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Thankful Thursday #93: the cake didn’t explode

Posted on November 29, 2012 by Veronica

So did any of you realize that the cake in yesterday’s wedding photos was the cake I said I was making on Thanksgiving? Oh yes it is!  It survived the 1 1/2 hour journey and did not explode, implode, topple over, get dropped, get smashed, get stepped on, sat on, or even sneezed on.  It was perfect.  Well, as close to perfect as I’ll ever get a cake.  Thank the Lord above for small miracles!  Or perhaps in my case, it was a miracle of epic proportions.

This was my first wedding cake:

And this was my first wedding cake done for a couple I did not know, so the stress factor and importance factor was even higher (they did not have love for me to help with forgiveness,  lol):

Notice the water on the box? Yeah, it was raining. I hope it’s true that the more goes wrong on your wedding day, the smoother your marriage, because if so, this couple must be the happiest couple on Earth!  They certainly deserve it.

And here’s the sad little dummy cake (made out of styrofoam) I made in a hurry to replace the cake I ruined…and then proceeded to drop and ruin it as well.  It was a bad. day.

So yeah, it’s a pretty big deal that the only snafu I ran into with this cake was that the top tier suffered from icing budge (when the air inside a refrigerated cake expands as it comes to room temperature and causes a bulge and/or eruption in the frosting). I even put a dowel rod in the top tier to keep the budge from happening but should have removed it to allow more air to circulate during the trip, but even so, this was a small problem and I just pressed the frosting back into place with a spatula and it was good as new.

I was so happy you guys!  The bride was happy, the groom was happy, and we all lived happily ever after.

Until the cake slid off the table.  ;)  The end.

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Bird’s Nest Cookies

Posted on April 2, 2012 by Veronica

Most of my readers probably know by now that I’m a Christian.  What might surprise you is that I don’t celebrate Christmas and Easter as Christian holidays.  We do the secular stuff with our families, exchanging gifts, hunting for baskets, but we do not recognize any affiliation of those holiday traditions with our faith.  We recognize Christ as our savior, remember his birth, life, death, and resurrection, but we do not do it just because it’s Easter or just because it’s Christmas–holidays that ultimately have pagan roots and nothing to do with Christ, despite the emphasis put on Him during this time by many. Not that I despise that emphasis, it’s actually refreshing, but we choose to keep these holidays secular while keeping our focus on Christ year-round.  Make sense?

*crickets chirping*

Hello?  Is anyone left?  Hopefully I didn’t lose everyone by starting out on such a serious note.  I have lots of thoughts on this subject…and maybe I should share them some day.  I was thinking about starting a “my faith” page on my blog where I can file my thoughts on spiritual matters in more detail.  Let me know if you’d be interested.

Anyway, whether you celebrate Easter or not, these moist chocolate macaroons shaped into nests with white chocolate truffle “eggs” are a perfect spring-time treat!  I made these a couple years ago and nearly forgot about them until I ran across the photos I took.  Perfect timing!  I hope you enjoy them, I know our family did!

Bird’s Nest Cookies

Printable recipe
Printable recipe with picture

2 squares (2 oz) unsweetened baking chocolate
2 egg whites, room temperature
1/3 cup hazelnuts, toasted and chopped*
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon real vanilla extract
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
1 (14 oz) bag sweetened shredded coconut
16 to 18 white chocolate Lindt Lindor balls (2 bags), or other egg-shaped candies

Move the oven racks to the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 275 degrees. Cover two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Melt baking chocolate in a small bowl in the microwave on high 30 seconds at a time. Stir after each stop until melted; set aside.  With a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat the egg whites on high until stiff and glossy. Add the salt, vanilla extract, powdered sugar, sweetened condensed milk, and chocolate. Beat until mixed. Stir in the coconut and hazelnuts. Scoop into mounds with a small (size 24) ice-cream scoop or a 1/4th cup dry measuring cup. Place on cookie sheets and make an indent in the middle with your thumb.

Place both cookie sheets in the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Switch the cookies to the opposite shelf halfway through baking. This will prevent over-browning. Meanwhile, unwrap the candy.

Move cookies to a cooling rack and allow to sit for five minutes, or until they are barely warm to the touch. If you place the truffles on top while they are more than barely warm, they will melt into goo. If you are using candies with a shell, wait until the cookies are cool to place them on top, or the shells will crack. For the truffles, working quickly, set the Lindt balls on top of the cookies. Let cool completely. The Lindt balls may drip a little so you may want to place a sheet of parchment underneath the cookies.

*To toast the hazelnuts, place them in a small bowl and microwave on high for 30 seconds. Stir, and microwave another 30 seconds. Immediately rub together in a paper towel to remove a little of the excess skin. Leave most of the skin on. Chop coarsely and set aside.

Makes 16 to 18 large cookies.

Recipe source: The Cooking Photographer

Question of the day: if you celebrate Easter, what are your favorite traditions?  Our family (technically Den’s family–mine doesn’t really celebrate) always does a Easter basket hunt, even for the adults. I love hiding them almost as much as finding them! :)

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You might be a redneck…

Posted on November 30, 2011 by Veronica

Rednecks are the butt of many jokes (gotta love Jeff Foxworthy!), but I think they deserve some credit.  I laugh at the jokes because they can strike pretty close to home for me, and I love laughing at myself, but truly, us rednecks are some crazy geniuses.  We find the easiest and cheapest ways to fix and recreate things, and while the result is often comical, it’s also, well, easy and cheap!  And I’m all about easy and cheap.  At least when it comes to fixing & recreating things. :)  So hey, if that makes me a redneck, then I wear the name with pride!

Our back door is on the landing leading to the basement, and flush to the ground with our yard.  Due to poor landscaping, when it rains the water pools close to our door and comes in right under it, making a waterfall down the stairs.  Although we plan to level the yard and dig a trench some day (it’s always some day), in the mean time we did a redneck fix on it and nailed a board at the base of the doorway, caulked it, and now the rain no longer comes in under the door. Feel free to applaud.

The sunrooof on my car has leaked since the day I bought it.  The car company I bought it from fixed the seal for a discount (yeah, they refused to do it for free, even though I took it in the same week I bought it!), but it started leaking again a few years later.  Paying only half (if they weren’t lying to me) cost me over $200, and I wasn’t about to fork over $400 every time the seal needed fixed again.  So we bought a tube of waterproof clear caulking gel and apply a new coat around the roof every summer.  Works like a charm and it kinda goes well with all the hail dents.

There happen to be a few creative rednecks living in our neighborhood as well, so we’re in good company.  Check out this flower bed we came across on one of our walks.

Notice anything strange?

Apparently this lady got fed up with watering flowers and decided to plant artificial ones, the kind that never die!

And how about this sun shade made out of cardboard?  Why waste $10 when you can finally use some of those big boxes you’ve been collecting for the last decade and make your own, right? Right!

Notice how it’s dark outside?  I’m hoping this person was just on a really loooong grocery shopping trip, because otherwise this photographic evidence throws my “rednecks are geniuses” theory out the window.

OK, now this is a creation that I’m sure many non-rednecks have used.  Greenies makes a wonderful product called Pill Pockets that are dog or cat treats with a hole in the middle so you can pop the pill in, mold it back over the pill, and delight as your dog or cat happily swallows the pill without a big fuss.  Jessie just loves them.

The only downside is that they cost $7-$9 a bag and don’t last long when you have to give your pet more than one dose a day.  Jessie has skin allergies in the summer and has to take 6 pills a day at times to keep her from licking all her fur off.  My solution?

Turkey hot dogs are considerably lower in fat and calories than regular, and Jessie certainly doesn’t need any extra fat on her chunky little frame.  These cost $1.50 at my Aldi store and last two or more weeks.  Cheap and easy–a redneck’s dream!

To make my own pill pockets, I slice the hot dog into pieces wide enough to fit her pills.

Then I make a space for the pills by cutting a slit into each one. (On a totally unrelated note, the brown scar is from my exploding boiling honey incident, if you’re wondering. The old thick scar starting on my lower forefinger and running down to my palm is the result of my first in a long line of burn incidents.  My Dad always called me “the burn victim” growing up, because I burned myself so often.  I also used to be a quasi-pyromaniac, even starting a fire in our attic once.  Probably not the best obsession for a burn victim, right?)

Insert the pill.

And Jessie happily gobbles her pills down.  (It also works well to fold the pills into American cheese, which is soft and pliable and easily molds to the shape of a pill.)  I just store the remaining slices in a Ziploc bag so that I can just pull them out and use them immediately for her next several doses.  Oh, and that blue Rubbermaid storage tub on the floor in the photo above?  That’s her food container.  I wasn’t going to pay $40 for a food storage bin when I could make my own for less than $10, thank you!

And then there are the things that just don’t need fixing.  Like my water bottle.  I left it on the floor of my car on a hot day and melted one side flat.  Then I got it stuck in the revolving door at work and crushed the other side.  Hey, it still holds water and the straw still works.  Why do I need a new one?

Redneck pride!

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Homemade Deodorant

Posted on October 4, 2011 by Veronica

You’d be surprised the conversations you get involved in at church.  The teens are talking about the “Ponzi scheme” of social security, while one sister is talking about how knitting can “tighten your bosom” if you do it enough (knitting, that is), another is recommending Robitussin for infertility (really??), and two others are talking about how much they love their homemade deodorant while you’re trying to ignore the bloody photos & details of a hunting trip some of your brothers just returned from.  I love my brothers and sisters in Christ for all their diversity!  And thanks to two of them, I found out how to make my own deodorant and so will you.

Many are concerned about the aluminum found in store-bought deodorants, afraid that daily use will raise the aluminum levels in our bodies above what is healthy.  The reason deodorants contain aluminum is to actually prevent perspiration, which is the only down-side to making your own deodorant.  If you’re hot enough to sweat, you will still sweat.  But at least you won’t smell!  And sweating is actually a very healthy thing, allowing your body to release chemicals and toxins through your pores.

Like I mentioned in one of my Thankful Thursday posts, this homemade deodorant passed the ultimate test for me: teaching Sunday school.  I’m not a very stinky or sweaty person even without deodorant, and with it I’m always fresh as a daisy, except on the Sunday mornings that I’m teaching Sunday school.  It’s ridiculous, but I’m totally intimidated by children when I’m supposed to be in a position of authority.  I love playing with kids, having fun with them, but when I’m supposed to be their superior and not their colleague, hoping that I sound like I know what I’m talking about, and required to discipline them if necessary, I almost can’t handle it.   (One big reason it might be a blessing that I’m not a mother!)  Before the homemade deodorant, I always stunk to high heaven after teaching Sunday school, but when I went in wearing the homemade stuff, I came out smelling just as shower-fresh as before!

So, it definitely is an effective deodorant.  As for the look and feel of it, it does not compare to the invisible types, but depending on how thick you make it, can actually be less visible than traditional stick-deodorants.  The first batch I made quite thick, only adding enough coconut oil to make the consistency like a thick, whipped frosting, and it went on a little thick when applied.  The second batch I made thinner so that I could actually pour it into the deodorant tube (the first batch I scooped and smashed into it), and while I have to keep it in the fridge so that it stays solid, it goes on very thin and smooth so I like it better that way.  I find I only need a very light smear of it, which means it lasts much longer than regular deodorant.  This may differ from person to person, and your mileage may vary.

While reading other reviews of this type of deodorant, I found that extra virgin coconut oil is ideal, as it is antifungal and antibacterial, which boosts the odor-eliminating power of the deodorant.   I also discovered that some people are sensitive to baking soda and can get a rash from it, so you may have to tinker with the recipe to reduce it (and upping the cornstarch as you do) until you get a formula that your body likes.  If your skin starts to get dark under your arms and starts to itch, this is a skin yeast infection which one person said is caused by the baking soda (I tend to think it would be the cornstarch since it is something that yeast could feed off of, but I don’t know).  If this happens to you, get a generic athlete’s foot cream to clear it up.  I have had this happen before for a different reason, and found that Lotrimin (I got generic) worked best for me, clearing it up in just a few days.  Go back to your regular deodorant until it’s cleared up, then tinker with your recipe to adapt it until it no longer has this effect.  You could even try putting Lotrimin in the mixture.

OK, so here’s the church lady-inspired homemade deodorant recipe!  Up next, how to naturally give your bosom a lift while learning to knit! ;)

Homemade Deodorant

Printable recipe
Printable recipe with picture

3 tablespoons baking soda
3 tablespoons arrow root powder or cornstarch
3 tablespoons extra-virgin coconut oil, heated just enough to become fairly liquid
Tea tree oil (a natural antifungal), and/or other essential oils for fragrance (optional)

Start with an empty deodorant tube.  If yours still has deodorant in it, just roll it up and pull it off the base.  Reusing the container and wasting the deodorant is cheaper than buying a brand new empty container by itself, because you don’t have to pay for shipping.

Be sure to wind the base down to the bottom before filling.

Whisk the baking soda and arrow root powder or cornstarch together in a bowl until lump-free and fine.

Add the oil…

and stir with a spoon until incorporated, then whisk it up until smooth.

Add your essential oil(s) in now to reach your desired fragrance, then add additional coconut oil or dry ingredients of equal measure as necessary to achieve your desired consistency.  Pour or pack into an empty deodorant tube and refrigerate until solid.

This may be stored at room temperature, but if you made the mixture very thin, you will have to keep it in the refrigerator if you want to apply it as a solid rather than a cream.

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Miracle Pan Release

Posted on September 14, 2011 by Veronica

I bake a lot of cakes.  It’s kind of my thing.  I even have a T-shirt that says, “Real Girls Eat Cake.”  Because I want people to know that the reason I eat so much cake is that I’m real, and not because I have a problem.  Although I may not be fooling anyone but myself with that shirt.

Anyway, because of all the cake-baking happening in my kitchen, I usually also have a can of Baker’s Joy or a bottle of Wilton’s Cake Release in my pantry because they make such an easy one-step job of greasing and flouring my cake pans, which nearly every cake requires.  With a push of a spray nozzle or a swirl of a pastry brush, my pans are covered in seconds and there is never a pile of flour laying around my trashcan.

However, I can be kind of a tightwad, so when my friend, Suzie, sent me the link for a miraculous recipe to make my own “Cake Release”-type product, I was overjoyed.  And let me tell you, it works SO much better than Baker’s Joy.  And just as good as Wilton’s product at a fraction of the price.  I’ve never had a cake slide out so easily, except when using Wilton’s Cake Release!  It is very shelf-stable and easy to make, so I encourage you to whip up a batch to keep on hand for your own baking projects.

Miracle Pan Release

Printable recipe
Printable recipe with picture

1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup all-purpose flour

Whisk thoroughly until everything is incorporated and smooth. Store in airtight container at room temperature. To use, dip a pastry brush or impeccably clean fingers into the mixture and spread a thin layer over the bottom and sides of pan(s) for any recipe that calls for “greasing and flouring” your pans.

*Note: you can make any size batch you’d like, just make sure all amounts of each ingredient are equal to each other.

Recipe source: Apron of Grace

****************************

OK, on a sort of unrelated note, I wanted to give a shout out to the Fairy Hobmother, who gave me a $50 Amazon gift card to replace my old nasty blender!  I found out about her from Jenna, whose wish for a juicer was granted by the Fairy Hobmother (and yes, I did confirm that she received the blender, just to make sure this is on the level), and she mentioned that if anyone else wanted a chance to have their kitchen appliance wish granted, to leave a comment.  I did, and I the Fairy Hobmother contacted me and now I have the $50 on my Amazon account, as easy as that!  The Fairy Hobmother hails from an online appliance company for the UK, and if you too would like the chance to have your kitchen appliance wish granted by her, leave a comment here about what appliance you would like!  She can’t grant all wishes, but grants as many as possible.

UPDATE: This giveaway is now closed. The Fairy Hobmother is no longer checking this post and granting wishes.

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Homemade Magic Shell

Posted on July 8, 2011 by Veronica

Have you ever had Magic Shell?  If you haven’t heard of it, it’s a Smucker’s ice cream topping that comes out liquid, like chocolate syrup, but hardens when it comes in contact with your ice cream, so that you have to tap and break it to take a spoonful of icecream.  It’s so cool!

My husband is obsessed with it, but you can rarely find the peppermint kind, his favorite, so I started making it for him last year.

It is super simple to make, and you can add any extracts you like to change the flavor profile.   You can also use dairy-free chocolate, such as Ghirardelli semisweet chips, and you have a vegan topping for your vegan one-ingredient ice cream. Since that ice cream is so healthy, I didn’t feel too guilty about adding some of this to the top of it and calling it my breakfast.  :)


Homemade Magic Shell

Printable recipe
Printable recipe with picture

1 1/2 cups (300 grams) semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup (200 grams) refined coconut oil
pinch of salt

Place the chocolate and oil in a microwave-safe dish and microwave for thirty seconds, stir, and microwave another 15 seconds. Repeat, if necessary, stirring well every 15 seconds, until mixture is melted and smooth.  This can also be done in a double boiler. Stir in salt and store in an airtight container at room temperature.  Mixture will remain liquid during the summer, but might solidify during the winter.  If it becomes solid, simply heat it until liquid again.

Peppermint Magic Shell: add 2 teaspoons peppermint extract.  I like to divide the batch in half, leaving half plain and adding 1 teaspoon peppermint to the other half.

Makes about 2 cups Magic Shell.

Recipe source: adapted from Brownie Points

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Mediterranean Veggie Sandwich with Pesto Hummus

Posted on May 13, 2011 by Veronica

Another mouth-watering Mediterranean sandwich, bursting with fresh flavor! This recipe comes from the lovely Debbi, who was inspired by a Panera sandwich. I haven’t tried the original, but I know I like this one!

I messed up my bread (only about half my loaves ever come out right–I’m still learning) and it baked up pretty flat and wide instead of round, but if done properly with enough flour (I’m always scared to add too much), you will have a nice sandwich bread.

I know this recipe seems like a lot of work for a sandwich, but if you break down the process into steps, it’s not so bad. Make your bread one day, and make your hummus while you’re roasting the eggplant the next. Plus, it makes lots of sandwiches!

Mediterranean Veggie Sandwich with Pesto Hummus

Printable recipe
Printable recipe with picture

Tomato Basil Bread
2 1/4 teaspoons (1 package) yeast
3/4 cup warm water (110 – 115 degrees)
1/4 cup minced fresh basil, packed
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 1/4 to 2 1/2 cups bread flour (I used AP)

Pesto Hummus
1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained (water reserved)
3 tablespoons lemon juice
3 cloves garlic
1 1/2 tablespoons tahini
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Pepper, to taste
1/2 cup (packed) fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup pine nuts, lightly toasted and cooled

Garlic-Roasted Eggplant (optional)
8 cloves garlic, minced
2 to 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 lb. eggplant (about 2 globe or 4 Italian)
Kosher salt
8 fresh thyme sprigs

Make the bread: In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Stir in basil, Parmesan cheese, tomato paste, sugar, oil, salt, pepper flakes and 2 cups of flour. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a stiff dough. Turn onto a floured surface, knead until smooth and elastic, about 3 – 5 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about an hour. Punch down dough, knead for 1 minute. Shape into a round loaf. Place on a greased baking sheet. Cover and let rise until doubled about 1 hour. With a sharp knife, cut a large X in top of loaf. Bake at 375 for 35 minutes or until golden brown.

Make the hummus: In a food processor, combine all the ingredients. Add in reserved bean water slowly until desired consistency is reached.

Make the eggplant: Mix the minced garlic and oil together in a small bowl and set aside. Slice the eggplant into rings and toss with 1 teaspoon salt. Place in a colander and allow to drain for 30 min. Heat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
Over the sink, gently squeeze the eggplant to extract the salty juice and wipe them dry with a paper towel. Brush each half thoroughly with the garlic olive oil. Arrange in a single layer on the baking sheet. Roast for 30 minutes-1 hour. The eggplant will collapse and the bottoms will be a deep brown caramel color. Let cool considerably before handling, at least 20 min. Gently turn the cut side up. If serving as a side dish, serve with a lemon wedge for squeezing or drizzle with vinaigrette. If using in other recipes, scoop the flesh from the skin with a spoon.

For the sandwich: Spread two slices of tomato-basil bread with Pesto Hummus, then top with  lettuce, red onions, tomatoes, cucumbers, feta, and Garlic-Roasted Eggplant (if using).

Recipe source: adapted from Debbi Does Dinner and Fine Cooking

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Vegan White Chocolate

Posted on March 30, 2011 by Veronica

I have a confession to make.  I didn’t use vegan white chocolate on my Cinnabon Caramel Corn, despite my recipe calling for it.  It was my practice batch and since I was making it with things I had on hand, I used regular white baking chips.  I assumed finding vegan white chocolate would be simple and I could go out and buy it when it was time to make the real batch to ship to the winner.  Well, a friend of mine asked me where I got my vegan white chocolate because she had not been able to find any in Wichita so I called all the health food stores and none of them sold it.  I was shocked!  Apparently this stuff is harder to find than I assumed.

To remedy the situation and make sure I had some vegan white chocolate on hand when I needed it for the 100% vegan batch of Cinnabon Caramel Corn next week, I set out to make it from scratch.  And I’m happy to report that it is a smashing success.  Yowza, this stuff is good!  The cost of the coca butter makes it a little pricey, but when you need some vegan white chocolate, you need some vegan white chocolate, and we’re not going to let a $8 jar of cocoa butter hold us back, now are we?


Vegan White Chocolate

Printable recipe
Printable recipe with picture

1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
2 teaspoons soy milk powder (I used raw coconut flour with good results)
1/8 teaspoon salt
4 1/4 ounces food grade cocoa butter
1 vanilla bean (optional)

Measure the powdered sugar, soy milk powder, and salt into a sifter and sift into a bowl; set aside. Measure the cocoa butter into a large microwave-safe bowl and microwave for one minute; stir. Continue microwaving in 30-second intervals, stirring very well in between, until the cocoa butter is melted. If using the vanilla bean, scrape the seeds from the pod and whisk into the melted cocoa butter. Next, quickly whisk the dry ingredients into the cocoa butter until completely smooth. Pour into a chocolate mold (I used an 8-ounce candy bar mold).  If you don’t have a mold, paper cups or silicon bakeware will do in a pinch.  Gently tap the mold on the counter top a few times to release any excess air bubbles.  Allow to sit at room temperature for half an hour before placing in refrigerator to fully harden.  Pop the chocolate out of the mold and enjoy.  Store any leftovers (yeah, right!) in an airtight container.

Veronica’s notes: I read many first-hand reports of vanilla extract causing homemade white chocolate to curdle and become a vile consistency, so I chose to play it safe with vanilla bean seeds instead.  If you would like to try using extract or vanilla bean paste, consider yourself warned.  And please let me know if you try it and have success! UPDATE: I have now tried adding vanilla extract and have confirmed that it does indeed ruin the texture. Please do not try it.

Makes 8 ounces.

Recipe source: barely tweaked from It’s a Greyt Vegan Life

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Oatmeal Sandwich Bread

Posted on February 14, 2011 by Veronica

This isn’t my favorite bread, but it does have a great, wholesome & hearty flavor. It is an excellent loaf for slicing and making sandwiches. My favorite use for it is making grilled cheese sandwiches, and I also made some yummy ham and cheese melts (with apricot preserves spread on the insides) that this bread was wonderful with. This makes a very large, tall loaf, so if you prefer you can make two smaller, shorter loaves with the dough as I chose to, which makes the bread go further, although your sandwiches will be smaller.  I’m on a mission to lose these last 15 pounds so the smaller sandwiches totally fits in with my plan!  I love it when I can eat real food (read: non-”free” stuff.  Free is good as long as it’s not associated with fat or sugar!) and stay within my calorie budget.

Be sure to check out the recipe source at the end–this gal has tons of healthy, delicious recipes!  I won her low-fat cinnamon rolls in an online bake sale auction and I have to say they are crazy good.  I never thought to replace butter in the filling with applesauce–brilliant!

Oatmeal Sandwich Bread

Printable recipe
Printable recipe with picture

2 cups warm water
1 tablespoon yeast
3 tablespoon molasses
2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tablespoons vital wheat gluten
1 cup rolled oats
4 tablespoon butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 tablespoon salt

For optional topping
1 egg, beaten with a teaspoon of water
2 tablespoons rolled oats

Butter a large bowl and a 9″ loaf pan and set aside. In a large mixing bowl or food processor fitted with a dough hook, mix together water, yeast and molasses. Allow the yeast to stand for 5 minutes until it begins to bubble. Add the whole wheat and bread flour, the oats and the melted butter. Stir to combine. Cover with towel and let rise for 30 minutes. Add in salt and then mix until dough pulls away from sides and becomes a ball. You can add a tablespoon or two of flour or water if necessary. Scrape dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead 5-10 times. Place into the large, buttered bowl. For the first rise, scrape the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead it a few times. Put the dough into the buttered bowl, cover with a towel, and leave it to rise for about 1 hour or until it doubles in size. Turn dough out onto floured surface after first rise. Shape by folding into a square, folding top down towards center and bottom up towards the center. Pinch the new top and bottom together to seal, roll to shape and place in the loaf pan, seam side down. Allow to rise in a warm place, covered with a towel for one hour or until dough rises an additional half its size. Preheat oven to 400° F. Right before placing in oven, brush egg wash over the top of the loaf and sprinkle on the rolled oats. Bake for 40 minutes or until the loaf sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom. Remove from pan and cool on wire rack. The loaf slices best when at room temperature.

Veronica’s notes: I substituted rapid-acting yeast as usual, so I mixed it in with the dry ingredients and then added the wet–no proofing necessary.  You don’t technically have to do two rises when you use rapid-acting/instant yeast, so you can just shape it into a loaf and let it rise once before baking, but I usually go ahead and do two rises anyway to develop a more yeasty flavor.

I calculated the nutritional information based on making two loaves and dividing each into 14 slices.  Per slice: 111 calories; 2.7 g fat; 21 g carbohydrate; 2.2 g fiber; 3.4 g protein

Recipe source: From Apples to Zucchini

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One Minute Mayonnaise

Posted on May 12, 2010 by Veronica

 

In the past, making homemade mayonnaise was quite a chore that involved a lot of whisking and slowly, slowly pouring oil into an egg & vinegar mixture.  Thanks to my friend, Dewey, who introduced me to the joy of homemade mayonnaise, I’ve discovered that using a food processor makes the task much faster.  Less than a minute, in fact.  Here, I’ll prove it: 

 

See that?  40 seconds and it’s ready to use.  And it’s even better than the best name brand mayonnaise you can purchase.  So what are you waiting for?  You have nothing to lose! 

One Minute Mayonnaise
Printable recipe 

1 egg
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups canola oil 

Place the first three ingredients in food processor bowl. Measure the oil and have it ready. Turn the processor on and once the egg is mixed, begin pouring the oil through the feed tube while it’s still running. Start with a thin stream and increase the flow until all the oil is incorporated. The mayonnaise should be done by the time all the oil is in, but run it a few more seconds if it’s not thick enough.  Store in refrigerator for up to ten days. 

Veronica’s Notes: You can use any oil you wish, but you must make sure that it has ZERO bittnerness to it.  Any hint of bitterness is magnified 100-fold when you turn it into mayonnaise.  Dewey warned me but I discovered it the hard way by making my first batch with just a half cup of the olive oil I had in my pantry.  I liked the taste on it’s own, but it was slightly bitter and when turned into mayonnaise, it was terrible.  You can also use any type of acid you wish, like lemon juice or apple cider vinegar, but I like the taste of it best with white vinegar. 

Recipe source: adapted from Dewey B. 

I added 2 tablespoons fresh chopped chives to make this chive mayonnaise. 2 teaspoons dried chives could be substituted.

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