Blueberry Buttermilk Bread (Use it/Lose it day 2)

Breakfast: "fried" egg, cottage cheese patties, milk, and toast with butter

Lunch: Blueberry Buttermilk Bread (recipe follows), cheddar cheese cubes, and kiwi

Dinner: cheese ravioli in a light Parmesan white sauce, green beans

Snack: apple wedges

This bread is hearty, with a nice biting texture to it. It's not as soft as many blueberry breads, making it ideal for a nontraditional lunch feature...or perfect for brunch. The oats and oat flour add to the texture, and the buttermilk gives it a delicious flavor. Also, most quick bread recipe serving sizes are dismally small. Not this one. I calculated the Points Plus value based on eight servings...a wonderful slice size for this loaf.

Blueberry Buttermilk Bread - 4 Points Plus value
Serves 8

What You Need:

• 1 cup frozen blueberries (or fresh...I had frozen on hand) tossed with 1 Tbsp flour
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup rolled oats, plus 1/4 cup oat flour (process oats into a flour and then measure it)
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup buttermilk (you can use 1 Tbsp lemon juice or vinegar in a cup of milk, if you prefer)
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten

How it's Done:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray an 8x4" loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, combine the flour, oats, oat flour, salt, and baking powder.
3. Add the eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla. Stir only until combined.
4. Gently fold in the blueberries.
5. Pour into the loaf pan. Bake 55 to 60 minutes, until pick inserted near center comes out mostly clean (a few crumbs or blueberry can be expected)
6. Cool completely. If you can help yourself, don't eat the loaf until the next day. Quick breads are always better on day two, after they've had a chance to age.

In Which I Entertain Children, Bake Bread, Make a Discovery, and Take a Really Great Photo

Picky Eater had a friend over, and I was thinking of activities they could do together. I thought about making some play dough, but then it occurred to me to have them make real bread instead.

So I whipped up this dough, and let them play with it a while (read: they did the kneading).

Then, they shaped their rolls and I baked them. I also baked some standard-shaped rolls that were not kneaded by dirty second grade fingers. Just because, you know, the rest of us wanted some, too.

Please, please proof your yeast*! I cannot tell you enough just how important this simple step can be. Rarely does yeast not cooperate. It's usually quite willing to munch on your sugar and bulk up like it's meant to. But sometimes, it doesn't. Just today, I had to scrap my proof mixture and start again because a packet of yeast didn't rise. Thanks to proofing, I only had to throw out a cup of milk, a half cup of maple syrup, and a packet of yeast, rather than the entire recipe. Don't get me wrong: it hurt to throw away that syrup especially, but better to restart than to have a failed recipe.

*Proofing is when you combine your warmed liquid, your sweet ingredient, and your yeast, and you let them sit undisturbed for ten minutes or so. At the end of ten minutes, your mixture should have doubled in size. If it hasn't, throw it out. Your yeast is no good.

Maple Dinner Rolls
They're not sweet.

What You Need:

• 1 cup warm evaporated milk
• 1/2 cup maple syrup (pure, not pancake syrup)
• 1 packet active dry yeast
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup melted butter (can substitute oil)
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 3 to 4 cups all-purpose flour (I used unbleached King Arthur flour)

How it's Done:

• Proof your yeast. Combine yeast, warm milk, and warm maple syrup. Stir it up and let it sit for 10 minutes.
• Come back 10 minutes later, and stir in the beaten egg, melted butter, and sea salt. Gradually add in flour until a soft dough forms.
• Knead 6 to 8 minutes until smooth.
• Let rise for an hour. Punch down, and divide into 24 equal pieces. Now, I like to roll mine into ropes and curl them around in a spiral (I've done it lots of times before), but you can simply roll them into balls and leave them like that. Let them rise another 30 minutes.
• Bake at 350 for 12 to 15 minutes. Brush with melted butter. If you sprinkle them with sea salt and garlic powder, they taste just like Olive Garden's bread sticks. Yeah, next time I'm making them into bread sticks instead of spirals. I'm thrilled with that discovery!

I am really proud of this picture. :) My food photography has come a long way since January 1, 2010.

Make-Ahead Pizza Dough....and Pizza Sticks for Lunch

Now that school's in session, you'll find me every Saturday in my kitchen, cooking for the week ahead. I'm determined to stop relying on basic sandwiches this year and branch out into better lunches. Pizza's great, whether warm or cold, so this was a natural starting point for me. My oldest is in middle school and has a microwave at her disposal, so she'll likely eat her pizza sticks warm. My youngest doesn't have access to a microwave, so we've compared these pizza sticks to the Lunchables pizza lunch, which kids eat cold all the time. She approves.

This dough can be made ahead and frozen so that you have two pizza crusts ready to go for dinner one night when Papa John calls out to you. Instead of relying on delivery (which can cost a family of four as much as I spend per week in groceries), pull out your dough and you'll be ready to bake in no time. If you roll your dough into pizza crust shape before freezing, the thawing time will be minimal. The other option is to keep it in a ball and thaw it overnight in the fridge. Either way, pizza night just got a whole lot cheaper and less complicated.

This is not the first pizza dough I've shared with you, but it has a different texture and taste than this one. The one I shared a while back is great for cracker-thin crusts. This dough is softer, which makes it a natural choice for my kids' school lunches.

Make-Ahead Pizza Dough
Makes enough dough for 2 medium pizzas (thin crust)

What You Need:

• 1 packet active dry yeast
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• 3/4 cup warm water
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh herbs (if desired. adds color and flavor. I used parsley, basil, and thyme)
• 2 Tbsp melted butter
• 2 to 2 1/2 cups flour (white or whole wheat, or a combination)

How it's Done:

1. Stir together yeast, sugar, and water, and let it sit until bubbly. Stir in half the flour, the salt, herbs, and melted butter.
2. Knead in remaining flour until a stiff dough forms. Knead about 6 minutes.
3. Turn the dough out into an oiled bowl. Cover and place in a warm spot for 45 minutes to an hour, or until the dough has doubled in size.
4. Punch the dough down, divide it in half, and roll each half into desired shapes. In my case, rectangles, as I'm making pizza sticks. I want my sticks on the thick side, so I rolled my dough into rectangles that were about 1/2" thick. Place the dough on baking sheets sprinkled with cornmeal. You can freeze at this point if you want. Otherwise, proceed.
5. Let the dough rest 20 minutes. Then, top as desired and bake at 400 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes.

For my pizza sticks, here's what I did once the dough was rolled into rectangles:

1. I placed each rectangle onto a baking sheet sprinkled with cornmeal.
2. I used a pizza cutter to cut through (but not separate) the dough, making 1" wide strips.
3. I spread a bit of pizza sauce -- just a couple tablespoons per rectangle -- on the dough.
4. Then, I topped the sauce with sliced veggies. In this case, sweet banana peppers.
5. Next, I sprinkled about 1/3 cup shredded mozzarella and a bit of Parmesan cheese on each rectangle, and baked them for 15 minutes at 400 degrees. I let them cool slightly before recutting the strips.

Baking for the Freezer: Magic Wands and Mini Cupcakes

It's school week, which means I'm baking up a storm getting ready to pack some completely home-made, nutrient-rich lunchbox goodies for my girls. Yesterday, I made fairy princess bread. Today, I made magic wands and some magical cupcakes. The magic in the cupcakes is that they're full of green apples and orange carrots. They are still dessert -- I don't mistake them for anything else -- but if I'm going to serve dessert, I might as well get some green and orange in the girls' bellies, right?

Both of these goodies were taste-tested today by my girls and their friends, and both passed with high marks. The kids kept asking for more. Good thing the cupcake recipe turned out a whole bunch! I'm sticking these in the freezer. By freezing them on a cookie sheet until solid, then transferring to containers, I can preserve the shape of the cupcakes. A frozen cupcake packs wonderfully, thawing just in time for lunch at school when placed in an insulated lunchbox.

Magic Wands

What You Need:

• 1 packet of active dry yeast
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1 cup warm water
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 3 cups all-purpose flour (or substitute whole wheat for half)
• colorful jimmies
• almond bark or white chocolate (1/4 lb was all I needed)
• colored sugar

How it's Done:

1. Combine yeast, sugar, and water in a mixing bowl. Stir and let this sit for ten minutes until doubled in volume and bubbly.
2. Mix in oil, salt, and flour. Knead 5 to 7 minutes, until smooth and elastic.
3. Cover and let dough rest at least 15 minutes. It's forgiving: If you need to let it rest an hour or two, just punch it down when you're ready to move on.
4. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide in half.
5. Roll each half into a roughly 9x11" rectangle. Sprinkle colorful jimmies over dough and run the rolling pin over it to press them into the dough.
6. Cut the dough into strips, less than 1" wide.
7. Twist the ends of the dough until a tight spiral shape is achieved.
8. Place each spiral straight on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake at 425 degrees for 14 minutes, or until golden brown and crisp. Let cool completely.
9. Melt almond bark. Dip the end of each wand into the melted candy, then sprinkle with colored sugar for a magical tip.
10. Let the candy harden. Store tightly covered.

Mini Apple-Carrot Cupcakes with Honey-Butter Frosting
makes about 56 mini cupcakes

I love honey-butter frosting. I first made it with maple cupcakes and everyone gobbled them up. This time I paired the frosting with a denser cupcake and it didn't disappoint. The batter is very thick and full of fruit and vegetables. If your eaters are fussy about this, I suggest you puree them instead of grating them.

What You Need:

for the cupcakes:

• 1/2 cup safflower or other light oil
• 1/2 cup softened butter
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 6 carrots (peeled or not -- I peeled mine)
• 3 small apples (peeled or not -- I did not peel these, and I used Granny Smith)

for the frosting:

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup honey
• 5 to 6 cups confectioner's sugar

How it's Done:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line mini cupcake tin with papers or spray lightly with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Grate the carrots and apples and set them aside.
3. Beat butter, oil, and sugar until smooth. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well between additions. Add vanilla extract.
4. Slowly stir in flour, cinnamon, and baking soda. Once all are incorporated, beat on medium-high 2 minutes.
5. Fold in apples and carrots.
6. Fill cupcake tins all the way to the top. Bake 15 to 18 minutes, or until top springs back when pressed gently. Let the cupcakes cool completely before frosting.
7. For the frosting, beat together the butter and honey. Slowly add the confectioner's sugar until the desired consistency is met. If you want to color the frosting, do so before adding the confectioner's sugar. Frost as desired.

How are you preparing for back to school? Have you ever cooked ahead and frozen portions for lunchboxes?

Fairy Princess Bread (aka Pink Egg Bread)

I'm spending this week getting ready for packing school lunches. Today, I made some Fairy Princess Bread. I've got a whole magical princess lunch theme planned in my head. It includes toad stools and magic wands and crowns and princesses and such. It should be fun. Changing the color of food is something easy and fun you can do to avoid the monotony of lunch box preparation. It's easy to add a few drops of food coloring here and there. Here's my egg bread recipe. It serves me well. Oh -- and, no, the addition of the red food dye didn't alter the taste at all.

Fairy Princess Bread
makes one loaf (16 or so slices)

What You Need:

• 1 packet yeast
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• 1/4 cup warm water
• 1/2 cup warm milk
• 3 Tbsp melted butter
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• food coloring if desired (about a dozen drops of red for pink bread)
• egg wash if desired, though I skipped it -- 2 beaten eggs with 1/4 cup water

How it's Done:

1. Stir together the yeast, sugar, and water. Let it stand 10 minutes.
2. Slowly beat in eggs, milk, butter, and salt. Add half of the flour. Beat on medium speed for 3 minutes, then add the remaining flour, until a soft, cohesive dough has formed.
3. With your mixer running, add in food coloring, a few drops at a time, until desired color is reached.
4. Knead about 10 minutes. Turn dough into an oiled bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place for 90 minutes.
5. Punch down the dough. Cut off one-third of the dough. With the remaining dough, divide into 3 equal balls. Roll each ball into a 14" rope. Braid these three, starting at the center and braiding out on each side. Pinch ends closed.
6. With remaining 1/3 of the dough, divide into 3 equal portions and roll into 16" ropes. Braid these the same way. Place the thinner braid on top of the thicker braid. Pinch ends to seal.
7. Cover and let rise again, for about 30 minutes.
8. Brush with egg wash if desired.
9. Bake at 375 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes, or until loaf sounds hollow when you thump the bottom.
10. Let cool completely before slicing. This bread freezes nicely.

Homemade Flour Tortillas: My Take on It

It's not that expensive to buy a 10-pack of premade whole wheat flour tortillas. Generally, I can get good quality tortillas for about $3.00 a bag. But when every dollar counts, and you really want to be sure you know what you're feeding your family, it's best to make your own. Making flour tortillas is easy, believe it or not. It requires only a few ingredients and less than 30 minutes of your time. You can make your tortillas while your filling is cooking and by the time it's ready, your tortillas will be done as well.

Lots of home cooks make flour tortillas, and they all have slightly different methods. Here's the method that works best for me. It uses ingredients I'm okay using and it's never failed me.

Flour Tortillas (Half White / Half Wheat)
Makes 14 to 16 fajita-size tortillas

What You Need:

• 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 2 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 5 Tbsp butter, chilled, cut into small cubes
• about 1 1/2 cups cool water (maybe slightly more, maybe slightly less)

How it's Done:

1. Combine flours, salt, and baking powder.
2. Cut in the butter using a pastry blender, two knives, or your fingertips. Once the butter pieces are smaller than peas, add the water. Stir to combine.
3. Knead the dough a few times, until it is a smooth ball. Let it rest a few minutes.
4. Divide the dough into 14 to 16 even portions. Roll each out on a lightly floured surface.
5. Heat a dry skillet over medium to medium high heat (medium if using stainless steel skillet). Drop a tortilla in, cooking it 30 seconds or so on each side.
6. Move tortillas to a plate and cover them with a clean towel while you finish cooking them. Store them tightly covered to keep them soft.

A Delicious Salad, a Crispy Crunch, and a Refreshing Dressing

Summer is all about cool and crisp and fresh, and salads epitomize those better than anything. I won't spend much time here on this blog talking about salads, because they're generally so simple to throw together that having a recipe for them is redundant. This one is worth sharing, because it makes my mouth happy. It has many flavors involved, including a light and healthy, refreshing dressing. Here's how I made it:

For the salad, I used butter lettuce, diced cucumber, cherry tomatoes, dried cranberries, pecan pieces, and dressing. I had baby carrots on the side because they taste so good dipped in the fruity dressing.

The Dressing:

Combine in a container with lid:

• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1/2 cup apple cidar vinegar
• 1 1/2 cups extra virgin olive oil

Seal tightly and shake to emulsify. Drizzle over salad. Store extra dressing tightly sealed in the refrigerator. It's light, fruity, and full of good-for-you stuff.

Now, for a mid-day meal, I need more than just salad, even if it includes fruit and nuts. That's where these cheese straws come in. Cheese straws are commonly served in the south. If you've never had them before, I encourage you to try them. They taste a lot like CheezIts, only less salty and more wholesome.

Cheese Straws

What You Need:

• 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (sharp or extra sharp is best)
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 6 Tbsp salted butter, cut into cubes
• 1 Tbsp dry mustard
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 4 tsp milk

How it's Done:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and get out a couple baking sheets.
2. Combine cheese, flour, butter, mustard, and pepper in the bowl of your food processor. Pulse until it resembles bread crumbs.
3. Turn the food processor on and drizzle in the milk, processing until the dough forms a ball.
4. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll out to 1/8" thickness.
5. Using your pizza cutter, cut into 1" wide strips. Place strips on baking sheets (nearly touching is fine, as they won't exand outward much at all) and bake for 15 minutes.
6. Let your cheese straws cool completely on their baking sheets before moving them. They'll crisp up nicely sitting there.
7. Store tightly covered at room temperature. Cheese straws are even better on days two and three.

This post linked to Tempt my Tummy Tuesdays and

A Week of (Healthy) Bare-Bones Meals: Day 4

Welcome, Tuesday Tag-Along friends and welcome to all of my wonderful readers. :)

Today's day 4 in my week of meals that cost very little but provide lots of taste and nutrition. On today's menu: a sandwich that uses up the leftover chicken from the past two days' menus.


Day 4

Breakfast: scrambled eggs & biscuits with jam
Lunch: Leftover Fried Rice or Soup
Dinner: Chicken Burgers on Soft Rolls with Lettuce, Tomato, and Onion

Chicken Burgers on Soft Rolls
Makes 6 chicken burgers and 16 rolls

What You Need:

• 1 lb cooked, boneless, skinless chicken
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 to 3/4 cups bread crumbs (just toss the heels of your homemade bread into the food processor for this)
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1 tsp minced garlic (or 1 tsp garlic powder, if that's cheaper or easier to get)
• 1/2 an onion
• 1 Tbsp oil plus more for cooking
• rolls for serving (recipe follows)

How it's Done:

1. Combine chicken, eggs, bread crumbs, salt, pepper, garlic, onion, and 1 Tbsp oil in your food processor or blender. Process until smooth, adding tiny bits of water if needed.
2. Form the mixture into 6 patties.
3. Fry in oil over medium heat for 2 or 3 minutes per side. They're already almost completely cooked -- you just need to heat them up completely and brown both sides.
4. Serve on rolls with your choice of toppings.

Yummy, Cheap, and Easy SOFT Rolls for Sandwiches

What You Need:

• 2 cups milk
• 1/4 cup sugar (I used honey, but for cost purposes, I'm listing sugar. Use honey if you have it.)
• 1/4 cup oil
• 2 Tbsp active dry yeast
• 1 tsp honey or sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 5 to 6 cups all-purpose flour, divided
• 1 tsp sea salt

How it's Done:

1. Heat milk on stove or in microwave until steaming (about 4 minutes in microwave for me). Add oil and 1/4 cup sugar or honey. Let this cool down.
2. Meanwhile, combine yeast with 1 tsp honey or sugar AND 1/4 cup warm water in a large mixing bowl. I used my KitchenAid stand mixer. Let sit for 10 minutes.
3. After 10 minutes, pour the milk mixture into the large mixing bowl. Turn beater on or stir by hand. Add 2 cups of flour and 1 tsp salt. Stir briskly 2 minutes. Then, let this sponge sit undisturbed for 10 minutes.
4. Now, add in 3 cups of flour, slowly, beating all the time. You want to form a soft, smooth dough. Add additional flour as needed.
5. Knead for five to eight minutes on a lightly floured surface.
6. Move the dough to a greased bowl. Cover and let rise until doubled, about an hour.
7. Punch the dough down and divide into 16 roughly equal bits. Roll out into ropes, then spiral them around themselves like snail shells, pinching the ends securely. Cover and let rise 30 minutes.
8. Bake at 375 for 15 minutes, or until the tops are golden in color.
9. Brush with melted butter if desired.

Frugal Tip #4: Use your time and energy wisely. Why make only 6 buns for one meal, when you can make 16 and use the rest over the next few days? Baking in large batches saves time, effort, and energy cost.

Who says livin' cheap has to mean eatin' junk?

This post linked to:

A Week of (Healthy) Bare-Bones Meals: Day Two

One of the key ingredients to make it through a food hardship is variety. I've seen many blogs and websites geared toward bare-bones recipes, but they all seem to focus on the same ingredients, with little variation from day to day. A big part of surviving hard times with your sanity intact is having variety and feeling like you have choices. You aren't going to be very happy eating Ramen-style noodles, oat porridge, and beans everyday, are you? You need variety. It will make you feel better, both physically and mentally.

Variety doesn't have to mean buying more ingredients. It can be as simple as changing the way you present them or the way you use them. Take flour, milk, and eggs, for example. You can turn them into egg noodles, muffins, breads, pancakes, or popovers. All different. All the same. See how that works? Take this new trick and make this delicious, pretty, fun to eat breakfast that costs very little to throw together.

Day Two

Breakfast: Popovers with Eggs & Cheese (recipe follows)
Lunch: Leftover Vegetable Fried Rice
Dinner: Roast chicken, rice, and carrots, yeast rolls with butter or margarine


Popovers Stuffed with Eggs & Cheese
serves 8

What You Need:

for the popovers:

• 3 eggs at room temperature
• 1 Tbsp melted butter or margarine (or cooking oil)
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 cups milk
• 1 tsp salt
• cooking oil for greasing pan

for the egg filling:

• 8 eggs
• splash of milk
• salt and pepper to taste
• butter, margarine, or cooking oil for the pan
• 1/4 cup cheddar cheese (shredded) & 1 green onion, chopped, for garnish

How it's Done:

1. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Stick your muffin tin(s) or popover pan(s) in the oven to warm up.
2. Mix all the ingredients except greasing oil in a blender. Blend until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
3. Remove pan(s) from the oven and oil them well. Pour batter into the pan(s) to 3/4 full.
4. Bake at 450 for 20 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 and bake an additional 10 to 15 minutes.Popovers will be high, hollow, and golden brown when done.
5. After reducing the heat, beat the eggs with milk and salt and pepper for the filling. Cook in a hot skillet until done. Sprinkle with cheese and green onions.
6. Cut them open as soon as you remove them. This is to allow steam to escape. Cut the tops off almost all the way. Fill with the eggs, cheese, and green onions. You can add some cooked leftover vegetables if you have them for even more nutrition and variety.

Frugal Tip #2: Buy some things in bulk. Namely, cheese, eggs, and baking supplies. Buying cheese in large bricks, then slicing or shredding at home saves money and takes very little time. Always check unit cost, but bulk buying gives your money more power.

I made corn tortillas today!

...and it was easy!

Day170.

Wow! Have I really been at this venture for 170 days?

Anyway, yes, I made corn tortillas. I thought it would be an intimidating process, but it was very easy. Here are the steps I took. Tomorrow, I'll tell you about the enchiladas I made with them.

What you need: Maseca Masa, some salt, some water, a tortilla press, a skillet, and a turner.

First, you combine 2 cups of masa, 1/4 tsp salt, and 1 1/4 cups water and stir it up until the water's all soaked in and the masa is a nice soft dough reminiscent of moon sand...only less gritty.

Then, you divide the dough into sixteen even-ish pieces.

...and cover them with a damp cloth to keep them from drying out while you work.

You place a ball of dough between two GREASED pieces of plastic wrap...

...and you press it flat.

The dough gets cooked for a minute per side on a dry skillet over medium-high heat.

And here's your reward. Store them covered if you won't use them right away.

They smell wonderfully sweet -- nothing at all like the bitter-smelling store-bought type, which makes me wonder if the store-bought type might have gone rancid by the time they arrive in our homes.

Anyway, I'll never go back now. Nothing beats homemade. Now, I can add corn tortillas to my list of things I no longer buy from the store.

On Being a Foodie

Day 161.

I don't just cook. I search for food news. I read books about food. Yes, cookbooks, but also fiction books where the story centers around food. I look for and attend food events. I like to talk about food. I like to write about food.

Food can be interesting. Food can inspire heated debates. Food is a rich part of the human history.

Here are some interesting factoids about what you put in your mouth:

• Did you know that the average person consumes 35 tons of food in a lifetime?
• Like Ice Cream? Thank the Chinese. And Marco Polo. He brought it back from China with him.
• Peanuts are used in making dynamite!
• A banana tree is not actually a fruit tree. It's a big ol' herb. The banana? It's a berry!
• Coconuts are deadly. They kill about 150 people each year -- that's more than shark attacks!
• Do you like your water bottled and fancy? Drink Evian? Spell it backward. Naive. Yeah.
• Like caramel? Thank Arab women. They used it to remove body hair. :)
• The kernels in a row of corn will always be an even number.

Do you read in the tub? It's one of my favorite ways to unwind at the end of a hard day. Many times, I bring cookbooks, instead of fiction. It's true. I mark, in pencil, recipes I'd like to try, and I write all over the margins my notes for changing the recipe.

I love older recipes, too. This one is relatively young for an "older" recipe. It's fun to make recipes from centuries gone by. I enjoy connecting with my culinary past.

Cornell Bread from Cornell University

Makes 3 loaves

Cornell bread was created in order to provide low-cost, nutrient-dense bread during war rationing. I don't know about you, but low-cost and high-nutrient are two phrases I strive to reach every single day!

I adapted the recipe based on my experiences with it and what I had on hand. Please refer to the link above for the original recipe.

What You Need:

• 3 cups warm (110 degrees or so) water
• 2 packets active dry yeast
• 2 Tbsp honey
• 6 1/2 cups flour (I used 3 cups whole wheat and 3 1/2 cups all-purpose)
• 1/2 cup soy flour
• 3 Tbsp wheat germ
• 1 Tbsp sea salt
• 2 Tbsp olive oil

How it's Done:

1. In your large mixing bowl (I used my KitchenAid as usual), combine water, yeast, and honey.
2. Let it rest while you stir together 6 cups of flour (save 1/2 a cup for later), the soy flour, wheat germ, and sea salt.
3. Add oil to the mixer bowl. One cup at a time, add your flour mixture, beating well. Add the extra 1/2 cup if you find your dough is too sticky like mine was.
4. Knead the dough until smooth and elastic. It took my stand mixer ten minutes to accomplish this.
5. Turn dough out into a well-oiled bowl. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size. It took my dough 90 minutes to double.
6. Punch your dough down. Fold in the edges. Divide dough into 3 portions. Rather than make 3 sandwich loaves, I made mine into one 8x4" sandwich loaf, one round loaf, and six rolls. You use the combination that suits you. Make sure your pans are well oiled. Cover the dough and let it rise to double again. This took about 45 minutes for my dough.
7. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Bake for about 20 minutes. My rolls were done in 15; my 8x4" loaf was done in 24.
8. I brushed my finished breads with melted butter. I find that it adds to the flavor and also helps keep the crusts softer.

For more Vintage Recipes (and to participate!) visit Joy of Desserts today!

And for even more recipes, visit Cooking Thursdays at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom.

Sour Cream Potato Rolls

Day 156.

We had such a great time today! We took the kids to Fun Fest, a carnival hosted by a local church. Everything was free: rides, games, inflatables, food (Chic Fil A was one sponsor), drinks, sno cones, cotton candy, door prizes, entertainment...everything was free. No catch.

Next, it was off to the National Infantry Museum to visit the traveling Vietnam Memorial Wall. We went from fun and uplifting to somber and humbling. The number of names on that wall.... it saddens my heart. If you have a war veteran in your life, hug him. If you know someone who has their name on a memorial wall, please except my sincere sorrow and gratitude for selfless service.

I've lived in western Georgia for exactly a year now, and I've learned that there are plenty of family-friendly free events to keep a family busy and entertained all summer long. As a housewife on an enlisted soldier's salary, I surely appreciate that. Sometimes, the free events are purely fun and entertaining. Sometimes, they're learning opportunities. They are all life-enriching, and they're all free. Who needs theme parks? Be a hometown tourist this summer. You'll reduce your expenses, increase your local awareness, and reduce your carbon footprint in the process. ;)

 

If your local fun involves cook-outs or barbecues, you'll need some bread. Here's a fabulous, simple, tasty recipe to get you started.

 

Sour Cream Potato Rolls

 

What You Need:

• 1/2 cup warm milk
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 package (2 1/4 tsp) active dry yeast
• 6 Tbsp melted butter
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup mashed potatoes
• 1 tsp salt
• 4 to 5 cups all-purpose flour
• flour for dusting rolls

How it's Done:

1. Combine warm milk, sugar, and yeast in a mixing bowl. Stir until sugar and yeast are dissolved. Add melted butter and sour cream. 
2. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
3. Sit in mashed potatoes and salt.
4. Gradually stir in flour until your dough pulls away from the walls of the bowl.
5. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead six to eight minutes, until smooth and shiny.
6. Move dough to a well-greased bowl. Cover and let rise in a  warm place until doubled in size (about an hour).
7. Punch down the dough. Divide into 10 to 12 pieces. Roll each piece into a ball, then roll the ball in flour and place on a greased baking sheet. Cover and let rise 30 minutes or so, until doubled in size.
8. Bake at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes, until the rolls sound hollow when tapped.

Bites Around the Blogosphere...But First, Some Breakfast.

Breakfast. It's important. Filling up your tank after a long night's fast is important for your bodily functions. Breakfast helps you think clearer, be in a better mood, and work more efficiently. Find something you like and eat it this morning. It doesn't have to be a breakfast food. If grilled cheese and tomato soup call to you, have some. Try not to be called to the candy bars...but do eat something. Here's a little something to get you started:

Vanilla Scones

What You Need:

• 2 1/2 to 3 cups cups all-purpose (or use whole wheat, or half white, half wheat)
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/3 cup chilled butter, cut into chunks
• 1 vanilla bean (just the scrapings)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup milk

for the icing:

• powdered sugar
• enough milk to make a pourable icing

How it's Done:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and lightly spray a large cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
2. Combine flour (start with 2 1/2 cups), sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl.
3. Add cubes of butter. Cut them in until they're tiny bits smaller than peas. I like to pinch it in with my fingers so that I can properly judge how big they are.
4. In a separate bowl, beat egg. Add milk, vanilla scrapings, and vanilla extract. Pour into dry mixture and stir to combine.
5. The dough should begin to form a ball. If it's too wet still, add additional flour.
6. Knead a few times...maybe ten times total. Divide dough in half.
7. Pat each half into a circle 1" thick on the greased cookie sheet. Using a knife or pizza cutter, cut into wedges just like pizza. Don't separate them.
8. Bake 20 minutes or until just lightly golden on top.
9. Remove from oven and let cool five minutes before icing.
10. For the icing, combine powdered sugar with milk until the desired consistency is met. Pour onto scones. You can add some vanilla extract to the icing for even more vanilla flavor if you'd like.

And now, for some delicious bites around the blogosphere. These are some delectable tidbits I found this week:

• Vanilla Bean Cheesecake at Andrea the Kitchen Witch
• Slow Cooker Carnitas at Angel Foods Kitchen
• Zucchini Fritter Cakes at Anna Dishes
• 10 Ways to Eat Less Meat at Cheap Healthy Good
• Strawberry Yogurt Mask at Coupon Cookin'
• Gingerbread at Green Gourmet Giraffe
• Apple Cupcakes at Haniela's
• Steak Sauce at Jenn's Food Journey
• Chili Potato Dippers with Cheddar Jalapeno Dip at Lamp Unto My Feet
• Focaccia Hamburger Rolls at Out of the Box Into the Kitchen
• Chocolate Tim Tam Hedgehog at StoneSoup

Happy Cooking! See you throughout the week!

I'm a Mom. And I'm Making My Own Breakfast Today.

My Mother's Day flowers from Picky Eater :)

Day 129.

Happy Mothers Day! It's tradition around the country that moms get a day off from housework and cooking today. You know: breakfast in bed, no dishes to wash, adorable, school-made crafts, and the like. But I love being in my kitchen, so today, I'm making breakfast. As usual.

(And what I really want for Mothers Day...what my heart yearns for...is a trip to the store to buy some bittersweet chocolate so I can bake a flourless cake this afternoon.)

For now, it's breakfast time. And breakfast at my house today is going to include sweet potato biscuits and green eggs. That is, eggs scrambled with spinach. They're both delicious, and eating them for breakfast gets you started on your day with a belly full of vitamins A, K, and C, protein, calcium, iron, folate, and more good for you stuff. So go do something good for yourself this Mother's Day. Go cook yourself this delicious, nutrient-packed breakfast. Or, have someone else cook it. Whatever you prefer.

Green Eggs
serves 4 to 6

What You Need:

• 1 dozen eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 heaping cups full of fresh spinach
• 1/2 a medium onion
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp butter
• sea salt and pepper to taste

How it's Done:

1. Melt butter in a large skillet.
2. Meanwhile, finely chop the spinach and the onion. I did this in my mini chopper and it took seconds. Saute the spinach and onion in the melted butter for a few minutes. Add the garlic and saute another 30 seconds or so.
3. Scramble the eggs with the milk and add them to the pan. Cook the eggs, stirring frequently and scraping the bottom of the pan. Salt and pepper the eggs to taste.

Sweet Potato Biscuits
Makes about 14 biscuits

What You Need:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 Tbsp plus 1 tsp baking powder
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/3 cup butter, cut into small pieces
• 1 cup cooked, peeled, and mashed sweet potato (1 large)
• 1/2 tsp vinegar
• 1 Tbsp milk

How it's Done:

1. Stir together flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt.
2. Cut in butter, just until it's in pea-sized bits and evenly disbursed throughout the flour mixture.
3. Using your hands, add sweet potato to the dough, mashing and squeezing until the dough is all orange.
4. Sprinkle on the vinegar and milk and incorporate it into the dough.
5. Pat the dough into a rectangle 1/2" thick on a floured surface. Cut out biscuits with a biscuit cutter and place, sides touching, on a baking sheet sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.
6. Bake at 425 degrees for 13 to 15 minutes. When they come out of the oven, you can drizzle the biscuits with a little bit of melted butter if you'd like.

It's Use it Up Week!

Day 115.

This is the last week of the month of April. That means it's my "clean out the kitchen" week. It's the week when I get really creative with my recipes, because I'm running out of things. I wanted to broaden my breakfast options (it was pretty much just oatmeal for the first half of this week until I decided to bake today). I'm out of eggs, which eliminates pancakes and waffles and muffins (I'm aware of many egg substitutes in those instances, but I don't have any available). I have just a spoonful of granulated sugar.  I'm low on my precious White Lily flour, which leaves out mile-high buttermilk biscuits. I'm out of cooking oils. I have butter. I have milk. I have oats. I have whole wheat flour. I have apples.

Apples?

Until I saw the apples, I was planning a way to make a whole wheat version of this cinnamon roll, except that I have no eggs.

So I decided to play with the recipe a bit. And then a bit more. And a bit more. And before I knew it, I had an entirely new recipe, much larger so as to last a few days, and it's healthier and more filling than my usual rolls.

This recipe makes a ton of cinnamon rolls. If you're a fan of cooking for your freezer, this is the recipe for you. I made this recipe extra large so that we had rolls to last the week, for breakfast and/or snacks as my family desires.


Oat & Wheat Apple Cinnamon Rolls

What You Need:

for proofing your yeast:

• 1 cup warm (120 degrees) milk
• 2 Tbsp active dry yeast
• 2 Tbsp granulated sugar

for the dough's liquid ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups milk
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
• 1 Tbsp sea salt

for the dry mixture:

• approximately 7 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (you may use more or less, depending on lots of things including your area's humidity -- it's a very humid day here in western Georgia)
• 1 cup white flour (I prefer White Lily but you can only find that in the South)
• 2 cups old-fashioned oats, processed to resemble flour

for the filling:

• 2 cups peeled, cored, and diced apple pieces
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice (though I had none so I used lime juice instead)
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 2 Tbsp ground cinnamon
• 2 Tbsp softened butter

for the icing:

• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup milk
• 2 to 3 cups confectioner's sugar

How it's Done:

1. Okay. Proofing your yeast is not a requirement. However, I like certainties in my baking, plus I think it's really cool to watch the yeast bubble and grow. You can skip this step if you prefer. But, if you're like me, and want to make sure your yeast is alive & kicking, gently stir together, in a large mixing bowl, your warm milk, bit of sugar, and yeast, and let it sit there undisturbed for about ten minutes or so while you get more preparations completed. It should get bubbly and double in size by the ten minute mark. If it doesn't, scrap your mixture and start fresh with new yeast.
2. While you're waiting for the yeast to proof, gently warm the 2 1/2 cups of milk with 1/2 cup of butter until the butter melts and the milk is approximately 120 degrees. Stir in 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1 Tbsp sea salt until dissolved. Add 1 Tbsp vanilla extract. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, combine your flours: 1 cup white flour, 2 cups oat "flour," and 6 cups whole wheat flour. Set the other 1 1/2 cups of whole wheat flour aside for later. I needed it for my dough, but you may not need it for yours.
4. Add the liquid and dry ingredients to your proofed yeast mixture, alternating between liquid and dry. When all the ingredients have been added, your dough should be pulling away from the sides of the bowl, and only be mildly sticky. If not, add more flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until it's right.
5. Knead for ten minutes. My KitchenAid stand mixer started smelling like it was working too hard on this mound of dough, so I did it by hand. I recommend you do it by hand, too. It's good exercise!
6. Turn dough into a well-greased large mixing bowl and cover it with a towel or plastic wrap. Set it in a warm place and let it rise 90 minutes.

7. Meanwhile, prepare your filling. Combine peeled, cored, and diced apples with lemon juice (or lime, in my case). Toss to coat all pieces. Add brown sugar and cinnamon, tossing once more. Stir in maple syrup. Set aside. I left mine, covered, in the fridge while wating for my dough to rise.
8. After 90 minutes, the dough should have doubled in size. Punch it down and divide it in half. Set one half aside.

9. Roll out half of the dough into a large rectangle between 1/4 and a 1/4" thick. Spread with half of the butter, then half of the filling to within 1 inch of the edges. Roll up, starting on a long side, and pinch the seams shut tightly. Cut into 3/4" thick slices and place on a greased baking dish. Continue until all the dough, both halves, have been rolled and sliced.
10. Let rise, covered loosely, in a warm place for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

11. Bake for about 30 minutes.
12. Meanwhile, prepare icing by mixing all ingredients together. Spread the icing on the cooked, hot cinnamon rolls. Serve immediately.