Whole Wheat Bread/Bread Machine

Basic whole wheat bread in the bread machine.

Whole Wheat Bread

1-1/3 cup milk

1/4 cup water

2 tbsp honey or sugar

4 tsp butter

2 cups whole wheat flour

2 cups bread flour

1 tsp salt

1-1/4 tsp dry active yeast

Layer ingredients according to your machine's directions. Use the whole grain cycle or basic white cycle for 2-lb. loaf. Makes one 2-lb. loaf, about 22 slices.

Italian Bread/Bread Machine

Great recipe for basic Italian bread and subs in pretty well for French bread too.

Italian Bread

3/4 cup milk

1 egg

3 tbsp water

1 tbsp butter

3 cups bread flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp active dry yeast

Layer all the ingredients according to your machine's directions. Use the basic white cycle. Makes one 1-1/2 pound loaf, about 16 slices.

White Bread/Bread Machine

I've been experimenting with making our own bread and building a collection of go-to recipes for my bread machine. Here's a great recipe for basic white bread.

White Bread

1-1/4 cup milk

1/4 cup room-temperature water

2 tbsp butter or olive oil

4 cups bread flour

2 tbsp sugar

1 tsp salt

1-1/4 tsp active dry yeast

Layer ingredients according to your machine's instructions (generally liquids on bottom, dry stuff on top, little well of yeast on very top). Bake on basic white cycle for 2-lb. loaf. Makes one 2-lb. loaf, about 22 slices.

Green Smoothie 1.0

I love green smoothies, particularly Naked's Green Machine. My mother-in-law recently lent me her juicer, so we've been busy in the kitchen trying to make a Green Machine of our own. Here's attempt #1. While it doesn't really taste like Naked's version, it's still really tasty and full of vitamins!

Green Smoothie 1.0

2 handfuls leafy spinach

4 handfuls green grapes

2-3 small green apples

2 carrots

6 celery sticks

1 tbsp finely ground flaxseed

In a juicer or blender, juice the spinach, grapes, apples, carrots and celery. Pour into your cup or pitcher, and mix in the flaxseed. Chill thoroughly before drinking. Makes about 3 cups ~ 2 servings.

Crockpot Apple Butter

Somehow, we ended up with a ton of apples to use up, so I brought out the crockpot to save the apples from wasting away. Apple butter is so incredibly easy (only 3 steps!), and I ended up with 5 jars worth for the pantry. Apple butter, of course, means fresh biscuits, which made my sons happy, so we have been merrily snacking for days. 

Crockpot Apple Butter

1. Peel and chop a bunch of apples.
2. Put them in the crockpot with 1/2 c to 1 c. water, a healthy sprinkle of cinnamon and a mix of half white sugar, half brown sugar to taste (usually 1 c. total is enough for sweet sauce).
3. Cook all day until brown and thick. Use a whisk to smooth, stirring every hour or so.

Chilled Cream of Cucumber Soup with Dill

One of my summer favorites:

Chilled Cream of Cucumber Soup with Dill
3 cucumbers, peeled and seeded
1/2 cup chilled buttermilk
1/2 cup chilled lowfat sour cream
2-1/2 teaspoons distilled white vinegar
1 teaspoon olive oil
1-1/2 teaspoons snipped fresh dill or 1/2 teaspoon dried, crumbled

In a blender, puree the cucumbers, then mix in the buttermilk, the sour cream, the vinegar, the oil, the dill and salt to taste. Chill the soup, covered for at least 30 minutes. Whisk the soup to recombine, then divide the soup between 2 chilled bowls.

The Best Greek Salad Ever

We love Greek salad in the summer, and we're to the point that we've made it so much we no longer follow a recipe -- we just toss whatever's available from the garden or the produce bin into the bowl. But this has to be the yummiest Greek salad I've ever made, so I had to list the ingredients out for posterity. And so I can make it again every weekend this summer...take a look and tell me this doesn't look divine...

The Best Greek Salad

cucumber

tomatoes (cherries cut in half, or larger tomatoes cut into chunks)

olives (we like a combo of green olives and katamala olives)

fresh parsley -- lots of it

olive oil, just a drizzle

dried basil

dried Greek seasoning blend (if you have it)

sea salt or kosher salt

dried thyme

feta cheese

Combine ingredients in a large bowl (to taste) and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Serve cold. Leftovers taste even better the next day! Makes a great side dish or a light lunch entree.

Turkey Meatballs

I don't cook with ground turkey often, but this experiment worked out so well that it's going into regular rotation. This recipe can go over pasta or on rolls for meatball subs (which is how we had it). So delicious, and healthy too! I did not measure as I was tossing stuff in, so all measurements are approximate. The next time I make it, I'll try to be more precise so I can update.

Turkey Meatballs
1 lb. ground turkey
2 slices day old bread, ground into crumbs
2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
1 tbsp diced garlic
2 tbsp ketchup
3 tbsp + olive oil, plus more for frying
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 tbsp dried rosemary
1 tbsp dried celery seed
a bit of salt and black pepper

Sauce (can use premade spaghetti sauce or use ingredients below):
16 oz tomato sauce
16 oz can whole tomatoes or large diced tomatoes in juice
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 tbsp dried rosemary
1 tbsp dried basil
2 tbsp dried parsley
2 tbsp garlic salt

Mix ingredients from ground turkey down to salt and pepper together in a large bowl, then roll the mixture into meatballs with your hands. Brown in olive oil in a saute pan over medium-high heat, just a couple of minutes on each side. Transfer browned meatballs to crockpot. Pour in premade spaghetti sauce or sauce ingredients listed above. Simmer on High for 2 hours or Low for 4 hours. Serves 6-8.

Pantry Potato Soup v2 (Crockpot Style)

I ended up working on another creamy potato soup recipe, in large part because I had leftover chicken and turkey stock in my fridge and half a bag of potatoes that I didn't want to waste. Also, the last experiment worked out so well, I was eager to find a similar version that could be made in my BFF, the crockpot. Here's what I came up with -- it's similar to the stove-top version I made last week, but it's designed to simmer in a crockpot all day long, perfect for workdays! The ingredients are a bit different, because once again I was raiding the pantry for supplies.

Pantry Potato Soup v2 (Crockpot Style)

5-6 medium white potatoes, cut into chunks

large handful of carrots, cut into chunks

6 cups stock or broth (I used a combo of homemade chicken and turkey stocks or use veggie stock for vegetarian)

16 oz. frozen sweet corn

7 oz. can green chiles

1 tbsp celery seed

2 tbsp minced onion

1 tsp ground black pepper

8 oz. package cream cheese

2 triangles Laughing Cow cheese (or other soft cheese)

3-4 tbsp Lawry's seasoning salt (to taste)

Toss potatoes through black pepper into crockpot, and simmer on low for about 8 hours. Stir in cream cheese and other soft cheese, then raise heat to high until cheese is melted. Use an immersion blender to cream soup. Stir in Lawry's to taste. Simmer another 5 minutes on low, and serve hot, with fresh bread or tortillas.

Pantry Potato Soup

When I threw together this soup last night, I wasn't trying to make a recipe. I was just trying to make a meal using whatever I had in the pantry, fridge and freezer. The result was amazing, and despite my general dislike of leftovers, today's leftover soup lunch was just as tasty. Paired with fresh homemade bread, this is an excellent meal. Sorry, I didn't take notes as I prepared it, so I don't have exact measurements for anything. I will definitely be paying more attention to the details next time so I can update!

Pantry Potato Soup

6-8 medium white potatoes, cut into chunks

large handful of carrots, cut into chunks

8 cups stock or broth (I used a combo of homemade chicken and turkey stocks, or use veggie stock for vegetarian)

diced onion, green pepper and celery (I used a frozen bag of the combo)

2-3 tbsp Lawry's seasoning salt

1 tbsp celery seed

1 bay leaf

8oz package cream cheese

2 triangles Laughing Cow cheese (or other soft cheese)

In a large stock pot, boil all veggies and seasonings in stock until potatoes are fully cooked (about 15 minutes). Stir in cream cheese and other soft cheese until melted. Remove from heat and use an immersion blender to cream soup. Simmer another 5-10 minutes on medium low, and serve hot, with fresh bread.