Remember me?

No?  Well, my name is Sheri and I blog here on Homemade Served Here.  Except you wouldn't likely know that since I've been neglecting the actual writing of blog posts lately.  See, I'm in full wedding planning mode here and although I love, no, adore, all things planning related, something has to give.  There are only so many hours in the day, try as I may to fit more and more in, and I think most days I have reached my limit.  But today I decided I was writing a blog post no matter what happened.  And here I am.  Writing.  But feeling a bit distracted.  Bear with me, I'm trying here.

So, in the weeks since my last post I have wedding planning central.

I sampled wedding cakes, decided to make the wedding cake myself, and subjected my friends and family to unsolicitated cake donations.  I mean seriously...$4.50 a person for a plain wedding cake?  No decorations.  :(  I can do an all organic cake for way, way less than that and feel good about what I'm serving.  I even know how to do cake decorating.  So there, overpriced crazy baker lady.  I mean seriously, you put the word wedding into anything and it doubles, even triples in price.

I saw these hydrangeas while shopping at Wegman's and was encouraged that we could get some beautiful hydrangeas for the wedding for a good price...well, until I talked to their floral manager.  What a jerk.  And I'll leave it at that.  I sent Corporate a letter and have heard nothing.  I guess as much as I like Wegman's, I may have to find somewhere else to shop.

I know that we will make it all work, on time and on budget, for my daughter's wedding and my planner pages are full of lots of plans, ideas and to do lists.  I mean, we've got the place, the official, and the two people in love who want to get married.  Everything else is icing on the cake.  Yeah.  I did that.  Sorry.  :)

I also have been trying my hand at decorating.  Here's my first hydrangea attempt at a cupcake.  Not bad with the tip I had on hand and making my own icing.  I'm off to the craft store this week to see what I can learn about making sugar flowers.  I think that plus some fancy piping might suit our theme better.  But this is definitely on tap for the shower cake! 

In the midst of all of this, I've been working at hard at limiting our take out even when it's tempting and I'm tired from working, wedding planning and still fitting my running in.  We're doing really well in that area!  I've made some tasty stuff lately.  And I'm still making time to hang out with my friends...tonight is a "Girls Night In" and I made a few things to share.  Crab dip (one of my specialties even though I don't eat crab anymore), a quinoa salad I found on a new blog I discovered, Pumps & Iron, and a Gluten Free Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips.  Yummy!!



So, please, please, don't hate me for being so busy that I've neglected the blog.  I'm here and I'm trying.  :)

Sheri

Whole Wheat Bread Overhauled

When you make several loaves of bread a week sometimes it becomes old hat, just the same old, same old.  But, then, you see something that makes you want to do something different.  Just to see what happens.  That was what happened when Rachel from healthy.natural.easy.ish posted about her Whole Wheat Bread recipe.  With cream cheese and orange juice in the mix I just had to try it but how?  Cream cheese is is NO way vegan.  And not really something I use much anymore anyway so I brainstormed with and without Rachel about some sub ideas.  I had settled on soy yogurt but last night I had a portrait session and a 5 mile run scheduled and did NOT make time to get to the store.  So, as I was laying in bed this morning going through my "to-do" list, I remembered I had tofu in the fridge.  I wondered....I thought....I decided.  Tofu it was. I love tofu.  A lot.  So it makes sense to throw it into the mix whenever I can!  The versatility is amazing.

After a few delays (I had to actually grind some wheat first) I set to work.  I subbed the cream cheese for some crumbled firm tofu and I added about 1 tablespoon of gluten, just because my wheat was so fresh and I knew it might need some help.  I was rewarded with a seriously awesome whole wheat bread.  I know the hubby is going to love it and the boy might even like it too!



I couldn't wait to try this bread.  The crust was super soft right out of the oven, and my usual recipe is very crusty and softens as it cools.  This recipe might just be my new favorite whole wheat bread!! I think it would make some super soft rolls too!

If you get a chance, check out healthy.natural.easy.ish and tell Rachel that Homemade Served Here sent you!  :)  She has some awesome recipes over there and it's one of my favorite places to visit!

Sheri

 

A Whole Wheat Bread that we love...finally!

I have been on a mission ever since I started making bread...to find a whole wheat recipe that wasn't too dense, was mostly fresh ground and that actually would rise a bit.  And I think I finally, finally did it!!!

I made two loaves of bread yesterday just experimenting.  The first was a colossal failure and we now enough whole wheat breadcrumbs to last us for quite awhile.  But the second loaf?  True perfection.  I was in awe of how beautiful the loaf was as I started to cut it.  And inside was just as nice.  Perfect texture!  I couldn't wait to make another loaf and make sure it wasn't a fluke. It wasn't!!!  I can't convey through this post just how happy I was.  What a nice loaf of bread....



So, would you like me to share this awesome recipe I have come up with?  Yes?  Ok, here goes..

Ingredients

1 1/2 c hot water

2 3/4 c whole wheat flour

1 c bread flour

1 T salt

2 T butter, melted

3 T honey

1 T gluten

3 t instant yeast

I used my Z bread machine on the dough cycle, put all of the ingredients in the order suggested - wet first, then flour and then yeast on top - and started the machine.  After the first rise, the cycle was over so I put the dough into a loaf pan for the second rise in a warm spot of the kitchen.  Once it was about an inch over the pan, about 35 minutes later, I put it into the oven preheated to 375 for about 25 minutes.  I watched it carefully for the final few minutes to be sure it didn't burn since it was the first time.  I tapped on it to be sure it sounded hollow before taking it out to rest.

And then, I just enjoyed it!