The past 6 weeks have been a challenge. I started having horrible headaches, then got sick with a sinus infection, went in to preterm labor that landed me in the hospital for a week and now I am on bed rest for three weeks. Phew! This is a good time for me to catch up on my blogging – and I have about five or six posts that I need to do : ) So here is the first of a string of many.
Greasy Tacos
Mmmm, mmmm, good! My mom would make tacos when we were young and I always loved them. She would lightly fry corn tortillas and we would stuff ‘em the way we liked them. That was how I knew tacos. I have never been a fan of hard taco shells for several reasons (that I won’t go into now), so now that I’m all grown up and married I make greasy tacos, too!
My Mother told me she also grew up on greasy tacos, too, thanks to her Father who happens to be from Mexico. I wonder if that is why I also grew up eating a lot of beans! Chime in on this discussion, Mom.
I use a small cast iron skillet, lightly oiled, to fry the corn tortillas for about 60 seconds on each side. Once I flip the tortilla once I add cheese and allow it to get all gooey and melted. I place the tortillas on paper towels to soak up excess oil then top with whatever I like. So good. You need to try it. I promise you that you will not be disappointed.
Five years ago I was taught how to (properly) make whole wheat bread. And when I say whole wheat bread I mean not using a drop of white flour. I had attempted whole wheat a few times many, many years ago and ended up with wheat bricks. My next attempt was the type of whole wheat bread recipe that used half white flour. And that just does not count.
So here it is, a mouthwatering picture of my whole wheat bread (that I can eat now that I’m over most of my preggie sickness – finally!) and the recipe for you to try:
Ingredients:
- 6 cups whole wheat flour
- 1/3 cup gluten flour
- 1 ¼ Tbsp active dry yeast
- 2 ½ cups hot water
- 2/3 cup honey (may use 1/3 also, but the more the better)
- 1/3 cup oil
- 1 ¼ Tbsp lemon juice (enhances dough)
- 1 Tbsp salt
Tips: follow the directions exactly. Gluten flour needs to be refrigerated to keep freshness.
Directions:
- Grease 2 bread pans using non-stick cooking spray.
- Combine 3 cups of wheat flour, gluten, yeast and warm water. Mix for 1 minute. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes.
- Add salt, oil, honey and lemon juice. Mix for 1 minute. Add remaining flour, 1 cup at a time.
- Mix for 10 minutes. While dough is mixing, turn oven to warm (200 degrees).
- Turn oven off when dough is done mixing.
- Place dough on greased counter. Divide to make loaves and place in greased pans.
- Place pans in warm oven and let rise (double in size, about 30 – 40 minutes).
- Bake on 350 degrees for 20 – 30 minutes or until tops have browned.
*optional: brush butter on top of baked loaves as soon as you take out of the oven. Not only does it add flavor but it keeps the tops soft and not hard and crunchy. Spray butter works well too (that is what I use – no fat, but all the flavor).
WHEN I KNOW IT’S TIME FOR A HAIR CHOP
Sometimes long hair gets in my way when I sleep; it gets CAUGHT UNDER MY ARMS, it’s in my husband’s face, it it’s in a ponytail or in a tight bun, but then it’s annoying when I lay on the pillow and there is a LARGE BUMP in my way.
When a PONYTAIL becomes my everyday ‘do’ and having it down is annoying then it’s time for the scissors to pay a visit and do some snipping.
Using a flat iron on extremely long hair is time consuming, and I didn’t want my time consumed by my hair.
And when my hair is CURLY I can’t brush through it without ripping out half of it.
Because of the large amount of time I have spent swimming my ends got dry, brittle and turned a different color than my roots. Ew. I hate that.
My husband can’t play with long, tangled hair. Not fun for HIM. Not fun for ME.
I go through this about every two years. I grow my hair out and keep it that way for a couple of years then chop it. This time I said goodbye to 10 inches and it feels so good 
Where have I been? Since everyone has been asking, I’ll tell you: making bread while I bake my bun. Three two-loaf batches in 10 days, that is. I even went to a friend’s house and taught her how to make bread and after it was done she said “I love you and I hate you”. I understand. It’s a great skill but then if you are anything like me you’ll eat it all. Really. Fast.
So here is my bread along with a recipe that you can try. Oh, I must not forget to add the Raspberry Jam that everyone has been asking me about, too. Good stuff. Bon appetit!
Traditional White Bread
Ingredients
- 2 cups warm water
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons active dry yeast
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 6 cups bread flour
Directions
- In a large bowl, dissolve the sugar in warm water, and then stir in yeast. Allow to proof for 5-7 minutes, or until yeast is a creamy and foamy.
- Add salt and oil into the yeast.
- Mix in flour one cup at a time until flour in fully incorporated and dough is smooth.
- Place in a well oiled bowl. Cover bowl with a cloth & allow to rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
Remove and punch the dough down into the bowl. - Divide the dough in half, shaping one piece at a time into loaves and placing into well oiled 9×5 loaf pans.
- Allow to rise for 40 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes.
- Remove pans from the oven and brush with butter. Remove from pans and cool on a cooling rack.
Raspberry Butter
(original recipe from AllRecipes.com)
Ingredients
- 1 stick butter, room temperature
- 4 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons raspberry jam/preserves
Directions
Mix all ingredients. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve.
