Falling into the “Oh my word, I can’t believe I waited so long to try this!” category is a braided bread recipe from a woman named Karen that I went to church with years ago. I’ve eaten the bread, I’ve been told it was easy, I’ve heard the testimony of other people who thought they couldn’t make bread make this bread and it turned out great, but for some reason I never tried it until this past weekend. It’s a keeper!

Braided Bread
2 1/2 c. flour
2 pkg. yeast (or 5 tsp.)
1/2 c. sugar
1 tsp. salt

Mix these four ingredients together in a large bowl.

2 c. milk
1/4 c. butter
2 eggs
3 3/4 c. flour, divided

Heat milk and butter until the butter just melts, then add to dry mixture. [Note: this seemed a bit ambiguous to this literal girl, so I used a thermometer, as I always do, to make sure the liquid was between 110 and 120 degrees F.] Beat well, then add eggs, one at a time. Add 3 cups flour, one cup at a time. (You can also add other ingredients like raisins, cream cheese, whatever you like.)

Knead until no longer sticky, adding 1/2–3/4 cup more flour. Place in a greased bowl, turning it over when you first put it in, and let rise for 1 hour.

Punch down the dough and divide into two halves. From one half, divide dough into three parts and make these into long tubes of dough. Braid these into your loaf shape on a cookie sheet or stone. Repeat with other half. Cover with a cloth and let rise for 30 more minutes.

Before baking, brush the top of the loaves with egg yolk (best if egg yolk is at room temperature). Bake at 375° for approximately 20 minutes. The tops should be a light brown/deep golden color, and when you tap the loaves, they should sound hollow.

Comments(2)

What the government says you should eat:

What the government’s dollars say you should eat:

Comments(1)

Last week we actually tried a second recipe from Taste of Home 2002, before moving on to the next cookbook, since it was right there on the same spread as the Sausage Spinach Turnovers and it looked interesting. I used my usual pie crust recipe, though, instead of theirs. The recipe makes two pies, but I halved it since one is plenty for us for a few meals. One pie only used a half pound of ground beef. There is a lot of other stuff like mushrooms, spinach, beans and tomatoes, so it is pretty filling even with the minimal amount of meat. We thought it could use a little more taco flavor, though. Verdict: Make at least one more time.

Comments(3)

Last week when I finally unpacked all our cookbooks, I was surprised at just how many we had. They wouldn’t even all fit on one shelf the width of the entire china cabinet. Then I got to thinking, why do I have a hard time coming up with a menu plan every week and end up resorting to the same old things over and over? There must be thousands of recipes here, so there is no excuse!

David suggested just going down the line and trying one new recipe out of each cookbook each week. So I grabbed the leftmost cookbook: Taste of Home 2002.

Year before last, I did Menu Plan Monday almost every week, where I posted our meal plan (and the occasional recipe) for all to see. Last year, as you may recall, was the Year of Disruptions and I soon gave up even attempting it. I was considering starting it back up again this year, but I think instead I might try to report on whatever new recipe we try each week. Maybe this will hold me accountable to trying some new things… maybe…

So this past weekend I made Sausage Spinach Turnovers. Sausage browned with onion, mixed with chopped spinach, cheddar cheese, and some seasonings, baked inside a pocket of bread dough. It made a tasty lunch one day, and dinner the next night paired with a salad and some sweet potatoes. I think if you had the patience, mini-turnovers would make a wonderful dish to take to a brunch. Verdict: keeper.

Comments(3)

I’ve been wondering if we would just be going without oatmeal during the kitchen remodel, while we don’t have a stove. What? They make packets of instant oatmeal that you can just add water to and nuke in the microwave? Yes, I know, and they don’t taste very good. I think it’s because they have salt in them. And way too much sugar. But, just in time, Money Saving Mom ran a post about making homemade instant oatmeal packets. I tweaked the recipe a bit to our taste, and here’s what I came up with.

Here’s what you need:

• canister of quick-cooking oats
• canister of rolled oats
• dry milk
• brown sugar
• cinnamon
• zip-top baggies

In food processor, grind 1 cup quick oats and 1 cup rolled oats to a powder. Set up an assembly line with all your ingredients.

In each baggie (makes 16):

• 2 Tbsp. ground oat mixture
• 1/4 cup quick oats
• 1/4 cup rolled oats
• 1/4 cup dry milk
• 1 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 1/8 tsp. cinnamon

To make oatmeal, mix packet with 1/2 to 3/4 cup boiling water and let stand 2-3 minutes.

If you want, you could add other things like dried fruit, nuts, etc.

Comments(0)

We are anticipating being without a kitchen for about a month. I know, these things usually take longer than expected, but that’s our best guess based on the people we’ve talked to. So how do we eat, without spending as much on dining out as the kitchen costs, or resorting to Bagel Bites and Easy Mac?

I’m going to cook—a LOT—now. This week I am cooking up some casseroles, soups, baked goods, and some other things that can be frozen and reheated in the microwave or toaster oven. I may have to buy some storage containers, but we should still come out ahead as opposed to eating out all the time.

Here are some of the things I’m planning to make:

• Chicken Rice Casserole
• Skillet Tamale Pie
• Spinach Manicotti
• Baked Ziti
• Macaroni and Cheese
• Vegetable Beef Soup
• Chili
• Freezer Twice Baked Potatoes
• Baked Goods:
  • Banana Bread
  • Oatmeal Raisin Bread
  • Cranberry Orange Muffins
  • Apple Muffins
  • Oatmeal Raisin and Snickerdoodle Cookie Dough (rolled into balls and frozen)

For veggies to go with the meals, I guess I’ll steam them in the microwave—not my preferred method, but better than nothing. We’ll use store-bought bread and rolls. Then there are things like cereal, yogurt, fresh salads, baked potatoes, grilled cheese (we have a griddle), fresh fruits and veggies, etc.

When I looked online for ideas about how to eat during a kitchen remodel, there was a lot of advice about using a hot plate, slow cooker, outdoor grill, and so forth. Yes, it’s possible to cook using those things, but it still seems like prep and clean-up would be a major pain, trying to prep in the family room and wash dishes in the little bathroom sink. I want to have as much ready to eat as possible. We’ll supplement with eating out some, and if we run out of food, maybe I can have another cooking day at someone else’s house and fill up those containers again.

Comments(1)

Was I this bad about meals last time around? I don’t recall. I certainly wasn’t sick. I’m on Zofran now, which has stopped most of the nausea, but I’m still a far piece from having a normal appetite and wanting to think about or cook food. There are certain things that sound good and certain things that don’t. The things I used to love and depend on regularly are not appealing to me at the moment. What’s appealing? Turkey pitas (turkey, provolone, lettuce, tomato, Ranch dressing), guacamole with tortilla chips, and strawberries. At least that’s a somewhat healthy, balanced meal. It’s been my regular meal for the past several days. David’s still working on the leftover Mexican food from Anna’s birthday party, and Anna just gets whatever we come up with for her. She doesn’t care.

So much for eating reduced-meat, unprocessed, from-scratch meals. I absolutely do not want beans right now, and most veggies don’t sound very good either. I’ve eaten a lot of white breads and crackers (although whole wheat is slowly making its way back into my diet). Jello? You can hardly call that food! But it’s been exactly what I want sometimes. I’ve even partaken of—you won’t believe this—canned condensed soup! And I’ve had a Sprite nearly every day, whereas before I maybe had one or two Cokes in a month.

Ahh, when that glorious week 14 rolls around, things will be back to normal… wait… oh yeah, we’ll have to be out of our house about a week and a half after that. And move in with my parents for a few weeks. And then move into a new house (which we have yet to find), unpack, get settled, etc… So basically it’s gonna be at least June before you see another Menu Plan Monday from me. I know my readers are devastated about this. :) But mostly, it’s just not me. Planning and preparing good, healthy meals for my family is what I do. And I can’t do it right now!

I’ve got to give credit to David, who has been a total sweetheart and completely understanding through all this. I was so sick for about a week that he’s just happy to see me just getting some calories from whatever food sounds good to me. So he’ll get it for me. Is that sweet or what?

Comments(1)

So I’ve been a bit absent lately, both from menu planning and from blogging in general. I didn’t have a range/oven for about a week, then David’s new job plus a family commitment took him out of town for a good part of the month of February, so I didn’t really bother menu planning for myself, a toddler who eats as much as a baby bird, and a husband who was only home for a couple days at a time. Consequently, when I did Quicken last week, there were an embarrassing number of receipts from Chick-fil-A, Moe’s, and Pizza Hut. Lesson learned.

So, getting back into it, here’s what we’re having this week:

Monday: Beef/black bean tacos, Mexican rice, chips & homemade salsa

Tuesday: same

Wednesday: same

Thursday: Spinach manicotti, salad, bread

Friday: Chicken noodle casserole (brand new recipe for us), some kind of veggie, homemade biscuits

Saturday: same

Sunday: same

Check out Menu Plan Monday for more ideas.

Comments(0)

I’ve only got a couple of things on the menu this week—relying on leftovers a lot. So, not very interesting. But there’s lots more to see at Organizing Junkie’s original Menu Plan Monday.

Monday: Vegetable beef soup (this got pushed back a day, so we have lots left), baked potatoes, cornbread

Tuesday: same

Wednesday: same

Thursday: Baked ziti (but made with whole-wheat penne), green beans, bread

Friday: same (me—girls’ night out)

Saturday: same

Sunday: Pan-seared tilapia, sugar snap peas, baked sweet potatoes

Comments(0)

Monday: Stir-fried veggies over brown rice, rolls

Tuesday: Wheat-oat pancakes, scrambled eggs, fruit

Wednesday: Roasted chicken hash, green beans, bread

Thursday: same

Friday: Spinach manicotti, salad, bread

Saturday: Vegetable beef soup, baked potatoes, cornbread

Sunday: same

Visit Menu Plan Monday for more ideas!

Comments(2)