Posted on 07/24/2009 3:37:21 AM PDT by nw_arizona_granny
Weekly Roundup - Living On Nothing Edition Category: Roundups | Comments(15)
Did you hear about the guy that lives on nothing? No seriously, he lives on zero dollars a day. Meet Daniel Suelo, who lives in a cave outside Moab, Utah. Suelo has no mortgage, no car payment, no debt of any kind. He also has no home, no car, no television, and absolutely no “creature comforts.” But he does have a lot of creatures, as in the mice and bugs that scurry about the cave floor he’s called home for the last three years.
To us, Suelo probably sounds a little extreme. Actually, he probably sounds very extreme. After all, I suspect most of you reading this are doing so under the protection of some sort of man-made shelter, and with some amount of money on your person, and probably a few needs for money, too. And who doesn’t need money unless they have completely unplugged from the grid? Still, it’s an amusing story about a guy who rejects all forms of consumerism as we know it.
The Frugal Roundup
How to Brew Your Own Beer and Maybe Save Some Money. A fantastic introduction to home brewing, something I’ve never done myself, but always been interested in trying. (@Generation X Finance)
Contentment: A Great Financial Principle. If I had to name one required emotion for living a frugal lifestyle it would be contentment. Once you are content with your belongings and your lot in life you can ignore forces attempting to separate you from your money. (@Personal Finance by the Book)
Use Energy Star Appliances to Save On Utility Costs. I enjoyed this post because it included actual numbers, and actual total savings, from someone who upgraded to new, energy star appliances. (@The Digerati Life)
Over-Saving for Retirement? Is it possible to “over-save” for retirement? Yes, I think so. At some point I like the idea of putting some money aside in taxable investments outside of retirement funds, to be accessed prior to traditional retirement age. (@The Simple Dollar)
40 Things to Teach My Kids Before They Leave Home. A great list of both practical and philosophical lessons to teach your kids before they reach the age where they know everything. I think that now happens around 13 years-old. (@My Supercharged Life)
Index Fund Investing Overview. If you are looking for a place to invest with high diversification and relatively low fees (for broader index funds with low turnover), index funds are a great place to start. (@Money Smart Life)
5 Reasons To Line Dry Your Laundry. My wife and I may soon be installing a clothesline in our backyard. In many neighborhoods they are frowned upon - one of the reasons I don’t like living in a neighborhood. I digress. One of our neighbors recently put up a clothesline, and we might just follow his lead. (@Simple Mom)
A Few Others I Enjoyed
* 4 Quick Tips for Getting Out of a Rut * Young and Cash Rich * Embracing Simple Style * First Trading Experience With OptionsHouse * The Exponential Power of Delayed Consumption * How Much Emergency Fund is Enough? * 50 Questions that Will Free Your Mind * Save Money On Car Insurance
http://oldtips.blogspot.com/search/label/fall%20recipes
[For the instruction links, these recipes are about 1/3rd of the way down the page....granny]
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Friday Recipes: Zucchini
It’s that time of year again. Folks that grow zucchini sneak around the neighborhood quietly leaving zucchini on doorsteps of unsuspecting neighbors. What to do with all of that zucchini? Brenda says it quite well in one of her articles on Old Fashioned Living:
“Zucchini is one of the easiest vegetables to grow, and certainly provides one of the most abundant harvests. A single “giant” zucchini can provide enough grated squash to bake a dozen or more loaves of bread. A large zucchini works well for grating and the smaller tender zucchini are perfect for slicing.
Pick most zucchini at about 6 to 8 inches for the best taste, and save those “jumbo” squash that you miss for grating and using in baking. Squash blossoms will continue to set all the way up until fall IF you continue to pick the squash before it fully matures. If you miss even one, the entire plant will stop producing. This may be something you want to encourage if you over planted and are looking at a zucchini explosion, but if not, watch for those blossoms to drop off and harvest the squash!
Remember too, if you have an over abundance of any vegetable, contact your local churches, shelters or soup kitchens to see if they need fresh produce! You can share the harvest with those less fortunate.
To freeze zucchini simply grate, and place in resealable plastic freezer bags. For sliced zucchini choose the younger squash that is still tender skinned. Wash, and cut into 1/2 inch slices. Blanch in boiling water for 3 minutes; cool and drain. Package in containers and freeze. The zucchini bread and cake also freeze well. Cool after baking and double wrap with foil.
Shredded zucchini is a versatile ingredient. Mix 1 cup into into your favorite brownie dough, meatloaf or meatball recipes. Whenever you need extra moisture try experimenting with a cup of shredded zucchini.”
Below are several recipes found on Old Fashioned Living, then below that you will find quite a few from the blogging world as well. Enjoy!
Spicy Zucchini Bread
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
Dash salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1 cup grated zucchini
1/2 cup crushed walnuts
Beat sugar into eggs, add oil and mix well. Sift together dry ingredients, add beaten egg. Stir in zucchini. Beat until batter in very smooth. Add nuts. Pour into greased, floured 9x5 loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 60 minutes. Turn out onto wire rack to cool.
Zucchini Chocolate Chip Cake
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 tsp. allspice
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking soda
4 Tbsp. cocoa
2 1/2 cups grated/shredded zucchini
1 cup mini chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour a 9x13 pan. Cream sugars, butter, and oil. Add eggs, buttermilk and vanilla. Stir to mix. Sift together dry ingredients. Mix all together except chocolate chips. After mixing well, gently fold in chips. Pour into pan. Bake for 45 minutes until toothpick comes out clean when inserted in center. Dust with powdered sugar or a fluffy light frosting.
Honey Spice Cake
1 cup shortening
2 cups honey
3 eggs, beaten
1 cup sour milk
3 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. allspice
1 1/2 cups grated zucchini
Cream shortening and honey. Add in eggs. In another bowl sift flour, soda, powder,salt and spices. Gradually add milk and flour mixture, taking turns, to egg mixture. Fold in zucchini. Pour into loaf pan and bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes.
Zucchini Casserole
3-4 medium zucchini, unpeeled
2 tablespoons butter
2 tsp. parsley, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped onion
1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 tsp. salt
1 garlic clove, minced fine
1 tsp. fresh oregano or 1/2 tsp. dried
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, grated
1/2 cup buttered, seasoned bread crumbs
Wash and slice zucchini in thin rings. In a large skillet sauté parsley and onion in the butter until soft, add mushrooms, then garlic (the last minute). Stir in remaining ingredients, except bread crumbs. Pour into buttered casserole dish. Sprinkle bread crumbs over top, and Parmesan cheese if desired. Cover with foil and bake at 275 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake about 15 minutes longer or until browned.
Zucchini Italian
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, sliced into very thin rings
1 medium zucchini, cubed
1 pound green beans, sliced into one inch pieces
1 can tomato sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
pepper and salt to taste
Dash of dried tarragon
1 tablespoon fresh basil or oregano, or 1 tsp. dried
Brown onion, add other ingredients in order and simmer until tender.
Zucchini Cheese Soup
2 cups cubed zucchini
3 tablespoons minced onion
1/4 cup butter
3 tablespoons flour
3 1/2 cups evaporated milk
4 cups skim, 1/2 or 2% milk
3 cups grated colby-jack cheese
salt and pepper to taste
Fresh chives or green onion for garnish
Saute zucchini and onion in the butter. Blend in flour. Add milk gradually and heat, stirring constantly, until cheese is melted and soup is smooth and thickened. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with green onion or chives on top of soup.
Zucchini Salad
2 medium zucchini, sliced thin
2 medium tomatoes, sliced thin
1 cup red onion, sliced thin in rings
Dressing:
1/2 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons wine or herb vinegar
2 tsp. fresh chopped basil leaves
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
Pour dressing over zucchini, tomatoes and onion rings. Allow to marinate for several hours.
Morning Glory Zucchini Bread
2 to 2 1/2 cups shredded zucchini
1 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups sugar
3 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
Click here to get the instructions
Zucchini and Summer Squash Pickles
1 pound zucchini and/or summer squash
1 small yellow onion
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 cups cider vinegar
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons dry mustard
1 1/2 teaspoons crushed mustard seeds
Scant 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
Click here to get the instructions
Chocolate Zucchini Bread
2 C flour
2 t cinnamon
1/2 t salt
1 1/2 t baking soda
6 T unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 C canola oil
1 C sugar
1/4 C brown sugar
3 eggs
2 t vanilla
1/2 C sour cream
3 C grated zucchini
3/4 C mini chocolate chips
Topping:
2 T brown sugar
2 T white sugar
1/2 t cinnamon
Click here to get the instructions
Stuffed Zucchini
2 medium zucchini
1 tblsp butter
1 tblsp olive oil, plus more for drizzling
2-3 green onions, chopped
2 roma tomatoes
salt and pepper
½ cup bread crumbs
½ cup Parmesan, plus more for topping
Click here to get the instructions
Zucchini and Tomato Casserole
(THIS is fabulous! I had it for lunch today ~Amanda)
2 large tomatoes sliced in half inch rings
2-3 small zucchini sliced lengthwise in quarter inch strips
3 large garlic cloves sliced thinly
10 sprigs of thyme
Salt and pepper
1 c. market cheese like Gouda or Gruyere grated on the large side of your box grater
1/3 c. whole wheat bread crumbs
Click here to get the instructions
Chocolate Zucchini Cake
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup canola oil
6 1/8 ounces granulated sugar (1/2 cup plus 6 tablespoons)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1/4 cup buttermilk
1 1/4 cup unbleached all purpose flour
1 1/8 ounces Dutch-process cocoa
(optional 1 teaspoon espresso powder)
1 cup zucchini, finely grated (middle/seeds removed)
1/2 cup (3 ounces) chocolate chips
Ganache Icing:
3 ounces heavy cream
4 1/2 ounces dark chocolate
Click here to get the instructions
Double Chocolate Zucchini Cake
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa (NOT dutch process)
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup oil
2 large eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups zucchini, unpeeled and shredded
1 cup dark chocolate chips
Click here to get the instructions
Zucchini with Parmesan
2-3 zucchini, washed and sliced on the diagonal into ½ inch thick slices
2-3 T olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 T chopped fresh basil
Salt and pepper
A pinch of dried red chile flakes
2-3 T grated parmesan
Click here to get the instructions
Squash Stuffed with Corn, Tomatoes, Green Chiles
3 medium zucchini squash
2 thin corn tortillas
2 tsp. ancho chile powder
3 oz. manchego cheese, cubed plus 1 oz. shredded manchego cheese
1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 medium shallot, diced
1 small red onion, diced
1 c. fresh corn kernels
2 roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped
4 oz. chopped green chiles
Salt and pepper
Click here to get the instructions
Lemon-Zucchini Cornmeal Cookies
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup fine cornmeal
1 medium zucchini, grated on small holes of a box grater (about 1 cup)
Click here to get the instructions
Katrina’s Zucchini Crisp
1 large zucchini (about 1 1/2-2 lbs.), peeled, seeded and sliced
6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon lemon zest
Crumb topping:
3/4 cup light golden brown sugar, packed
3/4 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup old fashioned oats
1/8 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, (can be pretty cold from the fridge), cubed
1/3 cup walnuts, chopped
Click here to get the instructions
Soba Noodles with Edamame, Zucchini, and Spinach
Sauce:
Low sodium soy sauce
Water
Rice wine vinegar
Honey
Garlic Chile Paste
Soba noodles
1 T Sesame oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 zucchini, chopped
1/2 cup shelled edamame
1 cup fresh spinach leaves
3 green onions, chopped
Black pepper, to taste
Sesame seeds
Extra green onions for garnish
Click here to get the instructions
Zucchini Bread with Dried Cranberries
Nonstick cooking spray
1 3/4 cups shredded zucchini
3/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/3 cup canola oil
1/3 cup applesauce
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large eggs
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Fresh ground nutmeg-I didn’t measure, just a bit
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2-3/4 cup dried cranberries
Cinnamon/Sugar to sprinkle on top
Click here to get the instructions
Zucchini Spice Cake
2 cups all purpose flour (or gluten free blend, Bob’s Red Mill)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
3/4 cup organic brown sugar
3/4 cup turbinado sugar or granulate white
1 cup unsalted butter, room temp
3 large eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups shredded zucchini
Click here to get the instructions
Posted by Amanda
http://oldtips.blogspot.com/search/label/fall%20recipes
Friday’s Recipes: Homemade Cakes
Every single one of us can do things that no one else can do — can love things that no one else can love. We are like violins. We can be used for doorstops, or we can make music. You know what to do. ~Barbara Sher
Today I have some cake recipes from a 1968 Cake Cookbook from Favorite Recipes Press. Any of these would be lovely for a Valentine’s party or dinner!
Apple Tart Cake
3 c. sugar
8 tbsp.flour
5 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
4 eggs
2 cups chopped pecans
2 cups finely chopped tart apples
2 tsp. vanilla extract
Mix sugar, flour, baking powder and salt together; set aside. Beat eggs until they are lemon colored. Add eggs, pecans, apples and vanilla to dry ingredients; mix well. Pour the batter in greased 9x12 inch loaf pan. Bake 45 minutes at 350 degrees. Cake rises, then falls; makes its own crust. Makes 8-12 servings.
Blackberry Jam Cake
3/4 cup butter
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
2 cups sifted flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. allspice
1 tsp. cloves
1/2 c. sour cream
1 cup blackberry jam
Cream butter. Add sugar and eggs; beat well. Combine flour, cinnamon, allspice and cloves. Alternating sour cream and combined dry ingredients, add to creamed mixture. Add jam; pour into a loaf pan. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 40 minutes. Remove cake from oven; cool on wire rack. Makes 12 servings.
Chocolate Upside-Down Cake
3/4 cup sugar
3 tbsp. cocoa
1/2 cup nuts
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk
2 tsp. butter, melted
1 cup flour
2 tsp. baking powder
Combine all ingredients; mix thoroughly. Pour into 9 inch square pan.
Topping:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp. cocoa
dash of salt
1 1/2 c. hot water
Mix sugar, cocoa, and salt; sprinkle over batter. Pour hot water over batter. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes. Serve with whipped cream. Makes 4 servings.
Party Coffee Cake
1/2 lb. butter
1 1/2 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 cup sour cream
2 1/2 cup sifted flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp.soda
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup chopped nuts
Cream butter and 1 cup sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add sour cream, then sifted dry ingredients. Add flavorings. Put half of the batter in well greased 8x12 inch pan. Sprinkle with 1/2 mixture of 1/2 cup sugar, cinnamon and nuts. Add rest of butter and top with rest of sugar mixture.Bake 35-40 minutes at 350 degrees. Makes 20 servings.
Old Fashioned Cake recipes and tips on OFL:
http://www.oldfashionedliving.com/cakes2.html
http://oldtips.blogspot.com/search/label/fall%20recipes
Friday’s Family Recipes
Far away there in the sunshine are my highest aspirations. I may not reach them, but I can look up and see their beauty, believe in them, and try to follow where they lead. ~Louisa May Alcott
When trying to eat healthier, it’s always a challenge coming up with good side dishes that the entire family will eat. I stopped by the section at the store with the boxes of flavored noodle dishes and though the fat content didn’t seem too horrible, one serving was OVER 300 calories. No matter how healthy your main dish is, if you add a side dish with that many calories the meal tips the scales. If you serve salad a few times a week and vegetable dishes like the ones below you can sneak in some rice and potatoes at other times and not worry about the extra
calories or carbs.
Sautéed Mixed Greens
Ingredients:
1 bunch mixed greens
1/3 medium head cabbage, coarsely shredded
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 medium sweet onion, thinly sliced and halved
2 tsp. wine or herb vinegar
Wash the greens, remove stems and coarsely chop. Use collard,turnip, dandelion or any mixture of greens that you like. In a large pan, boil 3 quarts of water. Add the greens, return to a boil and cook for 4-5 minutes until greens are tender-crisp. With a slotted spoon remove the greens, leaving the juices/water in the pan. Set aside the cooked greens. Return the water to a boil, add cabbage and cook 1-2 minutes. Pour into a colander to drain and add to the greens. Set aside. In a large skillet, heat olive oil and sauté garlic and onion until softened-don’t brown. Add the cooked greens and cabbage and cook for about 3 minutes, stirring. Add the vinegar and toss. Serves 6.
Vegetables with Ginger
Ingredients:
1 cup baby carrots-cut large ones in half lengthwise
1 cup cauliflower florets
1 cup broccoli florets
2 small zucchini, sliced into 1/2-inch-thick rounds
1 piece fresh ginger root, peeled and cut into 3 or 4 pieces
Steam all of the vegetables and the ginger in the microwave with a small amount of water, or use a steamer basket in a pan of water. Cover and steam for 5-7 minutes until they are JUST tender. Remove to a serving dish, and take out the ginger pieces. These can be served as is, or seasoned with salt and pepper. Serves 8.
Green Bean Sauté
Ingredients:
1 pound fresh green beans, cut in 1-inch pieces
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 large sweet onion, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8-1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 tbsp. fresh parsley, minced
Rinse and trim the green beans before cutting into pieces. You can also use frozen beans. Cook green beans in boiling water for 10-12 minutes or steam until just tender. Drain well. Heat the oil in a large skillet. Sauté onion and garlic over a medium heat until softened-—stir and don’t brown. Stir in green beans,salt and pepper. Heat through and toss with the parsley before serving. Notes: I like a lot of pepper and use 1/4 tsp., but you can use less.
Roasted Carrots
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 clove garlic, minced
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 pounds baby carrots
Heat oven to 425 degrees F. Spray a 13x9x2 baking pan with cooking spray. Mix all ingredients except carrots in a large bowl. Toss with the carrots and bake uncovered for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally. Makes 4 Servings. Notes: I think a glass pan works better for this.
On OFL we have an easy Chinese menu to try:
http://www.oldfashionedliving.com/holidays/chinese2.html
http://oldtips.blogspot.com/search/label/fall%20recipes
Gifts From the Kitchen
The fires burn, and the kettles sing,
and the earth sinks to rest until next
spring. ~Clyde Watson
The following recipes are great for giving as gifts with a basket of muffins or scones. You can also take any of them to potlucks surrounded by breads and muffins on a pretty platter. Feel free to use regular, light or fat free cream cheese for these recipes.
Cranberry Cheese Spread
Ingredients:
2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
6-ounce package sweetened dried cranberries
1/2 cup flaked coconut
15-ounce can crushed pineapple, well drained
1/2 cup chopped, toasted pecans, divided
In a mixing bowl, combine softened cream cheese and sugar. Add the dried cranberries, reserving 1/4 cup of the cranberries, coconut (if desired), drained pineapple and pecans into cream cheese mixture. Spoon into a serving bowl and sprinkle with reserved dried cranberries. Cover and refrigerate several hours. Serve the dip with gingersnaps, as a spread for bread, muffins or scones.
Pumpkin Butter Recipe
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups pumpkin; cooked and pureed (fresh or canned)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup apple cider
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
Combine all of the ingredients in a heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes or until the mixture thickens. Cover and chill. Serve with pancakes, waffles, scones, muffins or bread.
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Dip/Spread
Ingredients:
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
10 ounces pureed pumpkin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
2/3 cup confectioners’ sugar
Blend the cream cheese and sugar until smooth with a mixer. Add pumpkin and remaining ingredients. Mix until smooth. Chill 2 hours or until ready to serve. Serve with gingersnaps, apples, pears, breads, muffins or scones.
Toffee Spread
Ingredients:
8 ounces softened cream cheese
1/2 cup brown sugar-packed
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 pkg. toffee baking bits
Stir all ingredients together. Slice the apples and arrange on a plate or platter with the apple spread in center. You can also serve it as a spread with any type of apple bread or muffin.
Cinnamon Apple Spread
Ingredients:
1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
3 tbsp. apple cider
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
3/4 cup finely chopped apple
BEAT cream cheese, apple juice and cinnamon in a medium bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy. Stir in apple. Refrigerate at least 1 hour to blend flavors. SERVE as a spread on breads,muffins, fruit slices or wafer cookies. Makes 1 1/2 cups.
We have more savory gifts from the kitchen on OFL here:
http://oldfashionedliving.com/holidays/savory.html
Posted by Brenda
http://oldtips.blogspot.com/search/label/fall%20recipes
Baking for the Holidays
How wonderful it would be if we could help our children and grandchildren to learn thanksgiving at an early age. Thanksgiving opens the doors. It changes a child’s personality...thankful children want to give, they radiate happiness, they draw people. ~Sir John Templeton
I love baking cookies and breads for the holidays. I try new recipes each year, as well as old favorites. Today I have a few to start us off this season.
Praline Apple Bread
Ingredients:
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup light sour cream
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 cup all-purpose or bread flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups chopped peeled apple
1/2 cup chopped pecans
Topping:
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 cup chopped pecans
Cream together the sugar, sour cream, eggs and vanilla. Sift and add to the cream mixture the flour, baking powder,soda, cinnamon and salt. Add the apples and pecans. Mix well. Pour batter into a well-buttered 9x5 loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees F. for 60 minutes. When done, pour over the topping and return to the oven for 5 minutes. This is fairly messy (but worth it) so place the pan on a foil lined cookie pan. When you remove it (by removing the cookie sheet with pan still on it) take a butter knife and loosen each side
of the loaf so the topping goes down the sides of the loaf. Cool and then remove from the pan. If you are giving this as a gift, wrap it in foil, then wrap in colored plastic wrap.
Topping: Add the sugar, cinnamon and milk to the melted butter in a small sauce pan. Bring to a boil over medium heat and boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add the pecan, stir and turn off the heat. Pour over the baked bread as is directed in the recipe.
Lemon Cookies
Ingredients:
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, softened
1/3 cup sugar
2 egg yolks
1 tsp. grated lemon peel
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/3 cup dried blueberries, cherries or cranberries
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside. Cream the butter and sugar in a large bowl with a mixer. Beat in the yolks and lemon peel. Sift the flour, cornstarch, baking powder and salt into a medium bowl or container. Gradually add this mixture to the creamed ingredients until it’s crumb-like in texture. Stir in the fruit you’ve chosen with a wooden spoon. Divide the dough in half and knead each half to where it will hold together. Divide each half into 16 balls. Place the balls on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Use the back of a glass dipped in granulated sugar to flatten each ball until it is about 1/4 inch thick. Bake cookies for 12-15 minutes until they are very lightly browned around the edges. Makes 32 cookies.
I’ve thought about how I could make these lighter and the only possibility is using low fat graham crackers and light butter. Beyond that they are what they are-VERY yummy and fattening!
Coconut Chocolate Bars
Ingredients:
2 cups crushed graham crackers
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup melted butter
1 package flaked coconut (7 ounces)
1 can sweetened condensed milk (the regular size)
1 bag— 12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
Optional: whole almonds
Mix the crackers, sugar and butter. Press into a well-buttered 9x13 baking pan. Sprinkle the coconut over the crust. Pour the condensed milk over the coconut. Bake at 350 degrees F. for 15-20 minutes until the top is lightly browned. Remove from the oven. On very low heat melt the chocolate chips in a small pan. Spread over the top of the bars while they are still warm. Optional: Place a whole almond on each bar while the chocolate is still warm. Decide what size you want to make the bars and place the almond in what would be the center of each bar. I usually make them small squares since they are so rich. Cool,then cut.
MORE RECIPES: Favorite cookie recipes for the cookie jar!
http://www.oldfashionedliving.com/holidays/gingersnaps.html
Posted by Brenda J
The Lovely Smell of Fall Treats
I see, when I bend close, how each leaflet of a
climbing rose is bordered with frost, the autumn
counterpart of the dewdrops of summer dawns.
The feathery leaves of yarrow are thick with silver
rime and dry thistle heads rise like goblets plated
with silver catching the sun. ~Edwin Way Teale
I love fall food; the smells, the spices, the fruit and of course, the eating. We also love tea at our house, and baking goodies to go along with the tea. I thought you would like these fall recipes to try this weekend.
Harvest Spice Tea Cake
Ingredients:
1/2 cup water
2 cinnamon tea bags (see note)
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
3 eggs
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. Vanilla extract -
Butter
Nutmeg
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bring the water to a boil in a small pan,add the tea bags, and steep for 3 to 5 minutes. Mix the other ingredients in a large bowl. Add the tea, carefully squeezing excess liquid from tea bags before discarding the bags. Mix the batter well. Pour into a 8x8x2-inch greased baking dish that has been buttered. Bake for 25 minutes. When cooled slightly, spread a little butter on top to melt and sprinkle with the nutmeg. Note: Any spicy type tea will work great—even a chai.
Ginger Cranberry Tea
Ingredients:
2 cups boiling water
1/2 cup fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
1/2 cup fresh, rinsed cranberries
pinch nutmeg
1/2 cup cranberry juice
2 mint sprigs
Sugar or honey to sweeten
In a medium sized bowl, pour boiling water over ginger and cranberries. Cover and let stand 20 minutes. Strain, add nutmeg and cranberry juice and stir. Add sugar or honey to taste. Serve warm. Garnish with mint.
Pumpkin Dip
Ingredients:
4 cups confectioners’ sugar
2 packages (8 oz each) cream cheese; softened
1 can (16 oz) pumpkin, or cooked pumpkin- pureed
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Mix together all the ingredients. Serve with teddy bear
shaped crackers, apples or ginger snaps.
Lina, one of my long time friends, shared this recipe from Libby’s. These are fun to make and give as a hostess gift, autumn birthday gift or just to make and eat.
Mini Pumpkin Muffin Mix
Ingredients:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup raisins, sweetened dried cranberries
OR chopped nuts (optional)
1 cup granulated sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 can (15 oz.) Pure Pumpkin
COMBINE all ingredients, except pumpkin, in large bowl.Pour into 1-quart container, resealable plastic bag will work; seal. Wrap muffin mix and a can of pumpkin in fabric; tie with ribbon or twine.
RECIPE TO ATTACH:
Pour muffin mix into large bowl. Cut in 1/2 cup vegetable shortening with pastry blender until mixture is fine. Add 1 cup LIBBY’S 100% PURE PUMPKIN, 1 cup milk and 2 large eggs; mix until just moistened. Spoon into greased or paper-lined mini-muffin pans, filling 2/3 full. Bake in preheated 400 degree F oven for 15 minutes; remove to wire racks. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired. Makes about 60 mini muffins.
I hope your weekend is lovely. Brenda
http://oldtips.blogspot.com/search/label/cold%20remedies
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Throat Soothers for Cool Weather
Over all like butter on warm bread; And the harvest moon will this night unfold The streams running full of molten gold. Oh, who could find a dearth of bliss with autumn glory such as this!~Gladys Harp
Fall is here, and so are the scratchy, dry throats. My readers always share the best tips, and today’s will hopefully sooth any throat woes you may have during cool weather.
We stumbled upon a terrific throat soother a couple of years ago that I thought I’d pass on: heat up a mug of Minute Maid Lemonade or(better) limeade! It can be sweetened with a honey, if needed, but the hot, acidy drink cuts through any and all of the congestion and annoying dripping in your throat, soothes overworked vocal chords, and calms a sore throat. I use it when I get that continuous, nasty feeling of congestion sliding down the back of my throat...yuck! We’ve tried it with fresh lemonade, but it’s not the same; maybe too much water or something going on. We have found that the Minute Maid 2-liters are great to have in stock during cold and flu season, just as much as your Tylenol and tissues! ~Liz
As soon as cold season rolls around my husband heats up a mug of Tang orange drink. I suppose it does the same thing as the hot lemonade with the acid cutting through mucus but he prefers the orange taste. If Tang went to the moon why couldn’t it cure (or help) the common cold? ~Melissa B.
I read with interest the article on the throat soother. For years I have: put about 1/4 to 1/3 cup of honey in a HUGE mug with enough water to then it out. I then heat it briefly in the microwave then add a whole sliced lemon and fill to the top with water. Heat in the microwave until very hot. You can discard the lemons or eat them. Works so very good! My family loves this! ~Diane
Another tip along the same lines as the ones that have been sent (for throat soothers) in is with vinegar. Almost a cup of water, with honey to sweeten to your taste and about 2 Tbsp.cider vinegar. ~Cheri
For throat soothers and colds “Friendship Tea” is
wonderful. ~Sue
1//2 cup instant tea powder
1 cup sweetened lemonade powder
1 cup orange-flavored drink mix (Tang)
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
In large bowl, combine all ingredients. Mix well and store in an airtight container. To Serve: Put 2 to 3 teaspoons of mix in a mug. Stir in 1 cup of boiling water. Adjust to taste. This tea makes great gifts also.
On OFL I have recipes for soothing herbal teas here: http://www.oldfashionedliving.com/herbalteas.html
1a. Make Your Own - Chipotle Mayonnaise
Posted by: “KittyHawk”
Chipotle Mayonnaise
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup dairy sour cream
1/8 tsp oregano leaves, dried
2 chipotle chiles
Mix all ingredients.
Cover and refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour.
Makes about 1 cup mayonnaise.
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2. Dried Blueberry, Lemon, and Candied Pineapple Gremolata
Posted by: “KittyHawk”
Dried Blueberry, Lemon, and Candied Pineapple Gremolata
1 cup dried blueberries
1/2 cup candied pineapple
1 small lemon, finely grated zest only
Combine the blueberries and pineapple in a food processor and pulse
until finely chopped. Stir in the zest and refrigerate until needed.
Makes 1 1/2 cups
NOTE: This blue black sauce is slightly dry and slightly sticky. Its
granular texture come from the addition of shreds of pineapple and
bits of lemon zest. It is sweet and intensely flavored, so use it
sparingly.
Serve with poached fruits, or sprinkle on pound cakes. at breakfast,
spoon a little on pancakes, waffles, or French toast, or stir into
hot or cold cereals.
Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 80 Calories; trace Fat (0.5%
calories from fat); trace Protein; 20g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary
Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 6mg Sodium.
Exchanges: 1 Fruit; 0 Other Carbohydrates.
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
3. Georgian Spice Blend
Posted by: “KittyHawk”
Georgian Spice Blend
1 Tbsp coriander seeds
1/4 tsp fenugreek seed, dry roasted and ground, or 1/2 tsp dried ground
fenugreek
2 tsp finely chopped fresh flat leaf parsley, or 1 1/2 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp finely chopped fresh mint, or 1/2 tsp dried mint
1/2 tsp fennel seeds, or finely chopped fresh tarragon
1 tsp finely chopped fresh oregano, or thyme or 1/2 tsp dried oregano or
thyme
1 tsp dried dried marigold petal or 2 to 3 saffron threads, crumbled to
a powder.
Combine all the ingredients in a mortar and pound together to a fine
powder or grind in a spice grinder. Store in a tightly sealed container.
Like most spices and spice blend, this will keep for several months,
with a loss of flavor and immediacy after the first month.
Makes approximately 3 tablespoons
1 lb fresh plums,preferably damsons or other sour plums, or not fully
ripe plums
2 cups water
1 Tbsp minced garlic, or crushed (2 to 3 cloves)
1/2 tsp coriander seed, crushed, or 1/4 tsp dried ground coriander
1/2 tsp fenugreek seed, or 1/2 tsp dried ground fenugreek
1/2 Tbsp fresh lime juice, (to 3 Tbsp) depending on the tartness of the
plums
1 cup coarsely chopped fresh coriander
1/2 tsp salt or to taste
Chop the plums coarsely and place, pits and all, in a heavy bottomed
nonreactive saucepan. Add water to just cover (2 cups). Bring to a boil,
then lower the heat, cover, and simmer until the plums are softened to a
mush, about 15 minutes, checking occasionally to make sure they are not
sticking or burning.
Meanwhile, combine the garlic and spices in a small bowl.
Drain the plums in a colander placed over a medium bowl. Remove and
discard the pits. Add the plums to the bowl, and mash with a fork until
smooth. Blend in the spice mixture. add the lime juice. The sauce should
have a definite tart taste. Stir in the coriander leaves and then salt
to taste. Let cool. Store in a glass jar, well sealed, in the
refrigerator. Plum sauce will keep for several months sealed and
refrigerated.
Note: if you have Georgian Spice Blend on hand, substitute 1 tablespoon
of the powder for the coriander seed and fenugreek.
Makes 2 cups sauce
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________________________________________________________________________
4. Apple Pandowdy
Posted by: “kaphi
(Early American Recipe)
This is a deep dish dessert that can be served
hot or cold, accompanied by cream. The origin of
the name is not known, although some think it
comes from the desserts ‘dowdy’ (plain old fashioned)
appearance.
Apple Pandowdy
12 slices white bread
1/3 cup melted butter
4 large green cooking apples, peeled, cored and sliced
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 cup water
Whipped cream (for garnish)
Line the bottom and sides of a baking dish with fingers of bread (crusts removed)
that have been dipped in melted butter.
Fill the center with the apples. Sprinkle the apples with a mixture of the sugar and cinnamon.
Add the water, and cover the top with a layer of well buttered fingers of bread.
Sprinkle top with additional sugar. Cover and bake 1 hour at 350*.
Serve hot with whipped cream on top. (or cold if you like)
Serves 6
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________________________________________________________________________
5a. Re: tomato sauce w skin and seeds question
Posted by: “Jim
-— In FoodPreservationDryingCanningAndMore@yahoogroups.com, “stlaura132”
.> wrote:
>
> I normally freeze more sauce than I can, but news of the phylates and other compounds in plastic bags has convined me to can. However I’m concerned that my speedy methods aren’t as safe. I chop whole tomatoes into my sauce, then process everything in my Vita Mix. It comes out smooth and tasty. I’m wondering if incorporating seeds and skin changes the necessary PH balance for canning. Please help, I picked nearly a bushel of tomatoes yesterday.
>
> gratefully,
> Laura
Laura,
I normally add skins and seeds to all my sauce. I have read that seeds sometimes are bitter after canning. I have however canned all kinds of tomatoes and have never had this problem. May be an old myth.
With respect to changing the ph, I would think that by volume they constitute only a small portion of the total volume, not enough to make any difference.
I also believe that I read somewhere that tomato skins contain 6% of the total licopene found in the tomato so throwing them out works against our own best health interests.
Acidifying tomatoes with citric acid would eliminate this issue in any case.
Jim in So. Calif.
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________________________________________________________________________
6. Deep Dish plum Pie
Posted by: “kaphi
Deep Dish Plum Pie
4 cups plums, chopped
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. butter
Pastry for 1 crust pie (see below)
Place the plums in a pie tin.
Combine the sugar, flour and salt; sprinkle the mixture over the plums.
Dot with the butter.
Roll pastry to 1/8 inch thickness. Moisten pie tin rim, and place pastry over plums.
Seal the edges and prick the top.
Bake at 400* for about 35 minutes.
Refrigerate overnight before serving.
(serves 6-8)
Basic Pie Crust
(makes 1 9-inch crust)
In large bowl, combine 1 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour and 1/4 tsp. salt.
Cut in 1/4 cup unsalted butter and 1/4 cup vegetable shortening until mixture
resembles coarse crumbs.
Sprinkle ice water over the crumbs until moistened. Mix in up to 3 more tablespoons
ice water, one tablespoon at a time, until crumbs resemble the texture of cottage cheese
and can be pressed into a firm ball.
Press the ball into a thick disk. Cover and refrigerate 15-30 minutes,
then roll out into a circle on a floured board.
Place in a pie plate and bake as directed
**I dont know about you all,.but I love plums! I made this once and my
guest loved it. He said it had just the perfect blend of sweet and tart
to make it just right.**
Kathy
To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FoodPreservationDryingCanningAndMore/
[snipped, this is California and every state in the Union...granny]
They were standing in line, I’m told, to get free food because they had no
money
for groceries. Middle class people now living in tents. California has been
in a
terrible drought. Ours here in the South has eased but not out there and
the
animal rights people don’t want the farmers to use the water that’s left
for crops.
I can see severe shortages of vegetables because of this. The San Joaquin
Valley
supplies the nation and other countries as well. The one grower farming
only 4k
acres out of 14k tells the story.A two thirds reduction in produce from the
area.
Not only shortages but sky high produce prices.
Goodyear here produces only tires.
d.
“Banking establishments are more dangerous than standing armies.”
............Thomas Jefferson:
[snipped]
ANY therapeutic grade essential oil?has healing properties. So which scent you choose is a personal choice. Lemon is a?clean, fresh?scent that most people like, so I use it a lot. The oils also have specific purposes that they might be better for than others. Again, all my books are still packed, so my hands are tied right now. But for example—lavender and Roman chamomile are for relaxing and de-stressing. Peppermint is energizing. Spearmint is energizing, but less intense than peppermint (which is why I prefer it).?Eucalyptus is great for respiratory issues. Sage is good for “female issues”. That’s just a very basic starting point. Hopefully you can find a great book or two to help you in your journey! I would check out the Abundant Health website (www.abundanthealth4u.com) to see what books they carry. They are a really helpful company, and I have used them several times already.
[snipped]
I was so happy and surprised to see someone else uses Young Living oils
& products! That is what I have been using for over 10 years now! Their
Thieves blend is what I am using to boost my immune system and keep the
virus’ and flu away. And just last week, when I was going thru the
archives on one of their groups, I found a message called, What you
should have in your emergency bag. I was very excited because it tied in
so nicely with food storage, preparedness, and 72 hour kits! If anyone
is interested, I could post the article.
Fran
[You will hear many tales about the Young Living oils, in my opinion, they are fine and they continue the important research into their uses.
Several Freepers are involved with them.
granny]
Here is great info to have on hand prepared by Diane Mora
Thanks so much for sharing what you have in your “Emergency Bag”
This bag would be a life savoir if there ever was a disaster with your
family.
Have a Great Day,
Nancy Sanderson
**********************************************************
Your Young Living “Emergency Bag”
Updated May 5, 2006
Hi!
Several of you have asked what would be good to have in a bag to run out
the door with
if one had to leave in a hurry — an emergency of some sort.
The ultimate protection against most anything is a strong, healthy
immune system. Put Thieves
oil on your feet every day and/or take it in internally. Take Longevity
capsules. Purify your water
with peppermint or lemon. Use a few drops of Di-Gize in your water
regularly to prevent stomach
upsets and take a capsule of half peppermint and half Di-Gize when you
do have discomfort there.
Please understand that this is a long list and it probably isn’t even
practical to have all of these
items ready to go, but in my opinion, some of the most important items
would be the following.
These are not in any particular order.
1. Thieves blend — taken internally, between 5 and 15 drops in a
capsule, swallowed with water.
Also, brush your teeth with it and rub it on the soles of the feet every
day.
2. The Thieves Kit II, which includes the essential oil blend, spray,
lozenges, toothpaste, mouthwash
and bar soap. If you don’t happen to have the Thieves Spray, put some
of the Thieves Fresh Essence
Plus mouthwash in a small spray bottle - or if you don’t have the
mouthwash, put pure water and 20
drops of Thieves oil in a spray bottle. Spray in your mouth, on unclean
surfaces, in the air when
people are coughing, etc. This spray can also be a mace substitute!
3. Peppermint for digestive upset or nausea, to cool the body, purify
water, for headaches, to improve
mental concentration and alertness, to deter unwanted ants, flies, etc.
This is one of my favorite oils.
4. Trauma Life — for any kind of trauma, past or present, physical or
emotional.
5. Lavender oil for cuts, burns, scrapes, eczema, sunburn, insect
bites, cleaning wounds, diminish
headaches, stop a nosebleed, help a person relax — and many, many more
uses. We call it the
Swiss army knife of the oils - it does about everything!
6. Purification for disinfecting our surroundings, for bug bites,
insect repellent, for combating mold, etc.
7. White Angelica for protection.
8. Helichrysum and/or PanAway for discomfort, to reduce inflammation
and bruising, to stop bleeding,
and for discomfort anywhere on the body. Idaho balsam fir is also
excellent for many of these problems.
9. Frankincense - all purpose healer and antidepressant.
10. Oregano, thyme, and/or mountain savory to take in capsule and to
rub on the feet for immune system support.
11. The Feelings Kit or some of the oils in it — for emotional
upliftment.
10. AlkaLime to neutralize acid in the body. Taking AlkaLime the first
thing in the morning and before
bedtime will help preserve the body’s pH balance.
11. Exodus capsules — an absolute must for powerful immune system
support or getting rid of a cold/flu/bug,
etc. Dr. Terry Friedmann, M.D., said years ago that if he had to pick
one supplement to have with him when
stranded somewhere, it would be a bottle of Exodus capsules.
12. ImmuPower essential oil blend rubbed up the spine — the ultimate
essential oil blend for building,
strengthening, and protecting the body.
13. Melrose, lavender and/or helichrysum for wounds, scrapes or cuts.
14. And of course — NingXia Red — the most powerful antioxidant
juice. Builds immune system, gives energy, etc.
There’s lots of information available on NingXia Red.
(www.ningxiared.com
http://www.ningxiared.com/
Young Living sells
it by the liter or
in the one ounce sample packs in boxes of 25 or 100 . . . great to grab
and go, whether at work, on vacation, or
in this emergency bag!
15. Wolfberry Crisp Bars - a whole food, low glycemic nutrient complex
containing over 14 grams of protein per
serving. An easy and delicious meal replacement.
16. Young Living’s dried wolfberries. There’s lots of information
available!
I use lots of Power Meal because it’s so easy to prepare and it is such
a perfect food.
It’s a predigested protein, non-dairy, non-soy, and you can literally
live on it. When some of my friends went
through the hurricanes in Florida in 2005, one wrote to me and said that
while everyone else was panicking
because they couldn’t cook, she was happy and healthy with her Power
Meal, BodyGize, Wolfberry Crisp Bars,
and dried wolfberries.
To survive whatever nature may have in store for us, we just need to
have a strong, healthy immune system and
some of these oils and supplements to bring us through these times with
grace and ease!
Hugs,
Diane Mora
[urls have not been checked...granny]
To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FoodStorageTheBasicsandBeyond/
LOL, Thanks and very fitting for if he stands there thinking about it long enough, he will be in someones soup pot.
Maybe the Chickens are really pioneers and have the urge to
“Go West Young Rooster”.
Or:
He is looking to see if there is anyone over there eating his supply of bugs, if not he will cross the road, if there is, then no use to bother.
In San Diego, they would call the police and report him.
I heard it on the scanner one morning, a report of chickens in the roadway.
A police officer went to investigate and told the dispatcher that indeed there were chickens in the road and he would locate the owners.
He made several calls to the dispatcher, who did not crack up, as I would have:
“I have found more chickens”
“I have located the owner”
“He has more chickens in the back yard.”
“He has BABY Chickens, he has a CHICKEN FACTORY”
With that the young officer was stuck on chicken factory and as best I could count, including the babies, there were 14 to 20 chickens.
The other officers were containing themselves, you could hear the mikes click, but the comment was not made.
Except one of the older officers, who told all listeners, to not bother ticketing the Peacocks at 30th and Market, for he had done so, years ago and the Judge threw the case out, he said they were “Wild Birds”.
I have heard the calls that reported the Peacocks were stopping traffic.
This is a good idea, many years ago, tests were ran and folks opened the colored envelopes first, I used pink for special purposes in my office.
granny.....
Ol Lawrence says: I think this is a good idea....inundate Obama, Pelosi, and Harry Reid with red envelopes with a short, terse note
on the outside (because they won’t be opened) TELLING them you and
the majority of people don’t want Obamacare or any of the other socialist programs...and IF they vote for those programs...they will
be voted out of office in 2010 and 2012. $1.50 for RED envelopes and
stamps.....cheap enough to defend your freedom...a lot cheaper than ammo.
*/President Barak Obama/**/
> The White House
> 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
> Washington, DC 20500/*
>
> */
> House Speaker Nancy Pelosi
> Office of the Speaker
> H-232, US Capitol
> Washington, DC 20515
> (202) 225-0100/*
>
> */
> Senator Harry Reid
> 522 Hart Senate Office Bldg
> Washington, DC 20510 /*
How to Make a Hand-Powered Washing Machine:
You can make a washing machine from a toilet plunger with a rubber suction cup, and a tall pail with cover. The pail should be about twice as big around as the cup on the plunger. Make a small hole in the cover of the pail to put the handle of the toilet plunger through. Fill the pail with soapy water and clothing items. Put the cover on it with the plunger inserted through the cover. Raise the plunger above the water in the pail and lower it with quick up and down strokes. The plunger should come above the level of water on the up-stroke but should not hit the bottom of the pail on the down-strokes. Wait a few seconds between strokes, then repeat as needed.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HunkerDown06/
Chocolate Peanut Butter Crescents
Posted by: “rnaymaple”
Chocolate Peanut Butter Crescents
2 c Sifted all purpose flour
1/3 c Unsweetened cocoa
1/4 ts Salt
1/4 lb (1 stick) butter
1 ts Vanilla extract
3/4 c Granulated sugar
1 Egg
Sift together the flour, cocoa, and salt and set aside. In the large bowl of
an electric
Mixer cream the butter. Beat in the vanilla and sugar. Add the egg and beat
until
Thoroughly mixed. On low speed gradually add the sifted dry ingredients,
scraping the
Bowl with a rubber spatula and beating until the mixture holds together.
Transfer the
Dough to a small bowl for ease in handling and set aside at room temperature
Prepare the filling.
3/4 cup smooth (not chunky) peanut butter
1/2 cup strained or sifted confectioners sugar.
In a small bowl thoroughly mix the peanut butter and the sugar.
Adjust rack to the center of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees.
To shape the cookies: On a large piece of wax paper place the cookie dough
in
Mounds, using a slightly rounded tsp. (no more) of the dough for each
mound-in order
Not to make them too large it’s best to measure with a measuring spoon. Do
maybe a
Quarter of the dough at a time.
Then do the same with the filling, using a level 1/2 measuring teaspoon for
each
Mound. Place on other pieces of waxed paper.
Pick up one mound of the dough, roll it between your hands into a ball, and
flatten it
Between your palms until it is very thin. Then, with a small metal spatula
or a table
Knife, lift up and place one mound of the filling in the center of the
flattened dough. With
Your fingers bring the dough around the filling and pinch the edges to seal.
Roll the
Filled dough between your hands into a cylindrical shape about 2 inches long
with very
Slightly tapered ends. Place the cookie on an unbuttered cookie sheet and as
you do,
Turn the ends down slightly to form a short fat crescent. Continue shaping
the cookies
And placing them 1/2 to 1 inch apart-these do not spread.
Bake for 13 to 15 minutes, or until the cookies are firm to the touch.
Reverse the
Cookie sheet front to back once to insure even baking of sugar and roll the
cookies in
The sugar as they come out of oven.
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________________________________________________________________________
2. Mcdonalds big mac sauce
Posted by: “rnaymaple”
McDonald’s
Big Mac Sauce
Yield: 2 Cups
1 c Miracle Whip
1/3 c sweet relish
1/4 c French dressing (orange not red)
1 T sugar
1/4 t black pepper
1 t minced onion
Mix Ingredients Well.
To visit group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/GrandmaSuesKitchen/
[An interesting blog]
http://www.mightybargainhunter.com/2009/09/16/stockpiling-food-helps-everyone/
Stockpiling food helps everyone
[Ads delivered by FeedBlitz]
Dawn over at Frugal For Life discusses some of the ethical implications of stockpiling foods. She gets into a few rules of thumb for testing to see whether stockpiling has crossed into greed, or just plain inconsideration. Talking to the store to have them do a special large-quantity order is much more considerate than cleaning out the shelves, for example. We even scored a small bulk grocery discount when we took this route.
Done properly, stocking up on food (6 months’ worth, or more) is wise, not only for you and your family, but also for your community. It’s not being greedy at all. Some positive benefits of building up a decent pantry:
* Emergency preparedness. Hurricanes, tornadoes, floods — and worse — can disrupt supply lines, making things either very expensive, or just simply unavailable at any price. At this point, if you have it, you have it, and if you don’t, you won’t until the danger passes.
* Reduced demand in times of emergency. If you have what you need, you won’t need to run out to buy necessities at the eleventh hour and compete with everyone else who’s doing the same. This means more of your community can get what they need.
* More local business now, when they can replace their supply. If you’re buying now, you don’t have to buy later, and they can sell to you now rather than only wish that they could sell to you later.
* Self-sufficiency. Following this thought further results in a heightened level of long-term preparedness. Less reliance on conventional supply lines like grocery stores means less personal risk.
* Opportunities for outreach. Being able to feed people in an emergency allows chances to share beliefs like the Gospel message. Giving a meal and an eternal gift = good deal.
* Inflation hedging. If salaries don’t keep up with inflation, everything will be relatively more expensive. Locking in items at today’s prices hedges against this scenario.
Howard Ruff’s How to Prosper During the Coming Bad Years in the 21st Century runs through many of the big pitfalls in long-term food storage. He discusses how some foods lose their nutritional value far before they actually go bad, as well as how to ease into this kind of diet should it become necessary to rely on it.
So please, pounce (wisely) on those food deals and invest in some food.
Related Posts:
* Inflation and rising prices aren’t the same thing
* Wholesale prices from your retail grocery store
* Overheard at the discount grocery store
* Discount grocery, reloaded
* 50 Ways to Leave you Richer — Part IV
http://thespicedlife.blogspot.com/2009/09/frontera-grill-finally-arroz-con-pollo.html
Friday, September 18, 2009
Frontera Grill, FINALLY! & Arroz con Pollo y Frijoles y Calabacitas (Chicken and Rice with Beans & Zucchini)
I first started cooking from Rick Bayless cookbooks almost 10 yeas ago (!). I forget how I discovered my first, Mexico One Plate At A Time, but I did at any rate and I loved it. My beans came out perfectly, as did my homemade chorizo. Since then I have acquired all of his books, along with an intense longing to eat at one of his restaurants.
But alas I knew no one in Chicago, and when finances are pinched like ours are, vacations usually revolve around who is opening their doors to us to save on lodging.
So thank goodness for U2 touring on more levels than just the obvious, eh? Because Frontera Grill was everything I could have expected and more. It was swinging, it was authentic, it was delicious and actually, thanks to the little plates, trying a small bite or 2 (or more) of a lot of things was quite affordable. Especially with 6 of us. Several people have asked me what we had, so skip ahead if this would bore you (alas the lighting was dim and not at all cell phone camera friendly, so no pics): a Mexican mojito made with tequila—YUM, shrimp/squid ceviche (possible the best thing we tried), a tuna ceviche and a whitefish ceviche (both just as outstanding—the waiting in line was worth the ceviches alone), chips and guacamole (sublime), jicama salad (everyone loved but me, as I don’t care for jicama), shredded duck taquitos in a chile sauce (outstanding), a chicken in green mole with pumpkin seeds in a tamale (amazing), sweet plantains with crema and queso fresco (to die for and my big I-am-so-jealous-I-did-not-order-that item), tacos al pastor (my favorite taco, a spit roasted pork with pineapples that was excellent), re-fried back beans (very good), pinto beans simmered with poblanos and bacon (every bit as good as that sounds), queso fundido made with cheddar and some meltingly tender shredded beef (good but the only mis-step as we all felt the cheddar was not melty enough—but the beef was wonderful), black bean soup (so good I literally could not figure it out and tweeted Rick Bayless himself to ask about it—and yes he did answer), and finally—I may have forgot a few—Mexican hot chocolate (not cocoa) with Creme de Metzcal (smoky, sweet, alluring). Oh yeah and my sister got some sort of empanada that I was also completely jealous of but since she ordered it I don’t remember what was in it.
So I guess you know I am recommending you head over to Frontera Grill if you get the chance. Just be aware that thanks to him winning Top Chef and being Obama’s favorite chef, the line starts forming outside of his restaurant literally over an hour in advance. Once again, worth it.
When I got home I was still dreaming of Bono, er I mean Mexican food, but I had no energy, so I pulled out Rick Bayless’s answer to tired, time-starved cooks who love Mexican food: Mexican Everyday. Now you should know that because I was only tired, not time starved, I did not pan cook boneless, skinless chicken breasts, but instead roasted a combo of breasts and legs because I strongly prefer shredded chicken. So feel free to cook the breasts that way directly in the final pot (dicing afterwards) if you wish to save time and dishes. Also know that I added cumin and zucchini.
Arroz con Pollo y Frijoles y Calabacitas (Chicken and Rice with Beans & Zucchini)
Adapted from Mexican Everyday, Rick Bayless
1 - 1.5 lbs chicken parts of choice, bone in and skin on
1 T olive oil
2 T ancho powder, divided
salt and pepper to taste, as called for below
1 t ground cumin
1 medium white onion, chopped
1 small-medium zucchini, diced
1 cup rice, rinsed and drained dry
5 garlic cloves
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 15-oz can beans of choice, rinsed and drained (I used homemade Vaquero from Rancho Gordo)
2 T chopped green onions
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
Sweet tomato relish for garnish
Mexican hot sauce of choice (we like Tapatio)
queso fresco (I had none or I would have used)
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
Pull the skin partially off of the chicken and sprinkle half of the ancho powder (1 tablespoon) under the skin, along with salt and pepper. Place the skin back over the chicken. Sear the chicken in the pan, skin side down, for 5-7 minutes. Flip over, sear for 2 minutes, and then place the skillet into the oven and roast until the chicken is cooked through. When it is done, remove from oven and let cool until you can shred the meat off of the bones. Set the meat aside—save the bones for stock. In the meantime, drain the fat from the pan through a sieve into a prep bowl.
Heat a large pot over medium high heat. Add as much of the flavored chicken fat/oil as you want, at least 1 1/2 tablespoons. Add the onion and stir for 3 minutes. Add the rice and stir for another 4 minutes, until the rice starts to look dry and opaque. Add the garlic, zucchini, cumin and remaining chile powder and stir for another minute. Add the broth and up to a teaspoon of salt (I did not use any salt since I was using commercial broth), and stir well. Bring to a boil, lower the heat to medium-low, cover, and let cook for 10 minutes.
Uncover the pot, and add the chicken and beans. Re-cover the pot and cook for an additional 12 minutes. Taste a bit of rice and make sure it is only barely not done—if it is less done than that, cover and cook another 5 minutes. When barely not done, uncover, stir in the green onions and cilantro, then remove from the heat and let sit, covered, for 5 to 10 minutes. Taste for salt. Serve with garnishes.
**If you wish to double the recipe (as I did), only use 2 1/2 cups broth and, after the initial 10 minutes of cooking, bake it in a 350 F oven for 20-25 minutes. Make sure you use a wide pot to encourage even cooking fo the rice (10-12 inches across).
Well, just witnessed NASA/Navy’s latest environment experiment. As we were just unloading a batch of apples from the car, we saw two test rockets from Wallops Island, VA. These are used to calibrate and verify radar tracking devices. This was followed by the Black Brant XII (a 4 stage rocket) - quite a sight to see... After visible stage separations, it looked like a brilliant spotlight shining down through the thin exhaust plume, then a brief explosion and a thin cloud appeared. (Christi kept saying - “Look it’s an Angel - I know it really is!”
Weather delayed the Sept. 15th launch till tonight. Just checked their website and confirmed that that was what we had seen.
>>>A rocket experiment that may shed light on the highest clouds in the Earth’s atmosphere will be conducted Sept. 15 from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.
Black Brant Sounding Rocket The Charged Aerosol Release Experiment (CARE) will be conducted by the Naval Research Laboratory and the Department of Defense Space Test Program using a NASA four-stage Black Brant XII suborbital sounding rocket. Using ground based instruments and the STP/NRL STPSat-1 spacecraft, scientists will study an artificial noctilucent cloud formed by the exhaust particles of the rocket’s fourth stage at about 173 miles altitude.
The launch is scheduled between 7:30 and 7:57 p.m. EDT. The backup launch days are Sept. 16 through 20. The rocket flight and the resulting cloud may be seen throughout the mid-Atlantic region. The artificial noctilucent cloud also may be visible the following morning just before sunrise.<<<
That Charged Aerosol Release Experiment is an attempt to see if solar energy can be reduced by dispersing aluminum oxide aerosol at very high altitudes. I wish the H E double hockey sticks they would quit trying to play God!
That Charged Aerosol Release Experiment is an attempt to see if solar energy can be reduced by dispersing aluminum oxide aerosol at very high altitudes. I wish the H E double hockey sticks they would quit trying to play God!<<<
Exactly my thoughts!!!!
This is asinine research, when there is so much that could be researched and prove to help all mankind.
Enough to make a lady cuss.
>>>This is asinine research, when there is so much that could be researched and prove to help all mankind.<<<
Just think - If this experiment is successful, all Solar Cells will be LESS effective! Huh? Yep!
Are these people sooooo narrow visioned that they totally miss the common sense outcomes? Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!
http://thespicedlife.blogspot.com/search/label/yeasted%20breads
Laura’s Version Of Susan’s Whole Grain Cottage Cheese Bread
2 1/2 cups (354 g) AP flour
1/2 cup old fashioned rolled oats
1/4 cup oat bran
1/4 cup wheat bran
1 T teff seeds
1 T instant yeast
1 T granulated sugar
1 T vegetable oil
1 T honey
2 cups warm buttermilk
1 cup cottage cheese
1/2 cup teff flour
2 cups white whole wheat flour
2 1/2 t salt
additional AP flour for kneading
In a very large bowl (I used my mixer bowl), stir together the AP flour, oats, teff seeds, oat bran, wheat bran, yeast, and sugar. Add into this the canola oil, then the honey (use the same tablespoon measure), and then the milk and cottage cheese. Beat until smooth (although lumps of cottage cheese will remain visible). At a slower speed, slowly add first the teff flour and then the white whole wheat flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until you have a soft, slightly sticky dough.
Switch to the dough hook or turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead for 5 minutes by hook or 7-8 minutes by hand. Add AP flour as needed to keep from sticking (I used about 1/3 cup additional). Place a cover over the bowl and let it rest for 20 minutes.
Sprinkle the salt over the dough and begin kneading again, 5 minutes by hook or 7-8 by hand, to incorporate the salt fully into the dough. The dough should become soft and smooth, although it may remain just a little sticky. Turn the dough into a greased, deep bowl or rising container. Cover and set aside to rise for 1- 2 hours, or until doubled in volume.
Grease 2 bread pans—I used 9X5 but Susan preferred 8X4 for a higher loaf. Handling gently, divide the dough in half and shape each half into a loaf and place them into the greased pans. Cover and set aside to rise 45-60 minutes, or until the dough has risen noticeably.
Preheat the oven to 375 F. When the dough has risen, bake for 35-40 minutes, rotating halfway through. 15 minutes in, I lowered my temperature to 350 F. The bread is done when the internal temperature reaches 200 F or when the bottom sounds hollow when thumped. Remove the bread immediately and let cool on a cooling rack. Try to wait at least 30-40 minutes before slicing.
You may have noticed that I like to brush my sandwich loaves with butter immediately after the come out of the oven—do so if you desire. It adds flavor and softness.
Anadama Bread
Adapted from The Bread Baker’s Apprentice, Peter Reinhart
*This is a 2 day bread—be sure to read the instructions and start the night before!
Soaker:
1 cup (6 oz) coarse cornmeal
1 cup room temp water
Dough:
4 1/2 cups (20.25 oz) bread flour (I subbed in one cup of white whole wheat and let the dough rest before kneading as a result)
2 t instant yeast
1 cup water, lukewarm (90-100 F)
1 1/2 t salt
6 T (4 oz) molasses—use a lighter molasses if you do not like the fuller molasses flavor
2 T shortening or unsalted butter
The day before making the bread, combine the cornmeal and water in a small bowl for the soaker. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and leave out on the counter overnight.
The next day stir together the soaker, 2 cups of the flour, the yeast and the water and mix together thoroughly. Cover with plastic wrap and leave for 1 hour or until bubbling (I left mine for 2 1/2 hours and it was fine, although I did use cool water).
Add the remaining 2 1/2 cups of flour, the molasses, the salt and the butter and mix—either by hand or with a paddle, switching to a dough hook when it becomes too stiff and starts to form a shaggy mass. Knead, adding flour as necessary, to make a tacky but not sticky ball of dough. As you knead it should be firm and pliable and definitely not sticky. It should take about 10 minutes of kneading.
Lightly oil a bowl and place the ball of dough inside, rolling it around to coat it with oil, and cover with plastic wrap. Leave until it has doubled, about 1 1/2 hours.
Divide the dough in half for 9X5 loaves or into thirds for 8X4 loaves. Shape into loaves and place in greased loaf pans. Cover and leave to rise until the dough has definitively risen above the lip of the pan, 1-1 1/2 hours.
20 minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 350 F. Bake the loaves for 40-50 minutes on a sheet pan, rotating from front to back halfway through. The loaves are done when they register 185-190 F internally and make a hollow sound when thumped on the bottom.
Cool completely before slicing
Oat Bran Sandwich Bread
Adapted from Bernard Clayton’s New Complete Book Of Breads
1/2 cup old fashioned rolled oats
1 T teff seeds
1/2 cup 8 grain cereal
1 cup oat bran
4 T (1/4 cup) honey (use 2 if you are using a sweetened cereal)
2 t salt
4 T (1/4 cup/half stick) unsalted butter
2 cups very hot water
1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
1 T dry yeast
approx. 2 cups bread flour
Place the rolled oats, teff seeds, oat bran, 8 grain cereal, honey, salt and butter into a large mixing bowl. Pour the hot water over it. Let it sit for 15 minutes or so. When it has cooled enough to stick your finger in, add the white whole wheat flour and stir a few times to further cool down the mixture. When it is lukewarm (around 115 F—much hotter will kill the yeast), sprinkle the yeast over the mixture. Beat the mixture for about one minute on medium speed with the paddle attachment or the equivalent. Slowly add the bread flour with the speed on low until a rough, shaggy mass forms. Switch to the bread hook and continue to add flour until you have a slightly sticky ball that clears the sides of the bowl. Knead either by hand or hook for about 8 minutes. Let the dough rest for 20 minutes, covered with a towel.
Place the dough in a greased bowl and cover with saran wrap. Leave to rise at room temperature until doubled, 60-90 minutes. Punch down and shape into loaves. place into greased loaf pans—I used 8X4—and cover. Leave to rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
20 minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 400 F. When the loaves have risen, place in the preheated oven and bake for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, rotate the loaves and turn the temperature down to 350 F. Bake for an additional 20 minutes, or until the loaves have browned and their internal temperature registers 200 F. Let cool at least 30 minutes, preferably more but who are we kidding, before slicing
Tapatio Cheddar Bread
Adapted from Bernard Clayton’s New Complete Book Of Breads, Soups & Stews
3-4 cups bread flour
1 scant T (1 package) dry yeast
2 t salt
1 1/4 cups lukewarm milk (I used buttermilk)
1 T unsalted butter
4 oz (1 cup) shredded sharp cheddar
1/4 to 1/2 t Tapatio (or hot sauce of choice)—I would use more next time
Place in a large mixing bowl 2 cups of flour, the yeast, milk, salt and butter and beat until well combined, about 2 minutes with an electric mixer. Blend in the cheese. Mix in the hot sauce.
Add the additional flour, 1/4 cup at a time, until the mixture forms a shaggy mass. Switch to the dough hook and continue adding flour until the shaggy mass is more of a ball that clears the sides of the bowl.
Knead the dough for 8-10 minutes on speed 2, taking breaks to rest the mixer.
Place the dough in a large greased bowl and cover. Let rise until doubled, about 1 hour. Degas the dough and shape into a loaf (or shape of choice). Place into a greased 9 X 5 loaf pan and cover loosely. Let rise until doubled, about 50 minutes.
20 minutes before you are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 400 F. Place the loaf into the oven—after 10 minutes reduce the heat to 350 F. Bake for an additional 25-30 minutes until golden brown and the internal temperature reads 200 F. Cool at least 30 minutes before slicing.
Maple Oatmeal Bread
Adapted from Bernard Clayton’s New Complete Book Of Breads
2 1/2 cups boiling water
1 cup rolled oats
1 T teff seeds (optional)
1 package (scant T) dry yeast
3/4 cup real maple syrup
2 t salt
1 T cooking oil
1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
3 1/2 (approx.) cups bread flour
In a large mixing bowl pour the boiling water over the oats and teff seeds (if using). Let it sit for 30 minutes (or up to 1 hour). Add the maple syrup, salt and oil and stir. When the mixture has cooled to lukewarm, add the dry yeast and the white whole wheat flour. Beat on med speed for 2 minutes, until well combined.
Add the bread flour slowly, mixing slowly, until the dough forms a rough, shaggy mass. Leave it for 20 minutes to let the grains absorb the liquid in the dough. Switch to the dough hook if using a mixer and add enough flour or water that the dough becomes smooth, clearing the sides of the bowl. The dough should be smooth and elastic. Knead for 5 minutes using a mixer or 8 minutes by hand.
Transfer the dough to an oiled large bowl and cover. Let it rise for 1 hour or until doubled.
Grease 2 8 X 4 bread pans. Divide the dough in half and shape each half into a loaf shape. Place in the bread pans and cover, leaving to rise for 45 minutes or until the dough has risen over the edges of the pan. When it is close to risen, pre heat the oven at 350 F.
Baked at 350 F for 40-50 minutes, rotating from front to back halfway through. The bread is done when it reaches an internal temperature of 200 F or sounds hollow when thumped on the bottom. Remove the loaves from their pans and cool on a cooling rack. Slice when warm but not hot, about 45 minutes later.
One note before starting—I am willing to experiment but saw no reason to go crazy with it. :) I used all WHITE whole wheat flour in this recipe. You may use whichever sounds better to you. And as always, be sure to check out Yeastspotting over at Wild Yeast.
100% Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread
Peter Reinhart’s Whole Grain Breads
The Soaker
1 3/4 cups (8 oz/227 g) whole wheat flour (see note above)
1/2 t salt
3/4 cup + 2 T (7 oz/198 g) buttermilk (you may also use milk, soy milk, yogurt or rice milk—as always I love the buttermilk best)
Mix all of the soaker ingredients together until the flour is hydrated and the mixture forms a ball. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and set aside to rest at room temperature for 12-24 hours or up to 3 days in the fridge. If chilled, be sure to remove 2 hours before mixing into the final dough.
The Biga
1 3/4 cups (8 oz/227 g) whole wheat flour
1/4 t yeast (I used active dry, he calls for instant)
3/4 cup water, room temp
Mix all of the biga ingredients together in a bowl—I used my mixer. When it forms a ball, knead for 2 minutes by hand or about 1 minute by machine until the ingredients are evenly distributed and hydrated. This dough will feel tacky—let rest for 5 minutes and then knead again, another minute. Although it will smooth out, it will remain tacky. Transfer the dough to a clean bowl and cover tightly. Refrigerate at least 8 hours or up to 3 days; be sure to remove 2 hours before mixing into the final dough. The biga will rise—but don’t worry if it has not risen much.
Final Dough
ALL of the soaker from above
ALL of the biga from above
7 T (2 oz/56.5 g) whole wheat flour
5/8 t salt
2 1/4 t yeast (active dry or instant)
2 1/4 T honey
1 T melted unsalted butter or oil (I used oil)
extra flour or water for adjustments
Bring the biga and soaker to room temperature (2 hours). Pinch the biga and soaker into 12 segments—as I threw them into the bowl I sprinkled with the 7 tablespoons of flour to keep them from re-adhering. Reinhart calls for slicing the doughs but I found pinching much easier. Add the rest of the ingredients except for the extra flour and water, and stir either by hand or with the paddle attachment, until it forms a ball. Then knead—either by hand or with a mixer—until the mixture is completely integrated, 2-3 minutes with a mixer. It should be a little sticky and soft—add flour or water as needed in very small increments. I needed to add about a tablespoon of water.
Reinhart calls for kneading by hand to finish the dough. This was a wonderful dough to work with—the best whole grain dough I have ever experienced, and I did knead it a little by hand—but my youngest had the mother of all meltdowns, so I ended up letting the mixer do most of it. I kneaded for about 3-5 for minutes (it was hard to keep track through the screaming!). Reinhart calls for 3-4 minutes by hand, letting it rest for 5 minutes while you oil a bowl, and then kneading an additional minute.
Either way, oil a bowl and then place the dough into it, rolling it to coat it in oil. Cover it lightly with plastic wrap and leave 45-60 minutes, until it is about 1 1/2 times its original size.
This bread can be made free form or in a pan—as always I prefer the pan for convenience. Shape the dough as desired and cover loosely with plastic wrap, using an 8X4 greased bread pan if you want a loaf shape (I lightly spray the top of the dough with oil to prevent sticking) and leave again for 45-60 minutes, until 1 1/2 times its original size.
Here is where Sammy really got me, as the tantrum continued (yes, continued) and I finally fell asleep with her on my lap, and my bread over-rose. Plus it then deflated from sticking to the plastic. C’est la vie—but that explains its less than ideal shape. I gave it another 10 minutes of sitting while I waited for the oven, which should have been preheated 30 minutes into the rise at 425 F. So preheat your oven and tell your older kids to wake you up for goodness’ sake if they see the bread getting that big!
Preheat the oven to 425 F. Place the bread in the oven and immediately reduce the temperature to 350 F. Reinhart calls for various methods of steaming the oven but I usually pass on them—I’ve never gotten enough of a result to make it worth the hassle, not to mention the $300 I cost us when I dribbled water on the hot oven glass and cracked it. Plus I want sandwich bread, not super crusty bread.
Bake the bread for 20 minutes and then rotate and bake another 20-30 minutes. The bread is done when it hits 195 degrees and sounds hollow when thumped on the bottom.
Reinhart calls for cooling for at least 1 hour, but thanks to Sammy we ate ours pretty darn hot.
Laura’s Riff On Peter Reinhart’s White Bread, Variation II
Adapted from The Bread Baker’s Apprentice
4 1/4 cups (19 oz) unbleached bread flour (I sub in 4 oz or about 1 cup of white whole wheat flour)
1 1/2 t fine sea salt
3 T sugar
2 t instant yeast
1 large egg, slightly beaten
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temp
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
optional add-ins:
2 T ground flaxseed
2 T wheat germ
2 T wheat bran
extra flour and buttermilk for achieving correct dough feel
Mix together the flours, salt, sugar, yeast and any of the add-ins in a large mixing bowl. Add the egg, buttermilk and butter and mix with a large spoon or with the paddle attachment of your mixer. When the dough starts to form a rough, shaggy mass, switch to the dough hook (or begin kneading on a floured surface). Add more buttermilk if the dough is dry; add more flour if it is too sticky. With your dough hook on speed 2, knead for 6-8 minutes (resting your mixer as needed), or knead by hand, until you have a soft, supple dough. It should be tacky but not sticky.
Lightly oil a large bowl and place the dough inside it, rolling to coat it with the oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until doubled in size.
Gently de-gas the dough by pressing the bubbles out and divide into 2 equal portions. Shape each portion for 2 8X5 loaf pans. Grease the pans and place the loaves into the pans. Lightly spray plastic wrap with oil and loosely cover the loaf pans. Let rise for 60-90 minutes, or until doubled.
Preheat the oven to 350 F about 30 minutes before baking.
Bake the loaves for 35-45 minutes, rotating halfway through. The internal temperature of the loaves should be about 190 F when they are done. I like to butter the tops of my loaves when they come out of the oven. Let the loaves cool on a cooling rack, but for gosh sake, no matter what the experts say, make sure you slice them while they are still warm (just not piping hot—I usually aim for waiting 30 minutes).
Buttermilk Cheddar Bread
Adapted from Bernard Clayton’s New Complete Book Of Breads
Makes one large (9X5) or two smaller (8X4) loaves
3 1/2 to 4 cups bread flour, approximately
1 cup white whole wheat flour
2 scant T (2 packages) dry yeast
2 t baking powder
2 t salt
2 T sugar
3/4 cup hot water (120 to 130 degrees)
1 1/4 cups buttermilk, room temperature
6 ounces (1 1/2 cups) sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1-2 T butter, melted
In a mixer bowl, combine 1 cup bread flour, the white whole wheat flour, the yeast, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Whisk to blend. Pour the hot water and butter milk into the flour, and beat for 3 minutes with the mixer flat beater to make a smooth batter. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula, and stir in the cheese. Add the remaining flour, 1/4 cup at a time, until the dough forms a rough mass and clears the sides of the bowl. Insert the mixer dough hook when the mass is too heavy and solid for the flat beater.
Knead by hand on a floured surface or by dough hook in the mixer to make a soft elastic ball, 8 minutes. Add sprinkles of flour if the dough is slack or wet and sticky.
Press and push the dough into an oval (or ovals) slightly longer than the pans. Fold lengthwise, and pinch the edges tightly together. With the seam down, push in the ends. Fit the dough into the pan, pressing it snugly into the corners. Cover the pan(s) with greased plastic wrap and leave at room temperature until doubled in bulk, 1 hour. You can test by poking a finger in it; the dent will remain if the dough is fully risen.
Preheat the over to 425 about 20 minutes before baking. If your oven runs hot, reduce heat by 25 degrees! Place the pan(s) on a low shelf so the bread will not brown too quickly. The loaves will be done when they are deep brown and pull away from the sides of the pan, 35 to 40 minutes. When tapping the bottom yields a hard, hollow sound, the bread is done. If not, return to the oven - without the pan if you want a deep brown crust - for an additional 5 to 10 minutes. However, if the tops of the loaves appear to be browning too quickly, cover with a piece of foil or brown sack paper. (If using a convection oven, reduce heat 50 degrees.)
Remove the bread from the oven. Turn from the pan(s) and place on a wire rack to cool. While the bread is still hot, brush with melted butter for a lovely rich glow.
Portuguese Sweet Bread
Adapted from The Bread Baker’s Apprentice, Peter Reinhart
Ingredients
Sponge
½ cup (2.25 oz) bread flour
1 T sugar
2 ¼ t instant yeast
½ cup (4 oz) water, room temp
Dough
6 T (3 oz) sugar
1 t salt
¼ cup nonfat dry milk
2 T unsalted butter, softened
2 T shortening
2 large eggs
1 t lemon extract
1 t orange extract
1 t vanilla
3 cups (13.5 oz) bread flour
6 T water, room temp (3 oz—I only used 1 ½ T—see below)
Egg Wash
1 egg mixed with 1 t water until frothy
Whisk the sponge ingredients in a small bowl. Cover and set aside to ferment at room temperature for 60-90 minutes, or until the sponge gets foamy and well risen and seems on the verge of collapse.
When you are ready to make the dough (i.e., after the sponge has risen), combine the sugar, salt, dry milk, butter and shortening in a large bowl (I used a mixer). Cream them together until smooth, then add the eggs and extracts and mix well. Add the 3 cups of flour, switching to a dough hook when the dough becomes stiff. Unlike some other recipes, add all of the flour—you will adjust the hydration with the water. After you have added the flour, add the water slowly, I did about a teaspoon at a time, to make a very soft dough. It should not be sticky or wet, just soft and supple. It will take 10-12 minutes with the dough hook on a mixer or 15 minutes by hand to achieve the right consistency. I used a timer and stopped my mixer periodically to make sure it did not overheat (technically they should not knead bread dough for longer than a few minutes—my mom had one blow out on her and Kitchen Aid blamed it on this, even though every baker I know if has used theirs to knead for longer than that). The dough was truly gorgeous to feel—I only needed 1-2 tablespoons, but it has been very humid here. Transfer the dough to an oiled deep bowl and roll to coat with oil. Cover with plastic wrap and leave to rise for 2 hours, until doubled in size.
Remove the dough from the bowl and divide it into 2 pieces. Reinhart forms each into a boule and bakes them in a pie pan—because we are moving mine are all packed away so I did traditional loaves. Whichever you use, grease them. Either works fine—but be sure (as I did not) to bake the bread for a little less time if using the loaf shapes as they are skinnier and will bake faster by about 5-10 minutes. Cover the loaves or boules very loosely with oiled plastic wrap and let rise for 2-3 hours. He says the boules should fill and rise slightly over the sides of the pie plates—mine were about 2 ½ times their original size, but all I had were 9X5 pans, so they certainly did not come over the sides. When you guess that you have about 30 minutes left, preheat the oven to 350 F.
Very gently brush the loaves with egg wash. Bake the loaves for 40-60 minutes (shape depending) or until they register 190 degrees in the center. At the 25-30 minute mark, rotate the loaves front to back and side to side if necessary. Because of the high sugar content, the loaves may look quite dark but they are not done and they should be quite dark, a beautiful mahogany at the end (mine look a bit lighter than that because the photos were taken outside). So don’t let it fool you into thinking they are done or burning.
Cool completely, at least 90 minutes, on a cooling rack. The bread will soften as it cools—mine did not become super soft but I know I overcooked mine by about 5 minutes—and I am sure it is because the traditional loaf shape is skinnier and therefore faster cooking.
One small warning: the amount of dough may seem too small for 2 loaves, but it will rise enough for 2. Have faith!
Sprouted Quinoa & Honey Bread
Adapted from Sproutpeople
2 1/4 cups lukewarm water
2 T active dry yeast
pinch of sugar
1/2 cup shortening (I used Earth Balance)
1/2 cup honey
1 T salt
2 cups sprouted quinoa, left whole
7-8 cups AP flour, divided into 4 and 4 cups
1/4 cup wheat bran flakes
1/4 cup cornmeal
Pour the lukewarm water over the yeast and pinch of sugar in a large mixing bowl and let stand for 5 minute. It will get foamy.
Add the sprouted quinoa, salt, cornmeal, wheat bran flakes ad 4 cups of the flour. Beat until smooth. Cover and let this sponge stand for 45-60 minutes.
Add the remaining 3-4 cups of flour—stop when the dough comes together and forms a mass. Knead until smooth. Placed in greased bowl and cover with greased plastic wrap. Let rise until doubled, 60-90 minutes.
Gently punch down the risen dough and divide into 3 equal portions (Sproutpeople is vague on how many loaves this makes—I made 2 9X5 loaves and decided next time I would make 3 8X4 loaves as I think the loaves were too big). Shape into logs and place into greased 8X4 loaf pans. Cover again with greased plastic wrap and let rise until nearly doubled, 45-60 minutes. 30 minutes in to the rising period, preheat the oven to 375 F.
Bake in the preheated 375 F oven for 35-40 minutes, or until an internal thermometer registers 200 F. Let cool for as long as you can to prevent the loaf collapsing—I usually aim for a minimum of 30 minutes, but we are not patient people when it comes to fresh baked bread.
Sweet Vanilla Challah
Adapted from The Bread Bible, Beth Hensperger
Ingredients
1 T active dry yeast
½ cup sugar
1 T salt
6 ½ - 7 cups AP flour
1 ¾ cups hot water (120 F)
4 large eggs
½ cup vegetable oil
1 ½ T pure vanilla extract
For glaze:
1 large egg yolk
1 t vanilla extract
½ t sugar
In a large mixer bowl with the paddle attachment, mix the yeast, sugar, salt and 2 cups of the flour. Add the hot water, eggs, oil and vanilla. Beat hard until smooth, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl occasionally. Add the remaining flour, ½ cup at a time, until the dough forms a rough mass. Switch to the dough hook and knead for 4 minutes, adding 1 tablespoon of flour at a time to prevent sticking (I eventually gave up on this part).
Scrape the dough into a greased, deep bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise until doubled, about 2 hours.
I chose to use a loaf pan and a 10 inch springform pan rather than trying to shape the dough into a braid or coil as I was kind of frustrated by working with the dough by then. Grease (or use parchment paper if shaping into a free form loaf onto a cookie sheet) your desired pans. Cover loosely with greased plastic wrap and let rise another 30-45 minutes (the dough may not double, which is fine as this dough will get additional rise from the eggs). 15 minutes before the end of this preheat the oven to 350 F.
Before putting the bread into the oven, gently but thickly brush the glaze onto the surface of the bread. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a deep golden brown. Cool completely before slicing.
A note on this dough: Henspergers speaks of it as though it is pretty similar to other enriched sandwich loaves, but I found it to be much, much stickier. It is possible my grain substitutions are the cause, but really I just think this bread is super-enriched for a sandwich bread, making for a very wet dough. Which is of course one of the things making it really, really tasty. But do expect it to be sticky—if you knead it by hand I would keep it to a minimum, rather than overloading it with flour to keep it kneadable. (*A later note: after talking to some other CLBBers about it, it might have been the spelt that made it so sticky. So if you want to avoid that part of it, maybe try AP or bread flour—and let me know how it comes out!)
Laura’s Not 7 Grain Multi Grain Honey Bread
Adapted from The Bread Bible, Beth Hensperger
Ingredients
1/3 cup traditional rolled oats
1/3 cup barley flakes
1/3 cup quinoa
1 ½ cups boiling water
¼ cup cornmeal (I would have used a coarse grind if I had had any)
¼ cup wheat bran
¼ cup lukewarm water
1 ½ T active dry yeast
Pinch of sugar
1 ½ cups whole grain spelt flour
¼ cup buttermilk
3 T neutral vegetable oil
2 T melted butter
1/3 cup honey
3 large eggs
1 T salt
4-5 cups white spelt flour (I get this locally—you could use AP or bread flour)
In the bowl of a stand mixer (or just a large bowl if you are making this by hand), pour the boiling water over the oats, barley flakes and quinoa. Let stand for at least an hour.
Mixer the lukewarm water, the yeast and the pinch of sugar in a small bowl and let stand until foamy.
Add the cornmeal, wheat bran, whole grain spelt flour, buttermilk, butter, eggs, salt, oil and honey (I recommend pouring the oil into the measuring cup first, dumping it, and then measuring the honey—it will slide right out for you) to the soaking grains. Beat for 30 seconds. Add the proofing yeast to the mixer bowl and beat for another 30 seconds—the mixture will not be smooth (because of all of the whole grains) but it should be consistent.
With the mixer on low, add the white spelt flour, ½ cup at a time. When the dough starts to form a shaggy mass, switch to the dough hook. This dough is a difficult one to know when to stop adding flour—for a kneading dough, it is quite sticky. After a minimum of 5 cups of white spelt flour and after the dough maintains a ball for several rotations of the dough hook (before succumbing to the sides in an uneven sticky mass again), then it is probably about done. You will need to a spatula or dough scraper to scrape the dough into a large oiled container for rising. Cover with lightly oiled plastic wrap and leave for 60-90 minutes, until doubled.
This part is tricky because the dough is so sticky. Divide the dough in half as best as you are able and shape each half into a rectangle. Don’t worry about deflating much—the dough is so sticky it will happen either way. Place each rectangle into a greased 9 X 5 loaf pan. Cover and let rise for 45 minutes, until doubled.
15 minutes before the loaves are finished rising, turn the oven on to 375 F.
Bake the risen loaves for 35 to 40 minutes, until the tops are golden brown and the interior registers 200 F with a thermometer. Dump out of the loaf pans and let cool on a cooling rack. I personally believe in slicing at the 30 minute mark, when they are still warm.
Most dishes or baked goods can be judged on multiple levels, not just how it tastes. For flavor this bread hit a home run—I don’t know if Rose’s recipe is superior or if it is just that it is homemade, but I LOVE this bread. I plan to make it again already. From the outside, it is a pretty loaf, so it passed that part of the appearance test. However, I think I failed the part where the swirls don’t gap.
This should not be attributed to the recipe, at least not at this point, but rather to me. I was on the phone and distracted when I did the filling, and I actually did not roll the bread out, but rather gently stretched and patted into a rectangle. I don’t know if that was my mistake or if I did not roll the bread up tightly enough. I think I did not press out enough of the air bubbles in the dough at this stage maybe. The last possibility, mentioned by Rose in the recipe, is that I did not proof the bread long enough. I do not think this was the problem—it proofed at 70-75 F for 2 hours, and it was 1 ½ inches over the rim. When I make the bread next time I will try rolling more tightly and pressing the air bubbles out better. If that still fails, I suppose I will have to try rolling.
See, I finked out of rolling the dough—what did I tell you? A serious aversion….
Raisin Cinnamon Loaf
Adapted from The Bread Bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum
Ingredients
Sponge
2 ¼ cups plus 2 ½ T (341 g, 12 oz) unbleached AP flour (I used King Arthur)
Scant 1 ¾ liquid cups (405 g, 14.3 oz) room temp water
2 T plus 1 t (45 g, 1.5 oz) honey
¾ t (2.4 g) instant yeast
Flour Mixture
2 cups plus 3 T (311 g, 11 oz) unbleached AP flour
¼ cup (40 g, 1.5 oz) nonfat dry milk
¾ t instant yeast (2.4 g)
Final dough
9 T (128 g, 4.5 oz) softened unsalted butter
2 ¼ t (15 g) salt
1 cup (144 g, 5oz) raisins (I used flame seedless jumbo raisins)
Cinnamon Sugar Spiral Filling
¼ cup plus 2 T (75 g, 2.6 oz) sugar
4 t (9 g, .3 oz) cinnamon
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Melted or softened butter for brushing onto finished loaves
The day before in a large bowl, combine the sponge ingredients and whisk until smooth, about 2 minutes by hand.
In a medium bowl, combine the flour mixture ingredients and whisk together. Then sprinkle them on top of the sponge. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave at room temp for 60-90 minutes, until the sponge begins to bubble up through the flour mixture. Then place the bowl in the refrigerator and leave for up to 24 hours—the longer the better, for flavor development. I left mine about 12 hours.
The next day, transfer contents of the bowl to your mixer bowl. Use a spatula to get everything. Add the room temp butter and, using a dough hook, knead for 1 minute or until the dough is moistened enough to take on a rough mass. Cover with plastic wrap and leave for 20 minutes.
Sprinkle the salt onto the dough and start kneading again, for 7-10 minutes. This is a sticky dough—if it is not sticky and shiny, add a little water. If it is absurdly sticky and will not form a ball, add a little flour. Stop the mixer every so often to scrape down the sides of the bowl and dough hook—and to check that your mixer is not overheating. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Then add the raisins and knead for an additional 2 minutes to incorporate the raisins—do not worry if they do not incorporate perfectly evenly as later folding and rolling out of the dough will help insure that.
Using a spatula, scrape the dough into a large, lightly oiled bowl for rising—at least 4 quarts. Cover with plastic wrap and leave to rise until doubled, 90-120 minutes in a warm room (it will take longer in a cooler room—mine took about 3 hours but the kitchen was cold at that point).
Using a spatula, scrape the dough onto a floured work surface and press down on it gently to form a rectangle. Try to maintain as many air bubbles as possible. Give the dough one business letter turn and place it back into the container. Refrigerate for one hour.
Before taking the dough back out, mix the cinnamon and sugar and lightly whisk the egg. Pull out 2 8 X 4 loaf pans, as well as either a baking sheet or a baking stone; lightly oil the loaf pans.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Cut it in half (I quickly weighed mine to make sure I had gotten them pretty even) and place one half back into the fridge while you work with the first half.
Roll out (or stretch and press if you are like me, but I am not sure I recommend it!) the dough to 7 ½ inches wide by 14 inches long and ¼ inch thick. Using your fingertips, gently press out all of the air bubbles (I think I missed that instruction). Brush the dough with about 1 tablespoon of the beaten egg, leaving a ¾ inch margin all around. Sprinkle half of the cinnamon sugar evenly over the egg, also leaving a ¾ inch margin. (Rose gives very specific instructions here that I pretty much missed since I was talking on the phone—Bad Laura!—and my bread still turned out pretty nicely:) “Starting from the short end closest to you, roll the dough up tightly, as you would a jelly roll; brush the top of the dough with egg and squeeze the dough gently all along the length of the roll… so that it will adhere well to the filling.” Ooops—probably more reasons why my spiral gapped. But boy is it tasty. Tuck in the ends of the dough, making sure the length of the roll stays close to 7 ½ inches long. Place the loaf, seam side down, into 2 oiled 8 X 4 loaf pans. The dough will be about ½ inch from the top of the pan. Cover the pans loosely with plastic wrap and leave to rise again, until doubled, 1-2 hours or until the center is 1 ½ inches above the rim.
Preheat the oven to 350 F 45 minutes before baking. Have an oven shelf at the lowest level and place the baking sheet or baking stone on this level (I used a baking stone which always sits at the lowest level of my oven).
When the bread has risen, quickly but gently place the loaf pans onto the baking stone/sheet. Bake for 50 minutes (rotating halfway through) or until the bread is medium golden brown and the internal temperature is 211 (mine never reached 211—maybe my thermometer is broken?—but when it plateaued for 5 minutes at 208 F I decided it was done).
Remove the pans from the oven and turn them onto cooling racks. Brush the tops with butter. Rose instructs you to wait 1 hour, until barely warm, before slicing. I decided 45 minutes was plenty virtuous.
This recipe makes enough for a 12 cup bundt pan. We did not have a 12 cup bundt pan but we did have 2 6 cup bundt pans. Despite using the right sized pans, one loaf did overflow. I think I may have beat the egg yolks too hard, so do be aware of that possibility. The bread was still delicious, and as you can see on the left, the bread looked ok when inverted (although not as nice as its twin, which did not overflow). .
Babka
Adapted from Nick Malgieri’s A Baker’s Tour
Sponge
1 1/4 cups milk (preferably whole but I have made it with 1% successfully)
4 t active dry yeast
2 cups all-purpose flour
Dough
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 t salt
1 T grated lemon zest
2 t vanilla
12 large egg yolks
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup dark raisins (I used golden)
1 cup whole blanced almonds, cut into quarters (I left out)
For the sponge: In a medium saucepan, warm the milk over low heat until it is just lukewarm, about 110 F. Place the milk into a medium bowl and add yeast - whisk the two together. Stir in the flour; cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes.
In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter, sugar and salt until soft, about 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in zest and vanilla. Add 6 egg yolks, one at a time, beating until smooth after each one.
Mix in about 1/3 of the flour, then 2 more egg yolks. Scrape down the bowl and beater. Add another 1/3 of the flour and 2 more yolks and scrape down again. Mix in the remaining flour and egg yolks.
Add the sponge mixture into the mixing bowl. Mix on low for 2 minutes. Let the dough rest for 10 minutes.
Beat the dough on medium until it is smooth and elastic, about 2 minutes; the dough should be very soft. Add raisins and almonds (if using) and mix until combined.
Scoop the dough into a buttered 12 cup bundt pan. Cover and let the dough rise until it fills the pan, about 60 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, with the rack in the center of the oven, 15 minutes before the dough has completely risen.
Bake until well risen and very golden, about 40 to 45 minutes. I used a toothpick in the center of the bread to be certain it was done.
Remove and cool in the pan on a rack for about 10 minutes. Then invert the babka onto a rack and cool completely.
Taos Sun Bread
Adapted from Beth Hensperger’s Breads of the Southwest
Ingredients
1 ½ cups of whole buttermilk*
½ cup cornmeal, white or yellow, fine or medium grind
1/3 cup honey
3 T melted lard (or corn oil)
1 T active dry yeast
pinch of brown sugar
¼ cup warm water
2 t salt
½ cup whole wheat pastry flour
4 cups of bread flour (give or take a little)
In a medium saucepan, bring the buttermilk to a boil, whisking, and then add the cornmeal to the buttermilk in a slow drizzle, whisking the whole time. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes, whisking the entire time. It will become a thick porridge. Stir in the lard and honey. Scrape the mixture into a large mixing bowl or the bowl for your mixer. Set aside to cool for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix the yeast and brown sugar into the warm water. Let stand until foamy.
Check the temperature of the buttermilk porridge, either with a thermometer (it needs to be under 120 F) or your finger (it should be lukewarm). When it is cool enough, add the salt and whole wheat pastry flour to the porridge and beat on medium speed for 1 minute. Add the yeast and 1 cup of the bread flour and beat one medium speed for an additional minute. Then add the rest of the bread flour, ½ cup at a time, on low speed, until the dough becomes a soft, shaggy mass that just clears the side of the bowl. (Switch from paddle to dough hook when a rough mass forms.)
Knead the dough either by hand (3-5 minutes) or by machine, 1-3 minutes. I took around 3-4 minutes because I needed to add a bit more flour to get the dough less sticky. The final dough should be quite soft and somewhat sticky, but ultimately you should be able to form a ball with the dough. Place it in a greased large bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Set aside to rise until doubled in bulk, 1-1 ½ hours.
Grease 2 9X5 loaf pans. Divide the dough in half, gently deflating and patting down. Form the dough into oblong balls, stretching the dough across one side to pinch underneath the other side. Place the ovals, seam side down, into the loaf pans. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside to rise until doubled, about 45 minutes.
About 20 minutes before baking, turn the oven on and preheat to 450 F.
When you are ready to place the loaves into the oven, turn the oven temperature down to 350 F and place the loaves in the oven. Set a timer for 40 minutes—if your oven heat is uneven as mine is you will want to rotate the pans front to back and side to side at the 20 minute mark. Start checking the loaves for doneness at the 40 minute mark, although it could take up to 10 minutes longer. The loaf should be nicely browned and sound hollow when tapped. You can also use an instant read thermometer—the loaves should be 200 F internally.
Turn the loaves out of their pans and place on a cooling rack.
Many professional bread bakers will tell you to wait until the bread is cooled to slice. I have never met a bread eater yet who didn’t prefer hot bread. The key of course is waiting long enough that your loaves do not totally squish when you slice them; I usually find that 20-30 minutes will do the trick. Likewise, when we have leftovers the next night, I wrap the second loaf entirely in foil and then place it in a 300 F oven. After 15 minutes or so I remove the bread and voila! We have hot bread for dinner.
*Hensperger calls for 1½ cups of water to make the cornmeal porridge and then adds ½ cup buttermilk powder to the bread with the whole wheat pastry flour. This would make a lower fat bread—but I did not have buttermilk powder, so I used whole milk buttermilk to ensure it would not curdle.
http://asoutherngrace.blogspot.com/2008/12/saltines-have-never-had-it-so-good.html
saltines have never had it so good...
...and neither have I. Quick, easy, and undeniably drool-inducing—what could be better?
Yep. This is good stuff. Perhaps you’ve tried or at least seen the variety using matzo. I’m here to tell you that if it’s at all possible, this version is even better. I think the salt on the crisp crackers combined with the rich, semi-sweet chocolate and crunchy, buttery toffee makes for the perfect candy, any minute of any day of any month of any year. It’s probably best to save it for the holidays, however, unless you want to add some more junk to your trunk...
Terribly Terrific Toffee
1 cup unsalted butter (no margarine allowed)
1 cup brown sugar
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
40 saltine crackers
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line jelly roll pan or cookie sheet with foil and spray with non-stick spray. Lay a flat layer of crackers out on the foil. Melt the sugar and butter until a boil is reached. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 5-6 minutes or until mixture is thickened and sugar is completely dissolved. Pour this mixture over the crackers and spread to coat evenly. Bake for 5-8 minutes, or until the toffee becomes bubbly. After removing the pan from the oven, let it sit for 3-5 minutes. Sprinkle on the chocolate chips, let them soften and melt, and then spread them into an even layer. (You can add nuts, cracker crumbs, or whatever else floats your boat at this point.) Let cool and, if desired for expediting purposes, refrigerate until hardened. Break into pieces the size of your choice. I personally prefer a hand-sized chunk.
GADZOOKS, Christmas is in one week! Gracious me.
http://asoutherngrace.blogspot.com/2009/09/and-im-back-in-game.html
Perhaps you recall my super-duper Terribly Terrific Toffee, the tasty little treat that made its debut around Christmas last year. If not, I must insist that you check it out this instant. Go ahead. I’ll wait.
Pretty impressive, right? Well, imagine it DOUBLED. That’s right. Twice the toffee, twice the chocolate, twice the calories, and twice the deliciousness.
The edges were clearly the best part—more chocolate, more caramel, more euphoria.
These delightful little bars are often referred to as homemade candy bars, and that’s essentially what they are. Although they look a bit like fat Kit Kats or perhaps a mega Twix bar, my batch really tasted like a Snickers. I think I was a bit over-generous with the peanut butter, but I didn’t hear any complaints. Or make any myself. Which is rare.
Twickers Bars
(based on this recipe)
40 or so saltine crackers
1 cup butter (no substitutions)
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 cup tightly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup sugar
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup semisweet chocolate morsels
1 cup butterscotch morsels
1 tablespoon vegetable shortening
Line an ungreased 9x13-inch baking pan with foil, leaving an extension of foil on either end. Line the foil with one layer of saltine crackers.
In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar, milk, and sugar. Bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. (Begin timing 5 minutes from when you see the first bubbles.) Remove from the heat and spread half of caramel mixture evenly over the crackers. Place another single layer of crackers over the caramel mixture. Spread the rest of the caramel mixture evenly over crackers and top with the remaining crackers.
In a small saucepan (or in the microwave), combine the peanut butter, chocolate morsels, butterscotch morsels, and shortening. Melt over medium-low heat, stirring constantly. Pour and spread evenly over the top of crackers. Cover, and chill for at least 1 hour. Lift foil overhang and remove bars from pan. Cut into bars. Store in the refrigerator.
http://asoutherngrace.blogspot.com/2009/08/behold-power-of-butterscotch-pudding.html
behold, the power of butterscotch pudding
Remember that pudding-based sourdough bread I made a while back? I said that I’d try it again, and I did.
This time, the pudding being put to use was butterscotch-flavored. I know made-from-scratch is always better, but that’s a somewhat complex recipe and the boxed version is awfully tasty. Awfully—such an appropriate adverb since I feel guilty for enjoying something with so many chemicals, modified starches, preservatives, and the like.
But enjoy it I do, and I suspected that it would make for a knockout bread. I considered using chocolate chips or toffee bits as an add-in, but in the end I opted for diced dried apples. Had I used the sweet stuff, the end result might’ve been too rich (not for me, mind you, but for those of typical palates).
The bread was fantastic. There was definitely a subtle caramel-brown sugar-butterscotchy thing going on, but it was never the slightest bit overwhelming. The apples contributed a nice tart zing and the overall texture was lovely.
So soft. So satisfying.
Was it better than the version made with coconut pudding? Gracious, that’s a toughie. If you threatened to take away my cinnamon if I didn’t pick one or the other, I’d have to say the tropical version takes it by a hair (not by a hair found in any of my baked goods, of course)(I always wear a hairnet when I cook...don’t you?).
Butterscotch Friendship Bread
(personalized from this recipe)
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup pear baby food
1/2 cup milk
1 cup sourdough starter
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup sugar
2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 (3.4 oz) boxes instant butterscotch pudding
1 cup chopped dried apples
Preheat oven to 325F. Grease down whatever molds you intend to use (I filled up 8 mini loaves).
In a large bowl, mix the oil, pear puree, eggs, milk, starter, vanilla, and sugar.
In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, baking soda, pudding mix, and apples. Add this to the liquid mixture and stir thoroughly.
Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake until done. Apparently, this takes at least an hour for regular loaves, and took around 45 minutes for my mini loaves. Cool completely before slicing.
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