Maple Bacon Cornbread Muffins

Maple Bacon Cornbread Muffins (yields 1 dozen)
1 1/2 c. corn meal
1 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1/4 c. spent grain
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
4 strips bacon, cooked and chopped

2/3 c. yogurt
1 tsp. baking soda
2/3 c. maple syrup
1 stick butter, melted
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 400F.  Prepare muffin cups, either lining them with paper cups or greasing the pan.

In a large bowl, mix the dry ingredients and bacon.  In another bowl, mix the wet ingredients.  Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients - just until combined.  Spoon batter evenly into the prepared cups.  Bake at 400F for 18 minutes.

Enjoy!

Applesauce Bread

This bread is a hit! Whether you make your own applesauce or have some on hand, this bread is sure to be a favorite. Adapted from blondenblue1.

Applesauce Bread (yields 1 loaf)
1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. spent grain flour
1 1/3 c. brown sugar, packed
2 tsp. cinnamon, ground
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. nutmeg, grated
1/2 tsp. salt

1 c. applesauce
1/4 c. water
1/4 c. vegetable oil
1 1/2 tsp. apple cider vinegar

Preheat oven to 350F.  Grease a 9x5" loaf pan and set aside.

Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl. 

Mix wet ingredients in a medium bowl.

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix just until moistened. 

Pour contents into prepared pan and bake in heated oven for 50-60 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center of loaf comes out clean. 

Cool in loaf pan for 15 minutes.  Transfer bread to wire rack and cool completely.

Enjoy!

Pita Bread

 

In the mood for some Greek tonight and need some pitas?  This recipe is for you.  It takes some time from start to finish because of the rise time, but it is well worth the wait.  This recipe is a spent grain version of basic pita recipe. 

Pita Bread (yields:  10-12 pitas)
1/4 oz. of active dry yeast
1/2 c. warm water
1 tsp. white sugar

2 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
3/4 c. spent grain flour
1 1/4 tsp. salt

1 c. warm water


In a small bowl, mix yeast and 1/2 cup of warm water.  Add sugar and stir till sugar is dissolved.  Set aside for 5-10 minutes or until yeast water is frothy.

In a large bowl, combine flours and salt.  Make a well in center and add the yeast water.  Add the remaining cup of warm water as well.  Mix with a wooden spoon till well combined and elastic. 

If you like doing things by hand, knead on a flour surface for 15-20 minutes or dough is smooth and elastic.  I'm going to skip this part and make use of my stand mixer. 

Transfer the dough to the stand mixer bowl.  Make sure your mixer is attached with the dough hook.  Mix on low speed.  Every minute or so, check the dough.  You probably need to add some more flour to it (the hand method is working additional flour into the dough).  Keep doing this till the dough no longer sticks on the bottom of the bowl, BUT do this in increments of a few tablespoons or so - checking every minute or so on the dough.  For this particular batch, I ended up adding 6 heaping tablespoons of flour and took about 10 minutes of kneading in the stand mixer.

Coat a clean large bowl with oil.  Add the dough ball, turning once to coat.  Cover with a clean towel and let rise in a warm place for a few hours, or until doubled in size.  For me, this only took a little over one hour.

 

Once dough has doubled, roll out into a log.  Divide dough into 10-12 equal pieces.  Shape each piece into a ball and let rest for about 10 minutes.  Move oven rack to lowest position.  Heat oven to 500F.

On a lightly floured surface, roll each ball out into a circle approximately 6" in diameter.  Place on a baking sheet.  Bake in heated oven for 4 minutes or until puffy; turn pitas over using a spatula and bake for another 2 minutes.  Remove from oven and transfer baked pitas to a plate to cool for 1 minute.  Repeat process with remaining unbaked pitas.  After pitas have cooled for a minute or so, transfer them to a plastic storage bag.  Pitas can be stored in the bag for about a week at room temperature; or use in the freezer for up to a month.

Enjoy!

Maple Wheat

This brew is so delish! My hubby thinks it is the best brew yet that we've done.

Maple Wheat (yields 5 gallons):
3.5 lbs wheat malt
3 lbs 2-row
5 lbs wheat DME
8 oz. maple syrup*
1.5 oz. Willamette
0.5 oz Willamette
1 tsp. Irish moss
Bavarian wheat yeast (dry)

Mash wheat malt and 2-row at 150F for 90 minutes.  Sparge grains with 150F water into boil pot.

Bring to boil.  Remove from heat.  Add wheat DME, maple syrup, and 1.5 oz Willamette hops.  Add water if necessary to bring mixture up to 3 gallons.  Boil for 45 minuites.

Add 0.5 oz Willamette hop and Irish moss.  Boil for 15 minutes.

Remove from heat and let cool for 15-20 minutes.

Strain the wort into fermenter and add cold water to obtain just over 5 gallons. 

When wort reaches a temperature of 70F or less, pitch yeast.

I keg directly and do not do a secondary ferment.

OG: 1.081
FG:  1.012

*Make sure the maple syrup is 100% pure

Enjoy!

Texas Bacon Cheeseburgers

Sometimes you just want a burger.  Last night was one of those nights.  I tweaked this recipe from a Rachael Ray burger recipe.

Texas Bacon Cheeseburgers (yields 4-6 burgers)
1 lb. ground turkey
1/2 lb. ground pork

4-6 slices of bacon, cut in half (a slice for each burger)
2-3 slices of bacon, finely chopped

1/2 sm. onion, finely chopped
1 chili, finely chopped*
4 cloves garlic, grated

1/2 tbsp. ground cumin
1/2 tbsp. ground coriander
1 tbsp. paprika
1 tsp. oregano

4-6 slices of cheese (cheddar, pepper jack, etc.)

4-6 spent grain buns

*Use more chilies depending on how much heat you want in your burgers

Preheat oven to 375F.
Take the 1/2 slices of bacon and lay them across a wire rack on top of a rimmed baking sheet.  In 375F oven, bake slices of bacon till crisp; about 12-15 minutes. 

Cook the shredded bacon in a skillet till crisp.  Remove bacon to paper towel.  In drippings still in pan, cook the onion, chili and garlic for about 3-5 minutes over medium-high heat.

In a medium bowl, combine ground turkey, ground pork, finely chopped bacon, onion mixture, and spices.  Mix well. 

Make and shape 4-6 even patties.  The number of burgers really depends on how big you want them and of course, how many mouths you're feeding.

I like to bake my burgers, but you could just as easily cook them on the stove top or on a grill.  For the oven method, I lay the patties on a wire rack inside of a rimmed baking sheet and cook them for about 20-40 minutes (depending on their size and how well I want the meat cooked) in a 350F oven.  For stove top, heat skillet or griddle or grill over medium-high heat.  Add patties and cook 8-12 minutes, turning once until they have reached desired doneness.  For any method, add slices of cheese the last minute or two of cooking.

Dress your burgers with bacon and veggies.  I like to use a kicked up ketchup.  To make a kicked-up ketchup, in a small saucepan, heat up about 1/2 cup - 1 cup of ketchup (the amount depends on how many of those burgers will have some).  Add about a tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce and cider vinegar, and a dash to a teaspoon full of ground cayenne pepper (depending on how hot you want it).

Enjoy.

Witbier Kale Soup

I love to make soup with kale.  This soup is delish and jam packed with veggies.  It has to be one of my favorite kale soups yet!

Witbier Kale Soup (yields 6-8 servings)
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. butter
1 lg. onion, finely chopped
2 med. carrots, shredded
4 cloves garlic, grated
8 oz. witbier (or any other that you'd prefer)
 
2 bay leaves1 tbsp. paprika
dash of cayenne pepper
salt & pepper

6 c. chicken stock

2 med. potatoes, peeled and diced1 lg. tomato, diced1 bunch of kale, leaves ripped from stems and finely chopped
1 can cannellini beans, rinsed & drained
1 tbsp. olive oil
3 mild Italian sausages, sliced

Heat oil in a stockpot over medium heat.  Add onions, carrots and garlic.  Add butter.  Cook till onions become translucent. 

Turn heat up to medium-high.  Add beer and let reduce; about 10-15 minutes.  I used a Hitachino Nest clone and only used 8 oz of beer, but I feel that you could easily use an entire bottle (12 oz). 

Add bay leaves, paprika, and cayenne pepper.  Mix well.  Add stock.  Add potatoes, tomato, kale and beans.  Continue to heat till mixture comes to a boil, then turn the heat down to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

Meanwhile, heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Cook sausages until brown and no longer pink.  Drain excess fat.

Remove 2 cups of soup and transfer to a blender or food processor.  Pulse till mixture is smooth.  Mix in to the remaining soup along with the cooked sausages.

You could serve the soup now, or if it may be a little bit before dinner is served, transfer soup to a crockpot and keep it on low till it is time to eat.

Enjoy.

Orange Marmalade Cookies

I love these! I mean this week was the first time that I ever made them, but I really like them. The icing is awesome too! For these delightful cookies, I tweaked another orange marmalade cookie recipe.

Orange Marmalade Cookies (yields 3-4 dozen)
2 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
3/4 c. spent grain flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. butter, softened
1 c. sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1 c. orange marmalade

ICING:
3 tbsp. butter, softened
3 c. powdered sugar
1/4 c. orange juice
1 tsp. orange zest
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. lemon zest

Preheat oven to 300F.

Beat butter on low speed in a stand mixer and add sugar until creamy.  Add eggs and mix well.

Meanwhile, in a seperate bowl, mix together the dry ingredients.  Add in increments into the mixer bowl.  Add marmalade and mix well.

Drop cookie dough by the rounded teaspoon onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

Bake in a preheated oven for 9 minutes.  Rotate 180F and bake 9 minutes longer until lightly browned.  Cool on pan for a few minutes and then transfer cookies to wire rack to cool completely. 

FOR ICING:

Cream butter and 1 cup of the powdered sugar.  Add the remaining two cups and lightly mix.  Add the zests and juices and finish mixing the icing till everything is throuroughly combined.

Ice the cookies.  I found that one batch of icing was not enough and ended up making a second batch; however I had some icing left over.

Enjoy!

Eggnog Cookies

These cookies are amazing! Seriously. They turned out fabulous! Great for the holidays! The recipe calls for no eggnog, but the combintation of rum and the other ingredients really give it a hint of eggnog flavor.  Adapted from eggnog thumbprint cookies.

Eggnog Cookies (yields 3-4 dozen):
1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. spent grain flour
3/4 c. butter, softened
1/2 c. white sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar, packed
1 egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

ICING:
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 c. butter, softened
1 c. powdered sugar
1 tbsp. rum
pinch of ground nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350F.

Combine flours and salt in a small mixing bowl and set aside.

In a medium bowl, cream butter and both white and brown sugars until smooth.  Add egg and vanilla and mix well.  Add flour mixture, mixing by hand until a soft dough forms. 

Roll dough into 1" balls and place on a parchment lined cookie sheet, about 2" apart from one another. 

Bake in preheated oven for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned.  Cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet and then transfer cookies to wire rack to cool completely.

ICING:
In a small bowl, mix together salt and butter.  Mix in powdered sugar.  Add rum.  Mix till smooth. 
Spread onto tops of cookies, sprinkle nutmeg over top of freshly iced cookies.

Enjoy!

Cranberry Orange Yogurt Bread

Cranberry Orange Yogurt Bread (yields: 1 loaf):
1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. spent grain flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 c. plain yogurt
zest of 3 oranges
1/2 c. orange juice (approx. 3 oranges)
1/4 c. sparkling mineral water
1 egg, beaten
1/2 c. dried cranberries, dried

Preheat 350F.  Spray a glass loaf pan with non-stick spray.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, mix together dry ingredients.  Add zest (easier to do this before you juice the oranges), orange juice, mineral water, yogurt, and egg.  Mix just until moistened.  Gently stir in cranberries.

Spoon batter into prepared loaf pan.  Bake in preheated oven for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.

Cool in pan for 10 minutes, than cool completely on wire rack.

Enjoy!

Red Hot Red Ale Chili

The temperature has fallen and I find myself longing for a meal that can really warm you up.  What's better than a chili?! 

Red Hot Red Ale Chili (yields 4-6 servings):
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 pork chop, cut into 1" pieces
1 chicken breast, cut into 1" pieces
1 c. beer (I used a cinnamon red ale)
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 celery, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
3 tomatoes, chopped and seeded
1 chili pepper, chopped (if you want less heat, remove ribs and seeds)
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp. ground cayenne red pepper
1 tbsp. hot sauce (I currently have 3 different ones and used about a tsp of each)
1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 c. chicken broth
1 can of beans (I used pinto)
1 carton (18.3 oz) sweet potato tomatillo bisque (you could use a can of regular tomato soup)

Garnish:
-shredded cheese
-sour cream
-ground cayenne red pepper
-cilantro

I used a crockpot for this chili, but you could do it in a stockpot.  I like to brown the meat first even when using a crock pot.  In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium to medium-high heat.  Brown the chunks of chicken and pork. Drain.  Add to crockpot.

To the crockpot, add everything but the bisque and pinto beans.  Cook on low heat for 6-8 hours or on high for 4-6 or until veggies are tender.

Add the bisque and beans, stir to combine.  Continue to heat till everything is warmed through  - about 30 minutes in a crockpot or just 5-10 minutes on the stove top.

Top with shredded cheese and sour cream, sprinkle some ground cayenne red pepper, and garnish with some cilantro.

Enjoy. 

Spent Grain Dog Treats

I'm transitioning this blog over to my new website.  To find the details of this recipe, visit http://foodbeerlove.com/Spent_Grain_Recipes.html#Dog_Treats

Super Simple Fudge Brownies

I promised my daughter something chocolate-y and these brownies definitely hit the spot with her. They are super easy and relatively quick to make. I adapted my recipe from my trusty BHG 11th edition cookbook.

Super Simple Fudge Brownies (yields:  24 brownies)
10 tbsp. butter
6 tbsp. cocoa powder
2 eggs
1 c. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1/8 c. spent grain flour
5/8 c. all-purpose flour
powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350F.  Line an 8x8x2 baking dish with foil and spray with non-stick spray and set aside (I like using the foil because I find it easier to get the brownies out of the pan). 

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over low heat.  Once butter is melted, add the cocoa powder.  Stir to combine.  Remove from heat.

Add the eggs, sugar and vanilla.  Stir till just combined.  Stir in flour.  If you like nuts in your brownies, fold in about 1/2 cup.

Pour/spread batter into prepared pan.  Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes.  Cool on wire rack.  Cut into bars and dust the tops with powdered sugar.

Enjoy!