January Recipes

Deliciously Ranch Dip

* 8-oz. Vegannaise (mayonnaise-type dressing found in the refrigerated section
at health food stores)
* Spice Hunter Deliciously Dill seasoning to taste
* Mix the above in a bowl and keep refrigerated. Good with veggies and crackers.

Yogurt Fruit Dip

* 1 cup vanilla yogurt (healthy brand with active cultures and no corn syrup of
any kind!)
* 2 T. sugar free jam or jelly
* Mix the above together in a bowl. Serve with cup up fruit or graham crackers.


Roasted Red Pepper Dip (makes 1 1/2 cups)

* 1 8 oz jar of roasted red peppers, well drained
* 1 clove garlic
* 8 oz. of low fat or no fat cream cheese
* 8 oz. fresh basil leaves

Blend all together and serve with crackers, pita, or vegetables.


Energy Bites

1 cup peanut butter or almond butter, etc. (preferably
1 tsp. + vanilla
1 cup honey (or a combination of honey and agave nectar is what we used)
1 cup powdered milk (the finer grained like Provident Panry mixes smoother)
2 cups instant rolled oats

Optional: 1 cup coconut, sunflower seeds, sliced almonds, etc.

Mix peanut butter with honey and/or agave syrup and vanilla. Stir in powdered milk and mix well. Add oats and other seeds, nuts, etc as desired. If you use coconut, you can either add coconut now and mix in, or reserve it as a topping. For serving you can either: 1) Roll the dough into balls plain, or roll them in coconut, or 1) Pat the dough into a cake pan, cover it with coconut and pat into dough. Cut into squares and serve. (No cooking). Children and adults both like these. They are a great source of protein, nuts and grains.

Thanks and Giving Recipes

What a wonderful and delicious turnout, thank you to everyone who contributed! If you would like to share your recipe from this activity, please leave it in a comment and it will be added to the list.

Cranberry Salsa
    Melissa Weed

2  (12 oz.) packages  of fresh cranberries, rinsed
2 large Granny Smith apples
1/4 to 1/2 medium red onion- (the onion can be overpowering err on the side of too little)
1 red pepper
1 bunch of cilantro (start with one and then add to taste)
1 jalapeño pepper (optional)

Chop everything in a food processor; add ingredients together in a large bowl.

½ cup orange juice
1 lime, juiced
1 cup sugar (you could maybe play with this amount and lessen)

Mix together and pour over the first group of ingredients and stir. Let the mixture sit for a couple of hours in the refrigerator to let the flavors mix.
 
Caramel Fruit Dip
    Bridget Harkness

1 (8oz) package cream cheese, softened.
6 - 8 oz caramel topping
1/4 cup brown sugar

Combine ingredients, stirring until smooth. Chill at least one hour prior to serving.

Bread of Life Recipes

Here are the recipes for the Bread of Life Activity:

No Knead Bread - Artisan Style - 18 Hour Raise
(Jim Lahey, Sullivan Street Bakery, Recipe Posted in New York Times)

Video demonstrations and recipe variations found on breadtopia.com and No Knead internet sites.

3 cups unbleached flour
1 1/2 cups plus about 2 Tbsp. water
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp instant yeast (SAF for instance - Doesn’t work with the regular yeast)

Instructions:
1 . In a large bowl (5 qt) combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 1/2 cups water + 2 Tbsp and stir until blended; dough will be sticky and shaggy. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest from 12-24 hours, preferably about 18, at room temperature, about 70 degrees. (The resting allows the action, without kneading.)
2 . After resting, dough will be dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and rest about 15 minutes. (Optional)
3 . Using just enough flour (or oil) to keep dough from sticking to work surface or fingers, gently shape dough into a ball. (Consider putting ball onto a sheet of parchment, in case it is too runny to transfer into a dutch oven or baking sheet later.) Cover with parchment or oiled plastic wrap. It is ready when is doesn’t spring back readily when poked with a finger. This will be approximately 1 1/2 hours to 2 hours.
4 . At least 1/2 hour before dough is ready to bake, turn oven on per instructions below.

• If you have a heavy covered pot, (cast iron, enamel, pyrex or ceramic that can withstand 450 degrees), the original recipe calls for you to bake in it. It makes for a crispy crust, although we haven’t been successful yet in making it crispy and not tough. If you use this method, turn the oven to 450 degrees 1/2 hour before. When dough is ready, carefully removed pot from oven. Place ball in pot, slash top with greased bread knife. (If the dough seems to difficult to transfer, leave dough on parchment and place all onto cooking surface. Cover quickly with lid and bake 30 minutes*, then remove lid and bake another 15 - 30 minutes until loaf is nicely browned, or 200 degrees on an instant read thermometer. Cool on a rack.

****A black dutch oven cooks faster and hotter, so bake for 20 minutes with lid, 10 without.

• If you want to try for the artisan crispy crust and don’t have a covered pot, preheat oven for 1/2 hour to 450 with broiler pan on the bottom rack of the oven. Pour a cup of water in the broiler pan when you put the loaves in the oven, shutting the door quickly to trap the steam.

• OR We just baked the breads in a 350 degrees preheated oven on a baking sheet for about 25 minutes, and we were pleased with the outcome. If we wanted the crusts softer, we buttered them when hot.


Variations: 

Pecan Cinnamon
Add 1/2 cups pecans and 1/2 cups craisins to dry mix before adding water; cinnamon chips

Multi-grain Peasant Bread
1 cup rye flour, 1 cup whole wheat flour; 1/2 cup cracked wheat, sunflower seeds, or
other grains and seeds, etc. 4 cups white all purpose flour; 1 Tbsp kosher salt; 1/2 tsp yeast; 3 1/4 cups room temperature water. Mix same as above for basic.


NO KNEAD BREAD - ARTISAN FREE-FORM LOAF -REFRIGERATOR OPTION
(Jeff Herschberg’s Simply Crusty Bread)

MASTER RECIPE:
3 cups lukewarm water
1 1/2 tbsp granulated yeast (1 1/2 packets)
1 1/2 tbsp coarse kosher or sea salt
6 1/2 cups unsifted, unbleached, all purpose white flour

Instructions:
1. Mix the yeast, salt, and water in a 5-quart bowl or other container.
2. Mix in the flour with a spoon, or mixer.
3. Cover loosely, and allow to rest at room temperature until the dough rises and collapses,
about 2-3 hours.
4 . The dough can be used immediately after the initial rise, though it is easier to handle when cold. If
not baking at this point, refrigerate in a lidded, not airtight container and use over the next several
days.
5 . When ready to bake, grapefruit sized piece with serrated knife. Turn dough in hands to lightly
stretch surface, creating a rounded top and a lumpy bottom. Let rest 40 minutes.
6 . Place broiler pan on bottom of oven, and baking pot in oven or baking stone in oven, and heat for 30 minutes at 450 degrees. OR preheat to 350 and bake on a baking sheet for about 25 minutes.
7 . Dust dough with flour, slash the top with serrated knife. Slide onto baking stone, or into dutch oven,
and cover. If using stone, or baking sheet, then pour one cup hot water into broiler pan and shut
oven quickly to trap steam. Bake until browned for about 30 minutes. Can put into a loaf pan for baking if desired.


100% WHOLE WHEAT REFRIGERATED NO- KNEAD BREAD
ARTISAN FREE-FORM LOAF OR REGULAR LOAF

1 1/2 Tbsp granulated yeast (1 1/2 packets)
l Tbsp plus 1 tsp salt (or to taste)
1/2 cup honey (can substitute sugar
5 Tbsp neutral-flavored oil, plus more for greasing the pan
1 1/2 cups lukewarm milk
1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
6 2/3 cups whole wheat flour

Mix the yeast, salt, honey oil, milk and water in a bowl or container. Then follow directions above.
You can either make this into free form loaf per instructions above, or put into a greased loaf pan(s).
This bread would be suitable for sandwiches. Bake at 350 if baking in loaf pans. Baking time will
depend on size of pans or whether baking as free-form loaf.


Sticky Pecan Caramel Rolls
(Internet version forms cinnamon rolls. This is a revised version forming balls instead of the rolled out cinnamon that is much faster.)

Topping: 
6 Tbsp butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
30 pecan halves

Coating:
4 Tbsp butter, melted
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

Mix butter and brown sugar together and pat into the bottom of a 9 inch pan. Take dough and form form balls, roll in melted butter and then in cinnamon sugar mix. Place in pan with a pecan under each ball, if small, two for larger balls. Let raise 60 minutes, if from refrigerated dough, 40 minutes if from fresh batch. Bake 350 degrees for 20 - 30 minutes or until done. Turn out onto platter, with pecan side up.

Whole Wheat Bread - Quick and Easy!
(Adapted recipe from Jamie Rasmussen; As demonstrated by Ann Alexander)

From start to baked in less than 90 minutes - (Knead by hand or machine)- Makes 4 (8x4 inch) loaves.

7 cups whole wheat flour
2 Tbsp. wheat gluten
2 1/2 Tbsp. instant yeast (like saf instant yeast)
5 cups steaming hot tap water (120-130 degrees Fahrenheit)
2 Tbsp. salt
2/3 cup oil
2/3 cups honey or 1 cup sugar
2 1/2 Tbsp bottled lemon juice
5 additional cups flour (could use white)

Mix together first three dry ingredients. 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, if using a mixer. This makes a very soft dough.

Preheat oven for 1 minute to lukewarm and turn off. Turn dough onto oiled surface; divide, shape into loaves, and place in oiled bread pans. Let rise in warm oven (175 degrees or lowest setting on oven) for 15 - 30 minutes until dough reaches top of pan. Do not remove bread from oven; turn oven to 350 degrees 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 add last cup of flour to keep dough from sticking to counter. You may have to add more flour when kneading by hand. With wheat bread, always add the least amount of flour possible to keep bread moist. Knead 10 minutes before shaping dough into loaves.

NOTE: Gluten is a 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. Lemon juice in this recipe acts as a dough enhance which gives bread a fine, light texture.

Raspberry Butter

1/2 lb. butter

4 oz. honey

4 oz. raspberry preserves

1/2 tsp vanilla

Whip butter until light and fluffy.  Add honey, raspberry preserves and vanilla.  Continue to whip until mixed.  Chill.

Herb Dipping Oil

1/4 c. fresh basil- finely chopped
1/4 c. fresh Italian parsley- finely chopped
1/4 c. garlic- minced
4 tsp. dried thyme- finely chopped
4 tsp. dried oregano- finely chopped
4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp. kosher or ground sea salt
2 tsp. rosemary- finely chopped
1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
2 tsp. olive oil

Bread of Life Activity Handout

In case you missed the October activity and/or the lesson handout, below is the story of the Little Red Hen and some ideas if you would like to make bread with your family.

Also, if you click on the red text, you will be linked to the Liahona article Lessons from the New Testament; Jesus Christ, the Bread of Life by Elder Won Yong Ko of the Seventy.

The Little Red Hen
(from Utah State University Cooperative Extension - Agriculture in the Classroom website)

Once upon a time, a little red hen lived in a small cottage. She worked hard to keep her family fed. One day, when the little red hen was out walk- ing
with her friends, the goose, the cat, and the pig, she found a few grains of wheat.

“ Who will help me plant this wheat?” asked the little red hen. “ Not I,” said the
goose, “ I’ d rather swim in the pond.” “ Not I,” said the cat, “ I’ d rather sleep on the hay.” “ Not I,” said the pig, “ I’ d rather lie in the mud.”

“ Then I’ ll do it myself,” said the little red hen. And she did. Time went by and the wheat grew, but so did the weeds. “ Who will help me pull the weeds?” asked the
little red hen. “ Not I,” said the goose, “ I’ d rather swim in the pond.”

“ Not I,” said the cat, “ I’ d rather sleep on the hay.” “ Not I,” said the pig, “I’d rather lie in the mud.” “ Then I’ ll do it myself” , said the little red hen. And she did.

All summer the wheat grew taller and taller. It turned from brown to golden amber. And,the goose, “ I’ d rather swim in the pond.” “ Not I,” said the cat, “ I’ d rather sleep on the hay.” “ Not I,” said the pig, “ I’ d rather lie in the mud.” “Then I’ ll do it myself,” said the little red hen. And she did.

At last, the wheat was harvested and put into a large sack, ready to be taken to the mill to be ground into flour. “ Who will help me take the wheat to the mill?” asked the little red hen. “ Not I,” said the goose, “ I’ d rather swim in the pond.” “ Not I,” said the cat, “ I’ d rather sleep on the hay.” “ Not I,” said the pig, “ I’ d
rather lie in the mud.” “ Then I’ ll do it myself,” said the little red hen. And she did. The next day came and the little red hen was hungry. “ Who will help me bake this flour into bread?” asked the little red hen. “ Not I,” said the goose, “ I’ d rather swim in the pond.” “ Not I,” said the cat, “ I’ d rather sleep on the hay.” “ Not I,” said the pig, “ I’ d rather lie in the
mud.” “ Then I’ ll do it myself,” said the little red hen. And she did.

At last, the bread was baked and the little red hen called to her friends once more. “ Who will help me eat this bread?" asked the little red hen. “ I will,” said the goose. “ I will,” said the cat. “ I will,” said the pig. “ Oh, no you won’ t!” said
the little red hen. “ I found the wheat, I planted it, I weeded it, and when it was time to harvest it, I did that too. I took with my family.” And she did.

Possible teaching ideas:
• Working together to do good things
• Being helpful
• Choice and accountability
• The value of hard work
• Sharing
• Christ’s free gift to us

Questions you could ask:
• How do you think the goose, the pig, cat, etc. felt when they didn’t get the bread?
• Did you think that it was fair they didn’t get any bread?
• How did you feel about the hen not sharing?
• What did Christ share with us?
• Does he expect anything in return?

Activities:
• Make bread together
• Make sack puppets for each of the characters and have the children take parts to play

Dessert Tasting Table

Here are the recipes from July's Enrichment:

Hello Dolly Bars

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup (or less) melted butter
1 cup chopped pecans (or walnuts)
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup butterscotch chips
1 1/3 cups coconut
1 can sweetened condensed milk

White chip/cranberry variation: Instead of chocolate and butterscotch chips, substitute 1 1/2 cups white vanilla milk baking chips and
1 cup craisins (or as much has you like)

Mix cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter. Press into 9"x 13" Pan.
Sprinkle with chopped nuts, then chocolate and butterscotch chips.
Top with coconut, then pour sweetened condensed milk over all.
Bake 25 minutes at 350 degrees.


Rachel Ray's Chocolate Pots de Creme
(serves 2)

2/3 cup whole milk
1 egg
1 tablespoon sugar
Pinch of salt
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 teaspoon vanilla

Heat milk until it comes to a boil. In a food processor or blender combine egg, sugar, pinch of salt, chocolate chips and vanilla. Pour boiling milk in a slow stream into blender or processor. Blend 1 minute until smooth. Pour into 2 cups. Chill and least 1 hour. Serve topped with whipped cream and a mint sprig.


Lemon Squares

14 ounce can sweetened, condensed milk
2 teaspoon grated lemon rind
1/2 cup lemon juice
8 ounce container cool whip
2 drops yellow food coloring
Graham cracker crust for a 9 x 13 pan.

Prepare graham cracker crust according to traditional recipe. Bake and let cool. Stir together condensed milk, lemon rind, lemon juice and food coloring. Fold in whipped topping. Pour over prepared crust and spread evenly.
Cover and chill.


Fruit Tarts

Filling:
3 cups milk
1/2 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
5 egg yolks
3 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

In a sauce pan gradually scald milk; add flour, sugar and salt. Cook until thick; add egg yolks and cook an additional 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add butter and vanilla. Stir until melted. Cool.

Crust:
(Lion House Pie Dough)
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup margarine
1/3 cup vegetable shortening
1/3 cup lard
1 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoons non-fat dry milk
3 cups unsifted, all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cold water (may need 1 tablespoon more water)

In a mixer, cream together all fats. Add salt, sugar, baking powder and dry milk. Add half of the flour and mix well. Add water and the remaining flour. Roll out for pies or tarts. Makes crust for a two crust pie. (Dough can be frozen). For tarts, bake 450 for about 10 minutes until slightly brown.

After crust is cooled, fill crust with pudding mix and top with fresh fruits such as raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, kiwi, etc.


Fresh Fruit Dip

8 ounces cream cheese, softened
14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
12 ounce container Cool Whip

Mix together cream softened cream cheese, condensed milk and Cool Whip until smooth. Store in refrigerator until ready to serve. Serve with fresh fruit.

Chicken and Fruit Pasta Salad

Here is June's Recipe:

Chicken and Fruit Pasta Salad

2 medium packages of rotini or rotelle noodles (plain or multi-colored)
2-3 cups cooked cubed chicken breasts
(roasted chickens from the grocery store works great too)
2-3 cups washed seedless grapes
2-3 cups apples, cut in bite-sized pieces
2-3 cups sliced celery
2-3 stalks green onions, chopped (optional)
1 can chunked pineapple
1 can sliced water chestnuts
1 cup salted cashews (or to taste)
1-2 bottles coleslaw dressing

Cook noodles; rinse and drain well. Drain pineapple, reserving juice to keep apple pieces from browning. (Drain juice from apples before adding.) Add all of the ingredients together, except for nuts. Toss until mixed. Chill. Add nuts just before serving. Makes about 1 gallon of salad.

Whole Wheat Chocolate Blueberry Cake

May's enrichment recipe comes from Dorothy Olsen of Provo who won the Better Homes and Garden’s Annual Recipe Challenge. Check out the links below the recipe for details.

Whole Wheat Chocolate Blueberry Cake

Cake:
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup sugar
6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
¾ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
¾ cup water
½ cup fresh blueberries*
1 egg

Frosting:
1 cup light frozen whipped dessert topping, thawed
½ cup semisweet chocolate pieces
Fresh blueberries for garnish,

Blueberry Sauce:
½ cup light frozen whipped dessert topping, thawed
½ cup fresh blueberries

For Cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In medium bowl combine flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In blender combine water, blueberries, and the egg. Cover and blend until smooth. Add to flour mixture. Whisk until well combined. Pour into greased 8-by-8-by-2-inch baking pan.

Bake 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.** Cool completely on wire rack. Invert onto serving platter.

For Frosting: In small microwave-safe bowl combine dessert topping and chocolate pieces. Micro-cook, covered, on 50 percent power (medium) 1 minute. Stir until smooth. Let stand 5 minutes. Pour onto cooled cake, spreading evenly.

For Sauce: Mix topping and blueberries.
To serve: Cut cake into squares. Top with fresh blueberries and serve with Blueberry Sauce. Makes 9 servings.

*Using frozen blueberries increases the moisture and flavor of the cake. If you use this substitution add about 5 extra minutes to the baking time.
** If you choose to do cupcakes, bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Nutrition Facts: 230 calories, 6 grams total fat, 4 grams saturated fat, 24 mg cholesterol, 176 mg sodium, 45 mg carbohydrate, 31 grams sugar, 4 grams fiber, 4 grams protein; 3 percent of Vitamin C daily value; 8 percent iron daily value, and 4 percent calcium daily value.

Click the red text for her interview with Better Homes and Gardens.


If you are interested in the Daily Herald article it can be found here.