6 cups nonfat dry milk powder
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup powdered nondairy creamer
In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients: 6 cups nonfat dry milk powder, 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar, 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder and 1 cup powdered nondairy creamer. Mix well.
Store mixture in an airtight container. Makes about twenty-five 8 ounce servings.
To serve, add 3/4 cup boiling water to 1/3 cup instant cocoa mix. Stir until dissolved.
When I tell people I am into bread baking, people often respond by telling me that they wish they could bake bread but it just seems too complicated. I find this discouraging, because baking a basic loaf of bread is about the easiest thing you can do in the kitchen. Once you understand what is going on in a simple loaf of bread you should be able to look at 90% of more difficult bread recipes and have a sense of what that loaf will taste and feel like.
Bread, at its core, is just four things:
Flour
Water
Yeast
Salt
That's it. There are even methods to cut out at least two more of those (yeast and salt), but the end product is unlikely to come out tasting like a typical loaf of bread.
Each ingredient and step in the process of making bread serves a distinct purpose. Once you understand what role each ingredient performs and what is occurring in each step of the process you will feel liberated to experiment and create your own recipes.
Understanding the Ingredients
Flour. There are a million different types of flour. Among them are those made from different grains, those made from different types of wheat, bleached and unbleached flour, enriched flour, blended flours, whole grain flours, and on and on. Don't let this intimidate you! Realize that your standard grocery store, All-Purpose Enriched Unbleached Flour that comes in a ten pound bag for under two bucks is good enough to produce an excellent loaf of bread. It is probably higher quality than the flour that 90% of bakers throughout history have ever gotten their hands on. Ok, you are unlikely to win the Coupe du Monde de la Boulangerie (The Bread Baker's World Cup) using it, but that isn't what most of us are aiming for. Flour forms the basis for your loaf of bread. No flour, no bread. Water. You can probably find some of this around the house, can't you? Water activates the yeast and dissolves all of the other ingredients. Adding more water results is a stickier, flatter loaf with less regular holes in it, like a Ciabatta. Too little water restricts the expansion of the dough and results in a tight, dry, hard loaf.
Yeast. Once again, basic Instant Yeast (also known as Bread Machine Yeast) from the grocery store that comes in those little packets is good enough for all but the most elite baker. Active Dry Yeast, another kind commonly found in grocery stores, needs to be activated by pouring it in warm water prior to mixing it into the dough. So read the back of the packet before adding it to your mixture.
Yeast is what causes the dough to rise. Adding more yeast will cause the loaf to rise more quickly. Adding too much yeast can cause a beery, off taste in your loaf. A teaspoon or two of yeast per loaf is typically called for.
Salt. Table salt works well enough. The kosher salt or sea salt that most grocery stores carry tastes a little better, but it isn't worth picking any up just for baking your first loaf: use whatever you've got in the house. Salt retards the yeast and helps control the fermentation process. It also adds flavor that most of us expect in even the simplest of breads.
These are the fundamental ingredients for making a decent loaf of bread. Additional ingredients add flavor or complexity to your bread. These will be discussed in a later article.
Once you understand the way these four principle ingredients function, you can look at any recipe and realize that the basic rules of how bread works don't change.
Understanding The Process
For a basic loaf, all you need to do is put the ingredients together in a large bowl, mix them together with a wooden spoon, and then knead the dough on a hard surface for approximately 10 minutes.
Kneadingbefore rising
Kneading is more than just stirring: kneading actually releases and aligns a protein in the flour called gluten. Gluten strands are what allow bread to form irregular pockets of carbon dioxide. Without this step your bread will have uniformly small holes, more like a muffin or loaf of banana bread.
As long as you aren't tearing or cutting the dough it is hard to go wrong with kneading. Squish and roll, squish and fold, applying a fair amount of pressure on the dough, is a basic kneading technique.
At some point, typically around seven or eight minutes into the process, the consistency of the dough will change. It'll become silky and smooth. You should feel it change. This is a good sign that you've kneaded enough. I typically give it another 2 or 3 minutes before calling it quits.
At this point, drop the dough into a bowl (it's helpful if the bowl is greased to keep your dough from sticking to the bottom - regular spray oil will usually do the trick) and throw a towel over the bowl, and leave it alone to let it rise.
Risingafter rising
Status check: by the time you are ready to let your loaf rise the yeast should be activated and the gluten should be aligned. The yeast does what any organism does after a long nap: it eats. The yeast feeds on the simple sugars that occur naturally in the flour. The yeast then releases carbon dioxide, which causes the bread to swell and form pockets.
If you have kneaded properly the dough will form long strands of gluten which allow large air pockets to form in your loaf. If not you will end up with numerous smaller holes. No holes in your dough means your yeast failed to activate.
The loaf must rise until it is approximately double in size. This typically takes from 45 minutes to a couple of hours, all depending on how much yeast the recipe called for. Temperature too is a factor: the warmer the room is the quicker the yeast will rise.
Punching Down and Shapingshaped loaf
Some recipes call for one rise before shaping the loaf. Other recipes call for punching down the loaf to allow two or more rises. Punching down means simply to squish the risen dough down and re-knead it so that it is smaller again.
The purpose of punching down is to free up more food for the yeast. The longer the yeast feeds, the more complex the flavor of the loaf. Too many rises, however, can result in off flavors, such as bitterness and a beery flavor, to occur in your bread. As well as carbon dioxide yeast releases alcohol and acids. Too much acid in your loaf can actually cause the yeast to die off.
You do not shape the loaf until you are ready for the final rise. Either you place the loaf in a loaf pan or you shape it into a baguette, batard, round, or whatever shape you want. Then you give it another hour or so to double in size again.
scored loaf
Scoring the bread is just slicing it. You'll want to use something really sharp so that the dough doesn't fall and collapse again. A razor blade does the trick if you don't have fancy knives. The purpose of this is to release some of the trapped gases in your loaf so that it doesn't tear open while baking. It also makes your loaf look nice.Baking
In the first five minutes in the oven your loaf will have one last growth spurt. This is called oven spring. Think of it as the yeast feeding itself quicker and quicker as it heats up until the rising temperature finally kills it off.done
Many bakers use baking stones, which retain heat, to try to maximize the oven spring. This is helpful but not necessary when starting out.
Let's Make a Loaf!
OK, now that you have the basic idea, let's try it out with a really simple basic recipe. I tried this one today while stuck inside during an ice storm. This worked out well, since the freezing rain hit before we had realized that our refrigerator was lacking eggs and milk, along with a variety of other grocery items!
A Generic Recipe
3 cups flour
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons yeast
1 1/8 cup water
Mix everything together. If it is too wet and won't come free from the sides of the bowl or keeps sticking to your hands, add a little more flour. If it is too dry and won't form into a ball, add a bit of water.
Knead it for 10 minutes. Cover and set it aside to rise until it doubles in size, approximately 90 minutes. Punch it down and let it rise again. Shape it, either by putting it in a greased loaf pan or by rolling it out into a long loaf and putting it on the back of a cookie sheet.
Ready to eat!
After it has risen to twice it size again, another hour or so, put the loaf into a preheated oven at 375 degrees. Let it bake for 45 minutes and then pull it out. If you made it into a long skinny loaf, it may cook 5 or 10 minutes quicker, so adjust the time based on what shape you chose. I baked the loaf in these photos for 40 minutes). 50-375 for 45 minutes is typical for a loaf in a loaf pan.
Dinner Rolls
10” or larger Dutch oven, 4 round or square cake pans; makes 32 rolls
24 briquettes: 8 on bottom, 16 on top (more if using a larger oven)
Good:
1 Tbsp. yeast
¼ cup warm water
¾ cup warm milk (reconstituted powdered milk)
¼ cup sugar
1 tsp. salt
¼ cup oil
3 - 4 cups fine whole wheat flour
Directions:
Dissolve yeast in warm water. Stir in milk, sugar, salt, egg (if using it), oil or shortening and 2 cups of the flour. Beat until smooth, mix in remaining flour. Turn dough onto lightly floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, 5 -10 minutes. Grease medium size bowl, place dough in bowl then turn dough over so greased side is up. Cover with towel and let rise in warm (not hot) place until double in size, 1 1/2 – 2 hours. Dough is ready if finger impression remains. Punch down dough and form into your favorite type of rolls. For our example you will make pan rolls.
Grease pans that will fit into your Dutch oven. You can bake directly in your oven so use foil to line it, then grease foil. The only downfall of this method is you can’t pre-heat the oven. I use 9 inch round cake pans or 8 inch square pans. This recipe will make 4 pans of rolls, 8 - 9 rolls in each pan. Divide dough into 4 equal parts. For round pans, form 8 balls of dough out of each divided part of dough. If using square pans, form 9 balls of dough for each pan. Place balls of dough equal distance apart in pans. Cover and rise 20 – 30 minutes. To pre-heat, place Dutch ovens over coals (don’t forget the top too) 10 minutes before baking rolls. Place one pan in each oven, being sure to use rolls of flattened foil underneath pans. You may have to cook several batches of rolls, or you can stack ovens to conserve charcoal. Bake 15 minutes, then lift lid to check rolls. They should be golden brown when done. Bake longer if necessary. If you were cooking in a kitchen oven you would be baking at 400 degrees.
Better:
Add 1 egg (fresh or dried)
Best:
Replace oil with butter or butter flavored shortening
Replace whole wheat flour with white flour
Note: If you are using a square pan, you must use at least a 12” Dutch oven. These rolls are really easy and taste great.
The kids will get pretty grouchy if they don’t have some dessert once in a while that they really like. This chocolate cake is really good; quick and easy too.
Chocolate Cake
10” or larger Dutch oven, 8 or 9 inch round or square pan; serves 9
24 - 26 briquettes; 10 on bottom, 14- 16 on top; pre-heat 5 minutes; bake 30 minutes
Good:
1 ½ cups whole wheat flour
1 cup sugar
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. vinegar (white or apple cider)
2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup water
1/3 cup oil
Directions:
Stir together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Mix the vinegar, vanilla and water together and then add to the dry ingredients. Add the oil and mix well until smooth and creamy, about one minute. Grease and flour pan, pour batter in pan. Place pan on foil ring and cook around 30 minutes. (check after 20 minutes). Cake is done when it has pulled away from sides of pan.
Better:
Use white flour in place of whole wheat
Best:
Use melted butter in place of oil
Dust top of cooked cake with powdered sugar
Note: Do the kids love chocolate cake? Well you better have plenty of cocoa and vinegar stored because this cake is a favorite with children.
I really like apple cake and banana bread. I made those recipes out of dried fruit with no eggs.
Banana Bread
Banana Bread 12” or larger Dutch oven; 1 loaf
24 briquettes: 8 on bottom, 16 on top; cook 1 hour
Good:
1 cup sugar
2 cups whole wheat flour
½ tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. salt
1 cup dried bananas, broken into very small pieces, soaked until tender, and drained
½ cup oil
¼ cup reconstituted powdered milk
1 tsp. vanilla
Directions:
Lightly grease loaf pan. Mix dry ingredients (first 5) together. Cream together remaining ingredients, then add wet ingredients to dry. Mix well. Pour batter into pan. Bake on foil ring for 1 hour. Check for doneness. Cook until done (bread has pulled slightly away from sides). Do not add more briquets.
Better:
Replace whole wheat flour with white flour
Best:
Replace oil with butter or butter flavored shortening
Replace ½ of sugar with brown sugar
Add walnuts
Note: You might say, “Banana Bread out of dried bananas?” Yes, this works really well. It is better the next day too, since the banana flavor has had time to permeate the whole loaf. Enjoy this one!
I really like pie, so I made whole wheat pie with dried apricots and raisins; here is apple pie made from dried apples.
Dried Fruit Apple Pie
12” Dutch oven, 10” oven or a pot to cook filling; serves 8-10
24 briquettes: 18 to cook filling, then 8 on bottom and 16 on top; pre-heat for 5 minutes; bake 40 minutes
Good:
1 - Unbaked 9” pie shell, trimmed to edge, and 1 - rolled pie crust for top
3 cups dried fruit: Apricots, apples, raisins, peaches, etc. or combination
2-3 cups water for soaking (soaking fruit 30 minutes will save on cooking time) drain,
reserving liquid
1 3/4 cup fruit liquid
¾ cup sugar
2 Tbsp. corn starch or ¼ cup flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
Dash of nutmeg
1 Tbsp. shortening or oil
Dash of salt
Directions:
Make pastry. Soak fruit 30 minutes. Drain, reserving liquid. Put fruit and 1 3/4 cup of reserved liquid into Dutch oven or pot on bed of coals and bring to boil, stirring constantly. If using separate pot, support on bricks so pot is not directly on coals. Mix spices with sugar and cornstarch or flour and add to fruit. Stir until dissolved and bubbling. Add fat and salt. Fruit should have thickened. It will thicken more as the baked pie cools. Pour hot mixture into pie shell. Moisten pie around edge with a little water so top will stick better. Cover with top and trim top crust 1 inch from rim of pan. Tuck top crust under bottom crust around edge. Flute edge or use fork to seal edge together. Cut slits in top crust with sharp knife (4-6 slits, 1 inch long). Dampen top crust with a little water and sprinkle on a little sugar if desired. Place pie into clean Dutch oven (pre-heated for 5 minutes) on rods or rolled foil so pie is not directly on bottom of oven. Bake approximately 40-50 minutes. Check after 30 minutes. If top is getting too brown, cover with foil or remove some coals from top of oven. Cook until juices bubble inside slits. Remove and cool.
Better:
Use butter flavored shortening or margarine for fat
Best:
Use real butter for fat
Use fresh fruit and reduce liquid to 1 cup
Note: This fruit pie will blow you away. After you serve it to your family they’ll think you bought it at some fancy pastry shop. The texture and flavor is out of this world. No one will believe you made it in a Dutch oven. After you make your first one, try some different fruits. We made apple and also a raisin/apricot. They were both really good! This crust, even though it’s made with whole wheat, is wonderful. Have fun with this one. It’s one of the best surprises in this whole book.
Pie Crust Pastry
12” Dutch oven; serves 8
24 briquettes: 10 on bottom, 14 on top; cook 5 – 10 minutes
For two-crust pie:
2 cups whole wheat or white flour plus extra for rolling
¾ tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. sugar (optional)
¾ cup shortening, oil, or lard (use 2/3 cup if using oil or lard)
5-6 Tbsp. cold water, 8-9” pie pan
Directions:
Measure flour, salt and sugar into bowl. Cut in shortening, using two knives or pastry cutter. Sprinkle in water a little at a time, mixing until all flour is moistened and dough mostly sticks together (don’t make sticky wet). You may need to add 1-2 teaspoons of additional water. Divide in half. Put one half on lightly floured surface and gently flatten, shaping into flattened round. Roll out to two inches larger than inverted pie pan, gently turning and flouring underneath, being sure it does not stick to surface. When large enough fold in half and place in pie pan. Shape crust down into pie pan, then trim overhanging edge of pastry to ½ inch from rim of pan. Roll out top crust. Put filling into pie pan, moisten pastry edge around rim with water, then center top crust on pie. Trim top crust to one inch from rim. Tuck top crust under rim edge of bottom crust and flute or seal with fork marks around edge. Make 4-6 slits in top with sharp knife so steam can escape. Bake as directed in recipe. For baked pie shell, trim bottom crust 1 inch from rim, turn under and flute edge. Poke holes in crust with a fork evenly all over sides and bottom. Bake in hot oven 5-10 minutes until golden. Be sure it is baked off of the bottom of oven.
Note: Use some of your instant pudding in a baked pie shell for a special treat.
One of my favorites on a cold day is Chicken Noodle soup. Here is my version:
Chicken Noodle Soup
10” or larger Dutch oven; serves 6
20-25 briquettes, all on bottom; cook 30 – 40 minutes
Good:
5 cups water
2 cups egg noodles
½ tsp. garlic powder
1 Tbsp. dried onion
3 chicken bouillon cubes
1-3 Tbsp. dried parsley
1 tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
Directions:
Bring 5 cups of water to boil over all the briquets in your Dutch oven. Add all ingredients, making sure chicken is broken up into pieces. When soup boils again remove half of coals and simmer for 12-15 minutes or until noodles are tender.
Better:
Add 1 tsp. celery powder or 1 Tbsp. dried celery
1 Tbsp. dried carrots
Best:
1 can chicken, liquid too
Note: This soup has lots of noodles. If you like more broth, just cut back on the noodles or add more water and bouillon. Enjoy this with a slice of whole wheat bread.
I like Au Gratin potatoes and came up with the following recipe:
Au Gratin Potatoes
12” Dutch oven with 9” glass, 2 qt. casserole dish. You can also use 10” oven without dish.
24 briquettes: 8 bottom, 16 top; serves 8
Good:
5 cups dried potato slices
½ tsp. salt
1 – 2 Tbsp. dried onion
2 Tbsp. whole wheat flour
1 cup powdered milk in 4 cups water
Salt and pepper
½ - 1cup cheese powder
1 cup crumbled bread crumbs
Directions:
Soak potatoes and salt for 1 hour. Drain (save water for mixing with milk). Grease casserole or line Dutch oven in foil and layer ½ of potatoes in bottom. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and ½ of onion and ½ of cheese powder. Layer remaining potatoes, then salt and pepper, onion, and remaining cheese powder. Mix reconstituted milk and whisk in flour. Pour over potatoes. Bake in oven, checking every 15 minutes. On the 3rd checking, sprinkle bread crumbs over potatoes. Cover and bake 15 more minutes. Be sure bottom does not burn. It would be best to make a foil ring* to set casserole dish on. Cook 1 hour, checking every 15 minutes.
Better:
Use white flour in place of whole wheat
Replace powdered milk with evaporated milk and water.
Best:
Use 1 cup grated freeze dried cheddar cheese to replace cheese powder
Note: When I first made these I wasn’t sure how good they would be, but after making my first batch, I am sold. You will need to increase the amount of dried potatoes you have in your storage, along with the cheese powder (store this in freezer for a longer shelf life).
*To make a foil ring take an 8” sheet of foil, roll up like a snake, shape into a coil, flatten slightly, and you have a baking rack to use in your Dutch oven.
Au Gratin Potatoes
Let’s not forget something for Breakfast. Here is a great recipe for Granola:
Granola
12”- 14” Dutch oven; makes 3 ½ cups
18 briquettes, 6 on bottom, 12 on top; cook 40 minutes
Good:
3 cups rolled oats (Quick or old fashioned. For a higher protein cereal, substitute 1 cup plain TVP for 1 cup oats)
½ cup whole wheat flour
¼ cup honey
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
2 ½ Tbsp. oil
Directions:
Lightly coat bottom of oven with oil. Mix together oats and flour in a bowl. Heat honey, brown sugar, and oil in Dutch oven until brown sugar is dissolved. Add dry ingredients and mix until all flour is absorbed and everything is coated with honey mixture. Put on the lid and cook for 10 minutes. Removed lid and stir well. Replace lid, cook 10 more minutes and stir again. Cook another 10 minutes, then remove from heat and stir again and leave lid off. After granola is cooled, store in air tight container.
Better:
Add some type of seeds or nuts such as walnuts, almonds, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, flax seeds or pumpkin seeds.
Best:
Add raisins, dried coconut, etc. after cooking
HOMEMADE RANCH DRESSING MIX
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon dried dill
- 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
Directions
- Add each of the dried spices to a bowl and gently stir.
- Store in a resealable plastic baggie or small ball canning jar with tight fitting lid in your spice cabinet.
- To make the ranch dressing, whisk together 1/3 cup mayonnaise with 1/4 cup milk (more or less depending on the consistency you want) with 1 Tablespoon of the homemade ranch dressing seasoning mix. Season with salt, to taste. Use immediately and can refrigerate for up to 3 days.
- Makes about 4 Tablespoons worth of mix. Or use the ratios above and mix up however much you’ll need!
CORN DOG BITES
1 cup self rising flour
2/3 cup cornmeal
1 Tbsp sugar
... 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 cup buttermilk
1 pkg hot dogs
Oil for frying
Combine first three ingredients in a large bowl. Combine 2 Tbsp oil,
egg, and buttermilk; stir into flour mixture, mixing well. Cut each
hot dog into 5 pieces. Dip each piece into batter coating
completely. (Use wooden picks to aid in dipping). Heat oil to 375.
Fry pieces until golden, turning once, draining on paper towels.
CROISSANTS
Makes 20 (yes they will all disappear)
These may seem difficult…but they aren’t really. But so very good. Flaky, buttery,
yeasty. You have to start them at least 5 hours ahead of time. If you want you can
start them the day ahead and refirigerate until baking time. The texture and flavor
is greatly improved with a high quality butter...not the regular store brand, and if
you have a dough conditioner to make it a bit more elastic...neither is necessary but
will improve the product.
¾ cup butter softened
3 Tablespoons flour
1 packages of dry yeast
¼ cup warm water
6 Tablespoons of milk warmed almost until simmer
2 Tablespoons sugar
½ teaspoon salt
1 ½ cups bread flour1 egg beaten (divide in half)
In bowl mix soft butter with 3 Tablespoons flour till smooth. Spread out onto
waxed paper into a 6 inch square. Fold over wax paper and refrigerate. In medium
to large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add sugar, salt, flour, ½ egg and warm
milk. Mix into a dough and knead for 5 minutes. Place in greased bowl and let stand
for 30 minutes. On floured surface roll out to a 14 by 7 inch rectangle. Place butter
square on top and fold dough over. Roll out quickly to a 10 x 12 inch rectangle, fold
dough in thirds. Roll out again to 10 x 12 and fold in third, two more times. Then
chill dough for 45 minutes. Cut dough in half. Roll into a circle 12 inches in
diameter. Cut into 10 wedges. Roll up. Shape into crescents. Place on cookie sheet.
Let rise until double. Preheat oven to 400. Brush with reserved egg mixed with a
teaspoon water. Reduce heat and bake at 375 for 12 to 15 minutes.
HOME MADE RANCH DRESSING
•1 cup well-shaken buttermilk
•1/4 cup mayonnaise
•3 tablespoons sour cream
•3 tablespoons finely chopped Italian parsley
•2 tablespoons finely chopped chives
•4 teaspoons white wine vinegar or lemon juice
•1 medium garlic clove, finely chopped
•1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed
•1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more as needed
INSTRUCTIONS
Place all of the ingredients in a 2-cup Mason jar or other container with a
tightfitting lid. Seal tightly and shake to evenly distribute all the ingredients. Taste
and season with additional salt and pepper as desired. Refrigerate until chilled and
the flavors have melded, about 1 hour. The dressing will last up to 3 days in the
refrigerator.
14 Day Sun Pickles
canning jars that have been boiled in hot water and drained (quart or pints depending on size of your cucumbers)Place in each jar:2-3 garlic bud1 small hot pepper1 fresh dill head with stem1 teaspoon dill seed Now add cucumbers in jars until jar is packed. Combine, but do not heat:1 quart water1 quart vinegar1 cup saltpinch of alum (optional)
Pour liquid over cucumbers, garlic, etc. Seal with lids that have heated in hot water. Set outside in the sun and leave for 14 days. Store on shelf and refrigerate before serving.Note: You can adjust the salt to your taste. I have had some feedback that they use 2/3 cup. Make additional vinegar solution as needed for how many jars is needed.
CARROT SOUP
The Recipe (serves 6)
2 medium onions, peeled and chopped
1 pound carrots, peeled and chopped
4 TLB butter
2 tsp curry powder
1 1/2 Qt chicken stock
1/2 tsp freshly grated lemon rind
1/2 tsp freshly grated ginger
sea salt and pepper (optional use of fish sauce)
piima cream
Saute the veggies slowly in the butter until very tender (about 45 min). Stir in curry powder. Add stock then bring to a boil and skim. Add lemon rind and ginger. Simmer about 15 min, covered. Puree. Check seasoning and serve topped with a dollop of cultured cream.
Simple. But it really does take about 45 mins ,over rather low heat, for the carrots and onions to become sufficiently soft without browning the butter.
No BAke cookies
1 3/4 cups white sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup butter
4 tabespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter
3 cups quick cooking oats
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
in a medium saucepan, combine sugar, milk, butter , and cocoa. bring to a boil and cook for 1 1/2 minutes. remove from and stir in peanut butter, oats, and vanilla. drop by teaspoonfuls onto wax paper let cool until hardened
CANNINNG BUTTER
Jars of canned butter & hamburger rocks.
1. Use any butter that is on sale. Lesser quality butter requires more shaking (see #5 below), but the results are the same as with the expensive brands.
2. Heat pint jars in a 250 degree oven for 20 minutes, without rings or seals. One pound of butter slightly more than fills one pint jar, so if you melt 11 pounds of butter, heat 12 pint jars. A roasting pan works well for holding the pint jars while in the oven.
3. While the jars are heating, melt butter slowly until it comes to a slow boil. Using a large spatula, stir the bottom of the pot often to keep the butter from scorching. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes at least: a good simmer time will lessen the amount of shaking required (see #5 below). Place the lids in a small pot and bring to a boil, leaving the lids in simmering water until needed.
4. Stirring the melted butter from the bottom to the top with a soup ladle or small pot with a handle, pour the melted butter carefully into heated jars through a canning jar funnel. Leave 3/4" of head space in the jar, which allows room for the shaking process.
5. Carefully wipe off the top of the jars, then get a hot lid from the simmering water, add the lid and ring and tighten securely. Lids will seal as they cool. Once a few lids "ping," shake while the jars are still warm, but cool enough to handle easily, because the butter will separate and become foamy on top and white on the bottom. In a few minutes, shake again, and repeat until the butter retains the same consistency throughout the jar.
6. At this point, while still slightly warm, put the jars into a refrigerator. While cooling and hardening, shake again, and the melted butter will then look like butter and become firm. This final shaking is very important! Check every 5 minutes and give the jars a little shake until they are hardened in the jar! Leave in the refrigerator for an hour.
7. Canned butter should store for 3 years or longer on a cool, dark shelf. [It does last a long time. We have just used up the last of the butter we canned in 1999, and it was fine after 5 years.] Canned butter does not "melt" again when opened, so it does not need to be refrigerated upon opening, provided it is used within a reasonable length of time.
A lovely glow seems to emanate from every jar. You will also be glowing with grateful satisfaction while placing this "sunshine in a jar" on your pantry shelves.
We have canned over 75 pints of butter in the past year. Miles loves it and will open a jar when I'm not looking! I buy butter on sale, then keep it frozen until I have enough for canning 2 or 3 batches of a dozen jars each. STOLE this from christy thank you
Mustard
½ cup brown mustard seeds, ½ cup yellow mustard seeds, (or just 1 cup of yellow mustard seeds)
4 tablespoons of water, ½ cup honey, 2/3 cup cider vinegar
1 tablespoon ground nutmeg, 1 tablespoon kosher salt
2/3 cup single malt Scotch whiskey
... (Use scotch for a full body and smokey flavor. For a lighter flavor substitute Irish or Canadian whiskey. For alcohol free, substitute fresh apple cider.)
Grind the mustard seeds to desired consistency in a blender.
Mix the processed seeds with the water in a glass or stainless steel bowl and let the mixture stand covered for one hour. Combine the mustard, honey, vinegar, nutmeg, salt and whiskey (or cider) in the blender or food processor. Process until the mixture forms the desired consistency. Add more honey if the mixture looks dry. Transfer the mixture to a glass or stainless steel bowl. Cover and let stand for 24 hours. Pour into canning jars and process in boiling water bath for 15 minutes. Refrigerate after opening.
HOMEMADE NOODLES
1 egg, beaten
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons milk
1 cup flour
Combine all ingredients, using enough flour to make a very stiff dough. Roll out the
dough very thin on a floured board: let stand 20 minutes. Roll up loosley, cut into
strips. Spread out to dry, which takes about 2 hours. You can cook the noodles at
this point, or you can let them dry until they are crisp and then store them in a
airtight container in a cool place.
yield: four servings
RICH EGG NOODLES
6 egg yolks
6 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups flour
Beat the eggs with the water. Mix in the salt and flour, using enough flour to make
a stiff dough. Divide the dough into four pieces. Roll out very thin on a floured
board. Let the dough dry for a few minutes. Cut into even strips. Covver the back
of a chair with a fresh, clean dish towel. and hang the strips of dough over the towel
until dry, about 20 minutes. You can cook the noodles in water or broth or add
them as-is to soups at this point, or you can let them dry until brittle and store in
airtight container in cool place.
CORN TORTILLIAS
2 cups flour
2 cups cornmeal
1 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons oil
1 1/3 cups warm water
Mix together all ingredients. Place the dough on a floured board and knead until it
is pliable and no longer sticky. You may need to add a bit more water to get the
dough to a kneadable consistency. If so, add only a teaspoon at a time. Break off
golf ball-size pieces of dough. Roll them out into golf ball-size pieces of dough. Roll
them out into circle about 6 to 8 inches round. Fry on both sides in very little oil,
flipping the tortillas when they begin to brown.
FLOUR TORTILLIAS
5 cups flour
1/2 cup shortening (preferably nonhydrogenated vegetable)
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 -2 cups hot water
Combine all ingredients, and mix until the dough feels pliable. Pinch off golf ball-
size pieces of dough and roll each into a ball. Roll each ball flat into a 6-inch round,
and fry on both sides in a dry skillet. (a cast iron skillet works best)
2 cups fresh raw milk (or better yet, kefir)
1 or two fresh laid eggs
1 frozen banana
5 or 6 frozen strawberries (fill to one quart)
Blend until well mixed, drink. SUPER nutritious, SUPER delicious, EXCELLENT diet food. I lose weight if I drink one of these a day without any other thought or effort put into my diet. I lose weight faster if I use keifer. I totally lose any craving for sugar and I feel good. Just have to keep frozen fruits in that freezer and a goat freshened and chickens laying, lol, that can't be too hard can it was afraid this would get lost
Creamy Wild Rice and Mushroom Soup Mix in a Jar recipe
1 (2.75 ounce) package country gravy mix (regular or no-fat)
1 tablespoon chicken bouillon granules
2 teaspoons dried minced onion
2 teaspoons dried celery flakes
... 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
1/4 cup uncooked wild rice
1 cup uncooked white rice
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped dried mushrooms
(shiitake, chanterelle or oyster)*
Pour gravy mix into wide-mouth pint jar. In small bowl, stirtogether bouillon granules, onion, celery and parsley. Pour into jar to makesecond layer. Add layers of wild rice, white rice and mushrooms. Seal with lid.Attach gift tag (below) and decorate jar as desired.
Attach a gift tag with the following instructions:
Creamy Wild Rice and Mushroom Soup
Empty contents of jar into a large saucepan or Dutch oven. Add 7cups water; heat to boiling. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 25 to 30 minutesor until rice is tender, stirring occasionally. Garnish with chopped freshparsley.
Makes 6 servings.
Thickening for soup, stews , etc
take 1 lb of butter, mix with 1 lb of flour. And then press down in ice cube trays. Then when they are solid, take them out and cut in half, store in a freezer bag together. this is a great thickener that you add to anything that you want to thicken.
Beef Barley soup mix in a jar
1 (1 pint) jar
3/4 cup pearl barley
1/2 cup dried lentils
1/4 cup dried minced onions
1/4 cup instant beef bouillon
... 2 tablespoons dried celery flakes
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
Layer soup kit ingredients in jar in order listed, using half ofbarley first and then remaining barley at the top. Close jar securely with lid.Attach cooking instructions.
Instant Cheese Soup Jar Mix Recipe
Note: I made this one last week and it was a keeper...I addedBroccoli ...I was able to feed 4 adults and 2 children...they all loved it.
Instant Cheese Soup
Ingredients:
2 cups instant coffee creamer (we used Carnation Lite)
½ cup imitation bacon bits
½ cup Cheese Sauce Powder
1 tbsp chicken boullion granules
½ tsp pepper
2 cups (approximately) of instant potato flakes (we use Idahoanbrand)
Assembly:Layer ingredients inthe order given in a one quart (four cup) glass jar. Use a spoon to pack eachlayer in place before adding the next ingredient. Pack instant potato flakestightly, right to the top of the jar. Secure with a screw top lid. Decorate thejar lid as desired. Print the label shown above, or write your own label, thenglue the label to the jar or tie it to the jar lid with pretty ribbon orraffia.
To Serve:Empty Cheese Soup Mixinto a soup tureen or serving bowl. Stir in 5 cups of boiling water. If soup istoo thick, add another ½ cup of boiling water. Allow to stand for five minutesand stir well. Garnish with grated cheese.
Variations:Broccoli Cheese Soup - Add one cup of warm, cooked, finely chopped broccoli to thesoup, right after adding the boiling water. Let stand for five minutes. Garnishwith grated cheddar cheese.Cauliflower Cheese Soup
- Cook one cup of small cauliflower florets until tender. Add tosoup, right after adding the boiling water. Garnish with grated cheese andchives. Let stand for five minutes.
Stole this from new group member robin thnk you looks great
Spudnuts (Potato Doughnuts)
1 pound russet potatoes, peeled and quartered
2 ( 1/4-ounce) packages active yeast
1 1/2 cup warm milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
... 1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
7 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
oil for deep frying
Glaze:
4 cups confectioners sugar
1/3 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla
Place potatoes in a saucepan and cover with water.
Bring to a boil; cook until tender. Drain, reserving
1/2 cup cooking liquid; cool to 110 to 115 degrees.
Discard remaining cooking liquid. Mash potatoes without
milk or butter.
In a large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in reserved
cooking liquid.
Add mashed potatoes, milk, oil, sugar, eggs and salt.
Add enough flour to form a soft dough.
Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top.
Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about
1 hour. Punch dough down; let rise again until double.
about 20 minutes. Roll out on a floured surface to 1/2
inch in thickness. Cut with a floured 3-inch doughnut
cutter.
In an electric skillet, heat oil to 375 degrees. Fry
doughnuts, a few at a time, until golden brown on both
sides. Drain on paper towels.
Combine confectioners sugar, water and vanilla in a
bowl. Dip warm doughnuts in glaze. Cool on wire racks.
Makes 4 dozen.
ONION POWDER
I use onion powder a ton. I realized how easy it actually is to make in my own kitchen. Oh, and it’s a lot cheaper too. I figure if it’s something I can make myself, then it’s something I can use without feeling bad about it. Good thing, because I have family members who can’t stand the texture of onions!
Ingredients:
- 1 or more large yellow onions
Directions:
Slice up the onion and remove the peel. Place the onion on trays for a dehydrator or on baking sheets. Turn the oven or dehydrator to about 150 degrees. Dry for 5 – 6 hours, or until completely “crunchy,” no longer “mushy” at all. Grind these in a small coffee or spice grinder. Store in a small glass jar.
I do this too except I do all 12 trays of my dehydrator at a time, (put it in the greenhouse becase of the smell), my granddaughter who is 7 loves to put the dried onions in my coffee grinder and listern to it grind works great
Spaghetti Seasonng Mix
1 tablespoon instant minced onion
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon parsley flakes
2 teaspoons green pepper flakes
1/4 tesoon instant minced garlic
3/4 teaspoon italion seasoning
makes about 1/3 cup one package of seasoning
I times this by 10 and have enough for at least 10 meals, it hold forever
i usually add more ground dried bell peppers and more garlic because e enjoy it so much play with it to suite your family but its a lot cheaper than 79 cents a package, i use all except the parsley ad sugar from my garden and this year that's gonna change lol
Family Favorite Pinto Beans
1 pound dry pinto beans, about 2-1/4 cups
* 2 quarts of tap water
* 2 or 3 tablespoons corn oil or other fat of your choice
* 1 tablespoon onion powder
... * 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
* 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
* 2 teaspoons salt
These beans are perfectly seasoned with just enough heat to keep them interesting. Serve topped with chopped onions, cheese, sour cream, homemade yogurt, fried onions or anything else that strikes your fancy.
Overnight Crock Pot Method.
Combine all of the ingredients in a crock pot. Set to HIGH. Cook for 10 to 12 hours or overnight. The beans will be tender and delicious. We call these Breakfast Beans because they are hot and ready for breakfast.
To make Homemade Refried Beans.
After cooking the beans they are perfect for homemade refried beans. Scoop up as many juicy beans as you want to use and put them in a large skillet. Add a little extra fat if desired. Heat the beans and their juice over a medium-high flame while mashing them with a fork or potato masher. Add more bean juice or water as needed to keep the mixture moist. When the beans are hot and mashed, still with a few bean chunks, they are done. Serve with cheese as a dip or stuffed into tortillas. This is one of my boy's favorite dishes, they'll eat them with just crackers if that's all we have.
Snackers
■2 cups of plain flour
■1 teaspoon of baking powder
■1/2 teaspoon of salt
■2/3 cup of warm water
■1/3 cup of olive oil
■1 tablespoon of an herb or herb mix you like
Directions
1.Combine all ingredients well
2.Roll out thin on a greased baking sheet
3.Cut into squares of preferred size
4.Sprinkle with salt if so inclined
5. Bake at 400 degree Fahrenheit until golden brown
CAMPING BEANs
this is a cheap way to make off brand pork and beans taste better and for a one dish meal,
large (app 60) oz can pork and beans
2 sticks real butter
1 pkg hot dogs
this is a family favorite
open can of beans, drain all juice, add butter and simmer for about 1 1/2 hours then add cut up hotdogs for about 30 minutes more (hotdogs are precooked) just enough to warm up sometimes we dont add the hotdogs and just eat the camping beans, sometimes i make bread, bisquits, or cornbread to go along this makes a high protein meal and is easy also very, very easy to cook outdoors, you can also use dry beans freezes well
HOMEMADE KETCHUP
- -1 can tomato paste
- -1 clove of garlic
- -1 Tbsp honey (any sweetener will do)
- -3/4 tsp salt
- -1/2 tsp cumin
- -1/4 tsp dry mustard
- -1/4 tsp cinnamon
- -pinch of cloves
- -pinch of allspice
- -cayenne pepper to taste
- -2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
Blend all with blender or food processor until super creamy. Bottle what you will use in one month & freeze any extra.
