RECIPE: Easiest Pizza Dough EVER (and baking tips)

 Mmmm... Pizza...

It was just a month ago that I was ranting about the Mama Cozzi's Pizza Dough that I was getting from Aldi's. One reason I like it is that it's cheap. But, still, the price was bouncing around from $1.50 some days to $1.95 other days. And the last time I got a bag delivered, it was really wet and soggy. Instacart did give me a refund but... That made me decide to stop being lazy and make my own. (It's about to be a new year and I'm working on scrimping even more than usual more to save money.)

Use this recipe if you want a tasty and crispy dough that's good enough to eat by itself!

This recipe is from someone I've always kind of rolled my eyes at. That's just because I get so tired of everyone becoming a brand... In this case, it's The Pioneer Woman. Anyway, this recipe made me unroll my eyes and get to work. This is the link to the official recipe (and do check out her other recipes!) but I did make some modifications that I want to share. Also, I culled a nice tip from someone who also used the recipe. I suggest reading the tips before using the recipe. Just saying...

Make & Freeze Pizza Dough

from The Pioneer Woman

INGREDIENTS: (I added some helpful links)

4 1/2 tsp. quick-rise yeast

2 c. warm water (115F) (about the "wrist temp" of a baby bottle)

2 tsp. sugar

5 c. bread flour (600g per King Arthur Baking)*

1/4 c. olive oil

1 tsp. salt 

(*I prefer measuring large quantities of baking ingredients in Metric because it's more accurate than depending on the Imperial system of cup size, etc. Also, the King Arthur chart shows variances between types of flour.)

DIRECTIONS (don't forget to check the tips below)

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine yeast, warm water, and sugar, and let sit for 10 minutes. The liquid should be foamy and bubbly, indicating that the yeast is alive. 
2. Add the bread flour, olive oil, and salt. Stir using the dough hook or a wooden spoon, until roughly combined (this means no loose flour pieces in the bottom of the bowl). Fit the bowl and the dough hook onto the stand mixer and knead on medium-low speed for 10 minutes, until smooth. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise for about 30 minutes, until the dough has doubled in size. 
3. Remove the dough to a lightly floured surface and divide it into four even pieces. Shape each piece of dough into a ball. (You can weigh it on a scale. I just flattened my dough into a rectangle then eye-balled cutting into even pieces.)
4. The dough is now ready to be rolled out and baked, or ready to be frozen. 
5. To freeze the pizza dough: place the pizza dough balls into resealable plastic bags. Make sure that if you put multiple balls of dough in one bag, you use parchment paper or wax paper to keep them separated. 
6. To thaw:  move the pizza dough from the freezer to the refrigerator the morning before you want to make dinner, then roll and bake as usual. I move mine to the fridge the night before. See tips for why that is.)
   
7. To bake: preheat the oven to 500˚. (Yes, she means 500F) Roll the thawed (or freshly made) dough and bake each pizza for about 10 to 15 minutes. (For my smaller-diameter pizza, it was finished at 12 minutes on apprx. 450F.)

Tips & Modifications:

• BEFORE YOU DO ANYTHING: If you are going to be freezing part of this, make sure that you have either resealable plastic bags (quart or gallon size) that seal tightly or a bag-sealing machine. You want to make sure to tightly seal these for freezing.
• Because I don't have an oven light or proofing box, before I start Step 2, I turn on my oven (about 150-200F) to warm up. I set a timer to stop after about 5 minutes and I check with a thermometer that the oven is at a safe temp for the yeast in the dough. I learned from Knead Rise Bake that the ideal temp for this is 75-80F. The page also has tips for other ways to proof bread in the oven. Also, know that I have used a heating pad on Low underneath a pan to help the bread dough rise! It did work.
• Also at Step 2, I was careful not to add all the flour at once. I held back about a cup and added it a little at a time. I find that it's easier to add flour to a dough than to add liquid. I ended up using all the flour & then having to use a bit more during the shaping process. Next time I know that I might need to add a few tablespoons more to the initial mix. 
• When covering the dough to proof in the oven, make sure to a) lightly spray the plastic wrap with a bit of oil. I did not and my dough stuck to the wrap because it rose so well, and b) use a large enough bowl. My bowl was too small in the first place.
• To make sure my dough is "roughly combined", I will use a spoon or spatula & check underneath to make sure to get all the raggedy bits of flour tucked into the dough. (My mixer doesn't always pick up and combine these loose bits on the bottom.)
• At Step 3, when I removed my dough from the bowl, it was stickier than I liked. I just added a little more flour to the board until it was less sticky & hard to work with.
• Also - when getting ready to divide your dough: the recipe suggests 4 pieces and that worked for me to make a pizza that was roughly 9.5 inches in diameter with a medium-thick crust. If you are feeding a family, you might want to divide the dough into 2 pieces. I guess it depends on how thick or thin of a pizza you want. 
• For thawing, some users on the recipe page said the thawed dough wasn't rising well. Another user with the handle  tah3169 had this useful tip: "... when you take out the dough from freezer put in refrigerator overnight to defrost. Once defrosted put in a greased bowl and cover with wrap at least 2 hours before cooking." I have not thawed any of my dough but I will try this.
• My dough did rise very well but I have just learned to eyeball when my dough is or isn't ready. I highly recommend the Chain Baker site and the YouTube channel for learning from someone who explains things well. I go directly to the Learning page on his site at least twice a week! (I try to donate a couple of dollars via YouTube because he's helped me so much.)
• The 500 degrees seemed high to me but it is correct. The high temp is what makes the crust crispy. My oven tends to run high though so I went with 450. I also always oil the edges of my crust with olive oil. With this dough, I lightly oiled the baking pan with some of my garlic-infused olive oil. The crust was the best I've ever had on any pizza. I could have just eaten the crust with some dipping sauce!
• By the way, I wondered why great cooks and bakers like mom and other kitchen pros always use wooden spoons. I learned that this is because wood is very sturdy and doesn't react badly with yeast and other ingredients. I actually think my mom just preferred wood spoons. If anyone else knows more about this, let me know.

This is what happens when you don't oil the plastic wrap for proofing. (The last thing I made was brioche so I forgot that other doughs rise so much!). The lesson: Use a larger bowl than I did to allow for the rise and oil the plastic wrap! I would also go ahead and lightly oil the bowl...

Bowl is too small and the wrap is too tight

These are my remaining 3 pieces of dough. I didn't weigh them but will do that next time and maybe remember to update this post with more pics.

You can tell I eye-balled the divisions

Now, remember, everyone's ovens and mixers, etc are not equal. My poor little almost-dead stand mixer did get through this dough (because I only had to use low speed!) but I think I could have done it by hand. That would be some serious work though. 

I'd suggest following the directions the first time you make this dough, then use your instincts next time. You know your kitchen and equipment better than anyone so you may want to modify the baking temp or add more or less flour to the dough, etc. 

More Helps & Guides:

By the way, as I mentioned, I have learned that it's easier (and more accurate) to measure using the metric system for large quantities. I have at least 3 sets of measuring cups. I have tested and found that each "cup" is a little off from the others. There are no big differences but for baking, it's better to be more exact. Here are some sites for looking up or converting  Imperial (U.S.) vs Metric:

• The National Institute of Standards & Technology (NIST) seems to be the best starting place though the conversions are approximate. (BTW, the site also has this page for anyone wanting to learn how to actually do conversions. Uh, this is math and math gives me a headache but for those who dig that sort of thing, go knock yourselves out. I'll have Tylenol waiting when you finish!) Here is the chart for cooking:

• Spruce Eats always has a helpful chart or two.
• Baker Bettie (I just like the "Baker Bettie" handle!)
• The android app US-Metric/Imperial Converter by MobiSys has an incredible 4.9-star rating. I've not yet downloaded it but added it because it's for more than cooking. (As with any phone app, if you use it, make sure to run it through your virus scanner!) And, no, I'm not sponsored by them nor am I promoting the app.
• Better Homes & Gardens has a pretty complete chart

I have a perfectly good & highly accurate scale that I think I paid about $11 for a couple of years ago but I'm almost hoping it breaks down so that I can get this one! 

It's cheaper at Walmart than on Amazon.
Just saying...

LOL

Last tip: If you want to test your food scale for accuracy, try weighing something you bought that has the weight on it. I check my scale often by weighing packaged meat. 

UPDATE: I picked up some tips I want to add:

• To make the dough easier to stretch (when preparing to use), set it out & let it come to room temp. This was a game-changer for me since I did have trouble stretching the dough.
• Add a little flavored olive oil to the crust. I have oiled my crust but forgot to always use my garlic olive oil. 
• After you spread the sauce and before you add toppings, sprinkle with oregano, garlic powder, parmesan, etc. I can't recall if I mentioned this or that I sometimes add real bacon bits.
• Jazz up boring (or cheap) sauce by adding small pieces of diced fresh tomatoes or finely chopped garlic. 
• If you want the pizza a little more done but are nervous about burning it (I have this dilemma with cast iron pans), turn off the oven and let the pie stay inside for a few more minutes. I know that my cast iron holds heat and will continue to cook the dish for several minutes. Don't forget to check every few minutes though.

Peace

--Free

P.S.: I can talk all the smack I want about The Pioneer Woman brand but, honey, they (the brand) have the cutest heart-shaped ceramic pie pans!!! I was gifted a set of small pan and a large one. So I love some of the stuff but I still hate all the branding and everyone going corporate. 

**RECIPE** Beef Jerky (no dehydrator)

First, let me whine just a little. October was a horrible month. My health took a little dip, I had the blues and then things got so much worse. I'm so happy to see November that I could cry. Anyway. Let me hard segue out of that...

I've been tightening up my budget as much as I can. That means cutting out frivolous food buys (aka snacks). I'm not really bad when it comes to snacking but I do love my queso dip, beef jerky, and 'potato chips. Queso dip is priced like it saves lives and beef jerky is even worse. I've found a suitable and (mostly) affordable replacement for the chips. These have replaced the Good Thins I was in love with.

The other week, I found some recipes for making my own queso dip. I prefer the yellow (salsa con queso) kind while my sister-in-law likes the white (Blanco) dip. The freak. (Okay, let me stop playing and admit that I have never tasted anything but the yellow dip!) This video shows a simple recipe for con queso. That recipe will probably be the only time I use Velveeta and the one reason to keep my old crockpot around.

Anyway.

Last week, I was craving beef jerky. The cheapest prices I could find it for was around ten dollars for a half-pound bag online or twelve dollars for 2 nine-ounce bags (on special sale) at a local store. That's a big ol' nope for me. I can go through a half-pound of jerky in a couple of days. That's a more expensive habit than cigarettes. Also, store-bought jerky tends to be way too sodium-rich for me. I'm not trying to spike my blood pressure or retain gallons of water weight. My only solution was to make my own batch of jerky. One of my nieces in Alaska used to make it for me in her dehydrator and, boy, was it ever yummy. I just had to figure out a way to make some here at home. 

I went to the local butcher and got around 3 pounds of bottom round beef. The butcher is always awesome and he sliced the meat for me into 1/4-inch pieces. Price: just over $15.

Because I don't have a dehydrator, I wanted to find other ways to prep my jerky. So... hello, Google!

I learned that I could use my air fryer or I could use the oven. I opted for the oven because I'm not as comfortable with the air fryer. (Does anyone else have buyer's remorse about their air fryer???)

I have heard that jerky done in the oven or air fryer is not as good as that done with a dehydrator. I disagree. My oven-prepped jerky came out pretty awesome. Here is a recipe from online and the following is how I made my jerky.

Tools you need:

• A bowl/container large enough to hold your meat with marinade covering it. (This page has great info about marinading in general. Pay close attention to the part about what types of bowls to use.
• A lid or some plastic wrap to seal the marinading meat in the fridge. The above link suggests using zip bags. I used a food sealer bag.
• Something to hold the meat aloft for air circulation. I used some teepeed tin foil but you can use an oven-safe cooling rack, wooden or metal skewers. The main thing is that there is air under and above the slices of meat. This is the foil version I used since I didn't have anything else. 

  

  except mine didn't look this neat!

• Something to go underneath the meat to catch drippings in the oven. (My foil was on top a baking pan.)

The Meat Prep

• Marinade your beef for at least 12-14 hours in the refrigerator. Some people do a 24-hour marinade.
• Drain the meat and pat it dry.
• Drape the meat over whatever rack/foil you are going to use in the oven. It's important that there is room for air to flow over and under the meat.
• Set oven temp as low as possible. My electric oven is marked lowest at 200 degrees but actually will turn on just under that - about 180 degrees. I don't like gas ovens but if you have one, you probably know to be very careful...
• Let the meat "cook" (or, rather, dehydrate), checking it in 1-hour intervals, depending on the oven temp. With the oven at 180, I checked the meat twice in the first 2 hours, then every 30 minutes after that. My jerky was ready to turn over at the 3-hour mark. I made sure it was fully cooked on the one side, flipped it, then continued for another 2.5 hours until it was done - and I like my jerky softer. The longer you "cook" the dryer the meat becomes. 

Keep in mind that for your marinade, you can add whatever flavor you want. I added teriyaki sauce to one batch and some garlic powder to another.

About "curing" jerky: If you decide to marinate your meat in a "cure", it might last longer because curing combats bacteria. I read somewhere that by using certain ingredients in my marinade, I was already sort of curing the meat. ~shrug~.

Listen, I used enough soy and other seasonings that I don't think bacteria would form... But, seriously, there are products sold to cure the meat so I bought some, but I did not like using it. I have read that as long as your work area is clean and the meat is properly handled, you don't have to use a cure. I heat-seal my uneaten jerky in plastic and keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. I only make a pound at a time so that I can freeze the unused meat to keep as long as possible. 

Here is a link to info about food safety. Other than handling the meat carefully, it's super important to do a lot of handwashing to cut down on contamination. I hope you do this any time you cook, you freaks. I kid, I kid - not about the handwashing though.

This is some of the jerky that I am actually eating as I type up this post. It's so much better-tasting than store-bought, I think because it's not as salty, dried out, and hardened.

UPDATE:

Now that it's been about a week since I started writing this post, I'm going to add a couple of tips that I've learned after having made 3 batches of jerky:

• For more flavor, after I marinade the meat, I add a few more dashes of sauce (teriyaki and barbeque is what I'm using recently) before I put the meat on the rack. Yes, the meat will be wetter and take a little longer, but it will retain so much more flavor.
• Using wooden skewers to lay across a baking pan is easier than using the teepee-ed tin foil method. Just make sure that the skewers are long enough not to fall into the baking pan. For my widest pan, I secured the skewers with some foil wrapped over them and around the lip of the baking pan. You can wash and dry the skewers to reuse at least once again but they are really cheap at the Dollar Store.

Just turned over to brown the other side
after about 2 hours

• Don't rush the cooking part. My first batch came out well but slightly chewy. I liked that until I accidentally left another batch in for am hour longer and it turned out even better. The meat might look dried and tempt you to take it out of the oven but make sure you taste a piece first. Looking dry and being dehydrated is not the same.
• Always make small batches. My first purchase of 3 pounds of beef is only half gone after I've made four batches. I wanted to try different flavorings to see what most like. My favorite is a mix of barbeque sauce and a separate teriyaki sauce (the thick kind). My least favorite was the plain batch seasoned with just Worcestershire, soy sauce, and pepper. 
• If you have a few pieces of meat that cut thicker than you like, beat them flatter with a tenderizer tool (for me that is aka a clean and heavy can of soup!). This is also a nice way to get a more store-bought type of jerky. 

One small batch all
done & ready to store

By the way, not only does making small batches stretch out your supply of meat, but it's probably safer. Even I can only eat so much jerky and I'd rather not store a large amount and risk any going bad. 

One of the things I want to look into is using my cast iron dutch oven to heat the jerky. Cast iron holds heat really well and I think that if I put a small rack into the bottom of the dutch oven where air can still circulate around the meat, I might get a faster and more even result. I will let you know.

Ready to be sealed
to store

I am also looking at some of the cheaper dehydrators on Amazon in case I can afford to give myself a nice Christmas gift this year! Here is a search page that comes up for some in the $25 to $50 range of ratings 4-star and above. For the winter, I don't mind running the oven long enough to make the jerky. It helps heat the house and my winter energy bill is lower than during months I run the A/C but, come summer, I try to use the oven as little as possible.

That's it for the homemade jerky. Next recipe/food post will be about Flaxseed. I'm trying to get as much good and healthy stuff into this body as possible!

Peace
--Free

This song drifts into my mind sometimes.

Rest in peace, Tim

**RECIPE** 3 ingredients bread without flour or cornstarch

Okay, this looks like an amazing recipe but I have not made it myself yet. Its a bread made without flour or cornstarch that - from what the video shows - turns out more like actual bread than I can believe. This is not your friend's Cloud Bread... For one thing, it's not exactly low-carb from what my diet app displays, but is is gluten-free.

I found this on a YouTube channel called Recipes That Work. Well, they work for some of us more than others... I'm half-joking.

The video has over a million views probably because people had to watch over and over to get the recipe down... Or maybe I am just cynical.

The real problem I had with the video is that the recipe was not simply listed in the description. I had to watch and pause to get what part I did. Oh, and the video is in Spanish. Have you seen how badly I can butcher English??? The recipe is online here but I had trouble with translations. Anyway, here is the video and underneath I've done the best that I could do at noting the ingredients. Also, I suck at math. I think I got everything converted well enough...

slow the vid down at Settings to about 0.5

In order to get the correct recipe (because slowing down/pausing the video gave me rage urges), I had to do a copy of the print version from the page link.

My best guess at the milk amount from watching the video was... about 1 to 1 1/4 cup but... be sure to watch for the right texture. By the way, I will be using my whole-fat Hoosier Farms dry milk powder or the dry milk powder from Walmart. I have put in a question to the publisher of the video

Instructions (of course, watch the video but this is what I will be doing)

• Wisk together the eggs and baking powder 
• Add the milk powder a little at a time & wisk very well 
• Batter should look very smooth - I thought it looked like a thin smooth yellow frosting
• Using a piping bag (I will be using a baggie with a cut tip) to spread onto a parchment-lined baking sheet
• Bake at 375 for apprx 10 minutes (until the ends are a golden brown)

Apparently, you can experiment with the shape of the bread by piping long lines, fat lines, or even fat circles.

I have tried to check with the video owner to verify about the milk and ingredients. Not sure why they didn't just list them for people to print. They did tell me in the comment section to never add more liquid.

Again, check the webpage to change the servings and ingredients' amounts. 

The bread looks amazing and I can't wait to try it, but I have to check my powder milk supply. But for now... good night.

Peace

--Free

**RECIPE** Hokkaido Milk Bread (updated with photos)

**I thought I should update and add some photos of actual finished product. Since I have not made the bread yet, I am going to post photos of (and links to) those done by other folks. Please see the very bottom of this post for those photos.**

I am determined to make this bread but all the different recipes and instructions I've found so far and mega confusing. I love watching this video ...

...and am grateful for helpful comments with conversions, but... My brain still hurts from trying to sort it all out.

If anyone has a simpler set of instructions for dim-witted me, please let me know!

As someone commented on YouTube, that is some of the sexiest bread ever.

Here are some more pinups of this yumzy looking bread:

Check it out on Bake for Happy Kids

Source Taste of Asian Food (site not secure)

From Yi Reservation (site not secure)

Peace
--Fre

**RECIPE** Amish Sweet Bread (SOOO easy!)

I recently stunned myself by baking a wonderful loaf of bread. I can cook and I can do a cheesecake when the moon is right, but I'm not generally a baker. I've never been patient enough. However... I found a recipe for an Amish sweet bread that is so easy even I can't mess it up. It helps that the people at Big Family Homestead. This link is to the YouTube channel where I found the recipe but they also have a website with a bunch of other recipes and stuff.

This is the video but, for those of you like me who want the thing written out, here is my transcription:

INGREDIENTS (for 4 loaves)

• 4 cups water (almost too hot to touch)
• 1 1/3 cup sugar
• 3 Tbls active dry yeast
• 3 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup oil (I used canola)
• 10 to 12 cups flour (I used all purpose)
• and a bit of oil, butter or lard to grease pans

EQUIPMENT

• 4 loaf pans (mine were about 5 x 9 - or 1.5qt)
• A large bowl for mixing the dough and letting it rise (or "proof")
• damp towels or some plastic wrap to cover the dough
• a surface to be floured for kneading the dough
• a knife or dough cutter for sectioning dough (and for scraping/cleaning kneading surface)
• Cooling racks (I used one of the racks out of my oven)

NOTES:

• It's currently cold & dry where I live so I warmed the kitchen and raised the humidity by keeping a couple of pots of water simmering on the stove.
• Do be patient. My dough needed a little bit more time to rise than the recipe calls for.
• If you do substitute self-rise flour for the all-purpose (I did in one loaf), cut out or cut back on the salt. I cut the salt out and everything was fine, but I might have lucked out.

STEPS:

1. Flour the surface where you will be kneading your dough on later.
2. In the large mixing bowl, dissolve the sugar into the warm/hot water.
3. Add the yeast to the water mix and stir just very enough to wet the yeast. Wait until the yeast begins to foam a bit. This took longer than I expected.
4. Add the oil to the mixture and stir lightly.
5. Add about half of the flour. (NOTE: This is where I blended the salt into this half of the flour to incorporate it well. That way, if I don't need all the flour, I won't have forgotten to blend in the salt.)
6. The first half of the flour (and the salt) will make a soup-like mix. Start adding more flour and stirring, a little at a time until you have a sticky thick dough that you can turn out onto your floured surface.
7. Add some flour to the top of the dough so that you can begin kneading it. You will keep adding flour until you have a dough that is no longer sticky. It took me about 7 minutes(not just the 5 to 6)to get my dough right.
8. Pat or tuck the dough into a ball and put it back in the bowl to rise (or proof) for about an hour - or until the dough has doubled in size. This is where you want to cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a warm damp towel. (The damp towel worked best because of the drier air in the apartment.)
9. While waiting for the dough to rise, clean the kneading surface and re-flour it for later.
10. Take the risen dough and turn it out onto the freshly floured surface and knead it into a smooth ball. Flatten the ball of dough out so that you can divide it into 4 equal parts.
11. Make the loaf shapes by rolling each section of dough into a thick log. Tuck the sides under the bottoms so that it sits nicely into the loaf pan.
12. Cover the loaf pans with your towel or plastic and let the loaves rest for about 45 minutes. (Remeber to pre-heat your oven at about the 35-minute mark.)
13. While waiting for the dough to rest, it's a good time to clean up all the flour where you kneaded.
14. After the 45 minutes, put the loaf pans in the heated oven and bake for about 30 minutes.
15. While bread is baking, set out your cooling racks.
16. As soon as you take the bread out of the oven, turn them out of the pans and onto the cooling rack. (This keeps the hot bread from getting soggy in the pans.)
17. You're supposed to wait for the bread to cool to be easier to cut, but... I sliced mine after about 15 minutes and it was fine!

That's it. It's super easy and most of the time is taken up waiting for the dough to rise and then bake. I hope these directions aren't tedious but I need step-by-step instructions so this is how I transcribed the recipe. I think I had to pause and rewind a thousand times before I got it all down. 

I actually pulled this video up on my tablet in the kitchen while I was making my bread! Here you go:

BENEFITS OF BAKING

It's a mood-lifter
Like I said, I am pleased with myself that the bread came out so delicious. The other thing I discovered is that baking is a great reliever of anxiety and depression. I was having a severe bout of anxiety and couldn't sleep for over 20 hours. The baking gave me something to do that I could do without getting frustrated by the tasks. Later,  the smells of the bread in the oven soothed me a lot. Once I finished those first loaves, I was able to settle down and get some sleep. It was all very therapeutic.

It tasted healthier
I don't want to forget to mention another important benefit to making my own bread and that is the calorie factor. I'm not going to say that eating 5 slices of this bread was the best breakfast I could have had but it sure was better than eating bread loaded down with preservatives. At least I know exactly what went into my own bread and I did not feel bloated and stuffed (even after 5 slices with butter) after eating it.

The more expensive breads are touted to be healthier but they still have lots of ingredients I may not want. My own bread was made with only SIX ingredients - including the water. Here is an article from Naturally Savvy that discusses some typical store-bought bread ingredients.

It was cheap to make
I can get a loaf of bread here in my town for $0.99 - $5.00. The cheaper bread is not always the freshest or tastiest. When I got ready to make my bread, I didn't need to purchase anything in addition to the staples I always have on hand. Now, I don't normally have yeast on hand, but I did this time and it's not something I find too expensive to make a staple item. Not only can I get huge bags of flour and sugar on the cheap, but oil and yeast are not too pricey. Basically, this bread cost me very, very little to make.

I hope some of you get to try this recipe. I love the Big Family Homestead YouTube channel and just saw their recipe for cinnamon rolls... Transcribing takes me a lot of time, but I will work on that recipe when I can.

Here is how my bread turned out the very first time!

Peace
--Free

**RECIPES** Brown Sugar Bread & Lemon Tea Loaf

I've been vaping to quit cigarettes and haven't had an actual light-em-up smoke for over 2 months now. Of course, I put down the cigs and started picking up anything halfway edible. That had to stop. Alas, I love food, whether I smoke or not, so I had to start sticking to good, wholesome meals and find a couple of sweets that aren't overloaded with calories. Here are my two favorite bread recipes that fulfill my sweet tooth. They are really easy and quick to make and they are sooo good.

This first recipe is one that I found on a lifestyle blog by this lady. I want her to be my friend. Do check out the site because, well, yum!

 I modified the original to include chopped walnuts and that's my favorite way to have it. This is her recipe and nutrition info.

Brown Sugar Bread (from Julie Blanner)

INGREDIENTS

• 2 c brown sugar
• 4 c flour
• 2 Tbsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 eggs
• 2 c milk
• 2/3 c vegetable oil

(I cut this recipe in half and add a tablespoon of organic chocolate powder and about 1/4 cup chopped walnuts)

DIRECTIONS

• Grease 6 mini loaf pans and preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Combine brown sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt.
• Beat eggs, milk, and oil.
• Gradually add dry mixture to wet until just moist.
• Pour batter into pans an inch below to compensate for rising. Optional: sprinkle sugar on top.
• Bake 40 minutes.

Julie notes that you can also make this in 2 - 1 pound loaf pans or cut the recipe in half for just 1 loaf pan and bake 50 minutes. That's what I do unless I am sharing with my brother's family.

This is not an overly sweet bread and when I add the nuts, I find it to be very filling and satisfying. I like it so much that there are days when I eat nothing else but this bread. The last time I made some, I did a large loaf for my brother's house and 2 small loaves - one for me and one for my neighbor who is always bringing me juice and fruits.

Speaking of my brother (the youngest, I mean), his favorite treat is the Lemon Tea Loaf that I make. The recipe came from a set of recipes my brother's MIL gave to me over a year ago as a sort of housewarming gift. To keep it safe while I was setting up the rest of the apartment, I put it in the storage cubby. And forgot about it. Unfortunately, I can't refer you to the easytobake.com site because it's now dead. The link I will give is to a similar online recipe that I have tried, but recipe below is from the Easy To Bake card.

Lemon Tea Loaf

INGREDIENTS

• 1 c sugar (for the cake)
• 1/2 c (1 stick) butter, softened
• 2 large eggs
• 1 Tbsp grated lemon rind
• 1 1/2 c all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 c milk
• 3 Tbsp lemon juice

DIRECTIONS

• Preheat oven to 350
• Oil & flour (lightly) 3 5 3/4-inch x 3-inch pans 
• Combine sugar and butter in large bowl and beat with mixer until light and fluffy (about 2 minutes on medium speed). Stir in eggs and lemon rind and beat 1 minute. 
• Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Stir this flour mixture and the milk into the sugar/butter mixture.
• Pour batter into pans and bake until a toothpick comes out clean (35-40 minutes).
• Set pans aside to cool slightly. Pierce tops of loaves several times with skewer (or piece of spaghetti!)
• Combine the powdered sugar and lemon juice and drizzle slowly over the loaves (and holes) until all the liquid has been absorbed. Let cool another 10 minutes or so and remove from pans to cool completely.

I modified this recipe slightly by adding some lemon flavoring to the batter and then using much more glaze than indicated. My brother likes the tanginess of the lemon so, yeah.

I also made this once and then put a twist on the serving method. I sliced the loaves very thinly then made sandwiches with a filling of cream cheese that I whipped with some lemon and sugar. My neighbor and I ate them before I took photos so... Guess I will have to make more and do an update!

This is what a loaf looks like. Next time I make some, I want to try freezing them for later. We will see how that turns out.

Peace
--Free

**RECIPE** Chicken Pot Pie (for Dummies like Me)

Okay, folks, this is a recipe that I modified (slightly) from the one found here. I have never, ever made a chicken pot pie - not unless you're counting the ones I get on sale in the Frozen aisle at Walmart, bring home and toss in the microwave...

I really wanted to make a homemade chicken pot pie and I was, for some reason, terrified. When I cook, I usually stick to what I know. I didn't know pot pie.

Now the recipe that I linked to is super easy, but I did make a couple of modifications. Also, I wanted to make suggestions that I think first-timers could use.

INGREDIENTS (Pay attention to the variations!)

• I used a GLASS 8" square pan but you can use a 9" round also
• 1 bowls for the pot pie mixture & another if you're going to use a biscuit mix for the topping 

• 1 can of condensed cream of chicken soup
• 1/2 cup of milk to be used with soup (I used whole fat milk)
• 1/2 cup milk to be used in biscuit mix. (I used 1 box of Jiffy Buttermilk Biscuit mix)
• 1 package thawed frozen mixed veggies (I used an 8 oz pack and added 4 oz thawed spinach)
• 1 cup  chicken or turkey (I chopped up the meat of some leftover chicken breasts I'd cooked the night before)
• 1 egg (this is ONLY if you are going to use a biscuit mix for the topping & not a pie crust)
• 1 cup biscuit baking mix OR 2 pie crusts

NOTE: For those who want, here is recipe for biscuit mix that lets you adjust recipe to different serving sizes.

STEPS: (Read through these BEFORE you start!)

If you are using pie crusts for the bottom, make sure to brown them for a few minutes before adding the filling!

• Heat oven to 400 degrees
• In a medium/large bowl, mix 1/2 cup of milk with the condensed soup and add the veggies and meat. (I also added some turmeric, salt, and pepper to taste).
• If using a biscuit mix, IN A SEPARATE BOWL, add to the dry mix the egg and 1/2 cup of milk. 
• Pour the meat/veggie mix into the pie pan.
• Cover the meat/veggie mix with the biscuit batter or the pie crust.
• If using a biscuit batter topping, make sure to cover the edges and middle of pie. I added a bit more liquid to my batter because it was too thick to spread.
• If using a pie crust topping, dab the top with some melted butter for better browning. Don't forget to knife or fork in a few holes into the pie crust.
• Bake for about 20 minutes or until browned. (Mine took only 17 minutes)

Super easy, right? The one thing that annoyed me when I first read the original recipe is the part about using the biscuit mix and the soup. Your instinct might be to go by the instructions on the labels of those items. DON'T. Just pretend the instructions don't even exist. (And, yes, I was cheap and used store branded soup!)

Keep in mind that this will make enough for at least 4 people. I had so much left over that I ended up sending it home with my brother and his family. Next time, I will try reducing the entire recipe so that I can make a smaller pie. Maybe I can pre-make the filling and make mini-pies throughout the week. 

I love that this recipe was so cheap, easy and quick. Also, clean-up was simple, and the pie...

Oh my goodness! It turned out so tasty. Of course, I couldn't eat it all. I put some away for later and called my brother to come get the rest for his wife and kids. This was about a 9 inch pie and it was perfect for their dinner. After a few bites, I was stuffed. I need to find a way to do smaller servings but I'm not sure how well they will keep for more than a few hours.

Next time, I'm going to do leftover boneless pork. I will probably try adding kale instead of spinach. One thing I noticed is that most of the spinach rose to the tip of the pie!

Some other cooks on the site where I got this recipe said that they added things like shallots and potatoes. For me, I think potatoes would be great if feeding a family, but a bit too much for a single.

One last thing: the next pie I make, I won't be adding a crust to the bottom. Even though it turned out well, it wasn't necessary, in my opinion.

Hope your pie turns out great. Happy noshing!

Peace
--Free

**RECIPE** Soothing Hot Cocoa

Anyone who reads my blog regularly know that I have a condition that requires me to take certain medicines. One of those medications is a weekly injection that happens to make me dog-sick for about 30 hours. (Yeah, I have actually counted and done an average!)

 A couple of weeks ago, after I got especially med-sick, I decided to put some of my talk about natural products into action. To get my energy up and keep the nausea at bay, I made a cocoa just full of healthy stuff.

Here are the ingredients - along with why I chose them. I have to tell you that I am in love with this cocoa. I have been drinking it the last couple of days just because. I will drink it during the day (instead of coffee), or at nighttime if I feel cold.

I make about a 9 ounce cup of whole fat milk for the beverage  but I will let you come up with your own measurements. It all depends on how bitter or sweet you want your finished product. I like mine on the bitter side so I use about 1.5 Tablespoons of cocoa powder. Every other ingredient amount depends on what mood I am in. Also, I only make my beverage on the stove top. I use a small pan and a whisk on low-to-medium heat. It takes a while and I guess you could heat your milk in the microwave then add the other ingredients, but I like the old-fashioned way.

First, measure out your milk into whatever cup you will drink from. This way you won't make too little or too much. If you don't have a whisk, use a large fork so you don't get clumps of cocoa and cinnamon. Add the dry ingredients to the milk in your pan a little at a time - especially if you are working without a whisk. Whether you use a fork or a whisk, you want to keep stirring while the mixture is on the heat so you don't get that "skin" film right away.

Organic Cocoa Powder 

Cocoa powder has lots of health benefits, but the one I am interested in is that it fights fatigue. Here is just one article discussing the pros. Also, I wanted to include something from WebMD that discusses more benefits and even warnings.

Ceylon Cinnamon

The taste of this is not as "sharp" as regular cinnamon. It's a lot softer so you can use more than you might think.  This explains Ceylon cinnamon basics.

The cinnamon is mostly for the benefits to my mental health. There are other pros to cinnamon, but you have to be watchful. The thing is that there is "good" cinnamon vs the kind with an ingredient that can be damaging. Once I learned that over-indulging in certain types of cinnamon can damage the liver, I started using only Ceylon cinnamon. This is the brand I like and happen to be using.

Blackstrap Molasses

I use this as the sweetener in the cocoa beverage. Sometimes, I use more molasses (just over a half tablespoon)  and don't add any other sugars; sometimes, I add less (around a teaspoon) and include some raw granulated sugar. Depends on my mood.

'Strap is high in iron and calcium. I use the unsulphured molasses and there is a difference between this and the sulphured variety. You will see why I prefer unsulphured. There are tons of benefits, in my opinion, and good nutritional value. One I focus on is that it's a "bone booster".

As much as I raved about this, I stopped using it on a regular basis some months ago. I was getting ready to move and could have used the energy boost but needed more ways to incorporate the molasses into my daily intake. This cocoa is a great way. Also, now that I have a full kitchen to use again, I cook more and like to  sweeten hot cereals and other dishes with the molasses.

(A little mention that, even for people who don't like the taste of molasses straight from the bottle, it's got a really good taste when added to milk and stirred well. That's how I take it when I just want to get a quick dose.)

Organic vanilla extract

I only add a drop or two of this. I don't add it when heating the cocoa, but just drop it in when I'm about to drink up.

Everyone I know loves the flavor of vanilla in some form. Not many people use the actual and real extract or even understand the benefits.

Vanilla extract has anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties. Those are the two important ones I care about. There are other good reasons to add the extract to this cocoa.

NOTE: Try to rinse out your pan immediately. Milk and cocoa are tough to clean later. I also just add some water to the dirty pan and put it on the still warm stove top until I'm ready to wash it out.

 Peace
--Free

**RECIPE** Lemon Cream Cheese Fat Bombs

I made some of these the other night from a couple of recipes that I modified so I can tell you that they taste wonderful. I had to modify the recipe because one of the recipes I saw sounded complicated (mentioning to heat, simmer, etc....) and the other didn't have lemon juice (which is something I wanted).

The reason I wanted these fat bombs instead of the chocolate ones I did before is because I'd heard that you could flavor cream cheese fat bombs to taste like little bites of cheesecake (and even red velvet cupcakes). Yum.

OK, here's a pic of one I dug out of the tin with a fork...

... I mean, since I'm sitting here stuffing my face with one!

It's important to really, really like whatever fat bombs you are going to eat if you have trouble (like I do) with getting enough calories and fat. Like I've mentioned before, there are days when I just really am not hungry at all.(NOTE: To get around 120 grams of fat with these bombs, I need to eat about 17 of them, That's going to add up to about 1080 calories and 17 carbs. Both within my daily range. Great for if I'm in one of those no-meal moods. Not something for every day, of course, but it's a get-by for every now and then.)

This is what I eventually came up with, using what I had on hand. I can just about promise that you cannot screw these up. I didn't! Just taste-test your batter before freezing the bombs. That way, you can add more lemon or cream cheese, or whatever.

Lemon Cream Cheese Fat Bombs

Blend all the following:

• 8 oz cream cheese (softened enough for your blender)
• 2.5 oz unsalted butter (softened) 
• 1.5 Tbs coconut oil
• 3 Tbl lemon juice (room temp)
• 1 Tbl Swerve sweetener (or your preferred sweetener to taste)
• about a teaspoon of Vanilla Extract (I didn't measure!)

Prep/Freeze:

Lightly grease a sheet of tin foil with a little bit of oil or butter & place the foil on a cookie sheet (or something that will fit in your freezer later.)

(recipe nutrition info is for 24 servings)

Once the mixture is completely smooth, drop balls of mixture onto the foil and put into the freezer for at least 20 minutes. When the balls are fully firm (frozen), you can store them in a plastic baggie in the freezer.

Nutrition Info per serving (24 servings):

• Calories = 63
• Carbs =1gram
• Fat = 7grams
• Protein = 1gram
• Fiber = 0
• Sugar = 0

By the way, I used MyFitnessPal to calculate these numbers.

I was going to show you a photo but my first batch was done in un-oiled metal muffin tins. Rookie mistake. The drops stuck so badly that I have just been digging them out and eating them one by one. The only reason I screwed this up is because my chocolate fat bombs were fine in the metal tins. The cream cheese in this recipe threw me off!

Here are photos of the second batch (done right):

Now, what I did was to spoon these onto the foil, let them freeze, then I spooned a bit more on top of the frozen pieces and put them back in the freezer. That gave them an interesting, UFO-ey kind of shape!

How do mine taste? So freaking good that I think I should feel guilty every time I eat one. With my first batch, there was the very slightest aftertaste coming from the Swerve. For the second batch, I cut back to about a half tablespoon of the sweetener. Much better.

In hindsight, if I were to tweak this recipe any kind of way, it would be to add a touch more lemon and maybe some lime juice. The sour citrus was such a good tangy addition to the flavors.

Finally, a light warning: If you intend using these to occasionally meet your calories, make sure to watch any other food you eat that day. 1080 calories is under my 1600 daily calorie limit, but I can kill a lot of calories with my buttered and creamed coffee... Just watch yourself, is all I'm saying. These things are addictively yummy.

Peace
--Free

**RECIPE** No-Carb BLT from Delish

I'm doing well with my low-carb regimen. I'm not losing a lot of pounds, scale-wise, but I am starting to see great changes in how my clothes fit. Also, I can see the weight loss in my face. Time will tell how much I like that last bit!

My only criticism of this eating regimen has been repetitive meals. That's mostly because it's not yet time for me to do my grocery shopping and my 'old' groceries were not chosen for this diet. Good news is that my shopping list has shrunk. A lot.

Today, my niece scored so many points by finding this recipe from Delish. It's a "No-carb BLT", and it tastes SO good.

I had to make a quick store run for more bacon (because I eat so much of it), and I grabbed a couple more ingredients to make this BLT. I was starving, by the way. Of course, I didn't write down the video recipe (just went off the images), so this is what my recipe ended up as:

Ingredients:

• 1/2 a ripe avocado
• 1 1/2 Tbls full fat mayo
• 1/4 of a tomato (I used a hothouse one from Walmart)
• 6 slices of bacon, cooked to medium crispiness
• 3 leaves of  romaine lettuce

Instructions:

1. I sliced the tomato into medium sized "fingers" & mixed the avocado and mayo together with a fork.
2. I spread the mayo-cado mix onto the lettuce leaf, added some tomato, then topped it with bacon.

Best of all is that I didn't even need to use any seasonings because the bacon was seasoned enough.

I chowed on this so hard that I almost chewed one of my own fingers! It's a little bit messy because of the mayo-cado (especially if you dollop on too much like I did) but, oh man, is it a good dish.

Like I said, I was starving hungry, but I managed to get one good photo before I finished all of it off:

This is probably the best thing I've eaten since going low-carb. Man! 

To be honest, I will probably use the mayo-cado mix on other things - sausage or burger patties. 

Apparently, avocados don't keep well once ripened. In order to save money, I guess I will have to preserve some of them by tightly bagging them up with lemon juice. In the future, I will only by small quantities of unripe 'cados (or just go snag a couple of ripe ones as I need them). 

By the way, I think I mentioned in a previous post that one of my favorite low-carb snacks is cheese and olives. While I was at Costco today, I was able to taste these today. Costco (Anchorage, AK) price was $5.69 which isn't bad at all. Very, very yummy and I don't normally do near anything with jalapeno peppers. They aren't even that spicy (at least the heat doesn't last long), plus I eat mine with little pieces of mild cheddar cheese.

So, there you go. I hope that this is helpful for anyone trying to cut down on the carbs. Next post, I will share some recipes that I am collecting from some other online buddies.

Peace
--Free

**RECIPE** Oven Baked Chicken & a Salad (with coconut oil)

I'm taking a couple of days off from blogging. My energy level is at an all-time low right now. I think it's a combination of having one cold after another since December and stress/grief.

The matcha tea that I am trying out is helping some, but I could probably be eating better. Never underestimate the power of good nutrition, right?  But it only works if you're consistent. Lately, my diet has consisted of coffee, water, and those crunchy almond bars I get from Walmart.

Yesterday was the first time in a couple of weeks that I've actually spent time fixing a decent meal for myself. Before I take this next couple of days off from here, I'm going to share my recipe for no-fry, crunchy chicken wings with you. Mind you, I came up with this on the fly, using whatever I had in the kitchen at the time because, well, um, no energy to go to the store! LOL

This is for the chicken and a salad on the side

INGREDIENTS: (everything optional except, of course,  the chicken)

• Chicken wings  (I separated the wing from the drum so that I had smaller pieces, but they can be left as whole 1-piece wings)
• Garlic cloves
• Liquid Smoke
• Olive Oil (opt)
• Coconut Oil
• Emeril's (or some other type) of seasoning*
• Panko breading
• Salt and Pepper
• For the salad, I used Spinach,  mushrooms, onions, tomatoes and baby potatoes, but you can use whatever you have. 

INSTRUCTIONS:

• Pre-heat oven to about 325-350
• Boil the chicken in water seasoned with the Liquid Smoke, salt and a little bit of olive oil
• While the chicken is boiling, peel the garlic cloves, slice the onions into rings or strips, and cut the baby potatoes in half. Save the slicing of the tomatoes til ready to assemble the salad later.
• When the chicken is boiled to tender, drain on paper.
• Line a baking sheet with foil and coat with a little olive oil
• While the chicken is still warm, rub on some coconut oil and then season with the Emeril's (or other seasoning mix). Now coat the chicken with the Panko and arrange them on your baking sheet, leaving a little room on one end for your potatoes and garlic
• Put your garlic cloves, mushrooms and potatoes in a packet of foil with a little bit of the coconut oil and some of the seasoning. Set this on the baking sheet. 
• Pop the baking sheet into the oven
• Check chicken, potatoes and garlic every 30 minutes for doneness. Move the chicken around if you need to keep the pieces from sticking to the foil.

When your baking items are done, arrange your salad greens, tomatoes and onions in a bowl. Add the garlic, mushrooms and potatoes to the top. Your garlic will be very buttery and spreadable. Delicious.

This is just a nice, simple meal that is savory and healthier than frying chicken in oil. The salad is a little unusual, but I have a thing for those little potatoes and they are so good when mixed with the salad. You don't need any dressing because the seasoning mixed with the coconut oil is perfect.

And that's one of my lazy homecooked meals. 

*Seasoning is optional. You could mix some garlic powder, onion powder, curry, salt and pepper to make your own.

Now, I am going to go and take a bath and get some sleep. I'll be back with some reviews day after tomorrow or the next...

Peace
--Free