It can also be tricky — and it doesn’t have to be. Having a few simple tips can help.

I also have an easy CHEESE fondue recipe — and yes, we do both on the same night. It’s a bit of preparation, but worth it.

What Type of Chocolate?

We just use whatever is our current favorite. Honestly, most often people want milk chocolate, but if you want dark chocolate that works just fine too.

OR, we use whatever we have on hand, this recipe is NOT fussy.

Our favorite, if we’re good about planning, is to chop-up a Trader Joe’s bar for it. I think the chocolate is a good quality, and we’re at that store often enough it’s not hard.

We chop it pretty small — the smaller the bits are, the easier it melts.

I would caution against generic chocolate chips. While I think those are fine in cookies sometimes they just don’t melt well. Just something I have noticed.

How to Make It?

Ok, you’ll take 3/4 cup of heavy cream. I’ve used just whipping cream and it’s been fine, but it’s nice to have the extra fat if you can snag “heavy cream”.

You’re going to pour that into a small pot and let it heat for about a minute. I like to see some wisps of steam coming off of it before I turn off the heat (but leave it on the burner) and pour in 12 ounces of chocolate.

Unlike cheese I do this all at once, it works fine.

I then just stir it until it melts. You’re just using the heat of the cream to melt it. If it isn’t melted in a few minutes I might turn the heat back on, but I’m more worried about burning it than I am taking a bit more time for it to melt. This is why you do want to make sure that cream is hot before you add the chocolate.

Then, take it off the heat and add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract (or extract of choice). I also like to add a bit of almond extract, so do whatever makes you happy. Just do it at the end.

Then, stir it in well and dip!

Do you use a fondue pot?

We do not. This doesn’t make a ton of fondue, and we have a pretty heavy-bottomed pot that we’re cooking it in, so it stays warm for a while at our table.

We DO use a heated frying pan for our cheese fondue. Just haven’t found it’s worth it for chocolate. We just use the pot, on a pot holder at the table and everyone dips in.

What Types of Dippers?

Oh goodness, this is the best part — right?

Our favorites that are a bit un-traditional:

• Chocolate chip cookie dough (be sure to use a kind that is OK to eat raw — no eggs and toast the flour if you’re making it on your own) — that recipe I linked to is SO easy and yummy!
• Cheesecake bites
• Bits of candy bar
• Cut-up rice krispy treat

We also love strawberries, raspberries, oranges, green apples (or regular apple), grapes and bananas.

Honestly, the sky is the limit, right?

This recipe happened because we have a favorite fondue restaurant called La Fondue in Saratoga, CA and they have SO many fun dippers it helped us come up with these!

Recipe:

Here’s the recipe if you’d like to print it:

Because I’m not a recipe site — I just typed it out into a cute PDF file for you that you can just grab here (click on it and it will take you to Canva – just right click on it to print it).

Fondue Traditions

In our house fondue isn’t just a meal, it’s a tradition.

When our kids were little it was just too hard to go out on Valentines, and I really wanted to make it more about family love, rather than romantic love anyway.

So, we started doing fondue for Valentines.

My kids are old now, many have moved out but they still come back for fondue and they say it is 100% our family’s best tradition.

One of our favorite things to do is to say something nice about the person next to us if we drop in the fondue. Often on cheese we’ll do the person on the left, and chocolate the person on the right.

Makes it extra special on Valentines.

I hope you take this recipe and make it work for your family. It’s SO much fun and I think you’ll really enjoy it. If you’ve tried it, please tell us in the comments!

The post Chocolate Fondue Recipe appeared first on Pulling Curls.

I should add that we found this cookie dough after we realized that cookie dough was AMAZING with our fondue recipe. You may be coming here FROM that post, but if you haven’t tried it before — check out my VERY EASY fondue (that post has chocolate and cheese options).

Eating Cookie Dough Safely

There are two concerns to eating cookie dough, and as The Pregnancy Nurse® I really take food safety seriously.

Raw Eggs: You can contract salmonella through raw eggs. So, you can either use pasteurized eggs in your cookie dough, or eliminate them. This recipe just doesn’t use them.

Eggs are mainly used for lift in the oven (and clearly add some protein and choline – but I doubt you’re eating cookie dough for the great nutritional benefits) — so, taking them out in raw cookie dough isn’t much of an issue.

Raw Flour: In recent years they’ve decided that flour can also carry salmonella — so, they recommend you toast the flour in the oven. Source: https://www.cdc.gov/food-safety/foods/no-raw-dough.html

You’re going to just measure your flour, and then stick in the oven on 350 for 10-15 minutes — that should kill any bacteria on the flour. Source: https://glossykitchen.com/why-toast-flour/

You, of course, can ignore these two rules, but I gotta put them out there. I will admit that I haven’t toasted flour before, I probably should but I’m almost 50 and I’ve eaten a lot of raw flour in those 50 years…. unfortunately.

Edible Cookie Dough Recipe:

Mix together (I recommend softening the butter, or this is going to be really hard):

• 1/2 C brown sugar
• 1/2 C granulated sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon (if you like that)
• 1/2 C butter (softened)
• 1/4 C milk (I like whole)
• 3/4 tsp vanilla extra
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 & 1/8 C flour (toasted for safety)
• 1 C chocolate chips (or whatever you want to add)

Instructions:

• Soften the butter
• Toast the flour if desired for safety
• Cream the butter with the sugars and cinnamon
• Add milk and vanilla
• Add in salt, flour – mix til’ combined
• Stir in chocolate chips
• Freeze for place in fridge to stiffen if desired

Because I’m not a recipe site — I just typed it out into a cute PDF file for you that you can just grab here (click on it and it will take you to Canva – just right click on it to print it).

(I have some tips for using it in fondue below the recipe — so, keep reading for those)

What Type of Chocolate Chips?

Great question — you can use whatever kind you have on hand, but when I use this to make fondue, I much prefer to use the mini chocolate chips. It just makes it easier to skewer, but my daughter loves to make this to snack on and she uses regular ones in that case.

My FAVORITE way to do chocolate chips in cookies 1/2 milk 1/2 semi sweet — it makes a great cookie!

Of course, you could also add caramel chips, white chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, or toffee pieces — whatever you find on the baking isle is good to go!

How to Use This in Fondue?

You can pull-off chunks, but I like to smear it on some plastic wrap and then use the plastic wrap to push it fairly flat.

I then use a ruler to push in some indentations in a grid pattern in the dough. I then put it in the freezer until I need it. I don’t find that I need to pull it out of the freezer early to eat it.

I can then easily break it into small squares to use in dipping.

This isn’t a scientific process — so, if anyone else has a better way to do it let me know.

I try to do smaller portions so no one is double-dipping — because ew.

Want other family-friendly recipes — check these out:

• Bread Hacks: Tips for better bread making
• 7 Layer Brownies in the Dutch Oven
• Best Whole Wheat Bread Recipe: 100% whole wheat bread for sandwiches
• The Best Cookies: Expert tips to using your stand mixer to make cookies!
• Easy Winter Meals: Meals to warm your heart and hands
  

What do YOU love to use raw cookie dough for? Tell us in the comments!

The post Easy Edible Cookie Dough appeared first on Pulling Curls.

However, fondue had gone very bad in the past for me. We don’t do wine so a lot of recipes are out… so I was really wanting to find one that would be EASY — and I have found the answer for you! This is seriously the EASIEST fondue (both cheese and chocolate) you’re going to find. You can also easily tailor it to your tastes (different cheese, different chocolate).

BTW, if you’re looking for chocolate — the recipe is here!

This fondue is great for any occasion (I see a LOT of people using this cheese condue recipe at New Years too). Don’t let the fact that we use it at Valentines throw you off. This post will start with cheese, but I also have a great recipe for chocolate fondue too — so keep reading!

And then there’s the issue of hitting a restaurant on that special night.  So crowded, pressured to SHOW OUR LOVE to each other.  Not to mention expensive.  I’d rather save my budget, and just head to a favorite restaurant on the weekend.

Which is how I came up with fondue for our family.  We’ve done it every year for the past 15 or so years. Our kids REALLY look forward to it, and it’s nice to concentrate on our FAMILY love rather than just the romance between my husband and myself.  But, don’t feel tied to Valentines with this.  It’s great for a fun family meal whenever you think you could use a little pick me up!

However, fondue can be nerve-wracking!  I’m sure we’ve all tried to make a cheese sauce that “broke” (in turn breaking us) or was lumpy.  Frankly, a lot can go wrong with fondue.  But not with this recipe.  It’s practically fail-proof (as long as you don’t burn it, you’re on your own if you ignore it) and is easy to tailor to your family’s tastes.

Lets do this!

First there’s cheese.  You can pick whatever kind your family likes.  I often do a sharp cheddar (the family’s favorite) or swiss (my own favorite).  The recipe actually calls for a Monterrey Jack.  If that’s a family favorite, then by all means go with that.  It’s a nice mild flavor that won’t turn off any little mouths.  For ease of writing, I’m going to talk about it as swiss cheese.

Cheese Fondue

I use a recipe I found in Family Fun a LONG time ago. It can be tricky though — so, this is truly a recipe you need the tips for:

It goes a little something like this (this recipe makes a good amount of fondue, plenty for the 5 of us)

When you’re ready to make the fondue you need to be committed to it. You can’t be making this and chopping up stuff or helping a child. You need to focus on it. There are a few minutes as the milk is heating, but once you reach a simmer your focus HAS to be on this (don’t worry it’s not going to take long).

1 cup milk (the recipe calls for 1 cup, but I usually do about 1.25 cups, because it sits in the frying pan and gets too gloopy if the milk is too little).

Bring the milk to a simmer — about 2-3 minutes (that means it’s not boiling, but it’s starting to get small bubbles around the edges).  You could also add a smashed garlic clove (or if you’re garlic lovers like us you can just do a tsp of minced garlic).

Toss 1 pound of swiss cheese (or cheese of choice) with 2 T of flour.  I put all my cheese in a basic plastic bag and shake it all around til the flour is all around it.  This prevents the flour from making it lumpy.  This is really the magic to this recipe!

So, back to the milk, it’s simmering….

Then take handfuls of the cheese/flour mixture and use your wisk to wisk it in until it’s all melted.   Wisk fast.  This isn’t a gentle wisk, with the heat you’re trying to wisk it in so it’s smooth.  Then, another handful.  You want to make sure to do just handfuls, you don’t want the milk getting overwhelmed by the cheese or it’s hard to mix in.  You’re going to need to wisk hard and fast.  Make sure you do some arm workouts prior to this.   Haha.

Then, heat is off after cheese is melted.

There may come a point where you’re like — crap, it’s ruined. I think this every year. Keep wisking, even whisk harder if you can. I reach that point almost every year and then I somehow make it through it. I think the cheese often “seizes” up and then relaxes with some heat and whisking.

We haven’t had a lot of luck using a fondue pot (our last one rusted, since we don’t use it very frequently). We use an electric frying pan on low at our table.  It’s also larger so we can all get a seat around it!  Be sure to find some fondue forks though.  They’re long enough that everyone can dip without getting burned (I see them at Goodwill pretty frequently).

You could use a crock put, but with smaller kids it’s hard for them to reach up and over the sides, so we picked that cheap frying pan set to it’s lowest temp. Be sure to stir it with a dipper now and then so the cheese doesn’t get stuck in one spot — it can burn.

Now, it’s time for the REAL fun!  The dippers (I LOVE picking out dippers):

• Bread — this isn’t time for the basic french bread, I recommend a crusty, hearty bread that will hold up well on your fondue fork.  I often buy a nicer multi-grain and also a crusty sourdough.  Yum.
• Chicken, I often sautee up a few cut-up chicken breasts and serve those
• Pickles (don’t knock it til’ you try it), you could also use pork or steak!
• Roasted garlic (same as above)
• Grapes (love me some sweet and savory)
• Roasted potatoes (make sure they’re still firm’ish, don’t roast them til’ they are smushable)
• Roasted veggies (we love cauliflower, carrots, asparagus and broccoli) — another option is blanching the veggies (especially the broccoli) just to soften them a bit before you dip (DO NOT OVER-ROAST, mushy broccoli dropping in your delicious fondue is a BIG Fon-DON’T).
• Mushrooms (I love baby bellas)
• Red pepper (best raw, I think)

Oh man, writing this post is making me hungry.  You too?

We have a couple of fun traditions during the fondue.  

If you drop something, instead of kissing you have to say something nice about the person to your left (or across from you — we change it several times during the meal so you end-up saying nice things about many people).

We also usually have fonde a couple of nights.  When you’ve gone to all the effort of buying all the dippers and prepping it all, you might as well get two meals out of it!  I do make the cheese part fresh each time, it’s not great as a re-run.

Because I’m not a recipe site — I just typed it out into a cute PDF file for you that you can just grab here (click on it and it will take you to Canva – just right click on it to print it).

Chocolate Fondue

And, of course we follow it with chocolate. I got the initial recipe on Family fun but I’ve made some tweak and have the recipe on my site. The key there is the dippers. Clearly, you can do whatever you want — but some things that our family LOVES:

• Chocolate chip cookie dough (be sure to use a kind that is OK to eat raw — no eggs and toast the flour if you’re making it on your own) — that recipe I linked to is SO easy and yummy!
• Cheesecake bites
• Bits of candy bar
• Cut-up rice krispy treat

We also use apple (green), strawberries, and bananas to round it out.

I have to say that even as my kids are adults they will 100% come home for the fondue tradition and whole heartedly agree it’s our best family tradition to date. I’m really glad we started this and it’s been really fun to do together.

And yes, if you’re making this at New Years NOW is also a great time to make a resolution to get into routines more.

This post was originally published in 2016, but has been updated.

The post Cheese Fondue Recipe — For a Night of Family Fun! appeared first on Pulling Curls.

Brownies in a dutch oven — you might ask?  Are they soggy and sad?  The answer:  No.  They are AMAZEBALLS.  Literally one of my favorite deserts of all time!

I am excited to share the recipe with you.  The BEST part of this recipe is that you can make your 7 layers whatever you want.  Dutch Oven is very forgiving.  Our family isn’t a fan of coconut (don’t hold it against us) so instead we tried some other things.

We first found this recipe on Dutch Oven.net here.  FYI, the brownie can be made with a dutch oven or a regular oven.

We love that this 7 layer brownie has pretty simple ingredients.  You can use stuff your family has around anyway to make this delicious dessert.

1 box dry brownie mix (any kind seems to work)
½ cup melted butter
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla

——— Here’s where you get to pick your favorites.

1 cup toffee chips
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (or whatever kind your heart desires)
1 cup chopped pretzels (we tend to put ours in a bag and let the kids have their way with it, you don’t want small bits, you do want pieces of pretzels)
1 cup of anything else that sounds delish…. (sprinkles, other types of chips, nuts, graham cracker bits, oreo bits, M&M”s, etc).
½ cup + 2 TBL sweetened condensed milk

If cooking indoors, preheat oven to 350 degrees. If cooking with charcoal, use 9 hot coals on the bottom and 12 hot coals on the top of the dutch oven. Use a parchment paper dutch oven liner to easily remove the brownie once it is done cooking. It also makes for a beautiful presentation.

**A word about coals.  I prefer to use lighter-fluid-free charcoal briquettes and using the HomeRight fire starter.  It makes my coals ready within a few minutes (sans lighter fluid taste/smell — extra bad with baked goods) instead of needing to wait a half an hour for them to all get an ash layer.  If Dutch Oven cooking is something you do frequently (or wish you could do MORE frequently), I totally recommend checking it out!

Be sure to check out our full post on dutch oven & outdoor cooking.

We generally choose a fudge or milk chocolate brownie as the base for the brownie (layer one) Mix it up in a bowl (you could always use a stand mixer — something like a Bosch or a Kitchenaid), or if you are out in the woods, mix it up in your warm dutch oven after you soften or melt butter. Once the brownie mixture is ready, spread it out to cover the bottom of the dutch oven and cook it for 14-15 minutes. Remove the Dutch oven from the heat and uncover it.

7 Layer Brownies

Now it’s time for the layers. If you’ve ever heard of 7 layer bars, you’ll know they are a delicious, sweet dessert. These homemade brownies are similar, but use the brownie as the “crust” instead of a graham cracker crust. These are the perfect campfire brownies because you can have them cooking while you are just hanging out and visiting.

You’re going to alternate layers of dry ingredients (things like graham crackers, pretzels, Oreos, coconut, pecans, walnuts)

with wet layers (chocolate chips — because they melt, peanut butter, marshmallow creme, caramel)

And then finish with the sweetened condensed milk, leaving about an inch of clear space around the edge.  You can see what we did in our handy-dandy video:

As you can see from the pictures, the wetter ingredients (peanut butter and sweetened condensed milk) fill in that inch space very nicely. Put the dutch oven lid back on, return to the heat and cook for 30-35 minutes. The cooking stage is complete when a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Now, it is understandable that you want to just dive right in and eat the brownie straight out of the dutch oven. However, give it about an hour or two to cool. It will still be warm enough to melt ice cream, and the caramelized sweetened condensed milk will have a chance to set a bit more. You won’t be disappointed. We enjoy our brownies with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, perhaps homemade chocolate sauce. Once finished, we also enjoy a nice food coma.

This easy recipe is perfect for your next camping trip and is a perfect dessert to take care of that sweet tooth while you’re enjoying the outdoors.

Almond Joy Brownies

If you are feeling like the 7 layer brownies are a little too much, you can simplify them by making Almond Joy brownies.

You can cook your brownies the same way, let them cool a little bit while you mix your sweetened condensed milk with coconut flakes. Once your brownies are cool, you can spread the coconut mixture on top of the brownies, sprinkle almond slices on top and drizzle with melted chocolate. It’s an easy dessert that will hit the spot for chocolate lovers!

This post was sponsored by HomeRight.  Big thanks to them, and their love for Dutch Oven Cooking!  I love working with them and how much they love creativity!

Check out all my Outdoor cooking posts:

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The post 7 Layer Brownies in the Dutch Oven appeared first on Pulling Curls.

First off, hello! I’m Hilary — many people know me as The Pregnancy Nurse . I have been a nurse since 1997 and I have 20 years of OB nursing experience, I am also the curly head behind this website Pulling Curls and The Online Prenatal Class for Couples. ​ Besides being pregnant three times on my own, I have also talked to countless women about what they’re eating and craving during pregnancy — so I have searched for recipes to fit the bill!

Grab my healthy eating guide for you during your pregnancy:

What are the benefits of soup during pregnancy?

1. Soup is a great source of hydration: Pregnant women need to stay well-hydrated, and soup can help you do that! It’s especially helpful if you’re suffering from morning sickness or feeling dehydrated.

2. Soup is a great way to get extra nutrition: Soups are often packed with nutritious vegetables, like carrots, tomatoes onions, and celery. This makes it a great way to get extra vitamins and minerals that are important for your baby’s growth. I have lots of healthy soups to try in the recipe section below!

3. Soup is easy to digest: Pregnancy can lead to stomach issues, so some women may find it hard to digest certain foods. Soups are generally easier on the digestive system, and can help pregnant women stay fuller for longer.

4. Soup is comforting: Pregnancy can bring a lot of stress and anxiety, so it’s important to find foods that are comforting. Soups are warm and soothing – the perfect choice on a cold winter evening!

5. Soup is versatile: There are countless types of soups out there, so it’s easy to find one that fits your mood. Whether you’re in the mood for a hearty beef soup or something light and refreshing like gazpacho, it’s easy to whip up a delicious meal.

6. Soup is easy to make: Often you make it in the morning and then enjoy it in the evenings when you’re tired after work. It also makes great leftovers!

Ok, we’ve talked about all the benefits for pregnant ladies to eat the soups — but how do you pick one?

How to make soup for pregnant women

There are a few things to keep in mind for soups.

The good news is that soup eliminates many of the restrictions many pregnant women have — for things like deli meat or un-pasteurized cheese because if it’s going in the soup it will be cooked thoroughly. Of course, you still do want to stay away from fish that could have mercury etc…. I wonder if there’s a sushi soup…. hahhah

Are there cravings that you could fulfill? — I have a few recipes below that fulfill specific cravings — and that’s a big win!

Anything she can’t stand? Some women can’t stand meat, but some are fine with it and could really use the protein/iron with it. So, make sure you’re good with all the things in the recipe.

Is she handling dairy OK? Some women may only want to have broth-based soups at speific times during their pregnancy.

Favorite Soup Recipes to Nourish You During Pregnancy

I have this split into a few sections you can choose between:

Craving Soups

Here are a few soups to try during pregnancy if a particular craving has you!

When my friend April sent me this dill pickle soup I KNEW it had to make this article. So “cliche” — but maybe it calls to some of you!

This Zupa’s copycat Chicken Enchilada Chili might fix a craving you have for going out (but desperately want to stay in and curl up on the couch.

And, there’s this copycat Olive Garden Zupa Toscana that you might enjoy! Or their Gnocchi soup.

And then there’s Longhorn Steakhouse’s loaded bake potato soup that looks amazing.

Don’t forget soups are for a variety of things. If you look the bland texture of soups this strawberry soup might be a fun addition.

Soup For Feeling Sick

Not feeling well. There are a lot of pregnancy soup recipes that have onions, garlic and other herbs that might help you feel better since you can’t take many of the drugs you normally would with a cold/flu.

I thought this “feel better” soup was interesting. It does have some strong bold flavors like cilantro, peppers, garlic and onion — but it makes sense that those things might combine to help you feel better! Love how that one is instantpot, so you can get it together quickly after a long day (and a lot of people aren’t feeling great in the mornings before work, so crockpots aren’t a great option).

Broth Soups

Early pregnancy may have you craving just something to hydrate you an keep you alive. Many of these also have some veggies in them to help keep up those prenatal vitamin stores throughout your pregnancy.

I love this slow cooker chicken tortilla soup. Anything slow cooker is a win, and the addition of sour cream, chips and cheese is always a welcome treat to soups. They also have a taco soup that is similar, but with ground beef instead.

Who doesn’t love a chicken noodle soup, and if you’re cooking for a pregnant woman — really doing it “up” with love in this homemade chicken noodle soup is a big win. This chicken noodle soup looks a bit easier, and is made for the instant pot.

This chicken and wild rice soup has some thickness to it because of the rice, but doesn’t contain cream. It is great to pack in the nutrients if you’re not eating much otherwise.

This vegetable and beef soup has beans as well as ground beef. If you’re looking to up your iron stores, bean soup is a great option! Not a bean fan — here’s another one without the beans.

Kids don’t want soup, but it sounds good to you — try adding some fun noodles with this alphabet soup!

Constipation hanging around during pregnancy. I love all the fiber in this chicken and barley soup.

Maybe you miss the warm tomato soup and grilled cheese your mom used to make, but you’d like to up the nutrients with some fresh tomatoes this tomato soup looks good (it also looks creamy, but doesn’t actually have cream)

Cream Soups

Once you leave that nausea of the first trimester behind (I hope) these creamy soups are a great option to add to your pregnancy diet!

This tortellini soup has cream cheese in it, but no cream itself. Plus, they’re packing in good foods with the cheese tortellini and the kale. This one’s a winner in my book!

This chicken pot pie soup has milk in it, but can also be served with a hearty biscuit that sounds delish in the winter!

This quick and easy loaded bake potato soup also just has cream cheese looks amazing!

This broccoli cheese soup looks yummy.

And, if you’re not seeing one you like on here, check out my friend April’s soup section on her site. Lots of yummy flavors on there!

Ok, that should be a good start to your pregnancy soup battle.

If you’re pregnant and looking for a delicious way to get your nutrients, try making soup. Soup is packed with vitamins and minerals that are essential for a healthy pregnancy. Plus, it’s easy to make and can be tailored to your specific cravings. So why not give it a try? And if you have a favorite recipe, be sure to share it in the comments below!

And, if you’re looking for something ELSE to comfort you — come join me in The Online Prenatal Class for Couples where we aim to prepare you from bump to bassinet for the confident hospital birth you want!

Or, if you’re not quite ready for the full class, check out my free prenatal class — It’s your first step towards being your own birth boss.

The post The Best Soups for Pregnancy: 21 Soup recipes for prenatal nutrition! appeared first on Pulling Curls.

We are over 7 years into my bread journey.  I started making it after my last baby because I knew I’d have some spare time while she was napping. I wanted to make something that
1) My family would enjoy.
2) Would save us money.
3) Was healthy.

Seven years later and I really enjoy doing it. Our house smells amazing and my family and friends love it!  Making bread from scratch can be a really rewarding process.  Let’s go!

Making whole wheat bread at Home

When I started making whole wheat bread the recipe that I found worked best was from Deals to Meals (which I was initially using to save money on groceries — it’s an awesome service!), but through trial and error I have made some adjustments to make it work better for myself.  That recipe was a great foundation though!

Mixing Whole Wheat Bread

I do use a mixer to make my bread.  It is tough to really do all the kneading necessary to get 4 full loaves of whole wheat bread made.

Basically, I am lazy — so I use a mixer.

**Update:  Since I wrote this post I have gotten a Bosch.  Learn about Bosch mixer Vs Kitchenaid << right there.

I used to use my 6 qt professional KitchenAid mixer (you can also get a refurb KitchenAid cheaper on Amazon), and I have tailored this recipe to work in the KitchenAid.

However, I was burning out the motor from the very beginning.

Kitchenaid mixers are NOT good at mixing 100% whole wheat bread.

I always had to add some white flour to get it to keep mixing and make the process easier.  Which, I found super frustrating.

SO, I got a Bosch Universal Mixer.  It can do 4 (or more) full 100% whole wheat bread loaves really easily.  The motor doesn’t seem phased at all.

If you plan to do 100% whole wheat bread — I recommend the Bosch  I love my Bosch, I love it so much more for bread — be sure to check out my post about Bosch vs Kitchen Aid to pick the mixer that will work best for you. Also, check out my best Bosch tip (I always thought I’d love it best for bread, but it turns out that I love it even more for batters and cookies).

100 Percent Whole Wheat

It’s much more economical to grind your own wheat.  You can also learn about all the amazing nutritional benefits of processing the wheat yourself.  I decided it was the right plan for us and I’m glad. I haven’t ever looked back.

This video will show the process from beginning to end:

My Wheat Grinder

I do grind my own wheat.  I use wheat berries.  I personally get them from the LDS cannery (which you do not have to be LDS to shop at — this blog explains more about how it works) — but you can get them easily on Amazon.

I use a Nutrimill classic grinder — seven years ago when I bought it was the best I could find for the price I could afford.  Grinding by hand was something I had considered, but I am SO grateful I have this grinder.  It’s a workhorse!

Recently, Nutrimill sent me the Harvest mill — I compare the two here: Grain Mills: Which one is best?

You can buy them here:

• Nutrimill Classic Grinder
• Nutrimill Harvest Grinder

Best Whole Wheat Bread Recipe

First off, I get my tap running, I use the hottest tap water we have for the recipe.  If you have a tiny water heater and only have lukewarm water, this probably won’t work for you — but it does work for me.  The water should be steaming, if you don’t see steam, it’s probably not hot enough (or, it’s Arizona in the summer, as it’s hard to tell if it’s your skin or your water that is steaming).

This receipe makes 4 loaves of bread.

Obtain 5 cups of steaming hot water.

Pour it into your mixer bowl.  That’s right, water first (this prevents the flour from sticking too much to the bottom of the bowl and being difficult to mix in later)

Then, I dump in 2/3 cup vital wheat gluten (I was just buying the kind from Walmart for a while, but recently a friend gave me a can from Honeyville and I think it’s made my bread THAT much yummier. I will be purchasing it from them all the time now).  You can also grab gluten from Amazon.

Dump in 2.5 T instant yeast (I get mine at Costco, it looks like loaf yeast but it’s actually the little grains, just with all the air removed).

Dump in 7 cups of whole wheat flour.  Mine I usually freshly ground in my Nutri-mill.  Do it all at once, it will still work.

I mix that for one minute, by then it should all be mixed in with maybe a few small patches of flour on the edges (but not much).

Then, it sits like a little bandit on my counter covered with a cloth for 10 minutes.

This technique is called sponging and from what I read it’s extra great for freshly ground whole wheat flour to soak in all that liquid.

During this time, I grab all the ingredients for the next step — the sugar, salt, oil and lemon juice.  I usually also throw in a load of laundry and sometimes grease my pans.

After the 10 minutes (a timer comes in REALLY handy during the bread making process), you pull off the cover and you’ll see this.  The flour, yeast, and gluten mixture will have risen a bit and look all gooey.

Then, it’s time to dump in your sugar (I use brown sugar instead of honey, I heard it freezes better and I think it’s easier to use than honey.  I have tried both and I didn’t notice a difference), lemon juice, salt, and oil.  Mix that all up for about a minute (until it looks pretty well combined).  You may still have a few clumps of brown sugar, that’s alright, it will mix in with the rest of the stuff.

Then, I put on my little mixing collar and slowly add the other 5 cups of whole wheat flour.

I often pre-measure this and have it waiting in a bowl nearby.  I have a really hard time counting out cups of flour while parenting, so if there’s a quiet moment during the 10 minute sponging I try to do this then.  I use 1 cup of whole wheat flour and 4 cups of all-purpose, just because this seems to be the mixture that makes it so my mixer doesn’t stop part-way through it. I do this for the KitchenAid – if using a Bosch you can use all whole wheat flour.

**Mixing up whole wheat flour is a lot harder then mixing up regular flour in your mixer, so be sure to check your manual to see how much you can put in. I experimented, and this is what worked for me (again, mostly only important if you have a Kitchenaid)

With my Kitchenaid I 2/3 this recipe, to make sure it can make it through.  Just FYI.

I dump in those 5 cups, one at a time (using the mixing collar, the mixer runs the whole time).  Make sure that the flour gets pretty well incorporated between each dump.  The total mixing time in here, for me, is usually around 8 minutes.  But, it can go as high as 10.

I was actually watching America’s Test Kitchen the other day when they said that you don’t really have to worry about over-mixing bread.  I always had a worry in the back of my head that I would over-mix it and it would be bad. I worry less now and my bread is coming out better.

Here are two things I watch for when I am making bread dough:

• It usually takes about 2-3 minutes once all the flour is mixed in.
• You will notice the bread is mixed and looks fairly smooth, but a little grainy — don’t stop mixing it at this point, it will be better if you keep going until it looks REALLY smooth.  Honestly, like a baby’s bottom.  If in question, keep going a minute more.  A lot of bread making is experimenting.  You can do it!

Sometimes my mixer (KitchenAid) peters out before the bread is done — in which case I hand knead it for a bit.  It makes me feel all Ma Ingalls and appreciate my mixer more

**Most modern KitchenAid’s seem to be equipped with a stop function when it is getting overheated.  Mine has always re-started after this, but I try not to get it to this point.  Sometimes I smell a little burning and I’ll just stop and hand knead it.  If yours stops, let it cool down for about 1/2 an hour and you can try again.  However, if you are close to the end, I’d just pull the dough out and finish kneading it on your own.

While the mixer is finishing I usually grab and grease my bread pans.  I recently bought four 88 cent pans from Walmart and they cook well and are going strong.  I only cook this type of bread in them, I don’t wash them, and they have done fine.  I don’t see a need for fancy pans here.

Sometimes during the mixing I set my oven to heat to 350 for 2 minutes.  My oven will allow me to only heat it for those 2 minutes, so maybe see if yours can.  It makes it easy in case you get distracted, your oven doesn’t get too warm.

I take my dough scraper and pull the dough out of the bowl.  I use the straight side to cut into four fairly even loaves.  Often, they’re not as even as I’d like — but what can I do?  I certainly can’t lose sleep over it.  I form each one into a loaf, mostly turning the bottom into the middle (using my fingers — does that make sense?).  I plop it into the pre-greased pans (I just use Pam). Then, I push it all down until it is fairly even in the pans, otherwise you end up with HUGE slices in the middle, and sad ones on the end — and no kid wants that.

Then, into the warm oven they go.  The recipe says it should take 10-15 minutes to rise to the top of the pans, but mine takes a bit longer, closer to 30 minutes.  Then, I cook them at 350 for about 40 minutes.  I have had some raw bread in the middle and that’s REALLY no good.  40 minutes tended to be my oven’s sweet spot.

Once they’re done I pull them out of the oven.  I use a plastic knife (the kid kind from Ikea) to go along the edge so you don’t end up with clumps of bread left in the pan (and you don’t cut into the pans with a sharp knife), I dump them onto wire racks and let them cool for about 3 hours.  Then, I put them in sacks (I buy these sacks on Amazon because I think they fit loaves the best) and we’re done!  Easy peasy, right?

These are my loaves here, are they perfect in every way?  No, but they are homemade — I know where all the ingredients came from and that’s more then I can say for perfectly shaped loaves from the store. That’s good enough for me.

Here’s the printable recipe! (Use print friendly to print it easily).

Or, get it sent to your inbox:

Pull Your Bread, Not your Curls Bread Recipe
Makes 4 loaves
(if your mixer is smaller then 6 qt, you will need to reduce)

Add 5 cups steaming hot water in your mixer bowl
then add:
7 cups whole wheat flour
2/3 cup Vital wheat gluten
2.5 T instant yeast
Mix for 1 minute on speed 2
Allow to sponge for 10 minutes covered.

Then, mix in 2T salt
2/3 cup oil
1 cup sugar
2.5 Tablespoons lemon juice (bottled is fine)
mix for 1 minute on speed 2 (until combined)

Then add, a cup at a time (mixing well in between each addition)
5 cups of flour (determine the mixture that works best for you — mine is 1 cup whole wheat, 4 cups all purpose).

**So, in total you will have used 12 cups of flour — 7 before sponging, and 5 after, you can use whatever ratio of whole wheat to white you think your mixer can tolerate (now that I use the Bosch, I use 100% whole wheat — but it WILL KILL your Kitchenaid at this size recipe).

Allow to mix until it looks REALLY smooth.  This will take 8-10 minutes from when you started adding the salt etc. all on speed 2.

Pre-heat oven to a low temp for 1-2 minutes and turn off.

Divide dough into 4 loaves, press evenly into the corners so you get a more even loaf.
Place in the warm oven for 30-ish minutes (until the dough reaches the top of the pans).  Then, turn the oven on to 350 and bake for 35-40 minutes.

Pull out and place on wire racks to cool.

If you’re into bread — check out my post on bread hacks, and my other post about making a LOT of bread at once.

This post was originally published in 2013, but has been updated.

The post Best Whole Wheat Bread Recipe: 100% whole wheat bread for sandwiches appeared first on Pulling Curls.

BTW, one of my BIGGEST recipe turn-ons is being able to make it with kids. Teaching my kids to cook so I know they’ll never starve in college is one of my favorite things. I’ve gotten into a routine of it.

Recipe Turn-Off’s:

1.  Too many ingredients.  Honestly, if they can’t fit on one screen I start to get nervous.  I’m not saying I only want 5 ingredients every time, but yipes — I can’t make my own mole.  I’t s a personal flaw I’m dealing with.

2.  Ingredients that I have NO idea where to get them or what they are.  I’m a home chef.  I know basic ingredients and I’m willing to peruse Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods on occassion to find the right ingredients, but sometimes it seems like you have to go to Thailand to GET the ingredients.  I mean, seriously — if I’m there, I just want to eat.  Screw the ingredients.

3.  Too perfect.  If the photo is just TOO perfect I just scroll on by.  I guess I have a thing against perfection.  I want it to look like it was made by a home chef.  I’m not talking ugly here — I’m just talking realistic.

4.  Long stovetop times.  What on earth am I going to do with a pot on the stove for 3 hours?  Does that make anyone else nervous?  I think you can usually throw those in the oven (if you use an oven-safe pot) but with little kids around that isn’t a dish I’m willing to try.

5.  When it’s just a tiny variation on a regular dish.  Like, the million ways there are to make spaghetti don’t excite me.  Here’s a way:  boil noodles, add prego.  Done!   That isn’t to say that I don’t enjoy making my own sauce or using fresh tomatoes, or whatever — but it is what it is.

 Recipe Turn-On’s

{basically like 50 Shades of Grey for me and food):

1.  Cheese.  Hello baby.
2.  Salty/sugary foods combined into one tasty looking dish.
3.  The less ingredients the better.  I’m a less is more kind of a gal.
4.  Quick.  Let’s get right down to it.
5.   Great pictures.  I guess there’s a fine line between 3 and this one.  It’s all in the eye of the beholder.

So, there you go — 5 turn offs, and 5 turn ons.  What did I miss?  What kind of a “sexy little dish” turns you on {wink, wink, nudge, nudge}

If you liked this post, you might like my menu plans, or my recipes?  Also be sure to check out all my recipe boards on Pinterest {just search “Recipe” — I have a bunch!}.

The post 5 Recipe Turn-Off’s appeared first on Pulling Curls.

But, first a few tips on making cookies.

I always use my Bosch Mixer when I make cookies.

That’s because I like to make a TON when I do, and the Bosch handles it WAY better than by hand, a hand mixer or even my Kitchenaid (I have a comparison post where I compare the Bosch, the Nutrimill Artiste vs the Bosch mixer).

I use my stand mixer to the fullest so that I’m REALLY creaming the butter and the sugar!  It makes for MUCH tastier cookies!  Just be sure to soften the butter before you use a stand mixer (even the Bosch).  I have a whole post on how to make the best cookies with your stand mixer!

BUT, without more effort — let’s talk about my 3 favorite cookie recipes (and by 3, I mean I couldn’t narrow it down, so I picked 4)

Favorite Basic Chocolate Chip Recipe

Ok, drumroll for these — because they. are. amazing!

I found them on Pinterest, and the cornstarch intrigued me.

I’ve tried like 4,000 different chocolate chip recipes and this one gives such a crisp outside (thank you cornstarch) and a chewy center.  It’s heaven.

AND, I have Apple a Day to thank for it — they areally are the best ever chewy chocolate chip cookies!

Favorite Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Recipe

I have had this recipe forever.  In fact, she’d changed sites and I couldn’t find it this morning.

While, this exact recipe isn’t like CRAZY amazing — I love a few parts of it:

1.  How easy it is to incorporate whole wheat flour into it.  Of course, I use my grain mill to create flour for our family, so I’m always happy to use it (and oatmeal cookies makes that easier!)
2.  Her recommended process of soaking the raisins in vanilla water completely changed my life.  Haha, ok — maybe not.  But I tend to get hard raisins towards the end and this makes them so plump and juicy.  They remind me of when my grandma would give us cookies!  Btw, that tip and how to do it is in her “notes” section!

Also, I add chocolate chips to that recipe as well, so that I don’t have a revolt by my kids.  #trustory

Favorite “other” chocolate chip recipe

Ok, I have two, and I couldn’t decide which I liked better.

First off, is this chewy brownie cookie.  They are SO moist and chewy.  Just like a brownie in cookie form.  I’ve even used beans instead of fat in this one, and they were still AMAZING — and that is saying something!

And second is these King Soopers Cherry Chip recipe.  I LOVE cherry chip.  I love the cake mix by Betty Crocker, and these cookies were SO yummy — I wanted to horder them.  Sadly, in the last few years I haven’t been able to find cherry chips at my local stores (believe me, I look) and the price looks a bit insane on Amazon.  Does anyone have a source for me?

Ok, that includes my favorite three 4 recipes.  I hope you like them!

And, just for fun — I asked some of my favorite cooking friends THEIR favorite cookie recipes:

Katie said she loves these Monster Cookies (and they’re gluten free!)

Justine says she loves these Lebkuchen Cookies — they’re a german gingerbread (sounds amazing!)

Jessa mentioned these Chewy Toffee cookies (yummmm)

Ashlee loves this oatmeal chocolate chip one (and she has a LOT of cookie recipes, so that means a lot)

My friend Kaylynn is a cookie expert, and she loves these Browned Butter Bacon Cookies (I think I need them NOW).

If you liked this post — be SURE to check out my post on tips to using your stand mixer to make cookies, grab my bread recipe below, and check out my other food posts below that!

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The post Favorite Cookie Recipes: The 3 I love the most appeared first on Pulling Curls.

Chicken recipes are the foundation of my recipe book.

Here’s what I love about chicken.

It’s cheap.  Super cheap.

Today I want to share 5 of my OWN favorite chicken recipes.

All are easy to make, and family-friendly (as always).

**I will NEVER share a recipe here that can’t be made with kids “helping” or that the majority of my family doesn’t enjoy**

Then, I asked some of my favorite mom-bloggers (who live real-lives where they make dinner nightly) what their favorite chicken recipe was.  I am SUPER excited about the results, I think you’re going to love them too!

With that being said – let’s talk chicken.

Chicken Recipe for Dinner

Spicy Honey-Brushed Chicken Thighs

You’ll notice that a lot of my favorite recipes center around thighs.  I just think they cook up juicier.  Also, breasts are SO big anymore — no one at my house eats a full breast — although plenty of these include breast meat.

ANYWAY — these are so crispy and have a nice combo of sweet and spicy.  They’re quick since you broil them.

I also like making this one with kids as it has to do a lot of measuring.  Great to talk about fractions, etc.  Plus measuring is a good cooking skill to have.

Candied Chicken

Yup, this one isn’t for the diabetics.  It’s great over rice — and you can also easily do it in the instant pot.  I usually add a little cornstarch slurry to the sauce to thicken it too.   BTW, Deals to Meals (where this recipe is from) is one of my FAVORITE ways to save on groceries.  Also, their recipes always rock!  I have made it with both breast and thighs.  If you’re looking to save on groceries, I’d love it if you signed up via my link.

Holy Yum Chicken

This one is probably my FAVORITE.  The combo of the savory and sweet.  Oh man, it gets me EVERY time.  Plus, the chicken gets a little crispy in the oven.  It’s just delish.

Buffalo Sliders

I don’t make these as often as I would like — but when I do, they are just SO tasty.  I love wings and this combines like all the good things of wings into a sandwich.  Also, I adore blue cheese.  I know the grated carrot seems weird, but it ads a hint of sweetness that is so awesome.  Take my word for it.

Kung Pao Chicken Tacos

Guys– I thought this looks interesting, but it’s like SO different than our usual fare — and SO good.  I absolutely love them.  I love Asian tacos at restaurants — so why not try them at home?

Ok, time to hear from some of my favorite bloggers.  These are ladies I know in real life and I knew they’d have good taste in recipes.   They’re busy moms who also know how to COOK.

Bonnie from Bonnie & Blithe

Bonnie is the mother of like 400 kids.  She’s busy and also somehow fairly normal.  She shared this one with me, that looks SO yummy — Greek Chicken Burritos.

Katie from Clarks Condensed

Katie is a GREAT cook and she didn’t even hesitate when I asked her favorite chicken recipe.  Easy Apricot Chicken looks DELICIOUS, I’m going to have to try it asap.

Amber from Amber Simmons

Amber shared one that looks SO good!  PLUS, it takes bone-in thighs which are SUPER cheap at the grocery store.  Cracklin Chicken is definitely on my to-make list.

Ashlee  from Ashlee Marie

Ashlee shared the recipe she makes every year on her birthday – breaded chicken.  And yum.  The secret is butter.  Ashlee — the secret is ALWAYS butter.

Lara from Overstuffed

Lara eats gluten-free (as does a few of her kids) and this enchilada recipe she gave me looks so delish!  Chicken makes for great casseroles!

Justine from The Typical Mom

Oh man, for those of you trying to use your Instant Pot — this one looks AMAZING!!!!!  Instant Pot Parmesan Chicken Casserole.  Frankly, she had me at parmesan….

Camille from My Mommy Style

Camille runs a live cooking show on Facebook — and she has one that might pull me out of my comfort zone (and it also looks amazing) — the best Masaman Thai Chicken Curry.  I want to try more stuff like this, so I think Camille has inspired me to do so!

Janssen from Everyday Reading 

Janssen’s favorite is this butter chicken.  I tried butter chicken a few years ago and really liked it — I need to try this one!

Chicken is such an easy, healthy thing to have for dinner.  It goes great on the grill, with veggies or in a casserole.  It’s just so versatile.

Like this post?  Be sure to grab my easy dinner planner below to help your family get on top of meal time (and check out my other delicious food posts below that):

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The post Chicken Recipe for Dinner: Fast, tasty, healthy family meals. appeared first on Pulling Curls.

Best casseroles are easy, tasty and put a family-happy dinner on the table in hardly any time (even if you’re in quarantine)! Let’s talk about some easy casserole recipesYou might be looking for casserole recipes with chicken, ground beef, main dishes, healthy, Mexican. Casseroles come in ALL forms and can feed your family tasty food with little effort.
There are a lot of reasons to LOVE casseroles as a mom.

• Often a casserole includes all the items you need for dinner.  You’ll have protein, veggies, starch all in one handy pot.  No need for side items, just throw it on the table.
• Sometimes it’s easier to hide veggies in a casserole vs plain on the table.  Slap some crispy cheese on stuff and kids will eat almost anything (see broccoli pie below)
• If you have busy afternoons, casseroles can often be prepared ahead of time and thrown in the oven to be done when you need them to be!
• Casseroles aren’t easily ruined and are GREAT to cook with kids (btw, looking to cook more with your kids — check out this site)
• Casseroles can be SUPER high in calories — often I will split the recipes in half so we only eat half and either take the other half to a friend or freeze for later.  Then, serve with a hearty salad!
• I am a big fan of using my stand mixer to save time if i’m mixing up large amounts of ingredients.  I have a whole post on Bosch vs Kitchen Aid Mixers.

**I would totally recommend figuring out the time bake feature on your oven.  Ours will turn on and turn off with no effort! **

I just also did a podcast with my friend Becca on the best ways to make family meals healthier:

Without further adieu

The Best Casseroles

(Directly from my recipe binder)

Easy Lasagna: This one’s different in that it doesn’t take ricotta.  I do love meat and cheese though.

Corn and Cheese Enchiladas This one is really different than any other enchiladas.  I love the combination of the corn with the creamy cheese.  I feel like corn has a bad rap, but this dish is TASTY and super family-friendly.  Serve with veggies or a salad!

Pineapple Enchiladas:  I shared this family favorite a few weeks ago on my blog.  People LOVED the recipe, which actually inspired me to do this post!

Million dollar Spaghetti:  I’ve seen a lot of recipes that make their own sauce for this, but we just use jarred sauce.  It is SO tasty!  GREAT dish to prepare early on and then cook during afternoon craziness.

Lady’s Cheesy Mac:  This is the easiest and creamiest mac and cheese.  I love that all the ingredient are things I have on hand on all the time!  (I also love Chuck’s Favorite Mac and Cheese — but it has cottage cheese, which I don’t always have on hand, but I like how tangy this one is)

**When I’m really feeling festive, I top my casseroles with 1 part panko, 1 part crushed potato chips, a handful of bacon bits (I buy the pre-cooked bacon bits at Costco, but I still heat them for 30 seconds in the microwave) and cheese — this makes an AMAZING topper (much better than bread crumbs alone). **

Broccoli Pie:  A favorite since it includes the veggies.  My kids TOTALLY eat this and ignore that it holds a TON of broccoli.  I love this casserole!  If you use frozen broccoli (which you can) just increase the cooking time a bit.  I probably have to cook it 45 minutes or so before putting the cheese on.  Make sure it’s set in the middle with a knife.  #lazybroccolithawer

Ramen Mexican Casserole: I can’t tell you how horrible this probably is for you, but it is SO tasty and creamy.  I serve just a small spoonful of this along with a tasty Mexican salad.  I also sometimes add chicken or beans to bulk up the nutrients in this delicious wonder.

Best Tuna Casserole:  My grandma used to make this one (she’s the one I learned that awesome crushed potato trick from) and it always reminds me of her.  If you’re looking to get some more fish into your life, but don’t want to pay through the nose for full fish, look into tuna or canned salmon as an option (I don’t use the canned mushrooms, because they gross me out).

Mexican Casserole: This is something I use as a “pattern” and then use whatever I have in the fridge to complete it.  A GREAT one to use leftovers in — I love Mexican lasagna!

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole:  I am a sucker for ham and swiss cheese.  This is a great one to use leftover rice with, super family friendly!

Chicken Tamale Casserole:  This one tastes SO tamale-ish without ALL that work.  A great one!

Turkey Pot Pie:  I actually cook this with JUST the top crust (because I have not always had great luck getting my bottom crust to cook right, plus it saves calories (and crusts).  The crispy top is plenty for us!  This one has the veggies in it – one dish meal!

I love making family-friendly meals.  I love cooking with my kids — but I must admit that dinner time can get SUPER overwhelming.  Check out my free menu planner that is nothing fancy, but can help you get a jump on the week ahead (and be sure to check out my other easy meals below that):

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The post Best Casseroles: Best for busy families appeared first on Pulling Curls.