Posted in Recipes

I don't know if I've ever shared this with you, but I have a "hate" relationship going with my breadmaker.  I saved my money and dreamed of a day when I could buy a breadmaker to help out with the bread-making (duh) around here, and it would "free me!"  Ahem.  Not so much.  I purchased one, and dreamed of the baked goods, pizza crusts, etc., that I would be making in no time (literally and figuratively speaking).

I brought that coveted machine home, prepped it, and read the manual.  It was too late to start anything that night, but bright and early the following morning I eagerly tackled my first loaf of bread.  Anticipation ran high throughout the home (we don't get out much), peeks were stolen through the top, and time was counted down.  It appeared all was well.  Until the timer 'ding'-ed and the lid was opened.  It had fallen.  I had failed.

As an aside here, let me tell you in all honesty (and with all humility, *snort*) that I fully expected my very first loaf to turn out P.E.R.F.E.C.T.ly.  I'm not kidding.  My relative success in the kitchen has given me, shall we say, relative arrogance.  *sigh*  So the first loaf's less-than-perfect appearance ticked me off.  I didn't question my method, I jumped right to blaming the machine.  It didn't matter that the family judged it tasty - it wasn't good enough for me.  So there.

Immediately (okay, maybe the next day) I combed through the directions and put another loaf in the machine.  Same. Stinking. Results.  And the same with the third loaf.  And fourth.  By now, I'm hopping mad.  WHY exactly had I coveted this thing??  Further conversation with a girlfriend did nothing except add fuel to my anger when she shook her head and exclaimed she had Never Had A Problem With Her Bread Machine.  But she sent me a list of things to troubleshoot.  None of them helped.  Not a one.

So, I put the dratted thing in the pantry and vowed to cool off before trying anything again, if I didn't give it to charity first.  Weeks (months) went by, and during a hectic baking day, I decided to give it another shot.  I had some pizza dough I wanted to make up and freeze, so I threw the ingredients in on the dough cycle.  No worries there - even if it did fall, so what?

Ahem.  Falling wasn't the problem this time.  When the 'ding'-er went off, I eagerly opened the lid to discover the thing-that-was-taking-over-my-machine.  Dough was E.V.E.R.Y.W.H.E.R.E.  Over the sides of the pan, all over the heating element, stuck to the sides of the maker.  I'm not a little ashamed to say that I got hopping mad (again), muttered under my breath about the machine that was obviously trying to drive me insane, threw dark looks at my children warning them to Stay Away, and in general threw a little fit for a good 10 minutes.  Yep.  That's me.

After that, I'm amazed that I decided to try my machine ever again, but I did, and had an Alleluia moment when I opened that lid.  You know the one:  light streaming down over your head, angels singing in their heavenly voices, and gratitude humming in your chest.  Because it Finally Worked.

So, now I have a love-hate relationship with my breadmaker (you don't think I can just forget all of its cruelties because of one success story, do you??).  I thought I'd share with you my successful recipe in case you had a breadmaker you hated too.  Even if you love yours, you can have this recipe too.  Even if you don't have a breadmaker, you can probably make this without a problem the old-fashioned way (my preferred method, to be honest).  This is a wonderful recipe, because you make it up the afternoon/evening before and set it to rise in the fridge so you can just take it out and pop it in the oven for breakfast the next day.  And it's amazing!!  I hope you enjoy it!

Cinnamon-Raisin Bread

1¼ c. warm water
1 tsp. salt
¼ c. brown sugar
2 Tbs. oil (I used melted butter)
3½ c. flour
2½ tsp. yeast

Put the ingredients in your bread machine in the order given, with the yeast in a little "well" in the center of the flour.  Set to dough cycle.  Let rise in the machine, then pull out and roll into a rectangle.  Sprinkle with brown sugar, cinnamon, and raisins.  Roll up jelly roll style and fold seam down into a (well) greased loaf pan.  Cover with a tea towel and put in the dridge.  Let rise overnight and pull out to finish rising in the morning.  Bake at 350 for 40-50 minutes.

After rising overnight, before baking:

I don't start this before 3 p.m., as it rises far too much and gets airy when baked.  It's wonderful, though, to have your home smelling wonderfully when your family gets up.  Jigger's nose led him right to the bread this morning, even before he kissed me Good Morning.  Ü

So, try this recipe, and let me know if you like your breadmaker just a little.  And if you have a total love relationship with your breadmaker, I really don't want to hear about it.  Really.

Posted in Recipes

Well, I crashed last night before loading the final installment of my Baking Day yesterday, so thought I'd share it now.  I did indeed get the Vegetable Rice Soup made, and served it up with Pigs-in-Blankets that I made yesterday.

I also made a quick batch of No-Bake Cookies, which went over extremely well in our home last night.

I thawed the meat, but have absolutely no energy to do anything with it today, so I may be bumping tonight's meal to tomorrow and pulling burritos out of the freezer to have with a salad, as we're going to be running errands (library and groceries) all afternoon.  Who likes cooking after grocery shopping, honestly?  Not me, so frozen burritos, here we come.

I did, indeed, get the bread in the fridge last night as well, and that recipe and story (of course there's a story!) will be posted tomorrow.  For now, I'm going to go clean out my fridge, throw lunch on, and gear myself up to go grocery shopping and run errands in this 100°+ heat.  Anyone want to trade homes?  Apparently you can't sell anything in today's market, so we're open to a trade.  *grin*

Have a wonderful Thursday!

Posted in Recipes

Well, the oven went off at five minutes to one - and while my entire list did not get done, a good portion of it did.  I am satisfied with my morning's labors.

First thing, I threw together some whole wheat bread and then some banana chocolate chip muffins.

Next, I put together 32 Pigs-in-a-Blanket:

Finally, I topped it off with an experiment - Pizza Hot Pockets.  They taste delicious, but they are quite large, so instead of making 12 I think I'll stretch the dough to make 18 instead next time.  I used the dough recipe for the Piggies, then filled them with spagetti sauce and mozzarella cheese.  Next time, if I can get them on sale ;), I'll put pepperoni in as well.  And maybe fill some with cheddar cheese and thinly sliced ham.  And even though they were experimental, they were devoured with great enthusiasm.

Now, I'm off to do history with Jigger, hopefully get some grading done and some water down me, then back in to the kitchen for the afternoon round.  Here's a preview:  make veggie soup (for dinner with piggies), cook rice (to go in the soup), make some Cinnamon-Raisin Bread and set to rise in the fridge for breakfast tomorrow, thaw some ground chicken for dinner tomorrow night, and maybe even make some no-bake cookies.  See you then!

Posted in Recipes

Good day to you all!  In a bid to make sure our family eats better-than-well in spite of our decreased grocery budget, I have been hard at work preparing another weekly list of meals along with daily assignments.  I've determined that today shall be a baking day in order to stock up the freezer and plan ahead.  I'll be back on throughout the day to share my progress with you.

On tap for this morning:  whole wheat bread, mix the O.J., make pigs-in-blankets, hot pockets (pizza), French bread, banana chocolate chip muffins, blueberry muffins-cancelled, not enough blueberries, and pitas if I have time.

Here in the desert the daily temps are over 100° on a daily basis, so it is wisest to run the oven in the morning before it gets too hot.  Time-of-use for the electric company is also now in effect, which means that electrical consumption between the hours of 1 p.m. and 8 p.m. costs more.  To this end, I make sure that my laundry is done by noon each day, and that my dinner is as prepared as I can get it by 1 p.m.

Stop by later to see how baking day turned out, and to read more about my menu plans if you're looking for ways to save money or pare back.

Posted in Recipes

As requested, here is the recipe for my Red Beans & Rice dish that was on my menu for the week:

Red Beans & Rice:

1 pound kielbasa, cut in half length-wise and then sliced
½ onion, chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, pressed
1 red, orange, or yellow bell pepper, chopped
4 cups (2 cans) red beans (drained)
1 can chopped tomatoes with juice, or 1½ - 2 cups fresh tomatoes
½ tsp. thyme
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste
4 cups brown rice, cooked

In a skillet over medium-low heat, cook kielbasa for about 2 minutes.  Add onion, garlic, and pepper, and sauté until veggies are tender.  Add beans and tomatoes with their juice.  Season with thyme, cayenne, and salt and pepper to taste.  Serve over rice, or add to rice, stir, and serve.

Enjoy!

Posted in Recipes

French Bread Pizza

one large (soft) French Bread loaf, or two smaller size baguettes

Homemade Red Sauce

Mozzarrella Cheese, by the round or shredded

Pizza toppings of your choice

Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper

Fresh Basil (dried may be substituted)

Preheat oven to 400°.  Slice French Bread loaf in half width-wise, then in half again length-wise.  Place on a cookie sheet (I line it with aluminum foil for easy clean-up Ü), crust side down, and toast for a few minutes.  Do not let too brown, we're just lightly toasting this.

After it's toasted, pull bread out of oven.  Top each section with red sauce.  Next, place your cheese and then toppings on.  One of my favorite ways to have this is to alternate and slightly overlap slices of mozzarella cheese and tomatoes.  Delicious!  When you're satisfied with your toppings, drizzle olive oil over the top, add some salt and pepper (I use kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper), and basil (if using fresh, hand-shred; if using dried, just sprinkle over to taste). 

Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the cheese is bubbling.  Add a little more basil when done baking, and enjoy!!

Posted in Recipes

I just wanted to note here in the Recipes section of my blog that many more recipes can be found under my Tightwad Tuesday collection.  HSB does not allow us to cross-reference posts, so the ones I place into the Tightwad Tuesday collection don't quite make it over here.  They're too yummy to miss out on, so go check them out!

Posted in Recipes

Stir Fry

Carrots, peeled and sliced

Celery, sliced

Mushrooms (fresh), sliced

Water Chestnuts, at least two cans, sliced

Green Onions, a couple of bunches, diced

Red Pepper, sliced

Whatever other vegetables your family likes, sliced or diced

Beginning with the cruncher veggies, fry them in light olive oil for a few minutes.  Slowly add veggies according to their hardness, from hard to soft (mushrooms would come last).  When your veggies are almost done add the homemade seasoning mix and let it set for a couple of minutes, stirring occasionally.  When it is to your satisfaction, either mix the whole shebang with brown rice, or pour over brown rice.  Add some Chow Mein Noodles, and voila!  Dinner is served!

Posted in Recipes

Turkey and Spinach Pitas

1 lb. ground chicken or turkey

1 medium onion, chopped

2-3 cloves garlic, pressed

8 oz. mushrooms, sliced (I use canned in this recipe)

1 bag of spinach

1 bunch of cilantro, finely chopped

Salt and Pepper to taste

6 whole-wheat pitas

1 tomato, chopped (we use homemade salsa here)

In a skillet, cook poultry and inion over medium-high heat until browned.  Drain and blot poultry with paper towels to absorb excess grease.

Add garlic, mushrooms, spinach, and cilantro and cook for about three minutes until spinach wilts.

Salt and pepper to taste.

Spoon mixture into pitas and top with tomato (homemade salsa).

Posted in Recipes

Happy Sunday, dear readers!!  There's nothing particularly exciting about it, but I'm tired of having complaining thoughts about the heat-from-Hades-that-we-call-summer-that-will-not-end, so thought that I'd try for the whole if-you-think-things-are-great-they-will-be philosophy. 

Finished our second week of a successful (up til now) new school year on Friday, and I'm whipped.  It really takes it out of you to actually *teach* your children, doesn't it?? (she types tongue-in-cheek)  The boys are excited about their books, with Piper exclaiming that this is the *BEST* year yet!!  I'm happy he's happy.  It's so much easier to teach them and to get them to take an interest in school when they love what they're doing.

Anywho, I just thought that in the spirit of non-whining, I'd share with you all my family recipe for No-Bake Cookies, which are just the ticket when it's far too hot to turn your oven on, and also which I made on Friday.  Have a blessed and peaceful Sunday!

Shani's Family's No-Bake Cookies

2 cups sugar

1 stick butter

1/2 cup milk (I use Rice Milk with equal success)

3 Tablespoons cocoa powder

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats

Melt the butter in a dutch oven pan on the stovetop.  Add sugar, milk and cocoa powder and mix well.  Let mixture come to a boil, and boil for a minute, stirring constantly.  Turn off the heat, add vanilla, stir in oats, and drop by the teaspoonful onto wax paper.  Let set, and enjoy!