Homemade Bread

Is there anything better than homemade bread? Fresh, warm out of the oven and covered in butter, or slathered in peanut butter and honey a la T and t styles. We've been trying to eat healthier and I've been trying to have our family eat things that don't contain preservatives, fillers and things I can't pronounce. There are some things that have been tough to move away from, not only money wise but ease as well. But some things have been easy to replace, like warm, soft homey bread.
I went looking for a bread recipe that I could make myself and bake in the oven, opposed to a bread machine recipe. Again, this is a mix of a bunch of recipes I found, tinkered with to make my own.
The bread is a little yeastier than I normally like, and higher in calories than some on the grocery shelves, but it goes fast and it has a super short list of ingredients. Perfect.



Whole wheat flax sunflower seed bread

1 1/2 cup warm water
3/4 tbsp sugar
3/4 tbsp bread machine yeast (this is what I have in my house, but I guess any dry, active yeast will work)
3-3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (works with white flour too, if you go to make it and find your almost out of whole wheat)
1/2 cup ground flax seed
1/2 cup sunflower seeds (these can be omitted easily if you're not a seed person)
1 tbsp oil plus some to grease the pan and bowl(vegetable or canola)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Mix 1/2 cup warm water with sugar and yeast and let sit about 5 minutes until foamy.
Add to the yeast the rest of the water, 2 cups of flour, flax, sunflower seeds, oil and salt.
Mix in a Kitchen Aid mixer with the bread hook (or by hand, if you are so inclined) keep adding 1/4 cup of flour to the mix until the dough becomes a little stiff.
Turn up the mixer to high (or knead by hand) and let mix until dough becomes elastic. (about 7-10 minutes)
Put into a greased bowl and allow to rise until doubled (about an hour or so)
Knock down and let rise again.
Knock down and roll out into a rectangle as wide as the pan you plan on baking the loaf in and about 10 inches long.
Roll into tight log and place into a greased loaf pan.
Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for another 25 minutes.
You might need more or less time depending on your oven.

Voila tasty, homemade bread.
I just keep mine either under a tea towel, or in an old bread bag. Keeps for about 3 days.

Bison Burgers

Yes, I said bison, like buffalo, like those large woolie things you see in pictographs and the flintstones.
I am NOT a game person, hunting creeps me out, but bison is not gamey at all and is a leaner, tastier version of beef.
It really is good. It isn't all that much more expensive than lean ground beef here in the prairie provinces.
This isn't so much a recipe as a suggestion to BBQ something a little different.
My favourite way these days is seasoned just with a little garlic, salt and pepper. Grilled and then topped with Chèvre cheese and some Sharwoods mango chutney. (please don't tell my mom I love chutney, she will never let me hear the end of it, we used to torment her mercilessly when we were growing up about how gross chutney was)

Happy grilling!

Welcome to the world!

We welcomed a new addition to our family over the weekend. Sunday afternoon little b was born. She is perfect in every way. No sleep and wondering when I can shower again has taken over my life. I love it. t has been fantastic so far and loves every inch of her. My mom was visiting for a wedding and since little miss b was more than a week late, had to leave to go home :( just after her birth. So now it is just us and life is pretty much perfect.

HAT PANTS!

I made t some pants today. He loves them and I haven't been able to get them off of him since having him try them on. You see they are Cat in the Hat pants. Well Dr. Seuss pants really, complete with red and white stripes and Cindy Lou Who, the grinch, Horton, Nick, Sally and Fish. It is wonderful when you can make something so simple that your child loves so much. I will get a picture later. I have to admit, I am kind of jealous. I'd like a pair of hat pants too.

French Onion Shepherds Pie

So this morning my husband put in his request for dinner. He usually leaves it to me to figure out, so when he makes the decision I get all excited for not having to use valuable brain cells figuring out what's for dinner.
He wanted Shepherds pie, an easy thing to do. Some ground beef, some potatoes and veggies and voila, dinner.
I got a little creative and ended up with a fantastic version!
Enjoy!

1 pkg lean ground beef
1 pkg ground bison (it's good, beleive me!)
chopped garlic to taste (I used about 2 cloves)
1 1/2 cups of French Onion Soup (with the onions strained off if you have a small child with an aversion to peices of onion)
1-2 tbsp cornstarch
1 1/2 cups frozen veggies of choice
6 medium sized potatoes
1/4 cup (or more to taste) of Brie cheese
2 tbsp butter

1) Brown beed, bison and garlic together and drain of extra fat.
2) Peel and cook potatoes. Once cooked, mash potatoes and mix in butter and brie.
3) Strain onion peices from the soup and put into a pot on medium heat. Mix cornstarch with 1/4 cup of water and add to soup. Stir until thickened.
4) Mix onion soup, meat and veggies into the dish you plan on putting into the oven.
5) Top with mashed potatoes
6) Bake for 35 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

Serve yum!
The kid loved it and the manchild had 2 servings before I finished one. Always a good thing.

Spicy Ginger Snaps

These little bad boys tend to me a fan favorite. Even the guy who hates everything homey and good told me that they're good. I always take it as a compliment. They are a spicier cookie and even the boy likes them.


3/4 cup butter
1 cup white sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup molasses
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 heaping tsp ground cloves
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp fresh ground cardamom
1/4 tsp white pepper
1 1/2 tbsp ground ginger
white sugar to roll balls in

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

1) Mix butter & sugar together until smooth. Add egg & molasses and mix well.
2) In a seperate bowl mix all dry ingredients together and whisk.
3) Add dry ingredients slowly to wet mixture and blend well.
4) Form into 1 inch balls, roll until completely coated in white sugar and place on a parchment lined cookie sheet.
5) Using a small square of parchment paper and a heavy flat bottomed glass, press down and flatten the balls into cookies. I use a Guinness pint glass and make the cookies about the same size as the bottom of the pint glass.
6) Bake 8-10 minutes (longer if you prefer a true snap cookie)

Makes about 3 dozen.

Garlic Sauce

Garlic sauce...

Depends on who you ask and where you come from, garlic sauce can be made a lot of different ways, Egyptian style, Lebanese, Saudi, everyone has thier own way, but these two are our favourites. T especially is a fan.

4 cloves garlic finely minced
1 cup canola oil (it's taste is inert and won't fight the rest of the ingredients)
1 or 2 egg whites (depending on size of eggs)
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/8 tsp salt (more or less to taste)


In a food processor put the garlic and salt.
Turn on the food processor and very slowly add the oil and the lemon juice in small quantities, alternating until gone. It should emulsify.
Scrape down the sides.
Turn the machine back on and add an egg white, blending it until it looks like mayonnaise. You might need to add the second egg white, depending on the size of the eggs you used. I have thought about using a pasteurized egg white substitute instead of the raw egg. I haven't done it yet, but I will let you know when we do!
This recipe can be kept in the fridge for about a week.


or without egg...

1 bulb of garlic peeled and finely minced
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup canola oil

Add into a blender the minced garlic, lemon juice and salt.
VERY slowly add in the canola oil and allow to emulsify.
It should be the consistency of a thick mayo.
Put into a jar and it can be kept for awhile in the fridge.


It goes amazing on the shwarmas, pita bread, on steak, the possibilities are endless.