Honey-Whole Wheat Biscuits

2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour, traditional or white
1/2 cup unbleached bread flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup cold unsalted butter
1 egg
3/4 cup buttermilk, plus more for brushing
3 Tbs honey

Preheat oven to 400. Lightly grease baking sheet.

Whist together dry ingredients. With a fork, two knives, a pastry cutter or a food processor, cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Whisk together egg, buttermilk, and honey in a small bowl. Add, all at once, to the flour mixture, and blend lightly and quickly with a fork until mixture is evenly moistened.

Turn dough onto floured surface, and using a bench knife or dough scraper, fold the dough over on itself three or four times until it comes together.

Pat the dough out (or roll lightly) until it's 3/4 inch thick. Cut the dough into squares or rounds with a 2-inch biscuit cutter, and transfer biscuits to the prepared baking sheet. Stack the scraps on top of each other, fold them as you did the original dough, pat out and cut again.

Brush tops of biscuits with buttermilk, if desired.

Bake until tops are golden brown, 20-22 minutes. Remove from oven and serve warm, or cool on a rack.

~King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking

Pumpkin Bread

*Haven't tried this one yet, but I want to so I'm writing it down.

Pumpkin Bread
2 cups whole wheat flour, traditional or white
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup canned pumpkin
3/4 cup chopped nuts
3/4 cup raisins, dried cranberries, or chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.
Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and spices in bowl.
Cream together the butter and sugars in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, stopping to scrape the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl. Beat in the vanilla and pumpkin. Add the dry ingredients, mixing until evenly moistened. Stir in nuts and raisins.

Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 1 hour. Remove the bread from the oven and place it on a rack to cool for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, run a table knife around the edges of the pan to make sure the bread isn't sticking, turn it out of the pan, and place it on the rack to finish cooling completely before slicing.

~King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking

Ham & Cheese Rye Muffins

I love these! They sound a bit odd, but if you like a savory muffin, these are for you!

2 cups whole rye flour
3/4 cup unbleached bread flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 1/2 cups grated Swiss cheese, divided
1 large egg
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
4 oz diced ham or 1/2 lb bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled

Preheat oven to 375. Lightly grease a muffin tin or line with papers and coat the paper well with nonstick spray; the cheese tends to make them stick a bit. (I've found these work better w/o papers.) Whisk flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt,and onion powder in a large bowl. Add 1 1/4 cup Swiss cheese, tossing to coat.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, buttermilk and melted butter. Add, all at once, to the flour mixture, and stir until evenly moistened. Stir in ham.

Scoop the batter into the prepared pan, and sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of cheese over the tops. Bake the muffins until the cheese on top is toasted golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 25-27 minutes. Remove from oven and allow the muffins to cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then turn them onto a rack to finish cooling or serve warm.

~King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking

Homemade Whole Grain Pancake Mix

3 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
4 cups white whole wheat flour
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
3 Tbs sugar
3 Tbs baking powder
1 Tbs salt
1 Tbs baking soda
3/4 cup vegetable oil

To make the mix:
Grind the oats in a food processor until they're chopped fine but not a powder. Put the round oats, flours, and remaining dry ingredients into the bowl of a mixer with a paddle. Mix on slow speed, and drizzle the vegetable oil into the bowl slowly while the mixer is running. When all the oil has been added, stop the mixer and squeeze a clump of mix in your hand. If it holds together, it's just right. If it won't hold together, stir in 1 Tbs of oil at a time until the consistency is correct. Store in an airtight container indefinitely in the freezer.

To make the pancakes:
1 cup mix
1 cup buttermilk (or use 1/2 cup milk + 1/2 cup plain yogurt)
1 Tbs orange juice
1 egg

Whisk all together. Batter will be thin at first. Let sit about 15 minutes for whole grains to soak up liquid. Cook.

~King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking

And Stickin' to It

Here is my menu for the week, and I am hoping to actually follow it this time.

Thursday: Chicken Strips, Potato Wedges, baked Zuchinni Chips
Friday: Honey Lime Enchilladas (Pork)
Saturday: Easy
Sunday: Baked Chicken & Twice baked Potatoes
Monday: Ham & Cheddar Soup
Tuesday: Chicken and Bow-tie Pasta from The Sister's Cafe
Wednesday: Leftovers

Now I just need to write my shopping list!

Pork Chops

I had some left over sauerkraut and I wanted to finish it off on Tuesday. I decided to make Pork Chops! They were the delicious ones Mom made when we were little. They had sauerkraut and brown sugar and soy sauce. Remember? They were delicious and the chops were not very much money. It was worth it. I just remembered how much I love them.

Dinner Menu

Tuesday: Italian Chicken with Spinach, Broccoli & Alfredo Sauce
Wednesday: Crockpot Barley Stew & Rolls
Thursday: Steak & Potatoes
Friday: Hamburgers & Pasta Salad
Saturday: Spinach Lasagna & Bread
Sunday: Leftovers
Monday: Turkey Taco Salad