Pizza

I have been looking for a pizza crust I really like for years and finally found one a couple of months ago when I tasted Jenn's pizza. She shared her recipe with me and here it is for you.

Crispy Pizza Crust

From Jenn Matthews

3 C flour (or 1 1/2 cup white and 1 1/2 cup wheat)

2 1/2 t yeast (if using wheat flour, decrease yeast to 2 tsp.)

3/4 t salt

1 1/2 Tbs oil

1 1/8 cup warm water

Dissolve yeast in warm water; add oil.  Add flour and salt. Mix to soft dough and knead 5 minutes. Cover and let rise 1 hour.  ( I had never let a pizza crust rise and it is really worth it) Makes 2 crusts. Spray pan with Pam before putting dough on it. Bake at 425° for 10 minutes. Then remove from oven and add toppings. Bake for 5 more minutes.

Tip: Make the crust ahead of time and then just put the toppings on when you are ready to make the pizza. You can even make a few batches and freeze them, then you have a quick dinner ready to go. (quick meal)

Red Pizza Sauce

1 – 8 oz can tomato sauce

1 tsp. Italian seasoning

¼ to ½ tsp. granulated garlic

pinch sugar

Mix in a small bowl.

Use the leftover for dipping sauce. Just warm in the microwave.

Toppings for 13 inch pizzas

Meat Lovers

Spread ½ cup red pizza sauce on pre baked crust.

Add pepperoni, ½ cup diced ham, ½ cup diced precooked chicken, 1 cup grated mozzarella cheese.

Bake for 5 minutes at 425°and serve.

Before cooking

Hot and Ready!

Margarita

Brush ½ Tbs olive oil on pre baked crust. Sprinkle ¼ to ½ tsp granulated garlic over oil. Rinse and drain one can diced tomatoes. Spread ½ to ¾ cup tomato pieces over oil. (Fresh tomatoes are a great replacement for canned). Spread 1/3 cup chopped fresh basil. Then sprinkle ¾ cup grated mozzarella cheese. Bake 5 minutes at 425° and serve.

There are not enough tomatoes on this one, so I fixed the recipe.

Barbecue Chicken
Spread bottled barbecue sauce on pizza crust. Add chicken, onions, bell pepper and sprinkle lightly with cheese.


Alfredo Chicken
Spread bottled Alfredo sauce on crust. Top with chicken, green onions, bell pepper, a little bacon and chopped spinach. Top with parmesan instead of mozzarella for a different flavor. You can sprinkle a little garlic on top if desired.

Barbecue or Sloppy Joe

My mom called these sloppy joe, McKay's mom called them barbecue. I don't have a written recipe from my mom, but it was similar to Grandma Jane's.

From Grandma Jane Matthews

1 pint chili sauce

½ cup brown sugar

3 Tbs Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp dry mustard

1 cup ketchup

1 cup tomato juice

¼ cup vinegar

pepper

3 lbs. hamburger

1 large onion

Brown hamburger (salt and pepper it) and onion together. Mix the rest of the ingredients in a pot. Add hamburger to liquid mixture. Simmer about 5 – 10 min.

Or

Put all ingredients in with the browned hamburger and simmer.

Serve on hamburger buns or bread. Lightly toast buns in the broiler if desired.

Toasted Buns

This was Grandma’s original recipe. I have never made that much so here are the amounts I use: 

Serves 4, fills about 6 buns

1/3 cup chili sauce

1 Tbs . brown sugar

1 ½ tsp. Worcestershire sauce

¼ tsp dry mustard

2 Tbs ketchup

3 Tbs. tomato sauce (I usually don’t have tomato juice on hand)

1 tsp. vinegar

pepper

½ lb. hamburger

¼ cup finely chopped onion

Or just brown some hamburger and add a bottle of barbecue sauce to it. (Quick meal)

Note: I always rinse my hamburger in a colander after cooking to decrease the fat.

Rinsing the hamburger and onion

Recipe Organization

I think I found a way to organize my recipes.
I wanted something that was fluid, since I'm always on the lookout for something new and my recipe box is too small for my ever changing recipe formats. When I got a recipe on something bigger than a 3 x 5 card it went to a file folder and then that was very disorganized. I also have a few recipes that I use out of cookbooks and so I had a stack of books that were rarely used, but necessary when the recipe was called for. There was not room for them to stay orderly. It was a mess.
I have decided to go with 3 loose leaf binders. One will be main dishes, the other two will be divided up with other categories. I can not really make an index that would last long, so I am just putting the recipes in plastic sheet protectors and putting them in alphabetical order. When I print out a new one, I can put it where it goes alphabetically. I am also printing them out in a size 16 font so I don't have to put on my glasses to read them.
This is a work in progress. I am typing the recipes from my cook books and putting them away.  I actually print them for my book when I blog them.
I hope this is going to work!

Strawberries and Cream

Last night for dinner I opened some cream for the chicken alfredo and had some left over, so I washed and cut into bite size pieces a quart of strawberries and then added 1 Tbs sugar, 1/4 tsp. almond flavoring and
2 Tbs cream. Stir it up and serve. This was really good!

Tortellini Chicken Alfredo

From Natalie Sanderson

Serves 6 – 8

First, make a white sauce:

5 Tbs butter

3 cubes chicken bouillon

Melt on low stirring;

Add 5 Tbs flour

Blend, then add:

3 C milk (can do ½ C cream and 2 ½ C milk) Yummy!

Stir until thickened, add;

Pepper and paprika to taste.

Then add:

¼ C sour cream (or plain yogurt)

3 Tbs cream cheese

¾ cup grated mozzarella cheese

2- 9 oz. package cheese tortellini

or 4 cups egg noodles boiled in 8 cups water

(Natalie’s recipe has tortellini, I experimented with noodles and my family really likes it)

2 or 3 cut up cooked chicken breasts

Boil and add drained tortellini or noodles. Add cooked chicken breasts. (You can use your frozen prepared chicken here) Stir everything together with mozzarella cheese.

Bake uncovered for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Optional: Some times I sprinkle a little parmesan cheese on top and a little garlic powder.

These are the noodles I like in this dish

Before the sauce is added

This dish is too saucy, I only used 3 cups of noodles

Pressure Cooking Beans and Lentils

Beans need to be washed and soaked at least 4 hours (or overnight) in a bowl of water, enough to cover them at least 1 inch. Do not soak lentils. If you don’t have time to soak, then do the quick soak method below. NOTE: Do not add salt as it will make the beans so tough they will never soften.

 Quick Soak Method – Put beans in pressure cooker and cover with enough water to go 2 inches above the beans. NEVER FILL COOKER MORE THAN ½ FULL. Pressure cook on high pressure for one minute and reduce pressure with the Quick Release Method.  (Cool pan by running water over it) Go to the next step.

 Whether you have soaked them overnight or through the quick soak method, rinse and drain the beans in a colander. Put beans in cooker (Never fill more than ½ full) and cover with enough water to be 2 inches above the beans.

 If you have a jiggle top cooker, you will need to add 1-2 Tbs vegetable oil to the beans and water to keep the foam from plugging up the cooker. Do not add salt.

 Important: To reach high pressure with beans only use medium heat to do this. This keeps the skins from splitting off the bean when the temperature is too high. Most beans cook at 15 psi (High Pressure) but only need a medium heat to accomplish this. Start timing when 15 psi is reached.

Beans           Soaked/Nat. Rel.     Soaked/Quick Rel.    Unsoaked/ Quick Rel.

Adzuki             2-3 minutes             5-9 minutes                   14-20 minutes

Black                3-6 minutes             5-9 minutes                   20-25 minutes

Garbanzo          9-14 minutes           13-18 minutes               30-40 minutes

Great Northern  4-8 minutes              8-12 minutes               25-30 minutes

Lima                  2-3 minutes              5-8 minutes                 12-16 minutes

Navy/White       3-4 minutes              6-8 minutes                 20-25 minutes

Pinto                  1-3 minutes              4-6 minutes                 22-25 minutes

Red Kidney       5-8 minutes              10-12 minutes             20-25 minutes

Lentils                No Soaking             No Soaking                 8-10 minutes

Peas/Split           No Soaking             No Soaking                 6-10 minutes

Peas/Black Eyed   No Soaking          No Soaking               10-11 minutes                                   

Three Bean Soup

1/3 cup black beans (or 1 can drained)

1/3 cup white beans (or 1 can drained)

Add water to about 2 inches above dry beans

1/3 cup lentils

1/3 cup pearl barley

½ cup chopped onion (or 1 Tbs dehydrated onion)

½ tsp garlic salt

¼ tsp salt

Pinch of cayenne pepper

2 cubes or Tbs beef bullion

3 cups water

Cook black and white beans with water for 5 hours in a crockpot, on the stove or cook them in a pressure cooker according to directions. Drain and rinse the beans. Put them in a pot and add the rest of the ingredients. Simmer for about 1- 2 hours more.

Serve with grated cheese to sprinkle on soup.

Bread sticks or garlic toast go well with this soup.
To make garlic toast, just toast and butter the bread, then sprinkle a little granulated garlic on it.

Creamed Peas and Potatoes

This is one of McKay's all time favorites. Grandma Jane Matthews made this with fresh peas and new potatoes from her garden.

1 pound red potatoes
1 cup frozen peas
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups milk (you can substitute 1/2 cup cream for part of the milk if desired)

Scrub potatoes and cut into bite sized pieces (leave skin on). Cook in saucepan with 2 cups water until soft. Drain water and add butter; stir until melted. In a shaker jar, combine flour and milk. Add to pan with butter and potatoes. Keep cooking on medium high heat and stir until sauce thickens a little. Add peas and salt. Keep on heat until peas are warm, then serve.

Cinnamon Crispies

From Betty Crocker’s Easy Breakfasts and Brunches

½ cup margarine or butter (1 stick)

2 cups flour

¼  cup sugar

2/3  cup milk

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1/3 cup sugar

2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Sugar

Heat oven to 425°. Grease 2 cookie sheets. Heat margarine until melted; reserve 2 Tbs. Mix remaining margarine, the flour, ¼ cup sugar, the milk, baking powder and salt in large bowl until dough forms. Turn dough onto lightly floured surface; gently roll in flour to coat. Knead lightly 10 times.

Divide dough into halves. Roll or pat one half of dough into rectangle, 9 x 5 inches. Brush with half of reserved melted margarine. Mix 1/3 cup sugar and the cinnamon; sprinkle half over rectangle. Roll up tightly, beginning at 5 inch side. Pinch edge of dough into roll to seal. Cut roll into 4 equal pieces with sharp knife. Place cut sides up on cookie sheets; pat each into 6 inch circle. Sprinkle with sugar.

Bake 8 – 10 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Immediately remove from cookie sheets with spatula. Cool on wire rack. Repeat with remaining dough, melted margarine and cinnamon-sugar mixture.

This one is not sprinkled with sugar before cooking because my family likes a little vanilla frosting on top instead. 

Granola

From Rebecca Davidson

Rebecca is my neighbor and she gave this recipe to me a couple of years ago.  I usually keep some on hand. I have adjusted a few measurements to suit our tastes, so this is not the exact recipe she gave me, but my adjusted one. This is a big batch and it stays fresh about 3 months in an airtight container. It may last longer, if it didn't get eaten.

Measurements are approximate:

4 C rolled oats

1 ½ C puffed wheat (available at health food store)

1 ½ C puffed brown rice (available at health food store)

2 C puffed millet (available at health food store)

2 C puffed kamut (available at health food store)

1 C sliced raw almonds (or whole)

2 C chopped raw pecans

1 C raw cashew pieces

1 C raw sunflower seeds

3 C unsweetened coconut

½ C flax seed

1 ½ C pumpkin seeds (raw)

Mix in large bowl.

In saucepan, heat:

1 ½ C unrefined, virgin coconut oil (available at health food store)

2 C honey

1 ½ T vanilla

½ t nutmeg

1 t cinnamon

2 t salt

Add any combination:

raisins, craisins, dried apricots, dried apples, dried pineapple, etc.

Pour warm mixture over oat mixture and stir until moistened. Line 3 cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking sheets. Spread mixture evenly on sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 – 20 minutes (or until golden), stirring occasionally. I bake for 7 minutes, then stir and put back in for 8 more minutes. Remove and cool. Store in airtight container. Makes about 30 cups.

Breadsticks

From Boarding the Ark Today

Ready to rise

Ready to eat

3-4 C flour (wheat or white or mix)

1 Tbs dry yeast

2 Tbs sugar

1 tsp salt

1 ½ C very warm water

2 Tbs. butter

Parmesan cheese

Granulated garlic (if desired)

Mix 2 C flour, dry yeast, sugar and salt. Add water and mix well. Add remaining flour ½ cup at a time to make medium dough; knead 3 or 4 minutes. Melt butter in 9 x 13 baking dish. (I found I like a 13 x 18 jelly roll pan better). When melted, spread butter evenly to cover bottom of baking dish. Put dough into baking dish and roll out or pat with hands to fit. Turn dough over once to coat with butter. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and garlic. (I also sprinkled Italian seasoning)

With pizza wheel, cut dough horizontally into nine 1x13 inch strips. Alternating directions each row to keep dough from creeping. Next, cut dough across the middle to make 18 bread sticks. Let rise only about 15 – 20 minutes and bake at 375 degrees for 18-20 minutes.

Steak on the Grill

From McKay S. Matthews

McKay has been the grill master at our house for many years. I asked him to share his recipe for a wonderful steak. Here it is.

1. Preheat propane grill on high for 10 minutes.  Then scrape off the cooking surface with a wire brush or a barbeque scraper.

2.  Turn heat down to low and put steak on the hot grill.

3. Season the top side with lemon pepper and salt. Coarse ground lemon pepper is our favorite.

4. Close lid and let it cook for 4 minutes. This is the cooking time for a ½ inch thick steak.  Increase time for thicker cut steaks or if you want it well done.  This time turns out a medium well steak.

5. Use a spatula or tongs to turn the meat over. Do not poke with a fork. Season the other side.

6. Close the lid again and cook for 4 more minutes.

7. Turn over again and cook for 2 minutes (you are on your first side again) then one more flip for 2 more minutes.

8. If unsure about the doneness of the meat, cut a steak in half and check it out, then adjust time accordingly.

Tips:

1. Make sure grill is hot when you put steaks on.

2. Don’t lift the lid more than necessary.  Relax and let it cook.

3. To solve flare ups you can:

a. Make sure that the burner unit of the grill is clean. (you need to do this when grill is cold)

b. Move steak to another part of the grill, away from the flame.

c. Use a water spray bottle to put out flare up.

4. Steaks over 1” thick are harder to cook. They end up raw in the middle and overcooked on the outside. Try to choose thinner cuts.

5. Always get a clean plate to bring steaks onto the table. Don’t use the plate you had raw meat on.

6. Our favorite cuts of meat are: Rib eye steak (all time favorite), Porterhouse steak, T bone steak and New York steak.

1/2 inch thick ribeye

1st turn over

Ready to eat!

 Thanks honey!

Note: I usually buy steak when it is on sale and freeze some it to eat later. Be sure to thaw before grilling. You can use the microwave defrost feature.

Easy Cheesecake Dessert

Easy Cheese Cake Dessert

1 - 8 oz pkg cream cheese (room temperature)

1 - 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk

½ pint whipping cream (whipped)

½ cup lemon juice

1 tsp vanilla

In small bowl beat cream until stiff. Set aside. In medium bowl, beat cream cheese until light and fluffy. Add sweetened condensed milk; blend thoroughly. Stir in lemon juice and vanilla, then stir in whipped cream. Pour into 9” graham cracker pie crust. Chill at least 2 hours. Top with a can of pie filling.

For 9 x 13 pan:

Grind 7 graham crackers in food processer. Stir in 1 Tbs sugar. Add 2 Tbs butter cut into small pieces. Mix until crumbly.

Press into bottom of pan and microwave for 1 min.

Pour cream cheese mixture over crust and refrigerate.

Strawberry Glaze: (from Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook) sort of

Slice 1 cup fresh strawberries and cook with 1 cup water about 2 minutes. Drain liquid into bowl to use in next step.

In another bowl combine ½ cup sugar and 3 Tbs cornstarch. Mix well; then stir into berry juice.

Cook and stir over medium heat until thick and bubbly.

Add 1 lb fresh sliced strawberries and stir together. Spoon over cheesecake.

Chocolate Chip Cookies (and some variations)

1 cup butter (softened) (I use real butter, it’s just better)

¾  cup sugar

¾ cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 eggs

Mix thoroughly, then add:

3 cups flour     

¾  teaspoon salt             

¾  teaspoon baking soda

1 cup chopped nuts (finely chopped)

1 ½  cups chocolate chips

Mix and drop by spoonfuls on greased or lined cookie sheet. Makes about 3 doz.

Bake at 350 degrees for 9 minutes. (325 convection oven)

Tips for perfect cookies:

If softening butter in microwave, soften on defrost setting. Don’t let the butter melt, only soften!

My favorite mix of chocolate chips is ¾ cup semi sweet and ¾ cup milk chocolate.

Don’t over cook. 9 minutes is perfect for my oven. They should barely be turning brown on the edges when you take them out.

If you want pretty cookies, use your hands to shape them a little. This is a firm dough.

You can dip the tops of your cookie spoonfuls into a bowl of sugar before baking if desired.

Some variations:

For double chocolate chip cookies, substitute ½ cup of the flour with cocoa.
For a light coconut taste, substitute ½ cup of the butter with coconut oil (found at health food stores).
For chocolate coconut cookies, make both substitutions above and add 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut.

Ready for the oven

Ready to eat

Fruit Salad

For side dishes I like to use what ever fruit is on sale that week. This week it is strawberries and mangoes, so I served them together. See how to chop a mango. A banana would be good with it, but Marilyn is not a banana lover so I left it out. Don't be afraid to try new mixtures. The important thing is to cut the fruit into bite sized pieces.

Salmon Patties (or Tuna or Chicken)

Makes 6 patties
1 6 oz can salmon or tuna or chicken or turkey (drained)
3 stalks celery (finely chopped)
1/4 onion (finely chopped)
5 saltine crackers (crushed)
1 egg
1/4 tsp. salt
dash pepper
1 Tbs. olive oil

Mix all ingredients except oil together in a mixing bowl. Heat oil in large fry pan over medium heat. Put salmon mixture into pan by large spoonfuls and press down into patties. Cook 4 min on each side over medium heat.
Serve with ketchup or ranch dressing. Or you can serve with buns like a hamburger.

To make this out of food storage, substitute 1 tsp celery seed for celery, 1 Tbs dried onion for onion and 1 Tbs water for the egg. They will be less patty like without the egg, more like a sandwich filling.

First side cooking

Ready to Serve

Asparagus

Wash asparagus and cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces. I usually only use about half a bundle. Put 1/2 tsp butter in fry pan and add asparagus. Cook on medium heat for about 5 - 7 minutes. Stir occasionally to keep the bottom from burning. Salt and pepper and serve.

I put this now because asparagus is inexpensive to buy right now. Pick some up and enjoy it.

Asparagus with red bell pepper

Potatoes and Peas

Such a simple side dish.
1/2 tsp butter
2 potatoes
1/2 cup frozen peas

Melt 1/2 tsp butter in fry pan. It only takes a little for a wonderful flavor. I used leftover baked potatoes, but if you don't have a leftover, just scrub and microwave potatoes on high for 3 minutes. Cut into bite sized pieces (leave skin on) and put in fry pan. Cook for about 5 minutes, then add peas until warm. Salt and pepper to taste and serve.

Enchiladas (Flat)

From Grandma Anna C Whitney

Serves 4

Sauce:

2 – 8 oz cans tomato sauce (or I use 1 can tomato sauce and one 15 oz can diced tomatoes)

¼ tsp garlic powder

1 Tbs. chili powder

pinch of sugar

Mix together in saucepan until hot.

Enchiladas:

8 corn tortillas

2 Tbs vegetable oil (I always use olive oil)

1 cup grated cheddar or Mexican blend cheese

8 tsp. sour cream (or I use plain yogurt)

1 – 15 oz can kidney or black beans (or Grandma used ½ lb browned hamburger)

4 fried eggs

1 cup shredded lettuce

Brush tortillas with olive oil and heat in fry pan over medium heat, about 1 minute per side.  Place on plate and put a couple of spoonfuls of sauce on tortilla. Place ¼ cup beans on top of sauce, then 1 tsp. sour cream. Sprinkle with cheese. Add another tortilla and repeat the same steps. Put in oven turned to 200° to keep warm as you make the next one. Fry egg and place on top, then put on one more spoonful of sauce.

Top with a ¼ cup shredded lettuce. 

Spoon on sauce

Add beans and sour cream

Sprinkle with cheese

Two layers with egg on top

Main Dish Idea List

Bacon, Lettuce, Tomato Sandwich
Balsamic Grilled Chicken

Bar B Q Ribs

Barbecue (SloppyJoe)

Box of flavored noodles or Rice a Roni with added chicken and veges

Breaded Chicken Strips
Breakfast Sandwiches

Burritoes

Buttered noodles

Butternut squash soup

Cashew Rice

Chicken Dumplings

Chicken Fajitas

Chicken Noodle soup

Chicken with Alfredo noodles, Tortellini Chicken Alfredo
Chicken and Rice Casserole
Chicken Pot Pie
Clam Chowder

Crepes

Crispy Southwest Wraps

Enchiladas (rolled or flat)

Fried rice

Grilled Cheese sandwiches and tomato soup

Ham and Lima Beans

Hamburgers

Hamburger or Steak Hash

Hot Dog Casserole

Lasagna

Lentils and Barley

Meatballs and rice
Meatloaf
Navajo Tacos

Pasta Salad
Pasta Dishes
Pasta with Tomato and Basil
Pita Pizza

Pizza
Pizza (cheater)

Pizza Fondue

Potato Soup
Pretzels (soft)

Quesadillas

Roast beef sandwiches au jus

Salad
Salmon Patties (or tuna)
Salmon (Teriyaki)

Scones (Chicken Sandwich filling is yummy)

Spaghetti
Steak on the Grill

Stew

Taco Salad

Taco Soup

Teriyaki Chicken

Three bean soup
Tomato Basil Soup

White Bean Chili

Main Dish List

I had an inspiration about this blog while sitting in the temple this morning. Yes, you read that right. It is ok. I know that we can receive revelation for all parts of our life when we sit still and listen. Everything we do is important to the Lord.
Here it is. The Main Dish Idea List. I put it as one of the first posts and I keep editing it as I think of more to include. I'm sure it will never be complete. This is what I will do.  As I post recipes that are on the list, I will create a link that can take you to the recipe. I hope that will make it easier to find and use. I will label it as Main Dish List so you can easily access it on the side bar.

Some Thoughts

I know this is a recipe blog and you didn't think you would have to sift through thought posts, but here I go anyway.
This whole blogging thing has surprised me in a good way. I didn't think I would like doing this, but it is rewarding to me. I felt like I should start this a while ago, but it sounded so time consuming and difficult. I like to cook, but I didn't think I wanted to write about it. It is challenging and takes time, but I like it.
Some things I like about it:

1. The positive feedback I receive. I like feeling that I have something worth sharing. Your encouragement makes me feel wonderful. Thank you.

2. It feels good to share and help someone else. I have been helped for years with recipes and ideas.

3. McKay thinks I'm awesome.

4. I like the challenge, I'm in a good place in my life to do this.

5. I'm so glad that it prompts me to get organized in the cooking part of my life. I know it will never be a finished product, but it is improving.

6. I like sharing a talent (Yes, I finally realized I have a talent for cooking) I enjoy for my posterity. Maybe some grandchild will take to cooking like me and can connect with me on that level. I love that my Grandma Christensen was a fabulous quilter and my Grandma Whitney was an excellent seamstress. I share their love for sewing.

7. I like thinking about how I learned to cook. I had a unique experience in high school. Mom was ill and so I took over some of the cooking responsibilities. I had a 'in house' expert to guide me as I learned. I vividly remember taking a pan off the stove and taking it to her room to show her how something was cooking and getting her instruction on what to do next. Very valuable experience. I learned gravy, white sauce, breads, enchiladas and many more with my Mom available to me. PS I still miss her.

Whole Wheat Bread

Makes 4 loaves
4 cups hot water (from tap) 

1 Tbs plus 1 tsp. instant yeast 
5 cups wheat flour (made from hard white wheat)

Mix with dough hook, cover and let rest for 10 – 15 min. (This bread can be made in a Bosch mixer or a Kitchenaid or by hand, I've tried it all) Then add:

½ cup oil
½ cup honey
1 Tbs plus 1 tsp salt
1 Tbs dough enhancer (optional: makes bread stay fresh longer)
2 Tbs gluten (optional: makes bread less crumbly, texture is better when added)
¼ cup flax seed (ground) (optional: I grind in a coffee grinder) 
1/4 cup chia seed (ground) (optional: I grind in coffee grinder)
5 – 6 cups more wheat flour

Add all the ingredients except the flour. Turn mixer to low and then add flour one cup at a time. Mix until dough leaves sides of bowl. Dough should be just a little sticky for the best bread. Too much flour makes dry bread. Turn up and mix on high for 10 min.

Divide dough into 4 equal portions. To handle dough, spray hands with Pam or put butter on them. To make loaves equal, I weigh each loaf on a kitchen scale. They should be about 1 1/2 pound loaves. Shape into loaves and put in greased loaf pans. (I use Pam for this) Let rise in oven with light turned on and a bowl of hot water in the bottom for 40 min. (don’t turn oven on yet)

Take loaves out of oven and pre heat to 350 degrees. (325 convection) Add loaves to oven and bake 30 min. Turn out of pan and cool on rack. After bread is cooled to room temperature, bag and put extra loaves in the freezer. When you are ready for them, let them thaw at room temperature or defrost in microwave. This bread freezes well and tastes fresh when thawed.

Tip: When measuring oil and honey, put oil in cup first, then add honey. This makes the honey slip right out of the cup.

Ingredients for 3 loaves

3 C. hot water

4 C. whole wheat flour

1 T. instant yeast

Stir, cover and let sit for 10 min. Add:

1/3 C oil
1/3 C honey

1 T. salt

3/4 T. dough enhancer

1 1/2 T. gluten

3 - 4 cups flour

Measure oil

Then add honey

Weigh each loaf

 

Ready to rise

Risen, ready to cook

All done

Some optional ideas for specialty breads:

Before putting loaf in pan, add 1/2 tsp minced garlic, 1/4 cup parmesan cheese and a sprinkle of Italian seasoning. Mix in by hand and then form loaf. Cook as usual. This makes really good toasted cheese sandwich bread.

Or add 1/2 tsp orange zest and 1/4 cup dried cranberries. This one is good with cream cheese on it.

Or add 1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds.

Or add 1/4 tsp cinnamon and 1/4 cup raisins. This one is good for French toast.

Baked Beans

From Grandma Jane Matthews

2 cans pork and beans

¼ cup brown sugar (Grandma's original recipe called for 1/2 cup, but we like it better with 1/4)

½  cup ketchup

5 strips cooked bacon (cut into small pieces) or 1/4 cup bacon bits

½  tsp. dry mustard

Mix all ingredients in casserole dish. Bake at 325 for 30 min.

Teriyaki Marinade

1/2 cup soy sauce
2 teaspoons olive oil
Juice of 2 oranges
2 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons sesame seeds

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Refrigerate for 1 hour. Brush marinade on chicken or fish as you grill it.

We had this on chicken tonight. McKay was the grill master and he said that he brushed on the marinade 3 times, each time he turned the chicken. This covered 4 pounds of chicken tenders. 

Grandpa Sauce

from Grandpa Bert Whitney
1 can cream of mushroom soup
2 cans tomato sauce
1/2 tsp sugar
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 hot pepper

Add all ingredients to a sauce pan and stir until smooth. Heat thoroughly and serve with tortilla chips or enchiladas.

Aunt Glenda Sauce

from Glenda Matthews
1- 8 oz. package cream cheese
1 can no-bean chili
1 cup grated cheese
1 shake of tabasco sauce or red pepper  (optional)

Put cream cheese and chili in a microwave safe dish. Cover and cook in microwave on high for 1 -2 minutes. Stir. Add cheese and heat for another minute. Stir again and add hot sauce.
Serve with tortilla chips.

Note: Tonight we didn't have any no-bean chili, so I put a can of regular chili in the blender and blended until there were no bean chunks and then added it to the cream cheese. The texture was a little different but it was still good.