White Chicken Spaghetti

Serves 4 or 5

Ingredients

• 6-12 heads garlic, peeled and smashed: make it a lot.
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• butter and olive oil (equal parts) to fry them in. Don't be shy.
• 2 lbs chicken breasts, thinly sliced
  
• 1 lb sage sausage, in small pieces
  
• 2-3 TBSP dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp ground allspice
• 1 tsp ground white pepper, maybe more.
• 1 TBSP dried Italian seasoning
• 1/2 tsp salt (to taste)
• 1 jar, bottle or can, white spaghetti sauce, any flavor
• 1 can chicken broth
  

Preparations: heat large (preferably cast iron) skillet. Heat oil and melt butter. Fry garlic and onion until transparent. Add chicken and sausage. Cover and cook until meat is cooked all the way through. Add the dried oregano. Add the other spices too. Stir well.

Add meat and stir well while frying. When they're hot and spicy, add spaghetti sauce and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, stirring. If you like, thicken with flour.

Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.

Review: This is very good, and quite rich. I prefer to toss this with spiral spaghetti, and top with shredded Parmesan cheese.

7 Grain Bread Machine Bread

Add in order:

1 ½ tsp active dry yeast
2 cups unbleached flour
1 ¼ cups whole wheat flour
2 TBSP sugar
1 ½ tsp salt
2 TBSP nonfat dry milk powder
2 TBSP flax seed
¼ cup roasted, unsalted sunflower seeds
2 TBSP roasted sesame seeds
¼ cup cracked wheat
2 TBSP millet
2 TBSP oat bran
2 TBSP butter
1 ⅓ cup water, or a little more to make soft enough dough (watch the dough to make sure it's not too dry).


Feel free to substitute milk for the water and powdered milk. Note: between all the grains and the flours, you're targeting a total of 4 cups.

Set the bread machine on "normal" and fire it off.

Review: This makes a very heavy loaf that's chock full of seeds and grains. It's become a favorite at our home. We vary the proportion of the various grains and seeds; personally, I love to emphasize the millet: very crunchy. Just make sure the grain/seeds total never goes above 1½ cups and the flour (white and/or wheat) never drops below 2½ cups, and you always have at least half of the flour in white flour.

Golden Granola Bread, Bread Machine Style

Makes one big ol' loaf.

1½ tsp active dry yeast
3 cups flour: either white, or up to half white & half wheat.
¾ cup granola: the richer the better
¼ cup cashews, chopped lightly
¼ cup dried bananas, chopped lightly
¼ cup packed brown sugar
1 cup water, cool to tepid. NOT warm. Filtered is better.
1½ tsp salt
2 TBSP oil
1 egg

Set the bread machine on normal and fire it off. Serve it sliced thick and hot out of the bread machine (or oven) and enjoy it with butter!

Review: This came out nice and golden, very well raised. It's not too light, not too heavy for homemade bread, but it is quite sweet. My wife - the local expert on sweet - says it's a good breakfast bread. Next time, I think I'll increase the dried bananas, and maybe the chopped cashews as well.