Monday, January 18, 2016

Buttermilk white bread

We love bread!!! Bread is good, especially homemade bread! Even though we don't eat as much bread as we used to, we still love it! This recipe is easy, because all the hard work is done by the bread machine. You can make this by hand, but it takes lots of muscle and more time. I have used lots of recipes for bread, but I think this one makes the softest bread! Gotta love buttermilk!

Buttermilk Bread using the bread machine:

1 1/4 c.buttermilk
1 c. water
1 Tbsp.butter
11/2 tsp.salt
2 Tbsp. sugar
6 c. flour (I use unbleached, no chemical white flour)
2 tsp. yeast

Add all ingredients in the order of what your bread machine instructs. Set to dough cycle, and let it go!  When the cycle is finished, remove bread from machine pan and divide into 2 equal sized balls. Grease 2 loaf pans. Pull each dough ball into a loaf shape and place into greased pans. Place in a warm place to rise. I set my oven on 180, until I'm ready to place the dough in the oven. As soon as I put the pans in the oven, I turn the oven off. I also keep the oven light on, it adds a little bit of heat. Let it rise for 30 min. When finished, turn oven on 375, and start baking the bread for 30 min. Don't preheat the oven, just start cooking! After the 30 min, remove the bread from the oven. You'll know when it's done, the tops will be golden brown and it will make a hollow sound when thumped. Flip it upside down onto a cooling rack. Right side the bread and let cool. The cooler the bread, the easier it is to slice. Enjoy!


Homemade Mayo

MMMMMMMMMM....mayo!! We use it on EVERYTHING!!! The stuff in the store is nasty, with all kinds of questionable ingredients... yuck! So, the next option would be organic. It's pretty good, but a little expensive and since we use it on EVERYTHING, that would cost us an arm and a leg. SOOOO... I researched....lots of research! I found this recipe that we love, it's easy and uses ingredients you most likely have on hand! Here it is!!

Mayo:
1 egg
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
1/8 c. white vinegar
1 c. light olive oil

**I would not use raw eggs from the grocery store. There are too many issues with those eggs. I only use fresh, pastured eggs anyway, so there is no question if they are safe for raw consumption...they are!

In a blender, add egg, salt, mustard,and vinegar. Blend on high until just blended. With the blender still running, slowly drizzle in the oil. The slower you drizzle, the thicker the mayo will be. Keep blending until all the oil is added. Put into a jar and refrigerate. I'm not sure how long this will last because it doesn't last long in this house!!

Sunday, January 17, 2016

Sunday's Meals

Sunday's meals include oatmeal for breakfast.
I make mine on top of the stove using organic whole oats, just following the directions on the container. I sweeten it with pure maple syrup and add a little cinnamon. I add raisins to Bill's.
Lunch was roasted chicken, homemade chicken rice and frozen broccoli.
Chicken rice recipe- 2 Tbsp. butter
1 c. long grain rice. Saute these together in a pan until light golden. Add 2 c. chicken broth and bring to a boil. Lid the pan and simmer for about 15 min or until most of the liquid is absorbed. Tastes better than the box Rice A Roni!
Supper is homemade pizza. Tonight I'm making chicken fajita pizza.
Cut up chicken breast and saute it with 1 yellow pepper and 1 red onion. You can either season it with taco seasoning or fajita seasoning( I make both homemade). Use the homemade BBq sauce for the pizza sauce and use any cheese you like, bake it in a 425 oven until ready.
Homemade pizza dough- 5 c. flour
1 Tbsp. yeast
2 c.warm water
1 tsp. salt
Combine all in a stand mixer, or you can mix it by hand. Mix long enough for it to come together and divide it into 2 balls. Place each into a greased bowl and let rise about 15 min. in a warm place.
Make the pizzas!


Friday, January 15, 2016

Orange Chicken and Rice

Tonight will have a little bit of Oriental flair! We're having Orange Chicken and I'm making homemade fried rice for the kids. Of course, I may have a bite of the rice!
Orange Chicken:
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast
2 Tbsp. butter or coconut oil
1/2 c. OJ
zest of 1 orange
3 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 Tbsp. honey
2 tsp. minced garlic
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes(optional)


Cut chicken into bite sized pieces. Saute, in 2 batches, in the butter, until nicely browned. While chicken is cooking, mix up the sauce: OJ, orange zest, soy sauce, honey, garlic, and pepper flakes. Remove chicken from pan and pour the sauce into the pan. While cooking make sure to scrape all the browned chicken bits that have stuck to the pan. After the sauce has thickened, add the chicken back to the pan. Toss the chicken until coated and heated through. Serve with the rice.

Chinese Rice:
1 cup cooked, cooled rice
2 eggs, scrambled
1/2 c. leftover meat (like pork chops, roast,anything like that)
1/2 onion, chopped
Soy sauce


Cook eggs in a skillet until almost cooked through. Remove. Add meat, onion and any other food you would like. Sometimes I add mushrooms or peas. When warmed and browned, add rice and toss all together. Add egg and soy sauce and cook on low, until heated through.

Thursday, January 14, 2016

The Best BBQ Sauce

Here is a recipe for what i think is THE best BBQ sauce!!
1 c. ketchup
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. white vinegar
1 tsp. minced, dried onion
2 tsp. lemon juice
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/8 tsp. ground allspice
1/8 tsp. celery salt
1/8 tsp. mustard powder
1/2 tsp. liquid smoke (optional)

Combine all into med. saucepan and cook for 20 min. on med-low heat, stirring occasionally. Store in fridge for up to 6 months(but it won't last that long)!

Wednesday, January 13, 2016

Unstuffed Cabbage Roll

Tonight we are having a dish that's called Unstuffed Cabbage Roll. My kids don't like cabbage, but they LOVE this dish. It's easy, cheap and good. I usually make mashed potatoes with this, but only my husband and I eat this. It's very filling. Serve with a salad and you have a complete meal!

2 lbs. ground beef
1 lg. onion, chopped
1 small head of cabbage, chopped
1(14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes
1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
1/2 c. water
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper

Heat a large skillet or dutch oven over med.-high heat. Cook beef and onion until browned. Drain. Add cabbage, tomatoes, tomato sauce, water, garlic, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Cover pan, reduce heat, and simmer for about 30 min. or until cabbage is tender.

Tuesday, January 12, 2016

Coffee creamer

For all you coffee lovers out there! Here is a recipe for homemade creamer that I LOVE!! Heat 1 c. heavy cream or whipping cream. When it is steaming, remove from heat and stir in 1 tsp. vanilla and 1 tsp. almond extract. Yum!!!! Since I am cutting back on my sugar intake, I add pure maple syrup to my coffee. It makes the coffee so good and it also puts natural sweeteners in. I love it!! This and my homemade creamer makes the coffee heavenly!!

Monday, January 11, 2016

Homemade Shake & Bake

Tonight we are having pork chops with homemade Shake N Bake. This is a lot better than that stuff that Kraft puts out!! I loved Shake N Bake, then I found this, which is a much healthier version! It works for chicken too!
Homemade Shake N Bake
3 c. bread crumbs
1 Tbsp. salt
1 Tbsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. onion powder
2 tsp.paprika
1 tsp. dried parsley
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp.chili powder
1/2 c. oil
Combine all dry ingredients, then drizzle oil and mix well. Lightly coat/spray oil onto pan you are using.
Keep in a airtight container and only use what you need for that meal. Store the rest in the freezer.
Dip the meat pieces into water or milk, shake off excess, then coat with the mixture. Bake according to instructions.
Bone-in chicken or chops- 375 for 45 min.
Boneless chicken or chops- 400 for 30 min.
Chicken nuggets or wings - 400 for 25 min.


Dressings

Here are some dressing recipes that I use and they are wonderful!! I make my own mayo and I only use light olive oil in my dressings. This makes everything a bit more healthy!
Ranch- 1 cup mayo,(I make my own), 1/2 c. buttermilk, 3/4 tsp of the following herbs- chives, dill, parsley. 1/4 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp. dried onions and salt and pepper to taste. Mix it together and chill.
Honey Mustard- 1/2 c. mayo, 1/4 c. honey 2 Tbsp. dijon mustard. Mix and chill.
Cesar- 2 tsp. Worchestershire sauce, 6 cloves garlic, mashed and minced, 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard, 1 Tbsp. Vinegar, 2 Tbsp.mayo, 1/2 c. light olive oil, salt and pepper, lemon juice. Mix all and chill.
Italian- 2 Tb, salt, 1 TB oregano, 1 TB parsley, 1 TB. pure cane sugar, 2 tsp. garlic powder, 2 tsp. onion powder, 1 tsp. black pepper, 1/4 tsp. thyme. Mix all together and keep in airtight container. to make dressing, add 2 TBS. of this mix, 1/4 c. vinegar, 1/2 c. light olive oil, 3 TBS. water. Mix well and serve.
These dressings are not only good for you, but they taste great!! After eating these, you won't go back to bottled again!!

Sunday, January 10, 2016

Raising Cain Sauce

Looking for a great all-purpose sauce?? This stuff is the bomb-diggety!! Good for anything!!
Raising Cain Sauce
1 c. mayo
1/2 c. ketchup
4 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper
Mix all into a bowl. Store in fridge up to 2 weeks.