a new bread recipe

 in my opinion...

there is nothing more homey

than the smell of fresh bread baking.

  i found this recipe on pinterest.

i just changed it by using 1 cup of better for bread flour,

instead of using all whole wheat flour.

the first time i made it...the bread was pretty dense.

and i like my bread a bit more fluffy.

can you have fluffy bread?

anyway...

this recipe was easy peasy.

and smelled sooo good!

plus wasn't a bad addition to potato soup!

today i am thankful for-

~a wonderful surprise this morning

~my daughter's sense of humor.  she can make me laugh so hard that i have tears running down my checks

~herbs and spices

~laughter with my husband

~rest

give us this day...

our daily bread.

it is back to being cloudy and foggy for the past 4 days.

though i do miss the sunshine there is one thing i love about days like this.

making bread.

there is something about filling up your home with the smells of fresh bread.

it smells warm and toasty.

perfect for winter days.

when i , or my daughter.want a piece of bread quickly, i make this.

but, when i have a little bit more time i make

english muffin bread.

the problem is you don't kneed this bread.

which i guess for some people that would be a big plus.

but i find kneeding dough to be relaxing.

but not this bread.

why?

because the dough looks like this.

english muffin bread-makes two loaves

2 1/2 cups milk

1 cup water

2 heaping tablespoons cornmeal

5 1/2 cups bread flour- you may need more

1 tablespoon sugar

2 packages active dry yeast

2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoons soda

warm milk and water until very warm (125). grease 2 bread pans and coat with cornmeal. mix together 3 cups flour, yeast, sugar, salt, and soda. stir milk and water in flour mixture. stir in remaining flour, one cup at a time until a loose batter is formed. (it is almost like a cake batter).

spoon batter into pans, cover and let rise in a warm place until double. about 45 minutes. bake at 400 for 25 minutes, until golden brown. remove from pan immediately and cool.

please don't mind the big hole. it still taste good.

wonderful for grilled cheese and cinnamon-sugar on toast.

hope everyone has a wonderful evening.

buckets of rain makes for yummy dishes

it has been pretty cold, rainy, and foggy today.

snow is going to start tonight.

3-5 inches.

we went for a motorcycle ride sunday.

it was 72.

anyway, i love to cook when it starts to get cool outside...just warms my heart to warm up my family with some of their favorites.

i have two favs to share tonight.

i am going to start with dessert.

and it is easy, peasy.

only 3 ingredients.

this was adapted from a camping recipe meant to be made in a dutch oven, over a campfire and covered in coals.

see.

isn't it cozy already?

ok

first take a stick off butter and grease the bottom and sides of a

8x8 pan.

next, take a 21 oz can of your favorite fruit pie filling.

here, i used apple because that was the request of our daughter.

however blueberry is the best...

sprinkle a small box of jiffy white cake mix over the fruit.

then cut the stick of butter and put on top of the cake mix.

bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown.

let cool slightly before dishing.

then add ice cream..of course.

it is easy to double to make a 9x13. we use two different types of fruit pie filling...just put one on each half and use a regular size of white cake mix.

yummy!

the next is creamy white chili

this has become my family's favorite soup

1 lb boneless chicken breast, cut into bite size pieces

1 medium onion

1-1/2 teaspoons garlic powder

1 tablespoon canola oil

2 cans (15.5 oz each) great northern beans, rinsed and drained

1 can (14.5 oz) chicken broth

2 cans (4 oz each) chopped green chilies

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 cup sour cream

1/2 heavy whipping cream

~in a large saucepan, saute the chicken, onion, and garlic powder in oil until chicken is no longer pink. add the beans, broth, chilies and seasonings. bring to a boil. reduce heat; simmer uncovered, for 30 minutes.

~remove from heat ; stir in sour cream and cream

~enjoy!

i hope this finds everyone warm and safe. this is part of Southern Hospitality's recipe party. be sure to check everyone's good stuff.

thank you to everyone for the well wishes. emma is doing much better. not sure what she had, some 24 hr. thing.

God bless

alissa

what's for supper

the fruits...er, ah vegetables of our labor. today i was able to pick tomatoes, sweet corn, pull up onions, and dug some potatoes for supper. well the tomatoes are for making salsa later this week. i have a recipe all picked out...unless i find another one before then. i am always changing my mind.

anyways, back to supper. gathering food is a great stress reducer. until i dug the potatoes. i also dug up a fire ant nest. yep. there i was, doing the two step, tying to stay out of their way. little miss emma ran to the other side of the garden. she was not going to have any part of them. the bad part of this? the plant that they had claimed as their own had very small potatoes...and i am going to blame them. is that fair? yep, i think so.

hash, is one of my favorite foods to make in the summer. because it is quick and i don't have to turn on the oven. anyways, i was anxious to try our own homegrown. let me tell you. store bought veggies can't hold a candle to homegrown. everything was so tender and moist. i hope i can keep the onions and potatoes through winter. maybe those small taters will work with a roast.

i have been craving homemade bread, but didn't have the time for all the mess. in comes little miss emma's favorite item. my beer bread. it tastes so good, and the crust is every one's favorite part. i am not kidding. we fight over it. so buttery and crisp.

see. don't that look yummy?

i don't think one ear of corn was enough for any of us. however, since we planted it late, the grasshoppers got to the silk and some of the ears didn't develop kennels. good thing my in-laws had enough corn to freeze. about 100 quarts.

for those of you that want a quick and yummy bread recipe, here it is.

3 cups self-rising flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 12 oz bottle of beer

1 stick of butter, melted

mix together flour and sugar. add beer. pour batter into a greased bread pan. pour melted butter on top. bake at 350 for 55-60 minutes. i cover my bread with tin foil for the last 15 minutes. that way the crust won't burn.

this bread makes wonderful french toast because it is slightly sweet and very dense. i do recommend, however, to try and wait at least 10-15 minutes before slicing the bread. that way it doesn't fall apart.

take care and God bless

alissa