recipes- intro

for the next little while i am going to be posting about how to make everything from scratch with the items i have in my food storage. they are not in any particular order =o]

Garlic Herb Croutons
when you make your bread from scratch, you will find that it goes stale more quickly since it doesn't contain preservatives. this is a great way to use stale bread! or yeast bread that wasn't quite "successful" in texture ;o]

4 T olive oil, butter, or combination
4 cloves of garlic, peeled (i use already diced garlic in a jar)
4-6 thick slices any bread, cut into cubes
salt and herbs to taste
place the olive oil in a large skillet and turn the heat to medium-low. add the garlic and cook, turning occasionally until lightly browned. remove and reserve for another use or toss it. (i just leave the diced garlic in since it is so small.) turn heat to medium and cook the bread in the oil, turning occasionally, until brown all over. turn off the heat and sprinkle with salt and herbs of your choice. store in a covered container at room temperature for up to one week.
i eat at least a handful of these right out of the pan- they are that good!!!

cracked wheat cereal

there are so many variations of this! put anything it in you have =o] here is the basic recipe for one serving:

1 generous cup of water

1/2 scant cup cracked wheat (grind the wheat on a coarse setting so it's not like flour =o])

a pinch of salt

boil the water and salt in a small pot on high heat. stir in the wheat and continue stirring until it just returns to a boil. cover and reduce heat to low. simmer for about 10 minutes. remove from heat and add anything from butter and maple syrup to milk, chopped apples and brown sugar. my current favorite is a splash of milk, raisins and coconut!  

boiling

simmering

when it is done it will look much like rice with steam holes

yum! caleb always asks me for bites =o]



one of many bread recipes i have tried recently:

http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/no-knead-100-whole-wheat-bread-recipe

this one really was good, but it went stale pretty quickly. which is why i think the recipe only makes one loaf- it's like they knew it wouldn't store well. so, totally worth it if you are going to eat it within a couple days. and if you are the type who doesn't like to knead your bread. i LOVE the kneading part! it is theraputic =o]

another good old favorite is the one my mom always used to make, which i posted earlier in my three month supply post.

have fun! 'til next week!