Warm ‘n Wonderful Wheat Bread and a Great Deal on Taste of Home Magazine!

I love to bake bread, especially in the fall! There’s just enough of a chill in the air to really appreciate the warmth of the oven and the aroma of fresh baked bread…mmmm…

I think I have found a new favorite recipe! It’s easy, makes two loaves and comes out light and airy with a wonderful wheaty flavor. Here’s the recipe.

Honey Wheat Bread

2-1/2 to 3 cups all-purpose flour (I used bread flour)

3-1/2 cups whole wheat flour, divided (fresh ground is best)

2 packages (1/4 ounce each) or 5 tsps. active dry yeast

1 cup milk

1-1/4 cups water

1/4 cup honey

3 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon salt

 

In a bowl, combine 2 cups all-purpose flour, 2 cups whole wheat flour and yeast. In a saucepan, heat milk, water, honey, butter and salt to 120°-130°; add to flour mixture. Blend on low speed until moistened; beat on medium for 3 minutes. Gradually stir in remaining whole wheat flour and enough of the remaining all-purpose flour to form a soft dough.

Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

Punch dough down. Shape into two loaves; place in a greased 8-in. x 4-in. loaf pans. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour. Bake at 375° for 40-45 minutes. Remove from pans to cool on wire racks.

This is how it looked 5 minutes after it came out of the oven!  

Yes, we were burning our mouths, but it was sooo worth it!

I found this recipe at Taste of Home online. I love their searchable recipe database! I also love their magazine! Right now there is a great deal on a  Taste of Home subscription. It’s only $3.99 for a year! You can read more about how to get it at that price by clicking here:

There are offers on a couple of other good magazines too!

Cook up something warm and wonderful!

My First Fall Meal

After two days of rain, we have clear blue skies and crisp, clean mountain air! Fall is definitely here in the mountains! While it was still raining this morning, soup for supper sounded warm and filling. My family’s favorite is creamy chicken and wild rice. It’s my copy cat of Panera Bread’s soup. I first tried it at Panera  about 2 years ago and couldn’t get enough. It was warm, rich and flavorful…talk about “comfort food”…YUM! I found several recipes online and then played around until I got a close flavor that was fast and easy to make. Here’s my version:

Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

6 cups of chicken broth

1 box of Uncle Ben’s Long Grain and Wild Rice with seasoning packet

2 cups cooked chicken

1 can sliced carrots (drained)

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

1 can cream of celery soup

1 can cream of chicken soup

3/4 cup flour

2 cups milk (I have used half and half, whole milk and 2% milk with success)

In a large pot over medium heat, combine broth, chicken, carrots, salt and pepper. Bring just to boiling, then stir in rice, and seasoning packet. Simmer 10 minutes. Empty cans of soup into a medium size bowl and whisk in the milk a little at a time until smooth. Whisk in flour a little at a time. Stir into broth and rice. Cook over medium heat until heated through and thickened.

Serve with warm bread like Sesame Wheat Braids

or Mrs. Cindy’s French Bread.

MMMMMM….Enjoy!

Apple Pie Filling, Jelly and Apple Butter From the Same Apples!

Yes, you read that right! You can get all three, from the same apples…and it’s easy as well as thrifty! I followed a recipe several years ago for apple jelly and apple butter from the same apples. I couldn’t find it this time when I tried, so I did a little research for recipes that sounded good individually and then used them together!
Most of my pictures of the whole process are on the same card that my Mason Jar Soap Dispenser pics are on, so I am borrowing some and recreating some to try and give some visual, I know it’s not the same, but this little secret was too good not to share, even without the proper pictures.
First, you have to go pick some apples…

then, prepare them for

Miss Kitty’s

Apple Pie Filling

Prepare your apples, enough to fill 7 quarts. Fill your clean jars with apples. Pour over the apples this mixture, that you have boiled until clear:

8 cups water

6cups sugar

1 cup cornstarch

1TBL salt

1TBL cinnamon

Wipe jar tops, screw on seal and bands and process in a boiling water bath for 20 minutes. A quart is enough for a 9 inch pie.

I used my apple corer, slicer and peeler on my apples and it makes nice slices for the jars.
 
It also makes the process faster. I take the leftover skins and the cores and put them in a pot, put enough water in them so that you can almost see the water through the top of the apples. Bring to a boil and simmer til mushy. While they are simmering, I filled the quarts with apples and liquid for the pie filling.
When I finished putting the pie filling in the jars and put then in the water bath canner, the skins and cores were about ready I put them through a strainer, and saved the juice and discarded the “muck”.
I reran the juice through the strainer and a layer of cheese cloth.
Saving the apple puree that remains in the cheesecloth.  I had about 4 cups of apple juice to use for

Red Hot Candy Apple Jelly

4 cups apple juice

1/2 cup  (or more) red-hot candies

3 cups sugar

Bring juice to  a boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Add 2 cups of sugar.Boil for 7 minutes. Add last cup of sugar and boil for 10 minutes. Ladle into hot jars seal with hot lids and process in boiling water bath canner for 10 minutes.

I had almost a cup of puree left after I strained the apple juice. I put that into a plastic container and put it in the refrigerator to wait for the apple butter. I made a total of  4 batches of the apple pie filling, strained the juice each time and ended up with enough juice for 4 batches of jelly. I made up one batch of the apple jelly and froze the rest of the juice to make into jelly later. At the end I also had almost enough apple puree from straining the juice to make a small batch of crock pot apple butter!

Easy Crock Pot Apple Butter

4 cups applesauce (I used the puree leftover from straining the juice and added a little home canned applesauce to get all the way to 4 cups.)

1/3 to 1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp cloves

1/4 tsp allspice

In a slow cooker, combine all ingredients. Cover and cook on LOW for 14 to 15 hours or until mixture is a deep brown.
Spoon hot apple butter into hot sterilized jars and seal, then process half-pints or pints 10 minutes in a boiling water bath.

So, here is the end result, minus several jars that have been eaten or given away! there are 3 bags of juice in the freezer too!

One batch of apples can go a long way!

I’m going to share this at Ott, A’s party . She is having a canning/canning jar linky party with giveaways!Click the button below or in my sidebar to join me! I’ll also be linking up to some of the other great parties in my sidebar!

Green Beans and Apple Pie

Today my family was supposed to go pick apples at a friend of a friend’s home but we couldn’t all get connected…so hopefully we will get another chance to go. I have great plans for making applesauce, apple butter, red hot apple jelly and Miss Kitty’s Apple Pie Filling! Miss Kitty was one of the finest examples of a Christian lady that I know! She passed away earlier this year. She was an awesome gardener and cook. Her recipe for Apple Pie Filling is amazing! My family would eat it right out of the jar! I didn’t get to make any today, but thought I would still share the recipe!

Miss Kitty’s

Apple Pie Filling

Prepare your apples, enough to fill 7 quarts. Fill your clean jars with apples. Pour over the apples this mixture, that you have boiled until clear:

8 cups water

6cups sugar

1 cup cornstarch

1TBL salt

1TBL cinnamon

Wipe jar tops, screw on seal and bands and process in a boiling water bath for 20 minutes. A quart is enough for a 9 inch pie.

I love having this on the shelf in the winter! It makes dessert easy, fast and delicious!

Since I stayed home today, I was able to harvest from the garden and just in time…some of my green beans and cucumbers got a little big! :( I   feel so wasteful when that happens! Here is what I found when I walked in the garden:

I found this pepper plant at Ingles, a local grocery store. I had to buy it because of it’s name, “Costa Rican” …I have a special spot for anything Costa Rican after having visited there with my daughter! Someday, I’ll go back! Anyway, it finally has a pepper on it!

I am actually going to have some eggplant this year!

The okra is finally blooming and bearing. I was able to pick a few today.

The second planting of squash is bearing now too!

I actually have a few flowers that have survived the dry weather!
  

Today’s Harvest

I was able to put up 13 quarts of green beans from that basket! It was a very profitable day even if we didn’t get to pick apples!
 I'm sharing Miss Kitty's Apple Pie recipe at the parties in my sidebar. Check out the food related linky parties! I’ve found some awesome recipes there!
I'm also sharing my garden at Tootsie's Fertilizer Friday/Flaunt your flowers! Check out some amaing photos of gorgeous gardens here!

MMMM…Fresh Fruit

This is the first summer that I can remember finding so much fresh fruit and finding it so reasonably priced!

I have harvested my own strawberries, raspberries and a very small crop of blackberries. I’ve used them in jam, smoothies and even frozen some. Walmart has had strawberries and and blueberries CHEAP!! I’ve picking some up every few days and using some fresh and freezing the rest!

My non-blogging friend Cindy shared a fresh fruit idea with me. Since I can’t point you to her blog, I’ll just share her idea with you! She takes several fresh fruits that are in season and cuts them up and puts them in plastic containers, puts them in the fridge and tells her kids to just “help themselves!”

I have several kids that would almost rather have fresh fruit than candy (really, and since candy is cheaper, they usually get that more often! ) So I thought I would give it a try, because I usually limit the fruit to make it go around. I washed strawberries, blueberries and cherries and put them in a flat container. Next time I think I will try to find a divided container.

 

Here is my fruit monster holding the fruit. He didn’t know what to think when I said he could help himself anytime. Well, I should have known better! When I got home later that day, it was ALL gone!!! Every last piece! The other kids had some, but guess who ate most of it? My Fruit Monster! What can I say, I told them they could!! So, in the future, I will put some limits on it. ;-)

I’m freezing some grapes and watermelon balls for a cool summer treat.  

After I made the melon balls, my fruit monster noticed that the empty half of the watermelon looked like a bowl. So we decided to put together a “fruit salad” in the “bowl” for tomorrow’s fruit. We just washed and tossed in grapes, blueberries and cut up some cherries.  Then we added in some of the scrappy watermelon pieces and the juice. There wasn’t quite enough juice so I added a little fruit punch that I had on hand and voila’ ! Not all that pretty to look at but it sure tastes good! Having the fresh fruit so readily available and ready to eat makes it easier to encourage the kids to eat fruit!

I’m also freezing some of fruits for smoothies throughout the year. Cherries and blueberries are easy to freeze. Just wash, dry and flash freeze (lay on a cookie sheet in a single layer and put in freezer for a couple of hours til frozen) then put into freezer bags. They won’t be frozen together and you can just take the amount you need out of the bag! I’m trying this with strawberries too. I’m just hulling them first.

I hope to be able to enjoy fruit long after the warm weather is gone!  What ideas do you have for serving fresh fruit??

It’s been encouraging to receive several awards all in a short period of time…the same period of time that I haven’t been able to blog much and haven’t felt like a very good blogger! Amy from A Latte’ with Ott, A. awarded me this:

Thank you Amy for this award! I’m encouraged that you think my blog has substance! This came at just the right time…I need the boost! :-)

The Rules:
*Thank the blogger who awarded it to you.
*Sum up your blogging philosophy, motivation, and experience using five (5) words.
*Pass it on to 10 other blogs which you feel have real substance.

Five Words, huh? Okay how about Thrifty, Creative, Sharing,Learning,Growing

Passing it on:

1.Nikki’s Nifty Knacks One of my first favorites! Nikki and I have a lot in common…mainly a LOVE of Dollar Tree!

2.Delicious Ambiguity I enjoy this blog for all the mommy tips.

3. Blessed With Grace  Definitely a blog with substance! Lisa’s testimony is amazing! I love her Tempt My Tummy link party too!

4. An Oregon Cottage is a blog full of substance! We enjoy many of the same things, gardening, being frugal and diy decorating.

5. SueAnn’s Journey Sue Ann’s blog is full of creative substance!! She is also a faithful blog friend!

6. The Thrifty BA is full of frugal fun substance!

7.Tracy’s Trinkets and Treasures is sooo creative! I am inspired every time I visit!

8. Tootsie Time has the most beautiful gardens!! Go take a tour. She does a great link party “Fertilizer/Flaunt your flowers Friday!

9.Silver Strands has done something very substantial for her Mom! Go read her story!

10. Veronica’s Korner is full of fun ideas, crafts, recipes and she does a “My Top Pics” each week of the things she has seen while visiting aound in blogland!

Go visit these inspiring blogs with substance!

There are always great food ideas and recipes at Tempt My Tummy Tuesday and Tasty Tuesday! Let's go check them out!

I’m Jammin’!!!!

Today, I thought I would spend most of the day outside and finish getting the garden planted. Well, it was not to be,…after spending quite a while trying to figure out why my internet wasn’t working only to find out that most of Windstream in north Georgia was down, I went out side…it started to turn  gray and then thunder! So I picked raspberries as fast as I could!! I picked about 5 cups with  no help from my Lab, Jessie! She was picking and eating them right off the bushes!
 
I brought them in as it started to pour. When life gives you raspberries and rain, you make raspberry preserves or jam! It looks like we will have quite a few this year too and I am thankful because they did not get pruned or cared for at all last year!
I was very excited to try a recipe for making jam without store bought pectin. I found it in our Georgia Magazine, put out by our local EMC. You can see the article and some other recipes here:

Easy Berry Jam

4 cups berries rinsed (author says to dry but I can’t quite figure out why….)

3 Cups granulated sugar

In a large pot cook berries for 5 minutes. Stir in two cups of sugar and boil for another 7 minutes. Add the last cup of sugar and boil for 10 minutes. Ladle into hot jars and cover with hot seals and rings. Process in a hot water bath for 10 minutes.

After two batches of berries I ended up   with 3  and  a 1/2 pints of jam.  

This was the easiest recipe that I have ever used for jams and it has “set” nicely  and tastes yummy! You can see that one jar is no longer full… I will probably never buy packaged pectin again! A few weeks ago, I made strawberry jam with purchased pectin.

When my strawberries come in again later in the season, I’m going to try this with them. I also have some thornless blackberries that are coming on!

Have you ever made jam this way? Have you had success doubling the ingredients and made it in one batch?

Hoping for an outside day tomorrow!

I'm visiting and meeting new friends at these fun parities:

Yummy and Versatile Zucchini Casserole

I’ve had several requests for the recipe for the zucchini casserole that my sister served us for lunch.
It was so yummy prepared according to the recipe…

Zucchini Casserole

5 cups sliced zucchini

1 cup diced onion

1/2 cup butter or margarine

1Tbl. Parsley

1 tsp. Italian Seasoning

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

3 eggs well beaten

2 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese

2 tubes crescent rolls

Saute zucchini and onion in butter until tender. Add spices. In bowl combine eggs and cheese, add to zucchini mixture. Press 1 tube of rolls into bottom of casserole dish. Top with zucchini mixture and cover with second tube of crescent rolls. Bake 20-25 minutes at 350F.

… but it seems to be one of those recipes that would be easy to change  and tasty with a few variations.

Use  an Italian Blend Cheese instead of just mozzarella. Throw in some bacon or bacon bits for flavor. To make  this more of a main dish, add leftover chopped ham, turkey or chicken.
I can see this being served a lot around my house this summer when all the zucchini and squash are ready in the garden. I’m also going to try it with yellow squash and cheddar or cheddar/jack blend cheese and bacon…mmmm.

       Sharing this over  at:

A Crockpot Recipe and Giveaway Link!

I was checking out what was  "new"  this morning and saw that Michelle over at Raising LittleWomen is having a Giveaway from cookware.com! The winner has their choice of this:

Slow Cooker

OR this:

Bayou 12” cast iron skillet

Check out the details here: http://raisinglittlewomen.com/2010/03/08/sarahs-room-a-giveaway/

I sure could use a new crockpot! I use mine almost every Saturday. I usually put a roast in and let it go all night. When we come home from church it's warm and falling apart.  Lately, my crockpot seems to cook on high no matter what setting it's on. :( I didn't realize you could "burn" something in a crockpot, but you can!
Since I'm linking to a crockpot giveaway, I thought I'd share our favorite crockpot "recipe". It's so easy it's hard to call it a recipe, but it sure is good!
 

Super Easy Crock Pot Roast

 

1 good sized roast (I've used chuck, bottom round, and even london broil when on sale)

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 soup can full of water

1 package brown gravy

half of a medium onion, sliced

1/2 to 1 tsp. minced garlic (the jar type)

salt and pepper to taste

 

Spread the garlic over roast and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Brown the roast on both sides along with the onion in a dutch oven. While it browns mix the cream of mushroom soup, backage of brown gravy and can of water in the crockpot. When the roast is sufficienctly browned, put it in the crockpot, Leave the dutch oven on the stove and pour in a 1/4 cup (+or-) in to the hot pot allowing the brown "drippings" to sizzle off of  the bottom. Stir and add more water if necessary to get it all up. Pour over roast. Cover and let roast cook on low all night or day. Before serving thin gravy with a little water if necessary.  Excellent served with Mashed Potatoes!

 

Tuesday'sTip: Watch your grocery stores' sales flyers for meat sales. They seem to rotate every 4 to 6 weeks. If possible, buy several roasts to hold you over til they go on sale again. Put them in freezer bags before storing in the freezer. The packaging from the store isn't meant to protect and keep them fresh for more than getting them home and cooked.

Tip 2: I try to buy a little larger roast than what we will eat and then save the leftovers for BBQ sandwiches later in the week. If there is only a small amount left, I will freeze that in a freezer bag with some BBQ sauce  and wait for more roast leftovers. Then I put it all together, with a little more sauce, warm it up and serve on buns.

Linkin' this up to Tasty Tuesday!

PS Michelle has a hamburger bun recipe  on her blog too. Homemade buns  would go great with the leftover BBQ. Check it out when you enter her give-away!