Bisquick Spinach Bread - With A Few Changes

We all had a hankering for a nice bread recipe.  Cooler temperatures yesterday, and the stores bringing out their fall merchandise must have set us in a warm, fuzzy mood.  The kitchen is usually scented with baking vegetable, fruit and bread machine bread beginning in mid August, when the apples begin to ripen.  Some of my favorites include zucchini bread, cottage cheese dill bread, apple bread, and tomato-basil bread. 

Since it is still considered mid-summer despite the temperatures barely making 75 yesterday, I didn't want to worry too much about lots of work.  I looked through my bread books, went online, and couldn't find anything that seemed to be relatively quick.  Then I remembered a small pamplet style cookbook put out by Bisquick many years ago.  I went rifling through all my cookbooks and on the third look I finally found it. 

As I scanned the pages, it dropped open to a page with a recipe called Spinach-Cheese Bread.  I have made this many times before, and always thought it a bit salty, but my family always loved this bread.  So I knew the one thing I would be changing right off is instead of spinach I would be using swiss chard.  The chard has slowed down a lot in its growth compared to a few weeks ago, but there was definitely enough to get the amount I needed for the recipe. 

Some of the equipment I would recommend to make it easier to make the bread is a food processor.  It isn't necessary because the chard can be first cut into ribbons, then hand chopped, but the food processor does make the task a bit quicker. 

This particular bread is a wonderful summer bread if you follow the directions as Bisquick wrote them.  The bread doesn't take much to make and it doesn't keep the kitchen super hot for long periods of time.  First I will provide the Bisquick recipe for the cowards out there (only kidding.)  No processor required, and because you are playing with frozen vegetables, it is great to work with on a hot summer day. 

My one problem with the Bisquick recipe is that it does seem too salty.  I am salt sensitive and find the use of processed or canned products make the flavor too drying for my tastes.  However, when I bake this for the men in my life and the children, they all think it is awesome, and it gets eaten quite quickly, so it definitely will be a winner with any family. 

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Spinach-Cheese Bread by Bisquick

3 cups Bisquick baking mix
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon caraway seed
3 eggs
1 can (11 ounces) condensed Cheddar cheese soup
1 package (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease loaf pan, 9 x 5 x 3 inches

Mix all ingredients except spinach until well blended.  Beat 1 minute; stir in spinach until well blended.  Pour into pan.

Bake until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 55 to 65 minutes.  Cool 20 minutes; remove from pan.

High altitude directions (3500 to 6500 feet)  Heat oven to 375 degrees.  Stir 1/4 cup all purpose flour into baking mix.  Increase eggs to 4.  Decrease oil to 2 tblsp.  Bake 50 to 55 minutes.

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That is the quick and easy way to make this bread.  Since I had a problem with the flavor of the bread using the cheddar soup, I had to think of a way to get the soup without using the soup.  I decided on a nice cheddar white sauce mixed in instead of the soup.  Here is my more labor intensive bread, using fresh swiss chard instead of frozen spinach.  The time involved in making it my way is about 3 1/2 hours, which may be a bit much for one loaf of bread, but as I make it more often I will get quicker at it.  Of course, I also missed my original intention of finding a quick recipe that didn't take too much work.  But the work was well worth the result.

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Savory Swiss Chard-Cheese Bread

Ingredients:
3 cups Heart Smart Bisquick baking mix
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon dill seed
2 teaspoons onion powder
1 cup cheddar white sauce (recipe below)
10 ounces fresh chopped swiss chard, stems removed (about 2 cups)
1/4 to 1/3 cup feta cheese (your preference.  I did not measure, I just grabbed three handfuls and mixed in)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 9 x 5 x 3 inch bread pan. 

Swiss chard prep:  Cut away stems from chard.  I ususally cut about 1/2 inch above where stem attaches to leaf.  Stems can be kept for other recipes if you wish.  After removing leaf, using a scale measure about 10 ozs.    Once measured

wash leaves in a bowl of water.  Continue dumping and filling bowl with fresh water until you no longer see any grit in water.  Squeeze leaves to remove all excess water, then place in small batches in food processor and chop the leaves.  If you don't have a processor, then cut leaves into ribbons, then chop them.  This is probably the most lengthy part of the whole recipe.                                                                   

Once again measure the chopped leaves on a scale to get about 10 ozs.  Set aside. 

To make the cheese white sauce, grate 1 cup of cheddar cheese.  Set aside. 

Scald one cup of milk (heat just to before boil.  I use a microwave, and heat about 2 minutes.)  Set aside.

Place two tablespoons butter or margerine in stainless saucepan and melt on medium low.  Add two tablespoons unbleached flour, stirring to blend.  Always use a wooden spoon when making white sauce.  Do not cook too long or flour will burn.  The milk and flour will create a paste.  Slowly add scalded milk, stirring constantly.  Add some salt and pepper..

Continue stirring on medium low for about 10 or 15 minutes as sauce begins to thicken. You will feel the milk mixture get thicker as you stir. Once mixture is thickened to about the consistancy of a medium gravy, remove from heat. Stir in cheese. Continue stirring until smooth. If you have to place back on burner to melt, make sure burner is off. Set aside off of stove to cool.

As your cheese sauce cools, mix all other ingredients except the chard.  Beat for about a minute.  Add cheese sauce when it is just lukewarm.  Mix.  Add chard.  This is where your preference comes in.  When I measured the 10 ozs, as I was putting it into the bread mix, it seemed to be too much so I did not use all the chard.  I also did not measure how much I used, so I would say anywhere from 1 1/2 to 2 cups. 

Place bread dough into bread pan, level it, and then bake for about 55 to 65 minutes, until long toothpick inserted comes out clean. 

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The bread was incredibly well textured, though it did come out a little high.  Perhaps reducing the eggs to 2 might decrease the height of the bread, but I did not mind that it was so high.  The first taste of this bread, and I knew I had finally done something right.  It is delicious, and the time spent making it just disappears as you take a second piece and then a third.  Love this bread.  It is definitely a keeper.

The Pasta Wins Today - Quick and tasty penne pasta for a summer night

Well, it was a refreshing day today on the marsh.  While many in the state were experiencing oppressive air, we had a delightful breeze all day.  The day began with a watering of my summer garden.  I know the heat is moving in, and wanted to give the tomatoes and squash a little relief.  Fun, fun, fun as I played with the sprinkle system for about 1/2 hour to figure  out which direction it wanted to go in.

Next I decided it was time to pull up all my pea plants.  There have been fewer and fewer peas, and they were looking a bit yellow, so I thought it was time.  Of course, I scrutinized every plant before tossing it in the compost, and got quite a full basket of pea pods.  That left me with a decision of what to make for supper.  Most of the pods have gotten too starchy, and very chewy, but there were fully formed peas inside, so I split the pods and kept the peas.  That was my first ingredient for my decision on supper.

My cauliflower is now forming large heads, and one was totally ready to pick.  I could not come to a conclusion as to what I could do for a dish using cauliflower and peas, so I wrapped the cauliflower up after picking and decided it could wait for another day.

The basil has recuperated from its clipping last week.  The two jars of pesto from that trim are now gone, between my sisters family and me.  The pesto is on tap to be made tomorrow, but I haven't used the herb much in dishes yet, so I wondered how basil would taste with peas.  My mind started calculating ingredients once again.

My sister dropped a bunch of pickling cucumbers off from her garden, and mine are still very behind in growth, so they had to be done up in something today as well.  My day was filling up with tasks, but being a workaholic, I thrilled at the prospect. 

When things begin to pile up, you just have to get them done one thing at a time.  First order of business was the cucumbers.  My family are real dill pickle lovers, so we never can have enough to eat.  There is a recipe that all of us have been using for 25 years.  These pickles are the best tasting I have ever had.  Even people who hate dill pickles like this recipe.  It is easy, quick, and the flavor is amazing.  The only drawback is that the pickles lack that crispness that is enjoyed when biting into a brined and crocked pickle.  However, the ease of it makes up for that one shortcoming.

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Never Fail Dill Pickles

Ingredients:
20 pickling cucumbers ( I have discovered that cucumbers vary so much in size
                                       that sometimes you only need 4 or 5)
2 dill heads ( or a tblsp of dill seed)
2 medium cloves garlic (this is preference.  We love garlic so I use
                                        4 cloves of garlic)
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup distilled white vinegar (the best is Heinz in glass bottles.  Plastic bottles
                                                  tend to have lots of floaters in the vinegar)
1 tblsp pickling or kosher salt (kosher salt is saltier tasting.  I get my pickling
                                                  salt at Agway)

Thoroughly scrub the cucumbers.  Even if it seems that a light brown spot may be just part of the color of the cucumber skin, I get rid of it.  I use a scrub brush and my fingernail to get rid of any brown discoloration.  Very important, because bacteria houses in dirt and crevices. 

Slice the unpeeled cucumbers lengthwise into halves.  Occasionally if the cucumber is really large, you might have to slice the halves into quarters. 

Fill 2 clean, dry, hot pint canning jars with cucumbers.  I don't use pints, I use wide mouth quart canning jars.  Tuck dill heads and a clove of garlic, split in half, into each jar.

Mix the water, vinegar, and salt and bring to a rapid boil.  Pour into jars, filling to within 1/4 inch of the rims.  Seal with canning lids.  For pints, process in boiling hot water bath for 5 minutes.  For quarts process for 15 minutes. 

 A word about hot water boiling bath.  Start timing after the water is back to boiling after putting jars in.  If you are using a glass or ceramic top stove, make sure your canner is flat bottomed.  I use a large stock pot, not a canner, and my rack is actually a circular metal  cooling cake rack.

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The cucumbers are now done, and I decide the day is too beautiful to be stuck inside an air conditioned kitchen, so I take a walk.  My eyes always scan the roadsides for berries, but today there are none to be found.  The seckle pear tree along my route is producing a lot of pears, but today is not the day to pick them.  I walk the trail to the marsh, walk around it, then head back home. 

 Refreshed, I am ready to set my sites on supper.  I have one very small zucchini squash that is beginning to turn yellow on the blossom end, so I pick it.  It is barely the size of a pickling cucumber but if I don't pick it the entire squash will turn yellow.  So what can I do with peas, a small zucchini squash and basil?  Well, there is always pasta.  So after scanning to see what kind I had, I settled on a box of penne pasta.  Here is the recipe I came up with for a side dish for supper.

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Waste Not Want Not Penne Pasta
Serves 3

Ingredients:
1/2 Box of penne pasta
1/3 cup fresh peas
1 mini zucchini squash
1/2 medium onion
your favorite ready made alfredo sauce (I used Classico Four cheese)
several basil leaves
Smart Balance original spread
garlic
Fresh parmesan cheese
salt and pepper
chopped pimento











Slice zucchini into circles, then cut circles into quarters.  Chop onion, but not too small.  Place peas, zuccini, and onion in microwave safe dish and add just enough water to fill bottom of dish.  Cook on high for about 6 minutes.  Set aside. 

Cook pasta accoring to directions.  Drain.  Toss garlic butter into pasta.  Heat up the alfredo sauce.  Want to make your own?  Make this simple 5 minute microwave alfredo sauce.

You know that vegetable dish you microwaved?  Well, add about 2 tblsp Smart Balance, and reheat in microwave for about a minute, just until butter is melted.

Chop basil leaves into small pieces, and chop pimento.  Keep an unchopped basil sprig for each dish.  To serve your pasta, first layer pasta in dish.  Top with 1/3 of the vegetables.  Spoon alfredo sauce on top of pasta/vegetables.  Grate parmesan cheese on top of sauce, then sprinkle some of the chopped basil on the sauce.  Take pimento and add on top of everything.  Place a sprig of basil off to side.  You have a tasty and beautiful pasta dish.

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Our meat choice was boneless, skinless chicken tenders.  Now we have a very simple way to cook the chicken.  You need Kraft grated parmesan cheese, olive oil, and minced garlic.  Place oil in frypan, add garlic, start to heat to release garlic smell, then add tenders.  Shake on cheese, and cook at medium heat.  Keep turning over chicken and shake more cheese on when you turn.  When chicken is nicely browned, it is ready to eat.  Just make sure there is no pink in chicken, but it is usually not a problem when cooking tenders. 

Well that is it for now.  Have a great day.