Homemade Bread Mixes

I make our bread, using this delicious recipe:

Relief Society Buttermilk Bread
Put in your bread maker or mixer bowl:
1 Tablespoon yeast
4- 4 1/2  cups flour
2 teaspoons salt
2 Tablespoons butter
1/4 cup honey (spray your cup with cooking spray before measuring and the honey will slide right out)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups buttermilk, warmed to baby bottle temperature ( you can use 1/4 cup powdered buttermilk and 2 cups warm water)
 Mix on manual.  Let the bread knead for about 5-8 minutes.  Remove from mixer and divide into two large or 4 small well sprayed loaf pans.  The dough will be very sticky.  Cover and let rise.  Bake at 375 for about 15-18 minutes for small loaves and about 20-25 for large loaves.    Butter the tops when you take it out of the oven.  Remove from pans and let cool on wire rack. 

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It is such a good recipe.  It always turns out delicious (unless I overrise it!)  It is very easy to make, but the last several months, I have made it even easier.  I make mixes of all the dry ingredients( including the 1/4 cup dry buttermilk powder)- making six at once.  I put them in gallon zip bags.  You can freeze them or store them on the shelf.
Then, when I want to make bread, I dump the mix in the Bosch mixer, add 2 cups of water, heated in the microwave for 1 minute, 1/4 cup of honey, and 2 Tablespoons of butter.  Mix it for 8 minutes with the bread attachment, divide it into two sprayed loaf pans, and let it rise.  Then bake it.  I can have delicious homemade bread in a jiffy.  I just wanted to share that trick with you.

Condensed Milk Chocolate Chip Cookies

I saw this recipe online and found it intriguing: no eggs, no brown sugar, mostly sweetened with sweetened condensed milk.  I decided to give it a try.  The cookies were puffy (baking powder instead of soda) and soft and kind of cakey.  They look very light in color  because of no brown sugar, but they are done.  They were very quick to make and tasted yummy.  The recipe doesn't make a lot, so double it if you want more cookies.

Condensed Milk Chocolate Chip Cookies
1 1/2 cups butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup sweetened condensed milk
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups chocolate chips

Set oven 350
Line baking sheets with parchment or silicone sheets.
Mix together in your stand mixer the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add the milk and vanilla and continue mixing  Stop the mixer and add the flour, baking powder, and salt.  Mix in slowly.  Add the chocolate chips.
Roll dough in 1 inch balls and place 1 1/2 inches apart on baking sheet.  Flatten slightly.
Bake for about 10 minutes.

I baked some and froze the rest of the dough in balls on a cookie sheet.  After frozen, I put them in a zipper bag and put them in the freezer for a quick bake snack another time.  I do this just about every time I make cookies of any kind.  It is so convenient to have cookie dough all ready when you need to take a treat to someone, etc.

Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Healthy- check

Nutritious- check

Tasty- check

Delicious- check

Easy - check

Quick- check  

We often order the lettuce wraps in Thai and other oriental restaurants. Here is a recipe that tastes just like them. 

I will be making this one often.  We loved these wraps!

Chicken Lettuce Wraps
1 lb. ground chicken or turkey
1 T olive oil
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 (8 oz) can water chestnuts, drained and diced
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 T. rice wine vinegar
1 T. siracha sauce (amount to taste)
1 T. fresh ginger, grated
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (amount to taste)
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper (don't add the salt until you taste it.  It is pretty salty without the salt)
2 T. green onions, chopped
1 head crisp iceberg lettuce, rinsed and dried.

Heat oil in large skillet over med high heat.  Brown chicken.  Drain and add onions and cook until translucent.  Season with salt and pepper, but go easy.  Add garlic and ginger and cook for another minute.  Stir in the hoisin sauce, soy sauce, vinegar, siracha, and pepper flakes and cook another 2-3 minutes.
Mix in water chestnuts and green onions.  Taste and adjust seasonings.  Serve by putting mixture is lettuce "bowls" and wrap and eat.

Poppy Seed Bundt Cake

My sister-in-law, Lorene is an excellent cook/baker.  I have several of her recipes.  She recently served us this delicious cake at a family gathering.  I begged the recipe.  I loved the glazy, crusty top.  It looks pretty easy, too.  

Poppy Seed Cake
In the mixing bowl of your mixer, combine the following ingredients:
3 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
2 1/4 cup sugar

Add:
3 eggs
1 1/2 cup milk
1 1/8 cup oil
1 1/2 tsp. each: vanilla, almond, and butter extract
3 T. poppy seeds

Beat thoroughly and pour into prepared bundt pan.  Bake at 325 for 45-60 minutes.  Cool 5 minutes and then poke holes in the top of the cake.

Mix together and pour over the cake:
1/4 cup orange juice
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp each: vanilla, almond, and butter extract