Sweet Accomplishments: Honey Whole Wheat Bread

Few things are more satisfying than baking bread.  This recipe is one of my favorites!

Honey Whole Wheat Bread

1/4 c. boiling water
2 T. honey
2 T. salted butter
1/4 c. milk
2 1/4 t. instant yeast  (saf-instant brand)
3/4 c. warm water (100-110 degrees)
1 1/4 c. sifted white flour
2 1/2 c. whole wheat flour
1-2 T. olive oil

Add boiling water to honey and butter, stirring until dissolved.  Let cool until 100-110 degrees.

Sprinkle yeast over warm water in mixer bowl and mix just a few turns until dissolved.  Add milk mixture and start mixer on low.  Gradually add white flour, then 1 1/4 c. wheat flour.  Beating until smooth, about 2 minutes.  Gradually add remaining flour, finishing by hand, if necessary.  Turn out onto lightly floured board and allow to rest for 10 minutes.  Knead for 10 minutes, then turn in oiled bowl.  Let rise until double in size (about 1 hour).  Punch down while forming into a loaf, and fit into a prepared loaf pan.  Allow to rise until double again (about 30 minutes).  Preheat oven to 375 degrees during the last rise.  Loaf is done when it sounds hollow inside.  Remove from pan immediately and cool away from drafts.

Yield:  one loaf
Based on recipe from Blue Ribbon Recipes

Joining The Country Homemaker Hop #67!

Hi!  We're joining The Country Homemaker for her blog hop.  Enjoy!

I Could Become a Southern Vegetarian . . .

I was so excited when I learned that Amy Lawrence and Justin Fox-Burks (the lovely folks from the Chubby Vegetarian blog) had garnered a cookbook deal!  I enjoyed the blog and, I now confess, I had admired Amy's home-made treats from across the lunch table.  They looked tasty.

As much as I'd like to move meat to a peripheral role in my diet, most of the many vegetarian recipes I have tried have tasted a bit, well, weedy.  From the way Amy described the recipes, it sounded like the remedy.

In early May, my own personal copy of The Southern Vegetarian landed in my mailbox.  The writing, of course, is engaging, and the recipes reflect the creativity and variety we've come to expect from the Chubby Vegetarian.  The pictures are deliciously rich, too.

The test

My May schedule precluded any serious cooking, so I merely drooled over the recipes until the first of June.  Since I'm a meat-lover, I tried their "mushroom meat" recipe.  It is a combination of mushrooms, eggplant, and onion which are finely chopped and then roasted.

A food processor is recommended, and would have made short work of the prep, but my work bowl had suddenly gone MIA, so I did all the work by hand.  I mixed the chopped vegetables with the seasonings and spread them in a pan lined with the southern equivalent of parchment:  aluminum foil with cooking spray.

After roasting at 350 degrees for 25 minutes, the smell was amazing, but the vegetables were more mushy than I would have liked.  I ended up roasting them for nearly an hour, especially to get the onions browned.  On my next batch, and I do plan to try it again, I will mince the onions (finely), and cut the eggplant and mushroom into smaller pieces to improve texture and reduce cooking time.

The verdict

Mushroom meat was tasty on toast, and I found I could not resist nibbling on it while it was cooling.  I can see it replacing meat in lasagna and casseroles.

What's next on the list to try?  Perhaps Oyster Mushrooms Rockefeller, but I'm looking forward to working my way through the book.  You should, too.

What's cooking in your Savory kitchen?

Nancy

Savory Fundraiser Spaghetti Sauce

Savory Fundraiser Spaghetti Sauce

We're having a spaghetti benefit dinner at church so the Resident Dragon has been cooking meat sauce all week.  The recipe takes a little time, but it makes a large quantity.  The original was a bit too highly seasoned for me, so I've adjusted it.  Enjoy.

Savory Fundraiser Spaghetti Sauce

3 lb. ground chuck (I prefer 90/10)
3 ribs celery, chopped
1 sweet red pepper, chopped
2 medium onions, chopped
1 button garlic, minced
1 T. salt
1 t. black pepper, freshly cracked
1 T. chili powder
1/4 t. cayenne pepper
1 t. Italian seasoning
1 bay leaf
4 cups tomato juice
15 oz. can tomato sauce
1 can water

Brown meat, drain off fat.  Saute vegetables, being careful not to burn the garlic.  Add seasonings and continue cooking for about 2 minutes.  Add tomato juice, sauce, and meat, and simmer for 1.5 to 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

Serve over cooked pasta.

Makes 3 quarts (closer to a gallon).

The Dragon's German Comfort Food

Just yum.

Even though the days feel like spring, the nights are still cool enough that I long for something substantial for supper.  Fortunately for me, the Resident Dragon enjoys cooking.  Since we're both Scot-Irish-German, our comfort foods usually include potatoes.  This is less a recipe than an idea.

Onions, chopped
Garlic, minced
Seasoning Salt
Italian seasoning
Baked potatoes, cubed with skin on
Summer sausage or kielbasa

Slice sausage and saute until done and browned.  Remove sausage, but add onions to the sausage pan, and saute until clear, adding garlic at the very end.  Add potatoes, seasoning salt, and Italian seasoning to taste.  Cook until potatoes are well-coated and browning.  Add cooked sausage back and warm through.

Experiment by adding cooked vegetables, switching out your meat & spices, or adding sweet potatoes!

Make in large quantities and keep in refrigerator to enjoy after that long day at work!

What's cooking in your Savory kitchen?

Nancy

Great Recipe Site

Veggies rock!

Congratulations to Amy Lawrence and Justin Fox Burks!  Their Chubby Vegetarian blog is featured in a Meatless Monday over at Mother Earth News.

They are also up for a Homie at thekitchn.com as Best Recipe site!

Take a look at their wonderful site, then hop on over to thekitchn.com and cast your vote!

Thanks!

Easy Recipe: Sausage Grits Scramble Cup

Who says you have to eat out?

The Resident Dragon has gotten on the home-made fast food bandwagon with his version of a Krystal Scrambler.

The easy directions

He prepares grits according to the package directions.  He uses some of my baked sausage, and scrambles eggs.  Then he layers them in reusable containers (bottom to top):

Grits
Eggs
Sausage
Cheese

Be sure to leave extra room for the breakfast to swell as it warms.  He stores them in the freezer, then pops them in the microwave for 2-5 minutes depending upon how hot you want them, and the power of your microwave.

He added some sausage gravy . . .

The analysis

The Krystal version is about $3.  While I have not calculated the exact savings, consider that grits cost no more than $1 per pound (which is a lot of grits), eggs are about $0.15 each, the sausage about $0.50, and the cheese about $0.50 for an estimated cost of $1.55.

If you don't care for grits, consider substituting an underdone, semi-mashed baked potato.  Bacon or ham could stand-in for the sausage, and you can prepare your eggs any of several ways.

NOTE

Easy, portable, delicious!

Do not waste your hard-earned money on instant grits, or oats, or things like that.  Go real; they really do not take any more time than the instant and the real costs much much less.

The verdict

With a little planning, you can enjoy the convenience of fast foods from your own kitchen while saving your hard-earned pennies!

So, what's cooking in your Savory kitchen?

Nancy