Multi-Grain French Dinner Rolls

I love this recipe because it uses whole grain cereal such as oats, wheat, millet, soybeans, triticale, etc.

9 ½ oz. lukewarm water (1 cup + 3 Tbs.)
2 cups bread flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
½ cup multi-grain cereals
1 ¼ tsp salt
1 Tbs butter
2 tsp active dry yeast

Mix ingredients (according to your bread machine manual, if applicable) using a “dough” cycle.” Remove the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead about 1 minute. Divide into about 18 equal-sized dough balls. Place onto lightly greased cookie sheet or muffin pan, and brush with softened butter. For a fancy touch, make a slice about 1/3 inch deep, across the top of each muffin. Cover and let rise for about ½ hour, or until double in size. Uncover and bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes. The longer you bake, the tougher the roll will be. Enjoy!

If you do not need 18 rolls, the dough can be easily frozen. After you divide the dough into balls, simply put the desired number of balls into a Ziploc freezer bag, and put into freezer. When ready to use, allow to thaw fully, either in fridge (overnight) or on counter (about an hour). The dough will rise as it thaws, so you will have to cut the bag off, and separate the balls when ready. Just re-roll, place on pan, and follow the steps from there.

Additional note: if you want to make a bread loaf, just use a standard bread setting instead of the dough cycle.

Hamburger Bean Casserole

This is a delicious and highly flexible recipe for those evenings when you want to prepare a crockpot dish, don’t want to spend a lot of time cooking dinner, or need something fast. It is also a great way to use up some extras from your pantry and fridge! The whole family will love it. Although it is called a casserole, it is more like a stew, making it perfect for cooler nights. I prefer to use the organic version of all ingredients.

1 lb. ground beef
5 strips of bacon (optional)
1 can butter or lima beans, undrained
1 can kidney beans, undrained
1 can baked beans, undrained
½ cup maple syrup or ¼ cup brown sugar
½ cup ketchup
1 Tbs. mustard
1 Tbs. vinegar
¼ tsp salt

Brown the ground beef, and cook the bacon. Drain fat. Add all ingredients together in desired cookware (ie. Crockpot or large skillet), and cook until heated through. Serve with homemade cornbread. Enjoy!

This recipe will comfortably serve about 4-5 people. Amounts can be changed as desired to suite taste.

Honey Oatmeal Bread

Here, by request, is the recipe I recently used for this yummy bread. I wish I could say I created it from my own imagination, but I actually got it from the West Bend Bread Maker Company.

7.5 ounces lukewarm water (7 oz + 1 Tbs)

3 Tbs honey

2 cups bread flour

1 cup raw oats

1.5 Tbs. organic dry milk

1 1/4 tsp salt

1.5 Tbs butter

2 tsp active dry yeast

Assuming you are using a breadmaker, follow the directions for your maker. Mine directs to add ingredients to pan, in the order that is listed. Gently level the dry ingredients. The butter should be quartered, and one quarter placed in each corner of the pan. Dig a small well in the center and pour in yeast. This bread is perfect baked for a medium-crust setting, or about a 3 hr and 10 minute cycle in my West Bend machine. Top it off with homemade butter and/or a little raw honey for a delectable treat!

Makes a 1.5 lb loaf

S'More Granola Bars

These are definitely not recommended for weight loss programs, but they are perfect for splurge days! All ingredients can be homemade or found in an organic variety!


6 Tbs. unsalted butter
1/8 cup light brown sugar
6 Tbs. Maple syrup
2 1/4 cups rolled oats or mixed grains
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 cup milk chocolate chips
1 1/4 cup miniature marshmallows

In medium saucepan, over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in sugar and syrup until sugar is thoroughly dissolved. Stir in oats, flour, salt, and graham cracker crumbs. Stir until dry ingredients are well-coated.

Pour just over half of mixture into a greased 9x9 or 7x11 casserole dish. Press firmly, and let cool for a few minutes, until it begins to firm. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sprinkle chocolate and marshmallows evenly over top of crust. Top with remaining crust mixture. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until marshmallows and chocolate melt sufficiently. Remove from oven and let cool for about 20 minutes. While still warm, cut into bars. Use a spatula to gently press crust back down into melted center. Cool completely. Enjoy!

Homemade Graham Crackers

I have been wanting to try to make my own graham crackers for a while, and I finally did it today. It was a great "Baking Wednesday" activity for the kids to help with! This recipe actually uses basic wheat flour, rather than graham flour, which makes it a little more practical for using items already in your cabinet. Best of all, they are DELICIOUS!


1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 3/4 cup wheat flour
1/8 cup sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 Tbs. honey
2 Tbs. molasses
1/4 cup water
1 tsp vanilla

In medium mixing bowl, mix together all dry ingredients. Add butter, and mix thoroughly until mixture resembles wet crumbs, or about 30 seconds. Add the remaining liquid ingredients. Mix until dough begins to stick together into a "dough ball" of sorts, or about another 30 seconds. If it seems too loose, just add sprinkles of wheat flour until desired consistency. Scrape dough out of bowl, and lay on seasoned baking stone (or parchment paper).


Flour rolling pin, and roll dough until about 1/8 inch thick. Chill in fridge for about an hour or until firm. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. If dough is not already on a baking stone, then remove from paper and put on cookie sheet. Re-roll to ensure 1/8 inch thickness. Using a pizza cutter, cut into 1x3 inch (or as desired) rectangles (these can be snapped apart later). With a toothpick, prick holes spaced about 1 inch apart.


Bake about 15 minutes, or until lightly browned on edges. Remove from oven and use pizza cutter to re-cut into desired sized sections. Set aside to cool on pan about 20 minutes. Using a thin, firm spatula, gently scrape cracker sections off the baking sheet and onto a flat surface. Cool completely. Enjoy!

Tips:

• These are pretty sweet crackers, so you can eliminate the sugar if desired.
• These crackers rise to almost double while baking, so be sure they are thin enough before baking.
• If you use a baking stone, be sure to scrape the stone when finished and save your homemade "graham cracker crumbs" for later use.

Chewy Granola Bars

I have finally found a snack I do not feel guilty about letting my kids eat! They aren't as sweet as store bought bars, but they are certainly much healthier!! My kids and husband LOVE them!

4 cups raw oats

1 cup wheat flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup butter, melted

1/2 cup honey

1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce

2 tbs peanut butter

2 cups of any other desired ingredients (I used a mixture of raisins, peanuts, sunflower seeds, sliced almonds, flax meal, five-grain cereal, and chocolate chips)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Lightly grease a 9x13 inch pan. In large mixing bowl, combine the first 8 ingredients and mix well. Stir in the 2 cups of desired mixed items. Pour and press mixture into pan. . Bake for about 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Center will still be soft. Let cool for 10 minutes, and cut into bars. Let bars cool completely at room temperature before removing from pan. This makes about 18 1x5 inch bars.

Using this recipe, the bars tend to be chewy, and only slightly sweet. They have a very nutty flavor.

Variations:

• For sweeter bars, add 1/3 cup brown sugar instead of applesauce, OR decrease the amount of applesauce and add a corresponding amount of honey.
• Add a crisp cereal and use roasted nuts for a crunchier bar.
• In the 2 cup mixture, you could also use other dried fruits, chopped nuts, flaked or puff cereals, etc.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

I was in an overwhelming baking mood today, so I decided to try a new recipe. These are by far the BEST chocolate chip cookies I have ever made! While I must confess it came off the chocolate chips package (with some modification by me), I was able to use all organic ingredients.

1 1/8 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup softened butter

1/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1 egg

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375. Mix flour, baking soda, and salt, and set aside. In medium mixing bowl, beat butter, sugar, and brown sugar until smooth and creamy. Add vanilla and egg, and beat on low speed. Gradually add flour mixture and beat until well blended. Add chocolate chips and stir well. Spoon onto greased cookie sheet, and bake 10 minutes or until golden brown. Enjoy!

This recipe makes about 15 2-inch cookies.

Note: You can also add 1/2 cup chopped nuts if desired.

Tuna Casserole

Here is a recipe that is far from healthy, and, in fact, I haven't even found a way to make it organic. I do try to use as many natural ingredients as possible, though. But, oh, it is SOOOO good, and is no doubt a family favorite around here!

16 oz. pkg pasta shells

12 oz. canned tuna, drained if necessary

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 can cream of celery soup

1 cup milk

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1 tsp garlic

1 can sweet peas

12-16 slices cheddar cheese

1 1/2 cups crushed regular potato chips

Boil pasta according to directions, drain, and set aside. Preheat oven to 350. Mix tuna, soups, milk, and spices thoroughly. Gently stir in peas. Pour half of mixture into a greased casserole dish. Layer with 6-8 slices of cheese. Pour remaining mixture on top of cheese, and layer remaining cheese on top. Finish by sprinkling crushed chips on top of cheese. Bake for 30 minutes, or until chips began to golden. Enjoy!

Beef and Barley Stew

I needed to find a yummy way to use some beef bones in my freezer, so, on S's suggestion, I learned to make this stew. It is delicious and perfect for a winter day! You can take shortcuts, but I did it totally from scratch:

Step 1--

2 approx. 6" beef bones with bone meat still on
4 qts. water

Boil the bones in water at low-med. heat for about 4 hours. Remove the bones and meat and set aside. Strain the broth through a cheese cloth (or similiar linen) to remove any particles. Set aside. Remove meat from bones, and seperate meat from fat. If you want to gain a friend at this point, feed bones to dog. Divide meat into small stew chunks. At this point, you can save some broth and meat to freeze if desired, store it overnight in the fridge to stew the next day, or continue to the next step.

Step 2--

Beef Broth and meat from 1st step.
Carrots, chopped into bite-sized pieces
Celery, chopped into bite-sized pieces
Onions, chopped into bite-sized pieces
1.5 cups raw Barley
2 bay leaves
2 tsps. oregano
2 tsps. Seasoned salt
1 tbs. garlic
2 tsp. pepper

Mix all ingredients in crockpot, and simmer for 4-6 hours. Serve with homemade dill bread.

Note: you will probably want to add more salt and/or pepper. We don't season with much of either. The great thing about this recipe is that you can't really mess it up. All ingredients are added in desired amounts, but I wrote what we did to give you an idea. Enjoy!

Chicken stock

I am proud to report S and I made our first homemade batch of chicken stock tonight. OK, so I have to admit S did most of the work. It was totally unplanned, but the results were wonderful. It all started when I went to our organic food store to pick up some groceries for the week. They had a mega-sale on a whole natural chicken for $1.99/lb (usually $4.99/lb). I couldn't resist that deal, so I bought 2 chickens. I brought them home, and S skinned and chopped them up for me, leaving us with 2 carcasses and the giblets. He decided to throw them in a pot of water and attempt to make the stock. I quickly found a few recipe ideas on the internet, and we added a few ingredients. The results were beautiful!

Here is the recipe we concocted:

• 1 Chicken carcass per 4 quarts water
• Giblets, if desired (they will make the broth much stronger!)
• Desired amounts of vegetables such as carrots, celery, onion, potatoes, etc.
• Desired amounts of herbs such as parsley, bay leaves, etc.
• 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper per 4 quarts

Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer soup for about 4 hours. Pour soup through a strainer, seperating broth from solids. I didn't have a wire strainer, so in order to get the smallest solids and herbs strained, we then re-strained the broth through a linen cloth. We were left with the bowl of broth you see above. We then put all the vegetables into a seperate container, picked the carcass clean, and added the meat to the veggies for a soup tomorrow. Store the excess accordingly, and enjoy!


This picture shows our yield of about 8 quarts of broth (divided into needed portions to either freeze or use tomorrow), and a bowl of chicken and veggies for soup. YUM!! As a side note, S quickly tired of munching on the cooked giblets, so I gave them to Will. Mind you, this is a dog who NEVER gets people food, and rarely gets any hand-fed treats. That dog was in absolute HEAVEN!!!

Banana Nut Bread

This recipe has become a tradition around here for whenever the weather turns cool. I LOVE the smell that permeates the house, and this bread is so moist, filling, and just downright delicious!

2/3 cup butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs, slighty beaten
1 tsp vanilla
4 Tbs milk
1 cup (about 2-3) mashed bananas
1 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup crushed pecans or walnuts

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Blend butter and sugar; add eggs, vanilla, milk, and bananas. Mix well. Add flour, baking powder, and salt, and mix just until smooth and moistened. Stir in nuts. Pour mixture into greased loaf pan, and bake about 1 hour or until toothpick in center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before removing from pan. This is even more delicious served warm with butter on it. Enjoy!

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There are a few things worth mentioning about this recipe. First, The more ripe the bananas, the sweeter and darker the bread. I often bake it just to use up my over-ripened bananas. Secondly, I have made this bread in 3 different ovens, and baking time has varied significantly--anywhere from 50 minutes to an hour and a half. If the center jiggles AT ALL, it is not done. When done, the crust will be a very dark golden and somewhat crisp around the edges. Only insert a toothpick or knife when you are pretty confident, otherwise your center will collapse. It will still bake, it just won't be as pretty. Thirdly, this bread is a fairly heavy, quite moist bread. As a result, if it is not COMPLETELY cooled AND in a VERY well oiled pan, it will fall apart when you try to remove it. This is what usually happens to me, as I am never very patient for the cooling step! LOL After smelling it for an hour, I just can't wait to taste! I just think of what my Grandmother used to tell me, "The more it falls apart, the better it tastes!" I don't think this is exactly what she meant, but it makes me feel better anyway. Nonetheless, despite these quirks, this is the best banana bread I have ever had! Try it and let me know what you think!

Grilled Veggie Quesadillas

This is a recipe I discovered recently and it has quickly become a family favorite! It is quick, easy, healthy, and absolutely delicious!

1 zucchini
1 sm. bell pepper
1 VERY small sweet onion (or a couple of slices of a larger one)
1 carrot
1 cup of broccoli florets
2 cups of shredded cheese (we prefer cojac or monterey and cheddar mixed)
6-8 wheat tortillas
guacamole and other sides if desired

Chop all vegetables as finely as possible. Layer 1/2 a tortilla with cheese, veggies, and more cheese. Fold tortilla. Grill quesadillas, flipping once so both sides are crisp and cheese is melted. Enjoy!

Crab and Rice Salad

Here is another favorite recipe of ours, particularly on a hot summer day! Note: while quick and easy to make, this recipe should be prepared several hours in advance so it has time to cool in the refrigerator.

3 cups cooked brown rice
6 oz package of pre-cooked imitation crab meat
1 can sweet peas, drained
4 stalks celery, finely sliced
1/3 cup green onions, finely chopped
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tbs Spice Island salad seasoning (optional)
1 tbs lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
lettuce and curry powder (optional, but can make a pretty dish)

Combine all ingredients except lettuce and curry powder. Mix well and chill for several hours. Serve mixture on a leaf of lettuce with curry powder lightly sprinkled on top.

Variation: You can substitute a little ranch dressing for the mayonnaise for some added kick. Sorry, I didn't get a chance to get a pic, my family likes it too much!!

Colorado Casserole

One of my recipes is frequently requested, so I thought I would post it here. It is highly nutritious, fairly easy to make, and even those who don't normally enjoy vegetables seem to love this dish! Try it and let me know what you think!


2 cooked chicken breasts (I usually boil or grill)
8 oz cooked sausage (I prefer mild italian sausage)
1 can red or kidney beans
1 can black beans
1 can diced tomatoes (I prefer the italian variety)
1 lb. asparagus, chopped into bite-size pieces and steamed
1/2 cup green onions or chives
1/4 tsp savory (I rarely use this in mine)
1/4 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp Tabasco (more if you like some kick)
1 cup chicken broth
3 cups cooked brown rice
1/2 cup sliced almonds

Preheat the oven to 375. Cut the chicken and sausage into bite-sizes pieces. Mix the first 11 ingredients together well. Grease a casserole dish, and pour the cooked rice into the bottom. Cover the rice with the vegetable mixture. Sprinkle the almonds on top of the mixture. Bake for about 20 minutes or until the broth is bubbling. This dish easily serves 6 adults. Enjoy!