Bread, bread and more bread

I have been making my own bread for many years.  However, I have never been able to duplicate a soft and fluffy loaf with mostly whole wheat flour.  I can make the most fluffy bread imaginable with white flour, but the addition of wheat always produced a dense, heavy bread.  This past month, I have finally found a little time to get back to baking my bread from scratch and I found this new recipe.  It is absolutely the best bread recipe ever.  It does use a small portion of white flour, but I am so willing to use the white flour and get such fabulous results.  This recipe is best made in a Bosch mixer and makes 4 fluffy loaves.  I will also link the recipe that I use for the dough enhancer.  For my bread, I am grinding hard red wheat and having just as good of results as when I used hard white wheat before. I hope that if you are looking for the perfect bread recipe you will give this a try.  If you don't need 4 loaves and also just want to use your bread machine, you might try the Oatmeal Honey Bread.  It isn't wheat, but the wheat does add some whole grains and the taste is wonderful.  I often put it in the bread machine before church or at the start of a school day for hot, fresh bread at lunch with minimal fuss.

Chef Brad's Basic Whole Wheat Bread

Dough Enhancer Recipe

Oatmeal Honey Bread for the Bread Machine (uses white flour)

Yummy Beef Enchiladas

Just a little review of a Pioneer Woman recipe I tried last night.  I am no longer afraid to try homemade beef enchiladas!  The sauce is easy and delicious!  The enchiladas are fresh and delicious.  I will add that I only used one can of green chilies since I have littles who don't care for things to be too spicy.  This is one pinterest pin that did not disappoint!

One tip- use the 9 x 13 pan.  I used a jelly roll pan because that is what I always use for my chicken enchiladas.  These fit in the jelly roll pan, but as they cook and bubble the sauce also bubbles over and makes a mess of the oven.

Simple Perfect Enchiladas

A Patriotic Breakfast

Need a quick breakfast with unprocessed food?  Want it to be colorful and patriotic too?  How about healthy?  Here is an answer to those breakfast needs...  I'm sure it isn't unique to me, but it is what I had on hand for a quick and easy breakfast.

The Red, White, and Blue Parfait

In a half pint mason jar, layer....

a dollop of plain greek yogurt
cut up red strawberries
a smidge of maple syrup or honey
another dollop of plain greek yogurt
a bit of chopped, fresh banana
another smidge of honey or maple syrup
last dollop of plain greek yogurt
topped with blueberries or blackberries 
and drizzle on a little more maple syrup or honey

You can vary the layers with other treats like chopped crispy nuts or crunchy granola.  My little A kept digging out her strawberries and Little C was quizzing me on how many seeds a blackberry has.... so it is an entertaining breakfast as well.  I served it with a slice of whole grain toast and a glass of milk.

A simple menu plan for a busy season

We just arrived home from the full week at the Texas 4-H Roundup and now are moving into another busy week.  It is the week of the 4-H Recordbook.  I have 3 kids working on recordbooks and did not need any sort of complicated meals.  This is my plan.  It is both frugal and simple.

Friday:
Breakfast- instant oatmeal
Lunch- sandwiches, chips, fruit
Dinner- spaghetti with meat sauce, rosemary garlic bread, salad from the garden, green beans

Saturday:
Breakfast:Eggs, Sausage, Toast
Lunch: 7 layer Tostadas, rice, fruit coctail
Dinner: Taco Soup in the crockpot, tortillas, shredded cheese, sour cream, and avocado

Sunday
Breakfast:Boxed Cereal with milk (no judging...it's hard enough to get to church)
Lunch: Roast Beef with carrots, potatoes, green beans, and bread
Dinner: Leftovers

Monday
Breakfast: Oatmeal with butter, sausages
Lunch: Easy Chicken Pot Pie
Dinner: Ham and Scallop Potatoes

Tuesday
Breakfast: Scrambled eggs on tortillas
Lunch: Salmon Patty, peas, raw veggies and ranch
Dinner: Beef and Barley Soup, Bread in bread machine

Wednesday
Breakfast:Pancakes
Lunch:Grilled Chicken on Caesar Salad (buy the kit and add grilled chicken)
Dinner: Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, green beans, squash from the garden

Thursday
Breakfast:Scones and eggs
Lunch: Grilled Cheese and Vegetable Soup (from Sue Gregg's lunch book)
Dinner: Sloppy Joes, chips, apple slices

Friday
Breakfast: Breakfast tacos
Lunch: Pizza and salad
Dinner: Eating out