Bean Casserole

Alright so I made this one up last week during my cooking spree.  We had it last night for dinner and really liked it.  I am already considering some variations, but I will post the basic recipe here. Give it a try and let me know what improvements you make!  I like that it all goes in one dish and that all the ingredients can be in your food storage cupboard!

1 can black beans
1 can kidney beans
1 can corn or mexicorn
1 can Campbell's nacho cheese soup
1/2 can milk
1 package Mexican or Spanish rice

I used a small casserole dish but this made enough for all for of us dinner last night and probably lunch today.  Mix soup and milk in casserole dish, leave fairly thick. Drain and rinse beans drain corn add too soup.  Prepare rice according to package and then spread over casserole. Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes or until the soup is bubbly. Remove from oven let set for a few minutes and serve with corn chips. Enjoy!!

Taco Soup

I can't believe I have not already put this on here! We love this recipe! It is quick, easy, can be frozen, made for large or small groups, vegetarian or with meat, and can be completely kept in food storage.

2 cans kidney beans
2 cans black beans
2 cans mexicorn
1 can tomato sauce
1 can Mexican stewed tomatoes
1 packet taco seasoning
1 lbs ground beef or ground turkey

other nice additions:
1 small can chopped olives
1 small onion chopped and sauteed

Brown hamburger and season lightly as if for tacos.  Combine tomato sauce and taco seasoning in stew pan or crock pot add all other ingredients and warm through.  This is really good the second day because it gets thicker. We eat our with shredded cheese and corn chips.  For vegetarian just leave out the ground meat.

Note: This freezes really well and stays good for a couple months if well bagged or in tight tupperware.

Potato Corn Chowder

This little soup I first heard about from my mom. A friend brought it to her last fall when she was very very sick with shingles.  She used pre-made soups and it is very simple, convenient, and and delicious. 


Quick version:

One can Potato soup + one can Cream style corn

     Warm potato soup according to package and add cream corn and warm to preference.



From Scratch Version:

Six potatoes
4 cups water
6 strips of bacon (i used turkey)
1/4 cup of margarine or butter
3 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
Nature Seasoning to taste
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 cans cream style corn
(I also think celery would be a nice addition, but I didn't have any on hand.)


Peel and cube potatoes. Boil until soft in 4 cups of water.  Cook the bacon and cut into small strips.  Melt butter in a separate sauce pan and add flour creating a thick paste ( the thicker you want your soup the thicker and drier you should make this paste by adding more flour) add seasonings to the paste.  Add milk to paste stirring continuously once it has smoothed and thickened add to potatoes.  Add bacon and cream corn and stir steadily on medium low heat until it reaches desired thickness.  Serve and enjoy!!

Cooking for the week and making it up as I go.

So today, I woke up in the mood to cook!  Matt is going to be working extra hours for the next few weeks and I don't to get behind and start eating out. So I cooked all day!  I made two casseroles, 2 meals worth of potato/corn chowder, 2 meals worth of white chicken chili, two loaves of bread, and baked oatmeal for dinner tonight!  I froze one casserole and half of each soup and will freeze one loaf of bread.  Having 3 meals frozen and 3 in the fridge improves my outlook vastly!! 

The fun part of this was I made up a couple recipes as I went. Yup, I invented a Bean and Rice casserole and the potato/corn chowder I improvised from scratch rather than using premade soups.  I will post both the recipes for the potato/corn chowder.  I think I may hold off on posting the bean/rice casserole til after we eat it. It smelled really good but we are not eating it til tomorrow.

Last week we discovered that having frozen flat bread pizza crusts in the freezer is a kin to having premade frozen pizzas on hand and taste a whole lot better. So tomorrow I plan to make some more pizza crusts to freeze.  Keeping cheese, pepperoni, and pizza sauce on hand is easy and in expensive. 

Here's to planning ahead and hoping my latest inventions are edible!! LOL

Meal Board

Okay, So it has been FOREVER since I posted anything! Sorry!  This post is not actually a recipe but a little tip I recently found that I want to share.  I found an app for my Ipod touch that I am just figuring out but absolutely loving already! It is a meal/grocery planner. You can calendar meals for up to a month at a time and then it will generate a grocery list for you based on what you have in your plan! It will also estimate cost and has a coupon feature for those of you that coupon! You enter each recipe with full ingredients lists and instructions, makes it a nice little on the go recipe box too!  It is going to take a while to get all my recipes and usual side dishes in, but it does have an online recipe entering site that will make it faster. Once the are all in I will be able to create meal plans super fast!! It is called mealboard and was only $3.99 in the app store, I really think it is going to be worth it!!  Just wanted to share!  I don't know if this is available for Droid devices, sorry.

Easy Stir-Fry

We use to have these all the time. Our local grocer has stopped carrying them (for reasons unknown to me) which is a tragedy! They are tasty - and so quick and easy. I usually will cut up chicken or beef cubes to add to the mix. Then I serve it over steamed white rice.

I have found this is a great way to serve veggies to my kids. They don't even notice really - the sauce must mask that veggie taste or something!

Fast Breakfasts

My favorite breakfast lately is biscuits and sausage! You can't beat a warm biscuit from the oven smothered with butter and honey! From scratch? you say? Nope - just a pack of Jiffy! Why bother with scratch when these are so good and fast!

For a little variety, we sometimes mix it up with a box of Jiffy Chocolate Muffins. It's like having a cupcake for breakfast - only healthy because it says 'muffin' ! We usually don't do breakfast sausage with this option. But throw in a banana or some strawberries, and it isn't too bad!

Mel's Key Lime Bars

I made these yesterday for a light, summery dessert for fathers day. I found the recipe here and have been waiting to try it for a couple of weeks. They didn't disappoint - They were a big hit!

They are even better today!!

Ingredients:

Crust:
5 ounces animal crackers (about 2 1/2 cups animal crackers)
3 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
Pinch salt
4 tablespoons butter, melted

Filling:
2 ounces cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1 tbsp grated fresh lime zest (from about 2 limes)
1 can (14-ounce) sweetened condensed milk
Pinch salt
1 large egg yolk
1/2 cup fresh lime juice (from about 3-4 regular limes or 20 Key limes)

Garnish (optional)
3/4 cup shredded coconut, toasted

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F, adjusting an oven rack to the middle position. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with aluminum foil, letting two opposing edges hang over at least an inch or so. Grease the foil with cooking spray.

For the crust, process the animal crackers, sugar and salt together to fine crumbs in a blender or food processor. Drizzle the melted butter over the crumbs and pulse to incorporate (or stir together in a bowl with a fork). Sprinkle the mixture into the prepared pan and press the crumbs into an even layer. Bake the crust until fragrant and golden, about 15-18 minutes.

For the filling, while crust bakes, in a medium bowl, stir the cream cheese, lime zest and salt together until combined. Whisk in the sweetened condensed milk until smooth (you can use a handheld electric mixer, if you want). Whisk in the egg yolk and lime juice until combined.

Pour the filling evenly over the crust. Bake the bars until the filling is set and the edges just slightly begin to pull away from the sides of the pan, 15-17 minutes.

Let the bars cool completely in the pan set on a wire rack, about 2 hours. Then cover the pan with foil and refrigerate until chilled, about 2 hours. Remove the bars from the pan using the foil overhang and cut into squares. Sprinkle with toasted coconut if desired.

Fish and Rice

Okay, So if you are like me you don't do a "recipe" every day, it is more like meal combination.  With that in mind I have been wanting some new ideas that are things I can keep on hand and put together to call a meal. In the spirit of that I am posting an idea that I use for my family.  Tonight we had Tilapia, Broccoli and Cheese rice, Tossed Green Salad, Blueberry muffins, and peaches. Sounds kind of fancy right? Well, it is actually a simple 30 minute standby! Here's the break down:

I will get about 2.5 meals from one bag.  One bag is $11.98 at Sam's Club. We don't get this all the time cause it is a little expensive, but it is worth it!  Oh and these cook from mostly frozen in 20 minutes. I just put a little garlic salt, basil, and lemon pepper on them.

We love rice in our house. One packet left us with just a little left over. It was $.88! I cooked it in the microwave in 12 minutes! yup, 12 minutes.

Who doesn't love a blueberry muffin! One packet makes 6 muffins, barely enough for my crew. These were $.78!  These took 15 minutes in the oven. I set the temp for the fish at 400 started it first 5 minutes then added the muffins and everything came out pretty much at the same time! (fish on the bottom rack) 

We prefer this blend cause it has pea pods and radishes! mmmmm if I make a salad myself I include both! These are often on sale for 2 for $5. We usually get two meals out of one bag, and yes the kids eat this!

This is one of the large cans, a small one doesn't quite do it but a big one left us with a few left over. Lunch tomorrow! I think I paid a dollar for this one.

I have included all the pricing so that we can see that this is a convenient quick, relatively health, meal that doesn't break the bank.  I hope this helps you with some ideas to keep in your kitchen!

Total Per Person Cost: $2.71 (feel free to double check the math!)

Now you know, I often get our entire meals from packages. Sigh. But if you do it right it can still be pretty darn healthy. Even the peaches are no sugar added preserved in pear juice. I am going to put a label on this type of post Convenient Combos so that we will know they are not really a recipe, but a meal idea.The idea here is kind of to have parts on hand that you could use in different combination. Such as pasta instead of rice or chicken instead of fish etc. PLEASE if you have some meals like this that you keep on hand for your family SHARE!! We would love some change.

One Pan Chicken and Potato Bake

This recipe is from the Kraftfood Magazine. I used to get it regularly and really liked it! Now I just check out the website.  This is a quick and easy throw in the oven and come back to a hardy meal.

Ingredients:

3 medium sized boneless skinless chicken breasts ( the original recipe uses legs and thighs, but I usually have breasts on hand in the freezer.)
3-4 medium sized potatoes cut in to wedges
3/4 cup Italian dressing (zesty works well too)
Parmesan Cheese

Directions:
Grease casserole pan and place potato wedges in bottom, cover lightly with dressing. Place chicken breasts on top of potatoes cover with dressing and Parmesan cheese. Place in preheated oven 400' for about 45 minutes.  The cheese will brown up a little as will the potatoes. 

I usually serve this with a cold salad and or cold fruit.

Mock Mac & Cheese

I have fallen in love with this recipe ever since I found it on a diabetic recipe website. It is so full of flavor and it is so good for you, it makes having second helpings feel much less guilty. I do not understand why it is titled the way it is since it tastes nothing like mac & cheese, but I just go with it anyway.

Mock Mac & Cheese

Ingredients:

1 head of cauliflower
1 Tbls. yellow mustard (the kind you put on a burger, not the powder.)
3 Tbls. Low fat or Fat Free Mayo (I prefer Best Foods low fat mayo)
2-4 Tbls. Margarine (optional)
Grated or Shredded Parmesan Cheese

Clean cauliflower and peel off leaves. Boil for approx. 20 -25 min. You do not want it to over cook it as it will fall apart. Remove from pot and sit on a plate covered in several sheets of paper towels to absorb left over water. Let sit till it is completely drained then place in a suffl'e dish. (I use a deep casserole dish and it works just fine.) Take margarine and push down into the head of cauliflower, top and sides to add moisture and to allow sauce to penetrate. Mix mayo and mustard together and pour it over cauliflower, making sure to cover the entire head. Keep most of the sauce on top and it will run down the side while cooking. Sprinkle generously with Parmesan cheese and cook in oven @ 350 degrees until top is golden brown. Apprx. 25 min.

You can adjust the sauce to the amount of cauliflower by adding mayo and mustard to acheive desired quantity and taste. Serve as a side dish to anything.

Old Fashioned Strawberry-Rhubarb Crisp

• Filling
  1. 2 pounds rhubarb stalks, sliced 1/2 inch thick
  2. 1 1/4 cups sugar
  3. 1 pound strawberries, hulled and quartered
  4. 3 tablespoons cornstarch
  5. 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
  6. 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• Topping
  1. 1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
  2. 1 1/2 cups light brown sugar
  3. 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  4. 1 1/4 cups quick-cooking rolled oats
  5. 3 tablespoons canola oil
  6. 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
  7. 3/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375°. In a bowl, toss the rhubarb with 3/4 cup of the sugar and let stand for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. In another bowl, toss the strawberries with the remaining 1/2 cup sugar and let stand for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the rhubarb to the strawberries; discard any rhubarb juice. Add the cornstarch, lemon juice and vanilla to the fruit and stir well. Transfer the mixture to a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish.
2. Combine all of the ingredients in a medium bowl. Using a pastry blender or your fingers, mix the ingredients together until large crumbs form.
3. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the filling and bake for 30 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 325° and continue baking for about 30 minutes longer, until the fruit filling is bubbling and the topping is nicely browned. Let the crisp rest for 10 to 20 minutes before serving.

Make Ahead

The topping can be refrigerated overnight. Bring to room temperature before using.

Serve With

Can be served with vanilla ice cream.

Baked "Fried" Chicken

This is one of my favorite go-to meals. I usually always have chicken on hand, and this recipe is E A S Y! Not to mention delicious and one of my kids' favorites (anything that scores big with the kids is high on my list!)

Ingredients:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Breadcrumbs
Butter
Nature Seasoning (or all spice)

Directions:

Turn the oven to 350.

Assemble your breadcrumb coating. I usually will crumble up soda crackers, or corn flakes, or old breadcrumbs. Just depends on what I have laying around the house. If I'm being super fancy, I use the breadcrumbs that come nicely crumbled in a jar. Complete with flavoring! Add to the breadcrumbs a few shakes of the Nature Seasoning. Mix.

Wash uncooked chicken breasts. Towel dry. Lay the chicken (one at a time) in the breadcrumb mixture to coat both sides.

Grease a baking dish with a little Pam or Butter. Lay the chicken in the baker parallel to each other. In between each breast, put 1 tablespoon of butter.

Place in the oven for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, turn the breasts over and cook for an additional 30 minutes. (If your butter has boiled and evaporated out, add a few more chunks before you cook for the last 30 minutes.)

That's it! Enjoy!

Complete the meal:

I usually serve this with Rice A Roni Chicken Rice and some Frozen Peas.

Pasta Salad

Sounds vague right? Well, this is sometimes called Italian Pasta Salad. It has many variations and is a great summer salad, either as a meal itself or as a side.

Ingredients:

2 cups Garden Rotini Pasta
1 cucumber
1 each green, red, yellow, orange small sweet bell peppers (more or less to taste, all green works too.)
1/2 can chopped large black olives
1 diced tomatoes (I usually leave these out, but if you like tomatoes they are a great addition)
1/2 cup Italian dressing (zesty Italian is nice too, add more or less to taste)

Directions:

Boil pasta until tender, drain, rinse in cold water and place in fridge to chill. Dice all veggies, I like to peel my cucumbers- but it is not vital, add veggies to noodles and stir.  Add dressing and stir. Chill for a few minutes before serving.

Beef Stroganoff

One of our favorites! It is fast, easy, and a crowd pleaser!

Ingredients:

1 lb Beef Cubes
2 Cups Sliced Mushrooms
1 Pkg. Egg Noodles
2 Pkgs. Brown Gravy mix
Garlic Salt (to taste)
Nature Seasoning (to taste) -- you can use any all spice brand
Sour Cream
Butter

Directions:

Cook noodles until al dente.

In a frypan, melt about 2 tablespoons of butter. Once melted, add your mushrooms. Stir until coated and let cook for about 1 minute. Then add your beef cubes. Season with the Garlic Salt and the Nature Seasoning. Cook until beef is browned. Once the meat is done, add the Brown Gravy mix to the pan. The brand I buy is powder form and requires a cup of water per packet. If that is the case, add the amt of water called for on the back of the packets. In my case - it is 2 cups. Stir all together and cook until the gravy begins to thicken.

At this point, I will add a tablespoon of sour cream into the mix. Some people in my family don't like sour cream, but I've found it makes a richer gravy and if I sneak it in at this point, no one knows! :) Once I get it mixed in, I serve over the noodles.

You can add another dollop of sour cream on top of the mix for presentation if you'd like.

Complete the meal:

I usually serve this meal with a loaf of fresh French bread and a green salad.

The Chicken of the Sea: Tuna Salad

Tuna salad is a summer staple in our house. Lunch, Dinner, Snack you name the time Tuna salad works! This can be made with relatively few ingredients on hand too! I usually make quite a large portion of it and we eat it for a couple days so keep that in mind when following this recipe, you may want to fraction depending on the size of group you are feeding and how much left over you like.  We also prefer to eat this with chips, Ruffles or Sun chips are our favorites. I also like eating it with toast, but I am in the minority there in my house.

2 cans chunk light tuna in water
2 cups salad roni or macaroni

Sauce:
1 cup miracle whip
1 tblspoon lemon juice
3 tblspoons milk
1 tspn Nature's Season
1/2 tspn Onion salt
1 tspn Celery Flakes ( if you are not adding fresh celery)
3/4 tspn Garlic salt
1/2 tspn Curry powder
1/4 tspn Paprika

Extra optionals:
Celery
Green Bell Peppers
Sweet peppers red, yellow, orange
Green Onions

Teriyaki Chicken

I think it might be nice to include some meal combinations that are not necessarily involved recipes, just dinner ideas.  In that vein I want to tell you about a pre-prepared food that I buy at Sam's Club that we just love and is sooo easy and quick for those nights I just don't get to cooking something from scratch.

The nutrition for this convenience food is still quite good, and they are calorie friendly if you are watching calories. Both my kids like these, so that is a huge plus!  The price is very good for the convenience too!They are about $12.00 per bag before tax and we usually get 4-5 meals per bag, so around $3.50 per meal, and that is all 4 of us! In a pinch you can heat them in the microwave (they are fully cooked so you are just warming them through) and if you have time you can cook them in the oven in about 25 minutes. I think they are a bit better in the oven but yesterday at lunch I used the microwave!  In the winter I will make pasta and/or warm veggies and apple slices with it and in the summer I often have a tossed salad and some cold fruit.

Taco Salad

Time for a nice cool summer meal!  We love this recipe it requires no cooking at all and is quite filling!

I got this recipe from a Kraftfoods Magazine, it was called Southwest Layered Salad, but we just call it Taco Salad.

6 cups torn romaine lettuce ( we actually prefer baby spinach leaves for this salad )
1 can (15 oz) black beans, rinsed/drained
1 can mexicorn, drained
3/4 cup salsa
1/2 - 1 cup shredded cheese ( we like the Kroger Mexican blend )
1/4 cup ranch dressing ( we actually don't put this in the bowl but let everyone add it at will )
Tortilla chips

Place leaves in the bottom of the bowl add layers of beans, corn, salsa, and cheese. Repeat until bowl is full.  We like to put the corn chips on our plate and cover them with the salad and then add the ranch dressing. Enjoy!

Making Buttermilk- minus the cow

A lot of recipes call for buttermilk, now in many recipes you can substitute regular milk, but really if a recipe is calling for it, it will really taste the best with buttermilk.  So what do you do if you don't keep buttermilk on hand, and you don't have a cow? You can create it, or more accurately soured milk.  Many of you may know this trick, but it was one my mom told me that I have found useful on many occasions, so I thought I would share here.  By adding lemon juice to regular milk (2%, whole doesn't matter I don't think the fat free would work.....) Anyway. It creates a equivalent for butter milk. The ratio is 1 cup milk to 1 tablespoon of lemon juice.

Texas Sheet Cake

It is time for a dessert. And as I have had a special request for this dish for the upcoming Memorial Day Holiday I am going to post it now. Not diet friendly, but for those days declared calorie free!

Sift together: 2 cups sugar
                    2 cups flour

Bring to Boil: 2 cubes butter
                     1 cup water
                     4-6 tblspns baking cocoa ( I use 6 the recipe says 4, we like our a little on the dark side )
     Add to flour/sugar mixture and stir gently.

Add: 1/2 cup buttermilk
         2 eggs beaten
         2 tspn vanilla
         1 tspn baking soda
         1/2 tsp salt
     Mix Well

Poor into greased and floured  baking sheet. Cook at 400' for approximately 20 min. (until a knife comes out clean.)

The frosting should be poured on while the cake is still quite warm. Begin preparing with about 10 minutes of baking left.

Frosting:

Melt all ingredients together in sauce pan until just boiling stirring consistently to prevent lumps or scorching. When boiling occurs pour over warm cake.

1 cube butter
6 tblspns buttermilk
2 tspn vanilla
4-6 tblspns cocoa (again the recipe calls for 4, we preferre 6)
2 cups powdered sugar


This cake is best if you let it cool completely before trying to cut it. The frosting will get a crusty sugary texture that is oooh soooo good! I often make it the day before we plan to eat it. Enjoy!

HomeMade Pizza

This is pretty self explanatory i suppose but I am putting it up anyway because we really like to make it and if you have the ingredients on hand it is a quick one for those nights you are running and forget to plan.  All the ingredients can be stored dry or frozen.

Flat bread (homemade or we found good bread at Walmart Bakery for just a couple bucks and they freeze well.)
Pizza Sauce (I just buy Ragu premade, then it is in the cupboard when I want it.)
Pepperoni (stay good a really long time in the fridge and freeze well)
Mozzarella Cheese finely grated (we did not like the Pizza blend. and this also freezes well.)
Pineapple (we do fresh when it is on sale but canned works great too, we just cut up the rings.)

Preheat oven to 350'
Place bread on cookie sheet add sauce then cheese then other toppings then a little more cheese. Place in oven until the pineapple looks a little translucent or is soft.  (about 15 minutes) Remove from oven and cut and serve.

Naan Flatbread-from allrecipes.com

We just love this bread! We eat it with salads and other items with sauce to dip in, but our favorite use is to make homemade pizza! ( I will put that in a separate post.)

Prep. Time 1.5 hrs
Cooking Time 4 minutes each side

1 1/2 tblspn yeast with 1 tblspn sugar with 1 cup water - let proof while preparing other ingredients

1 egg - beaten
3 tblspns almond milk (rice or dairy if preferred)
1/4 cup sugar
4 cups flour
1 tspn salt

Mix: egg, milk, sugar
Add: Yeast, blend well
Add: 1/2 flour and mix well, add salt and remaining flour.  Dough should be slightly sticky. Place dough ball in a well greased bowl and rub dough with margarine. Cover with damp cloth place in warm location to rise, about 1 hour.

Knock down and divide into balls ( I get about two medium pizza crust size out of this recipe or two small ones to munch and one larger pizza.)   Let rise again for about 30 minutes. Heat grill to just above medium while dough rises second time.  Roll dough out with rolling pin to very thin circles or rectangles. Sprinkle flour on rolling pin and counter top. Place dough on grill and cook til it takes on a breadish look, then flip and brown other side.  Remove from grill and place on cooling rack.

The Yeast of the Problem

Yeast can make you or break you! It is the difference between bread like a rock and bread like a feather! The most critical thing I learned is that Salt controls the yeast!! That's right if you put in too much salt it will kill it! and if you put in the right amount of yeast but you put it directly on the yeast it will also kill it. But on the upside, if you forget to put the salt in all together your bread will rise quite fast! =) So, when making bread add the salt after you have added some of the flour to protect your yeast.  It also bears saying that water temp is a huge factor. Too warm or too cold either one will kill the yeast. I try to get mine just warmer than room temp. and I also warm my ingredients slightly so that the yeast doesn't get shocked when added.  One more important note. It needs to be room temp before you add the water, this is assuming you are keeping your yeast in the fridge, and you should as it will last longer and stay fresher.  Okay, I think that completes my dissertation on yeast. I hope it makes sense. Please add if you have more info!

Honey Wheat Bread

I think the preliminaries are pretty well covered! So on to the recipes!

This is without a doubt the most used recipe in my house.  I do not buy store bought bread but once in a great while anymore thanks to this bread recipe. I found it in my Fiddler's Canyon Ward Cookbook.  What you see posted here is significantly adapted from the recipe found above so I feel fairly comfortable calling it my own.

I make it pretty sweet, but the honey can be adjusted down for a less sweet flavor with out really affecting the out come of the bread (though you may need less yeast with less honey).  It will also be important to note that I use quite a lot of yeast. I am at a very low altitude and moist climate so extra yeast is necessary. Those of you in drier and high altitudes will probably need less yeast. (I think I will create a post dedicated to yeast and what I have learned about this tricky little substance, if you have some experience please add!)

Honey Wheat Bread
-makes two good sized loaves

2 tblspns yeast with 1/2 cup warm water and 1 tblspn sugar

1/4 cup oil (can use butter)
1 1/4 almond milk (rice and dairy milk also work great)
1/2 cup warm water
1 cup honey
1tspn salt
3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
3 1/2 cups unbleached wheat flour

Preheat oven to 350' (I find this helps my yeast proof and bread rise)

Yeast: put in a bowl on stove top to allow to warm to room temp. once warmed add water and sugar, stir well to ensure dissolved completely.  Let proof about 10-15 min.

Mix: Oil, Milk, Water, Honey in electric mixer. (warm slightly milk, water, and honey). When yeast is nice and tall add to bowl and mix well.

Add: 1/2 flour and mix well. Add salt and remaining flour gradually.  (I alternate one cup of each type of flour to keep it balanced.)  Knead until well mixed and smooth yet still a little sticky.

Place in well greased bowl, rub the dough ball with margarine to keep it moist while rising, cover with a damp cloth and let rise 30-60 minutes or until doubled.  Knock down, divide into loaves, place in well greased loaf pans, again rub with margarine, let rise another 30-40 min.

Bake: 30 minutes middle rack or until the bread has a hollow sound when you thump it lightly on the top.

Remove from oven and let cook just a few minutes in the pans and then dump out and place on wire cooling racks.

Happy  Baking! let me know if you have any problems or questions! And remember, bread is one of those things that takes practice, at least it is for me!

I will try to take pictures the next time I make it and then add them. :)

Labels

Okay, so I think it maybe helpful to set up in advance some categories for our recipes. Then each time we post a recipe we can add a corresponding label. Then if you come to the site looking for a new recipe you can just look under the labels on the side bar and find one that works for you.  I am going to make a list here of come categories, please make suggestions in the comment bar. Once we have a final list I will post it with a label link on the side bar, so if you are wondering what to label a certain recipe you can look here to find where it fits.  I am not sure if we want by type of food or by part of meal. Such as Chicken, or Main Dishes etc. I suppose we could do both, then one could find it either way.

 Salads:
    Pasta
    Greens
Soups:
     Stew
     Chili
     Soup
Bread:
     Sandwich
     Sweets
     Meal Side
Main Dishes:
     Vegetarian
     Poultry
     Beef
     Pork
     Fish
     Breakfast
Desserts:
     Cakes
     Cookies
     Brownies
     Candy
     Frozen (ice cream, sorbet)

Additional labels that we may want to add to any of the above for convienience for those with specific dietary needs:

Gluten free
Dairy free
Sugar free

Authors

It appears that in order to add authors I will need an email address. If you have one associated with Blogger I think that would be best. Once I have those then I can send you an author invite!  If you would like to email me your email address that would be great or you can leave it in a comment here. My email is erinparker81@hotmail.com. I am also happy to create posts if you do not have time but would like to contribute just email me the info and I will put it up. Thanks Friends!

My Fitness Pal

Okay, so here is the first little thing I am going to share. It is not a recipe, but I think we may all find it useful. It is a website or application called My Fitness Pal. It keeps track of calories and nutrients taken in and burned. It has quite a few features I think, I mostly use it to log calories and exercise. It has a feature like Facebook were you can invite friends and then you can see each other's wall and activity. One of my favorite things about it is you can enter your own recipes in to it and it will give you nutritional information and caloroies per serving. Some people are looking for this blog to be a support tool for creating a healthier lifestyle, some are just going to stop in occasionally for new recipes. Both are great, and I will hopefully have good posts for all!
www.myfitnesspal.com Check it out and let me know what you think!

Welcome!!

Welcome to my newest Blog! Food, Friends, and Family! The three F's of Life! This little blog is hopefully going to be authored by more than just me, but I am going to get it rolling. This will be a forum for us to share recipes and all things healthy family and friends! To get started I think all those interested in contributing to this little blog should leave me a note, and if you are comfortable you can leave an email address, if not find me on FB and send it to me there via inbox (this is open to the public right now, but I am not opposed to making it invite only once we know who is in!). I cannot wait to get this going, we all need a little love right!