Bagels

I love bagels, they are undoubtedly one of my favorite foods. So I knew once I started cooking all of my food from scratch, that I would have to master bagels. There are, in my estimation, some requirements for a bagel to be considered a proper bagel. First they have to be from yeast leavened bread, no quick breads! Second, the first step in the cooking process, they have to be boiled. Boiling is the only way to get the trademark chewy texture and glossy crust that should always be present in a bagel. Pictured is a cinnamon raisin bagel, however, you could omit the cinnamon and raisins and sprinkle sesame seeds on top or dehydrated onions or whatever you choose, really the options are limitless.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups warm water
2 tbsp active dry yeast
1 tsp sugar
2 cups bread flour
2 1/4 cup whole wheat bread flour
1 tbsp salt
3 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp plain yogurt
1 egg white
1 tbsp water

Sesame seeds for top if using or if you are making cinnamon raisin use 1 tbsp cinnamon and 1/2 cup raisins.

Directions:
In the work bowl of a stand mixer, mix the water 1 tsp sugar and yeast. Let sit for 5 to 10 minutes until foamed up. With the paddle attachment on low speed mix in both of the flours, salt, remaining sugar, and yogurt until the dough just begins to come together. Switch to the dough hook and knead at medium speed for 10 minutes until you have a nice flexible dough. Loosely cover and remove to a warm place for 2 hours or until dough has doubled in size. Punch down and knead a little bit more, if you are making cinnamon raisin bagels this is the time to add the cinnamon and raisins, knead in until the cinnamon is just swirled through. Put 2 quarts of water on to boil.

Divide dough into eight equal portions and let rest on the counter for five minutes. Make a hole in the middle of each dough ball and pull apart about 2 inches. Place on baking sheet, cover with damp towel and let sit for 10 minutes. Drop bagels two at a time into the boiling water for 45 sec each, turning once halfway through. Let drain on a cooling rack. Mix egg white and water and brush on to the bagels. Place bagels on a greased cookie sheet (or on parchment paper) and bake 35 minutes. Bagels will be golden brown and shiny.

Yogurty Goodness

I have previously posted a recipe and method for making homemade yogurt. While the method is fantastic the recipe was somewhat less reliable. Sometimes I would have a great batch of yogurt and other times not so much. This recipe is great and every time I get a perfect batch of yogurt. If you have never tried making your own yogurt, give it a try. Use this recipe with the method I've posted previously. Once you do you will never go back to store bought yogurt again.

Recipe:
Adapted from Alton Browm
Ingredients

• 1 quart 2-percent milk
• 1 envelope unflavored gelatin
• 1 to 2 tablepoons honey
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt, room temperature

Directions

Pour milk into small saucepan and whisk in gelatin and honey. Place over medium heat and bring to 120 degrees F on a candy thermometer. Once milk has reached 120 degrees F, pour into a mason jar (you might have to pour a little into a smaller jar also), reserving 1/2 cup. Whisk in the reserved 1/2 cup into the yogurt and add back to the milk mixture.

Follow my previous directions for fermentation. method

After fermentation is complete place into the refrigerator overnight.

Graham Crackers

        My children's favorite snack is graham crackers but it is not the healthiest snack. The store bought varieties are loaded with sugar. However, graham crackers made at home are an entirely different story. These are made from wholesome whole grain graham flour and naturally sweetened with a bit of honey. These are truly delicious and easy to make. The only challenge I ran into was obtaining the graham flour. They do not sell it in the local mega mart or even Whole Foods. If you live in the Northwest, they have it in the natural foods section of Fred Meyers, otherwise you can order it here. Trust me, these are worth the effort, did I mention they are also a fraction of the cost of store bought crackers?

Graham Crackers

Ingredients

1 ¼ cup graham flour 

¼ cup all-purpose flour

3 tbl dark brown sugar

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon 

6 tbl unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch cubes and chilled

4 ½ tbl honey

3 tbl whole milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Place both flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon into the bowl of a food processor and pulse several times to combine. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles cornmeal. Add the honey, milk and vanilla extract and process until the dough forms a ball, approximately 1 minute. Press the ball into a 1/2-inch thick disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Unwrap the chilled dough and place it onto a large piece of parchment paper and top with a second sheet of parchment paper. Roll the dough out until it is 1/8-inch thick. Slide the rolled dough and parchment paper onto a half sheet pan. Remove the top sheet of parchment paper and cut the dough, using a rolling pizza cutter into 2-inch square pieces, by making vertical and then horizontal cuts all the way across the dough. Trim off any excess. Using a fork, poke holes all over the top of the dough. Leave the crackers on the pan and bake on the middle rack of the oven for 25 minutes or until the edges just start to darken. Remove from the oven, set the sheet pan with the crackers on a cooling rack and allow to cool completely. Once completely cool, break into individual crackers and store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

Play Dough Valentines

It is the weekend before Valentines Day and that means that it is time to prepare those classroom valentines for your kids. The store bought ones are a little lack luster and they charge way too much for them. There is no way that 20 slips of paper with 20 flimsy envelopes should cost $3 a piece, it ridiculous. These home made valentines are the perfect solution, they are original and because you make the play dough yourself they come in at a fraction of the cost. The play dough is exceptionally easy to make and I sealed them in Ziploc and added valentines that I printed on card stock to finish them off. I made the double heart imprint with a cookie cutter. Try making your own valentines this year and you will not only be saving money but it offers a chance to spend some quality time with your kids making something really special.

Play Dough Recipe:


2 c. flour
1 c. salt
1 tbl cream of tarter
2 tbl vegetable oil
2 c. warm water
food coloring

In medium sauce pan mix all the ingredients except coloring together. Cook over low heat until the dough pulls away from the sides of the pan. Turn out onto a clean counter top and allow to cool. Knead vigorously until silky smooth. Make a divot in center of the dough and add food coloring, knead through.

Raspberry Muffins

Once I week I always try to bake up some muffins or a quick bread. They are perfect for an after school snack or for those rushed Sunday mornings.  These muffins were made with whole wheat pastry flour so I could sneak some wholesome goodness into them but you could really use whatever kind of flour you have on hand. I soaked my grains but that is totally optional. For more on the health benefits to soaking your grains look here. 

Raspberry Muffins

1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

3/4 cup sugar

2 eggs

2/3 cup oil

1 1/2 cup frozen raspberries

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a muffin pan or use paper cups. In a small mixing bowl mix flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. In the work bowl of a stand mixer beat eggs sugar and oil until fully mixed (this can also be done in a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer). Mix in the dry ingredients until just moistened. Fold in raspberries. Portion the batter into the muffin cups, they will be almost full. Bake 20 to 25 min.

Shepherd's Pie

Are you looking for a tasty, home made meal, that is loaded with nutrition while being super thrifty? Then Shepherd's pie is for you. I started making Shepherds Pie a couple of years back for St. Patricks Day. While I have Irish heritage I HATE corned beef, so I did some research on Irish cooking that did not incorporate the nasty stuff. The recipe I traditionally make for St. Patrick's day I will post next month. This recipe, however, I found recently and I just love it. It is loaded with veggies, and is super simple with the help of a gigantic bag of frozen veggies. I am aware that there is a bit of a stigma to frozen veggies but don't let that stop you from using them. Frozen veggies are picked at the peak of freshness and then flash frozen so, unless you are using veggies straight from your garden, they really are among  the highest quality veggies you can get, especially this time of year. This recipe also incorporates carrots in the mashed potato topping, which at first I though was strange but was delightfully surprised at how yummy it is. Give this recipe a try, it is really great.

Shepherd's Pie
adapted from Passionate Homemaking


Ingredients:

8 medium potatoes, cut into chunks
8 medium carrots, cut into small chunks
1 lb ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
20 oz can stewed tomatoes
2 1/2 tsp. sweet basil leaves
1-2 Tbsp honey or sugar if you prefer
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp ground mustard
1 tsp garlic powder or more fresh garlic
1 bay leaf or 1 tsp chopped bay leaf
1 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced (optional)
1 32oz bag of frozen mixed veggies thawed
1 cup milk & half stick of butter for the potatoes 

1/2 – 1 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese

Directions:

Peel and chop up carrots, peel and quarter potatoes. Add the carrots to a pot of boiling water, wait ten minutes then add the potatoes (the carrots need a little extra time). Cook until tender approx. 15 to 20 min. While those are cooking, in a large skillet brown the ground beef, add the onion and the garlic when the beef is about half way browned. Add the rest of the ingredients except the veggies and mushrooms. Allow to simmer for about 10 min. Add mushrooms and the entire bag of frozen veggies and simmer for another 15 min. When the carrots and potatoes are tender drain, add the butter and milk and beat with a hand mixer until light and fluffy,  add a little salt and pepper to flavor. Layer the meat mixture in a 9x13 pan then spread the potato/carrot mixture on top. Top with cheese and a dash of paprika if desired. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

The Facebook Fast

      

       Lately I have been thinking quite a bit about friendship. There are several different types of friends. Work friends whom you just see in and around the workplace. Satellite friends whom you see and interact with at common social functions like church or friends houses with whom you are friendly but may not know very well. Then there is the rarest and most important type of friend, a friend of the heart. This is someone you can tell anything to, someone who you might not need to tell everything to, who just knows by looking at your face. This is the friend who you might see after an absence of several years and it is like no time has past. These friends are few and far between. I can honestly say that I have only had a couple of this type of friend in my whole life. I meet them in junior high and we are still friends. However they are off living their lives and me mine so we do not see or talk very much any more but I still count them amongst my dearest friends.
           Recently a new type of friend is common, the "Facebook Friend" this might be old friends from high school or new friends from church but this is a friend that you primarily communicate with electronically. You text, post on each others walls, and comment on their latest trip to blah blah blah. This is all nice and well and good but I can't help but feel that it is a tad superficial. Where is the discussion, the depth? Its like you are being fed the friendship equivalent of twinkies when what you are really craving and need to be sustained are friendship meat and potatoes. Texting, emails, facebook, myspace, these are all modern conveniences but are they really good for us? They offer us a pleasant diversion and feeling of relationship but it is all on a surface level. They have redefined how we communicate and interact with one another but at what cost. Several friends of mine will text and facbook each other but will never return a call. I'm am weary of this pseudo-friendship, I crave and need something more.
          So I purpose this, a Facebook fast, when I say Facebook I mean all electronic socializing. Texting has a place if you want to as a quick question, but an entire conversation? No. I'm done. I am removing myself from it all. No Facebook, no texting for one month. I am a realist and I know that these inventions are handy so I am not quitting all together but I am taking a Facebook Fast for one month.

The Rules:

1. No Facebook for personal purposes. I love this blog and Facebook is the only means by which to communicate that I have something new up. So I will continue to post on my Diapering Gourmet page but after this evening nothing on my personal page.
2. No Texting, if you quickly want to let  me know to pick something up from the store or that you need something that is fine, but I will not carry-on an entire conversation. I love all my friends and if you would like to talk, I'd love for you to call me.
3. As some information is much easier obtained via email, I will continue to email.

I am boldly going where we all used to be communication-wise for one month. If you are brave and bold of heart I urge you to join me.