Basic Bread

I have made this recipe so many times that I have it memorized.  It is easy to adapt for things like rolls, cinnamon buns, etc.; and you can use different combinations of flour.  This amount makes two loaves, which is the amount of dough that a Kitchenaid mixer will mix.  It doubles or triples easily.  It is a great beginner recipe.

Basic Bread

2 c lukewarm water

1/3 cup sugar

1 1/2 tbsp instant yeast

2 tsp salt

1/3 c vegetable oil

6 c flour

Mix ingredients, kneading in the last of the flour.  Knead until smooth.  Let rise in a covered bowl until doubled in size.  Punch down, then shape into loaves.  Let rise in the pans, then bake 20 min at 400.

Oatmeal Cookies

I got this recipe from an old church cookbook that my grandmother gave me when she was cleaning out her apartment.  It's the best oatmeal cookie recipe I have found, and I have made it many, many times.

Oatmeal Cookies

1 c margarine

1 c white sugar

1 c brown sugar

2 eggs

1/2 tsp vanilla

2 flour

2 1/2 c rolled oats

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

Mix well in order given.  Bake about 10 minutes at 400 for crispy cookies or 375 for chewy.

Makes about 6 dozen.

  

Sugar Cookie Cutouts

This is a basic rolled cookie recipe.  They are even better with icing and sprinkles.  My husband likes them best frozen, because as a child he used to steal sugar cookies from the freezer.

Sugar Cookie Cutouts

1/3 c butter

1/3 c shortening

3/4 c sugar

1 tsp baking powder

dash salt

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

2 c flour

Blend butter, shortening and sugar well.  Add ingredients in the order given.  Chill for 3 hours, or until easy to handle.

Bake 375  7 - 8 min.

Makes 3 -4  dozen.

A recipe for stew?

I know a lot of people think it's strange, but I use a recipe for stew.  I have used the same recipe for over ten years.  Lots of people use the fridge-cleaning method for stew, which is fine, but then you never know what you're going to get.  I like the consistency of knowing how it's going to turn out.

This is one of G1's favorite meals.  It goes perfectly with biscuits and is good as leftovers.

Old-Fashioned Beef Stew

1 lb beef stew meat, cut into 1/2" cubes

4 med carrots, sliced

4 or 5 med potatoes, cut into 1/2" cubes

1/2 onion, diced

3 c vegetable cocktail (V8 or store brand)

3 tbsp quick-cook tapioca

3 tsp beef broth powder

2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1/4 tsp pepper

Combine all ingredients in a crock-pot.  Cook on low for 9 - 10 hours.

About an hour before your going to eat, you can check to make sure the vegetables are cooking enough.  If you like them softer, you may want to turn it to high for a bit.  It depends on your preferences and the age of the vegetables.

The never-ending ham, part 4

This is what most people think of when you talk about using left-over ham.  I used that ham bone with a lot of meat on it, and it turned out especially good this time.  I made corn bread with it, because nutritionally it's good for you, and I thought all that yellow would be cheerful on a dreary winter day.

Crock Pea Soup

1 lb yellow split peas, rinsed

1 ham bone

1 onion, chopped

2 carrots, sliced

1 stalk celery, sliced

2 cloves garlic

1 bay leaf

1 1/2 qt water

Put all ingredients into a crock-pot.  Cook on low 8 - 10 hours, or until peas are very soft.  (If they are not soft, put it on high for a bit to speed it up.)

Before serving, remove bone and bay leaf and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Leftover freeze well.

Results:

Everybody liked it, but I knew it was time for a break from ham when my husband said "Is this pig dead yet?"  The rest of the ham was in the freezer by then, so it could wait for another time.

Rolled Shortbread Cookies

Christmas is coming, and I've started doing some baking.  This is one of my favorite recipes that I make every year.  They are shortbread cookies, so they melt in your mouth.  Because they look like sugar cookies, that is usually a surprise.  Saturday night I made a batch to take to church on Sunday evening.  I had to take something else because they mysteriously disappeared.  As my husband said "These cookies are the best that I've ever tasted that look like this."

Rolled Shortbread

1 c  cornstarch

1 c  icing sugar

2 c  flour

1 1/2 c  soft butter

Sift together the dry ingredients.  Blend in butter with a wooden spoon until a smooth dough forms.  It will be quite soft.  Chill 30 - 60 minutes.  Roll 1/4" thick and cut into shapes with cookie cutters.  Bake 300 for 15 - 20 min, or until edged are lightly browned.  Makes about 3 dozen cookies depending on size.

Decorate with icing after they cool, or sprinkly with colored sugar before baking.

Another muffin recipe!

For some reason, I always hesitated to make Peanut Butter Muffins.  I expected that they would turn out dry.  (I don't know why with all that oil in them.)  This one turned out great.  The whole time I was making them, I was thinking of the Reese's Peanut Butter Cup commercial from the eighties with the robot saying "your chocolate - in my peanut butter."  It really must really have made a big impression, since we didn't even have a tv in that era.

I guess it goes without saying that this is not a health food.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Muffins

1 1/2 c flour

1/2 c sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 c peanut butter

1/4 c margarine

1 c milk

2 eggs

1 c chocolate chips

In a large bowl, mix dry ingredients.  Cut in peanut butter and margarine until crumbly.  Add milk and eggs, and stir just to moisten.  Fold in chocolate chips.

Bake 375 for 20 min.

The never-ending ham, part 2

For day 2 (which really was the day after day 1, there was just a break in posting), I made biscuits with gravy.  This is a variation on a dish that I usually make with leftover chicken.

Day 2 - Biscuits with ham gravy

Make a batch of these.  (Once you've done that, you can't go too far wrong.)

Chop a bit of onion and as much meat as you want.  Brown the onion in butter in a medium saucepan.  When it starts to soften up, add the meat to heat.  Sprinkle in a couple of tbsp of flour.  Cook and stir for a minute, then add 1 c broth and 1 c milk (or more depending on how many you have to feed.)  Season with salt and pepper and other spices that you like.  Serve the biscuits on a plate, and ladle gravy on top.

One or two vegetables on the side make a great meal.

Results:

Everyone REALLY liked it.  (but we all like biscuits)

The never-ending ham, part 1

A couple of weeks ago, we went to a gathering of extended family.  We had a great time of games and visiting and a delicious meal.  When we were packing up the food, there were a lot of leftovers.  My dad was packing up the meat and asked "Can your family take a whole ham?"  Sure we could take a whole ham.  It was a big ham - more than enough for our family for a week.

So that was the challenge.  Could we eat the leftover ham every day for a week without getting sick of it?

Day One - Scalloped Supper

This is a leftover meal that is especially good with ham.  It is basically scalloped potatoes with other stuff thrown in.

potatoes, peeled and sliced - enough to fill your pan, I use a 9 x 13

leftover meat

carrots, peeled and sliced (optional)

other vegetables - frozen, leftover, whatever you have (optional)

Layer the potatoes, meat and vegetables in the pan.  I usually have three layers of potatoes with meat and vegetables in between.

Sauce

1/2 onion, chopped - or more, depending on your taste

butter

flour

milk

salt

pepper

cheddar cheese

1 can cream of mushroom soup

In a medium saucepan, saute the onion in butter.  When it is starting to go soft, sprinkle in some flour, and then make white sauce with onion.  Make more or less depending on what size of casserole dish you have.   Stir in cubed or shredded cheddar cheese and mushroom soup.

Pour sauce over potatoes and cover with foil.  Bake 350 until potatoes are soft, 45 min - 1 hour.  Remove foil for the last 15 minutes so the top can brown.

Results:

When I was making this, G1 told me that she doesn't eat anything with the word casserole in the name, so I didn't use that word.  Everyone liked it.

White Sauce

Making a basic white sauce is a necessary skill for any cook.  It is so versatile, and has many different variations.  Every time I make white sauce, I remember the time when my husband and I were invited to a friend's for dinner.  He was a single guy living on his own, and he was cooking.  He was  pretty good cook, and he wanted to make cheese sauce for something.  His mom gave him directions, so he figured it was no problem.  We were standing around in the kitchen as he was making it.  First, he put in butter.  "I know my mom said this much, but that doesn't seem like enough, I'll put in some more."  Then flour.  "I know my mom said this much, but I think I need more."  Last he added milk.  "This doesn't look right.  I think there's a problem."  He asked me to take a look and see what I thought.  I told him it needed more milk.  "But I used the amount my mom said to use, it should be okay."

Once you've made this a couple of times, you won't need a recipe.  It is a great thing for experimenting with and adapting on the fly.  Keep in mind that all these measurements are approximate.  I can't remember the last time I measured for white sauce.

Basic White Sauce

3 tbsp butter or margarine

3 tbsp flour

2 c milk

In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat.  When it is liquid, sprinkle in the flour and stir with a spoon or whisk.  Cook for about three minutes.  This is called a roux ("roo") and can be used to thicken gravy, soup, etc.

Pour in milk and cook, stirring constantly.  The sauce will thicken up.

To make cheese sauce, just add cubed or grated cheese (cheddar is great) and stir to melt.

Stay tuned for many variations of white sauce.

Keeping Kids Busy

Yesterday afternoon I had eight kids in my house.  Since I usually only have four, that was a lot for me.  Luckily, play dough came to the rescue.  We haven't had any in a while, so I whipped up a new batch, and it kept the kids constructively occupied for hours.  Of course, nothing feels better than warm play dough.

Play Dough

2 tbsp oil

1/2 c salt

2 c hot water

2 c flour

1 tsp alum

Heat oil, salt and water in a medium saucepan with food coloring.  Stir over medium-high heat until all the salt is dissolved.  It should almost come to a boil, but not quite.

Remove from heat and stir in flour and alum.  When it is cool enough to handle, knead to the desired consistency.

I've seen other recipes for play dough that had kool-aid in them.  These look and smell great, but personally, I don't want my play dough to smell good enough to eat.

Secret to perfect pie crust

ssshh  ...  I am about to reveal an old family secret.

My mom is pretty famous for her pies.  They always have a perfect flaky pastry that doesn't always come with pie.  Lots of people that are excellent bakers have trouble with pie crust.  Luckily, my mom passed on her secret recipe to me, and now I can share it with you.

The secret to perfect pastry:

Crisco shortening.  (don't use lard or butter)

Use the recipe that's on the box.

Leave big chunks of shortening in mix.

Use lots of flour. 

Be gentle and roll it out the first time - if you use lots of flour it shouldn't stick.  DON'T KNEAD THE DOUGH.  IT IS NOT BREAD.

It's okay if it doesn't work out the first time.  Practice makes perfect.  If your family gets sick of pie, you can always give them away.  This will make you popular. 

Old-fashioned Peach Pie

We are still eating peaches, and I still have a few more peach pies to make.  Here is a good recipe for an excellent, old-fashioned double crust peach pie.  Sorry the picture isn't that great, but it didn't last long enough to take another one.

Peach Pie

pastry for a double-crust pie

3 c sliced peaches (for 9" pie)

1/2 c white sugar

3 tbsp cornstarch

3 tbsp butter

Mix the sugar and cornstarch together, then stir in peaches and pour them into the pie shell.  Dot with butter and cover with the top crust.

Bake 425 for 15 min, then 350 for 30 min.

Back-to-School Muffins

As we jump back into our school schedule, I often don't have time for muffins from scratch in the mornings.  That's where Pail Bran Muffins are handy.  The batter can stay in the fridge in a big bowl for up to six weeks.  When you need them, just scoop into a muffin tin and bake.

Bran Muffins in a Pail

5  1/2 c flour

2  1/2 c white sugar

3 c natural bran

2 c All-Bran cereal

4 c buttermilk

3 tbsp baking soda

1  1/2 c vegetable oil

4 eggs

1/2 c molasses

2 c raisins

In a medium bowl, combine buttermilk and baking soda.  Let sit for 5 minutes.  Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl.  Add oil, eggs and molasses to buttermilk.  Mix well, then pour into dry ingredients.  Stir to moisten, then fold in raisins.  Store in a tightly covered container for up to 6 weeks.

Bake 375 for 20 min.

Mmmmm ..... Peach Muffins

It's peach season!  Fresh peaches are great this time of year, but these muffins can be made any time with canned peaches.

Peach-Brown Sugar Muffins

2 c flour

2 tsp baking powder

2/3 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp allspice

1 beaten egg

1 c sour cream or plain yogurt

1/3 c packed brown sugar

1/3 c milk

1/4 c oil

1 c chopped peeled peaches

Topping

3 tbsp flour

3 tbsp brown sugar

1/4 tsp cinnamon

4 tsp cold butter

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, and allspice.  In another bowl, combine egg, sour cream, brown sugar, milk and oil; stir in peaches.  Add peach mixture all at once to dry ingredients and stir just until moistened.

In a small bowl, cut butter into other topping ingredients until it resembles crumbs.

Scoop batter into muffin tins and sprinkle with topping.  Bake 400 for 20 - 25 min.

G1's Favorite Brownies

G1 loves brownies.  She is always asking to make them. I don't blame her - I like them myself (but then, I like anything with sugar.)  I try not to keep them around all the time because I will eat too many.  Last week, she had a sleep-over with four friends.  (Five girls in one small room was interesting.  I'm glad I don't do that every night.)  In honor of her guests, we made brownies.  These are easy and delicious.

Double Fudge Brownies

1 c butter or margarine, softened

4 eggs

2 c sugar

1 c cocoa

1 c flour

1 c chopped nuts or coconut

1 c chocolate chips

Cream butter and sugar in a large bowl.  Add eggs one at a time, beating well.  Add remainder of ingredients and mix until smooth.  Spread mixture into a greased 13 x 9 pan and bake at 325 for 40 - 50 min.

You could add chocolate icing if you're really a chocoholic, but then the name would have to be changed to Triple Fudge Brownies - who would want that?

Oatmeal Pancakes

I will not eat something that I don't like just because it is good for me.  I would rather have a little bit of something that tastes really good than a lot of something that I don't enjoy.  These pancakes are not only healthy, they are delicious.

Oatmeal Pancakes

1  1/4 c whole wheat flour

3/4 c rolled oats

1/4 c wheat germ

1/4 c dry milk powder

2 tbsp brown sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

2 eggs, lightly beaten

2 c buttermilk or sour milk

3 tbsp vegetable oil

optional:  fruit such as blueberries, diced apple, etc.

(If you want to counteract any health benefits they may have, add chocolate chips!)

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl.  Cook on a hot griddle like normal pancakes.

Back to Monday Muffins

These muffins are a nice side dish to stew or soup in place of rolls.  They are also good with jam, but they are not a sweet dessert muffin.  If you are from the south and make real corn bread these are probably a travesty, but in my world "y'all" is not a word and these are pretty good.

Corn Muffins

1 c flour

1 c cornmeal

2 tbsp sugar

1  1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 can (14 oz) cream corn

1/2 c buttermilk

1 egg

2 tbsp melted margarine or oil

1 can diced green chilies (optional - I never use these because I am a spice wimp, but since it is written on my recipe card, I'll include it here.)

Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl.  Mix dry ingredients in a small bowl, then pour into dry all at once.  Stir to moisten, then scoop into muffin tins.

Bake 20 min at 375.

Muffins for Dessert?

These delicious muffins certainly don't qualify as "health food", but blueberries are very good for you.  They look beautiful, but my kids ate them before I could take a picture.

Blueberry Muffins

1/2 c margarine

1  1/4 c sugar

2 eggs

2 c flour

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 c milk

2 c blueberries

Cream margarine and sugar.  Add eggs, one at a time and beat well.  Combine flour, salt and baking powder.  Add to creamed mixture alternately with milk.  Fold in berries.  Makes 12 large muffins.

Bake 375 for 30 min

Monday Muffins

These are our favorite banana muffins.  I'm suspicious that sometimes my husband lets bananas get extra-ripe on purpose just so that I will make these.

Banana Nut Muffins

1  1/3 c flour

1/2 c brown sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 c oat bran

1/2 c walnuts (or chocolate chips!)

1 egg

1/3 c vegetable oil

1 c mashed banana (about 3 medium bananas)

2/3 c buttermilk or sour milk

Mix dry ingredients, including nuts or chocolate chips, in a large bowl.  Mix wet ingredients in a small bowl, being sure to lightly beat the egg to mix thoroughly.

Pour wet ingredients into dry, stir just until mixed.  Muffin batter should be lumpy.  Scoop into muffin tins and bake.

15 - 20 min  at 375