Naan

Today,
I'm trying this:
http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/11087/naan

I did substitute 1/2 of the flour with whole wheat.  I also used the bread machine to mix and proof the dough.

They're okay.  Not as soft as I'd like, but that's probably my fault.

Baking Day

Zucchini Bread:
http://heavenlyhomemakers.com/zucchini-recipes-whole-wheat-and-honey-zucchini-bread-and-muffins

Banana Bread:
http://www.food.com/recipe/whole-wheat-peanut-butter-banana-bread-with-chocolate-chips-219189
I've blogged this one before, but it's oh, so good, that I just had to do it again.

Monster Cookies:
My daughter brought the recipe home from her aunts with strict instructions not to tell Heidi.  So I am sorry but I cannot share the recipe.  There are recipes on the web, but they seemed a tad bit different than the one I used.

Peppermint Bark
I melted some white chocolate chips in a double boiler, added some crushed candy canes and poured the mixture into my silicone muffin "pan".  After refrigerating, I melted some dark chocolate chips and spread that on top.

Muffins.
I'm still working this one out, so will try to remember to post it at a later date.

Flaxseed Muffins

I started at:
http://www.spiffyman.com/recipes-super-flax-muffins.html


And ended up with:


2 c. whole wheat flour
1 c. oat bran

1 1/2 c. flax seed
 - - side note, mixing these together brought to mind the images from when I was growing up in Africa and we sometimes had weevils in our flour - -
3/4 t. nutmeg
1 1/2 t. cinnamon
1 T. baking powder

1/8 t. baking soda

1/2 c. honey
1 3/4 c. milk (I used rice milk and used about 1 T. lemon juice in an effort to create buttermilk)
1 c. chopped pecans

325 for 20 minutes.

I baked the first dozen and tasted them.  They were okay.  Not too sweet (it is a muffin after all, not a cupcake).  I'd add more honey next time.

For the second dozen, I added a cup of my leftover cranberry sauce from Christmas.  (see #5 http://whatisthewillishouseholdeatingnow.blogspot.com/2011/12/christmas.html)
This set had to bake for an hour and still weren't done.

Now that I think of it, some vanilla or almond would be good, and maybe less nutmeg.

Grains and Dips

Today's Quick Lunch:
Multigrain crackers from Trader Joe's
Multigrain Tostitos

Salsa Lisa (mild)
Roasted Red Pepper anda Artichoke Tapenade from Trader Joe's
Queso http://allrecipes.com/recipe/queso-dip/
Guacamole (see below)

Guacamole:
1 avocado, mashed
1 clove garlic, minced
1/8 c. (approximately) sweet onion, minced
cilantro
salt
pepper
lime juice

Chicken Salad

It's a meat day!  I usually only eat meat every other day.  It's still easier for me to come up with meat meals than it is for me to come up with meatless ones.  So, as lunchtime approached today, I felt I had more options.   What to do?  Pita bread that I made last night as well as humus, but today, I can do something with meat .... hmmm.  I have chicken chunks in the freezer, so I can do chicken salad.  No celery .... oh well, I'll just use onion and ...... craisins.   Very good.

I think it was about...
1 c. chicken
1/4 c. mayonnaise
1/4 c. minced sweet onion
1/2 c. craisins

I served it in the fresh pita bread with some baby bok choy  and Campbells new Harvest Orange Tomato Soup.  I didn't think the soup was all that, but that might be because I'm getting to the point where I want to steer away from processed foods, I don't know.

Christmas

1. Turkey, baked in a bag.

2. Mashed potatoes, red, skin on, mashed with butter and some roasted garlic.

3.  Grandma’s Green Bean Casserole from Allrecipies.com:

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 1/4 cup onion, diced
• 1 cup sour cream
• 3 (14.5 ounce) cans French style green beans, drained
• 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup crumbled buttery round crackers
• 1 tablespoon butter, melted

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in flour until smooth, and cook for one minute. Stir in the salt, sugar, onion, and sour cream. Add green beans, and stir to coat.

Transfer the mixture to a 2 1/2 quart casserole dish. Spread shredded cheese over the top. In a small bowl, toss together cracker crumbs and remaining butter, and sprinkle over the cheese.

Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven until the top is golden and cheese is bubbly.

4. Darlene’s Buttered Squash 

Preheat oven to 350
Combine in large saucepan over low heat:
1 package frozen squash
3 T. butter
6 T. sugar
2 eggs
½ c. milk
½ t. ginger
¼ t. coconut flavor
¼ t. salt
Bake in casserole dish for 30 minutes, until set in center. Or, set it up in a crock pot to save room in your oven.

5. Cranberry Sauce

• 1 cup (200 g) sugar
• 1 cup (250 mL) water
• 4 cups (1 12-oz package) fresh or frozen cranberries
• Optional Pecans, orange zest, raisins, currants, blueberries, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice.

Wash and pick over cranberries. In a saucepan bring to a boil water and sugar, stirring to dissolve sugar. Add cranberries, return to a boil. Reduce heat, simmer for 10 minutes or until cranberries burst. Mash if desired.

6. Rolls Rhodes Multi-Grain heat and serve.

7. Bread Stuffing http://whatisthewillishouseholdeatingnow.blogspot.com/search?q=stuffing

Another Vegetable Soup

I should start by stating that I like hearty soups.  I don't tend to cook flavored water.

So, for dinner tonight, we're having vegetable soup and grilled cheese.

For the vegetable soup,  I dumped the following ingredients into the crockpot, and turned it on:
3 cans of diced tomatoes (with these flavors: fire roasted, basil, garlic, rosemary and oregano)
2 cans of beans, drained
1 package of mixed vegetables
probably about 1/2 can of water


My verdict:  very good!