How Ann Makes Bread Version 2

In an attempt to communicate in a little more normal way than Version One of how to make bread, maybe this will be better. (Is that really how I talk/write when my brain is only half working? What a mess!) Also, please note - the use of raise and rise feels a little tricky tonight, so please overlook any misuse herein.
1. Put dough hook on Bosch mixer. Find a large ceramic bowl (if you have one) or a stainless steel bowl will work, it just doesn't hold the heat as well. Fill half full with hot water and let it sit while you are mixing the dough. This will warm the bowl and will help make the dough rise faster. Just before you put the dough in the bowl, pour out the water and wipe the bowl dry; rub the bowl with a little oil so the dough won't stick as it raises.
2. Grind approximately 4 cups wheat (Note: if I am using Spelt, I use exactly the same measurements. I actually like Spelt better than whole wheat)
3. In a measuring cup, put 1/4 cup lukewarm water. Add 1 tsp sugar or honey. Add 2 teaspoons or one packet of yeast. Stir gently for just a second and set aside.
4. Measure 4 cups of very hot water and pour into the Bosch mixing bowl.
5. To the hot water add the following: 4 teaspoons salt; 4 Tablespoons sugar or honey; 1/3 cup oil.
6. Add all of the whole wheat flour
7. Use the on button on the Bosch that lets you turn the mixer on and off quickly. Turn it on three or four times until the flour is somewhat mixed in, then turn the mixer on so it stays on for about two minutes. Turn off.
8. Start adding the white flour, but read the remainder of #8 before you proceed. I honestly don't know how much white flour it will take, so you have to pretend you know what you are doing on this one. Gradually begin adding the white flour one cup at a time, until the dough is still really sticky, but not runny. At this point, let the Bosch knead the bread for about 3 minutes. Add a little more flour, mix again.
9. Now gently stir the yeast mixture in the cup and add to the bread dough. Mix really well, then continue kneading for another 3 minutes.
10. If the bread is still really sticky, and is clinging to the side of the Bosch bowl while it is kneading, add a little more white flour until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
11. Sprinkle a little flour on the cabinet top. "Dump" the bread dough onto the floured area. Knead just a little to form it into a ball.
12. Place dough ball into prepared bowl. I like to rub just a little oil over the dough so it doesn't dry out while it is raising.
13. Cover with a clean dishtowel.
14. The dough needs to sit in a place where it is kind of warm, and out of drafts. I generally use my oven, having turned it on for about 1 minute and then turning it off will give my bread a nice warm place to sit.
15. When the dough has come to the top of my bowl, or doubled in size, I dump it out of the bowl onto the floured surface, punch it down/knead it and return it to the bowl for a second round. If you are going to make rolls, or cinnamon rolls, you would take part of the dough out at this point.
16. Many of the recipes I see today are skipping the second rising - Mother always let it raise twice so I have just kept doing it that way.
17. When the dough is doubled again, remove from bowl onto lightly floured surface.
18. Grease 3 bread pans. Or two if you have made rolls. Divide the dough into even portions. Gently knead to work out the air bubbles and then form into your loaves. Place each loaf in loaf pan, roll around in the grease in the bread pan so the tops have a little oil on them. Or you can melt a little butter and spread it over the tops of your loaves.
19. Let bread sit until the dough is a little over the top of the pan so it makes a nice rounded looking loaf. Cover the dough while it is sitting. And try to keep it out of any draft.
20. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
21. Put loaves in oven. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Timing is a little tricky, so when the bread looks done, thump on a loaf. If it sounds hollow, it is probably done.
22. Hooray! If you have persevered and made it to this point, whatever you take out of the oven will taste wonderful and the house will smell ever so good. Just make sure you have some homemade strawberry jam to eat with it.

Taco Soup Recipe from Preston

This past week, I attended a wonderful two-day quilting retreat up Cub River (south and east of Preston, up in the mountains). This year, instead of having food cooked for us, we opted to cook our own. This is one of the recipes used - very good!

Taco Soup

1-2 lbs hamburger, browned with 1/4 cup chopped onion

16-oz. can kidney beans with juice

17-oz. can corn with juice

1 pkg taco flavoring (or however much you like) I found a recipe online, and made my own.

Place a few taco chips at the bottom of the bowl, ladle in the soup. Top with grated cheese, a dollop or two of sour cream, and some chopped-up avacado.

Good with rolls and butter, etc.

Just for fun - Now It's Tomatoes

Don't have time for a photo - so much to do, so little time to do it. Have you tried freezing tomatoes? I really don't want to get out the pressure cooker so am trying this recipe. If you have already tried something like this, were you pleased with the results?

Teresa's Freezer Tomato Sauce
16 medium to large ripe, but firm, heirloom (or whatever) tomatoes
1/2 cup torn fresh basil leaves
6 to 8 garlic cloves, thickly sliced
2 tablespoons white balsamic or red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sea salt
Coarsely ground black pepper
1. Preheat oven to 375degrees F. Cover baking sheet with parchment paper
2. Cut an X in the bottom of each tomato and place on parchment with X side up.
3. Roast tomatoes 20 - 30 minutes, until skin begins to pull away at the X. Remove pan from oven and let tomatoes cool.
4. When cool enough to handle, core each tomato and peel skin away from meat of tomato using a sharp knife. Work over a large nonreactive bowl to catch juices.
5. Coarsely chop tomatoes in bowl using knife or scissors, or squish with your hands. Add basil, garlic, vinegar, salt and pepper. Mix well.
6. Label clean glass jars, freezer boxes or bags. Fill containers two-thirds full with sauce; seal or close and place in freezer up to 6 months. Makes about 12 cups, depending on size of tomatoes.
(Recipe by Teresa Blackburn, Relish Food Stylist)
Per (1-cup) serving: 45 calories, 0.5g fat, 0mg chol., 2g prot., 10g carbs., 3g fiber, 170 mg sodium.

Z is for Zucchini

This is all we have left after our give-away yesterday. Yes, we still can find people who don't have any. But, if they get to the possible behemoth size, you can do one of two things with them: (1) decorate them and enter them into the contest at the Franklin County Fair, and/or (2) chop them up and add them to the compost pile.
Found this recipe, and think it's pretty good:
Zucchini Patties ( found on the Internet, attributed to a Sherry McCarty of Albuquerque, NM)
Ingredients:
1 cup baking mix (Bisquick)
1/2 shredded mozzarella or cheddar cheese
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, beaten
2 cups shredded zucchini
2 tablespoons chopped onion (optional)
2 tablespoons butter

Instructions:
1. Combine Bisquick, cheese, salt, eggs, zucchini, and onion in a mixing bowl. Blend well.
2. Melt butter in a large skillet (I used olive oil)
3. Spoon heaping tablespoons of zucchini mixture onto melted butter Fry for 3 to 5 minutes per side, until golden brown. Place browned patties on a paper towel. Add more butter (olive oil) to the skillet when necessary for additional batches. Serves 5 to 6.
This recipe first appeared in American Profile Magazine, and came from a website called "Relish"
You might include diced red peppers, or crumbled cooked sausage or hamburger - or use a sharp cheddar.

What to do with a bucketful of Zucchini

Ok, at the risk of changing the mood of the blog for a few days, I thought it might be fun to find out what everyone is doing with produce from the garden. Has anyone tried dilly beans (made with string beans)? Yummy and so easy to do!
On the other hand there is the "Z" (zucchini for those non-gardeners). My neighbor brought over a few pieces of the following "z" coffee cake and I was left wanting more. Don't know if it was because of the frosting or what, but I thought I would share the recipe because it is quick and easy, and I had never seen this recipe before (that I can remember).
2 cups grated zucchini (or a little more - whatever!)
1/2 cup oil
Mix these together and set aside.
Mix together the following:
2 1/4 cups flour
1 cup sugar (could this be reduced - only an experiment will tell you)
1 1/4 tsp soda
1 1/2 tsp salt
Add dry ingredients to zucchini mixture. At first it will be kind of dry, but the consistency improves as you stir.
Add 2 tsp vanilla and nuts, if you like them.
Pour in pan (greased? or ungreased? Hmmm, the sharer of the recipe didn't include that little tidbit). Bake at 375 for app 22 minutes.
Frost with Duncan Hines Creamy Homestyle coconut frosting - see, I told you there was a reason I really liked this little cake.

Graveyard Stew

Recipe found in a cookbook published in 1993, in commemoration of the Oregon Trail. It will certainly bring back memories of some Saturday night meals!

Graveyard Stew

1 slice bread, toasted and buttered
3/4 cup milk, heated but not boiled
Sugar to taste

Place toast in a bowl, sprinkle with sugar and pour warmed milk over toast.

As I recall, our graveyard stew was never so fancy as to have any sugar in it! But it was quite a corroboration of the fact that others knew about the name, and that, basically, it was just fancy bread and milk.

This is for Steve and Louise - Pinwheel Cookies

This recipe is one Steve mentioned in one of his comment about Louise. Mother got it from Mrs. Pattison (who was Mrs. Pattison?). I have keyed in this recipe exactly as Mother had written it.

Pinwheel Cookies
Cream 1/2 cup buter, add gradually 1/2 c sugar; add 1 beaten egg yolk, beat the mixture well. Add 3 T milk, add 1 1/2 c flour which have been sifted with 1 1/2 t Bkg Pdr. & 1/8 t salt: add 1/2 t vanilla. Divide dough into halves. To 1/2 add 1 sq chocolate - melted. Roll each half out thin. Place one on top of other, roll up & slice off.
(The remainder is up to you, i.e temp of oven, how long to bake, grease the cookie sheet, etc.)

Another Old Time Recipe

Elizabeth's comment about the food that was prepared for the threshing crew sent me on a hunt to see if I still had this clipping from Mother's recipe collection. This recipe was taken off the KOOL-AID powder package in the early 1950's, or thereabout. So, just for fun, here you go:
Frozen Dessert
(Automatic Refrigerator)
1 pkg KOOL-AID (any flavor) (I liked grape the best!)
1 cup Sugar
2 cups Milk
1 cup Heavy Cream
1. Dissolve KOOL-AID and sugar in milk; turn into freezing tray and freeze 3/4 to 1 hour (until slushy).
2. Whip cream (well chilled) until stiff.
3. Add partly frozen KOOL-AID mixture to whipped cream and whip just enough to mix well, but keep cold as possible.
4. Return quickly to freezing tray and freeze at coldest point. Requires no more stirring. When frozen, set control back to normal. Makes over one quart.

If desired lighter, beat 2 egg whites fluffy with 2 tablespoons sugar and fold into mixture before final freezing.

Recipes - Peanut Brittle, Sour Crm Pie, etc.

Remember this recipe? This is definitely the original from Mother's recipe notebook.

Sour cream pie was one of Dad's favorites, along with many of the rest of the family.
Hmmm, sounds like I need to bake.

When I learned to cook, this was one of my favorite Sunday night treats. Mother and Dad graciously put up with my success and lack of success in reaching the "brittle" stage. Dad would often refer to the end result as "good hard tack".