors), stirring occasionally.

Stir in beans. Heat to boiling, reduce heat. Simmer uncovered for another 10 minutes, until the beans have warmed through and the chili reaches your desired thickness.

Wheat Bread to Warm Your Kitchen and Your Heart

Home-baked bread is another one of those "soul foods" for me. The smell and the taste just make my family and me feel safe, warm, and loved. Lately my husband and I have been on a whole foods kick--trying to cut down on artificial fillers and processed "fake-foods." One of the things I've started to do is make our own bread, and it's been wonderful. I was apprehensive at first; partly because I thought bread took a long time to make, and partly because whenever I'd made wheat bread in the past, it had always turned out dry and crusty. As I was looking through a textbook for my old foods class at BYU, I found a recipe for "Foolproof Wheat Bread" and decided to try it. It was wonderful! It uses vital wheat gluten to make the bread lighter, so it's not so dense and dry. Also, it doesn't need much attention and goes really fast. If you don't have wheat gluten and don't wish to buy any, you can substitute white flour for half of the wheat flour.

Foolproof Wheat Bread
Makes 2 loaves

1 T yeast dissolved in
1/4 c. warm water
2-1/2 c. hottest tap water
2 c. whole wheat flour (we like the taste of red wheat best)
2 T vital wheat gluten
3 T vegetable oil
3 T honey
3 T molasses
1 T salt
2-4 c. additional wheat flour
Optional: cinnamon sugar, raisins, dried apples, nuts, etc.

Dissolve yeast in 1/4 c. warm water. In a large bowl, combine 2-1/2 c. hot tap water, 2 c. wheat flour, and gluten. Add oil, honey, molasses, and salt; beat well. Next, stir in dissolved yeast and enough of the flour to make a soft dough that pulls away from the bowl. Turn on to a floured counter top and knead well for 8-10 minutes, adding flour as necessary. Divide dough into two portions and roll or press into long rectangles. If desired, rub cinnamon sugar onto surface of dough, and sprinkle on raisins, nuts, or dried fruit. (If you don't want to add anything, you can just shape your dough balls into loaves.) Roll dough and pinch the edges closed.
Place dough in greased bread pan, seam side down. Lightly grease top of each loaf, cover loosely with a towel, and let rise in a warm place until not quite double. Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes, until golden brown. Remove bread from pans immediately; brush tops with butter. Let cool completely before storing in plastic.

Pumpkin Recipes!

When I was a kid, I thought it was so silly to carve pumpkins, leave them outside until they got moldy, and then throw them away. When I moved out, I made it a tradition to carve my pumpkin the day before Halloween, and then on the day after Halloween, I cut it up, cooked it, mashed it, and used the mush in my pumpkin recipes. I've been doing this for three years now, and now my husband's family is doing it, too. I should have written this post earlier so that all of you could use your carved-up Halloween pumpkins, but I just didn't think about it. Oh well. Canned pumpkin is cheap this time of year, so I thought it would still be worth-while to share some of my favorite pumpkin recipes.

Pumpkin Pie
This pumpkin pie is rich and spicy, and goes perfectly with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. If you're making it with homemade mashed pumpkin, use about 3-1/2 cups.

two single-crust pie crusts (See my post on pie crusts)
1 29-oz. can pureed pumpkin
1-1/2 c. brown sugar
1-1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1-1/2 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. cloves
1/2 tsp. salt
6 eggs, well beaten
2-2/3 c. milk, or 2 cans evaporated milk
1 tsp. vanilla

Heat oven to 450 degrees F. Cream pumpkin, sugar, spices, and salt. In a separate bowl, mix eggs, milk, and vanilla. Pour egg mixture into pumpkin mixture; stir well. Pour carefully into two 9" pie shells--be sure that when you flute the crust, you flute the edge upright so that it helps to keep the pumpkin mixture from spilling out. Cover edge of crust with a pie crust shield (you can either make one out of aluminum foil or you can buy one here). Bake at 450 for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for another 40-45 minutes, or until knife blade inserted near the center comes out clean.


Pumpkin Butter
This makes a great homemade gift for neighbors and friends. It's called butter because it's smooth and creamy, not because it has butter in it. It tastes great on toast, muffins, ice cream, in smoothies... you name it.

1 29-oz. can pureed pumpkin
3/4 c. apple juice
2 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. cloves
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
1-1/2 c. white sugar

Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan and stir well. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer for 30 minutes, or until thickened. Stir frequently to keep mixture from burning and sticking to the bottom of the pan.

Spoon hot pumpkin mixture into half or full pint jars, leaving 1/4" head space. Remove air bubbles and wipe jar rims. Cover immediately with lids and screw the bands on.

Process in a boiling water bath or a steam canner for 10 minutes.

For a decorative touch, you can cut out circles of holiday fabric to go over the lids. You can also tie a ribbon around the neck of the jar. Get creative! :)


I have a couple more recipes, but this post is already pretty long, so you'll have to let me know if you want recipes for pumpkin bread or pumpkin chocolate chip cookies.

Enjoy!

Cooking with Cranberries

Today's post is by special request, just in time for Thanksgiving. Up until last year, I'd always had canned cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving dinner. I thought there was some huge secret to making cranberry sauce from scratch, because my mom never made any. The truth is, it's very simple to make, and the only reason Mom never made it is that we rarely ate turkey for Thanksgiving. So today, along with my recipe for cranberry sauce, I'll share a couple of other fun recipes for cranberries that'll be great for this holiday season.

Cranberry Sauce:
1 c. sugar
1 c. water
1 pkg. (12 oz.) fresh cranberries

Combine water and sugar in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, and add cranberries. Reduce heat and boil gently for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently and gently smashing the berries as they become ready to pop. Cover and cool completely at room temperature. Refrigerate until serving time. This sauce is great when made a day-ahead!

Cranberry Nut Bars:
2 eggs
1 c. sugar
1 c. flour
1/3 c. butter or margarine, melted
1 1/4 c. cranberries (fresh or frozen)
1/2 c. chopped walnuts

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8" baking pan. Beat eggs in medium mixing bowl until thick and frothy. Gradually add sugar, beating until thoroughly blended. Add flour and melted butter; blend well. Using a wooden spoon, fold in cranberries and nuts just until combined. Spread evenly in pan. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool and cut into bars. Serves 16.

Cranberry Apple Bread:
from the Ocean Spray Homepage
2 cups peeled, chopped apple
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons oil
1 egg
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup Ocean Spray® Fresh or Frozen Cranberries
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 2 1/2-inch loaf pan.

Combine apples, sugar and oil in a medium mixing bowl. Add egg, mixing well. Combine dry ingredients in a separate mixing bowl. Add to apple mixture, mixing just until the dry ingredients are moist. Stir in cranberries and walnuts.

Spread batter evenly in loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean. Makes 1 loaf.

Holiday Cooking Tip #1--Gravy and Apple Pie with Ultra Gel

Thanksgiving is next week! I can hardly believe it's so close. My parents are paying for my husband, son and me to come visit them in Oregon, and we're all very excited. It's always fun to get involved in all the holiday cooking. I took a foods class at BYU just before I graduated, and I think that of all the classes I took, that one has been one of the most useful. My teacher was Janet Stocks, and she and her family are the creators of Ultra Gel, an instant food starch.

Here are a couple of the benefits of using Ultra Gel:
1. It's instant--you just mix it in with whatever needs to be thickened, and voila, it's done. Not like regular cornstarch, where you have to heat it to boiling before it'll thicken things.
2. It doesn't clump. Add it to hot things, cold things, whatever--no mixing rouxs or slurries.
3. Doesn't congeal or separate in the fridge. Your left-over gravy will look just like it did when you put it away--like sauce, not like something the cat threw up.
4. Improves texture of baked goods and reduced calorie soups, sauces, and salad dressings. It makes baked goods fluffier and soups and sauces creamier.

They have lots of recipes on their website, and an additional book of recipes that you can purchase for $9.

Here are two of my favorite recipes using Ultra Gel:

Gravy:
1 14-oz. can chicken or beef broth
1-2 t. bouillon granules (opt.)
1/3 c. Ultra Gel

Add bouillon to broth and heat in microwave or on range to dissolve. Gradually add Ultra Gel, stirring constantly with wire whisk. Heat to serving temperature, season to taste, and serve.

Apple Pie:
6 c. peeled apples sliced 1/4" thick
1 pkg. spiced cider mix (makes 1 cup)
2/3 c. sugar
1/3 c. Ultra Gel
1 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. nutmeg
1 c. water

Blanch apples by placing in microwave safe bowl, covering with waxed paper, and microwaving on high for 10 minutes, stirring once.
Combine cider mix, sugar, Ultra Gel, cinnamon and nutmeg. Gradually add water, stirring constantly with wire whisk. Fold into prepared apples.
For apple cream pie, turn prepared filling into baked 9" pie crust and chill. Top with sweetened whipped cream.
For baked apple pie, turn prepared filling into unbaked 9" pie crust. Cover with aditional 9" pie crust, pricking as desired. Bake at 400 F for 35-40 minutes.

Hot Cereal for Cold Mornings

All of a sudden it's winter! Utah's a funny place. One day it's 65 degrees and you're outside in your shorts, and the next it's 38 and you're freezing your bum off. I really love the different seasons though. It's nice to have some variety.

One thing I love about winter mornings is a hot breakfast. But if you're like my husband, who is defintely not a morning person, you usally don't have much time for one. The recipe I'm going to share today is a mix for a wholesome hot cereal that doesn't take much time to prepare, and is really good for you. It's made using equal parts cracked wheat, rice, and beans, so it's got plenty of carbohydrates, dietary fiber, and protein. The recipe here makes 6 cups (about 24 servings), but since it uses equal parts, it's easy to adjust to as much as you want. This cereal tastes a lot like cream of wheat.

Cream of Beans Cooked Cereal:
Using a grinder, crack (coarsly grind) 2 cups each of wheat, brown rice, and white beans.

To prepare cereal:
1. Heat 2 c. milk or water (don't overheat the milk--it'll boil over!)
2. Add 1/2 c. cereal mix and 1/4 tsp. vanilla; whisk well.
3. Simmer until thick, stirring frequently.
4. Serve with honey, brown sugar, raisins, cinnamon, etc.


Bean flour, if you grind it fine, can also be used as a substitute for up to 25% of the white flour in most baking or sauce recipes. This adds a lot of nutritional value without changing the flavor or texture. Beans are a great addition to food storage because they are high in protein, fiber, and lots of other nutrients, and can be prepared so many different ways and adapt to so many different flavors. They make a great substitute for meat, and can be used in all sorts of recipes.