Best Whole Grain Bread EVER!!!

Last year I decided the time had come to grow up and get my food storage in order, so I used some of our emergency savings money and bought a bunch of food.  Wheat, rice, beans, oats, etc. etc.  I also got a nice (used) wheat grinder, because let's be honest... cooking with fresh whole wheat is 1000 times better than the alternative.

My sister in love shared a recipe with me that she said was the best she'd ever tasted.  I was a little doubtful, but decided to try it.  HOLY SMOKES.  It really was that good.

Now, it comes from a recipe book, so I worried about sharing it here.  But after trying this recipe I was sold on buying the book and I think you will be too.  Its called Suzie's Sweet Wheat and I think anyone who reads this should order it right now.  Every recipe I've tried in it is delicious.

Lori's Famous Whole Wheat, Whole Oat, Whole Flax Bread

3 cups whole white wheat

1 cup whole oats

2 ½ cups hot water

½ cup honey

1 ½ Tbsp dough enhancer

¼ cup wheat gluten

1 Tbsp + ½ tsp yeast

1/3 cup oil

1 ½ tsp salt

2/3 cup ground flax seed

Mix whole wheat and oats, process through grain mill on medium coarse setting.

In stand mixer bowl, whisk together hot water and honey. 

Mix in dough enhancer, followed by 3 cups of wheat/oat flour mixture. Continue whisking to add gluten and yeast, followed by oil and salt, and ending with flax seed and additional 3 ½ cups

flour mixture. 

Using the dough hook on mixer, knead for 6 minutes. Add a Tbsp

more of flour if needed to get dough to pull away from sides of bowl. 

Oil hands, knead by hand for about 20 strokes to remove air bubbles. Shape into loaves. Let

rise for 30 minutes(or until top of dough is above bread pan). Bake at 350 for 30

minutes.

Taco Soup

I feel like I've really perfected this recipe.  Not only do I love it, but my kids eat it right up and ask for seconds.  It has elements from several recipes from all over, but the combination is our favorite!

Taco Soup
1 pound ground beef (you could certainly use turkey here)
1 onion, chopped
3 cans of beans, I prefer 1 each of kidney, black, and pinto
1 can of whole kernel corn
1-2 cups salsa
1 can tomato soup
1 Tbsp cumin
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
pepper to taste

Add-in options
Tortialla chips
Grated cheese of choice
Sour cream
Guacamole

The beauty of this recipe is its ease in preparation.  First, brown the meat and the onion together.  Make sure you salt and pepper the ground beef.  Drain, if necessary.  Then just dump the rest of the soup ingredients in and heat through.  Is it going to be better if it simmers for an hour, possibly, but if you can enjoy it just as soon as its hot.

We like to break up tortilla chips in our bowl, add the soup, and top with cheese.  Yum!

Whole Grain Pancakes

We love to have breakfast for dinner, but it takes some effort to make it healthy enough to not feel guilty about it...  these are tasty and pretty good for us too.

You can imagine with the size family I have, I have to make a lot of pancakes, so this is a big recipe.  To keep them warm while you cook, heat oven to 200 and place wire cooling rack on cookie sheet, put pancakes from griddle into oven.

I like to substitute Ground Flax Seed (GFS) for my eggs.  Generally you soften the GFS 1 Tbsp in 2 Tbsp water.

Whole Grain Pancakes
5 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
6 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp salt
3 eggs ~or~ 3 Tbsp GFS with 1/3 cup water (see above)
1 stick unsalted butter, melted
6 cups buttermilk, I usually use 5 1/2 cups milk mixed with 1/2 cup lemon juice

Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in large bowl.  In separate bowl, whisk together the egg (or GFS), melted butter, and buttermilk.  Gently combine wet and dry ingredients, leaving a few lumps~be careful not to overmix batter.

Heat griddle to about 325, spray with non-stick cooking spray.  Pour  1/4 cup of batter per pancake. and cook until large bubbles begin to appear, about 2 minutes.  Flip pancakes and cook until golden brown on the second side, about 1 1/2 minutes longer.  Repeat using all batter, or save some to cook some up fresh for breakfast the next morning!

We like to add in blueberries, mashed bananas, and for a special birthday treat, chocolate chips!

BBQ Ribs

Ribs are kind of tricky to get just right, but we've always had the most success when we slow cook them first, then throw them on the grill for a few minutes before serving...

BBQ Ribs
1 rack of ribs
Season Salt
Garlic Powder
Black Pepper
BBQ Sauce of choice

Season ribs with salt, garlic and pepper.  I mean really slather it on there.  I rub it in too.  Place in crock pot for several hours (do it on low if you have 6-8 hours but 3-4 hours on high will do).

Carefully remove from crock pot and place on a big piece of foil on grill.  Coat in BBQ sauce.  Cook for around 15 minutes on each side, basting with sauce.  Let rest for 10 minutes before eating.

Enchiladas

Most people make enchiladas with a canned sauce or with a white sauce (usually a Cream of something soup base).  My mom made up this sauce recipe and I don't think it can be beat.  I just love it!  She uses all cheese as a filling, but we like to do a chicken and cheese combo.

Enchiladas
1/4 cup oil
1/2 cup flour
3 1/2 cups water
1 Tbsp chili powder
2 Tbsp taco seasoning
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 small can tomato sauce
2 cups sour cream
1 pound shredded colby jack cheese
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
4 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
10 flour tortillas

In a sauce pan, cook oil and flour until bubbly.  Add water and all other ingredients, cook until it comes to a boil.  It should thicken slightly.  Lower heat and simmer for 20 minutes if you have time.

Preheat oven to 375.  Combine shredded cheese, cream cheese, shredded chicken and 1 cup sauce for filling.  Cover bottom of 9x13 pan with sauce.  Put some sauce on a large plate, lay tortilla in sauce then place some filling mixture on tortilla.  Roll it up and place in 9x13.  Repeat until you use all filling and tortillas.  Pour sauce over enchiladas and top with cheese.

Cover pan with foil, bake for 20 minutes.

When I cook my chicken I usually just put it on my stove top in a large frying pan with a little water.  I salt and pepper it and break it into smaller pieces as it cooks.  It takes a while, but if you know in advance that you'll be using it over several meals, cook it all at once.  That's what I did and it made putting my enchiladas together easy peasy.

If you don't feel like rolling up a bunch of tortillas, you can easily make these into an Enchilada Lasagna. I cut my tortillas into strips and layers them with sauce and filling.  Usually, I don't mix all the filling ingredients if I do it this way.  I do a layer of sauce, tortillas, cream cheese/cheese, and then chicken.  Repeating until its all used up.  Its so good.

Debra's Chocolate Chip Cookies

These are a buttery, soft and chewy chocolate chip cookie.  One of my favorites!

Debra's Chocolate Chip Cookies
1 pound butter
3 eggs
2 cups brown sugar
1 1/2 cup sugar
3 Tbsp vanilla
2 Tbsp baking soda
6-6 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
2 bags chocolate chips

Mix dry ingredients together.  Cream sugar and butter.  Add eggs and vanilla.  Add dry ingredients, stir in chocolate chips.  Form into balls, slightly flatten.  Bake at 375 for about 10 minutes.  You want to pull them out right when the edges turn golden.  They'll be slightly under baked.  Let rest on cookie sheet for at least 5 minutes, until they can be moved to a cooling rack without falling apart.

"Best" Cookie Recipe

My church put together a cook book, a collection of our favorites.  It is a real treasure because a lot of us were students at the time and don't live near each other any more.  Now every time I use one of these recipes I think of these dear friends and this sweet  time in our life.

This recipe was labeled as "Best Cookie Recipe" and I thought that was a bold statement, one that needed to be tested.  Well, let me tell you, they are exceptional.  This is my go-to recipe now.  And when taken to a bake-off (where I didn't win for brownies)... these cookies did win for chocolate chip cookies.

Best Cookie Recipe
2 cups butter
2 cups brown sugar
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
3 tsp vanilla
5-6 cups flour
3 cups oats
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
Mix-ins of your choice:  Chocolate chips, coconut, nuts, raisins, cranberries & white chips

Mix butter, sugars, eggs, vanilla in mixer.  Measure oats into blender, blend until fine like flour.  Mix dry ingredients in medium bowl.  Combine with wet ingredients.

Bake at 400 for 8-9 minutes.  This makes a bunch of cookies, but they freeze well, and they are so, so good!