not unemployed--still saving money--still using food storage--still eating healthy

YAY--Jim got a job--we are not unemployed. We really got a wake up call of how much wheat we use and what we eat--during that time of crises What a great experience!( it is nice to be able to say that now!) I haven't been cooking for a few months--We are living in a hotel and eating a ton of breakfast every morning--and dinners 4 times a week. I will have to look at my blog to figure out what I used to do !! Two more weeks of this--and then move in day--!

1 hour bread recipe!

 I found a 1 hour bread recipe--from start to finish. It is from Pantry Secrets. 
www.pantrysecrets.com
http://howtomakebread.blogspot.com




This is a  recipe that you can make 200+ things with it using the same dough recipe. I love this recipe to use to make rolls, hamburger buns, hot dog buns, pizza crust, calzones, soup bowl rolls..etc. It is lacking a little in flavor so I prefer my bread for actual bread but it is ok. We didn't like the bread sticks--but it worked out well to make cinnamon sticks or cinnamon rolls/orange rolls with it (probably because of the sugar!). It also worked out great for calzones if you have a lot of stuff inside to make it taste good.
Here is the recipe.. My sister sent me a video with various demonstrations of how to make various things using the bread dough. Anyway  here it is..If you need to make rolls in a hurry--they rise fast and are really quite nice to eat.--And now --making hamburger buns is so easy--Great recipe!
 


..From cinnamon rolls, and calzones to bread, breadsticks and a stuffed crust pizza..Its amazing.


10 1/2 cups whole wheat flour or white bread flour (bread flour has more gluten in it. If using all purpose add vital wheat gluten (1-2 TBSP for each cup of all purpose flour) (i like using half WW and half white)

1 TBSP salt
3 TBSP SAF Instant yeast
 1/2 cup sugar (or honey)
3 TBSP liquid Lecithin (or granules work fine too)
4 cups hot water


Mix all ingredients together for 1 minutes. Check consistency and see how it looks. If dough is not sticking consistently to sides of bowl yet dough is sticky--Then mix for another 5 minutes to knead it. Do not add any flour after this step..
pull dough out and shape in loaves.  (You can make pizza crust with this, hamburger buns, regular buns--etc. etc. )
 Preheat your oven now  to 350 degrees
Let rise for 25 minutes
Bake for 25 min

Agave Nectar--my favorite sweetener

I love Agave Nectar.

I had no idea it existed until about a year ago I was disgusted by all the syrups with the high fructose corn syrup. If it wasn't that it was the price. I was at SPROUTS. My favorite store and saw AGAVE NECTAR next to the syrups. I was intrigued and asked about it. The lady working at Sprouts told me she thought I would like it..that it sweetens everything. I decided to try it and now by it by the case from Amazon. They have it at Costco as well but I like buying it in more of a bulk so I only have to buy it every 6 months. This stuff is great. It doesn't crystallize like honey. It is not as sweet as honey..and is thinner than honey. You can keep it in your cupboard and not have to worry about it going bad..and it can be used for pancakes, or on your bread with butter. Anyway--its the best thing out there for a sweetener..That is all natural. Try it. I love it! I got the AMBER color one (darker) and it looks just like maple syrup--and I think it tastes very similar. The light color is fine too..The dark just looks great on pancakes!


here is what wikipedia has to say about it

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agave_nectar

Homemade Pretzels

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/homemade-hard-pretzels-recipe/index.html

I just love these! I used whole wheat flour, skipped the parchment paper, and used kosher coarse salt for the Pretzel salt. It was a little difficult to get them really long and skinny--but those that i did get that way--worked out great. I liked making small ones for bite size pieces or 6 inch pretzel sticks. With the egg wash and salt--YUM and so nice looking!

Homemade Hard Pretzels
(from the food channel--Alton Brown)

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups warm (110 to 115 degrees F) water
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 package active dry yeast
• 22 ounces all-purpose flour, approximately 4 1/2 cups
• 1 large whole egg yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon water
• Vegetable oil, for pan
• Water
• Pretzel salt

Directions

Combine the warm water, sugar and kosher salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle the yeast on top. Allow to sit for 5 minutes or until the mixture begins to foam. Add the flour and, using the dough hook attachment, mix on low speed until well combined. Change to medium speed and knead until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, approximately 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the dough from the bowl, clean the bowl and then oil it well with vegetable oil. Return the dough to the bowl, cover with plastic wrap and sit in a warm place for approximately 50 to 55 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Line 4 half sheet pans with parchment paper and lightly brush with the vegetable oil. Set aside.

Place enough water into a large roasting pan to come 1/3 of the way up the sides of the pan and bring to a boil over high heat.

In the meantime, turn the dough out onto a slightly oiled work surface and divide into 1-ounce portions, approximately 36 pieces. Roll out each piece of dough into a 14 to15-inch long stick and place on the sheet pans, 1/4-inch apart. Cover the dough not being used with a slightly damp towel to help prevent drying out.

Gently place 6 to 8 pretzels at a time into the water for 30 seconds. Remove the pretzels back to the sheet pan, brush with the beaten egg yolk and water mixture and sprinkle with the pretzel salt. Bake until golden brown in color and hard, approximately 55 to 60 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack for at least 20 minutes before serving. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Using Yogurt

I have become a little obsessed with the uses that homemade yogurt can bring. I found this site that tells all about yogurt. I am gradually getting better at using yogurt. My favorite substitutions using yogurt have been using yogurt cheese to replace
mayonnaise, ricotta cheese, and yogurt itself to replace buttermilk, shortening, and sour cream



http://homecooking.about.com/od/dairycookinginformation/a/yogurttips.htm

Yogurt Cooking Tips

• Because of the acid content of yogurt, it makes a fabulous marinade to tenderize meats.

• Baking soda needs an acidic counterpart to produce a leavening effect. Yogurt fits the bill admirably.

• Yogurt can be used to thicken sauces much like heavy cream, but you will need to add some starch to keep it from curdling. This is because yogurt lacks the fat of heavy cream. Whisk in 2 teaspoons of cornstarch or 1 tablespoon of flour to 1 cup of yogurt before adding to hot liquids. Whisk as it simmers and thickens, and never let it boil.

• To avoid separation when adding to hot liquids, make sure the yogurt is at room temperature.

• If the yogurt does separate during cooking, it is sometimes possible to fix it. Make a paste of 1 teaspoon cornstarch or 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour mixed with 1/2 tablespoon cold water. Stir paste into separated mixture and heat gently until it thickens and recombines.

• Beating yogurt or vigorous stirring will break it down. Gently fold it in when blending with other ingredients.

• Use yogurt in equal measures as a substitute for mayonnaise or sour cream in dip and salad dressing recipes to reduce the calories.

• For those watching their fat intake, yogurt can be substituted for sour cream in baked recipes and will save you 48 grams of fat per cup.

• Yogurt tenderizes baked goods and helps keep them moist, particularly in breads using dried fruits.

• Do not use aluminum pans when preparing anything with yogurt. The acid in the yogurt will react with the aluminum.

Yogurt Measures, Equivalents, and Substitutions

• For marinating and cooking purposes, 1 cup of buttermilk may be substituted for 1 cup of yogurt and vice versa.

• Eight ounces of yogurt equals 1 cup.

• Soy yogurt can be substituted measure for measure for milk yogurt in most applications.

• Three cups non-fat yogurt will produce 1 cup of yogurt cheese.

• For salad dressings and dips, sour cream and plain yogurt may be used interchangeably.

Homemade BUTTER

My sister in law was telling me that she had her kids make butter from shaking baby food jars of cream until it turned into butter. This was 20 min or so of shaking. Fun but no fun if you know what I mean. So I bought a half gallon of heavy cream from Costco for about $4 and but it in my mixer. I mixed it for about 5-10 min. I turned into whipped cream--(it was so tempting to stop right there)--then it turned into butter. The butter clumped up and turned yellow. The buttermilk was there ready to be drained. So i drained the buttermilk and scooped up the butter. What fun! You can add 1/2 tsp of salt to the batch to give it some flavor if desired!
Who knew butter was so easy to make!

Wheat Berries

I use wheat berries on a regular basis. I cook them in the crockpot
2 cups of wheat berries
4 cups of water

high of for 4 hours.

Or you can use the recipe below on stove top

I use my wheat berries as a meat alternative--Meat messes up my food diary..So to cut down on the meat, I will use these in my taco meat, chili, or mexican type casserole. If i do not have enough meat you can add these. I will put these on corn tortillas and make tostadas -
corn tortilla, cooked wheat berries, salsa and cheese. So yummy.
It also tastes great in a bowl with agave nectar on top.


BASIC WHEAT BERRIES

1 c. wheat berries
2 1/2 c. water

Combine a saucepan. Cover, bring to boil, lower heat to simmer on lowest setting. Cook until grains are soft. About 1 to 1 1/2 hours. You might have to add water to prevent scorching grain.

Whole wheat berries stay chewier than rice. I substitute them often for almost all the recipes that require rice. Try to remember that wheat berries take longer to cook and need a little more liquid. For more flavor, try cooking the berries in chicken broth or vegetable juices.

http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1710,155179-229206,00.html