Perfectly healthy and beautiful baby
GIRL!!!
She was yawning and it looked like she was trying to take a bite of her knee!
Perfectly healthy and beautiful baby
GIRL!!!
She was yawning and it looked like she was trying to take a bite of her knee!
Vanilla Muffins with Cinnamon Crumb Topping
In need of a quick breakfast idea that did not include cold cereal or oatmeal a few days ago, I browsed through several recipes quickly before deciding on this one. They're simple, come together fast, bake fast, and are reasonably healthy, as far as muffins go anyways. The kids and I loved them and actually finished the whole batch of 12 muffins for breakfast. I guess that's not too impressive, considering I have a 7 year old boy who eats nearly as much as his dad and my kids are always ravenous at breakfast time.
But these really are yummy and a nice variation to our normal morning routine.
Recipe: (from Heavenly Homemakers)
1-1/2 c. whole wheat flour
1/2 c. sucanat (or brown sugar)
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1 egg
1 t. vanilla extract
1/4 c. melted butter or coconut oil
3/4 c. milk
Topping:
6 T. brown sugar or sucanat (I used brown sugar)
1 t. cinnamon
2 T. butter, softened
chopped walnuts, optional
Preheat oven to 400°.
Combine flour, sucanat, baking powder, and salt. Add egg, vanilla, oil, and milk. Stir until well moistened and just combined.
Divide into greased or paper-lined muffin tins (24 miniature or 12 regular).
Combine topping ingredients and sprinkle over the top of the muffins. Add chopped nuts if desired.
Bake for 10-13 minutes for miniature or 12-15 minutes for regular muffins, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
In need of a quick breakfast idea that did not include cold cereal or oatmeal a few days ago, I browsed through several recipes quickly before deciding on this one. They're simple, come together fast, bake fast, and are reasonably healthy, as far as muffins go anyways. The kids and I loved them and actually finished the whole batch of 12 muffins for breakfast. I guess that's not too impressive, considering I have a 7 year old boy who eats nearly as much as his dad and my kids are always ravenous at breakfast time.
But these really are yummy and a nice variation to our normal morning routine.
Recipe: (from Heavenly Homemakers)
1-1/2 c. whole wheat flour
1/2 c. sucanat (or brown sugar)
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1 egg
1 t. vanilla extract
1/4 c. melted butter or coconut oil
3/4 c. milk
Topping:
6 T. brown sugar or sucanat (I used brown sugar)
1 t. cinnamon
2 T. butter, softened
chopped walnuts, optional
Preheat oven to 400°.
Combine flour, sucanat, baking powder, and salt. Add egg, vanilla, oil, and milk. Stir until well moistened and just combined.
Divide into greased or paper-lined muffin tins (24 miniature or 12 regular).
Combine topping ingredients and sprinkle over the top of the muffins. Add chopped nuts if desired.
Bake for 10-13 minutes for miniature or 12-15 minutes for regular muffins, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Warm Rosemary Olives
To quote one of my friends about this little bite: "The whole is way more than the sum of the parts." Yup, that's a good way to describe this treat. It's only four little ingredients, but when put together and heated up, the result is fantabulous.
All you do is toss some olives, fresh rosemary, olive oil, and crushed red pepper on some aluminum foil. Then seal it up to form a little pouch and toss it in the oven or on the grill. That's it!
On one of my VERY few camping trips (I'm soooo not a camper ... I need electricity and a sleeping environment that absolutely does not include the potential of critter visitors), we cooked this appetizer over the campfire. Hey, who says you have to limit campfire cooking to hot dogs??
We invite you to follow The Kitchen is My Playground with Google+, Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, bloglovin', or Feedburner. We'd love to have you back soon!
Warm Rosemary Olives
Source: Adapted from Southern Living
(You in no way, shape, or form, need to be precise with the measurements for this!)
Ingredients
1 (6.25 oz.) jar mixed olives, or about 1 c. olives of any variety mix you'd like
4 or 5 large sprigs fresh rosemary
Sprinkling of crushed red pepper, to taste
1 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
Directions
1. Drain olives and place them on a piece of aluminum foil. Shake on a sprinkling of crushed red pepper. Lay rosemary sprigs on top and drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil.
2. Seal aluminum foil to create a pouch and bake at 350 degrees for about 10-15 minutes. Or, toss the pouch on the grill until olives are heated through.
My Mom discovered it's also tasty to add capers, portabella mushroom slices, or roasted red pepper slices to the packet. I haven't tried these additions yet, but I absolutely trust her judgment!
Enjoy!
To quote one of my friends about this little bite: "The whole is way more than the sum of the parts." Yup, that's a good way to describe this treat. It's only four little ingredients, but when put together and heated up, the result is fantabulous.
All you do is toss some olives, fresh rosemary, olive oil, and crushed red pepper on some aluminum foil. Then seal it up to form a little pouch and toss it in the oven or on the grill. That's it!
On one of my VERY few camping trips (I'm soooo not a camper ... I need electricity and a sleeping environment that absolutely does not include the potential of critter visitors), we cooked this appetizer over the campfire. Hey, who says you have to limit campfire cooking to hot dogs??
We invite you to follow The Kitchen is My Playground with Google+, Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, bloglovin', or Feedburner. We'd love to have you back soon!
Warm Rosemary Olives
Source: Adapted from Southern Living
(You in no way, shape, or form, need to be precise with the measurements for this!)
Ingredients
1 (6.25 oz.) jar mixed olives, or about 1 c. olives of any variety mix you'd like
4 or 5 large sprigs fresh rosemary
Sprinkling of crushed red pepper, to taste
1 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
Directions
1. Drain olives and place them on a piece of aluminum foil. Shake on a sprinkling of crushed red pepper. Lay rosemary sprigs on top and drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil.
2. Seal aluminum foil to create a pouch and bake at 350 degrees for about 10-15 minutes. Or, toss the pouch on the grill until olives are heated through.
My Mom discovered it's also tasty to add capers, portabella mushroom slices, or roasted red pepper slices to the packet. I haven't tried these additions yet, but I absolutely trust her judgment!
Enjoy!
Family Vacation, Part 3
If you will indulge me a little more, here are some more photos of our trip to see my family in April.
Corban got to race go-carts with his two cousins closest to his age. Corban and Katie were due on the same day but born 19 days apart in October 2003, and Jonathan was born in May 2004.
Like I said, it rained a lot. My parents' back yard got a nice little river running through it, affectionately termed "Nonny's River" after what the grandkids call my mom.
There were LOTS of books read - especially since we were inside so much. Here, my sister Sarah is reading to Annika, her daughter Sabrina, and Marissa.
We got to spend a few hours visiting my high school best friend, Kim and a couple of her kids. She has been such a special friend to me since I was 12 years old and we always go to see her when we're in Arkansas.
There's nothing like a sheet to keep a group of kids entertained!
Annika getting a shoulder ride on Granddaddy - pretty high up since he's nearly 6'5" tall!
We discovered Ellia has a passion for bead necklaces - she usually was found with 5 or 6 of them around her neck. My mom ended up giving them to her - and she still loves to wear her beads at home.
Our last day there the weather was finally beautiful and we got to take a short hike to a nearby waterfall. Just lovely.
Me and my little sister, Anna (can't believe she's 22 - that must make me.....oh never mind.)
View from the top of the hill near a dam.
Marissa and cousin Eva (9).
Our Ergo comes in awfully handy for such outings.
My brother and 5 of his 6 kids, my sister Anna, my parents, and my family on a bridge after the waterfall viewing.
We made so many great memories and miss the family every day. Hopefully it won't be another 2.5 years until our next visit.
If you will indulge me a little more, here are some more photos of our trip to see my family in April.
Corban got to race go-carts with his two cousins closest to his age. Corban and Katie were due on the same day but born 19 days apart in October 2003, and Jonathan was born in May 2004.
Like I said, it rained a lot. My parents' back yard got a nice little river running through it, affectionately termed "Nonny's River" after what the grandkids call my mom.
There were LOTS of books read - especially since we were inside so much. Here, my sister Sarah is reading to Annika, her daughter Sabrina, and Marissa.
We got to spend a few hours visiting my high school best friend, Kim and a couple of her kids. She has been such a special friend to me since I was 12 years old and we always go to see her when we're in Arkansas.
There's nothing like a sheet to keep a group of kids entertained!
Annika getting a shoulder ride on Granddaddy - pretty high up since he's nearly 6'5" tall!
We discovered Ellia has a passion for bead necklaces - she usually was found with 5 or 6 of them around her neck. My mom ended up giving them to her - and she still loves to wear her beads at home.
Our last day there the weather was finally beautiful and we got to take a short hike to a nearby waterfall. Just lovely.
Me and my little sister, Anna (can't believe she's 22 - that must make me.....oh never mind.)
View from the top of the hill near a dam.
Marissa and cousin Eva (9).
Our Ergo comes in awfully handy for such outings.
My brother and 5 of his 6 kids, my sister Anna, my parents, and my family on a bridge after the waterfall viewing.
We made so many great memories and miss the family every day. Hopefully it won't be another 2.5 years until our next visit.
Candy Bar - Cookie Bars
I really don't know why I do this to myself.
I'm determined to gain less than the typical 35-40 lbs that I normally gain during pregnancy because I'm not 25 anymore and can't lose the weight in 12 weeks by eating everything I want and doing nothing but breastfeeding. Yeah, that's how it was with my firstborn. Not anymore. Not even close.
It's all because we were invited to some friends' house for dinner. Do you know how often a family with four kids gets invited to someone's house? (even when there's not food involved?) Not so often. These are some of our dearest friends and they've had us over numerous times, God bless 'em. So of course, we accepted. And since they're familiar with my affection for baking, I was asked to bring dessert.
I had favorited this recipe on foodgawker months ago and it caught my eye when I was browsing through my eye candy. This was my chance! I could make them to share!
Oh my goodness. These have to be one of my favorite bar/cookie desserts ever. Ever. A chewy cookie-like oatmeal peanut butter layer is topped with crunchy peanuts and a thick layer of peanut butter flavored chocolate that tastes just like a Mr. Goodbar, which is then topped with more peanuts and chocolate and peanut butter chips. Good grief.
I can't keep out of them.
They keep wonderfully in the fridge, although they cut much better if you let them sit at room temperature for 20 minutes or so. If you leave them out for hours, the chocolate layer will get soft and be extremely messy, while still delicious.
As much as I love them, I will not allow myself to make them again unless I am assured that most of them will be eaten by other people and not stuck on my hips.
Recipe: (from Recipe Girl)
Cookie Layer:
1 cup (packed) brown sugar
2/3 cup butter (about 10.5 T)
1/4 cup corn syrup
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1 t. vanilla extract
3-1/2 cups rolled oats (quick cooking or regular - I used regular)
Candy Bar Layer:
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (12 oz)
1 cup peanut butter chips
2/3 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup chopped peanuts
Topping:
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup peanut butter chips
1/3 cup chopped peanuts
Preheat oven to 375°. Line a 13x9" pan with foil; spray foil with nonstick spray.
In a medium saucepan, stir brown sugar, butter, and corn syrup over medium heat until combined. Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter and vanilla; stir until smooth.
Place oats in a large bowl. Pour brown sugar mixture over oats; stir to combine. Press oat mixture onto the bottom of prepared pan.
Bake 10-12 minutes, until golden. Don't overbake (you don't want it to brown) or it will be on the crunchy side. Let the cookie layer cool for about 15 minutes on a wire rack.
In the same saucepan, stir chips and peanut butter over low heat until melted and smooth.
Sprinkle 1/2 c. chopped peanuts over the baked cookie layer. Pour chocolate over the peanuts; spread to make an even layer. Sprinkle chocolate and peanut butter chips and peanuts over the top; press lightly into the chocolate layer.
Refrigerate until firm; cut into squares.
Yield: about 30 pieces
Linked to Finding Joy in my Kitchen
I really don't know why I do this to myself.
I'm determined to gain less than the typical 35-40 lbs that I normally gain during pregnancy because I'm not 25 anymore and can't lose the weight in 12 weeks by eating everything I want and doing nothing but breastfeeding. Yeah, that's how it was with my firstborn. Not anymore. Not even close.
It's all because we were invited to some friends' house for dinner. Do you know how often a family with four kids gets invited to someone's house? (even when there's not food involved?) Not so often. These are some of our dearest friends and they've had us over numerous times, God bless 'em. So of course, we accepted. And since they're familiar with my affection for baking, I was asked to bring dessert.
I had favorited this recipe on foodgawker months ago and it caught my eye when I was browsing through my eye candy. This was my chance! I could make them to share!
Oh my goodness. These have to be one of my favorite bar/cookie desserts ever. Ever. A chewy cookie-like oatmeal peanut butter layer is topped with crunchy peanuts and a thick layer of peanut butter flavored chocolate that tastes just like a Mr. Goodbar, which is then topped with more peanuts and chocolate and peanut butter chips. Good grief.
I can't keep out of them.
They keep wonderfully in the fridge, although they cut much better if you let them sit at room temperature for 20 minutes or so. If you leave them out for hours, the chocolate layer will get soft and be extremely messy, while still delicious.
As much as I love them, I will not allow myself to make them again unless I am assured that most of them will be eaten by other people and not stuck on my hips.
Recipe: (from Recipe Girl)
Cookie Layer:
1 cup (packed) brown sugar
2/3 cup butter (about 10.5 T)
1/4 cup corn syrup
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1 t. vanilla extract
3-1/2 cups rolled oats (quick cooking or regular - I used regular)
Candy Bar Layer:
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (12 oz)
1 cup peanut butter chips
2/3 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup chopped peanuts
Topping:
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup peanut butter chips
1/3 cup chopped peanuts
Preheat oven to 375°. Line a 13x9" pan with foil; spray foil with nonstick spray.
In a medium saucepan, stir brown sugar, butter, and corn syrup over medium heat until combined. Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter and vanilla; stir until smooth.
Place oats in a large bowl. Pour brown sugar mixture over oats; stir to combine. Press oat mixture onto the bottom of prepared pan.
Bake 10-12 minutes, until golden. Don't overbake (you don't want it to brown) or it will be on the crunchy side. Let the cookie layer cool for about 15 minutes on a wire rack.
In the same saucepan, stir chips and peanut butter over low heat until melted and smooth.
Sprinkle 1/2 c. chopped peanuts over the baked cookie layer. Pour chocolate over the peanuts; spread to make an even layer. Sprinkle chocolate and peanut butter chips and peanuts over the top; press lightly into the chocolate layer.
Refrigerate until firm; cut into squares.
Yield: about 30 pieces
Linked to Finding Joy in my Kitchen
Who Stole the Honey?? ... & enjoyed blue cheese with honey drizzle
We robbed our bees last weekend!! Well, actually, Mark robbed our bees last weekend ... I was purely a spectator for this round as I'm still recovering from my surgery a few weeks ago. But I was an excellent spectator! I should be able to resume my trusty Assistant Beekeeper role by the next robbing in July.
We have two hives - an established one, and one we just bought this spring. This season we'll only be able to rob the established hive - the new one is still getting settled in, and there won't be enough honey yet for them to share with us. But that's okay - we'll still get plenty of honey to hold us over from just the single hive! We get about 6-8 quarts of honey from a single robbing, and we're able to rob the established hive twice in a summer ... May and July ... provided conditions stay good. I don't really know what all these "conditions" are, but Mark does ... that's why he's the Head Beekeeper, and I'm just the trusty Assistant. See, I'm new to beekeeping, but Mark's been doing it since he was in his early teens. He and his father used to have ten hives ... ten ... that's a lot of honey!! But then the bees all got sick and died off ... which is really sad ... and now we're just getting back into it.
But I bet you'd rather see some pictures of the robbing process, than hear about Mark's beekeeping history, wouldn't you? Okay, so here we go! Pictures of the process, with my absolute favorite way to enjoy honey at the end!
First up - Mark opening up the hive. Doesn't he look all cute in his special suit? Our bees are really gentle, so sometimes he doesn't wear the full suit ... just the hat and veil with a thick sweatshirt. He makes me nervous when he does that ... I'd rather he wear the full suit. Just in case.
After the hive is opened, he pulls out the frames. The honeycomb in the frames has to be capped ... that white stuff you see sealing the cells ... or it's not ready to be robbed. If you harvest the honey before the bees have capped it, the honey will spoil. Mark gets very bummed when he thinks it's time to rob, but finds uncapped cells when he pulls out the frames. When that happens, he has to just put the frames back in and we wait a couple of weeks to check again!
Next, we carry the full frames (they're heavy!) into the basement and start cutting those caps off to release the honey. They make special electric heated knives to use to cut the caps, but Mark's mom has figured out that a nice sharp serrated knife works even better for her. Sometimes the electric knife would get too hot and burn the wax caps and honey! Plus, it's a pain in the pa-tooty to clean the electric knife. Ya know, sometimes low-tech is juuussst fine.
There's a lot of honey still in the cuttings, so we collect them in a big bowl to be drained later. We'll get about a full quart of honey from these cuttings. That's a lot!
Next, the frames are put in the extractor and Mark cranks the handle to extract the honey. Just imagine honey flying all over the place inside the cylinder as Mark cranks ... splat!
Then it's time to pour the honey off into jars. We're almost done!! Well ...
... except for the clean-up. But we let the bees help with that!
And now for the best part - eating the honey! My absolute favorite way to enjoy honey is very simple ... blue cheese with a drizzle of honey on a baguette slice. There's just something about the combination of the sweet honey with the tangy-ness of the blue cheese. Absolute yum.
Here's to hoping the bees are working hard so we can rob them again in July!! Get busy, little bees!
Blue Cheese with Honey Drizzle
Ingredients
Wedge of blue cheese
Honey
Baguette slices and/or water crackers
Directions
Place the blue cheese wedge on a serving plate. Drizzle the top generously with honey, letting the honey spill over all of the edges. Serve with baguette slices and/or water crackers, and more honey on the side for additional drizzling.
This post is linked with Sharing Sundays hosted by Everyday Sisters and This Week's Cravings hosted by Mom's Crazy Cooking.
We have two hives - an established one, and one we just bought this spring. This season we'll only be able to rob the established hive - the new one is still getting settled in, and there won't be enough honey yet for them to share with us. But that's okay - we'll still get plenty of honey to hold us over from just the single hive! We get about 6-8 quarts of honey from a single robbing, and we're able to rob the established hive twice in a summer ... May and July ... provided conditions stay good. I don't really know what all these "conditions" are, but Mark does ... that's why he's the Head Beekeeper, and I'm just the trusty Assistant. See, I'm new to beekeeping, but Mark's been doing it since he was in his early teens. He and his father used to have ten hives ... ten ... that's a lot of honey!! But then the bees all got sick and died off ... which is really sad ... and now we're just getting back into it.
But I bet you'd rather see some pictures of the robbing process, than hear about Mark's beekeeping history, wouldn't you? Okay, so here we go! Pictures of the process, with my absolute favorite way to enjoy honey at the end!
First up - Mark opening up the hive. Doesn't he look all cute in his special suit? Our bees are really gentle, so sometimes he doesn't wear the full suit ... just the hat and veil with a thick sweatshirt. He makes me nervous when he does that ... I'd rather he wear the full suit. Just in case.
 |
| Opening the hive |
 |
| Capped and ready to be robbed! |
 |
| Side view |
 |
| Mark's mom cutting off the caps |
 |
| Wax caps after they're cut off |
 |
| Splat! ... goes the honey |
 |
| Pouring off the honey |
 |
| Our harvest |
... except for the clean-up. But we let the bees help with that!
 |
| Bees cleaning up the inside of the extractor |
 |
| Blue cheese with honey drizzle |
Blue Cheese with Honey Drizzle
Ingredients
Wedge of blue cheese
Honey
Baguette slices and/or water crackers
Directions
Place the blue cheese wedge on a serving plate. Drizzle the top generously with honey, letting the honey spill over all of the edges. Serve with baguette slices and/or water crackers, and more honey on the side for additional drizzling.
This post is linked with Sharing Sundays hosted by Everyday Sisters and This Week's Cravings hosted by Mom's Crazy Cooking.
We robbed our bees last weekend!! Well, actually, Mark robbed our bees last weekend ... I was purely a spectator for this round as I'm still recovering from my surgery a few weeks ago. But I was an excellent spectator! I should be able to resume my trusty Assistant Beekeeper role by the next robbing in July.
We have two hives - an established one, and one we just bought this spring. This season we'll only be able to rob the established hive - the new one is still getting settled in, and there won't be enough honey yet for them to share with us. But that's okay - we'll still get plenty of honey to hold us over from just the single hive! We get about 6-8 quarts of honey from a single robbing, and we're able to rob the established hive twice in a summer ... May and July ... provided conditions stay good. I don't really know what all these "conditions" are, but Mark does ... that's why he's the Head Beekeeper, and I'm just the trusty Assistant. See, I'm new to beekeeping, but Mark's been doing it since he was in his early teens. He and his father used to have ten hives ... ten ... that's a lot of honey!! But then the bees all got sick and died off ... which is really sad ... and now we're just getting back into it.
But I bet you'd rather see some pictures of the robbing process, than hear about Mark's beekeeping history, wouldn't you? Okay, so here we go! Pictures of the process, with my absolute favorite way to enjoy honey at the end!
First up - Mark opening up the hive. Doesn't he look all cute in his special suit? Our bees are really gentle, so sometimes he doesn't wear the full suit ... just the hat and veil with a thick sweatshirt. He makes me nervous when he does that ... I'd rather he wear the full suit. Just in case.
After the hive is opened, he pulls out the frames. The honeycomb in the frames has to be capped ... that white stuff you see sealing the cells ... or it's not ready to be robbed. If you harvest the honey before the bees have capped it, the honey will spoil. Mark gets very bummed when he thinks it's time to rob, but finds uncapped cells when he pulls out the frames. When that happens, he has to just put the frames back in and we wait a couple of weeks to check again!
Next, we carry the full frames (they're heavy!) into the basement and start cutting those caps off to release the honey. They make special electric heated knives to use to cut the caps, but Mark's mom has figured out that a nice sharp serrated knife works even better for her. Sometimes the electric knife would get too hot and burn the wax caps and honey! Plus, it's a pain in the pa-tooty to clean the electric knife. Ya know, sometimes low-tech is juuussst fine.
There's a lot of honey still in the cuttings, so we collect them in a big bowl to be drained later. We'll get about a full quart of honey from these cuttings. That's a lot!
Next, the frames are put in the extractor and Mark cranks the handle to extract the honey. Just imagine honey flying all over the place inside the cylinder as Mark cranks ... splat!
Then it's time to pour the honey off into jars. We're almost done!! Well ...
... except for the clean-up. But we let the bees help with that!
And now for the best part - eating the honey! My absolute favorite way to enjoy honey is very simple ... blue cheese with a drizzle of honey on a baguette slice. There's just something about the combination of the sweet honey with the tangy-ness of the blue cheese. Absolute yum.
Here's to hoping the bees are working hard so we can rob them again in July!! Get busy, little bees!
Blue Cheese with Honey Drizzle
Ingredients
Wedge of blue cheese
Honey
Baguette slices and/or water crackers
Directions
Place the blue cheese wedge on a serving plate. Drizzle the top generously with honey, letting the honey spill over all of the edges. Serve with baguette slices and/or water crackers, and more honey on the side for additional drizzling.
This post is linked with Sharing Sundays hosted by Everyday Sisters and This Week's Cravings hosted by Mom's Crazy Cooking.
reade more...
We have two hives - an established one, and one we just bought this spring. This season we'll only be able to rob the established hive - the new one is still getting settled in, and there won't be enough honey yet for them to share with us. But that's okay - we'll still get plenty of honey to hold us over from just the single hive! We get about 6-8 quarts of honey from a single robbing, and we're able to rob the established hive twice in a summer ... May and July ... provided conditions stay good. I don't really know what all these "conditions" are, but Mark does ... that's why he's the Head Beekeeper, and I'm just the trusty Assistant. See, I'm new to beekeeping, but Mark's been doing it since he was in his early teens. He and his father used to have ten hives ... ten ... that's a lot of honey!! But then the bees all got sick and died off ... which is really sad ... and now we're just getting back into it.
But I bet you'd rather see some pictures of the robbing process, than hear about Mark's beekeeping history, wouldn't you? Okay, so here we go! Pictures of the process, with my absolute favorite way to enjoy honey at the end!
First up - Mark opening up the hive. Doesn't he look all cute in his special suit? Our bees are really gentle, so sometimes he doesn't wear the full suit ... just the hat and veil with a thick sweatshirt. He makes me nervous when he does that ... I'd rather he wear the full suit. Just in case.
|
| Opening the hive |
|
| Capped and ready to be robbed! |
|
| Side view |
|
| Mark's mom cutting off the caps |
|
| Wax caps after they're cut off |
|
| Splat! ... goes the honey |
|
| Pouring off the honey |
|
| Our harvest |
... except for the clean-up. But we let the bees help with that!
|
| Bees cleaning up the inside of the extractor |
|
| Blue cheese with honey drizzle |
Blue Cheese with Honey Drizzle
Ingredients
Wedge of blue cheese
Honey
Baguette slices and/or water crackers
Directions
Place the blue cheese wedge on a serving plate. Drizzle the top generously with honey, letting the honey spill over all of the edges. Serve with baguette slices and/or water crackers, and more honey on the side for additional drizzling.
This post is linked with Sharing Sundays hosted by Everyday Sisters and This Week's Cravings hosted by Mom's Crazy Cooking.
Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya
I like that it's a stove top dinner, not requiring me to heat up the oven on warm days. It really goes together pretty fast, about an hour or so including cooking the brown rice. It's a little spicy, very flavorful, and generally healthy. I know it will be one Grant requests often now. I love that although he sometimes complains about my insisting on trying new recipes all the time, we end up with new family favorites that way.
Recipe: (From Mel's Kitchen Cafe)
1 pound smoked sausage, cut into 1/4-inch slices (I used turkey sausage)
1 pound chicken (about 2 average-sized boneless skinless chicken breasts or the equivalent of another kind of cut, like thighs), cut into bite-size pieces
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons butter
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
3 ribs celery, chopped
1 medium bell pepper (red or green), chopped
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon Creole or Cajun seasoning (use a light hand with this if you don't want it overly spicy)
1 can (10-ounces) Rotel tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
3 cups hot, steamed rice (I cooked 1 cup brown rice, which turned out to be about 3 cups)
Just a tip: start cooking the rice while you prepare the rest of the jambalaya so it is ready to add in during the last step.
In a 4-6 quart pot, cook sausage and poultry over medium heat. Drain the grease (you may only need to do this if you aren't using a lean sausage), scrape the meat onto a plate and set aside.
Melt the butter in the same pot. Stir in the flour and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, for one minute. Add the vegetables, basil and Creole (or Cajun) seasoning, and the Rotel tomatoes and sugar. Stir well. Simmer the mixture over low or medium-low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are mostly tender (they'll continue to cook a few minutes longer in the next step).
Add the sausage and chicken back to the pot, and cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the chicken broth and simmer 5 minutes longer. Stir in the hot, steamed rice until you achieve your desired consistency.
Melt the butter in the same pot. Stir in the flour and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, for one minute. Add the vegetables, basil and Creole (or Cajun) seasoning, and the Rotel tomatoes and sugar. Stir well. Simmer the mixture over low or medium-low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are mostly tender (they'll continue to cook a few minutes longer in the next step).
Add the sausage and chicken back to the pot, and cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the chicken broth and simmer 5 minutes longer. Stir in the hot, steamed rice until you achieve your desired consistency.
I like that it's a stove top dinner, not requiring me to heat up the oven on warm days. It really goes together pretty fast, about an hour or so including cooking the brown rice. It's a little spicy, very flavorful, and generally healthy. I know it will be one Grant requests often now. I love that although he sometimes complains about my insisting on trying new recipes all the time, we end up with new family favorites that way.
Recipe: (From Mel's Kitchen Cafe)
1 pound smoked sausage, cut into 1/4-inch slices (I used turkey sausage)
1 pound chicken (about 2 average-sized boneless skinless chicken breasts or the equivalent of another kind of cut, like thighs), cut into bite-size pieces
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons butter
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
3 ribs celery, chopped
1 medium bell pepper (red or green), chopped
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon Creole or Cajun seasoning (use a light hand with this if you don't want it overly spicy)
1 can (10-ounces) Rotel tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
3 cups hot, steamed rice (I cooked 1 cup brown rice, which turned out to be about 3 cups)
Just a tip: start cooking the rice while you prepare the rest of the jambalaya so it is ready to add in during the last step.
In a 4-6 quart pot, cook sausage and poultry over medium heat. Drain the grease (you may only need to do this if you aren't using a lean sausage), scrape the meat onto a plate and set aside.
Melt the butter in the same pot. Stir in the flour and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, for one minute. Add the vegetables, basil and Creole (or Cajun) seasoning, and the Rotel tomatoes and sugar. Stir well. Simmer the mixture over low or medium-low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are mostly tender (they'll continue to cook a few minutes longer in the next step).
Add the sausage and chicken back to the pot, and cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the chicken broth and simmer 5 minutes longer. Stir in the hot, steamed rice until you achieve your desired consistency.
Melt the butter in the same pot. Stir in the flour and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, for one minute. Add the vegetables, basil and Creole (or Cajun) seasoning, and the Rotel tomatoes and sugar. Stir well. Simmer the mixture over low or medium-low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are mostly tender (they'll continue to cook a few minutes longer in the next step).
Add the sausage and chicken back to the pot, and cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the chicken broth and simmer 5 minutes longer. Stir in the hot, steamed rice until you achieve your desired consistency.
Strawberries 'n' Cream Bread
When we had a bunch of fresh strawberries last week, I was looking around for different sorts of recipes and found this one in a Taste of Home cookbook. It sounded really good, so Corban and I made it.
It's very much like a coffee cake, just in a loaf form. It was awesome warm from the oven, although it would cut better if you let it cool completely. Soft and moist, with chunks of strawberries imparting flavor in every bite....it is one I'd love to make again. I'm sure it would be delicious with raspberries or blueberries also. We'll have to give that a try later in the summer.
Recipe: (from Taste of Home)
1/2 c. butter, softened
3/4 c. sugar
2 eggs
1/2 c. sour cream
1 t. vanilla extract
1-3/4 c. all purpose flour
1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. ground cinnamon
3/4 c. chopped fresh strawberries
3/4 c. chopped walnuts, toasted, divided (optional)
Preheat oven to 350°.
In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after addition. Add sour cream and vanilla; mix well. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon; stir into creamed mixture just until moistened. Fold in the strawberries and 1/2 cup walnuts if desired.
Pour in to a greased 8x4x2" loaf pan. Sprinkle with remaining nuts. Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely. Yield: 1 loaf
When we had a bunch of fresh strawberries last week, I was looking around for different sorts of recipes and found this one in a Taste of Home cookbook. It sounded really good, so Corban and I made it.
It's very much like a coffee cake, just in a loaf form. It was awesome warm from the oven, although it would cut better if you let it cool completely. Soft and moist, with chunks of strawberries imparting flavor in every bite....it is one I'd love to make again. I'm sure it would be delicious with raspberries or blueberries also. We'll have to give that a try later in the summer.
Recipe: (from Taste of Home)
1/2 c. butter, softened
3/4 c. sugar
2 eggs
1/2 c. sour cream
1 t. vanilla extract
1-3/4 c. all purpose flour
1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. ground cinnamon
3/4 c. chopped fresh strawberries
3/4 c. chopped walnuts, toasted, divided (optional)
Preheat oven to 350°.
In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after addition. Add sour cream and vanilla; mix well. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon; stir into creamed mixture just until moistened. Fold in the strawberries and 1/2 cup walnuts if desired.
Pour in to a greased 8x4x2" loaf pan. Sprinkle with remaining nuts. Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely. Yield: 1 loaf
Reuben Pizza - yum!
The Reuben. One of my all-time favorite sandwiches! So what did I do? Naturally, because this is me, I turned the classic combination into a pizza. That's just what I do.
So let's see how to build a Reuben pizza. Start, of course, by getting your crust ready. (Click here to read more about pizza dough.) Then spread it with a generous slathering of Thousand Island dressing. I didn't make my own here ... I just used bottled. Not sure I know how to make my own Thousand Island dressing, but I bet it could be figured out if you really want to be homemade with that. Next, lay some Swiss cheese slices on top of the dressing, like this:
Top the Swiss cheese with well-drained sauerkraut ... I love sauerkraut! ... and then with some roughly-chopped pastrami. Or corned beef, if that's what you prefer. Or probably even turkey pastrami, though I haven't tried that out yet. But I bet it would work just fine.
Now, to be truly authentic with the whole Reuben combination, you should sprinkle a few caraway seeds over the top right now. For me - no way!!! I absolutely detest caraway seeds! If I'm eating something and there's one teeny-tiny caraway seed in the entire dish, I will taste it and know. That's how much I dislike them. There aren't a lot of flavors I don't like, but caraway is one of them. Needless to say, I order my Reuben sandwiches on something other than rye bread.
Okay, now that I'm done my little caraway rant, let's get back to building Reuben pizza.
Top the pizza off with a nice layer of shredded mozzarella, like so:
And then pop it in the oven to get all golden and melty. Yum! Doesn't that look good?
If you like Reubens, give this pizza a try - with or without the caraway. But if you're making it for me, please be kind and skip the caraway! Thank you sooooo much.
Reuben Pizza
Ingredients
Pizza dough (homemade or store-bought dough ball; click here to read more about pizza dough)
About 1/2 c. Thousand Island dressing
6 slices Swiss cheese About 2 c. sauerkraut, well-drained
1/2 lb. deli pastrami or corned beef, roughly chopped
2 tsp. caraway seeds (optional)
Shredded mozzarella
Directions
Roll pizza dough out to desired size; place on preheated pizza stone or baking sheet. Spread a layer of Thousand Island dressing over the crust for sauce. Lay Swiss cheese slices over dressing, then top evenly with sauerkraut and pastrami. Sprinkle with caraway seeds (optional). Top with shredded mozzarella. Bake at 425 degrees for about 20-25 minutes, or until crust is cooked through and the cheese is bubbly and beginning to get golden brown.
The Reuben. One of my all-time favorite sandwiches! So what did I do? Naturally, because this is me, I turned the classic combination into a pizza. That's just what I do.
So let's see how to build a Reuben pizza. Start, of course, by getting your crust ready. (Click here to read more about pizza dough.) Then spread it with a generous slathering of Thousand Island dressing. I didn't make my own here ... I just used bottled. Not sure I know how to make my own Thousand Island dressing, but I bet it could be figured out if you really want to be homemade with that. Next, lay some Swiss cheese slices on top of the dressing, like this:
Top the Swiss cheese with well-drained sauerkraut ... I love sauerkraut! ... and then with some roughly-chopped pastrami. Or corned beef, if that's what you prefer. Or probably even turkey pastrami, though I haven't tried that out yet. But I bet it would work just fine.
Now, to be truly authentic with the whole Reuben combination, you should sprinkle a few caraway seeds over the top right now. For me - no way!!! I absolutely detest caraway seeds! If I'm eating something and there's one teeny-tiny caraway seed in the entire dish, I will taste it and know. That's how much I dislike them. There aren't a lot of flavors I don't like, but caraway is one of them. Needless to say, I order my Reuben sandwiches on something other than rye bread.
Okay, now that I'm done my little caraway rant, let's get back to building Reuben pizza.
Top the pizza off with a nice layer of shredded mozzarella, like so:
And then pop it in the oven to get all golden and melty. Yum! Doesn't that look good?
If you like Reubens, give this pizza a try - with or without the caraway. But if you're making it for me, please be kind and skip the caraway! Thank you sooooo much.
Reuben Pizza
Ingredients
Pizza dough (homemade or store-bought dough ball; click here to read more about pizza dough)
About 1/2 c. Thousand Island dressing
6 slices Swiss cheese About 2 c. sauerkraut, well-drained
1/2 lb. deli pastrami or corned beef, roughly chopped
2 tsp. caraway seeds (optional)
Shredded mozzarella
Directions
Roll pizza dough out to desired size; place on preheated pizza stone or baking sheet. Spread a layer of Thousand Island dressing over the crust for sauce. Lay Swiss cheese slices over dressing, then top evenly with sauerkraut and pastrami. Sprinkle with caraway seeds (optional). Top with shredded mozzarella. Bake at 425 degrees for about 20-25 minutes, or until crust is cooked through and the cheese is bubbly and beginning to get golden brown.
Buffalo Chicken Pizza ... neater than eating wings!
Having gone to school in upstate New York, I'm well-versed in the eating of Buffalo wings. A group of us would go about once a week to indulge in $0.10 wings - can you believe $0.10 per wing?? You certainly can't find them for that price now! (I know ... I just dated myself a little bit.) They were served with the requisite side of carrot and celery sticks with blue cheese dressing. Wings dipped in the blue cheese - fabulous! Aahhhh .... memories.
My good-ol'-southern-boy husband wasn't familiar with Buffalo wings, nor was he into eating spicy foods (horror!), until he met me. I'm happy to say that I have corrupted him. He now loves Buffalo wings, and I swear would put jalapenos in everything if I'd let him. So, here's one of our favorite foods turned into pizza! Because that's what I like to do with our favorite foods ... turn them into pizza.
 |
| Mmmmmmm ... melty, oozy blue cheese sauce |
Cook up some bite-sized chicken pieces, and then marinate them in classic Buffalo sauce - for me, a mixture of Frank's RedHot cayenne pepper sauce and melted butter. I love Frank's the best.
 |
| Marinating chicken |
While the chicken marinates, get your crust ready and top it with blue cheese dressing as your sauce. Now, as you can see in the photo below, my entire crust is not topped with blue cheese dressing. Why, you ask? Because as I was beginning to spread the blue cheese dressing, Mark walked into the kitchen and declared that he didn't like blue cheese with his Buffalo wings, so he didn't want blue cheese on the pizza. Well, all-righty then ... Plan B put into action for 1/2 of the pizza - I brushed that 1/2 with some of the Buffalo sauce that the chicken was marinating in. Crisis averted. Oh - and an experimental "test condition" set up! If you're a frequent reader of this blog, you know that I love that ... love putting different combinations and versions together in head-to-head taste tests! So, hmmmm, which version will be better??
 |
| The sauce "test" ... the things I do for my husband. :-) |
Top the sauce with the marinated chicken pieces ... don't worry about shaking off the Buffalo sauce marinade, you want some of it to get on there ... and mozzarella cheese.
 |
| Ready for the oven |
 |
| Pizza! |
Okay, so now for the taste-test results. Mark had to eat his words! The blue cheese sauce was amazing, and way better than the Buffalo sauce. There's just something about the classic combination of Buffalo sauce and blue cheese! And if you want to be really traditional, serve this pizza with some extra blue cheese dressing with carrot and celery sticks for dipping. I'm getting hungry just thinking about it.
Buffalo Chicken Pizza
Source: Tracey-OriginalIngredients
Pizza dough (homemade or store-bought dough ball; click here to read more about pizza dough)
Blue cheese dressing (make your own with my favorite recipe, or use bottled if you'd like)2 chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 - 2 T. olive oil
1/3 c. Frank's RedHot cayenne pepper sauce
4 T. butter
Shredded mozzarella
Directions
1. Prepare blue cheese dressing, if using homemade. Refrigerate dressing while you prepare the rest of the pizza.
2. Heat olive oil in a saute pan; saute chicken until cooked through. While chicken is cooking, melt butter and combine with the Frank's RedHot sauce in a medium-sized bowl. Once chicken is cooked through, combine it with the butter/RedHot sauce mixture; toss to coat the chicken well. Marinate the chicken for about 15 minutes.
3. While chicken is marinating, prepare your pizza crust. Roll pizza dough out to desired size; place on preheated pizza stone or baking sheet. Spread a layer of blue cheese dressing over the crust for sauce. Top with marinated chicken, then sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.
4. Bake at 425 degrees for about 20-25 minutes, or until crust is cooked through and the cheese is bubbly and beginning to get golden brown.
Enjoy!
Having gone to school in upstate New York, I'm well-versed in the eating of Buffalo wings. A group of us would go about once a week to indulge in $0.10 wings - can you believe $0.10 per wing?? You certainly can't find them for that price now! (I know ... I just dated myself a little bit.) They were served with the requisite side of carrot and celery sticks with blue cheese dressing. Wings dipped in the blue cheese - fabulous! Aahhhh .... memories.
My good-ol'-southern-boy husband wasn't familiar with Buffalo wings, nor was he into eating spicy foods (horror!), until he met me. I'm happy to say that I have corrupted him. He now loves Buffalo wings, and I swear would put jalapenos in everything if I'd let him. So, here's one of our favorite foods turned into pizza! Because that's what I like to do with our favorite foods ... turn them into pizza.
|
| Mmmmmmm ... melty, oozy blue cheese sauce |
Cook up some bite-sized chicken pieces, and then marinate them in classic Buffalo sauce - for me, a mixture of Frank's RedHot cayenne pepper sauce and melted butter. I love Frank's the best.
|
| Marinating chicken |
While the chicken marinates, get your crust ready and top it with blue cheese dressing as your sauce. Now, as you can see in the photo below, my entire crust is not topped with blue cheese dressing. Why, you ask? Because as I was beginning to spread the blue cheese dressing, Mark walked into the kitchen and declared that he didn't like blue cheese with his Buffalo wings, so he didn't want blue cheese on the pizza. Well, all-righty then ... Plan B put into action for 1/2 of the pizza - I brushed that 1/2 with some of the Buffalo sauce that the chicken was marinating in. Crisis averted. Oh - and an experimental "test condition" set up! If you're a frequent reader of this blog, you know that I love that ... love putting different combinations and versions together in head-to-head taste tests! So, hmmmm, which version will be better??
|
| The sauce "test" ... the things I do for my husband. :-) |
Top the sauce with the marinated chicken pieces ... don't worry about shaking off the Buffalo sauce marinade, you want some of it to get on there ... and mozzarella cheese.
|
| Ready for the oven |
|
| Pizza! |
Okay, so now for the taste-test results. Mark had to eat his words! The blue cheese sauce was amazing, and way better than the Buffalo sauce. There's just something about the classic combination of Buffalo sauce and blue cheese! And if you want to be really traditional, serve this pizza with some extra blue cheese dressing with carrot and celery sticks for dipping. I'm getting hungry just thinking about it.
Buffalo Chicken Pizza
Source: Tracey-OriginalIngredients
Pizza dough (homemade or store-bought dough ball; click here to read more about pizza dough)
Blue cheese dressing (make your own with my favorite recipe, or use bottled if you'd like)2 chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 - 2 T. olive oil
1/3 c. Frank's RedHot cayenne pepper sauce
4 T. butter
Shredded mozzarella
Directions
1. Prepare blue cheese dressing, if using homemade. Refrigerate dressing while you prepare the rest of the pizza.
2. Heat olive oil in a saute pan; saute chicken until cooked through. While chicken is cooking, melt butter and combine with the Frank's RedHot sauce in a medium-sized bowl. Once chicken is cooked through, combine it with the butter/RedHot sauce mixture; toss to coat the chicken well. Marinate the chicken for about 15 minutes.
3. While chicken is marinating, prepare your pizza crust. Roll pizza dough out to desired size; place on preheated pizza stone or baking sheet. Spread a layer of blue cheese dressing over the crust for sauce. Top with marinated chicken, then sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.
4. Bake at 425 degrees for about 20-25 minutes, or until crust is cooked through and the cheese is bubbly and beginning to get golden brown.
Enjoy!
Homemade Wheat Bread
After making our Strawberry Freezer Jam last week, I knew I had to try it first on homemade bread. I hadn't made bread in quite awhile but knew that this was one of our favorite recipes. Annika and I baked it in the morning, taking it out of the oven just in time for lunch.
Now, I don't claim to be an expert bread maker, especially since I don't bake it for our everyday life (although one day when I get the wheat grinder I'm dreaming of, hopefully that will become a reality) and it's just an occasional treat. But this recipe has never failed me and it is just wonderful. The kids would have polished off the whole loaf if I hadn't insisted we save some for Grant.
Corban even asked me, "Mom, is it really expensive to make bread?"
I replied, "No, it's actually cheaper than the store-bought bread we get."
He queried, "Then why don't you make this bread every day?"
Well, I wish I had the time to do that, or the planning ahead ability to make several loaves and freeze them until we need them (not sure how they taste after that, I'm guessing still good), but for now it's just not happening.
This is just a great all-purpose bread, wonderful to serve with dinner with butter or for breakfast with jam. Or fresh from the oven just plain. Just sayin'.
Update: I have made this with 100% whole wheat that I ground fresh with my Nutrimill - and it was amazing! I added the dough conditioners that Tammy recommended on her site to make the bread softer, and I really couldn't believe how it turned out. Soft, no crumbles, perfect for sandwiches. The difference was remarkable. If you want a good sandwich bread, add the following to the recipe:
Now, I don't claim to be an expert bread maker, especially since I don't bake it for our everyday life (although one day when I get the wheat grinder I'm dreaming of, hopefully that will become a reality) and it's just an occasional treat. But this recipe has never failed me and it is just wonderful. The kids would have polished off the whole loaf if I hadn't insisted we save some for Grant.
Corban even asked me, "Mom, is it really expensive to make bread?"
I replied, "No, it's actually cheaper than the store-bought bread we get."
He queried, "Then why don't you make this bread every day?"
Well, I wish I had the time to do that, or the planning ahead ability to make several loaves and freeze them until we need them (not sure how they taste after that, I'm guessing still good), but for now it's just not happening.
This is just a great all-purpose bread, wonderful to serve with dinner with butter or for breakfast with jam. Or fresh from the oven just plain. Just sayin'.
Update: I have made this with 100% whole wheat that I ground fresh with my Nutrimill - and it was amazing! I added the dough conditioners that Tammy recommended on her site to make the bread softer, and I really couldn't believe how it turned out. Soft, no crumbles, perfect for sandwiches. The difference was remarkable. If you want a good sandwich bread, add the following to the recipe:
- 3 T. vital wheat gluten (replace 3 T. of the flour called for in the recipe with this)
- 1/2 t. soy lecithin (granules - add to the water at the beginning)
- pinch of citric acid (use sparingly!)
- sprinkling of ginger
I think I prefer the normal recipe for just eating plain, like as a dinner bread, but with the conditioners added, you can't beat it for sandwiches.
Recipe (from Tammy's Recipes)
Yield: 1 loaf
1 cup warm water (110-115 degrees F)
1 tablespoon milk
2 tablespoons oil
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons instant active dry yeast
1 tablespoon milk
2 tablespoons oil
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons instant active dry yeast
Instructions:
1. Combine first 6 ingredients in a large mixing bowl; stir.
2. Add flours and yeast, and knead until dough is smooth and elastic, about 10-15 minutes. Place dough in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover with a clean towel and let rise until doubled, about 40 minutes.
3. Punch dough down; knead for a few minutes until smooth and then form into a loaf. Place in greased loaf pan and cover. Let rise in a warm place until almost doubled in size, about 30 minutes.
4. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. If loaf starts browning too soon, lightly lay a piece of foil over the top.
5. Remove bread from oven and allow to rest in pan for a few minutes. Remove to a wire rack and cover with a cloth. Slice and enjoy while still warm! Leftover bread can be stored in an airtight bag or frozen until needed.
After making our Strawberry Freezer Jam last week, I knew I had to try it first on homemade bread. I hadn't made bread in quite awhile but knew that this was one of our favorite recipes. Annika and I baked it in the morning, taking it out of the oven just in time for lunch.
Now, I don't claim to be an expert bread maker, especially since I don't bake it for our everyday life (although one day when I get the wheat grinder I'm dreaming of, hopefully that will become a reality) and it's just an occasional treat. But this recipe has never failed me and it is just wonderful. The kids would have polished off the whole loaf if I hadn't insisted we save some for Grant.
Corban even asked me, "Mom, is it really expensive to make bread?"
I replied, "No, it's actually cheaper than the store-bought bread we get."
He queried, "Then why don't you make this bread every day?"
Well, I wish I had the time to do that, or the planning ahead ability to make several loaves and freeze them until we need them (not sure how they taste after that, I'm guessing still good), but for now it's just not happening.
This is just a great all-purpose bread, wonderful to serve with dinner with butter or for breakfast with jam. Or fresh from the oven just plain. Just sayin'.
Update: I have made this with 100% whole wheat that I ground fresh with my Nutrimill - and it was amazing! I added the dough conditioners that Tammy recommended on her site to make the bread softer, and I really couldn't believe how it turned out. Soft, no crumbles, perfect for sandwiches. The difference was remarkable. If you want a good sandwich bread, add the following to the recipe:
Now, I don't claim to be an expert bread maker, especially since I don't bake it for our everyday life (although one day when I get the wheat grinder I'm dreaming of, hopefully that will become a reality) and it's just an occasional treat. But this recipe has never failed me and it is just wonderful. The kids would have polished off the whole loaf if I hadn't insisted we save some for Grant.
Corban even asked me, "Mom, is it really expensive to make bread?"
I replied, "No, it's actually cheaper than the store-bought bread we get."
He queried, "Then why don't you make this bread every day?"
Well, I wish I had the time to do that, or the planning ahead ability to make several loaves and freeze them until we need them (not sure how they taste after that, I'm guessing still good), but for now it's just not happening.
This is just a great all-purpose bread, wonderful to serve with dinner with butter or for breakfast with jam. Or fresh from the oven just plain. Just sayin'.
Update: I have made this with 100% whole wheat that I ground fresh with my Nutrimill - and it was amazing! I added the dough conditioners that Tammy recommended on her site to make the bread softer, and I really couldn't believe how it turned out. Soft, no crumbles, perfect for sandwiches. The difference was remarkable. If you want a good sandwich bread, add the following to the recipe:
- 3 T. vital wheat gluten (replace 3 T. of the flour called for in the recipe with this)
- 1/2 t. soy lecithin (granules - add to the water at the beginning)
- pinch of citric acid (use sparingly!)
- sprinkling of ginger
I think I prefer the normal recipe for just eating plain, like as a dinner bread, but with the conditioners added, you can't beat it for sandwiches.
Recipe (from Tammy's Recipes)
Yield: 1 loaf
1 cup warm water (110-115 degrees F)
1 tablespoon milk
2 tablespoons oil
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons instant active dry yeast
1 tablespoon milk
2 tablespoons oil
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons instant active dry yeast
Instructions:
1. Combine first 6 ingredients in a large mixing bowl; stir.
2. Add flours and yeast, and knead until dough is smooth and elastic, about 10-15 minutes. Place dough in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover with a clean towel and let rise until doubled, about 40 minutes.
3. Punch dough down; knead for a few minutes until smooth and then form into a loaf. Place in greased loaf pan and cover. Let rise in a warm place until almost doubled in size, about 30 minutes.
4. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. If loaf starts browning too soon, lightly lay a piece of foil over the top.
5. Remove bread from oven and allow to rest in pan for a few minutes. Remove to a wire rack and cover with a cloth. Slice and enjoy while still warm! Leftover bread can be stored in an airtight bag or frozen until needed.
Strawberry Freezer Jam
The kids and I went strawberry picking at a local farm a few days ago and had so much success picking luscious huge berries that we had a hard time stopping! Our visit to the farm hadn't really been planned beforehand, so I wasn't sure what exactly to do with all the berries while they were still fresh. We ended up making a quick stop by the grocery store for ice cream for strawberry shortcake and later made it to Wal-Mart to snatch up the last two packs of Ball (8 oz) plastic freezer jars (the ones with the purple lids - aren't they cute?). They come in packs of 5, which was perfect, because each pack of pectin I had on hand made about 5 half-pints.
I ended up following the recipe on the pectin package and we could not be happier with the end result. It's not super jelly-ish, more like a strawberry spread really, but it is so delicious I'm sure we could eat both batches we made within a few weeks. We're hoping to get back to the strawberry patch before the season is over so we can make some more jam.
Spread it on some homemade wheat bread (recipe coming soon) and it's like dessert. Seriously good.
So like I said, we made two batches and got 11 pint jars plus some left over.
Recipe: (from Ball Instant Pectin box)
1 packet Ball instant freezer jam pectin
1-1/2 cups sugar
4 cups crushed strawberries
In a large bowl, stir together pectin and sugar. Combine well.
In a separate bowl, crush strawberries with a pastry cutter and/or potato masher until thoroughly mashed.
Add berries to sugar mixture and stir for 3 minutes.
Ladle into pint jars and put lids on.
Let set for 30 minutes at room temperature.
Can be refrigerated for up to 3 weeks or frozen for a year.
The kids had so much fun they were begging to go back practically as soon as we left the place.
This will definitely be a yearly tradition for us.
The kids and I went strawberry picking at a local farm a few days ago and had so much success picking luscious huge berries that we had a hard time stopping! Our visit to the farm hadn't really been planned beforehand, so I wasn't sure what exactly to do with all the berries while they were still fresh. We ended up making a quick stop by the grocery store for ice cream for strawberry shortcake and later made it to Wal-Mart to snatch up the last two packs of Ball (8 oz) plastic freezer jars (the ones with the purple lids - aren't they cute?). They come in packs of 5, which was perfect, because each pack of pectin I had on hand made about 5 half-pints.
I ended up following the recipe on the pectin package and we could not be happier with the end result. It's not super jelly-ish, more like a strawberry spread really, but it is so delicious I'm sure we could eat both batches we made within a few weeks. We're hoping to get back to the strawberry patch before the season is over so we can make some more jam.
Spread it on some homemade wheat bread (recipe coming soon) and it's like dessert. Seriously good.
So like I said, we made two batches and got 11 pint jars plus some left over.
Recipe: (from Ball Instant Pectin box)
1 packet Ball instant freezer jam pectin
1-1/2 cups sugar
4 cups crushed strawberries
In a large bowl, stir together pectin and sugar. Combine well.
In a separate bowl, crush strawberries with a pastry cutter and/or potato masher until thoroughly mashed.
Add berries to sugar mixture and stir for 3 minutes.
Ladle into pint jars and put lids on.
Let set for 30 minutes at room temperature.
Can be refrigerated for up to 3 weeks or frozen for a year.
The kids had so much fun they were begging to go back practically as soon as we left the place.
This will definitely be a yearly tradition for us.