Brittany's Pantry
Yesterday, we surprised our best friends with an evening out while we babysat their kids. And what kids don’t like spaghetti and meatballs?! The sauce was a quick concoction of generic jarred sauces I had in the pantry, doctored up with fresh herbs, fresh garlic, and always a pinch of sugar. Store bought sauce is always so acidic, don’t you think? I keep these on hand for times when the thought of making homemade marinara sends me running for the hills. Don’t get me wrong! I LOVE to make and freeze sauce for later use, but my freezer was empty and my time was short. I did, however, make the meatballs myself. So easy. So quick. And SO GOOD for you! I have made these meatballs many times and am always astounded by how great they taste. A traditional Italian meatball they are not. But they are perfect to feed my growing family. I highly recommend making a double batch and after they come out of the oven, cool to room temperature, and freeze the extras in a Ziploc bag. I kept these on hand to zap quick in the microwave and break up into chunks for my toddlers lunch. Savory, tender, and healthy.
The recipe is by Ellie Krieger. She is a nutritionist with two great cookbooks, a contributor to the Today Show, a star on the Food Network, and a busy mom. I am a dedicated follower, as I like to make healthy food for my family but am not a fan of tasteless, fat free fare. This meatball recipe is from her first book The Food You Crave, which is crammed full of food I make all the time. Mmm. I think I’ll head to the kitchen for leftovers…
Turkey Meatballs
1 lb lean ground turkey
1 slice whole-wheat bread, pulsed to crumbs in the food processor
1/4 c freshly grated Parmesan
1/2 c finely grated carrot
1/2 c minced onion
2 large cloves of garlic, minced
2 T finely chopped parsley
2 tsp finely chopped fresh thyme
1 large egg
1/2 tsp salt
fresh pepper
Preheat broiler. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Mix all ing. in a large bowl just until combined. Form into balls the size of a golf ball and place on the baking sheet. Broil until browned and cooked through, 10-15 minutes.
At the moment it is pouring.
If that lets up, I will be making grilled chicken for dinner tonight. Of course, being a true Minnesotan, we can most certainly grill in the rain-or sleet or snow or 30 below temp or a blizzard for that matter, but right now it is raining so hard that I can’t see across my lawn. Not the best weather to light a fire! Assuming that the monsoon doesn’t last for the next 4 hrs, I am going to make this chicken. The flavor is out. of. this. world. It is adapted from Weber’s Big Book Of Grilling and this cookbook is kind of invaluable in the summer months.
3 Lemon Chicken
Adapted from Weber
1 head of roasted garlic
zest of 2 lemons
1 T fresh lemon juice
2 tsp freshly chopped rosemary
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
Basic Wheat Bread & My First Posting
Brittany wrote this on 19 July 2010
honey, wheat germ, whole wheat flour, yeast, yogurt
Welcome!
O.K. Its official. I started a blog. And, may I add, that I did it all by myself. The appearance may change over time as I figure out what all the computer jargin means, (Figure out? Who are we kidding. I’ll ask my husband.) but until then, this is what ya get!
The subject? My favorite thing to talk about, after my family. Food. Glorious food. My heart beats a little faster just thinking about it!
For those of you that don’t know me well, I like to cook. A lot. And after several bouts of good natured pestering, I have started this blog to talk about what I am cooking. I will post recipes as time allows-I have two children and it IS summer-and will try to keep the culinary chit chat interesting.
So my first recipe is one that I get requests for the most. It is the basic wheat bread that I make all the time and try to keep loaves of stocked in my freezer. Its my own creation, but as with all recipes, feel free to change what you like.
Basic Wheat Bread-for a bread machine
This recipe makes a 2lb loaf. Use the basic wheat bread setting. If making the bread on the rapid cycle, increase the yeast to 1 T. All bread machines seem to be pretty reliable and I use mine all the time. It is an incredible time saver and who ever regretted making homemade bread? No one! If you are in the market, give this version a try. It works well for our family.
Note: This recipe has been adjusted since the original post date. 5/31/11
Place all ing. in the bread machine in the order given. If your bread machine loads with all the wet ing. on the bottom, just flip flop the order.
2 c bread flour
2 c white whole wheat flour
3 T wheat germ
2 T ground flax, optional
1 tsp salt
1 c fat free or low fat plain yogurt
2/3 c water
3 T canola oil
3 T honey or maple syrup
2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
Note: White whole wheat flour is milled from white whole wheat, instead of the traditional red wheat. As a result it has all the nutritional benefits of regular whole wheat flour, but is lighter in flavor and texture. You can use it in all your recipes that ask for whole wheat flour, but they wont be as heavy or grainy. King Aurthur makes a great one. Its also really easy to sneak it into cookies or baked goods. Replace half of your regular flour with white whole wheat, and your kids will probably never know the difference. Happy baking!
Love a Good Recipe?
Then you’ve come to the right place! I’m Brittany, and I share tested, trusted recipes you’ll love. I prepare & photograph food, obsess over the perfect recipe, and enjoy grins of delight when I serve up something awesome. Enjoy!
