Recipe 38: No Knead Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread

No Knead Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread
INGREDIENTS
3 ½ cups whole wheat flour
1 ¼ teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon active dry yeast
2 cups warm water
2 Tablespoons agave syrup or maple syrup

DIRECTIONS
In a large mixing bowl whisk together the whole wheat flour, salt, and yeast until well incorporated.

Add the water and agave or maple syrup to the bowl containing the dry ingredients, and vigorously mix with a wooden spoon for 1 minute. Cover the bowl with a plastic bag and let it rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 ½ hours. Alternatively, place this in the refrigerator for about 12 to 24 hours. Remember that we want our dough to double in size regardless of whether it spends a full 24 hours in the refrigerator or rises at room temperature. Feel free to let it rise in the refrigerator for some of the time and outside of the refrigerator the rest of the time.

Vigorously mix the dough again with the wooden spoon for 30 seconds, and allow it to rise once more, covered, at room temperature until doubled in size, about 1 ½ hours.

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Stir the dough one last time for 30 seconds to degas it. The dough can now be 'proofed' by gently forming it into a lightly oiled loaf pan and allowed to sit covered with a plastic bag until it reaches about 80% to 90% of it's intended size, which should be about 40 minutes. The proofing stage is where the dough takes most of it's shape. It's important to leave room under the plastic bag so the dough can rise sufficiently.

Remove the plastic bag so the dough can rest for about 10 minutes. Due to the high water content in the dough it may begin to spill over the sides of the loaf pan. In this case, take the edges of the dough and stretch it over the loaf to the other side, working your way around the perimeter of the loaf pan as you go. Stretching the dough over itself will also help keep the loaf in its proper shape as it bakes. Lightly dust the top of the loaf with wheat germ, wheat bran or oat bran.

During baking, the dough will rise another 10% to 20% of it's intended size in the process known as 'oven spring'. Bake until the internal temperature of the dough registers 180-190°F, which should be about 45 minutes. Rotate the loaf 180 degrees in the oven halfway through the baking duration for even baking.

Remove the bread from the loaf pan after about 30 minutes, and allow to cool on a wire rack until it's cooled to room temperature.

This bread is best stored covered in a cool dark place or pre-sliced and stored in a plastic freezer bag in the freezer.

I found this recipe on The Caffeinated Globe and I was pleasantly surprised by how it turned out. I was skeptical that this recipe would be fluffy and chewy, and still be healthy on top of everything. This recipe came through and it is a keeper. The kids loved it, and they didn't really seem to miss their regular sandwich bread. This recipe is also really easy to make, but it does take a long time to make. So if you are hoping to slice into some warm bread in a few hours, that won't happen, but I still think its worth it.

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Recipe 37: Salsa Chicken

3 -4 chicken breasts

1 (8 ounce) packet taco seasoning

2 cups salsa

Directions:

1. 1
   -Lightly spray the inside of the slow cooker with PAM.
2. 2
   -Place the chicken breasts in the slow cooker
3. 3
   -Cover the chicken with the packet of taco seasoning.
4. 4
   -Pour the salsa on top, and smooth it out so it covers everything.
5. 5
   -Cover and cook 8 hours on low.
6. 6
   ***Be sure not to remove the lid at anytime, as if you do you will need to add 30 mins to cooking time. (not worth it :) )***.
7. 7
   -When chicken is done, take 2 forks and shred the chicken and the salsa will absorb into it (also the salsa will not taste like salsa anymore, it reduces to more of a juicy sauce instead of chunky).
8. 8
   -Serve anyway you'd like :) with rice, with tortilla chips, in a torpedo roll, or any other way you can think of!.
   
   
   This recipe was a real hit. It was so easy to make, and also inexpensive because it is so simple to make. The kids thought it was okay, but Mike and I loved it. I also thought it was pretty healthy and I love that you can customize it any way you want to.
   
   
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Beware: The Sign-Up-Sheets

I wish someone would have warned me of the dangers of sign-up-sheets, but since I had to find this out on my own, I figured I will share my story with others, so that they may be better informed before they sign their own lives away.

Here is my story:

It was a warm summer day, school was starting in just one short week, and it was time to take Ella in and register her for the new year. It all seemed harmless enough: fill out some paper work, show Ella her new class room, the standard back-to-school stuff. Then from the corner of my eye, I saw a table filled with clipboards and sign-up-sheets. I walked over, browsed the contents, and blithely scrawled my name on a few (okay maybe more than a few) different sign-ups that sounded interesting to me...

...I am now in charge of Box Tops for Ella's classroom, the room mom, and I volunteer in the class room every other week.

Oops! Apparently these sign-up-sheets are not asking you if you are interested, its more like they are asking you for a commitment.

Well I obviously got a few phone calls once the school year started, but my favorite came from Ella's teacher: Mrs. D left me a message asking me if I needed any help with the Halloween party that was coming up. I listened as she explained what was going to happen and what I needed to know. I was used to getting these phone calls by now and so I figured that I must have signed my name on the Halloween party sheet. No big deal, I like helping out and it would be fun to spend that time with Ella.

I started planning the party and called Mrs. D with a few questions, here is how our conversation went:

Mrs D: "Every school has their own culture, and so here it is a little different. Usually the room mom is assigned, but here they just have people sign up. So if you need any help with the future class parties just let me know".

Me: .......... (nervous laughter).......... "Um, wait........ what? Could you repeat that last part?" (more nervous laughter)

Mrs D: " Well you and one other mom signed up to be the room moms, and so you plan the parties."

Me: ........... (even more nervous laughter)........ " Oh, okay......um......... I did not know that is what I was signing up for, but, okay, I can make that work. Heeeeeheeeeheee".

Mrs. D was so very nice and empathetic. She told me that she did the same thing when her first started school and she also told me that we can get other moms to help out too. I was grateful for her kindness and understanding (have I mentioned what a great teacher I think she is?) and I knew that we really could make this work, but I couldn't help but laugh at myself.

The truth is, I want to be as involved as I can be in my kids classrooms. Ella loves when I am there, and I feel like I can be much more on top of things when I know the teachers, classmates, and general environment .

Plus I like planning parties and helping out where I can, so this really isn't a big deal, but next year I will be a little wiser when I come across that certain table with clipboards and sign-up-sheets!

Recipe 36: Ranch House Crock Pot Pork Chops

• 6 pork chops, 1/2 inch thick
• 1 packet dry Ranch Dressing Seasoning
• 10 oz can Cream of Chicken Soup
• 4 lbs peeled, cubed potatoes
• 5 Tablespoons real butter
• 1 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
• 6 cloves roasted garlic (directions are below)
• 1- 1 1/2 Cups warm milk
• 1 Tablespoon salt, or to taste
• 1 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper, or to taste

Place pork chops, Ranch seasoning and soup into a medium sized crock pot over high heat for 4 hours or low heat for 6 hours.

Place potatoes into a large pot of cold water. Place onto stove top over high heat and bring to a boil. Once water is boiling, cook for 10-12 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender. Drain and transfer to the work bowl of a stand or electric mixer. Mix on low until potatoes are mashed then add butter, Parmesan, garlic, milk, salt and pepper. Season to taste if needed. For thinner mashed potatoes add more milk, slowly until your desired consistency.

Scoop mashed potatoes onto serving plates and top with pork chops and soup gravy from crock pot. I put a little parsley on top to serve.

Roasted Garlic

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place bulb of garlic with skins on, wrap lightly in tin foil and bake for 1 hour. Remove from foil and let cool for 15 minutes. Remove garlic from skins, place in a bowl and mash with a fork until completely mashed. Set aside. One garlic bulb will have around 12 cloves.

I found this recipe on Chef in Training. I really like this blog, she has so many great looking recipes and I want to try all of them (the picture is from there too). Anyway this recipe was really yummy and even the kids liked it (I told them it was chicken). It was so easy to make and I think it was pretty healthy, but I also didn't eat too many of the potatoes. Also I had all of the ingredients on hand except for the parmesan and garlic, plus I got a great deal on pork chops. Overall this is a great way to shake up your Sunday dinner and I would definitely make it again. I also want to to try this with chicken!

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Can't Help Falling In Love

I love this version of Can't Help Falling In Love. I am obsessed with it! Enjoy!

Recipe 35: Homemade Tortillas

Ingredients

• 2-1/2 cups All-purpose Flour
• 2-1/2 teaspoons Baking Powder
• 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
• 1/2 cup Lard Or Vegetable Shortening
• 2 Tablespoons (additional) Lard Or Vegetable Shortening
• 1 cup Hot Water

Preparation Instructions

Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a large wooden bowl. Stir together.

Add spoonfuls of lard or shortening (use 1/2 cup PLUS 2 tablespoons), then use a pastry cutter to combine the ingredients. Cut mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs.

Slowly pour in hot water, stirring to bring mixture together. Lightly knead dough 30 to 40 times, or until it becomes a cohesive ball of dough and is less sticky. Cover with a tea towel and allow dough to rest for at least an hour.

Roll into ping pong size balls, place on a tray, cover with a tea towel, and allow to rest for another 20 to 30 minutes.

When you're ready to make the tortillas, head a dark or cast iron griddle to medium/medium-high heat. One by one, roll out balls of dough until very, very thin. Throw tortillas (one by one) onto the griddle. Cook on each side for 20 to 30 seconds, removing while tortillas are still soft but slightly brown in spots. Remove and stack tortillas, and cover with a towel to keep warm. Serve immediately or allow to cool before storing tortillas in a container. To warm, nuke tortillas in the microwave, or wrap in foil and warm in the oven.

Helpful tips:

* Make sure the water you pour in is very warm.

* Allow the dough to rest, both after kneading and after forming into balls.

* Roll out very thin.

* Get the heat right on your stove: Too hot, and the tortilla will burn in spots. Not hot enough, and the tortilla will begin to crisp before you can get it to brown. I get my stove between medium and medium high heat; that seems to do the trick.

* Use a dark griddle or cast iron skillet to brown the tortillas.

* Cook just long enough to lightly brown the tortilla in spots; don't cook too long or tortillas will crisp. You want them to be soft and pliable when you serve them.

* Finally: Have fun! And enjoy them. They're absolutely scrumptious.

I found this recipe on Pioneer Woman. I would recommend heading over there to see all of her great pictures and tips. This recipe was pretty easy to make, although you do have to allow a couple of hours to make them, so this isn't something you can just throw together. I also thought that these tasted really yummy, much better than store bought ones. Although I have to admit I was really hoping for a Cafe Rio copy cat and this recipe is not it. These are not very expensive to make, and I did go out and buy lard just for the occasion. I think next time I will try these with crisco and see what flavor I like best. I don't know if these are any healthier than store bought kind, but I always like knowing what exactly is going into something and I know that there are not a bunch of preservatives or chemicals.

Bottom line:

I like making my own tortillas and they are much better than store bought kind, but I am still looking for the perfect recipe!

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A Spooktacular Halloween

We had a wonderful, spooktacular Halloween. We made "Potato head" pumpkins and had our annual Halloween party. There was dancing, games, dinner, and spooky ghost stories.

On Halloween day I went to Ella's school and helped throw their halloween party. Ella loved that I was there (I already know that this won't last forever) and I loved getting to see her in her element.

Later that evening we went trick-or-treating with cousins and finished the night off with some yummy mexican food.

It was a great weekend, and although it was super busy, it was fun to watch Ella and Hunter enjoy all of the festivities!