Spelt Hamburger Buns

My sister Adrienne called me with an idea for a recipe.  She recommended homemade hamburger buns. I have made hamburger buns before, and yes they are so very yummy compared to store bought.  My recipe is a variation of the King Arthur Flour recipe found here.  I found a combination of Spelt flour and 00 Tipo flour together make a tender yet whole grain bread.  This recipe is using that combination. I think you will agree these buns are delicious and wonderful with a hamburger patty on them.

 They look so pretty, I think I might cry.

Ingredients for this recipe are:

• 3/4 to 1 cup lukewarm Water (microwave for 30 seconds)
• 2 tablespoons melted Butter
• 1 large Egg
• 2 cups 00 Tip Flour (Cake flour can also be substituted)
• 1 1/2 cups Spelt Flour (Whole Wheat Flour can be substituted) 
• 1/4 cup Sugar
• 1 1/4 teaspoons Salt
• 1 tablespoon Instant Yeast
• Use the smaller amount of water in summer (or in a humid environment), the greater amount in winter (or in a dry climate); and something in between the rest of the time.

 Mix all ingredients together in stand mixer until a uniform ball is formed.

 Allow to rise in a very large oiled bowl covered for 1-2 hours or until doubled.

 Look it doubled.

 Carefully deflate dough and divide into 8 balls.

Preheat oven to 375 Fahrenheit

 Flatten balls and place on parchment paper lined cookie sheet.

 Brush buns with melted butter.  

Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until golden.

Cool buns on rack.

Enjoy!

• Spelt Hamburger Buns
• Printable Recipe Found Here
  
  
• 3/4 to 1 cup lukewarm Water (microwave for 30 seconds)
• 2 tablespoons melted Butter
• 1 large Egg
• 2 cups 00 Tip Flour (Cake flour can also be substituted)
• 1 1/2 cups Spelt Flour (Whole Wheat Flour can be substituted) 
• 1/4 cup Sugar
• 1 1/4 teaspoons Salt
• 1 tablespoon Instant Yeast
• 
  
• Use the smaller amount of water in summer (or in a humid environment), the greater amount in winter (or in a dry climate); and something in between the rest of the time.

Mix all ingredients together in stand mixer until a uniform ball is formed.

Allow to rise in a very large oiled bowl covered for 1-2 hours or until doubled.

Carefully deflate dough and divide into 8 balls.

Flatten balls and place on parchment paper lined cookie sheet.

Preheat oven to 375 Fahrenheit

Cover dough and allow to rise for 1 hour.

Brush buns with melted butter.  

Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until golden.

Cool buns on rack.

Enjoy!

Bacon Brussels Sprouts

My sister-in-law Kandi, has a signature dish that my youngest daughter looked forward to every Christmas dinner.  Since we don't live near my sister-in-law, we have to improvise.  This is my own version.   I believe she has a different recipe.  

Bacon and Brussels Sprouts, why yes bacon totally makes this better.

Ingredients for this recipe are:

1 lb. Brussel Sprouts
1/2 lb. Bacon

 Cut dried ends off Brusells Sprouts.  Remove outer layer of the Sprouts, and cut in half length wise.  

Cut bacon into 1/2 inch pieces.

Preheat 12 inch cast iron skillet over medium-high heat.

 Sauté bacon and Brussels Sprouts together.

Cook with lid on until tender.

 All done.

Serve with chicken nuggets (Recipe found Here)

Enjoy!

Bacon Brussels Sprouts

Printable Recipe Found Here

1 lb Brussels Sprouts 

1/2 lb Bacon

Cut dried ends off Brusells Sprouts, remove outer layer of the Sprouts, and cut in half length wise.  

Cut bacon into 1/2 inch pieces.

Preheat 12 inch cast iron skillet over medium-high heat.

Sauté bacon and Brussels Sprouts together.

Cook with lid on until tender.

Enjoy!

Baked Chicken Nuggets

I explained in my Panko Bread Crumb post, that my son was wanting chicken nuggets with bread crumbs. When I make chicken nuggets with Panko bread crumbs, I bake them instead of frying them. This recipe actually evolved to a whole new level since I totally made a mistake.  Good news though, my mistake turned out to be a huge success with my picky son and my Chinese teenager who said he doesn't like chicken.  Want to know my mistake?  I bought chicken thighs instead of chicken tenders. The benefits of the chicken thighs as my family found out are they are more moist and they almost melt in your mouth versus the sometimes dry and dense chicken tenders.

 Baked Chicken Nuggets, so much better than those nuggets sold at the store.

Pre-heat Oven to 425 Fahrenheit

Ingredients for this recipe are:

2 cups Whole Wheat Panko Bread Crumbs (Recipe found Here)

2 Eggs

1 cup Flour

6 Skinless Boneless Chicken Thighs

Cut chicken thighs into 1 inch pieces.

Beat eggs in a large dish.

Place chicken and flour in a gallon size Ziploc bag and shake to coat.

Pour bread crumbs into large dish.

Dip floured chicken into egg mixture.

Move chicken from egg mixture to Panko Bread Crumbs and coat.

 Place chicken on parchment paper lined cookie sheet.

Bake chicken for 15-20 minutes.

 Remove from oven and serve with your favorite dipping sauce.

Enjoy!

Baked Chicken Nuggets

Printable Recipe Found Here

2 cups Whole Wheat Panko Bread Crumbs

2 Eggs

1 cup Flour

6 Skinless Boneless Chicken Thighs

Pre-heat Oven to 425 Fharenheit

Cut chicken thighs into 1 inch pieces.

Beat eggs in a large dish.

Place chicken and flour in a gallon size Ziploc bag and shake to coat.

Pour bread crumbs into large dish.

Dip floured chicken into egg mixture.

Move chicken from eg mixture to Panko Bread Crumbs and coat.

Place chicken on parchment paper lined cookie sheet.

Baked chicken for 15-20 minutes.

Remove from oven and serve with your favorite dipping sauce.

Enjoy!

Whole Wheat Panko Bread Crumbs

My son explained to me that he didn't like my fried chicken nuggets and wanted them with bread crumbs. I ran out of Panko Bread Crumbs, my preferred choice.  Guess what happens when I run out of a key ingredient.  You should know by now that means I'm going to make it, since one I'm too lazy to leave my apartment for one ingredient and two, at the time I didn't have a van to drive anyway. Have you run out of an ingredient and decided to try to make it yourself?  Recipes from necessity are always my favorite.  

 Beautiful crispy Panko bread crumbs, so versatile.

Ingredient for this recipe is:

4 Slices Whole Wheat Bread

Pre-heat to 325 Fahrenheit

 Cut crust off bread.  

 Cut sliced bread into 2 inch squared pieces.

 Place 1/3 of bread into blender and shred until small bread crumbs are formed.

 Dump crumbs on parchment paper lined cookie sheet.  Blend remaining bread, and repeat process.

Baked bread crumbs for 8 minutes or until toasted, stirring occasionally.

Remove bread crumbs and allow to cool before using.

Enjoy!

Panko Bread Crumbs

Printable Recipe Found Here

4 Slices Whole Wheat Bread

Pre-heat to 325 Fahrenheit

Cut crust off bread.  

Cut sliced bread into 2 inca squared pieces.

Place 1/3 of bread into blender and shred until small bread crumbs are formed, dump crumbs on parchment paper lined cookie sheet.  Blend remaining bread, and repeat process.

Baked bread crumbs for 8 minutes or until toasted, stirring occasionally.

Remove bread crumbs and allow to cool before using.

Enjoy!

Pan Seared Pork Chops

Pork Chops are very rarely cooked and eaten in my home.  I think I have made them once or twice in  the entire almost fourteen years my husband and I have been married.  My husband does not like pork chops and so I haven't prepared them for dinner very often.  He usually complains they are dry and boring.  I decided to change my husband opinion of pork chops.  I have learned from my favorite chef Alton Brown to brine pork chops.  If you want juicy pork chops this is the way to go.  These pork chops really are simple, flavorful, and juicy.  Good news, my husband agreed these were the best Pork Chops he has ever eaten and not to tell anyone, so make sure and keep his secret. 

 Pork chops and applesauce, mmmm good.

Ingredients for this Recipe are:

1 1/2 Inch Thick Pork Chops (1/2 - 1 for each family member)
3 quarts Water
1/2 cup Sea Salt
1/2 cup Turbinado Sugar (Brown Sugar will also work)
4 cups Ice Cubes
Vegetable Oil

Mix salt, sugar, water, and ice in large lidded container.  Add pork chops.  Allow to brine on countertop for 2 hours.  

Drain pork chops, pat dry with paper towels.

Preheat Oven to 450 Fahrenheit

Pre-heat 12 inch cast iron skillet over medium high heat.  TURN ON FANS and open a window.
This is going to smoke.

Pour 2 tablespoons of oil into skillet.  Add pork chops to pan and sear for 3-4 minutes or until
they begin to brown.

Turn pork chops and cook other side about 2 minutes until browned.  Cook chops
turning every 2 minutes for a total of 10-12 minutes.

Place pan in oven and continue cooking for about 14 minutes or until the internal temperature reads 

135 Fahrenheit.

Remove pan from oven.  Turn pork chops every so often and allow to rest for 15 minutes.

Serve with applesauce of course.  Recipe for applesauce found here.

Pan Seared Pork Chops

Printable Recipe Found Here

1 1/2 Inch Thick Pork Chops (1/2 - 1 pork chop for each family member)

3 quarts Water

1/2 cup Sea Salt

1/2 cup Turbinado Sugar (Brown Sugar will also work)

4 cups Ice Cubes

Vegetable Oil

Mix salt, sugar, water, and ice in large lidded container.  Add pork chops.  Allow to brine on countertop for 2 hours.  

Preheat Oven to 450 Fahrenheit

Drain pork chops, pat dry with paper towels.

Pre-heat 12 inch cast iron skillet over medium high heat.  TURN ON FANS and open a window this is going to smoke.

Pour 2 tablespoons oil into skillet, add up to 3 pork chops to the pan and sear for 3-4 minutes or until they begin to brown.

Turn pork chops and cook other side about 2 minutes until browned.  Cook chops turning every 2 minutes for a total of 10-12 minutes.

Place pan in oven and continue cooking for about 14 minutes, or until internal temperature reads 

135 Fahrenheit.

Remove pan from oven, turn pork chops every so often and allow to rest for 15 minutes.

Applesauce

As a child, my family had an apple tree that we harvested from each year.  The day would start with everyone,  including my parents, picking up apples from the ground and off the tree.  These apples were cleaned, cooked, and pushed through a food mill and canned in quart size jars.  Our apple tree produced very sour green apples that were only good for making applesauce.  Making applesauce was a long tiring, hot, and sticky process but I don't regret having that time with my family even with the work that was involved.  I learned last year that I could make my own applesauce in my pressure cooker and with a lot less work.  For dinner we were having pork chops so my husband of course said we must have applesauce.  No, I don't know why those two go together.  Would you like to see this iconic duo mentioned in a silly scene in The Brady Bunch?  Check out the video here.  On to the fun!

Applesauce is one of my comfort foods.  It reminds me of home and family.

Ingredients for this recipe are:

2 1/2 lbs. of your favorite Apples (I used Gala and Braeburn)
1/2 cup Water
1/2 cup Turbinado Sugar (Brown Sugar will also work)

 Clean, core, and quarter all the apples.

Put apples into pressure cooker with water and sugar.  Cover with lid and set pressure to 

High for 10 minutes.

Using an immersion blender, food mill, or blender, blend the apples to your desired consistency.

We now have applesauce.  Add cinnamon.

Enjoy!

Applesauce

Printable Recipe Found Here

Ingredients:

2 1/2 lbs of your favorite Apples (I used Gala and Braeburn)
1/2 cup Water
1/2 cup Turbinado Sugar (Brown Sugar will also work)
Clean, core, and quarter all the apples.

Put apples into pressure cooker with water and sugar.  

Cover with lid, set pressure to High for 10 minutes.

Using an immersion blender, food mill, or blender blend the apples to your desired consistency.

I Will Post Recipe's Again!

Remember how I mentioned my van was in a hit and run?  It has been a roller coaster two weeks.   I have been cooking and photographing my efforts but my mind has been else where what with complying with our insurance company and then finally learning our van was deemed a total loss.  My heart and brain are just really having trouble focusing with this loss taking center stage in my life right now.  Cooking is still my way to cope, creating new recipes really has worked wonders as a means of constructive therapy.  I'm working on finding time to post my foodie adventures.  Of course filling over 90% (mostly photographs) of my hard drive has slowed my computer down and that it is dying (complications of a rough relationship with my children) isn't helping matters.  We have been having blizzard after blizzard these past few weeks which makes shopping difficult without a vehicle.  My list of excuses is so strange and very uncharacteristic of what my life is usually like.  Our van in a hit and run, my computer malfunctioning, and blizzards weekly.  This to shall pass, right?  I mean really, how often does the Bermuda Tragedy Triangle take place in a person's life?  I see hope, and you will see recipes and posts soon, I promise!