Mama Tea Started It . . .

In her post this morning, Mama Tea over at A Farmish Kind of Life intimated she was going to eat homemade pumpkin bars with cream cheese frosting for breakfast. (Gosh, does that sound good!)

Well, just so happens I baked a Honey Apple Pan Cake today . . . just to warm up the kitchen, mind you. (Keep this coffee cake in mind, please. It will reappear later in the post.)

For breakfast this morning I made a nice egg casserole dish and for lunch we ate the last of some homemade green split pea with vegetables soup. As we were finishing lunch, I mentioned that I needed to get the Swiss Steak I had planned for dinner going.

Hubby promptly commented, "I haven't felt very hungry today. Why don't we just have some of the cake you made for dinner?"

He did not have to suggest that twice. Or beg. Or twist my arm.

I figured if Mama Tea could indulge in her wholesome, homemade pumpkin bars for breakfast, we'd join in on the Sunday-take-it-easy-go-with-the-flow and have coffee cake for dinner.

Just for extra added nutrition (he claimed), Papa Pea had his in a bowl with fresh, raw milk.

We put a pretty good dent in the pan of cake. But, after all, it WAS our whole dinner, right?

Late Breaking Bread Bulletin

My rye bread rose nicely (for rye bread . . . which ain't sayin' a lot) . . .

. . . and looked pretty good.

But the desired strong, bohemian rye flavor wasn't there.

It was yummy with our Cheddar-Cauliflower Soup for dinner, but I think a blind man on a galloping horse wouldn't have been able to tell it from a dense whole wheat bread.

I even increased the amount of rye flour called for in the recipe. What does a girl have to do to get a dark rye bread? Do you have to use molasses as the sweetener? Neither Papa Pea nor I care for a sweet rye so that's why I left out the 1/4 cup molasses in this recipe and substituted honey instead.

And how to capture that elusive robust rye flavor? Ah well, back to the drawing board. Or maybe I should more correctly say bread board.

The Trials and Tribulations of Cake Making

We had company for dinner tonight and for some reason, I picked a menu that probably sounds more appropriate for a cold winter's evening.

We had meat loaf, mashed potatoes and gravy, buttered beets and a fruit salad. The potatoes and beets are still from last year's garden. It's remarkable how good they still look and taste. They won't last for a two year's supply (isn't that what we're all shooting for?) but we're getting close to a full year out of them.

What was for dessert? Well, the fella is a chocolate lover of the utmost kind so I had to do something chocolate for him.

I've said before I'm not a good cake baker. Never have been and probably never will be.

So using my typically poor judgement, I decided on chocolate cake with chocolate frosting. A recipe I've had since, I think, the 1980s. Layer cakes, especially, are not my thing. Pour the batter in a 9" x 13" pan and I'm good to go. But . . . my 9" x 13" pan is currently being used for the grain we're still grinding for our chicks.

Okay, okay, I'll bake the cake in two round layer pans.

I've been a cooker, homemaker and baker for nearly 48 years now and I'll bet I haven't made six layer cakes in that whole time. Does the above picture give you an inkling of the reason why?

Yup, that's about a third of one layer clinging tenaciously to the bottom of the pan after I tried to remove it. Fortunately, I was able to use a wide spatula to scrape it out of the pan and flip it onto the rest of the cake without losing the whole thing onto the floor or some other such tragedy.

It's really remarkable the multitude of sins lots of frosting can cover up.

Fortunately, (and I'm not sure how this came to pass) it tasted pretty yummy. Maybe I should do layer cakes more often. Or not.

Good Enough To Eat

I made a pie last Friday that I haven't made in ever so long. And the way everyone oohed and aahed and smacked their lips while eating it, I'm wondering why I haven't made it in ever so long!

If you've got any chocolate lovers around, here's the recipe should you care to give it a try.

CHOCOLATE VELVET PIE

Cream 1/2 cup softened butter and 1 cup sugar. Blend in 1 oz. unsweetened chocolate (melted and cooled if you don't use the pre-melted packets) and 1 teaspoon vanilla.

Next add three eggs, one at a time beating well after the first two and then after adding the last one, beat at high mixer speed for 5 minutes. (This is important to get the volume you want in the finished filling.)

Using a spatula, pour/scrape mixture into a baked and cooled pie shell. Smooth the filling out to the edges of the shell.

Top with a sprinkling of grated chocolate.

(At this point, the pie can be frozen for an easy-peasy dessert at a later time. It freezes beautifully. You can either defrost it slowly in the refrig, a little more quickly on the counter or even slice and eat it frozen if that turns your crank. On a hot summer day, that ain't bad.)

If you plan on serving your pie the same day, it needs to be refrigerated for a couple of hours to set up.

It can be served without the dollop of whipped cream but . . . why???

Store any leftover pie in the refrigerator.

I know this pie is made with uncooked eggs and if that concerns you, you may want to skip it. Because we have our own home-raised eggs, this doesn't bother me a bit. We know our hens are healthy, we know what they are fed and how fresh the eggs are. I would not use store bought eggs or ones from hens I didn't know intimately. Obviously, feel free to make your own decision on this.

A Muffin For Easter Brunch

I made this muffin for the first time about a week ago. As one of the best of the best, it's a keeper, and would be a great addition to an Easter Brunch menu.

The recipe is taken from a cook book I've had since the 1980's entitled, "The Breakfast Book," written by Marion Cunningham. It's unusual for me to thrilled with a cook book that doesn't have lots of colorful picture illustrations (call me shallow) but this book is a favorite of mine and I often pull it off the shelf. (No photographs, but there are some lovely line drawings in it.)

I'll admit I usually like my muffins to be moist and heavy. These aren't. They're more cake-like and light (but not dry) and the flavor is so fantastic (just ask Chicken Mama who really, really wanted another one yesterday morning but, alas and alack, they were long gone) that they are definitely now one of my favorite muffins.

Here's the recipe:

LEMON YOGURT MUFFINS

1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons honey
2 eggs
1-1/4 cups plain yogurt
1/4 cup melted butter
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
2 cups unbleached white flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

Lemon Syrup

1/3 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup sugar
3 tablespoons water

For the muffins, in a medium bowl, combine the sugar, honey, eggs, yogurt, melted butter and grated lemon peel. Mix thoroughly.

To above mixture add the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Beat until just blended.

Spoon the batter evenly into 12 greased muffin cups filling each about two-thirds full.

Bake in a 375 degree oven for 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.

While the muffins are baking, prepare the syrup by combining the lemon juice, sugar and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, boil for one minute and then set aside.

When the muffins are baked, remove the muffin pan from the oven and set it on a cooling rack. Gently poke the top of each muffin 3 or 4 times with a fork. Then drizzle about 2-3 teaspoons of the syrup over each hot muffin letting it run over the top and around the edges.

Let muffins cool in the pans for a few minutes. Then remove and serve.

I have to repeat myself. These are very, very good.

The day I made them someone in my household grabbed one for a mid-afternoon snack. He (not mentioning any names) thought a little strawberry jam would compliment the lemon flavor. Although I didn't try it myself, I'll hazard a guess that it was okay.

The Flaked Oats Are Flyin'

I've been pulling out recipes that use oat flakes so we can enjoy the fresh flaked oats from our new roller/flaker. (The electric one that is. The manual hand crank unit has been sent back for a refund, but more of that in a later post.)

Seems to me I posted my recipe for Bannocks a couple of years back, but do you think I can find a post in which I did so? So I'm just going to go ahead and post it here again today. Forgive me if you clearly remember it from before . . . and pray for my brain cells that seem to be getting a little frayed lately.

But before the Bannock recipe . . . I recently mentioned I made Oatmeal Pancakes for breakfast with the home-flaked oats.

M-m-m-m, good! If you're interested, you can find the recipe in a post from last year about this time.

Okay, back to the Bannocks. I went through a period a few years back when I had to eliminate all wheat from my diet. I found this recipe using only oat flakes and oat flour and I used the Bannocks as my substitute for bread.

Bannocks, also known as oatcakes, originated in Scotland centuries ago. So this recipe, in one form or another, has been used for a long, long time. I happen to love the flavor of oats so this version has become a favorite of mine.

BANNOCKS

1 cup rolled oats
1 cup oat flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup cold butter
1/2 cup water

(I make my own oat flour by putting oat groats through my flour mill. Some whole foods stores will have it on their shelves.)

In a mixing bowl, combine oat flakes, flour and salt.

With a pastry blender, cut in the 1/4 cup butter. When thoroughly and evenly combined, stir in the water and mix. Dump the dough onto a board that has been lightly dusted with oat flour. (If your mixture seems too moist and gooey, don't hesitate to mix in some more flour.)

Knead the dough about 6 times and then divide it in half. Pat each half into a circle about 1/4" thick and cut into 4-6 wedges.

Place the wedges on a greased baking sheet about 1/2" apart. Bake approximately 20 minutes at 400 degrees until lightly colored.

Cool on a wire rack and store in a tightly covered container. These freeze well also.

The Bannocks can be eaten in place of toast. I've spread them with peanut butter and jam and piled sandwich fixings on top for an open-faced sandwich. Egg salad is especially good.

I'll post a couple of recipes soon for meat substitutes using oat flakes in the mixture.

Breakfast Idea with Leftovers and the Incredible, Edible Egg

This may not be anything special but I know I always appreciate coming across ideas for using up leftovers in a tasty way.

I had lentils and brown rice languishing in separate containers in the refrig this morning. And, glory be! Our chickens have finally taken the hint that it's high time to start earning their keep and we're finding ourselves with enough eggs again.

Although I did make this for breakfast, we've been known to eat it for any meal of the day. So take the idea and do with it what you will.

First I saute sliced, fresh mushrooms. (IF I have them, that is. I did this morning. The dish is fine without them though.) I use a fair amount of butter because it will be needed to keep the rice and lentils from sticking when they are added.

Then add the lentils and rice, enough for as many people as are waiting patiently at the table. I stir and saute the lentils and rice a couple of minutes before adding the eggs.

Break an egg for each serving on top of the mixture in the skillet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and maybe a little dill weed or parsley. Put a cover on the skillet and cook/steam until eggs are done to your liking.

Nutritionally, lentils and brown rice compliment each other and the home grown egg will give you lots of protein to get up and do what needs to be done.

Give Me a Biscuit and I'll Go Away Happy

A couple of nights ago, I whipped up a ground beef sloppy joe type mixture for dinner. I usually serve this in a bun, but still being on our "no bread" food plan, I thought of serving it over mashed potatoes.

Now although this would have delighted my husband no end (meat and potatoes . . . what could be better?), the thought of that combo just wasn't doin' it for me.

"Heck," I thought. "I'm gonna make some homemade biscuits and ladle the sloppy joe mixture over those." (Please don't call the diet police.) "But I'll make 'em as healthy as I can."

I got out my recipe for Spelt Biscuits. Spelt, you say? What is spelt?

Spelt is a sub-species of wheat that has not been widely know, grown or used in our country although it's been popular in Europe for a long while. It's an old, old (ancient actually) grain that has the nutritional value close to that of oats. It's only been in the fairly recent years of folks getting into the organic, nutritionally-conscious, whole foods frame of mind that spelt has come to be recognized as a wholesome grain. Because it hasn't been widely popular, it hasn't been hybridized as nearly all of the commercially grown wheat is in our country. An added advantage of spelt is that many folks with an allergy to common wheat can tolerate spelt.

I find it to have a sweet, nutty flavor, and I've used it interchangeably in any recipe calling for whole wheat.

SPELT BISCUITS

2-1/2 cups spelt flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/3 cup butter
1 cup buttermilk or sour milk

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl. With a pastry blender cut in butter and grated cheese until mixture is uniform in size.

Add buttermilk (or sour milk) and stir just until well mixed. Batter will be very moist at this point.

Turn onto a floured surface (I use unbleached white flour for this part of the process) and sprinkle dough liberally with more flour so that you can gently handle it. You want to be able to work with the dough but keep in mind the more flour you add, the less tender and flaky the biscuits will be.

Knead 8-10 times and roll out to 1/2" thickness. Cut with a 2-1/2" biscuit cutter and place on an ungreased baking sheet.

I have this set of square biscuit cutters I just love. I used the biggest which is about 2-3/4" across.

Bake in a 425 degree oven for about 12 minutes or until golden brown. I got ten good-sized biscuits with my cutter.

These turn out to be a hearty but very moist, great tasting biscuit. They tasted particularly good with the sloppy joe mixture. We each ate one biscuit and then I froze the leftover remaining eight. (They do freeze very well, by the way.)

Eating Again

It may seem like all I'm doing or thinking about lately is food. Not true. I've also been sleeping pretty good. And not eating in between meals. And a couple of other things.

Looking for something a little different to make for breakfast this morning, I pulled this simple recipe out of the files. It's good for a fast, easy, satisfying meal for breakfast or any other time of day.

QUICK MEAL EGGS AND NOODLES

2 cups cooked noodles (whole wheat, spinach or your choice)
3 tablespoons butter or oil
3 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup milk
Salt and Pepper to taste

Cook and drain the noodles and set aside. (Of course, this is a perfect way to use up any left over pasta that may be hanging around.) Heat butter in a skillet, add the cooked noodles and stir fry briefly.

Combine the beaten eggs and milk with seasonings. Pour over noodles in the skillet and scramble until eggs are set.

Garnish with paprika, chopped fresh parsley and tomato wedges. What a pretty plate that would make. If one had chopped fresh parsley. And tomato wedges. Which I didn't. Serves 4.

This morning I knew breakfast wasn't going to taste right without a little bacon, so I fried just 1-1/2 slices in the skillet first. Then I chopped the cooked bacon into bits and added them to the egg/milk mixture.

I also had about 17 left over green peas in the refrigerator so I threw them in. (Fresh chives are wonderful, too. I didn't have those either.)

Half the above recipe was just right for the two of us.

A Great Vegetarian Main Dish

Back when we were vegetarian, Cuban Black Beans and Rice was a staple meal in our house. I still make it but not nearly as often as I once did. I made up the recipe from a suggestion in "Laurel's Kitchen," first edition. The meal tasted so good tonight that it was really hard for me not to take a second helping.

I usually serve the black beans and rice with a garnish of stewed tomatoes and chopped green onions. Since there haven't been any green onions available from the garden in a few months now, I used chopped red onions instead.

CUBAN BLACK BEANS AND RICE

1 cup uncooked black beans
4 cups water
1 sweet green pepper, chopped into 1" chunks
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons oil
2 tablespoons vinegar

Bring the black beans and 4 cups of water to boil in a medium saucepan. Cover and cook over a medium heat until beans are tender, about one hour. (Check water now and then, adding more water so the beans don't scorch.)

When beans are tender, add the green pepper, onion, garlic and bay leaf and approximately 1 cup more water and cook another 30 minutes using a lower heat. The consistency should be about like that of a thick chili. Before serving, stir in the oil and vinegar and remove the bay leaf.

For each serving, ladle black beans over a bed of hot rice. On top, add about 1/4 cup stewed chopped tomatoes and garnish with chopped green (or red) onion. I prefer the tomatoes at room temp but you could heat them if you wish.

I like to serve this menu:

Cuban Black Beans and Rice
Hard Rolls
Creamy Cucumber Salad
Lemon Pound Cake

Doesn't that sound good? We were super spartans tonight in that all we had was the main dish. No hard rolls (sigh) because of staying away from bread, no cuc salad because I don't buy cucs when I can't get them from the garden, and no Lemon Pound Cake. Such deprivation! I have to immodestly say I make the BEST Lemon Pound Cake, but you know there ain't no desserts in this here house right now. (Double sigh. The Cuban Black Beans and Rice sure were good though!) I put all leftovers (bean mixture, rice, tomatoes, onion garnish) all together and eat for lunch the next day.

Gotta Use Those Taters and Onions

Spring is coming, Folks. All you have to do is look at my onions and potatoes and you will believe.

My remaining onions are trying to tell me something. They're putting out their green shoots of summer and I'd better use them . . . or lose them.

These white potatoes haven't sprouted nearly as much as my red ones, but they're still showing signs of being in storage for many moons.

When the reds started to sprout, I used the sprouting ones and then shoved as many as I could into the bottom of the spare refrig, and I'm happy to say they seem to be happy and doing well in there.

Yesterday afternoon I remembered this recipe that would help use up some potatoes AND onions so I made it for dinner. Below I've written out the full recipe but for just the two of us, I cut all the ingredients in half.

This recipe is pretty basic and easy to put together while at the same time being more than just plain, old potatoes. If your digestive system is bothered by onions, this recipe might not be for you. But even though there are quite a few onions in the dish, I don't think it has an "onion-y" flavor after being baked.

POTATO AND ONION PIE

8 cups potatoes, thinly sliced
3 cups onions, thinly sliced
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and Pepper
Cayenne Pepper

Layer potatoes and onions in a greased 9" x 13" baking pan. Sprinkle each layer with salt and pepper and dot with butter. (The above photo was taken when I had about half of the ingredients in the baking pan.)

Bake covered at 400 degrees for 45 minutes.

Remove from oven, uncover and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and cayenne pepper.

Return to oven (uncovered) to brown cheese. (Leave in oven until desired brown-ness and crispness to top layer is achieved.) Makes 8 servings.

Even making only half the recipe last night, we had plenty left to warm up with eggs for breakfast. It's a mighty tasty potato casserole.

Oatmeal (Otherwise Known as Downfall) Bread

This recipe came out of a small soft cover book put out by Fleischmann's Yeast.

I have no idea when I got it (can't find any date in it at all as to when it was published) but it has so many good recipes in it that I've used over and over and over.

As you can see, there is a distinct possibility the whole thing is going to self-destruct one of these days but I don't know what to do to preserve it. I sure do treasure this little book.

OATMEAL BREAD

1/2 cup warm water (105-115 degrees F.)
2 packages active dry yeast (I use 2 slightly rounded tablespoons)
1-3/4 cups warm milk (105-115 degrees F.)
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon salt
3 tablespoons butter
5-6 cups unbleached white flour
1 cup quick rolled oats

Measure warm water into large warm bowl. Sprinkle in yeast and stir until dissolved.

Put milk, sugar, salt and butter in a small saucepan and heat to desired temperature.

Add to yeast mixture. Add 2 cups flour and beat with rotary beater until smooth. Add 1 cup flour and the 1 cup oats. Beat vigorously with a wooden spoon until smooth. Add enough additional flour to make a soft dough.

Turn out onto a lightly floured board and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8-10 minutes.

Cover with plastic wrap and then a towel. Let rest 20 minutes.

Divide dough in half. Roll each half out and form into loaves. Place each loaf into a greased loaf pan. Brush loaves with oil. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 to 24 hours.

When ready to bake, remove from refrigerator. Uncover dough carefully. Let stand uncovered 10 minutes at room temp.

Bake at 400 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until done. Remove to wire racks to cool. Makes 2 loaves.

Notes: Previously I've always used regular rolled oats but I did have quick oats to use yesterday. The quick oats "disappeared" in the baked bread so I think I like using regular rolled oats better because they give a heartier look and taste to the bread.

Yesterday I let the loaves rise in the refrig only 2 hours and they came out beautifully. I baked them the full 40 minutes.

Random Food Thoughts

I've been thinking (ouch!) lately about cooking more economically and simply. Don't get me wrong; I do not frequent gourmet food shops and I don't know when was the last time we had an expensive steak. I have a freezer full of fruits and veggies from last year's garden to work with along with plenty of poultry from our flock and meat which we've purchased in bulk from reliably healthy sources. And venison friends have given us. With just the two of us working on all this bounty most of the time, we are not lacking for food.

I think what brought on this urge to cook more simply was talking about using some of my "old" cookbooks, those which present perhaps more basic food preparation . . . both economical and easy. And also downright tasty without the use of wine sauces or pricey condiments.

My mom was a great cook and we never lacked for food when I was growing up. But I know she followed a food budget and did a lot with the "cheaper" cuts of meat and ingredients she found on sale in the grocery store. I can't recall ever having a steak growing up. The purchase of steaks, even for our small family of four, was probably out of the question.

I can remember going to a girlfriend's house one summer evening after dinner when I was about nine or ten. There on a plate in the middle of the kitchen table were four, huge, deep-fried shrimp. Leftovers from dinner apparently set out for anyone who wanted them. I was amazed. I was drooling. I didn't even know you could make shrimp like that at home. Being shy, there was no way in the world I would have asked for or helped myself to one of those shrimp, but I left her house thinking these people must, indeed, be very rich in order to buy and prepare shrimp at home.

When hubby got his first degree, we had very little money. But we celebrated by buying two steaks and going to a nearby park to grill them and eat with potato salad I had made. Such decadence!

At my first "real" job, I was sitting in the break room one day with another young married gal. She said she and her husband never ate leftovers. I asked what she did with, for instance, the remainder of a pot roast that might be left after a meal. "It goes down the garbage disposal," she said. "I never bother with leftovers." (Picture me sitting there with mouth agape, and wondering where they lived so I could make arrangements to pick up their leftovers after each meal.)

Actually, I think I've always done a good job at stretching our food resources. Once hubby shot a couple of grouse in the fall. I roasted them the first night, but our family of three didn't finish everything. So I made a soup with the leftover meat for the following evening. Still had a little soup left so I thickened it and we had it over mashed potatoes the third night. I was relating this to friends of ours. Bill turned to his wife and said, "Mary, go out back and get that mouse we caught last night. You should be able to stretch that into a couple of meals."

A little more appreciation of some of the old-timey recipes couldn't hurt us a bit. Our local library has several books on "rustic" cookery that I've gotten marvelous recipes out of. And there are plenty of older cookbooks in my own collection that I wouldn't give up for anything. I'm thinking it's time to gather a bunch of them, and settle down in my recliner in front of the fire one of these nights soon. Up here in the Northwoods we're in the midst of good ol' winter time. What better time for experimenting with more simple, basic food preparation.

Squishing the Squash

I finished processing the last of the squash for the freezer today. Yes, I did. The last of it. I'm sure. I am real tired of processing squash.

Cut the squash in half and clean out all the pulp and seeds.

Into a pan, cut side down, and add about an inch of hot water to pan. Then into a 375 degree oven for 60-90 minutes, until the squash flesh is very tender. ( I can fit four pans in my oven at once.)

I let them cool a little before scooping the cooked squash out with a spoon. (They sure do get hot sitting in that oven.)

It all goes into a bowl. At this point, the squash looks pretty lumpy, bumpy, and chunky. Since I plan on using this squash I'm freezing as a substitute for a purchased can of pumpkin, it needs to be pureed so that it's smooth.

I don't know the technical name for this food strainer so we'll call it a food strainer. The squash chunks and lumps get pushed through and caught in another bowl.

After straining it goes into freezer bags in two cup amounts. I freeze the bags flat so they stack compactly in the freezer.

My method probably isn't the most efficient or best way but it did the job for me.

Addendum: For my very last bowlful of squash, instead of using the food strainer, I beat the DIV-el (as my Scottish grandma used to say) out of it with my hand mixer. That seemed to be almost a little easier than using the food strainer. A lot easier to clean up, too!

Oh, Ya!

It's another wild Saturday night on the old homestead for sure!

One more box (why did I save the biggest for last?) to do tomorrow.

Last year we ran out of applesauce about the first of December.

There's not going to be a repeat of that this year!