Karen's Wheat Bread

(I'm leaving this picture small because it's not so great.  I've had to take my food pictures on the fly lately, since I usually have either hungry kids or a full data card on my camera.  Sorry!)

This is really delicious wheat bread.  I'm not sure I'd say it was your typical wheat bread, though.  It's a little more substantial and less airy than some homemade breads.  This is a good thing - ask my kids.  A woman in our church, Karen H., taught bread making lessons years ago and this is her recipe.  I'll always be thankful for the time she took to teach all of us, because up until that time I'd always been a bit afraid of working with yeast.  After I learned how to make it, I made it quite a few times, but over the years I'd gotten out of the habit of making bread.  But thankfully for us, we live near some great friends of ours who make this bread weekly and would often bring a loaf of it over to us.  My kids would be ecstatic - "It's Z bread, it's Z bread!"  (Their last name starts with a Z).  If slathered with an appropriate amount of butter, they would even choose it over dessert.  Now that's saying a lot.  I finally got the hint and have started making this bread again.  Maybe I can get the kids to name it after our family someday, but probably not.

This is an easy bread to make, especially if you have a KitchenAid or Bosch to do the kneading for you, so give it a try.  It's great for sandwiches or all by itself.

2 1/4 C. hot water (I microwave mine for about 1 1/2 minutes)
1/3 C. powdered milk
1/4 C. sugar
1/4 C. molasses
1/4 C. honey
1 Tbsp. salt
1/3 C. vegetable oil
1 C. bread flour
2 1/2 C. white flour
2 Tbsp. yeast
3 1/2 C. wheat flour

Mix hot water, powdered milk, sugar, molasses, honey, salt, oil, bread flour and white flour.  Beat for 2 to 3 minutes in a heavy duty mixer (KitchenAid or Bosch). Add yeast about halfway through the mixing time.  Add wheat flour (don't add last 1/2 cup or so if it seems that the dough is too dry).  Knead on a floured surface 50-75 turns, or in your machine for 2-3 minutes.  Put dough into a greased bowl.  Cover and allow to rise until double (about an hour).  Punch down, divide in half, form loaves and place in greased bread pans. Cover and allow to rise until doubled.  Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes.  Makes 2 loaves.

Source: Modified slightly from Karen H.

Chocolate Caramel Layer Cake

At church we had a chili & dessert cook off for Halloween.  I wanted to try something new so I searched out recipes and found this one at www.marthastewart.com .  The picture above is actually the picture from her site.  I had to use it because I FORGOT TO TAKE A FINAL PICTURE!!  I was so mad at myself.  It was such a rush to get everything together for the contest that I forgot the final one. ugh.  But, I have to say that my  picture would have looked very similar.  I thought it would be difficult to get the edges to look so nice and smooth but the cake cut very cleanly and so did the frosting.  Very easy to make this look clean and elegant. (by the way, I won the dessert prize)  Don't think that because it has a Halloween type decoration on it that this dessert is only for that holiday.  You can make any kind of design with the sugar you want, or omit that all together.  This is a great special occasion dessert. 

Ingredients

• 10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, softened, plus more for sheet
• 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
• 1 1/2 teaspoons instant coffee or espresso powder  ( I did not use this)
• 1 1/4 cups boiling water
• 2 1/2 cups packed light-brown sugar
• 2/3 cup sour cream
• 2 large eggs
• 
  

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 12-by-17-inch rimmed baking sheet, and line with parchment paper. Butter lining. Dust bottom and sides with flour; tap out excess
2. Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl; set aside. Whisk together chocolate, coffee, and boiling water in a separate bowl; set aside.
3. Put butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; beat on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy. Add sour cream; beat until smooth. Beat in eggs, one at a time, scraping down sides of bowl. Reduce speed to low; beat in flour mixture.
4. Whisk chocolate mixture again; add to batter. Beat until smooth.
5. Pour batter into prepared sheet. Bake until a cake tester inserted into center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool completely in sheet on a wire rack.
6. Invert cake onto a rimless baking sheet; peel off parchment. Halve widthwise. Spread half of buttercream on top of one layer. Top frosted layer with second cake layer; coat cake with remaining frosting. Refrigerate 1 hour. Cut into 12 squares; garnish each serving with a caramelized cobweb.
7. This is what it looks like when you frost it and put it in the fridge.  See how the edges are a bit rough....well, after it has chilled, take a long serrated knife and trim the edges and it comes out perfect.  Plus, you get to eat all the edge pieces!  YUM!  

Caramel Butter cream

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 6 large egg whites
• Pinch of salt
• 1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter, softened and cut into tablespoon-sized pieces
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

1. Make caramel: Pour 1/4 cup water into a medium heavy-bottom saucepan. Add 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar is dissolved and syrup is clear. Continue to cook, without stirring, until syrup comes to a boil, washing down sides of pan with a wet pastry brush two or three times to prevent crystals from forming. Let syrup boil, gently swirling pan occasionally, until syrup is dark amber.

1. Immediately remove from heat; carefully pour in cream (caramel will bubble vigorously). Stir caramel until smooth. Transfer to a bowl; let cool.

1. Whisk together remaining 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, the egg whites, and salt in the heatproof bowl of a standing mixer. Set bowl over a pan of simmering water; whisk until sugar is dissolved and mixture registers 140 degrees on an instant-read thermometer.

1. 
   
2. Return bowl to mixer; fit mixer with whisk attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until stiff. Reduce speed to medium low; add butter, a few tablespoons at a time. Continue whisking until smooth.

1. 
   
2. Switch to paddle attachment. Add caramel and vanilla; beat on lowest speed until combined, 3 to 5 minutes.

Caramelized Cobwebs

Ingredients

• Unsalted butter, for parchment paper
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 stick (6 inches) black licorice, for garnish (optional)

Directions

1. Lightly butter two large sheets of parchment paper; set aside. Prepare a large ice water bath; set aside.
2. Pour 3 tablespoons water into a medium heavy-bottom saucepan. Add sugar. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar is dissolved and syrup is clear. Continue to cook, without stirring, until syrup comes to a boil, washing down sides of pan with a wet pastry brush two or three times to prevent crystals from forming. Let syrup boil, gently swirling pan occasionally, until syrup is medium amber.
3. Immediately remove from heat; set pan into ice-water bath to stop the cooking.
4. Working quickly, drizzle caramel with a spoon onto buttered parchment paper, forming cobwebs. If the syrup is thin and runs too quickly, let it cool a bit longer. Alternatively, if the syrup is thick and slow to drizzle, reheat it gently. Garnish with small licorice spiders if desired.
5. To make the licorice spiders, cut licorice into twelve 1/2-inch pieces; split horizontally. On each end, cut out two triangles, forming an M. On each side, cut out one triangle from middle. Use caramel to stick to webs. Let stand until hardened and cooled.

"Kevin's Bread"

Submitted by Lisa

(Kevin made the bread in this picture)

I am calling this bread "Kevin's bread" because Kevin is the one who taught me how to make it!  I don't know where the recipe comes from other than that, but it was delicious.  Kevin is a 14 yr old boy from church.  Yes, you read that right.  He is the bread maker in his family.  I am not too proud to have a child teach me!


3 c hot water
3 tbsp yeast
1 tbsp sugar
*mix*  and set aside

12 cups flour
1/2 c sugar
2 tbsp salt
1 c powdered milk
*mix*  and set aside in a bowl.










Take the ingredients below and add to the dry mix above.  With your hand, gently mix it around until it is all incorporated.
1 1/2 c warm water
1 c oil
yeast mixture

Once it is mixed together, cover with plastic wrap and set in an undisturbed place until it has risen to double it's size.

When it has doubled, DO NOT PUNCH IT DOWN!!

Gently break it into 3 sections.  Shape each section by hand into a loaf shape and set into a lightly sprayed loaf pan.  Cover with the plastic wrap and set aside.  Turn the oven on to 375 at this point to preheat.

When the oven has reached temp,(this should only be about 15 minutes of rise time in the bread pans)

 remove the plastic wrap and put the loaves into oven and bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until browned 

and hollow sounding.  

*do not cut into the loaves for at least 30 minutes after baking...they are still cooking while resting*

This is a picture of the bread I made!!  I did it and it was so easy!

Thanks Kevin!

Mix by hand.

Deep Dark Chocolate Cake

I really love cake.  Maybe this is something that doesn't really need to be said, since most people would probably say they love cake too.  I can take or leave pie, though.  No offense to all of you pie lovers, my husband being among them, but I just find it too much work to make the crust.  I'd pick a cake any day.

That's not to say that it's a "piece of cake" to make a cake.  Oh, I suppose you could get out a cake mix and a jar of frosting and call it good, but I wouldn't.  I have had some pretty tasty doctored up cake mixes, so I'm not saying they're all bad, but if I'm going to make a cake for a special occasion, I really want it to shine. I want to be wishing I could eat another deep, dark, chocolatey piece, instead of choking down something sweet, but mostly tasteless. Sometimes that means putting a little extra effort into making the cake and frosting.   

Therefore, I think you really need to have this recipe in your repertoire.  It's a moist chocolate cake with a deep chocolate frosting.  It ought to be screaming "CHOCOLATE!" with a pound of chocolate in the frosting alone!

So, don't be intimidated by this recipe.  Just embrace it and know that in the end you're going to have something so delicious that you'll be willing to do whatever it takes to get that last piece.  And if you're only cooking for yourself or a small family, don't let that stop you!  I've made a lot of friends and had very thankful  neighbors by simply cutting pieces of cake and delivering them around the neighborhood.  Enjoy!

Cake
12	tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), very soft, plus extra for greasing pans
1 3/4	cups unbleached all-purpose flour (8 3/4 ounces), plus extra for dusting pans
4	ounces unsweetened chocolate , coarsely chopped
1/4	cup Dutch-processed cocoa (3/4 ounce)
1/2	cup hot water
1 3/4	cups sugar (12 1/4 ounces)
1 1/2	teaspoons baking soda
1	teaspoon table salt
1	cup buttermilk
2	teaspoons vanilla extract
4	large eggs
2	large egg yolks
Frosting
16	ounces semisweet chocolate , finely chopped
8	tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick)
1/3	cup sugar
2	tablespoons corn syrup
2	teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4	teaspoon table salt
1 1/4	cups heavy cream (cold)

Instructions

1. FOR THE CAKE: Adjust oven rack to middle position; heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 9-inch-round by 2-inch-high cake pans with softened butter; dust pans with flour and knock out excess. Combine chocolate, cocoa powder, and hot water in medium heatproof bowl; set bowl over saucepan containing 1 inch of simmering water and stir with rubber spatula until chocolate is melted, about 2 minutes. Add 1/2 cup sugar to chocolate mixture and stir until thick and glossy, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove bowl from heat and set aside to cool.

2.     Whisk flour, baking soda, and salt in medium bowl. Combine buttermilk and vanilla in small bowl. In bowl of standing mixer fitted with whisk attachment, whisk eggs and yolks on medium-low speed until combined, about 10 seconds. Add remaining 1 1/4 cups sugar, increase speed to high, and whisk until fluffy and lightened in color, 2 to 3 minutes. Replace whisk with paddle attachment. Add cooled chocolate mixture to egg/sugar mixture and mix on medium speed until thoroughly incorporated, 30 to 45 seconds, pausing to scrape down sides of bowl with rubber spatula as needed. Add softened butter one tablespoon at a time, mixing about 10 seconds after each addition. Add about one-third of flour mixture followed by half of buttermilk mixture, mixing until incorporated after each addition (about 15 seconds). Repeat using half of remaining flour mixture and all of remaining buttermilk mixture (batter may appear separated). Scrape down sides of bowl and add remaining flour mixture; mix at medium-low speed until batter is thoroughly combined, about 15 seconds. Remove bowl from mixer and fold batter once or twice with rubber spatula to incorporate any remaining flour. Divide batter evenly between prepared cake pans; smooth batter to edges of pan with spatula.

3.     Bake cakes until toothpick inserted into center comes out with a few crumbs attached, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool cakes in pans 15 minutes, then invert onto wire rack. Cool cakes to room temperature before frosting, 45 to 60 minutes.

4.     TO MAKE FROSTING: Melt chocolate in heatproof bowl set over saucepan containing 1 inch of barely simmering water, stirring occasionally until smooth. Remove from heat and set aside. Meanwhile, heat butter in small saucepan over medium-low heat until melted. Increase heat to medium; add sugar, corn syrup, vanilla, and salt and stir with heatproof rubber spatula until sugar is dissolved, 4 to 5 minutes. Add melted chocolate, butter mixture, and cream to clean bowl of standing mixer and stir to thoroughly combine.

5.     Place mixer bowl over ice bath and stir mixture constantly with rubber spatula until frosting is thick and just beginning to harden against sides of bowl, 1 to 2 minutes (frosting should be 70 degrees). Place bowl on standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment and beat on medium-high speed until frosting is light and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir with rubber spatula until completely smooth.

6.     TO FROST CAKE: Place one cake layer on serving platter or cardboard round. Spread 1 1/2 cups frosting evenly across top of cake with spatula. Place second cake layer on top, then spread remaining frosting evenly over top and sides of cake. Cut into slices and serve.

     Source: Cook's Illustrated by way of my friend, Kylee.

Potato & Leek pan fried

Submitted by Lisa

The picture just doesn't do it justice!  The potatoes cooked like this are soooo yummy!  I hope you give it a try.  Very easy to make and quick.  These potatoes are the number 1 request of the kids.

8 potatoes washed

2 leeks (or 2 medium yellow onions)

2 cloves garlic

olive oil

2 tbsp butter

Roughly chop up the potatoes with the skins on.  Slice and wash the leeks or chop the onion into a fine dice.

Put 3 tbsp olive oil in a frying pan and add the potatoes and leeks/or onion.  I like to use a frying pan with a lid so I can put the lid on at the beginning to help cook the potatoes.

Stir them often.  When basically cooked through, keep the lid off and cook until you get a bit of a crisp edge on them.

Add in the garlic and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes.  

Take off the heat and stir in the butter and mix around until melted.  

**You should add salt and pepper as you go and to taste**

Serve it with any type of meat, we had grilled pork chops this time.  

(to change it up a bit you can add in chunks of zucchini or squash)

Souffle' Pancake

Submitted by Lisa

This was really fun.  I found this recipe in the Food Network Magazine October 2011.  I just recently got a cast iron skillet also....perfect timing!  Really easy to make and a nice change of pace.  

The recipe called for topping it with an apple pear compote.  I topped it with a bit of powdered sugar and homemade raspberry rhubarb jam which I have aplenty!

Ingredients:

4 tbsp unsalted butter

4 large eggs

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 c half and half (I used skim milk)

3/4 c all purpose flour

1 tsp grated orange zest (didn't use because I didn't have it)

2 tbsp fresh orange juice (didn't use because I didn't have it)

1/2 tsp almond extract

confectioners sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Melt the butter in a 12 inch cast iron skillet over medium heat.  Transfer 2 tbsp butter to a blender.  (reserve the rest in the skillet off the heat).  Add the eggs, salt and half and half to the blender and blend.

Add the flour and blend until smooth.  Add the orange zest and juice and almond extract and blend.

Heat the skillet with the reserved butter over medium high heat, swirl to coat.  

Add the batter, transfer to the oven and bake until puffed and golden, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Top with a fruit compote, or butter and powdered sugar, or a bit of jam and enjoy!

Butterscotch Oatmeal Bars

Often when I decide to make a dessert, I immediately think of something chocolate.  Not always, though.  There are times I let slip in a cream cheese lime pound cake or a caramel apple cheesecake or the like.  And I always enjoy those non-chocolate desserts immensely.  Not necessarily more than chocolate, but in a different way. So when I was in one of those non-chocolate moods, which my husband really appreciates since he doesn't care much for chocolate (pity!), I saw these yummy bars.  I knew I had some butterscotch chips in the pantry just waiting to be used, so I whipped up a batch of these lovelies.  And they were delicious!  I don't make butterscotch desserts often, but it was a really fun and tasty detour from the usual.  And the oatmeal gave these bars a nice chewiness.  Give them a try - they're a perfect autumn treat.

*Makes 18-24 bars

Bars:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups quick-cooking oatmeal

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup butterscotch chips

16 tablespoons (2 sticks) butter

1 cup packed dark brown sugar

1 large egg

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Glaze:

1/4 cup butterscotch chips

2 tablespoons dark brown sugar

1 tablespoon water

1/8 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and adjust an oven rack to the middle position. Line a 9x13-inch baking pan with aluminum foil, letting the foil hang over the each short edge by one or two inches. Lightly grease the foil with cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, baking soda, and salt. Place the 3/4 cup butterscotch chips in a large bowl. In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat and let the butter cook until golden brown in color, about 10 minutes, taking care not to burn. Pour the hot butter over the butterscotch chips and whisk together until melted and smooth (Have patience!  It will come together). Whisk in the brown sugar until combined. Whisk in the egg and vanilla. Stir in the flour mixture, just until incorporated.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top, spreading the batter evenly to the edges. Bake the bars until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs, about 16-18 minutes.

While the bars bake, place the 1/4 cup butterscotch chips, brown sugar, water and salt in a small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave the mixture until melted and smooth, about 2 minutes on 50% power. Whisk to combine well.

Drizzle the glaze over the warm bars. Let the bars cool completely in the pan. Remove the bars from the pan using the foil overhang and cut into squares. Serve.

Source: melskitchencafe.com