Emilie's Whole Wheat Bread

I love homemade bread. I bought a KitchenAid mixer just over a year ago for that reason. I decided I was going to make homemade bread and not buy it from the store any more. That lasted for about 7 months until it got too hot to turn the oven on. I have been trying to get back into the groove since last fall, but the recipe I used (from the KitchenAid users guide) just wasn't what I really wanted. Sure, it was good for toast, but when it left a lot to be desired. Today I was reading a blog called "My Food Storage Deals" and found this recipe. The author of the blog got the recipe from her friend Emilie (thus the name) and posted it for all to enjoy. And I am spreading the joy. And a joy it is. It is the squishiest homemade bread I have ever eaten. I am hooked! Give it a try and see for yourself!


Emilie's Whole Wheat Bread
Makes 4 8x4 loaves

7 C. whole wheat flour (grind your own if you have a wheat grinder)
2/3 C. vital wheat gluten
2 1/2 Tbsp. instant yeast

5 C. steaming hot water (120-130 F)

2 Tbsp. salt
2/3 C. oil
2/3 C. honey or 1 C. sugar
2 1/2 Tbsp. bottled lemon juice

5 C. whole wheat flour

Mix together the first three ingredients in your mixer with a dough hook. Add water all at once and mix for 1 minute; cover and let rest for 10 minutes (this is called sponging). Add salt, oil, honey or sugar, and lemon juice and beat for 1 minute. Add last flour, 1 cup at a time, beating between each cup. Beat for about 6-10 minutes until dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. This makes very soft dough.

Pre-heat oven for 1 minute to lukewarm and turn off. Turn dough onto oiled counter top; divide, shape into loaves, place in oiled bread pans. Let rise in warm oven for 10-15 minutes until dough reaches top of pan. Do not remove bread from oven; turn oven to 350 F and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from pans and cool on racks. This recipe can be halved to make 2 loaves.

*Emilie only uses Bakers Secret 8x4 inch non stick pans (which can be found at Smith's grocery store).

**Another tip--when the dough is put into the bread pans, squish the dough softly into the corners of your bread loaf pans. This will make your bread cook more evenly and not have the large lump in the middle of your loaf.

Angie's notes:
*I halved the recipe and it turned out fine. My mixer can't handle that much flour at once.
*I used Pyrex 8.5x4.5 inch bread pans and the bread came out of the pan without any problem.
*I tried to squish the dough into the corners of my pans, but I think I squished too hard and one of my loaves has big dents in the top of it.

Whole-Wheat Mac-n-Cheese for the Family

I got a new cookbook today called Yum-o! The Family Cookbook by Rachel Ray. This recipe is from that cookbook. We had it for dinner and it is pretty yum-o!



Whole-Wheat Mac-n-Cheese for the Family

2 Tablespoons butter
2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup chicken stock
1 1/2 cups milk
2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard (I used honey mustard)
1 pound whole-wheat pasta, cooked al-dente and drained
1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets and steamed until almost tender, 6 to 7 minutes

In a sauce pot, melt the butter over medium-low heat, add the flour, and cook for 1 minute. Whisk in the chicken stock and milk. Thicken the sauce for 5 minutes, then stir in the cheese, season with salt and pepper, and stir in the secret ingredient (the mustard).

Toss the sauce with the whole-wheat pasta and cauliflower. Yum-o!

Serves 4 to 6 (at least - it made lots)

Black Bean and Cheese Enchiladas

My mom found this recipe on the Betty Crocker Website. It's so easy to make and is my favorite Enchilada recipe! Next time I think I will try putting rice in it, just to see how it tastes! Sorry I don't have a picture, I didn't think about it before we started eating!

Black Bean and Cheese Enchiladas

1 tsp vegetable oil
1 med onion, finely chopped (1/2 cup)
1 tsp ground cumin
1 can (15 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 pkg (11.5 oz) flour tortillas for burritos (8 tortillas), heated
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese (8oz)
1 can (10 oz) enchilada sauce (green)
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese (2oz)
Salsa, if desired

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray 11x7-inch (2 qt) glass baking dish with cooking spray. Heat oil in 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Add onions and cumin; cook and stir until onion is tender. Stir in beans.

2. Place about 3 tbls bean mixture in center of each warm tortilla. Top each with 1/4 cup monterey jack cheese. Roll up tightly; place, seam side down, in baking dish. Spoon enchilada sauce over tortillas. Spray sheet of foil with cooking spray; cover baking dish, sprayed side down.

3. Bake 30-35 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Serve enchiladas with salsa.

(*Hint: I just bought a 2 cup bag of shredded Mexican cheese blend from the store and used that for the whole thing. I ended up with a little cheese left over. It was enough for the whole dish, without needing the shredded cheddar.)

Spicy Potato Tacos

I found this recipe on the Food Network website and it has become a family favorite. We call these our glorified tacos because you can add in anything you want. It's such an easy recipe and definitely worth the effort. 

Spicy Potato Tacos

Recipe courtesy of Sandra Lee, 2008

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1 teaspoon fajita seasoning

1 (16 oz) bag pre-cooked diced red-skin potatoes

1/3 cup cheese

1 (16 oz) can refried beans

3/4 cup cilantro salsa, plus more for serving

large taco shells [we usually get the burrito size]

tomato, lettuce, sour cream, cheese, etc. for serving 

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a cookie sheet and set it aside.

-In a large mixing bowl, stir together oil and fajita seasoning. Add potatoes and toss until well coated. Transfer to prepared baking sheet and arrange in a single layer. Sprinkle with cheese and bake for 15 minutes. 

-Meanwhile, stir together beans and salsa and heat.

-Put tacos together to your liking and enjoy

Yield 6 servings

***I usually don't worry about using red potatoes. I will use whatever we have and it turns out great. Also, I microwave the potatoes on the baked potato setting to make them soft before cutting them to be seasoned***