Gifts for the Lunch Packer: Back to School Edition - Bread Baking (and KAF Giveaway!)

This is a series of posts I'm going to do about good gift ideas for the lunch packer/things you might need for Back to School.

I want to disclose that I am an Amazon Affliliate, and some of the links I post are my affiliate links.

I love making fresh bread for lunches. If you have the right tools, it isn't that hard, and doesn't take much time. There's something wonderful about making your own bread, knowing what goes into it, and being able to customize it accordingly.

By far my favorite bread for lunches is pain de mie.  I use this wonderful covered loaf pan from King Arthur Flour, and it really makes the texture something to talk about.  The lid compresses the bread as it bakes, making for a denser crumb, and when the bread comes out of the oven, I quickly rub the crust with a little butter, wrap the whole loaf in a kitchen towel and then in a plastic bag.  When it cools in this way, the crust is delightfully soft, and little people who might complain about crusts never complain about this bread.  There's a smaller loaf pan available too, if you want (my recipes are all for the larger pan)

Of course, in order to make bread baking really simple, I like to use a bread machine to get my dough ready.  You can throw all the ingredients in when you go to work, set the timer, and come home to dough ready to be baked.  You can, of course, bake in the bread machine, too, but I much prefer baking in the oven.  The cream of the crop Wish-it-was-in-my-kitchen bread machine is the Zojirushi (or this smaller Zojirushi model).  I have one similar to this Breadman, and it makes my dough just fine and dandy.  Still wish I had the Zo, though!

I also love to use my food scale to measure ingredients.  It really makes everything fool proof.  I love this Escali scale.  It can measure in grams, ounces, or pounds (up to 11 lbs), and you can put a bowl or other container on it to zero out for measuring.    Plus, it comes in a variety of colors.

If you want to get really fancy (as I often do), you can try your hand at my Rainbow Pain de Mie, which is always a hit.  For that, you will need food colorings and a rolling pin.  And you have to not mind getting your hands a little colorful.

King Arthur Flour has so many wonderful ingredients to use in bread (and other baking)... you can add some fiber with their new Hi-Maize natural fiber (seriously, never notice it's there, and it adds a fiber punch!), or top your bread with Artisan topping (though this would not work so well with pain de mie...)

Now here's the fun part - the kind people over at King Arthur Flour are offering a $20 e-gift card to one of my readers!

They have a great online store, which I urge you to check out.

I love their flours, of course, and their specialty ingredients - the Vermont Cheese Powder!  The Maple and Cinnamon Flav-r-Bites!

And don't get me started on their gadgets and bakeware...

On top of it all, they have incredible resources on their website which really set them apart from other companies.  Need help with something?  Try the Baker's Hotline!  Want to peruse some truly awesome recipes?  They have them in spades.

All you have to do is go to their website and tell me what you would get with your gift card, should you win.  One lucky reader, chosen at random, will win a $20 e-gift card to the King Arthur Flour Baker's Store.  That's it.

As always, I need a way to contact you.  Anonymous commenters, with no contact information, cannot win.  If I can't contact you, I can't get your information to King Arthur Flour, and you can't get your prize.  Simple as that.  US entries only, please.

One comment per person, please.

I will choose a winner, using Random.org, on Wednesday, July 27th, at 6 PM ish, EST.

Disclaimer:  I have been in no way compensated for this giveaway or by talking about King Arthur Flour.  All opinions are my own.  The prize is donated by King Arthur Flour.

Recipe: Pineapple, Mango & Peach Salsa

Across most of the country, it's hot.  Admittedly, it's not as hot here in Vermont as it is other places, but it's still oppressive.  Humid.  Icky.

While we do have air conditioning in the house, it's still not really appealing to cook much or eat a hot meal.

I happened to have some fruit in my fridge and decided that tonight for dinner, we are having nachos.

Plenty of fruit in this salsa - that makes it healthy, right?

I made it pretty mild, with only one jalapeno (seeds removed).  The kids would have been happier if I had left out the red onion, or did just half, but I am happy with it as it is.

This is a totally refreshing salsa.  And it makes a TON - about 4-6 cups.  I think it'll keep for a couple of days in the fridge.

Pineapple, Mango & Peach Salsa

1/2 large pineapple
1 mango
1 peach (I used a white peach)
1 red onion
Juice of one lime
1 small bunch cilantro
1 jalapeno, seeds removed

Remove the skin from the pineapple and cut into spears, and then into a large dice.  Put into a large bowl.

Remove pit from the mango (I have a handy dandy mango splitter.  Seriously one of my favorite gadgets ever).  Cutting most of the way through with a knife, cut into cubes that go nearly to the skin, then flip mango inside out and slice off the cubes into the bowl.

Skin the peach, remove the pit, and cut into a small dice.  Place into the bowl.

Chop the red onion into a small dice and put into the bowl.  Squeeze the juice from the lime into the bowl.

Seeding the jalapeno

Cut the seeded jalapeno into a very small dice and add to the bowl.  Coarsely chop the cilantro and stir it into the bowl as well.

Allow to sit for at least 30 minutes for flavors to combine, and enjoy!

Recipe: Espresso Chip Mini Muffins

I bought these Espresso Chocolate Chips at King Arthur Flour the other day, and I knew they had to make their way into muffins.

First, I chopped them up a little in my food processor, to make them a little better size for mini muffins.  Then, I put them in a sieve and sifted out the powder.  This kept the muffins a nice color and not all brown.

All chopped and sifted

I sprinkled this powder on top of the muffins before baking

You could use regular chocolate chips in these, but they obviously wouldn't be espresso chip then.

I also used some Caramel Machiatto Coffee-mate in them, along with the evaporated milk.  Just added a little extra something.  Yum.

These disappeared at Kiss the Cook.  Quickly.

Espresso Chip Mini Muffins

3/4 c fat free evaporated milk
1/4 c flavored liquid coffee creamer (I used caramel machiatto)
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 c vegetable oil or melted butter
3 eggs
1 c all-purpose flour
1 c whole wheat flour
1/3 c sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 c espresso chocolate chips (chopped lightly if large, for mini muffins)

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Combine sugar, eggs, evaporated milk, creamer, vanilla, and oil.  Stir in flour and baking powder, then fold in the espresso chocolate chips.

Scoop into mini muffin cups.  Bake for about 10 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.

Recipe: Maple Walnut Scones

Another recipe for my brother, Lars D.H. Hedbor's, book reading tonight for his new novel - The Prize - Tales from a Revolution: Vermont.

 Yums.  Just yums.

Maple Walnut Scones

1/2 c butter, frozen and shredded
3 c all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
2 eggs
1/2 c dark amber maple syrup (Grade B if you can find it - don't use imitation maple syrup)
1/3 c fat free evaporated milk
1/2 c King Arthur Flour Maple Flav-r-bites (optional)
1/2 c chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 375 F.  Shred the frozen butter using a food processor's grating disk.  Remove the grating disk and put in the regular blade.  Put the rest of the ingredients in the food processor and pulse just until a ball forms.  Don't over mix.  (You could do this by hand, but the food processor works so nicely)

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll to about 1" thick.  Cut with a biscuit cutter into rounds, or other desired shape.

Place on lined cookie sheets (I like parchment paper) and brush the tops with additional syrup.  Bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned.  Cool on wire racks and enjoy.

Flaky deliciousness

Recipe: Mini Tartes au Sucre (French-Canadian Sugar Pies)

I've been wanting to try this kind of pie for a very long time, but I never had the right occasion.

Then, my brother, Lars D.H. Hedbor, got a novel published - The Prize - Tales from a Revolution: Vermont.  Tee hee.

He's doing a reading tomorrow evening, and I was asked to do refreshments for it.  Lars asked that they be slightly period and area appropriate.  One of this main characters is French-Canadian.  Boom.  Tarte au sucre.

Mini, because, well....

So, the verdict is that these little pies weren't exactly neat... but they are totally yummy.  Very sweet.  They are called Sugar pies, after all.  They were like pecan pies, without the pecans.  I'm glad I made them tiny.  I might top them with some whipped cream at the event.  I've read that is often done with this pie.

These would be prettier with a dollop of whipped cream, don't you think?

Try them if you want a fun French-Canadian treat!

Mini Tartes au Sucre

Pie crust for ~3 pies (I use ready-made pie crust - one and a half boxes for this recipe)
6 Tbsp flour
2 c dark brown sugar
1 1/2 c (1 can) evaporated milk (I used fat free)
4 Tbsp butter
1 tsp vanilla extract

Cut pie crusts out into circles large enough to fit into mini muffin pans sprayed well with cooking spray.  Press circles into the mini muffin cups.

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Stirring, stirring, stirring...

Boiled + extract!

In a sauce pan, combine brown sugar and flour.  Stir over medium heat until well combined, and then pour in the evaporated milk.  When the sugar and flour are dissolved in the milk, add the butter.  Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture comes to a boil.  Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract.

Pour the filling into the crusts, being careful not to overfill.  Bake for 5 minutes at 400 F, then turn the heat down and bake for an additional 15-17.  (Mine over flowed some... any French-Canadian readers care to help me out here?)

I spooned the filling that overflowed back into the crusts the best I could

Lunches for an Outing: 7.13.11

Today we are heading to King Arthur Flour!  (Oh, and also to Montshire Museum of Science and Vermont Institute of Natural Science for the kids....)

Here's the huge amount of lunches - my brother and his fiancee and me and most of our collective children (we are missing her two children, who are in Oregon).  I love EasyLunchboxes for outings.  So convenient.

Everyone has the same thing - Sharp cheddar cheese sandwich on fresh pain de mie, chicken sausage with feta and spinach, strawberries, and a Nanaimo bar from King Arthur Flour's recipe.

Recipe: Chilled Carrot Soup

It's hot today.  Not as hot as it is in some parts of the country, but hot.  And muggy.  It felt like walking through a sauna out there today.  I did not want to turn on the oven.

But... I'm having people over for dinner.

So, I made a chilled soup.  I had to have the stove on this morning briefly, but I have air conditioning.

The topping is optional, but I think it adds some dimension.


Chilled Carrot Soup

1 Tbsp olive oil
4-5 c shredded carrots
1 chopped onion
1 tsp garlic powder

1 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp Teeny Tiny Spice Penang Curry (or other curry powder)

5 c water
1 Tbsp Better Than Boullion Veggie Base (or other boullion)

1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp rice vinegar

1 small cucumber, sliced into ribbons (I use my peeler)
3 Tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
1 Tbsp lime zest

In a soup pot, heat oil.  Stir in carrots and onion, along with garlic powder.  Cook for about 5 minutes.

Stir in sugar and curry powder and cook for an additional minute.  Add water and Better Than Boullion and bring to a boil.  Simmer for about 15 minutes, or until carrots are tender.

Before pureeing.

Puree in batches (or use an immersion blender - mine broke) and stir in lemon juice and vinegar.  Chill for several hours.

All chilled

Before serving, combine ribbons of cucumber with cilantro and lime zest in a small bowl.  Sprinkle a little over each serving of soup.

The topping

Yum!