Corn Chowder

For the sake of doing something without meat...except bacon!  You would never know it's meatless because it's so dang hearty!

Corn Chowder   

Loves to cook, Loves to eat Blog
 

1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup diced onion
1 cup sliced celery (2-3 stalks)
1-1/2 cups carrotts, sliced
2-1/2 cups potatoes, cubed
1 can corn, drained (or 2 cups frozen corn)
1 small can cream of mushroom soup
1 15 oz can evaporated milk
4-5 chicken bullion cubes
2-3 quarts water
1 lb cooked bacon, crumbled
1/2 cup potato pearls or flakes, for thickening
In your favorite soup pot, saute the onion and celery in the butter until they are softened. Add 2-3 quarts water, carrots, potatoes and chicken bullion cubes. Simmer for 20-30 minutes until veggies are soft. While that is simmering, cook the bacon in a frying pan. I like to slice it in small pieces while it is still a little frozen and then fry it–that way it is all ready crumbled and cooks pretty evenly. Set bacon aside on a paper towel to drain. Now, back to the soup pot. Add corn, cream of mushroom soup and evaporated milk. If you want to you can add potato pearls or flakes at this point to make it thicker. Let chowder simmer 5-10 more minutes. Serve with warm rolls or bread. If you know you will be eating all of the soup at one meal, you can add all the bacon to the soup. I don’t like soggy bacon, so at my house, we add our own bacon to our individual bowls. *This chowder will definitely warm you up on a cold evening. It also makes an easy dinner to take to someone who is sick or struggling.

How to Bake Chicken

Just a little tutorial I got from OurBestBites.com.  This is the only way I cook chicken now.  It's moist and the clean up is so simple!


How to Bake Chicken

Oven Roasting
Okay, for this one, you can use bone-in or boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Boneless skinless is quick and easy, but bone-in will give you chicken with more flavor and it tends to be juicier.  But they both work great.  If you're after a particular flavor, marinating is a great way to go. However, if you're after a more neutral flavor for something like chicken salad or a casserole, rub the chicken with a little extra-virgin olive olive oil

and sprinkle with coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper.

If you want to meet somewhere in the middle, you could go the salt-based seasoning route from the Fauxtisserie Chicken method again--just sprinkle it on there.
Preheat oven to 450 and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. If you're using bone-in chicken breasts, place chicken, breast side up, on the baking sheet and roast for about 15 minutes or until the juices run clear and, if you've somehow magically found a meat thermometer that works (see diatribe here), the internal temperature is 160 degrees.

If you're using boneless skinless chicken breasts, roast for 7 minutes, turn the chicken, and cook an additional 7 minutes. (I keep mine on convection at 400)
Whether you use boneless or bone-in chicken, remove from oven and allow to stand about 5 minutes before serving. This keeps the meat juicy and flavorful (and hey, not burning yourself is a positive side benefit).  You can just toss the skin from the bone-in chicken.

Chicken Caesar Wrap

I made these with the Flat Out Wraps and they were so good, healthy, and easy.  I baked the chicken with the caesar dressing as marinade.  Yummy!!

Chicken Caesar Wrap

Serves 4
Ingredients
3 Chicken breasts
1 head Romaine lettuce
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese-grated
Caesar Salad dressing
4 tortillas

Marinate chicken in about 1/4-1/2 cup of caesar dressing for 2 or more hours. Usually when I pull my chicken breasts out of the freezer to defrost, I just put them in the marinade for the day. Grill outside, or on George Forman. Slice into bite size pieces. Chop up your lettuce, add cheese and dressing and mix. Put about 1 cup of salad mixture down the center of your tortilla. Then add chicken. Roll your tortilla and enjoy!

Homemade Waffles

We've kicked the Bisquick to the curb and started making pancakes and waffles from scratch lately. I can never go back to the box after eating these...they are moist, fluffy, perfectly flavored, and super-easy to make. What more could you want? Enjoy!
Homemade Waffles
allrecipes.com

2 eggs
2 cups flour
1 3/4 cups milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 Tbs. white sugar
4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla

Preheat waffle iron. Beat eggs in large bowl with hand beater until foamy and fluffy (on medium speed for at least one minute). Lightly beat in flour, milk, vegetable oil, sugar, baking powder, salt and vanilla, just until combined- do not overmix or your waffles will be dense. Spray preheated waffle iron with non-stick cooking spray. Pour mix onto hot waffle iron. Cook until golden brown. Serve hot. Makes 16 waffles.

Salsa

Picture courtesy of foodsdiscovered.com

In honor of Cinco de Mayo today - here is a simple homemade salsa recipe.


Salsa
adapted from Carol Ramirez

1 bundle of green onions
cilantro
1 tsp crushed red pepper (dry)
2 tsp garlic salt with parsley
1 large can Hunts Petite Diced Tomatoes

Cut green onions. Using the white ends only,chop in small pieces. Break off small handful of cilantro and wash. If you want it really spicy use more cilantro. (I use enough to fit in the palm of my hand).
Chop onions and cilantro in the blender. Add crushed red peppers, garlic salt & tomatoes to blender. Blend well.

Refrigerate. It is better after it has been cooled. Enjoy.

Mapledoodles

I'm not a huge fan of maple but I couldn't stop eating these cookies.  Maybe because I made them with real maple syrup which is so much better than the store-bought kind.

I couldn't get the recipe on here so visit the link where I found the recipe at Cookies and Cups!

Easy Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes

Always fun to do something a little different.  These potatoes were deliciously creamy and different.  Plus it never hurts to gave a little greenery!

Easy Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes 
Publix grocery store recipe

Ingredients
8 oz cream cheese
Cooking spray
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup sour cream
2 (20-oz) packages refrigerated homestyle sliced potatoes  ( I just sliced my own potatoes and cooked them a bit longer)
8 slices bacon
1 cup frozen green peas
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese, divided

Prep

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Cut cream cheese into chunks; place in large bowl to soften.
• Coat 13x9-inch baking dish with cooking spray.

Steps

1. Cook bacon following package instructions. Crumble bacon into bite-size pieces.
2. Stir broth and sour cream into cream cheese; gently stir in potatoes, bacon, peas, and 1 3/4 cups cheese. Transfer to baking dish and cover; bake 1 hour or until potatoes are tender.
3. Remove cover; sprinkle with 1/4 cup cheese. Bake 5 more minutes or until cheese melts. Serve.

Total Time: 70 minutes, Active Time: 15 minutes (Makes 12 Servings.)

Spiedies

These chicken sandwiches were so good- totally packed with amazing flavor. While the original recipe calls for cutting the chicken into cubes and then grilling it, if I make it again, I will leave them as breasts and serve them on whole wheat hamburger buns with some sort of green (like arugula or spinach). Seriously though, this is one flavorful dish. It would also be great served just as a chicken breast with rice on the side. So good.

picture courtesy The Little Kitchen

Spiedies

The Little Kitchen

1/2 cup olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp chopped fresh basil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp grated lemon zest
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
3 Tbsp mayo
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (trimmed)
6 (6-inch) sub rolls

Mix the oil, garlic, basil, oregano, lemon zest, salt, pepper and pepper flakes in a large bowl. Take 2 Tbsp of the oil mixture and place into another bowl and set aside. Prick the chicken breasts with a fork all over on each side. Cut into 1 1/4 inch chunks. Add to large (first) bowl of marinade. Refrigerate and marinate for at least 30 minutes and no longer than 3 hours.

Whisk together mayo, vinegar and lemon juice with the 2 Tbsp of oil mixture set aside earlier. Remove the chicken and thread onto metal skewers. Heat your gril for 10 minutes on high. Oil your cooking grate. Place the skewers on the grill, turning frequently. Cook for 10-15 mintues. Remove from grill and allow chicken to rest for at least 5 minutes. Grill the rolls on grill for a few seconds each. Remove quickly or they will burn. Remove the chicken from the skewers and place directly on the rolls. Drizzle with mayo sauce mixture

Chocolate Mint Cheesecake Charlotte

Okay, this looks funky but it was so easy, so different, and so good!

Chocolate Mint Cheesecake Charlotte

from Publix grocery store 

Ingredients
1 (12-oz) Bakery butter loaf cake
8 small dark chocolate peppermint patties  (I used York patties)
8 square fudge mint cookies  (I used Grasshopper cookies)
1 1/2 cups cold milk
1 (12-oz) box no-bake cheesecake mix (filling portion only)
Whipped topping (optional)

Prep

• Cut cake into very thin (1/4-inch-thick) slices.
• Chop peppermint patties finely.
• Chop cookies finely.

Steps

1. Place milk and filling mix in medium bowl; beat with mixer on low 1 minute. Add chopped patties; mix on high 3–4 minutes or until thick.
2. Line 3-quart dessert bowl with cake slices, covering bottom and sides (reserving some slices for top). Spoon one-half of the filling over the cake slices, then add one-half of the cookie crumbs; repeat. Finish with a layer of cake slices. Chill 30 minutes or until firm.
3. Dessert may be inverted onto serving plate before slicing. Serve with whipped topping.

Total Time: 45 minutes, Active Time: 15 minutes (Makes 8 Servings.)

Mom's Famous Cinnamon Bread

For those of you who don't know, my Mom is practically famous for her cinnamon bread. Last year, she showed me her trade secrets and for this first time, I made some of my own. I've made it a few times since then, and have had some great success as well as- I'll be honest- some pretty disastrous failures. I haven't been making bread for that long, so I still have a lot to learn, but I made it again this morning for our neighbors, and it turned out wonderfully. I used a different white (gasp!) bread recipe than she uses, and- don't tell Mom- but I actually liked it better than her recipe. We don't usually eat white bread, but I consider this stuff dessert, and we all know that I eat plenty of that!

PS- I just halved this recipe and got three mini loaves and one big loaf.

Grandma's White Bread

submitted by Brittany ~ sisterscafe.blogspot.com

2/3 cup powdered milk *see note

3 heaping Tbsp of instant yeast

6 tsp salt

2/3 cup sugar

6 Tbsp shortening (I'm sure you could use butter if you don't want to use shortening)

6 cups warm water

Flour (approx. 15 cups total)

*I have made this bread with fresh milk too and it works great. Just omit powdered milk and use 3 cups warm milk and 3 cups warm water in the place of the 6 cups warm water.

Mix powdered milk, yeast, salt, sugar, and shortening in large mixer like a Bosch. (*your Kitchen Aid is not big enough! It will handle a half recipe though.) Add warm water. Add about 4 to 5 cups flour and beat until well mixed. Add flour slowly until dough comes away clean from the edge of the mixing bowl. Allow to knead for 5 more minutes. Do not add too much flour. Cover with greased plastic and allow dough to rise. Once it has doubled in size, roll it out to about a 17x11 rectangle. Combine 1 cup granulated sugar to 1/2 Tbl cinnamon (more or less depending on your taste) in a small bowl. Spray (I used a spray bottle) the dough with a little water. Scoop cinnamon sugar mixture on to bread dough, distributing evenly, leaving about 1/2 in on all sides like this:


Roll dough, starting at long end until it forms a long log. Press ends together to seal cinnamon in.

Measure the approximate size of your dough pans and cut the dough accordingly, being sure to pinch and "seal" the edges each time. Place in dough pans and allow to rise until the loaves reach loaf size.

Heat oven to 350 and bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Remove and allow to sit for 5-10 minutes and then invert loaves on to a cooling rack (if you leave the loaves in the pans too long, they will stick and you won't be able to get them out in one piece).

Chicken Salad Sandwich

Pic courtesy of McConnor Blog

Out with the cold and in with the...chicken salad sandwiches! Oh, how I adore chicken salad in the spring! I was first introduced to chicken salad sandwiches not even 2 years ago and I became an instant fan. I've tried many different recipes, but have finally found one that, in my opinion, is the best. I made this for a friend's birthday party last week and everyone raved.

Chicken Salad Sandwich
adapted from allrecipes.com

• 2 1/2 cups diced and chilled, cooked chicken meat
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1 1/2 cups sliced, seedless grapes
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted
  
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 1 teaspoon salt
• pepper to taste
  
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
• dash of cayenne pepper

Toast almonds at 375 for 4-5 minutes, until golden brown. Whip cream until soft peaks form. Fold in remaining ingredients and chill. Serve on bread (croissants are the best), crackers, romaine lettuce leaves, or eat it straight out of the bowl!

Cheesy BBQ Sloppy Joe's

Wow!  These were so mouth-watering-ly good!  Even Mom ranted and raved 

about them.  If you don't want to make it on the Texas Toast, then put it on a salad

 or a bun.  The meat flavoring is so good!

Cheesy BBQ Sloppy Joe's 

from Southern Living magazine

Ingredients

• 1 1/2  pounds  lean ground beef
• 1  (14.5-oz.) can diced tomatoes
• 1  cup  ketchup
• 1/2  cup  bottled barbecue sauce
• 1  tablespoon  Worcestershire sauce
• 2  tablespoons  chopped pickled jalapeño peppers (optional)
• 1  tablespoon  liquid from pickled jalapeño peppers (optional)
• 1  (11.25-oz.) package frozen garlic Texas toast
• 1/2  cup  (2 oz.) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

Preparation

1. Brown ground beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring often, 8 to 10 minutes or until beef crumbles and is no longer pink; drain well. Return to skillet. Stir in tomatoes, next 3 ingredients, and, if desired, jalapeño peppers and liquid. Cover and cook 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, prepare Texas toast according to package directions. Serve beef mixture over Texas toast; sprinkle with cheese.

Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies

by Julianna Jewkes' college roommate




2 bruised and ripe bananas
1 c. sugar
1/2 c. butter
1 egg
1/2 t. vanilla
3 c. flour
1 t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt
1/2 c. chocolate chips

Blend bananas, add sugar, softened butter, egg and vanilla. Mix in dry ingredients and finally add chocolate chips. Cook around 10 min. at 350'---don't overcook as these are best underdone. Yum!

Cream Cheese Pound Cake with Strawberry Coulis

Pic courtesy of Annie's Eats

It's strawberry season! I first baked this little piece of work a couple months back for a friend's birthday. I just topped with a sugar glaze and it was divine. However, this last week, I was in Utah for a Demarle party I was giving, and I decided to go all the way and make the strawberry coulis (don't worry- it's just a fancy word, not fancy making) and wow, wow, wow- I was in heaven. Do yourself a favor- bookmark this, make it, and never look back.

Cream Cheese Pound Cake with Strawberry Coulis
adapted from Annie's Eats

For the cake:

1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, at room temperature (I used Neufchatel cheese)
3 cups sugar
6 large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. almond extract (You can use more if you like almond flavor, but I want to taste the cream cheese!)
3 cups all-purpose flour (can use half and half cake flour)
1 tsp. salt

For the strawberry coulis:
2 cups quartered, hulled strawberries (about 12 oz.)
1/4 cup water
3 tbsp. sugar
1 tbsp. lemon juice

Directions:
To make the cake, preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Butter and flour a bundt pan or tube pan (line the bottom with parchment if using a tube pan). Combine the butter and cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed until smooth. Add the sugar, increase the speed to high, and beat until light and airy, at least 5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Mix in the vanilla and almond extracts. Add in the flour and salt and mix until just incorporated.

Pour the batter evenly into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a rubber spatula. Bake until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean, about 65-75 minutes. Place the pan on a wire rack and allow to cool for about 20 minutes. Remove the cake from the pan and allow to cool completely. Serve at room temperature.

To make the strawberry coulis, combine the strawberries, water, sugar and lemon juice in a food processor or blender. Puree until very smooth, then press through a fine mesh sieve to remove the seeds. You'll probably have to use a scraper or spoon to "push" the strawberry juice through the sieve and there'll be quite a bit of seeds mixed with a little juice in the sieve that'll kind of stop it up so you'll have to dump out the seeds and do 2-3 rounds of this. Cover and refrigerate until cold. Serve with slices of pound cake.

Cafe Rio Salad

I know these recipes are "a dime a dozen" but this is the best imitation I've had yet. AMAZING--especially the dressing! I got his recipe from a ward friend, Megan Johnson.

Chili Beans
4-6 cans of black or pinto beans
1 can diced chilies
1 1/2 c. green enchilada sauce
Place all ingredients in a crock-pot, electric skillet or saucepan. Cook 2 hours on low until flavors are mixed.

Cilantro-Lime Rice
1 c. rice
1 tbs. oil
1/3 bunch of cilantro
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 chopped onion
2 c. water (or chicken broth - leave out bouillon cubes)
2 bullion cubes
zest of 1 lime
Brown onion & rice in oil in skillet. In blender, place water/stock, bouillon, cilantro, lime zest and salt..blend thoroughly. Add mixture to rice and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. When rice is cooked, fluff with fork and add the juice of 1 lime.

Cafe Rio Chicken (makes a ton)(I've never made this one but I've tasted it and it's good)
5 lbs chicken (breasts)
2 Tbs. Cumin
2 small bottles of zesty Italian dressing
6 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 Tbs. Chili powder
Combine all and cook on low all day in crock-pot. Then shred and serve.

Cafe Rio Pork(I've made this a bunch and it turns out great every time)
3 lbs Pork Roast
1 can Coca Cola, Pepsi or Dr. Pepper (I use coke)
Cook all day on low in crock-pot. Drain the juice and add:
1/4 c. BBQ Sauce
1/4-1/2 c. Brown Sugar
1 can mild green chillies
3/4 c. Ketchup
1 tsp. Garlic Salt
Mix into shredded pork.

Spicy Tomatillo Ranch Dressing
1 Hidden Valley Buttermilk Ranch Dressing Packet
2 Tomatillos (peel off loose skin)
1 clove garlic
1/2-1 small jalapeno pepper (to your taste)
2 c. Mayo
1 1/2 - 2 c. Buttermilk
1/2 Bunch Cilantro (mostly leaves)
2 Tsp. Lime Juice (or more)
Blend all ingredients together in a high blender until it is mixed well. Refrigerate.

Chicken and Spinach Stuffed Shells

Can you say FANCY?  Yeah, I know.  Not only that, but really yummy!  Another must try!

 

Chicken and Spinach Stuffed Shells
Submitted by Erin at The Sister's Cafe blog

44 uncooked jumbo pasta shells (That’s about one and one-half 12-oz boxes)
2 c chopped cooked chicken
2 c fresh chopped spinach
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (15oz) container ricotta cheese
2 (8oz) packages cream cheese, softened
1 (5oz) package shredded Parmesan cheese (about 1 2/3 c.)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 Tb dried parsley flakes
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 c shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1 (26oz) jar prepared spaghetti sauce (any variety)

Cook shells according to package directions (be sure to stir every once in awhile so they don't stick to the bottom of the pan and tear apart); drain and set aside.
Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly grease 2 13x9x2inch baking dishes.
In a large bowl, combine chicken and all the rest of the ingredients except mozzarella and spaghetti sauce. Stir in 1 cup mozzarella. Spoon into shells. Spread half of spaghetti sauce into prepared baking dishes. Arrange shells over sauce; top with remaining sauce. Cover tightly with heavy-duty aluminum foil. Bake, covered, for 40 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle with remaining 1 cup mozzarella. Bake for 5 to 10 more minutes.
Makes 8-10 servings.

Grilled Chicken Pesto Panini

Pic courtesy of The Sister's Cafe

I remember the first time I had a panini sandwich, I seriously thought it was as close to perfection in a sandwich as you can get. I still feel that way, but let's be honest, how often are you going to break out the sandwich maker (i.e., George Foreman grill) for lunch when your kids are hungry and whiny before naps and all you want to do is slap a little PB&J on some bread and tuck them in for a few hours of peace and quiet? (How's that for a run-on sentence??) So, my solution? Sandwiches for dinner! Yeah! These are so yummy and so easy and can be pretty healthy (as long as you don't slather on the pesto and butter). I just made mine on regular ol' whole wheat sandwich bread and it was delizioso.

Grilled Chicken Pesto Panini
from The Sister's Cafe

Ingredients:

bread (artisan is traditional, but use whatever you have on hand will work)
butter (optional)
pesto
grilled chicken
mozzarella cheese (fresh is best)
tomatoes
avocado
roasted red peppers

Lightly butter outsides of bread. Lightly spread pesto on insides of both pieces of bread. Layer chicken, cheese, tomatoes, avocado slices, and peppers, cover with top slice of bread. Lay flat on sandwich grill (George Foreman) and cook for about 5 minutes, til outsides of bread are nice and toasty. Serve immediately.

To make roasted red peppers, half the bell pepper and remove seeds and stem. Place face down on a sheet of tinfoil and place under the broiler. Broil until the skin is black all over, about 8 or so minutes. I cover the tops of the pepper with some tin foil when it gets black and continue to broil it so the remaining sides will blacken. Once the skin is black, fold the tinfoil around it to seal in the heat (or place in a bowl and cover with Saran wrap) and let sit for 20 minutes (I've scrimped on the time before, and I think it still tastes good). Then peel off the black skin and cut into slices

Trifle Spectacular

recipe from Miko Baca

1 pkg. chocolate or white cake mix prepared
1 14 0z. can sweetened condensed milk
1 c. cold h2o
3 oz. vanilla instant pudding
2 c. fresh sweetened whipped cream
2 T. orange juice, divided
2 1/2 c. sliced fresh strawberries, divided
1 pint fresh raspberries, divided
2 kiwi, peeled, sliced, and divided
1 1/2 c. cool whip, thawed for garnish
mint leaves for garnish (opt.)

Cook cake in two 9" round pans. Cool and cut one layer into 1" cubes. Freeze other layer for later use. Combine and stir milk and water in large bowl. Add pudding and beat. Chill 5 min. Fold whipped cream into pudding mixture.

Assembly:
Spread 2 c. pudding mix into a 3 qt. tall trifle dish. Arrange half the cake cubes over and then sprinkle with 1 T. orange juice. Layer with 1 c. strawberry slices, half the raspberries, and 1/3 of the kiwi slices and assemble to make the sides of the dish decorative. Repeat layers. Top with remaining pudding mixture. Garnish with cool whip and remaining fruit and mint leaves. Beautiful and impressive! * The picture shown has different fruit and lady fingers decorating the side. That's the beauty of a trifle---make it however you please!

Pop Up Pancakes with a Twist

 Yes, these are green but only because I made them for St Patrick's Day.  Yours do not have to be green!  These are basically "german pancakes" made individual  by baking in muffin tins.  I loved it for portion control plus you get the yummy crust on every piece!

Pop Up Pancakes With a Twist
from Marie of Make and Takes…

Ingredients:
1 cup milk
1 cup flour
6 eggs
1/4 cup melted butter
dash salt

1. Preheat oven to 400ºF.
2. Blend all the ingredients, works best in a blender to get the batter smooth.
3. Grease your muffin tins or baking pan very generously. Makes 24 muffins or fills a 9×13 inch baking pan.
4. Bake them for 15 minutes, or until puffy and golden on top.
5. Use a knife to pry them out, hopefully they were greased well enough and should pop right out.

Honey Wheat Bread

I'm calling this 66% whole wheat bread because, I have to be honest, it's not 100% whole wheat, although you get plenty of good whole wheat in there. I've been trying to find the perfect whole wheat bread recipe, and I've finally found what works for our family. My kids love it! My only complaint is that it only makes one loaf at a time, so I feel like I'm making bread all the time! This is truly delicious, straight out of the oven or 4 days later.

This...

turns into this...

Honey Wheat Bread

my friend found the recipe on the internet, I don't remember where

1 1/8 cups warm water

4 Tbs. honey

1 tsp. salt

1 cup bread flour (Gold Medal brand is best)

2 cups whole wheat flour (King Arthur brand is best if you use store-bought. I grind my own Prairie Gold Wheat from Wheat Montana, and it is delicious)

2 Tbs. softened butter

1 1/2 tsp. yeast

Add ingredients to bread machine in the order listed above, and turn on the dough cycle. When finished, shape into loaf (I slap onto dough the counter and fold one edge to the middle, rotate, then do the same thing to each edge until I've gone all the way around). Let rise 30-40 minutes in loaf pan sprayed with Pam. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Remove from pan and butter top of loaf.