Wheat Bread


1/2 C water
1 C milk
1/4 C sugar
2 t salt
1/2 C warm water
1 package dry yeast
2 C whole-wheat flour
4 C white flour, approx

Bring 1/2 C water to a boil, mix it with milk, sugar, and salt in a large bowl and let cool to lukewarm. In a separate container, measure 1/2 C warm water, stir in the yeast and let sit for 5 minutes to dissolve. Add dissolved yeast, wheat flour and 2 C whole wheat to first mixture. Beat thoroughly, then turn out onto a floured surface, adding enough flour to handle it easily. Knead for a few minutes and let sit for 10 minutes. Add as much of the remaining flour as neccessary to keep the dough from getting sticky. Resume kneading for 10 minutes or until dough is smooth and elastic. Place in a greased bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm bowl until doubled. Punch down and shape into two loaves. Place in greased loaf pans, cover and let rise until almost doubled. Preheat oven to 375. Bake bread for about 45 minutes.

This bread was friggin' awesome. Tony and I liked it a lot. I added 2 T of honey and a little bit of nutmeg cinnamon and ginger, and a small bit of chopped walnuts and pecans- needed more! The nuts were sooo good. I definitely should have let it rise longer both times (especially the second) as it turned out a bit dense, but ah well. I also need a bigger bread pan.

Chicken Capri

1 C reduced-fat ricotta cheese
1/2 t dried oregano
1/4 t salt
1/4 t black pepper
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1/2 t garlic powder
2 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 C crushed tomatoes
4 slices reduced-fat mozzarella cheese

Rub chicken with garlic powder. Heat oil in skillet over med heat. Add chicken and cook for 12 minutes on each side. Preheat over to 350. Combine ricotta with oregano, salt and pepper. Put chicken in baking pag, spoon 1/4 C cheese and 1/4 C tomatoes onto each breast, top each with 1 slice mozzarella. Bake for 20 minutes, or 170 F.

From Aunt Penny, from South Beach Diet. Very good! Had no tomatoes, so used leftover spaghetti sauce, and shredded mozzarella. Threw in basil and thyme. Chicken itself could have maybe used a little more flavoring, also the breasts were huuuuge. Mom made baked potatoes, which were good but I would rather have breadsticks, maybe, and a nice salad.

Burgers

Used about 1 lb of ground chuck. Added 2 t 'baby bam' (from Emeril), 1/2 t salt, and 1/4 t pepper, and about 2 T of bbq sauce, Kraft Think 'n Spicy. These were GREAT, I loved them. Could be slightly moister, maybe- a little water, butter, cream, more bbq? Also, next time get GOOD buns and toast them.

Cantaloupe Pie

Cooked, mashed pulp of one good cantaloupe
1/2 cup sugar
8 tbs. flour
1/4 tsp. salt
3 egg yolks
2 tbs. water
1 tbs. butter
1 baked pie shel

lCombine dry ingredients and add to hot pulp. Stir until thick. Beat yolks and water. Add a little cantaloupe mixture to yolks to heat gradually. Then add. Continue cooking, stirring until thick and creamy. Add butter and pour into baked, cooled pie shell. Make a meringue by beating three egg whites, 1/4 tsp cream of tartar and 6 tbs. sugar. Top pie and bake in preheated 400 deg. oven until delicately brown on top.

I added one braeburn apple, nutmeg, cinnamon, and ginger, more sugar, and lemon juice. Mixed reaction on the whole thing, I thought it was kind of gross. I believe my mother's reaction was something like "Ahem, yes well it's always good to try new things! It's quite... interesting" (she has this reaction to a lot of my 'experiments')

Pie Crust
1 C Flour
1/4 t salt
1/4 lb cold butter
1 egg yolk
2 T ice water

Used tart crust from Fanny Farmer. Added 1 1/2 T sugar, maybe use less next time. Can use a blender with this crust. I really liked it, but I should make it early so that it is cold, and roll out between two pieces of wax- I did not like 'smushing' it in the pan. Also, use pie pan and not cake pan.

Meringue
4 egg whites, room temp
6 T sugar
1/8 t salt
Put egg whites and sugar in a bowl and put that in a pan of warm water, stir until eggs are warm. Add salt and beat.

From Fanny Farmer. Okay it takes FOREVER to make meringue- BE PATIENT! Be VERY careful about no egg yolk and make sure eggs are warm. The first time I tried this- disaster. Second time was okay, but not great.

Spaghetti and Meatballs, baked asparagus, and bread.

Spaghetti Sauce
1 onion, chopped
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 green pepper, chopped
4 cloves garlic, smashed
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoons red pepper flakes
1 1/2 teaspoons oregano
2 large jars tomato sauce
Sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh parsley, cut
In large pot cook onion in olive oil over medium heat. Add green pepper and garlic. Cook until tender. Add bay leaf, red pepper flakes, oregano and basil. Add tomato sauce and simmer for an hour. Stir in a pinch of sugar and parsley. Serve with meatballs over pasta.
Used 1 jar of mom's homemade tomato sauce, 3 8oz cans of tomato sauce, and maybe 1/3 can of tomato paste, a couple T sugar. Figure out better sauce, also would have liked it to be thicker. Only used about 1/2 onion, use more. I want tomatoes in this.

Meatballs
1 1/2 pounds ground chuck beef
1/2 cup onion, chopped
2 eggs
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon basil
Salt
Pepper
2 tablespoon olive oilIn large bowl combine beef, onion, eggs and bread crumbs. Season with oregano, basil, salt and pepper. Mix well. Form medium sized meatballs and set aside. In a heavy pot heat olive oil. Add meatballs 4 or 5 at a time and cook until well browned. Remove to a plate.
Maybe could have been a little more flavored. Used more bread crumbs. Used too much onion (put half an onion instead of 1/2 C).

Used a pound of spaghetti. These were pretty proporionate amounts. It was good, I liked it.

Asparagus
1 pound asparagus, trimmed
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepperPreheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Snap or cut the dry stem ends off each asparagus and place on a heavy baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and toss. Roast until the asparagus is tender, about 15 minutes. Cool slightly and serve warm or at room temperature.

I forgot to trim the aspargus, also should toss first in a bowl, and cook longer, maybe 25 minutes. But it was good.

Bread


Tony and I made this Wednesday night. Could have used a little more spice, maybe? And real cheese on top.

Oatmeal Cake

1 1/4 cups boiling water
1 cup instant oatmeal
1 stick margarine
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup less 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Pour boiling water over instant oatmeal and let stand for 20 minutes. Cream together the margarine, brown sugar, and sugar. Next add the eggs, vanilla, and oatmeal and mix well. Blend in flour, soda, cinnamon, and salt. Mix well. Pour into 9 by 11-inch pan. Bake for 35 minutes.
Frosting:
1 can evaporated milk
2 cups brown sugar
2 cups flaked coconut
1 stick margarine, slightly melted
1 cup chopped nuts. Combine all ingredients. After the cake is cooked, spread icing over the cake. Place under broiler for 3 minutes or until frosting is slightly browned.


From Food Network, Bobby Flay. This was AWESOME. I loooved the cake, but thought the icing was a bit much, (also there was too much of it). Used regular oatmeal. I should poke holes in the cake so that the icing can seep in. I put a pan of water in with it, kept it moist.

Oven-baked 'Fried' Chicken and Pasta with Veggies

Chicken
Cooking spray
2/3 cup instant oats
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon mustard powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 (4-ounce) boneless skinless chicken breast halves
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 cups frozen green peas, steamed or microwaved until hotPreheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray.

In a resealable plastic bag or shallow dish, combine oats, garlic powder, onion powder, mustard powder, paprika, oregano, thyme, salt, and pepper. Mix well and set aside.
Brush each chicken breast with Dijon mustard. Add chicken to oat mixture with tongs and turn to coat both sides. Transfer chicken to prepared baking sheet and spray with cooking spray.

Bake 30 minutes, until golden brown and cooked through.

From Food Network. These were pretty good. I cut the chicken fairly small, so that it could have a lot of flavor. COOKED IT TOO LONG THOUGH! Want it to be more tender.

Pasta
Cooking spray
4 small or 2 large eggplants, quartered lengthwise and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 (14-ounce) cans artichoke hearts in water, drained and quartered
4 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme leaves, or 1 teaspoon dried
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves, or 1 teaspoon dried
1 pound uncooked medium or large (not jumbo) pasta shells
1 cup chopped roasted red peppers
1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
4 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
8 tablespoons grated Parmesan

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine eggplant, artichoke hearts, oil, thyme, and rosemary. Toss to coat vegetables with oil and herbs. Arrange vegetables on prepared baking sheet and roast 15 to 20 minutes, until golden brown and tender, turning halfway through cooking. Remove vegetables from oven and set aside.

Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions, drain, and return to cooking pot. Stir in roasted vegetables and roasted red peppers.

Whisk together chicken broth, vinegar, mustard, salt, and pepper. Pour mixture over pasta and toss to coat. Stir in basil. Spoon mixture into shallow bowls and sprinkle Parmesan over top.

Okay I did NOT have those veggies- I used half a package of frozen stir-fry veggies. DO NOT USE VINEGAR- EVER! These were so gross. Also too hot- too many hot peppers. Nothing special here, I thought. I used macaroni noodles.