This year in review: part two.

Here comes the second part of my favorite recipes from this year.
I am trying to balance the sweet and the savory, the veggies and the meat.

1) Whole wheat bread from the bread machine: I make this bread weekly, it is by far the best all whole wheat bread recipe I have found. It makes divine toast !!

2) Quinoa Tabouli: This salad was one of those experiments that worked. Look in the fridge, see what's there, try to make it all go together ;-)

3) Slow Roasted Country Style Pork Ribs: I made this dish twice for dinner guests, always a very big hit. They cook for four hours but are simple to make and so very tender !

4) The Best Chocolate Ice Cream: No lie, truly the creamiest, richest chocolate ice cream I have ever eaten.

5) Winter Squash Biscuits: We made small versions of these and added cheddar cheese to the recipe for appetizers at a party, what a hit !! The photo doesn't do them justice.

6) Pecan Pie Bar: Whoa, these gooey sweet bars were so good, just the right balance of filling and crust. They made great gifts as well.

So there you have it, some highlights from 2012. Which were your favorites ??

I already have some great ideas to start the new year !!

WHOLE Wheat Bread from the bread machine

Most of the recipes in my favorite bread machine book use a combination of some white bread flour in their recipes.
Recently, my friend Laurie, raved about this ALL whole wheat bread recipe. I had to give it a try. I was pleasantly surprised by the first loaf I made. It is not a door stop and makes great toast, it is a hearty, chewy and delightful loaf.

Whole Wheat Bread
Adapted from the Guilty Kitchen recipe.

It make a two pound loaf.
Use the whole wheat setting on your bread machine.
I used the light crust setting too.


Ingredients
1 cup milk (or buttermilk, skim milk, almond milk, soy milk any kind of milk)*
2/3 cup water
2 tbsp  butter (or vegetable shortening, like Earth Balance)
2 tbsp honey, (or agave or brown sugar)
2 tsp salt
3 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
3/4 cup cereal or seeds: I used  half rolled oats and half whole millet.
(The original recipe says: "I used 7 grain cereal, a blend or flax, millet and sunflower seeds, just straight sunflower seeds and old fashioned oats all successfully. ")
2 1/4 tsp  active dry yeast

 * All I had on hand was vanilla soy milk so I used that and reduced the honey by one tablespoon.

1. Place all ingredients in the order they are listed into the baking pan of your bread machine.
2. Set your machine for whole wheat bread and light crust.
3. Check the mixture after 10 to 15 minutes to be sure the dough is not too sticky or too dry.
Adjust accordingly.
4. Remove from machine when done and allow to cool on a baking rack for at least one hour.
5. Slice and enjoy!

I look forward to trying other seed, nut and grain combinations !!

I love my bread machine

With the popularity of the no-knead bread, my bread machine has languished for almost a year, only coming out of the pantry (the garage) for special appearances when I need dough for pizza, focaccia or rolls. Lately I have gotten tried of the the no-knead bread...

But let's back up a minute, I remember 10 or 15 years ago when my wonderful sister-in-law first got her bread machine from Costco. She sang it's praise and when I tasted her homemade bread I was delighted. For Bob's birthday, I bought  him one !!

It's an Oster and I can count on my fingers the number of times I have actually bought sliced bread since this magical machine came into our lives !! Along with the machine my SIL also recommended a fabulous recipe book to go with it.

I am on my second or third copy as it keeps falling apart for all the use it gets. I have tried many of the recipes and they are so tasty and varied, something for everyone. I have bought copies of this book to give to family and friends once they buy a bread machine, it's that good.

Recently I have returned to my dear bread machine, not the original but the same make and model. (For some reason we have found them easy to pick up at yard sales...)
I have discovered a recipe I had not tried before and now it is our favorite bread for toast or snacks with homemade nut butter and jam.

Marilyn's Everyday Health Bread

This recipe is for a 1 1/2 pound loaf which what my machine makes.

Best to add the ingredients in this order:

1 1/4 cup water
1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cup bread flour
1/2 cup rolled oats ( I use the multi-grain version from Trader Joe's, do not use instant oatmeal.)

1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons nonfat dry milk powder
2 teaspoons active dry yeast *

Select Light Crust setting and press start.
I do check it after the first 10 minutes or so be sure the dough looks right.

This is perfect dough, if it seems too dry add a teaspoon more water, too wet a tablespoon more flour.
In 3 hours when the cycle is complete remove loaf to a rack and allow to cool for an hour before slicing.

The perfect loaf !! It does really work better if you wait that hour before slicing into it. I know the smell is killing you but be patient !!

* about yeast...even though the Bread Machine Magic books tell you NOT to use instant rise yeast in their recipes, it has worked just fine for me. I used it because it was what I had on hand. I made sure to use a scant 2 teaspoons in this recipe.
Another trick is to buy your yeast at places like Costco or online.They sell it in one pound vacuum sealed blocks. It is much cheaper this way. Once I open it, I pour it into a glass container with a good lid and store it in my fridge. You can share a pound with a friend if you don't go through it very quickly, although my yeast lasts in the fridge for 6 months.