whole wheat

Brown Butter Whole Wheat Soda Bread.

September 13, 2011 · 100 comments

I must tell you about our exciting Saturday nights.

They are… exciting.

The past few weeks we have done absolutely nothing and the climax of the evening is watching Suze Orman. I wish I was joking. I’m not.

Now most of our conversations go like this:

Me: OMG, there is a Calvin Klein purse on sale and it is sooooo cheap. I know Suze would say no but what do you say?

Him: Is it really “sooooo cheap?” Or is it still insanely expensive and just because it’s 30% off you think it’s “sooooo cheap.”

Me: No, really. It’s cheap. I swear. Suze would say no. I say yes. You are the tie breaker.

Him: DENIED!

Or…

Me: It has been nearly a year since I made lobster mac! Let’s have it this weekend.

Him: I don’t think Suze would approve of a million dollar artery-clogging casserole. Let’s put that money into our (non-existent) emergency fund.

Me: Ugh. Uh… okay. Then what are we going to eat?

Him: How about we pick up some filets?

Me: Are you even serious right now?

Suze

is

everywhere.

Now she’s with me in the grocery store and when I go to the mall and when we eat dinner and when I’m stalking the Williams Sonoma website and even next to my head on my pillow at night. I can’t stop giggling when she tells someone they’re crazy for wanting to install a giant waterfall in their backyard when they are $100K in debt. It’s like a slightly more tolerable version of Nancy Grace or Dr. Phil.

Who am I and what happened to myself?

I even baked my own bread because I thought it was more economical.

Okay, I’m totally lying. I haven’t been that converted… to my husband’s dismay.

I really only baked this bread because I was immediately sold by the terms “brown butter.” I could seriously drink that stuff. I mean… I actually want to drink it. I may have a few (thousand) screws loose.

So I baked it to go with that parmesan orzo.

There is nothing more that I love with carbs than more carbs… spread with butter.

Except maybe laying down and taking a nap right on top of this pillowy loaf. Yes please.

Brown Butter Whole Wheat Soda Bread

{slightly adapted from bon appetit}

makes 2 circular loaves

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) of unsalted butter

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1/2 cup old-fashioned oats

1 tablespoon brown sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon dried rosemary

3 cloves garlic, pressed or minced

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 3/4 cups buttermilk

1 egg white, beaten

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F, making sure the rack is in the middle of the oven. Heat the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat, whisking continuously until golden, about 3-5 minutes. The minute you see little brown specks form at the bottom of the saucepan, remove from heat.

In a large bowl, combine flours, oats, salt, pepper, seasonings, baking soda and powder, brown sugar and garlic together. Pour in buttermilk and butter and stir with a fork to bring together. Dough will be fairly sticky.

Set dough on a lightly floured surface and knead for a few minutes until dough is silky and no longer sticky. Divide in half, and form into two equally shaped rounds, about 6 inches in diameter. Place on an ungreased baking sheet, 6 inches apart. Brush with beaten egg white and sprinkle with additional seasonings and black pepper if desired. Cut an “x” into the top of the dough that is about a 1/2 inch deep.

Bake breads for 45 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the middle is set. Let cool for 30 minutes, then serve with butter.

Note: this is a soda bread, so it may not be as typically fluffy as yeast breads. It’s slightly more dense and a bit hearty from the oats and whole wheat flour.

I forgot to mention that this bread is insanely easy and completely yeast-free. Get on it.

{ 100 comments }

Pizza Pot Pies with Whole Wheat Crust.

June 23, 2010 · 93 comments

I was so excited to make this dish for Mr. How Sweet.

I had it in my head for days.

I couldn’t wait to tell him about it. I mean, pepperoni and chicken? Whole wheat crust? This meal basically describes everything he lives for.

I was even more excited after learning that Mr. How Sweet loved chicken pot pies.

Don’t ask me how I did not know this, but I didn’t.

Kind of like how I didn’t know he snored louder than a jet engine and would rather sit in the stands at a Nascar race than lay on a hot, sandy beach with a margarita in hand.

Learn these things before you get married, people.

So, I made assumptions.

Mr. How Sweet loves pot pies. And he loves pizza.

So pizza + pot pie = happy belly. Correct?

See, I’ve never been the best at math.

As expected, my skills failed me here.

When I told Mr. How Sweet that I was going to make pizza pot pies, he practically doubled over in disgust. He pouted. He whined. He dry heaved.

It just wasn’t a good situation.

But then I made them.

And they looked delicious. And smelled even better.

It was as if Yankee Candle had created a Pepperoni Pizza scent just for us.

The cheese was bubbly and the crust was crispy.

And it was one of those situations where you don’t care about scalding every taste bud on your tongue or burning the skin throughout your mouth. The most important thing at that moment was eating it. Immediately.

I like to pretend that the whole wheat crust cancels out the exorbitant amount of cheese that I used.

It does.

When I get around cheese, I just lose all control.

Any discipline I have flies right out the window. I just keep adding cheese. And adding, and adding, and adding. . .

Really, can you ever have too much cheese?

Pizza Pot Pies

inspired by Giada

Serves 4

8 ounces chicken breast, cooked

2 ounces pepperoni, chopped

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1 cup parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons italian seasoning

1/2 cup chopped green pepper

1/2 cup chopped sweet onion

2 cups tomato sauce

1 tablespoon olive oil

whole wheat pizza dough

Preheat oven to 375. Set out 4 small ramekins.

Divide chicken, cheeses, peppers, onions, pepperoni, and italian seasoning evenly into the 4 ramekins. Add equal amounts of tomato sauce to each bowl.

Cover with a very thin round of whole wheat pizza dough. Brush dough with olive oil. Bake at 375 for about 30 minutes, or until dough is golden brown.

Whole Wheat Crust Topping

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 – 1/2 cup lukewarm water

1/2 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 tablespoon honey

Combine flour, sea salt, and yeast in a large bowl. Add water, honey and olive oil, and stir until a dough comes together. Continue to form dough into a ball with your hands. Add more water 1 tablespoon at a time as necessary.

Place in lightly oiled bowl and cover. Let rise for 2-3 hours.

When ready, roll dough out very thin.

See, I am always right.

I promised Mr. How Sweet these would be delicious, and they are.

He needs to stop doubting me. Like when I tell him that buying a pair of Christian Louboutin shoes is a wise investment, he should listen. I clearly know what I’m talking about.

{ 93 comments }

Whole Wheat Peanut Butter and Jelly Muffins.

January 22, 2010 · 91 comments

I think I ate about a million peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in my younger years. And when I say younger, I mean much younger – like preschool age? I don’t really recall this. In fact, I may have dreamt it. But I can see myself gobbling up PB & J sandwiches with my stubby sausage fingers like it was nobody’s business. It is the only explanation for why I was sick of PB & J’s until I was about 16.

Then I fell back in love.

My hubby loves PB & J combinations, too. It is his go-to breakfast and mid-morning snack, but that may change once he begins to obsess over another 5-year old favorite food combination.

Speaking of hubbies, someone found my blog yesterday with a search of hungry + grouchy + husband. I quizzed my husband endlessly about his extra-marital activities because there can’t be anyone grouchier or hungrier than him.

Needless to say, we have endless supplies of peanut butter in our house.

And when I say endless supplies, I mean an endless supply until the morning that I have an unreasonable craving for peanut butter and realize that my husband took the last jar to work.

With everything we hoard in this house, you’d think I’d have an extra jar laying around in a shoebox or stuffed in between the 67 dye-cast Nascar cars that blind me each day.

This then sends me to the store, because it never fails that I also need cotija cheese or fennel or cilantro or something else that my hubby cannot pronounce or find anywhere in the store. And I always need those things right this minute because who goes one entire day without cotija cheese or fennel?

Maybe I should talk about these muffins?

They are fantastic. They bring me back to my childhood days. Well, not really because that would assume that my mother used whole wheat flour and natural peanut butter and in all honesty I don’t even think she knows those ingredients exist.

They taste like my younger years. They bring me back to 3rd grade when I got a perm and then overheard my mom tell someone I looked like Roseanne Barr. That was a confidence booster…

The jelly gets smooshed inside 2 spoonfuls of batter.

I used grape because my hubby likes grape, and strawberry because it’s my favorite. I hate grape. I was that kid that ate all the non-grape popsicles and then left a box full of grape popsicles for other excited kids. I always hated when I was on the receiving end of that gig.

I topped these babies with some more raw turbinado sugar because I am just loving it these days. I also love that crunch on top of muffins.

The jelly is playing peek-a-boo. That is my favorite part.

The peanut butter does get mixed in with the batter, but I added a few more spoonfuls while the muffin was still warm. Mmm mmm.

Whole Wheat Peanut Butter and Jelly Muffins

adapted from myrecipes

Makes 12 muffins
1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups fat-free milk
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter (I used Smart Balance)
1/4 cup egg whites
2 tablespoons Earth Balance spread, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup reduced-sugar grape jelly

1/4 cup reduced-sugar strawberry jelly

Preheat oven to 400.

Lightly spoon flours into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flours, sugars, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl; stir with a whisk. Make a well in center of mixture. Combine milk and next 4 ingredients (through vanilla); add to flour mixture, stirring just until moist.

Spoon batter into 12 muffin cups coated with cooking spray. Fill each cup half full with batter. Spoon 1 teaspoon jam into each cup. Spoon remaining batter on top to cover jam. Bake at 400° for 20 minutes or until muffins spring back when touched lightly in center. Let cool in pan 5 minutes. Remove from pan, and cool on a wire rack.

Make these today! They will remind you of those wonderful, awkward childhood years. Hopefully, the ones you want to remember. Not the ones you don’t. Like the time you peed your pants in Kindergarten while wearing tights. Could anything be more emotionally and physically uncomfortable?

It’s memories like those that make my world go ’round.

{ 91 comments }

Whole Wheat BBQ Chicken Pizza

Please update your google readers! http://feeds.feedburner.com/howsweeteats/smSp We’ve been making our own pizza for years now, and I really think that it beats a lot of the pizza places around our home. I always make a whole wheat crust, and it is 100% whole wheat. I find it is different from many wheat pizza crust recipes that I see, because many of them call for all-purpose flour. I don’t add any white flour at all. The crust is nutty tasting, and a bit thinner and dense. We love thin crust, but if you prefer a more doughy crust, you may want to substitute some all-purpose flour for half of the wheat. After the dough has risen, I roll it out then form it onto a baking sheet. We love square pizza slices. I just add a bit of tomato sauce in order to not overshadow the barbeque chicken. My hubby loves tomato sauce. Me, not so much. He would swim in a vat of tomato sauce if he could. I wouldn’t join him. You know how veggies scare me. Next come the toppings. [...]

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Whole Wheat Breaded Crispy Chicken + Track Workout.

I can’t believe Christmas is so close! I am very excited, but sometimes I miss the innocent excitement from when I was a kid. Like feeling that Christmas break last forrevvvver, when it was really only 10 days. Or waking up on Christmas morning. Or truly analyzing if Santa was real. I still think he is. I have been lacking dinner ideas lately. I think my brain is fried from holiday baking. I did remember that a few weeks ago my hubby asked if I could make him a ‘healthy’ fried chicken. I was on a mission. I couldn’t allow him to return to a daily dinner of plain egg whites and plain pasta. That would also mean I’d have to fumigate my house. I made an oat flour (my friend, Cindy’s, idea). Then dipped the chicken in the oat flour, egg, and whole wheat bread crumbs, and put in a pan with some olive oil. If you don’t have whole wheat bread crumbs, you can make your own! I usually toast up some ezekiel bread and throw it into the food processor. Voila! The final product: Hubby said it tasted like Long John Silver’s chicken. I’ve never eaten there, [...]

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Whole Wheat Stromboli’s + Beginner Plyos.

Ohmigoodness. Tonight’s dinner was so much fun. I loved making it. After seeing a stromboli recipe on My Kitchen Addiction this morning, I had an undying urge to make one. I had no clue how I would make it, or if I would even have time. I made my whole wheat pizza dough when I got home, then set off for a workout while it was rising. I found a whole wheat pizza dough recipe online about 3-4 years ago, around the time my hubby and I started dating. I am not sure where I found it (sorry!), but I modified it to make it 100% whole wheat. I made one batch, which fills a large rectangular baking sheet. I actually measured while I was making it tonight so I could share the recipe with you! Whole Wheat Pizza Dough 1 packet active dry yeast 1 cup warm water 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 tablespoon honey 1/4 teaspoon sea salt 2 1/4 cups whole wheat flour Mix yeast and warm water, and let sit until foamy, about 15 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and honey to the yeast. Mix together. Add whole wheat flour [...]

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Easy Whole Wheat Stuffing.

Update your google reader! http://feeds.feedburner.com/howsweeteats/smSp Do you love stuffing as much as I do? I usually only eat it during the holidays. Maybe that is why I love it so much? I’m not going to lie. I love the artery-clogging, buttery stuffing that my mom serves on Thanksgiving. I have never had stuffing from a box. Scratch that. I think before we were married my husband deviated from his usual plain-whole-wheat-noodles-and-egg-whites-only dinner, to makes some chicken and stuffing. Probably because one of his buddies suggested it, not me. And yes, for years, he ate only whole wheat noodles and egg whites, mixed together, for dinner. Thank goodness I came along. (Sometimes he still smells like he eats egg whites for dinner. Did I just say that in public? Someone needs to share my pain.) I also love whole wheat, multi-grain Tuscany bread. And if you’ve been reading, you know that bread is not something I love. This bread must be good. I chopped up a few slices of the whole-grain bread. And seasoned it with rosemary, thyme, and parsley, and added a sprinkling of olive oil. [...]

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Honeycrisp Apple Crisp.

We had about 7 honeycrisps in our fridge and I knew they had to go to good use. I am really trying to not be wasteful with food – we always have so much since my husband is a human garbage disposal, albeit a healthy one. I had just been eating the honeycrisps (who woulda thunk?), but the recent attack on my mouth, aka loads of dental work (and the raping on my bank account), have made chomping on a crisp apple not such a pleasant task. Especially after I chipped my first filling on this. I wanted to make a slightly healthier version, and also not make an entire baking dish full of apple crisp. Because we all know where that would end up. This apple crisp is so simple and took less than 10 minutes to prepare! It’s more of a cobbler than a crisp, and it is prepared so easily that you just need a fork, not a mixer. So it’s kind of a fake apple crisp. Oh well. It can serve up to 4 in small portions. Or 2 in medium-sized portions. Or 1 in my portions. It’s the [...]

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Multigrain Rolls and a 'Glo-ing' Giveaway!

See…I promised I wasn’t going to give you a recipe for the rolls above my jeans. WHO would want that? Not me. Or my hubs. Hmmm…better do something about these rolls… I got the idea for this recipe from Miss Martha, of course. I used whole wheat flour for the entire batch, making them super nutty and healthy. First, I whisked the yeast with some raw honey and buttermilk. It has to sit until it gets foamy. I used about 1/2 of this package. Any Michigan natives out there?? My grandparents are from Michigan and we vacation there every summer – way up north on the lake. I have some of the BEST memories of my life there. A huge part of me would love to live there, or retire there…or…something there. Unfortunately, it is about 10 hours away from me in good ole’ Pittsburgh. American Spoon has the most [...]

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Hungry Angry Husband.

My husband likes to eat. ALOT. And when he doesn’t get to eat, he gets very angry. His face should seriously be in the dictionary right next to ‘hangry,’ if it ever makes it into the dictionary. Not only does he like to eat, but he likes to eat lots of meat. Chicken, steak, pork – you name it. Dare I ever make a dish without meat! I think he believes that if he doesn’t get 76234 grams of protein in per day, he may lose all 170 solid pounds of muscle that he currently owns. He is a hottie. Ususally, hungry-angry-husband hits at very inconvienent times. Like on an hour drive to my grandparents house. Or during church, where, let’s face it, he really doesn’t want to be in the first place. Or at the grocery store, while shopping for clothes, or during a 2 hour meeting. At least his co-workers can deal with him there. The best was when we went to register for wedding gifts. Oh, my. We went to one of the ‘nicer’ malls about an hour away. We I figured that we’d have more of a selection and I [...]

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