Another Bread Recipe

Sorry if you're getting sick of all the bread, but at least this one won't take too much time.

Fast Bread
2 c warm water
2 packages yeast (or 2 T)

Dissolve yeast in water and add:

2 T shortening (oil)
2 t salt
1/4 c sugar
4-6 c flour

Stir in to form soft but not sticky dough. Let rise 15 minutes. Divide into two parts. Pound each part for one minute. Place in greased pans and let rise for 15 minutes more. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.


I was pleasantly surprised with this bread. It tastes like white bread, no surprise, but it has a good texture. It is soft, holds together well for spreading peanut butter, and wasn't dry. I'm still not exactly sure how to pound dough. I used my KitchenAid and turned it up so it would beat the dough against the bowl.

Whole Wheat Oatmeal Bread

Wednesday I made this bread for sandwiches and such, because we were running out and I didn't feel like going to the store again. 

This recipe came from Taste of Home.  Mom printed this on March 20, 2008, so it would have just been Mom, Dad, and me that partook, but I don't remember it.

I didn't have powdered milk, so I used skim milk and lessened the water amount. 

Whole Wheat Oatmeal Bread

1-1/4 C Warm water
2T Honey
2T Softened butter or margarine
1-1/4 t Salt
2T nonfat dry milk powder
1-3/4 C Bread flour
1 C Whole Wheat Flour
1/3 C Quick cooking oats
1-1/4 t Active dry yeast




Directions

In Bread machine, place all ingredients in order suggested by manufacturer.  Select basic bread setting.  Choose crust color and loaf size if available.  Bake according to bread machine directions (check dough after 5 minutes of mixing; add 1-2 T of water or flour if needed).  Yield: 1 loaf

The bread turned out okay.  I don't have a bread machine, so I mixed and kneaded the dough in my KitchenAid and then baked at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes.  Unfortunately, I thought it was too bland.  More salt would have fixed that.  Also, it was very dry and that also was a turn off for us.  If you are here looking for a bread recipe, I would say scroll down one recipe to the better bread recipe, because I wouldn't make this bread again.

Honey Wheat Bread

I made this bread to go along with our salad for dinner last night. Here is what Mom wrote:

1 1/4 c. water
2 T butter
3 T honey
2 c. bread fl
1 1/2 c. ww
2 T b. sugar
2 T dry milk pwdr
1 1/2 t. salt
2 t. yeast

I had to guess on the amount of yeast due to oil smudging out the writing, but it rose up super nice so I must have guessed correctly.

I just threw it all in the bread maker in the order mom wrote it down, and let it do everything. I know Mom bakes it in the oven herself, but we didn't want to wait around for it to rise and bake once we got home from church.

It was so good! It wasn't to heavy like lots of wheat bread is, but instead, was the perfect softness. I'm sure Ben will be wanting me to make this all the time.

Warm Chicken Salad with Oranges and Almonds

Since we have 1 o'clock church, we like to have easy recipes that we can come right home to and start eating. This one seemed easy enough to put together and get on the table quick.

2 medium oranges
6 cups torn romaine lettuce
1 medium red sweet pepper, cut into bite-sized strips
1/2 of a small red onion, halved and thinly sliced
1/3 cup slivered or sliced almonds, toasted
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves , cut into thin bite-size strips
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/3 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon live oil
1 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard
coarsely ground black pepper

Step 1: Peel oranges. Cut into 1/4 inch slices; quarter each slice. In a large salad bowl toss together orange slices, romaine, sweet pepper, onion, and almonds. Set aside.

Step 2: Season chicken with salt and black pepper. In a large skillet heat oil. Cook and stir chicken in hot oil for 4 to 5 minutes or until no longer pink. Remove skillet from heat. Toss chicken with mixture in salad bowl. Divide salad among four plates.

Step 3: Stir orange juice and vinegar into the hot skillet, scraping up any brown bits in the skillet. Whisk in 1 tablespoon olive oil and the Dijon-style mustard. Serve salad with warm dressing. Season to taste with coarsely ground black pepper. Makes 4 servings.

We liked it. I didn't see the red onion listed in the ingredients so I completely forgot to buy one when we were at the store, but it still tasted good with out it. The onion would have definitely given it a little extra kick. It was also pretty darn easy to make. Thanks successful farming for another good recipe!

Macaroni a la King

I don't have a whole lot of meal recipes from Mom. It's mostly breads and other baked goods. But, I pulled this little 3x5 card out and decided I would give it a try. It had no name or instructions or measurements on parts.

1 c. mac
2 T butter
3/4 c. celery
pepper
onion
soup
milk 1/3 c.
1 c. cheese
1/4 t. salt
nutmeg

I took my liberties with this recipe since that was all I was given. Here is what I did.

Cook macaroni according to directions on box. While that is cooking chop up celery, onion, and green pepper. When macaroni is done, drain and put in greased 8x8 pan. Melt butter, and saute vegetables. Add 1 can cream of chicken soup and milk, and stir until heated through. Take off heat and add cheese, salt and nutmeg. Pour on top of macaroni. Sprinkle with a little more cheese (because more cheese makes it better). Cover with foil and keep in fridge until ready to eat. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Cook until heated through and bubbly.

This actually turned out better than I expected! Ben said it was delicious and ate all that remained once everybody else had some. We both agreed that the celery flavor was the predominant flavor of the dish. I would leave it out, but Ben liked it. And, I realized afterwards that it probably meant black pepper instead of green pepper. It just added another vegetable and helped cancel out some of the celery taste. I used both co-jack and mozzarella cheese and used more than one cup (because it makes things better).

The only reason why it sat in the fridge overnight was because we ended up just eating dinner at Girl's Camp when I went to pick Ben up. They made pizzas by spreading coals on the gravel driveway, placing pop cans with water in the coals, rested the pizza pans on the pop cans, and covered it with a box (I think lined with foil). It worked pretty well, but the leftover pizzas we had were mostly bread with very few toppings on top.

And, finally, not a cupboard recipe, but a delicious recipe that everyone should know about, we had this plum raspberry upside down cake from Martha. It is so yummy! Ben always looks forward to it every summer when the plums and berries and in season.

I accidentally whipped the cream into almost butter (by hand!).

Chicken Divan

I have a set of recipes from the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture Extension Agency that is all about make ahead meals. The two main "master recipes" were for roast chicken and marinara sauce, and then there are several freezable meals that use those master recipes. I made the Chicken Divan. Instead of using 6 pounds of roast chicken, I just cooked some cubed chicken using the same seasoning (s&p, garlic, olive oil), and we ate the meal right away.

16 oz broccoli florets
8 oz cauliflower florets
1/4 c butter
1/4 c all-purpose flour
1 c low-fat milk
1 c reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 T Worcestershire sauce
1/2 t black pepper
1/4 t salt
1 c cheddar cheese, shredded
3 cups roast chicken master mix
1/2 c plain dry bread crumbs

Line a 9x13 baking pan or 2-quart casserole with foil, leaving enough overhang to cover food and seal foil. Butter foil. In a large saucepan, steam broccoli and cauliflower 4 minutes, until just tender. Arrange in bottom of baking pan. Melt butter in medium saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and cook 2 minutes, until light brown, stirring constantly. Stir in broth and milk and cook 5 minutes or until sauce thickens, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and stir in 1/4 c of cheese. Add Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Pour 1/2 of sauce over vegetables. Sprinkle master mix over sauce. Top with remaining sauce, then remaining cheese and bread crumbs. Cool, seal, label, and freeze. Once divan is frozen, remove from pan and return to freezer. To prepare for sinner, peel foil from divan and place back in baking dish. Allow to thaw in refrigerator 24 hours. Bake uncovered in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes, uncovered, or until heated through.

Nutritional analysis: 283 calories, 18 g protein, 17 g fat, 14 g carbohydrates, 65 mg cholesterol, 526 mg sodium.

It was okay. Since we've been married, I've avoided buying Worcestershire sauce thinking it wasn't worth it for the few times I would need it, and I've substituted other things when I needed it. I finally got some for this dish, and I forgot to add it. I found it a little bland, but the sauce probably would have fixed that. Oops. Other than that it was fine, and on the healthier end of the spectrum. I really like cruciferous vegetables. I used two small chicken breast halves, and it seemed like enough meat.

Chicken Tetrazzini

Chicken Tetrazzini from Taste of Home

Prep: 15 min. Bake: 30 min. Yield: 8 Servings

Ingredients
2 cups sliced mushrooms
1/4 cup butter, cubed
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup half-and-half cream
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3 tablespoons white wine or chicken broth, optional
3 cups cubed cooked chicken
8 ounces spaghetti, cooked and drained
3/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions
In a large skillet, cook mushrooms in butter until tender. Stir in flour; gradually add the chicken broth. Bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat; stir in the cream, parsley, salt, nutmeg, pepper, and wine if desired. Fold in the chicken and spaghetti.
Turn into a greased 3-qt. baking dish; sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 30 minutes or until heated through. Yield: 8 servings.
Nutritional Facts
1 serving (1 cup) equals 258 calories, 13 g fat (6 g saturated fat), 71 mg cholesterol, 763 mg sodium, 13 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 21 g protein.

I made this for our Fast Sunday dinner. It was pretty good. I like the nutmeg in it. It isn't all that healthy, but it has the benefit of being healthier than normal cream-based tetrazzini recipes. I really wanted to add vegetables, but I refrained in the name of sticking to the recipe. I used a can of mushrooms and I highly doubt I put 3 cups of chicken in. I might have added one. And I used Camille's whole milk instead of half and half. I'll probably make it again, but in the future I'll throw in some vegetables--maybe broccoli or spinach.

I always cringe when I see the serving sizes of these things. We ate half of this recipe. Then again, we were breaking our fast, and all we had with it was a small salad.