Cooking for Seven

Are you looking for a light, airy bread recipe? This one is not for you. Are you looking for a hearty, whole-grain bread filled with complex flavors? Keep reading.

I must admit that I had my doubts about this recipe. I threw all of the ingredients into the bread machine, set it to the dough cycle, and left it for hours. When I returned, it hadn’t risen very far and the dough smelled strongly of yeast. Being an optimist at heart, I scraped it out of the pan, formed it into a ball, and set the oven.

Continue Reading for the recipe » »

Allow me to share a few things with you:

This week I had the honor of writing a guest post over at the Tasty Kitchen blog. {link}

Joy the Baker commented on my blog. *squeals with delight*

I made Hannah’s (honey & jam) recipe for Roasted Broccoli the other night. Delicious beyond words.

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Last week, I received a message asking if I would like to sample some granola from Malachi’s Harvest. Of course I said yes - granola is one of my favorite breakfast treats!

My analysis:

Malachi’s harvest is a business run by a homeschooling family of six. They strive to provide nutrient-dense, flavorful, and healthy granola. Visit their Etsy shop to learn more.

Taste/Quality: I was very impressed with the flavors - complex and delicious. Also, it was loaded with quality nuts, fruits, and coconut chips. The texture was a bit soft for my taste, but the  flavors certainly made up for it. Check out the ingredient list in their shop. I think you’ll be impressed.

Okay, here’s the fun part.

The people from Malachi’s Harvest were generous enough to send me two samples - one to try and one to share…with you!

.

How can you enter this giveaway?

1) Leave a comment on this post telling me about your favorite breakfast treat.

2) For another chance to win, tweet about my giveaway. Come back and leave another comment with a link to your tweet.

3) For another chance to win, blog about my giveaway. Come back and leave another comment with a link to your post.

No comments will be considered after Wednesday, March 24 at 11:00 p.m. CST. On Thursday morning I will select a winner using random.org.

EDIT: The actual date of the end of this giveaway is March 24, not 23. Thanks, TJ, for notifying me!

Good Luck!

This giveaway is now closed. Thank you to all who entered!

I have always loved Jimmy Dean breakfast sausage. However, when I became more aware of the detrimental effects of MSG, I promptly shunned Jimmy Dean.

Then, I found this recipe to make your own breakfast sausage from scratch! Perhaps it is not a perfect substitute for store-bought breakfast sausage, but I much prefer to know exactly what goes into my sausage.

I have found it handy to double or triple the spice recipe and store the leftovers in a spice jar. Just add 1 tablespoon + 3/4 teaspoon to every pound of pork. Also, if you do not wish to use ground pork, you could substitute ground beef. Just remember that the taste and texture will not be the same!

Breakfast Sausage Spice Blend

Printable Page

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon rubbed sage
• 1/2 teaspoon rubbed summer savory
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 3/4 teaspoon marjoram
• 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

Directions:

Stir all ingredients together thoroughly. Store in an airtight container.

To make sausage: Mix the spice blend thoroughly with 1 lb of ground pork.

Makes about 1 tablespoon + 3/4 teaspoon, or enough for 1 lb of sausage.

I am  definitely a Minnesota girl. When the weather turns cold, I rejoice! And I get an itch to bake delicious, sweet things. Like these muffins. And this pie.

Our apples didn’t do so well this year. There were quite a few deformed apples, but I am thankful for what we did get! It is so nice to be able to munch on an apple whenever I wish.

These muffins have a lovely blend of flavors. Chunky apple pieces, nutty whole wheat flour, LOTS of cinnamon (1 whole tablespoon), and crunchy sugar granules on top.

“Do these have the same ingredients as apple crisp?” my brother asked.

They do resemble that delicious dessert.

Whole Wheat Apple Muffins

Printable Page

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

2 cups (8 ounces) whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 cup (1 stick, 4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup demerara sugar, sucanat, or rapadura, divided
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 cup (8 ounces) buttermilk or yogurt
2 large apples, peeled, cored, and coarsely chopped

1) Preheat the oven to 450°F. Grease and flour or line with paper muffin cups 14 muffin cups and set aside.

2) Mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon, and set aside. In a separate bowl, cream the butter and add 3/4 cup of the sweetener of choice. Beat until fluffy. Add the egg and mix well; stop once to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. Mix in the buttermilk gently. (If you over-mix, the buttermilk will cause the mixture to curdle.) Stir in the dry ingredients and fold in the apple chunks.

2) Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups, sprinkling the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar on top. Bake for 10 minutes, turn the heat down to 400°F, and bake for an additional 5 to 10 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool the muffins for 5 minutes in the tin, then turn them out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Serve warm with butter.

Yield: 12-14 muffins