My Great Grandmothers Rye Bread Recipe. Very bold flavor from the molasses and I like the old school use of potato water in the recipe. I think the yeast really likes it too!

1 cup rye flour

3/4 cup molasses

2 cups potato water

2 tsp salt

1/4 cup shortening

1 pkg yeast

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup brown sugar

dissolve yeast in 1/4 cup water and 1/4 cup brown sugar

Dissolve molasses and shortening in hot potato water pour over rye flour and mix well

Cool to luke warm and add yeast mix and salt. add 5-6 cups white flour and need until bubbles form. let rise until doubled. punch down and divide into 2 loafs. let rise until doubled and bake at 375.

I finally decided to get around to making Capt’n Crunch French Toast. So so yummy, but very sweet. Not for those without a sweet tooth.

One of the secrets to making this recipe is using Texas toast. The thick bread makes for a soft gooey middle that contrasts with the crunchy exterior.

• 3 eggs
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 1/2 TBSP sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 3 cups capt’n crunch cereal
• 5 slices or so Texas toast

Pour you capt’n crunch cereal in a zip lock bag and crush up fine.

Mix together eggs, cream, sugar, vanilla and cinnamon in a bowl and whisk all together.

Dip Texas toast in batter then coat with the Capt’n Crunch crumbs.

Cook in some butter at about 325 degrees. You need to be careful that its not to hot because you can easily burn this recipe.

Turn when golden brown and enjoy with butter, syrup, fruit or whipped cream!

FIVE-SPICE BEET SOUP ~VEGAN~

Now is the time to make good on New Years resolutions. We all have our own things we would like to improve on in the New year. For many of us this includes changes in diet for many reasons. Health and weight loss is a common theme. It could also be a resolution to broaden your culinary horizons by trying new recipes or experience new cuisines.

Why start now?

Besides the obvious tradition of making resolutions for the New Year there is a good reason to get started now!

Lets face it beginning Thanksgiving our lives have been busy and hectic. The common routines of life have been disrupted and replaced with shopping, Holiday parties,and family celebrations. Many have had numerous vacation days free from work. Use these disruptions to your benefit now.

We are all adjusting to going back to a somewhat normal routine in our lives. That makes now the perfect time to make changes to how we eat that will be a part of our routine for the months to come.

What to do?

• Make your goals
• Plan, Plan, Plan
• Eat breakfast every morning
• Pack your lunch
• Learn some new recipes

By making and setting goals to lose weight or eating healthier you provide direction to what kind of changes of routine you should make.

Planning ahead helps you avoid pitfalls. We always want to have healthy food on hand and don’t skip meals. Lets avoid that temptation of pulling through that drive thru window. When hungry we will eat, so have something healthy around. Especially for snacking. Snacking is not all bad if you have good snacks around.

Breakfast is an important meal of the day. Even a small one helps you avoid hunger pains and over eating later.

Lunch…lets face it. If you don’t pack one you are much more likely to choose badly. Especially if your hungry (skipped breakfast maybe?)

Dinner is a big part of our daily routine and for many of us we eat the same things. Taco Tuesday, Spaghetti Thursday, etc. So find some new recipes now and include them in your weekly dining routine.

These are some simple changes that can be used to different degrees by everyone.

Set good routines now and they can be healthy habits for months to come!

I hope everyone has been enjoying this Holiday season with friends and loved ones. As we approach the New Year. I could focus on this past years food favorites or what to look forward to in 2012. Before I start making New Year’s resolutions or think about healthy ways to eat, I would like to enjoy New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Day ( and few days worth of Bowl games beyond ).

New Year’s Day is a big day for dining out, if you haven’t made reservations at this point you should get on the phone before any remaining openings are gone. In fact according to the National Restaurant Association, 20% of Americans say they are going to a restaurant or bar for New Years Eve. In addition 22% say they are going to be ordering takeout or delivery on that day.

Of course that means many of you will be enjoying the holiday from the comforts of home. I find a fun way to enjoy it is with an appetizer party for 1 or ?? After all Champagne goes perfectly with a large number of flavorful small bites. It doesn’t have to be complicated as any grocery store frozen aisle is full of a wide variety of ready to go apps. You can always make your own variety of treats. Having a party? Have all your guests bring a couple appetizers, a potluck style appetizer party is always enjoyable!

A super elegant app that is a take on fruit and cheese is to simply buy some seedless grapes, goat cheese and nuts. Even easier if you buy all ready chopped nuts. Take a small amount of goat cheese in your hand and a grape and roll it around until the goat cheese totally coats it then roll in your chopped nuts. A perfect pairing with Champagne!

Cheese and Charcuterie (prosciutto, sausages, etc) are always easy and tasty. Mini Quiches are a fairly easy option. And don’t forget to add some mini desserts. Chocolate is an amazingly good pairing with Champagne as the acidity and bubbles cut its richness.

Smoked Salmon Avocado Crostini

12 slices french bread brushed with olive oil and lightly toasted

2 avocados

1 tbsp capers

2 tsp lemon juice

1 clove of garlic chopped

6 oz smoked salmon

1/2 a small red onion diced fine

Mash together your avocado, garlic, lemon juice, and capers until it reaches a spreadable consistency.

Spread avocado mixture on your crostini and top with slices of smoked salmon and your diced red onion.

Caprese Bites

Makes 24

12 Cherry tomatoes (cut in half)

Fresh Mozzarella cheese

12 Large basil leaves (cut lengthwise)

12 Salami, deli slice (cut in half)

Olive oil

Salt

Toothpicks

To assemble, place half of a tomato and a piece of mozzarella together. Wrap with a half of basil leaf and then half of a piece of salami. Secure with a toothpick. Lay on a platter and drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.

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I thought I would reflect on the Delicious Holiday treats that appear on trays in our homes and offices. We allow our self such indulgences during the Holidays even if they give us pause to reflect on our New Years resolutions. Christmas cookies are every bit a part of the Holidays as the mysteries of Santa Claus!

 Christmas cookies date back to Medieval European biscuits. Spurred on by the spice trade and the availability of exotic spices from the East. The importation of exotic spices was certainly influenced by the Crusades and Crusaders that brought them back from the East.These biscuits had become popular all over Europe by the 16th Century.

Pepparkakor- a thin gingersnap like cookie was popular in Sweden

Gingerbread-of course a Christmas staple is made in a number of variations and names through out Europe.

Krumkake-are a wafer thin cookie that is rolled into a cone and popular in Norway.

Spritz Cookies- Originate from German Spritzgebaeck, but became popular all over Europe by the 1500′s. They come in many shapes and styles and our easy to decorate.

Our modern sugar cookie dates back to the Mid 1700′s. Often as the Amish sugar cookie or Nazareth sugar cookie. It was created by Moravians who came and settled the Nazareth area of Pennsylvania in the mid-18th century.

The popularity of sugar cookies really increased between 1871 and 1906 due to the availability of cheap imported cookie cutter. Cookie cutters and a wide range of different decorations and icings certainly make sugar cookies the Holiday favorite.

Modern Christmas cookies certainly include a number of traditional, regional, or ethnic recipes. Often they showcase a persons favorite recipes for sweet treats.

I often make Melted Moments, Russian Tea Cookies, Kolachy (Czech pastry), Spritz cookies and Buckeye’s (technically candy)

Buckyes have certainly become a Christmas favorite, at least in this region of the US. Technically a candy they can be found on most cookie trays. While the combination of peanut butter and chocolate has been around awhile. It’s presentation as a Buckeye is certainly indigenous to Ohio. The Buckeye’s date of origin remains unclear. The term “Buckeye” can be dated in print by the Dictionary of American English to 1970. Certainly it has been around for some time before that.