Easiest Whole Wheat Bread

Easiest Whole Wheat Bread
Many of you have asked for this and I'm finally getting around to posting it. It really is easy!!! If I can do it- anyone can!

2 (8X4 inch) loaves
3 ½ C. whole wheat flour
1/3 C. gluten flour
1 ¼ T. instant yeast
2 ½ C. steaming hot tap water
1 T. salt
1/3 C. oil
1/3 C. honey or ½ C. sugar (I always use honey)
1 ¼ T. bottled lemon juice
2 ½ C. whole wheat flour

Mix together first three ingredients in mixer with a dough hook. Add water all at once and mix for 1 minute; cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Add salt, oil, honey or sugar and lemon juice and beat for 1 minute. Add last flour, 1 cup at a time, beating between each cup. Beat for about 10 minutes until dough pulls away from sides of the bowl. This makes a very sot dough.
Preheat oven for 1 minute to lukewarm and turn off. Turn dough onto oiled counter top; divide, shape into loaves place in oiled bread pans. Let rise in warm oven for 15-20 minutes until dough reaches top of pan. Do not remove bread from oven; turn oven to 350 F and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from pans and cool on racks.
If you do not have a mixer with a dough hook and are kneading this by hand, gradually ad last cup of flour to keep dough from sticking to counter. You will add more flour when kneading by hand than when using a mixer simply to be able to handle this moist dough. With wheat bread, always add the least amount of flour possible to keep bread moist. Knead 10 minutes before shaping dough into loaves.
Gluten is natural protein derived from wheat. It is used in bread to provide elasticity and strength, added texture and helps retain moisture in bread and doughs. It helps prevent crumbling and extends the shelf life of baked bread. If you do not want to store gluten flour, you may substitute whole wheat flour in its place.
Jamie Rasmussen (Eliza Smith)

Banana muffins (or bread)

Banana Bread/ Muffins
I got this really yummy recipe from Jane Carter. My kids and Michael loved it too!

1 cup bananas
1 tsp baking soda
½ c. yogurt
¼ c. vegetable oil
¾ c. brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 C. all purpose flour
½ c. whole wheat flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 pinch salt

Preheat oven 350 degrees
Combine bananas, soda, and yogurt. Put to the side.
Combine oil, sugar, egg, and vanilla.
Combine dry ingredients.
Combine banana mixture with oil mixture.
Add wet with dry- don’t blend too much.
Bread: 50-60 minutes
Muffins: 22 minutes

Cafe Rio burritos or Salad

It's your creation, so pick your favorite meat and then add rice, tomatillo dressing, lettuce, black beans, and anything else you like on a burrito or salad.

Cafe Rio Pork/Beef
3 1/2-4 lb Pork Roast or Beef Roast
2 T Brown Sugar
1 tsp Red Cayenne Pepper
2 tsp Cumin
1 tsp Salt
1 Can Coke (I use Sprite)
1 cup Chicken Broth
2 cloves Garlic, minced
4 small onions, chopped
1 cup Brown Sugar

Night before: Mix together brown sugar (2 T), cayenne, cumin, and salt. Rub on roast. Put in crock pot on LOW all night. (I've never done this over night, just in the morning, and it's fine!)
Next morning: Add coke, chicken broth, garlic, and onions. Keep on LOW unitl ready to serve. About 1 hour before serving, shred roast and add 1 cup brown sugar. Use in Salads, tacos, or burritos. yummy! serves 12

Café Rio Chicken (This is the one I made for Dining Divas)
2 lbs chicken
3 Tbs. lime juice
½ C. olive oil
½ C. chopped cilantro
¼ C. soy sauce
2 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. cumin
2 cloves garlic

Mix everything together in a crockpot and cook on low for 6 hours (or until chicken falls apart).


Tomatillo Dressing
1 1/3 C. sour cream
¾ C. mayonnaise
½ - 1 bunch of cilantro
1 pkg. ranch dressing mix
4 Tbs. Salsa Verda – green salsa
3 cloves of garlic- minced
1/8 tsp. Tabasco sauce (makes it hot- omit if you don’t want it hot)
juice from 1 lime
Put all ingredients together and blend.


Café Rio Rice
3 ½ C. water
3 C. rice
3 cloves of garlic
1 tsp. salt
1 can diced green chilies
4 tsp. chicken bullion
½ bunch cilantro chopped fine
½ onion chopped fine
Put all together in a rice cooker and start!
Enjoy!

Caramel Rolls

Caramel Rolls

2 packages (8 ounces each) refrigerator biscuits

1/4 cup melted butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Mix sugar and cinnamon together in small bowl. Dip individual biscuits into melted butter and then into cinnamon and sugar mixture. Place each covered in biscuit in greased 3 1/2-5 quart slow cooker. Cook on high heat 2 1/2-3 hours, or until rolls are done. You can check rolls in the center after 2 hours for doneness. Makes 6-8 servings.

***When I checked at exactly 2 hours they were already burned around the edges***

--Julianna T

Apple Brownies

Apple Brownies

2/3 cup butter

2 cups brown sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup nuts (optional)

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup apples (granny smith or jonathon are best)

powdered sugar

Cream butter and sugar together. Add eggs and vanilla and mix. Then slowly add combined dry ingredients and mix again. Add apples last in chunks. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes in a greased 9x13 pan.

--Julianna T

Rocky Road Crock Pot Cake

Rocky Road Crock Pot Cake
Prep: 15 min.; Cook: 3 hr., 40 min.; Stand: 15 min. This cake will look like it needs to cook just a little longer, but by the time the topping is set, it's ready to serve.
Yield: Makes 8 to 10 servings


1 pkg German chocolate cake mix (18.25 oz)
1 pkg instant chocolate pudding mix (3.9 oz)
3 large eggs, slightly beaten
1 C sour cream
1/3 C butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla
3 ¼ C milk, divided: 1 ¼ and 2 C divisions
1 pkg. chocolate cook-and-serve pudding mix (3.4 oz)
½ C chopped pecans
1 ½ C mini marshmallows
1 C semi-sweet chocolate chips

Beat cake mix with next 5 ingredients plus 1 ¼ C milk with an electric mixer for 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Pour batter into lightly greased 4 qt. crock pot (I used 6 qt. and slightly less cooking time).

Heat remaining 2 C milk in non-aluminum saucepan, heating and stirring just until scalded.

Sprinkle cook-and-serve pudding over the batter and slowly pour hot milk over the pudding.

Cover and cook on low 3 ½ hours. Meanwhile heat chopped pecans in a small nonstick skillet on medium-low heat, 3-5 minutes until lightly toasted and fragrant.

Turn off slow cooker when time is up, or when cake seems set and not soupy or jiggly.

Sprinkle cake with pecans, marshmallows and choc.chips. Let stand 15 min. or until marshmallows slightly melted. Serve warm with ice cream.

Makes 12 large servings or possibly 18-20 smaller “just right” servings.

From Southern Living magazine, Oct. 08

courtesy of Chris B.

Apple, Cheddar & Turkey Meatballs

--1 1/2 pound extra lean ground turkey

--1 egg

--1 tsp kosher salt

--1 tsp ground black pepper

--1 tsp onion powder

--1 green apple, peeled and shredded

--1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar

--1/2 cup dried unsweetened cranberries

The Directions...In a large mixing bowl, mix the ground turkey with the ingredients. I used my hands. Make golf-ball sized meatballs, and drop them into your crockpot. I used a 6 quart crockpot, but you could use any size over 3 quart, probably. These made enough meatballs to feed our family of 4 for dinner, with 8 leftover for breakfast and lunch. If you have a large family, or would like to cook enough to freeze, double or triple the recipe. You can definitely stagger-stack the meatballs on top of each other.Cover and cook on high for 4-5 hours, or on low for 5-9---the cooking time will depend on how many meatballs are in the crock, and the size of your machine. The more full it is, the longer it will take to cook.I cooked 1 1/2 pounds of meatballs in a 6 quart for exactly 4 hours on high. I could have left them in a bit longer to brown the ones on the very top, but we were hungry.While they cook, juice will collect on the bottom of the crock, and the meatballs will start off getting bright white and slimy looking. Don't be alarmed---they will continue to cook and will begin to brown. They (miraculously enough!) don't seem to stick together in a big blob---you'll be able to separate them.

To bake: 375 degrees for 45 minutes. I cooked covered for 30 min. then took covering off and baked an additional 20-30 min. The meatballs should be browned on top.

-- Laura H