Bread (again)!

I have a new favorite recipe for bread & rolls. They are called Air Buns. I posted about them last year, but they are worth another mention. They are easy to make if you have a tough stand mixer such as a Kitchen Aid. I love this recipe. The bread is soft & fluffy, especially when you follow the hint of adding cooked oatmeal or rice. (I found out about the oatmeal & rice at school. The cooks make most of the breads we eat for lunch, and they are always so good & fluffy. I asked them why & they shared their secret.) I made these as rolls a couple of weeks ago, and as bread just a couple of days ago. I plan on making another batch maybe tomorrow. I got 2 regular loaves of bread and it is already gone.

One of my Christmas presents was a cookbook/scrapbook. I am excited to put my favorites in the cookbook. I am not going to fill it full of recipes just to fill it up. I only want to put the recipes I use all the time in it. Anyone who knows me, knows that I have a cupboard full of cookbooks. I can spend hours looking at recipes. I have really enjoyed playing around with some of my recipes, making variations of them, especially Shepherd's Pie and my fudge recipe.

I have really enjoyed my break from school this week. Most days I have stayed in my pj's all morning long. I love lazy mornings. I just wish Studio 5 had new shows on this week. I've been bummed out that they are reruns talking about fall fashions & Thanksgiving. Oh well. Much love to you all. Keep cooking!

Air Buns
1 1/2 c. warm water
1/4 c. butter
1/4 c. honey
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp vinegar
Combine in a large mixer. Add 4 1/2 c. flour to the mixer, and sprinkle 2 tsp yeast on top of the flour. Use a damp kitchen towel over the top of the mixer (to keep flour from getting everywhere). Turn mixer on low until flour is incorporated, then turn speed up to medium & mix for 7 to 10 minutes. Do not skip this step. Turn off mixer. Let dough rest till double in size. I leave mine in the mixer & cover with a warm, damp towel until the dough fills the bowl. Mix 2-3 minutes. Shape as desired (rolls or bread). Place in greased pan. Cover with warm, damp towel. Raise till double. Bake at 350° F for 20 minutes (rolls) to 25-30 minutes (bread). Rub butter on top of warm bread. Enjoy!

I also add 2 Tbsp. wheat germ & 1 Tbsp. flax seed to my bread dough. (Both can be bought at your grocery store. Check the cereal aisle. My wheat germ comes in a bottle, but the flaxseed was in a bag. If I can find them here, you should be able to find them.)

Can be made with wheat or white flour.

For best texture results, Put 1 cup of the water in your blender. Add 1 cup (or so) cooked rice or oatmeal. Puree till smooth. Pour into mixer with the rest of the ingredients. I plan on trying it with mashed potatoes but I haven't yet.
Good luck!

An offer accepted & more stressed. Need desserts!

Things have been very excited here in Manti since school got out for the summer. Mitch & I made began our serious search for a home. We found an adorable little home that was in our budget & made an offer. It was accepted! So now we are working on financing, applying for a USDA home loan- a loan for rural areas & low incomes. I'll keep you posted, but I expect to be very busy...packing & cleaning the Thomas' house (We have to be out by July 1st) & my room at mom's. I am so looking forward to having a place where I can have MY things out for me to use. I am more than ready for a home for Mitch & I. We still have a ways to go, but WOW! I'm so excited!!! Hope you are all happy & healthy. Much love,
Nora


Apple Crisp
Apple Mixture:
• 10 c apples, peeled and sliced (I used about 8 c of apples & 1 bag frozen sliced peaches (thawed))
• 1/8 cup lemon juice
• 3/4 cup sugar
Topping Mixture:
• 1 1/2 sticks butter
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups light brown sugar
• 1 1/2 cups oats
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Vegetable oil or cooking spray

Directions
Combine all of the ingredients for the apple mixture in a bowl. In another bowl, cut the butter into the flour and stir in the remaining topping ingredients. Spray the interior of a camp Dutch oven with cooking spray or wipe with vegetable oil. Spread the apple mixture in the bottom of the camp Dutch oven. Top with the topping mixture. Bake at 350 degrees F by placing 8 coals under the camp Dutch oven and 16 coals on top of the lid. Continue cooking until the apples are cooked and the topping is brown. Serve warm with ice cream or whipped cream

In an oven, spray a 13x9” glass baking dish with Pam cooking spray. Place fruit on bottom, top with oat topping. Bake in preheated 400° oven for 20 minutes, then drop heat to 350° and continue baking for 25 minutes or until top is browned & fruit mixture is bubbling through.


Applesauce Cake
Cream together:
1/2 c. shortening 1 egg 1 c. white or 1 1/4 c. brown sugar

In a separate bowl, sift:
2 c. flour 3/4 tsp soda 1/4 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp nutmeg 1/2 tsp salt 1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Add dry ingredients alternately with applesauce (1 1/4- 1 1/2 c.) to creamed mixture. Add 1/2 c. raisins and 1/2 c. nuts with last addition of flour. Grease & flour (or cooking spray) a 9x13 pan. Bake at 350° F for 40 minutes. Cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and cake pulls away from side of pan. Cool.


Carollee’s Wacky Cake
Into an ungreased dripper pan (9x13) sift:
3 c. flour 2 c. sugar 1/2 tsp salt
6 Tbsp cocoa 2 tsp soda

Make 3 holes in above mixture. Into 1st hole, put 2 tsp. vanilla. Into 2nd hole, pour 1/2 c. salad oil. Into 3rd hole, pour 4 Tbsp vinegar. Then, pour 2 cups cold water over the top and mix well with a fork. Bake at 350° F for 40 minutes. Cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and cake pulls away from side of pan. Cool.


Carrot Cake
2 c. flour 1 egg 1 1/2 c. sugar
1 c. oil 1 tsp salt 1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp soda 1/3 c. walnuts 3 c. grated raw carrots*

Mix & pour into a 13x9” pan. Bake at 325° F for 35-40 minutes. Cool. Frost the cake with your favorite cream cheese frosting.
Frosting: 3 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 cube soft margarine
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 c. powdered sugar
2-3 Tbsp evaporated milk
Mix well & spread over cooled cake.


*If you can find matchstick carrots in the bags, you can use them, but add a can of pineapple, juice & all to help with the moistening of the cake batter.

Holy Bananas..A Temple in Winnipeg!

YUM! I just had some delicious banana bread! This morning Mom brought me some fruit & veggies from Bountiful Baskets. Pam placed an order & they had plenty, so they brought me some as well. They brought a bunch of bananas, but I already had a bunch that were ready to be used. This afternoon, after conference, I decided it was time to make banana bread. It turned out AMAZING! Love the texture...love the flavor! I think it was the best banana bread I have made. I replaced some of the oil with applesauce I had in my fridge, and I used 3 cups of wheat to 1 cup of white flour. I also added 1 Tbsp. ground flax seed. The recipe is from a family friend down in LaVerkin, Dolores Bice. It is the only banana bread recipe I use, although as you can see, I tweak it sometimes.

I love conference weekend. I love listening to our prophet. I love relaxing. I love hearing announcements like the temple to be built in Winnipeg! While I was on my mission there, the people were told if they worked with the missionaries, they would have a temple. Now, today, President Thomas S. Monson announced 3 new temples, one of which is WINNIPEG! WOO-HOO! So grateful for conference & the spiritual boost.
I'm tired. I'm going to go check my laundry, get a shower & wind down for the day. Looking forward to more conference tomorrow.
Love to you & yours. ♥

Dolores' Banana Nut Bread
Makes 3-4 medium loaves

2 cups sugar
4 cups flour (I used 3 c. wheat flour & 1 cup white flour)
5 large bananas
1 c. oil (I used 3/4 c. applesauce & 1/4 c. oil)
2 tsp. soda
1 tsp. salt
4 eggs
1 c. nuts (I used chocolate chips)

I also added 1 tsp vanilla
1 Tbsp. ground flax seed

I placed the bananas in the kitchen aide mixer, blend till liquidy. Add eggs, one at a time. Add sugar, vanilla, & oil/applesauce. Mix well. Add dry ingredients. Finally, add chocolate chips or nuts. Mix together. Put in pans sprayed with Pam (for baking). Bake for 1 hour @ 300° F. Test with toothpick. Bread should gently pull away from edge of pan. Remove to cooling rack. Cool about 10 minutes in pan. Run knife around between bread & pan. It should come out nicely. Cool on cooling rack. I can't resist cutting into it while it is still warm. Hope you enjoy!

As close as I'll get to Mexico this spring break....Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas

Last night, as I was wondering what to make for dinner, I looked in my fridge. Now, since I am on spring break, (and not in some exotic location like Cancun or Acapulco) I thought I'd make time to clean out my fridge. It needs it drastically. So, I have been working on getting rid of leftovers & have not been shopping for a few days. When I opened the fridge, I saw tortillas, grated cheese, cubed, cooked chicken, & sour cream. To me, that means sour cream chicken enchiladas. Ta-dah! Decision made. (Hard part over, right?) I usually make it with the condensed soup, but after looking on-line, I realized that there was another way. Imagine that. I decided to try it, because it appealed to me. My chicken was ready. That meant, I just needed to make the sauce, and assemble. It was so easy! Then, all I had to do was wait while it baked for 20 minutes. I tell you, it was worth the wait. Mitch even had some for breakfast this morning. Super easy, especially if you use leftover chicken. Give it a try. Let me know what you think.
I am so glad the sun is shining today. April is here. Mom even has some flowers in bloom. I am trying to get motivated & begin exercising. Any tips or ideas you have would be appreciated, but mostly just the support & encouragement. I started this morning with a few basic exercises. I am also reading Tip-a-Day Guide to Healthy Living by Melanie Douglass. It is a handy little book with a lot of motivating tips. For example, Tip #109 is Crock-Pot Chicken: Easy, Fast, and Flexible. This is part of the tip. Put one to two pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breasts in a Crock-Pot & fill the pot about 1/3 full of water. Let the chicken cook on low for 4 to 8 hours until fully cooked (165°F). She then gives several suggestions on how to use the chicken. I like Melanie's approach. She makes sense to me. (Plus, she is LDS & it shows in her thoughts). Well, this wasn't to be an endorsement for Melanie. (Mel, if you read this...you can send me a check.) ☺
Guess I'd better find my motivation & get busy. Spring Break is almost over. I've still got tons to do. Hope you have a fantastic weekend. Love to you & yours. ♥

Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas
(This is more of a method than a recipe, adjust to your personal needs & wants)

1 pkg flour tortillas
grated cheese
cooked, cubed chicken (Crock-Pot Chicken works great)

In a large frying pan, melt 1/4 c. butter. Add 1/4 c. flour to melted butter, whisk till smooth. Add 15 oz. chicken broth, whisk till thickened. Then, whisk in 1 cup sour cream. Whisk till combined. In a 9X13 pan sprayed with cooking spray, assemble enchiladas (Tortilla, chicken & a little cheese, roll up, place seam side down, repeat till your pan is full) then top with sauce & more grated cheese. You can also add some seasonings, or chopped green chilies. Mitch likes things mild, so I kept mine very mild, then added salsa on top of my own serving before eating. He put a few drops of mild taco sauce on his. Bake @ 400°F for 20-25 minutes until cheese is melted & bubbly.

Bread....'nuff said!

So, I've been looking for a new bread recipe. I've been studying ways to improve my bread-making skills. I've also been working on improving my food storage. I want to learn how to use Vital Wheat Gluten & other natural dough enhancers to make my bread light & delicious. I've learned that vinegar is also one of those natural enhancers. So is sugar. (I'm guessing in this recipe, honey counts for the sugar). Another enhancer is potato flakes. I've also learned that you can use leftover rice, oatmeal, etc. I have not tried either of the last two enhancers yet...but I am planning on it soon.
These rolls were easy to make, they just take time. (We did have a challenge getting the bowl off of the kitchen aide mixer, it kind of got wedged on tight while mixing the dough). I had the gas fireplace on in the front room today. I placed the dough in a mixing bowl & covered it with a warm, damp kitchen towel & sat it in front of the fireplace. I also placed them in front of the fire after shaping the rolls. Patience is essential. Don't rush the rolls. After they had baked, I generously buttered the tops.
Mom tried my rolls tonight. She loved them. She even said they were as good as a restaurant's rolls. She had hers plain. Mitch had his with butter. He said they were tasty. I had mine with butter & honey and I thought it was delicious. I'll be keeping this recipe. They were light for wheat rolls. Maybe that is why they are called air buns. It's nice to be successful! Love to you & yours!

Whole Wheat Air Buns
1 1/2 C. warm water
1/4 C. butter
1/4 C. honey
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbs. vinegar (I know, that sounds strange, but trust me!)
4 1/2 C. whole-wheat flour (Use white wheat flour for best results)(I added 1 Tbsp. Vital Wheat Gluten to the measuring cup before I added the flour).
2 tsp active dry yeast.
Combine the water, butter, honey, salt and vinegar. Add the flour and sprinkle yeast in top of the flour. Turn on your mixer, and mix for 7 to 10 minutes. Dough will ball up and pull away from the sides of the bowl. Mixing helps develop the gluten, so even if it balls up quicker than the time specified, keep the mixer on. Turn off mixer and let dough rest until doubled in bulk. If your house is warm, it can double in size in 20 to 30 min. Turn mixer on again to “punch down” the dough and allow it to mix for 2 or 3 minutes. Remove dough from mixer and shape into 12 to 18 rolls. ”Grease” the pan with non-stick cooking spray or butter before placing the rolls in the pan. (I use a large cake pan (pyrex) and put all the rolls in one pan). Once rolls are shaped and arranged in the pan, cover with a kitchen towel to let rise. Raise until doubled again – they should fill the pan. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

SHE LIVES! (and makes a casserole).

Guess what! I am still alive! Yup...surprising I know. I am alive & kicking. I can hardly wait until spring break. I need to spend some time getting caught up. I haven't even been to the grocery store for a while. I need milk, cheese, & all kinds of things. Just haven't been in the mood. Today after school, I made a wreath for my front door. (The valentine wreath was pretty, but I needed SPRING!) The sun was shining & it was gorgeous outside, but now the wind is beginning to blow. I hear it is going to storm tomorrow. I am ready to get out & start working in the yard. I want to plant my garden. I am going to try something different this year. I found some information about straw bale gardening, (through a friend on FB). It looks interesting, so I ordered the booklet. We'll see what happens. I hope to increase my food storage this fall, and gardens are one of the best ways to make that happen. I'm trying to be more frugal. Because I have not been to the store for a few days, I have had to be a little more creative in some of my recipes. I made a hamburger tater-tot casserole the other night, but I didn't have cheese to include on top. So, I made do. I am learning to love methods in cooking, not just recipes. I am also on the lookout for new & easy ideas. One of my new favorite blogs is Howe to cook. A family of sisters from Manti have lots of recipes & they even do giveaways. Check it out if you are interested. I made their Cheesy Pig Chowder. I would maybe cut back a little on the ham. There was almost too much for me. My next chocoholic attack I am going to try the Symphony Brownies. Well...I am rambling on & on. Guess enough is enough. Here is my method for Hamburger Tater-Tot Casserole. Love to you & yours. ♥

Hamburger Tater-Tot Casserole

Brown 1 lb. hamburger. In a casserole dish sprayed with Pam cooking spray, combine hamburger, vegetables (I like to experiment. This week it was 1/2 can green beans & 1/2 can corn). Be sure to drain hamburger & veggies. Mix in 1 can of your favorite condensed soup. I used cream of mushroom. Top with Tater-tots & grated cheese. Bake in a 350° oven for 30-45 minutes until bubbly.

Instead of the soup, this week I made a white sauce by melting 1 Tbsp. butter in a frying pan. Add 1 Tbsp. flour, whisk together. Add 1 cup milk. Stir until thickened & lumps are gone. You could add grated cheese, but I added 1 bottle of Old English processed cheese (by Cheese Whiz in the store) and cook till smooth. I happened to have the Old English left over from Christmas. Worked great.