Waffle Showdown Part 1: Whole Grain Waffles

Whole grains.

I'm trying, I really am.

I think we need to compromise.

Oatmeal, popcorn, a scoop of flaxseed or wheat germ here and there are all great.

But replacing all purpose flour with whole wheat flour is totally different territory. Generally, I've done it in moderation. Instead of 2 c of all purpose flour, we use 1 c all purpose and 1 c whole wheat.

I'm happy with that.

So I crossed the line last night and made whole grain waffles. I LOVE Kashi whole grain waffles, so I was hoping for something similar. I used a recipe with great ratings.

VERDICT:

Cost: Home

Convenience: Store

Taste: Store

Health: Home

Overall:

Kashi wins. There's a reason they hire professionals to make whole grains taste good. These homemade waffles were light and airy, but tasted like cardboard. I even tried adding cinnamon and diced apples. I ate a couple and threw the rest away. Maybe I did something wrong? If I ever feel adventurous and try this recipe again, I'd take out some of the flaxseed. The recipe had great reviews, so try at your own risk. Otherwise we have our first store-made winner: Kashi waffles!

(Note: I put chocolate chips in Anna's waffle - she ate it without hesitation. But lately she's a bottomless pit. I'm not sure she tastes food anymore.)

Whole Grain Waffles (12 squares waffles, 15 min)

2 eggs, beaten

1 3/4 c milk

1/4 c canola oil

1/4 c unsweetened applesauce

1 tsp vanilla

1 c whole wheat flour

1/2 c flax seed meal

1/4 c wheat germ

1/4 c all-purpose flour

4 tsp baking powder

1 TB sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1. Whisk together eggs, milk, oil, applesauce, and vanilla.

2. Add remaining ingredients. Beat until smooth.

3. Preheat waffle iron. Spray with nonstick cooking spray. Pour in batter. Cook until crisp and brown.

My inspiration

Pizza Crust

1,000 frozen pizzas.

That's a lot of pizza.

That's also a conservative estimate of how many my husband has eaten.

Now he's limited to 5 each month. I hit the 5/$11 deal at Woodmans and when they're gone, they're gone.

I'm a mean wife.

But I do make homemade pizza. I'm eternally searching for the perfect pizza crust. Great taste, little effort.

This recipe made 2 pizzas for us. The first night I thought the crust was just okay. The second night I liked it a lot.

Maybe I was just hungry, but it's worth a try.

VERDICT:

Cost: Home

Convenience: Store

Taste: Home

Health: Home

Overall:

Homemade wins every time in my world. Storemade wins in my husband's world. But he's an addict. I liked the ease of using the bread machine (you can make it by hand, too). The crust rolled out easily. I baked it on a pizza stone, and the edges had the perfect crisp. The honey gave it a subtle sweetness, which I liked more than traditional recipes with sugar. I'll definitely make it again, but I'm still searching for a homemade recipe that my husband will like more than frozen.

Mitch's Basic Pizza Dough (2 medium pizzas, 2 hours total)

3 1/2 c flour

1 c warm water

2 TB yeast

2 TB honey

1/4 c olive oil

1/2 tsp salt

1. Pour water, honey, and olive oil into bread pan.

2. Add flour and salt.

3. Make a well in the flour. Pour yeast into well.

4. Snap pan into bread machine, select Dough setting, and push Start! (1 1/2 hours)

5. Roll out crust on floured surface. Poke holes in it with a fork to prevent bubbles. Add sauce, cheese, and desired toppings.

6. Cook at 400 for 15-20 minutes.

Notes:

*Can be made by hand - see link below

Today's Bread Machine Lesson:

Pay attention. Otherwise you might end up dumping honey into the actual bread machine rather than the bread pan. This will make a huge, sticky mess and add an extra 20 minutes.

(yes, I did that)

My inspiration

Cinnamon Sugar

They sell this!

I've always made my own.

And ended up with a ginormous amount because I couldn't get the ratio right.

So today I looked it up. And figured I'd blog about it so I could remember it next time.

VERDICT:

Use homemade. It's cheaper, period.

Cinnamon Sugar (1 old spice container-full, 2 min)

1/2 c white sugar

1 1/2 TB cinnamon

MIX.

** 5/22 Update: We prefer our cinnamon sugar to be a bit more "cinnamon-y", so I use closer to 2 TB of cinnamon.

IHOP Pancakes

Living in one of the most segregated cities in the U.S., there are 2 places where you'll find an equal mix of people.

IHOP and Walmart.

Nothing like good deals and pancakes to bring the world together.

It's amazing that people gladly pay about $3.99 for 3 pancakes which cost pennies to make.

Not that I have anything against IHOP. I just know that for my family of 4 to eat there, it's going to end up costing us close to twenty bucks.

These homemade pancakes really do taste like IHOP pancakes. (But I won't vouch for them having any nutritional value.)

VERDICT:

Cost: Home

Convenience: Home

Taste: Equal

Health: Store (only because you'll eat fewer in the store than at home!)

Overall:

Homemade wins. I can make these in less time than it would take the waitress to serve us. It's a two-step recipe, which always appeals to me. My family devours a whole batch in record time. I don't make them regularly since they're not too healthy, but they are a good treat on a Saturday morning.

IHOP Pancakes (about 20 pancakes, 15 min)

1 c flour

1/4 c sugar

1 tsp baking soda

1 heaping tsp baking powder

1 c milk

1/4 c oil

1 egg

1. Combine dry ingredients.

2. In separate bowl, whisk together milk, oil, and egg. Slowly whisk together dry and wet ingredients until combined. Do not overmix. Batter should be slightly lumpy.

3. Heat skillet to 375. Pour 1/4 c batter onto skillet. Flip pancake when edges are brown and batter is bubbly.

Notes:

*Use a nonstick skillet or griddle. Do not grease it. If you grease it, the pancakes will not look like IHOP pancakes.

*Great with chocolate chips

Spanish Rice

Spanish rice or Mexican rice?

What's the difference?

IS there a difference?

After spending 15 minutes on Google, I gave up. Everyone has a different opinion. The most educated-sounding answer was that true Spanish rice contains saffron and Mexican rice contains cumin.

That came from Yahoo! Answers, so don't quote me on that.

But it sounded smart.

Anyways, here's some great Spanish rice.

Or should it be Mexican rice?

VERDICT:

Cost: Home

Convenience: Store

Taste: Home

Health: Home

Overall:

Homemade wins again. Browning the rice keeps it from becoming a mushy mess. Chicken broth adds SO much flavor. This is such a quick and easy recipe. I'm a Rice-A-Roni lover, but I think I have to concede to the homemade side. Aside from chopping the onion and pepper, it takes the same amount of time as Rice-A-Roni...plus it's minus all the random ingredients like MSG in Rice-A-Roni. Two thumbs up here. (Andy won't touch any form of rice, crazy man.)

Spanish Rice (4 LARGE servings, 30 minutes)

2 TB oil

1 c uncooked white rice

1 onion, chopped

1/2 green bell pepper, chopped

2 c chicken broth or stock

1 10 oz can diced tomatoes and green chilis (do not drain)

1 tsp chili powder, to taste

1/2 tsp salt

Dash cumin, to taste

1. Heat oil in nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Saute rice, onion, and pepper until rice is brown.

2. Stir in broth and tomatoes. Add chili powder, salt, and cumin.

3. Cover and simmer 20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Stir occasionally. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.

Notes:

*You can replace the broth with water, but I view the broth as the "magic ingredient".

*Rumor is that brown rice or minute rice can be used. Just adjust the cooking time.

*I keep chopped green pepper frozen, so I just toss in a handful.

My inspiration

Flour Tortillas

I love tortillas. I use them to make tacos, quesadillas, fajitas, and the occasional experiment. I hide them behind the flour at home.

No one in my family would eat them plain, so I'm not sure why I hide them, but I do.

How often do I eat them plain?

Never, until today.

I'm not big on recipes that require time to rise or "rest". Having two kids means nothing ever gets done as planned. So I need kid-proof recipes if I'm going to make it more than once. This recipe fits the bill.

Don't worry too much about the timing. I messed it up. The first rest was too short, the second one too long.

Anna spilled apple juice on my kneading surface. And I didn't realize it till I was half done kneading. And they still turned out good.

(Note: These are slightly thicker tortillas. From what I can tell, true Mexican tortillas are thin and true Texan tortillas are thicker.)

VERDICT:

Cost: Home

Convenience: Store

Taste: Home

Health: Home

Overall:

Homemade wins. They tasted so much more "authentic" and enhanced the flavor of the rest of the food. However, these tortillas are best used for Mexican meals like tacos. They did not work as well for quesadillas since they are thicker and seemed to burn before the contents fully melted. The first time I made these tortillas it took me awhile. After a few more tries, I think I could do it quite quickly. I'll definitely be making these regularly - if I remember to start them an hour before the meal.

Texan Flour Tortillas (makes 8, 50 min)

2 c all purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

2 tsp oil

3/4 c warm milk

1. Combine dry ingredients. Add oil. Mix.

2. Add warm milk slowly and mix until ball forms.

3. Knead for 2 minutes on floured surface.

4. Place dough in bowl, cover with damp towel or plastic wrap, and let rest for 20 min.

5. Break dough off and roll into 8 balls. Place balls on a plate, not touching. Cover with damp towel or plastic wrap for 10 min.

6. One at a time, place balls on floured surface. Press into 4-inch circles with your fingers. Then use a rolling pin to roll into 8 inch circles. Keep tortillas covered until ready to cook.

7. Heat iron skillet on high. Cook tortilla about 30 seconds on each side. It should start to puff when it's done.

Keep tortillas wrapped in napkins or in ziploc bag until ready to eat.

Notes:

*You can heat milk on the stove. Or to save time, money, and dishes, just add warm water to powdered milk.

*If your dough is too elastic, you didn't let it rest long enough. I left my balls rest for 45 minutes instead of 10 while we went outside. They turned out just fine.

*Can be stored in refrigerator for a couple days

My inspiration

Whole wheat tortillas soon to come...

Granola Bars

Aaah, granola bars. The magical treat. Perfect for church, in the car, shopping, or any other time I need Anna to be quiet.

For awhile we were going through 2 boxes each week.

I guess I needed a lot of quiet.

So then I tried making my own.

And I discovered the power of sprinkles. Anything gets eaten if I put sprinkles on it.

VERDICT:
Cost: Home
Convenience: Store

Taste: Not really comparable, as they're quite different
Health: Home
Overall:
We only go through one box a week now. Andy still prefers storemade chocolate chip bars, but Anna and I love these ones. They are softer and more "cakey" than store-made granola bars, so you're not going to find the same texture. But for the ease and nutrition, I'll eat them any day. And the recipe is idiot-proof. I've modified it almost every time I've used it. Seriously, you can't mess it up. They taste best made as written, but whole wheat flour and applesauce make it more nutritious.

However, when nostalgia hits, there's nothing like a classic Quaker granola bar to bring me back to freshman year of high school.

But don't forget to add the sprinkles.

Leftover Christmas ones are best.

Granola Bars (about 12 bars, 30 min)

2 c quick oats
1/2 c packed brown sugar
1/2 c wheat germ
1 c all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 c honey
1 egg, beaten
1/2 c vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla

1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease 9x13 pan.
2. Mix dry ingredients.
3. Make a well in the center. Pour in remaining ingredients. Mix well.
4. Pat mixture into pan. Use about 3/4 of the pan. The mix won't expand, so you don't want it too thin.
5. Bake 18-22 minutes or until edges turn golden brown. Cool 5 minutes. Cut while still warm.

** 5/22 Update: Bake these in a glass pan. They take about 25 min to cook, but are softer. They are also perfect for a 8X11 pan.

Optional Substitutions
Whole wheat flour for all-purpose flour
Applesauce for oil
Rolled oats for quick oats
Add raisins, chocolate chips, craisins, sprinkles, etc.

My inspiration