Delicious Whole Wheat Bread Recipe

I've been on a quest to be able to make a decent loaf of bread. This recipe has gotten me the closest! I found it on the internet and gave it a try because the ingredient list is so similar the absolutely wonderful bread that my neighbor makes. I haven't had success with her bread recipe though, so for now I'm sticking with this recipe!

Makes 2 loaves

2 cups warm water

1 tbsp. yeast

1/3 cup honey

1/3 cup oil

2 tsp. salt

1/3 cup gluten

5 to 7 cups whole wheat flour, freshly ground if possible

In a stand up type mixer such as a Kitchen Aid combine water, yeast and honey. Let this sit for about 5 minutes or until the yeast is nice and bubbly. Add oil, salt, gluten flour and 3 to 4 cups of whole wheat flour. Knead this with your mixer and continue to add more flour until the dough does not stick to the side of the bowl and does not feel sticky to the touch. Knead for another 7 to 8 minutes.

When dough has finished kneading let it sit in the mixer bowl and rise until doubled in volume. This usually takes about 45 minutes. When it has finished rising, turn on your mixer and knead again for a few more minutes to get all the air bubbles out. Remove from mixer and divide the dough into 2 pieces and shape into loaves and put in bread pans that have been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Let the loaves rise until they are about to 1 inch above the rim of the bread pan. Bake at 350 for approx. 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Strawberry Spinach Salad

YUM!!! This is one delicious salad! It's hands down my new favorite salad. Thanks to Julia who made it at bunco last week! In addition to being delicious and pretty nutritious it's super fast and easy to throw together.

1 bag of baby spinach

1 lb. (give or take) strawberries, sliced

Dressing:

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup white wine vinegar (Julia says that regular white vinegar tastes great too)

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 tsp. paprika

2 tbsp. sesame seeds

1 tbsp. poppy seeds

Mix all dressing ingredients together until the sugar is dissolved. Toss spinach and strawberries together, top with dressing, and serve.

I only used about half of dressing for the salad, then had enough for a second salad later.

One Hour Rolls

Here's another good roll recipe that I found on Apron Girls. Thanks Mindy! I've tried this recipe and they turned out fantastic!

Combine:

¾ cup HOT water

1 tsp. salt

6 Tbs. melted butter

¼ c sugar

Cool to lukewarm.

Add:

2 Tbs. yeast dissolved in

¼ cup + 2 Tbs. lukewarm water

Add 1 egg

Beat well and add 3 1/2 - 4 cups of flour until easy to work. Knead.

Roll out and cut. Brush with melted butter.

Cover and let rise until double (about 30-45 minutes).

Bake 425° for 12 minutes.

Whole Wheat Blender Pancakes

Thanks to my awesome neighbor Jessa for sharing this delicious recipe for blender pancakes. My family loves them. I'm not a pancake fan myself, but the batter also tasted great cooked up as waffles.

Combine in blender:
1 cup whole wheat kernels
1 cup milk
Mix on high for 2 minutes.
Add 1/2 cup milk and continue to mix for 2 more minutes.
Add:
2 eggs
1 tsp. salt
1/3 cup oil
1 tbsp. honey
1 tbsp. baking powder
Blend well. Cook on a hot griddle.
Make 8-10 medium sized pancakes. Can also be used in a waffle iron.

Fresh Tomato Salsa

Thanks to my Aunt Deanne for this delicious salsa recipe!

Makes about 1 quart

3 large tomatoes, peeled and chopped (approx. 3 cups) or 1 15 oz. can of diced tomatoes
1/4 red onion
1 large green pepper
1 Jalapeno pepper, seeded
1 tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
3-4 tsp. fresh cilantro
2 tbsp. fresh lime juice
1 tbsp. red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp. cumin
3/4 tsp. chili powder
1 8 oz. can of tomato sauce (optional- if using canned tomatoes)

Chop or blend all ingredients in the blender. Serve with your favorite tortilla chips and enjoy!

Apple Pie FIlling

My sister-in-law Katie passed on this recipe for home canned apples. I used it and it turned out beautifully! We've been enjoying apple crisp all winter thanks to this recipe!

1 tsp salt
4 1/2 cups Sugar (can decrease for sweet apples)
1 cup cornstarch
2 tsp. cinnamon
¼ tsp. nutmeg
3 tbsp. lemon juice
2 drops yellow color

Mix first 5 ingredients in large saucepan. Add 10 cups water. Stir.
Stir and cook till thick and bubbly. Add lemon and color.
Pack into warm quart jars which have been filled with apple slices to 1 inch from top.
Fill to ½ inch with syrup mixture.
Process 25 minutes.
Makes 7 quarts

Caramel Corn

This is the recipe for the best sticky caramel corn ever! Thanks to Julieanne for sharing her delicious recipe!

1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup corn syrup
1 can sweetened condensed milk

Bring all ingredients to a rolling boil for 5 min. stirring constantly. Pour over 3 packages of microwave popcorn or an equivalent amount of air popped popcorn. Eat it right up. I think it tastes best when it's fresh!