World's Best Wheat Bread

This is my new favorite Homemade Bread recipe. Beware, this makes 4 loaves, so adjust the recipe if you want to make less. :) I put off trying this because to me it just sounded like extra work that I wasn't willing to put in. Yet, I realize that it's really not. It's EASY and tastes wonderful, and it slices beautifully. Yay! This recipe is from Cami Harris, but the picture I found at www.the-end-time.blogspot.com

World's Best Wheat Bread (makes 4 loaves)

6 cups of warm water from the tap. Heat water in microwave if you need to to reach 120-130 degrees.
3/4 cups honey, if you don't have any use 3/4 cup brown sugar with some molasses for color.
2 Tablespoons salt
*Stir these ingredients together.

*Sprinkle over the above ingredients, evenly.
1 cup oil (I used Canola)
3 Tablespoons Yeast
1 cup whole oats
2 cups wheat flour
1 cup gluten flour
Optional: 1 cup ground flax seed or 1 cup bran
*Let sit for 10 minutes, do NOT stir.

1. After the 10 minutes you should see your yeast bubbling up around the edges of your bowl. Stir mixture while adding more wheat flour until you can't stir by hand anymore. (Around 4-5 cups of flour.)
2. Dump dough onto your floured surface and continue to add more wheat flour and knead until your bread is firm and non sticky. (It should feel like a baby's bottom. Altogether, I use about 9 cups of wheat flour.) This will take you about 10 minutes of kneading. (I use a timer to make sure I've kneaded long enough.)
3. Place dough into a greased LARGE bowl, or divide and place into two bowls, to let rise. Cover with a dry cloth. Let raise for 35-40 minutes, or until the dough has doubled in size.
4. Dump the raised dough onto the counter and punch down.
5. Cut dough into 4 equal sections. Shape sections into rectangles and roll into loaves. Place loaves into greased bread pans and cover with a cloth to rise for another 30 minutes.
6. Bake all four loaves at once in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. *If you are baking your loaves in stoneware, add an extra 5 minutes. (For me, I ended up baking mine for about 50 minutes total-I would check after each additional 5 minutes to see if it was done- It's done when you tape it on the bottom of loaf and it sounds hollow.)

**Whole wheat gluten flour is found in the bulk section of Winco or Fred Meyers. (Bins) Ground flax seed is in the refrigerated section of the Health food section at Fred Meyers or at Bob's Red Mill. (sometimes at Costco)

Oatmeal Cookie Pancakes

This recipe is from my sister-in-law, Heidi. She's a fabulous cook, who shared this recipe with me a while back ago. These are quite filling, and quite tasty. Now I just need some more of her recipes around here. I found the picture at cookingwithbaby.com

Oatmeal Cookie Pancakes

1 cup rolled oats
1 cup flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup chopped walnuts

whisk together in a bowl.

3/4 cup sour cream(I use fat free)
3/4 cup milk
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla

whisk together in a bowl.

2 bananas, mashed
3/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup melted butter

add to the liquid ingredients, then add to the dry ingredients. Mix till combined, and then cook pancakes.

Baked Acorn Squash With Brown Sugar

Here's another fun easy side dish. Not quite the weather yet, but these are good. Click on the title for the picture and recipe.

Ingredients
Serves 4

2 tablespoons butter, plus more for surface
2 medium acorn squash, (about 1 1/2 pounds each)
2 tablespoons light-brown sugar
Coarse salt and ground pepper
Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Generously butter a rimmed baking sheet.
Halve squash crosswise. Scoop out seeds; discard. Slice a small piece off bottom of each squash half just enough to level.
Set squash halves, scooped sides down, on prepared sheet. Bake until golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Turn squash; prick insides all over with a fork. Divide 2 tablespoons butter and sugar among halves; season with salt and pepper. Continue to bake until flesh is easily pierced with the tip of a paring knife, 25 to 30 minutes. Serve warm.

Salmon Steaks with Hoisin Glaze

These are seriously, awesome! It's quick and easy, yet very tasty. Click on the title for the recipe and picture.

Ingredients
Serves 4

1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
2 teaspoons honey
4 salmon steaks (each 8 to 10 ounces and 1 inch thick)
Coarse salt and ground pepper
Directions
Heat broiler. In a small bowl, whisk together orange juice, hoisin sauce, and honey.
Rinse salmon steaks, and pat dry. Season both sides with salt and pepper. Place steaks on a rimmed baking sheet. Brush generously with glaze.
Broil salmon about 4 inches from the heat source, basting once, until opaque in center, 10 to 13 minutes.

Pico De Gallo

I like that you can make it as spicy as you like. Click on the title for the recipe and picture. These are great on Tacos, and many other dishes.

Ingredients
6 plum tomatoes, seeded and diced
1/2 cup minced onion
1 jalapeno chile, minced (seeds and ribs removed for less heat)
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
Coarse salt
Directions
In a bowl, combine tomatoes, onion, jalapeno, and lime juice; season with salt, and mix to combine. Let stand 15 to 30 minutes to allow the flavors to develop.

Chicken With Ginger

This is a meal my whole family eats up. It's nothing super fancy, it's just easy and tastes pretty good. I like to add veggies to the mix, or on the side. It's great over either noodles, or rice. Again, the title takes you to the recipe and the picture.

Ingredients
Serves 4

1 three-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and cut into 1/8-inch-thick matchsticks (1/2 cup)
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
1 large onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons white vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup sliced scallions
Directions
Soak ginger in cold water 10 minutes; drain.
Heat oil in a skillet over high heat; brown chicken in two batches, 6 to 8 minutes. Set aside.
In same skillet over medium heat, cook ginger, onion, and garlic, stirring until browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Add soy sauce, vinegar, and sugar; cook over high heat until thick, 3 to 4 minutes. Add chicken; stir to warm. Remove from heat; stir in scallions.

Roasted Pears and Sweet Potatoes

I'm always looking ofr sides to go with my main dishes. This is a fun one. Title takes you to the pic and recipe.

Ingredients
Serves 4

2 sweet potatoes, sliced 1 1/2 inches thick
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
Coarse salt
2 Bartlett pears, cored, quartered, and halved
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Scrub 2 sweet potatoes. Quarter lengthwise; slice diagonally 1 1/2 inches thick. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss slices with 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon dry mustard, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, and 1/4 teaspoon cayenne; season with coarse salt. Roast, tossing occasionally, until crisp-tender, 20 to 25 minutes.
Core and quarter 2 Bartlett pears; halve crosswise. Add to the potatoes; toss all with another tablespoon oil. Continue roasting until potatoes are fork-tender, about 10 minutes more.

Grilled Ham and Cheese with Pears

This is a great twist on the classic Griled Cheese. These are great for dinner, served with your favorite soup. I can taste it now. Yum.
Ingredients
Serves 4

4 slices sandwich bread
8 ounces Gruyere cheese
1 pear, thinly sliced
8 ounces deli ham, thinly sliced
Butter


Directions
1. Layer 4 slices of sandwich bread with 8 ounces Gruyere or other melting cheese, 1 thinly sliced pear, and 8 ounces thinly sliced deli ham; top each with bread.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Spread outside of both bread slices with butter. Cook sandwiches in batches, if necessary, until golden and cheese is melted, flipping once, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Cut sandwiches in half and serve hot.

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

Paula shared some of her spoils from her garden-THANK YOU! So, I made Strawberry Rhubarb Pie. This recipe is a tasty one! I didn't have one on hand, so I found this recipe online. The title will take you to the web site, but I've also included it here. The picture is also from the same site. It's so delicious, I'm glad it only makes one pie, or I might be in trouble. :)

Double Crust
20 Tablespoons butter
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoons salt
2 Tablespoons sugar
8-10 Tablespoons ice water

Sift together flour and sugar. Place bowl of dry ingredients and the butter in the freezer for at least half an hour. Grate frozen butter into the flour mixture (if your kitchen is warm, sticking the grater in the freezer for a few minutes can help keep things neat). Toss mixture to break up any clumps of butter. Sprinkle water over the flour and toss with a fork until it is somewhat evenly distributed. Kneed a time or two to get the dough to stick together, but no more than you have to. Divide in half and shape each piece into a disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for about half an hour (not super critical, but makes the dough easier to work with). Roll half of the dough out on floured surface and place in pie tin.

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie
4-5 stalks rhubarb, trimmed and cut into 1/2 pieces (about 4 cups)
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
pinch of salt
1 pint strawberries, sliced
2 Tablespoons butter

Combine rhubarb, sugar, and flour. Set aside for one hour. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Strain rhubarb and collect the juice. Pour juice into a saucepan and add nutmeg and salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring with a wooden spoon, until juice thickens. Allow to cool 10 minutes. Mix together with rhubarb and strawberries.
Add fruit to pie shell and dot with butter. Add top crust, crimp edges and cut decorative slits. Brush with egg wash.
Bake for 45-50 minutes. Make sure to have a pan beneath the pie as it is a leaky one.
This pie is very loose when fresh, but firms up nicely once cold.
Enjoy!