Make Your Own Homemade Bread
As a young child I remember my grandmother making homemade bread. Her specialty was yeast rolls. I remember thinking the process was so fascinating and exciting. It was not until I was a mom though that I learned to really make homemade bread. As a busy mom, I decided to buy a bread maker and, while I loved how it cooked and did all the work, I really did not like how it looked when it came out of the machine. So I mostly just used it to make the dough for me. For my anniversary this year, my husband bought me a Kitchen Aid Mixer. I have wanted one of these ever since I watched my grandmother using hers. The first thing I wanted to make with it was the dough I use to make homemade bread. I thought it would be so hard and time consuming, but it was really quite easy and took less time than I thought. Of course you can always break down and knead the dough the old fashioned way if you do not have a bread maker or stand mixer with a dough hook. I also love the look on my kids’ faces when I make them homemade bread; they think it’s a dessert or something. I also think bread making is a great way to save money.
Garlic Bread
This is simply the best garlic bread I’ve ever made. It’s a little involved, but those that love garlic, butter and crusty bread will swoon over it. Dusted with cheese and golden with garlicky goodness, it’s definitely one for the arsenal and can help make even a dinner of spaghetti and sauce straight from a jar a truly memorable experience.
Lemon Berry Muffins
I made these muffins on Easter morning for a treat, though they really weren’t much work at all. The can be mixed with whatever berry type fruit you have floating around in your kitchen or in your freezer. The lemony body of the muffin is the perfect foil to the jammy pockets of fruit that result from the berries cooking in the oven–you don’t even need to butter these to enjoy them. As breakfast pastries go, these are lower in fat than most using just two eggs or tofu and no butter or oil so enjoy without guilt.
Blueberry Muffins
Whenever my early morning hunger strikes, it can always be cured with a blueberry muffin. Truthfully, all I need is one blueberry muffin, any time of day, and I am ready to go. I found this recipe in the 1996 November/December issue of Cooking Light magazine, which someone tossed into the recycling bin where I use to live. Little did I know I would find in this issue several delicious recipes that have become staples in our home. The other funny thing is that the original recipe for these muffins, which I modified, was part of a paid advertisement for Chevrolet. They were promoting the cars and threw in the recipes to satisfy the cooking readers. All I have to say is “good job!” Whenever my early morning hunger strikes, it can always be cured with a blueberry muffin. Truthfully, all I need is one blueberry muffin, any time of day, and I am ready to go. I found this recipe in the 1996 November/December issue of Cooking Light magazine, which someone tossed into the recycling bin where I use to live. Little did I know I would find in this issue several delicious recipes that have become staples in our home. The other funny thing is that the original recipe for these muffins, which I modified, was part of a paid advertisement for Chevrolet. They were promoting the cars and threw in the recipes to satisfy the cooking readers. All I have to say is “good job!”
Blender Pancakes
This is a great way to get more whole grains into your diet and it is so easy to make. My kids love it and I know that I’m feeding them a healthy breakfast.
Festive Holiday Cranberry Muffins with Rich Butter Sauce
These cranberry muffins are a favorite at my house during the holidays. They are really simple to make and are absolutely delicious, especially eaten hot with the rich butter sauce poured over the top. These muffins are by no means low fat but they are so tasty and they make a great holiday gift for friends and neighbors. You can make a lower fat version by using whole wheat flour and serving them without the butter sauce. My kids love the healthy version for a fast breakfast during the Christmas season.
Cornbread
This is a great cornbread recipe that can be used for any meal. It is on the sweeter side and can be served with honey, or also eaten plain.
Whole Wheat Pizza Crust
I started making my own pizzas sometime last year when I realized how easy they were. I have my Pampered Chef Pizza Stone but you could also make this on a cookie sheet. The recipe I use for my pizza crust is from You: On a Diet. It is really easy to make even if you aren’t used to making bread and it is so much better for you than those pre-packaged tubes of pizza dough.
Sweet Potato Biscuits
These are really easy and a nice side dish for fall meals. I use canned sweet potatoes because it’s just so much easier than cooking and mashing fresh.
Multi Grain Bread
This bread is so much easier to make than it sounds and it makes a great sandwich bread. This recipe turns out the best using a stand mixer to knead it but it can be done by hand as long as you are willing to put a little bit of elbow grease into it.
