Seven-Grain Bread

This is one of my personal favorites for bread. It has excellent flavor and awesome texture. The molasses adds color and a hint of sweetness. Goes great with soups and chili.

Seven-Grain Bread
1 1/3 cups water
1/2 cup 7-grain cereal
2 tsp. yeast
1/2 cup oat flour (or oatmeal processed in spice grinder or food processor)
1 1/2 tsp. salt
3 Tbsp. molasses
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 tsp. walnut oil
3 1/2 cups bread flour

Heat water to 130ºF. Add cereal and let stand until warm, between 105ºF and 115ºF. Add yeast, oat flour, salt, molasses and oil. Beat well. Cover and let stand 15 minutes.

Slowly add bread flour. Mix until dough forms. Knead on medium speed until dough is smooth and springy but soft to the touch. Cover and let rise one hour.

Punch down dough, and divide into 2 to 3 loaves. Shape into round loaves, and place on lightly greased baking sheets. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes. Preheat oven to 375ºF. Bake 20 to 25 minutes until loaves are golden. Cool on wire rack.

Creamy Beef, Mushroom and Noodle Soup

This is a good soup, easy enough to prepare on a weeknight. Goes well with a salad and toasted bread.

Creamy Beef, Mushroom and Noodle Soup
Butter-flavored cooking spray
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
2 tsp. finely chopped garlic
8 oz. mushrooms, sliced
1 to 1 1/2 lbs. boneless beef sirloin steak, cut into small pieces
6 cups beef broth
1/4 cup ketchup
1/2 cup dry sherry or beef broth
3/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
2 cups uncooked egg noodles
8 oz. sour cream

Coat cooking pot with spray. Over medium heat, cook onion, garlic and mushrooms until mushrooms are softened. Add beef, and cook until no longer pink, stirring often. Stir in remaining ingredients, except noodles and sour cream. Bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to medium low. Cover, and cook 10 minutes. Add noodles, and cook 5 to 7 minutes, until tender. Stir in sour cream. Cook 2 minutes, stirring often, until well blended. Serves 7.

French Bread

This would be my first attempt at artisan bread, a work of art that you then devour. My husband gave me a book called Crust and Crumb filled with techniques that require additional time and effort to yield amazing loaves of bread. This bread is retarded overnight to develop more complex flavors and textures. The best compliment I got was from my husband that he would marry me just to get this bread.

French Bread
1 3/4 cups flour
1 3/4 cups bread flour
1 1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. brown sugar
3/4 tsp. instant yeast
1 1/3 cups cool water
Cooking spray

Combine dry ingredients. Add water, and mix with a spoon until flour is gathered and dough forms a ball. Turn dough onto lightly floured surface, and knead vigorously about 10 minutes until dough is soft and pliable but not sticky. If necessary, add tiny amounts of flour or water while kneading to obtain proper texture. Once kneaded, dough should be able to be stretched apart gently to form a see-through windowpane without breaking.

Place dough in large clean bowl, and mist with cooking spray. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let sit 30 minutes. It should just begin swelling.

Knead dough 30 seconds, shape into ball and place in bowl again. Cover with plastic wrap, and let rise 90 minutes or until doubled in size.

Divide dough into two loaves and shape gently into batards, being careful not to force the dough. Place each loaf on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper dusted with cornmeal. Mist loaves with cooking spray, and place pans inside large plastic bags, making sure the bags are loose but sealed to prevent drying. Place loaves in refrigerator overnight.

Remove dough from refrigerator the next day. Loaves should be 50 to 75 percent larger than the day prior. If not, let the dough sit at room temperature two to three hours to finish rising. If completely risen, let sit one hour to take off the chill.

Preheat oven to 475ºF. Place empty cast iron skillet on bottom rack of oven. Fill water bottle to spritz loaves. Remove loaves from plastic 15 minutes prior to baking to allow surface of dough to dry slightly. Just prior to baking, score the loaves with two diagonal cuts. Place loaves in oven, and quickly pour 1 cup hot tap water into cast iron pan. Quickly spritz the oven and loaves, avoiding the oven light.

After two minutes, spray the oven and loaves again. Repeat after one minute. Reduce heat to 450ºF. Wait 10 minutes to check bread and rotate loaves if necessary. When bread has developed a rich, golden color (approximately 25 minutes), turn off the oven and leave bread inside for additional 5 to 10 minutes until it seems on the verge of overbrowning. Let bread cool on rack completely (60 to 90 minutes) before slicing.

Pork with Lemon-Caper Sauce

This is another recipe that combines different ingredients to create a good blend of flavors. The breading is really good, and the sauce even won over my husband. It was his first time with capers, too!

Pork with Lemon-Caper Sauce
1/3 cup flour
1/8 tsp. salt
3 Tbsp. seasoned breadcrumbs
3 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
4 (4-oz.) center-cut pork chops, about 1/2-inch thick
Cooking spray
2 tsp. olive oil
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 Tbsp. dry white wine
1/4 tsp. lemon rind
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 tsp. capers, rinsed and drained

Combine flour and salt in shallow dish. Place breadcrumbs, cheese and pepper in another shallow dish. Place egg white in a third shallow dish. Dredge pork in flour mixture, then egg mixture and finally breadcrumb mixture. Coat pork with non-stick spray.

Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork to pan. Cook 4 minutes on each side until cooked through. Remove from pan, and keep warm.

Add broth and remaining ingredients to pan. Scrape to loosen browned bits. Cook 2 minutes or until reduced by half. Serves 4.

Oatmeal Toffee Cookies

These are delicious, chewy cookies. And best part is each is approximately 90 calories according to the recipe!

Oatmeal Toffee Cookies
3/4 cup flour
1 cup oats
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 large egg
1/3 cup almond toffee bits

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Combine flour, oats, baking soda and salt. Stir together with a whisk.

Place sugar and butter in large bowl. Whip together until well blended. Add vanilla and egg, and mix well. Add flour mixture, and beat until just combined. Stir in toffee chips.

Drop dough by teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart onto baking sheets. Bake 11 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on pans 1 minute, and then cool completely on wire racks. Makes 24 cookies.

Chorizo-Stuffed Trout

This is a recipe we tried with some trout Dave caught. The blend of ingredients gives the trout excellent blend of flavors. It's a bit of work but definitely worth it.

Chorizo-Stuffed Trout
4 (1-ounce) slices white bread
1 tsp. canola oil
2 1/2 cups finely chopped mushrooms (about 8 oz.)
3/4 cup finely chopped shallots
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 1/2 oz. Mexican chorizo
1/3 cup finely chopped cilantro
1 tsp. salt, divided
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
10 (6-oz.) dressed whole trout
Cooking spray
10 lemon wedges

Preheat oven to 450ºF. Pulse bread in food processor until it forms coarse crumbs. Heat oil in large nonstick skilled. Add mushrooms, shallots, garlic and chorizo. Saute until mushrooms are tender. Remove from heat, and stir in breadcrumbs, cilantro and 1/2 tsp. salt.

Sprinkle remaining salt and pepper evenly inside the trout. Spoon 1/4 cup stuffing into each trout. Place trout on baking sheets coated with cooking spray. Bake 15 minutes, and rotate. Bake an additional 10 minutes or until fish flakes easily. Serve with lemon wedges. Serves 10.

Southwestern Soup

This soup is actually meatless and could be made vegetarian by using vegetable broth. It's extremely quick to make and tastes delicious topped with shredded cheese and corn tortilla strips. I've been making homemade tortilla strips by brushing corn tortillas with olive oil, salting them and baking them in the oven.

Southwestern Soup
3 cups water
4 8-oz. cans tomato sauce
2 cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed
2 cans (14 1/2-oz.) chicken broth
2 cups frozen corn
2 cups salsa
2 tsp. dried minced onion
2 tsp. oregano
2 tsp. basil

Combine all ingredients in dutch oven or cooking pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer uncovered 10 to 15 minutes until thoroughly heated. Serve topped with tortilla strips and cheese. Serves 12.

Rye Wheat and Millet Bread

The millet in this bread gives it excellent texture, nice little balls of crunchy/chewy texture. Good bread.

Rye Wheat and Millet Bread
1 1/3 cups water
2 tsp. yeast
1 1/2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup millet seeds, lightly toasted
3/4 cup rye flour
1 cup wheat flour
2 1/4 cups bread flour

Heat water until warm, between 105ºF and 115ºF. Pour into warmed mixing bowl with yeast. Let stand 5 minutes.

Stir in sugar, salt, millet seeds, rye flour and wheat flour. Beat well. Cover and let rest 15 minutes. Slowly add bread flour. Mix until dough forms. Knead on medium speed until dough is smooth and springy but soft to the touch. Cover and let rise one hour.

Punch down dough, and divide into 2 to 3 loaves. Shape into round loaves, and place on lightly greased baking sheets. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 60 minutes. Preheat oven to 375ºF. Bake 35 to 45 minutes until a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack.

(I made one loaf in a traditional loaf pan and the other in a designed pan I received from John and Lindsay.)

Herb and Onion Bread

This bread is good, although I still prefer the onion/dill bread over this.

Herb and Onion Bread
1 1/3 cups water
2 tsp. yeast
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. dill weed
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. dried onion flakes
1 1/2 Tbsp. lemon juice
3 Tbsp. canola oil
3 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup bread flour
1 1/2 Tbsp. gluten

Heat water until warm, between 105ºF and 115ºF. Pour into warmed mixing bowl with yeast, salt, dill weed and sugar. Let stand 5 minutes.

Stir in onion, lemon juice, oil and whole wheat flour. Beat well. Cover and let rest 15 minutes. Slowly add bread flour. Mix until dough forms. Knead on medium speed until dough is smooth and springy but soft to the touch. Cover and let rise one hour.

Punch down dough, and divide into 2 to 3 loaves. Shape into round loaves, and place on lightly greased baking sheets. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 45 to 60 minutes. Preheat oven to 375ºF. Glaze the loaves with an egg mixture, and sprinkle with sesame seeds and poppy seads. Bake 30 to 35 minutes until loaves are golden. Cool on wire rack.

Cream Cheese Crescent Rolls

This is a quick, easy dessert. I've made my version healthier by using a sugar substitute and low-fat cream cheese, but you can adjust the recipe to suit your wants.


Cream Cheese Crescent Rolls
2 cans refrigerated crescent rolls
2 packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. vanilla
1 egg yolk
1 egg white
cinnamon & sugar mixture

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Spread one package of crescent rolls in the bottom of 9 x 13 pan. Beat together cream cheese, sugar, lemon juice, vanilla and egg yolk. Spread evenly on top of crescents. Top with remaining crescent rolls. Brush with egg white. Sprinkle liberally with cinnamon & sugar. Bake 20 to 30 minutes. Serve at room temperature or slightly chilled.