wheat bread.

okay, i know what you are thinking.
"bread?!...i thought we were only posting simple recipes for two."
you can do this recipe. promise. its only 7 ingredients and it only takes 6 minutes to combine them. and the results are well worth the whole process. there is nothing like hot, fresh, homeade bread. tastes best with butter, butter and honey, or peanut butter. also good for grilled cheese, paninis, etc in the days following. it does make 3 loaves so if you won't consume that much bread in about 3-4 days, i suggest freezing a loaf or giving one away. also, you can buy wheat flour in a grocery store or in bulk (sunflower market in orem has it). if you get really into it, then you can buy a wheat grinder and make your own wheat flour--this was actually one of my bridal gifts and i totally love it.

Victoria’s Six-Minute Magic Bread
Put the following into the bowl of your Kitchenaid or Bosch mixer, in this order:
2/3 cup sugar or honey (either works fine)
2 tsp. salt
3 cups hot water from the tap
1 cup canola oil (or butter–if it is cold, cut it up first)
4 cups whole wheat flour (from about 2 cups whole wheat)
6 cups white flour
2 tbsp. active dry yeast
Mix all ingredients in your mixer using the dough hook attachment for six minutes. Meanwhile, warm your oven slightly (I turn mine on for 2-3 minutes). Check your dough. It should be pulling away from the sides of the bowl. If it is too sticky, add a little flour, until it comes to the right consistency. Don’t make it too stiff, or your bread will be dry.
Butter a large bowl. Turn dough into the buttered bowl, and then turn it over to coat both sides in butter. Cover with a kitchen towel and place in your warm oven (make sure the oven is turned off, and that it is not too hot... you don’t want to kill the yeast). Set the timer for one hour and twenty minutes.
After one hour and twenty minutes, form the dough into three loaves and place in lightly buttered loaf pans. The way I like to form my loaves is to press them with my hands into a rectangle that is the width of the long end of the bread pan (about 9 inches) and about twice that long. Then I roll the rectangle up, making sure to leave no air pockets (which turn into holes in your bread), and placing the roll in the pan seam-side down. One advantage of this method is that if you want to add a sprinkle of cinnamon and brown sugar before rolling it up, you can do so. This makes really beautiful round-top bread.
Place the loaves back in the warm oven and cover them with the towel again. Set the timer for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, take the towel off. The loaves should be rounded about an inch above the top of the loaf pans. If they are not, give them another five minutes. Then turn on the oven to 350 degrees (you don’t need to preheat). Set the timer for 30 minutes again. After 30 minutes, remove the bread from the oven, and immediately turn the loaves out of the pans and place upright on a cookie cooling rack to cool completely. Any loaves that you don’t eat immediately hot from the oven with butter and honey, you can place in plastic bags, but only when they are completely cool.
To make white bread, rather than wheat, just use white flour in place of the wheat. You might adjust the second rise time to about 25 minutes, as the white loaves tend to rise a little faster. You may also use just a pinch less yeast for white loaves.

buffalo chicken wraps.

gives you the yummy flavor of buffalo wings without all the calories. it is fast, easy, and easy to make for 2 or 10.

2 tablespoons hot pepper sauce
3 tablespoons white vinegar, divided
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound chicken tenders
2 tablespoons reduced-fat mayonnaise
2 tablespoons nonfat plain yogurt
Freshly ground pepper to taste
1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
4+ tortillas
4+ romaine lettuce leaves
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup diced tomato

Whisk hot pepper sauce, 2 tablespoons vinegar and cayenne pepper in a medium bowl.
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cut chicken into chunks and cook until cooked through and no longer pink in the middle. Add to the bowl with the hot sauce; toss to coat well.
Whisk mayonnaise, yogurt, pepper and the remaining 1 tablespoon vinegar in a small bowl. Stir in blue cheese.
Let everyone assemble their own wraps.
Mm, yummy.

Saydi's 40 minute pizza dough

So it has been a long time since I have posted anything. I was on the Navajo reservation in May where my diet consisted of grilled cheese, box pancakes, and cereal. Didn't think anyone needed those recipes. Now we are in Salt Lake and having to start cooking again. I got this from my sister-in-law Saydi who is probably one of the best cooks ever.


Surprisingly easy, cheap, and tastes way better than anything you can buy.

1 1/2 cup warm water
1 envelope rapid rise yeast (2 1/4 tsp)
1 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp salt

First off, turn oven to 200 until it heats up and then turn it off. Pour water in mixer. Sprinkle sugar and yeast over the water. Let the yeast sit for minute until foams. Add oil, flour, salt. Mix until dough forms. Slightly oil a glass bowl and put dough in. Put saran wrap over the bowl and put in oven for 40 minutes.

If you want the crust really fluffy, knead with hands. Eli tried it by hand and I used a rolling pin. Mine was good, but mine was more of a thing crust style. His was much more fluffy. Just go with whatever your style is.

Use whatever sauce and toppings you prefer and enjoy!
P.S. We cooked it at 500 for about 10 minutes and the crust turned out to have a perfect crisp to it.

Chicken Parmesan

I feel like this is a typical recipe, but holy crap I made it last night and it was AWESOME!

Chicken Parmesan

Serves: 4 (can be altered), Prep: about 10-15 minutes, Bake: 25 minutes

Ingredients:
2 cups (ish) spaghetti sauce
1 large egg
2 tablespoons water
2/3 cup dried bread crumbs (or saltines, or make your own, or whatever)
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup olive and/or vegetable oil
2 cups shredded mozzarella
8 chicken tenderloins (Brad eats like 3 tenderloins, I eat 1 or 2. I think most people eat 2) or 4 chicken breasts
Spaghetti noodles (Brad requires these with his chick parmesan)

How to:
- Start boiling the water for the noodles. Then add them and stuff... (make the spaghetti noodles)
- Preheat oven to 350.
- Beat egg and water in a small bowl. Mix bread crumbs and Parmesan in a small dish/plate.
- Heat oil over medium heat in a 12" skillet (ish... I like a frying pan for it's non-stick qualities).
- Pound the chicken to about 1/4 inch thick; place each piece between sheets of saran wrap/wax paper and pound with a meat mallet.
- Dip the chicken into egg mixture then crumb mixture and cook in the oil until no longer pink in the center, turning once.
- Place the cooked chickens in an 9x13 dish. Cover with the spaghetti sauce then mozzarella cheese.
- Bake uncovered for about 25 minutes or until sauce is bubbly and cheese is light brown.
Serve over spaghetti noodles.


It looks hard, but I swear it's not (I can do it). And it tastes SO good (it'd better, it's fried in oil).

I haven't tried it as a make-ahead yet. If you do, let me know how it goes.

{image from here}

peanut butter oatmeal.

i may be in the middle east right now but that doesn't mean that american girls do not find a way to satisfy their cravings for cookies. today (friday) is our church day in jordan and that means treat day so this is what we are making...

1 cup butter
1 cup peanut butter
¾ cup brown sugar
¾ cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups flour
1½ cups rolled oats
2 tsp. baking soda
1½ tsp. salt
2 cups M&M candies (or chocolate chips, or both)

Cream together butters and sugars until fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla and mix well. Stir in dry flour, oats, baking soda and salt until combined, then gently stir in M&Ms. Chill for about an hour, and then drop by tablespoonsful onto cookie sheet. Flatten slightly, and then bake at 375 degrees for about ten minutes, or until just barely starting to turn golden. Remove from pan carefully, as they are very tender until they cool.

Cafe Rio Pork

1 cup brown sugar
1 cup Sprite or Dr. Pepper or Coke
1 cup salsa (any kind will do)
pork tenderloin (I like to buy the two pack at Costco and freeze one)

Cook in crock pot on low for 8 hours. Shred with a fork.

Eat.
(I usually serve it with tortillas, cheese, more salsa, black beans, corn, rice, avocado... the options are limitless)

Serves... plenty. I like having the leftovers. I would say that at least four people with Brad appetites would be filled.

{PS - I propose that we come up with labels like "Easy," "Few ingredients," "Not as easy but totally worth it," "Desserts," "Lunch," etc. and make links on the sidebar to each category so that it's easier to search... perhaps we could even add type of food....}

Taco Soup

1  lb. hamburger

1  small onion chopped (optional i never add this)

2  1/2 c. chunky salsa (i just use the big pace kind)

1  15 0z. can red kidney beans, drained

1  28 oz. can chopped tomatoes, undrained

1  15 oz. can corn, undrained

1 tsp. chili powder

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1 T. taco seasoning mix

Garnishes: grated cheddar cheese, sour cream, sliced green onions, tortilla chips (all optional)

Brown hamburger and onion in large saucepan until meat is no longer pink and onion is transparent. Drain fat and place in a large crock-pot or soup pot.  Add all remaining ingredients and stir to combine. cook on low in crock-pot, or simmer in soup pan, several hours or until soup is heated through and flavors are well blended. Ladle into bowls and garnish as desired.

I just use the pan method so it is fast and easy and it is substantial enough for our boys for dinner.  Keith loves it.