Whole Wheat Bread

This a whole wheat bread recipe as it was originally written. I had to tweak it a little bit because I have a smaller mixer and the amount of bread dough this makes doesn't really fit. In Utah, you can purchase the dough enhancer and vital wheat gluten from Harmons, or from Kitchen Kneads in West Jordan. I found the lecithin at Kitchen Kneads. Outside of Utah, I'm not sure where you would go. I've been using Fleischmann's Bread Machine Yeast because it works well for rapid rising recipes. That's exactly what this recipe is. You'll want to use this recipe if you have a Bosch mixer, a 5 quart Kitchen Aid, or Professional size Kitchen Aid. It will fit in one of those and you'll get 3 loaves out of this recipe.

Whole Wheat Bread

4 cups lukewarm water
1 T salt
2 T dough enhancer
1/2 C vital wheat gluten
1/2 C honey
3 T yeast 2 T lecithin
3 T lemon juice
1/2 C oil
8-10 C whole wheat flour

Mix all ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. You can remove the dough and knead by hand for 5 minutes, or allow it to continue mixing and knead in the mixer. Separate into 3 sections. Roll out each into a ball to remove bubbles. Roll balls into loaves and place in greased loaf pans. This is a link to the type of pans I've been using. I have a larger size than the 8 inch ones shown. I think that mine are 10 in. long. They're great because they force your bread to have height. I let it rise for a couple of hours, while sitting on my stove top above the oven that has been preheated. The heat from the oven keeps the bread warm enough and encourages it to rise. If you are using the rapid rise yeast, it will be ready really fast. I still just like to give it some time. Place into a preheated 350 oven and bake for 30-35 minutes.

These are the changes I've made to the recipe. They work for my size mixer and for the area I live in. Bread is kind of a fickle thing and environment seems to play a big part in how well a recipe works.

2 1/2 C lukewarm water
1 T salt
2 T dough enhancer
1/2 C vital wheat gluten
1/2 C honey
4 T sugar
3 T yeast
2 T lecithin
3 T lemon juice
1/2 C oil
6 cups whole wheat flour

You'll notice that I didn't cut all of the ingredients in half. I tried that and it didn't work very well. The bread was really bland and flat. Really, the only things that were cut in half are the water and the flour. The water isn't actually half either. ☺ Anyway, this is how it works for me. I also added the sugar. It helps a lot. It's not bad without it, but it enhances it just a bit. If you don't want to add it, it's totally fine. I get two large loaves out of this recipe. The oven temp is the same. The rising and baking methods/times are the same as well.

Cake Mix Cookies

You can do just about anything with a cake mix. I learned this when Jillene put into our ward cookbook several dessert recipes that use them. I now use them pretty much every time I make cookies. Well, cookie bars to be more exact.

The "recipe" is pretty basic and I do it this way every time, with any kind of mix. The base of mix, oil and egg is always the same. I just change what I mix into it. By the way, you don't add the water called for on the back of the mix. You want this to be stiff like a cookie dough. Here's a few examples.

Caramel Toffee Cookie Bars

You can use any variety of a Yellow or a White mix

1 cake mix
2 eggs
1/2 cup oil
about 1/2 of a bag of caramel bits (the kind you use for making caramel apples)
about 1/2 of a bag of Heath toffee bits

Mix all ingredients together and place in a lightly greased, 9 x 13 baking dish. You will have to smoosh the cookie dough to get it into the corners. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven, for 22-25 minutes. Check the center with a toothpick.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

Any variety of a Yellow or White cake mix.

1 cake mix
2 eggs
1/2 cup oil
1 bag of chocolate chips

Same directions as above.

Mint Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

1 chocolate cake mix
2 eggs
1/2 cup oil
about 1 bag of Andes Mint baking chips (the entire bag might be a bit much for some. Just use your own judgement.)

Same directions as above.

Cake mixes are great when you need a dessert in a hurry and any variety of things can be mixed into them.

Baked Beans

1 28 oz. can baked beans
1 medium onion, diced
1 medium red pepper, diced
1 medium green pepper, diced
4 links spicy pork sausage
2 tbl. chili powder
3 tbl. Worcestershire sauce
4 tbl. vinegar
1/2 c. packed brown sugar
1/2 c. ketchup
1 tsp. garlic powder
salt & pepper to taste
1 dash cayenne pepper (optional)

Brown the sausage links in a large skillet. Cut into bite size pieces. Combine all ingredients in a crock pot. Cook on low for 4 hours, or on high for 2-3.

Chicken and Mushrooms

2 c. sliced fresh mushrooms
1 14 1/2 oz. can diced tomatoes with basil, garlic and oregano
1 medium red sweet pepper, cut into thin strips
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1/4 c. beef broth
2 tbl. couscous
2 tbl. balsamic vinegar
3 cloves garlic, minced
4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
Hot cooked pasta

Combine mushrooms, undrained tomatoes, red sweet pepper, onion, beef broth, couscous, balsamic vinegar and garlic in a crock pot. Place the chicken breasts on top. Sprinkle salt, pepper and paprika on top of the chicken.

Cover and cook on low for 8-9 hours, or on high for 4-4 1/2 hours.

Serve in shallow bowls with cooked pasta.

Spicy Orange Chicken

4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 tbl. olive oil
Salt
Pepper
1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 large red pepper, cut into thin strips
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. finely shredded orange peel
1 c. orange juice
1/2 c. chicken broth
1/2 c. hot salsa
1 15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
chopped avocado (optional)

In a large skillet, cook the chicken in the olive oil for about 15 minutes. Turning to brown evenly. Remove all chicken from the pan; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Set aside. Add onion, sweet pepper and garlic to the pan. Cook until the onion and pepper are just tender. Return the chicken to the pan. Add the orange peel, orange juice, chicken broth and salsa. Bring to boiling, reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 35-40 minutes, or until chicken is tender and no longer pink. Add beans to the mixture and heat through. Serve with chopped avocado.

Beef Taco Bake

1 lb. lean ground beef
1 c. chunky salsa or picante sauce
tortilla chips
1 can tomato soup
1 c. milk
1 c. shredded cheese

Preheat the oven to 400. Brown and drain the ground beef. Add the soup, salsa, milk and half the cheese. Using your hands crush in about 1-2 cups (when they are crushed) of tortilla chips. Stir everything together well. Spray a casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray. Pour the mixture into the dish. Cover with a lid or lightly with foil. Bake for 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the remaining cheese. *Note: This can also be prepared in a skillet. Just add everything to the meat after it's browned and then simmer until thick and bubbly.

Pig Sandwich

1 pork tenderloin or pork roast, about 3-4 pounds
1 26 oz. bottle of BBQ sauce (I like Sweet Baby Ray's)
hard rolls

Place the pork in a crock pot. Cover with the entire bottle of sauce. Cook on low 8-10 hours, on high 4-6. Shred pork with a fork and serve on hard rolls. Pour sauce from the crock pot over the meat so it isn't dry.