Good Bread

Asleep in my arms- a rare occurrence these days.

Clay's Multi-Grain Sourdough Sandwich Bread

Homemade Yogurt

I finally got around to making my own yogurt. success. used these instructions (Yogurt Making Illustrated) because  a professor wrote it. and it sounded scientific.

Here's my process:
1. Boil a large pot of water to sterilize the jars ( i use two mason jars and a smaller one)

2. While boiling, pour a quart of milk into a pot and use a candy thermometer to watch the temp rise to 85-90 degrees Celsius. Stir to avoid scalding.

3. Check on boiling water with jars. Once they've boiled for a bit take them out (i use tongs and try not to burn myself) and set them on the counter. Dont pour out the water yet. Just take it off the burner to cool. Use it to insulate yogurt when it cools to 50 degrees Celsius.

4. Check on milk. When it hits 85 (Celsius), put it in a sink filled with cold water to cool it down to 50-55.

5. Mix one cup starter yogurt (yogurt with active cultures) with some cooled milk and then pour into pot of milk (tempering the yogurt).

6. Pour milk/yogurt mixture into jars. place lidded jars into a thermos and pour the leftover warm water around it.

7. Store for 4-8 hours. I typically leave my wimpy soft sided cooler in an ever-so-slightly warmed oven for about 7 hours.

8. Enjoy. Jars store in fridge for up to a month! Use smaller, unopened jar as starter for the next batch. Although Ive found after 2-3 batches, a fresh starter from the store works better.

Here's what Acadia does while I make yogurt:

Eats plastic of course!!!!!

Marriet's Crust

My Mom's friend sent me this crust recipe:
"Pie Crust made with Bread

3 Slices of whole wheat bread
¼ cup milk (soya or regular)
1 tbsp yeast (Red Star flake)
2 tbsp rolled oats
¼ cup oil (of your choice)
1 tbsp honey

Put the bread in the blender and shred it
In a 9-inch pie plate mix all the other ingredients
Add the shredded bread and press to the side of the pie plate
Cook or garnish according to your recipe
This is ideal for a quiche or a dessert pie."


It sounded so interesting and different than any other crust I've made and I used it to make a quiche. 
And I am pleased to report that it was satisfying, crumbly, light, flavorful, and substantial. 
Thank you so much for the recipe Marriet!!  I will definitely make this again. 

Quiche

mix together:

-6 eggs

-2 c warmed milk ( i used almond milk)

-3/4 slightly wilted spinach

-2 scallions

-3/4 c chevre (goat cheese),crumbled

-1 teaspoon of dill (optional)

-some salt and pepper

cook crust for 12 minutes at 425

pour in filling and cook at 325 for 30-40 minutes, or until browned and slightly jiggly in the middle.

Sister Loaves

 My Mom makes really good bread. So good in fact, that all her daughters make it too. It's hard to forget something this wonderful.

Emy's

Libby's

(photo by Mark)

 Mine. Come on, they were my first ones!

Recipe for Mom's Whole Hard White Winter Wheat Bread
5 c hot water
2 T lemon juice
1 c honey (I use 1/2-3/4c)
2 1/2 T yeast
2 T dough enhancer (optional)
1/4 c Canola Oil (olive is good too!)
1 T salt
14-15 c fresh whole hard white winter wheat** (dont bother with the more common red winter)

Grind wheat*. Combine all but flour in a mixer with dough hook*. Blend well. Add flour in three parts, mixing well after each addition. Mix until dough cleans itself off the sides of the bowl (adjust flour). Let mixer run 6-7 minutes (I always need more like 10-12). Let rise in covered bowl for 20-30 minutes, or about doubled- it will be a LOT of dough). Punch down and shape into 5 loaves. Last rise in loaf pans in a warm place. Bakes at 325 for 25-30 minutes. "cool" or wait as long as you can before you devour a hot loaf.

grinding wheat and hands

*Note: we all use L'Equip's Nutrimill to grind the wheat and Bosch Mixers to handle the dough. My mom had her Bosch for her whole marriage and she used that thing well. We also have an uncle who distributes both these products..so.
**Wheat: the best and by far cheapest place to get white winter wheat is through the LDS Church Bishop's Storehouse/Distribution services.

Sweets. 

Hat by James' Grandmother

Solid Foods

Breakfast Round-up

Because it's STILL winter here, a list of warm or otherwise comforting breakfast options. These have only been a slight consolation to the snow and ongoing dreariness.

Cream of Wheat with Egg and Vanilla- the pudding of hot cereals
mmmm

Oatmeal Bake- like a warm oatmeal cookie
(other recipes call for this to be soaked overnight, great for make-ahead)

Hot Grape Nuts-
just warm up Grape Nuts and Milk. Apple and cinnamon are good too

Buttermilk Pancakes-
The best, most fluffy pancakes I've ever had. Alton Brown via "the floured apron" blog

Sourdough Pancakes-
I dont use this recipe, just one a lot like it. You need a started but for some reason I cant stop craving the flavor of these. I almost like them better without an overnight ferment and a generous amount of starter.

Cannon Family roll-up pancakes
2c flour, 2 eggs, 2 c milk, a little vanilla. Basically thick crepes. The first recipe I ever learned. I eat them with butter and brown sugar, James thinks this is despicable.

Oat Groats-
The whole, unmilled oat berry. Cook overnight in a crockpot. 1.5/1 water/oat groats, approx. Chewy, almost like a tapioca.

She was really into this talk. 

Loving Risotto

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Lemon-Risotto-106451

a whole new world to me!

Make again tempeh

that's all. make this again:
http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/orange-panglazed-tempeh-recipe.html

to work on this week:
Mark Bittman's guide to recipe free soups

(not quite ready for my cooking. we've sneaked in tastes of lemon, applesauce, pudding, maple syrup, and oatmeal. she doesnt like any of them. yet.)

Winter meals

I have been trying to keep up with the blog mainly because I want to remember the things I want to make again. I tend to forget these great recipes I come across and this is helping me organize them. I am also trying to avoid inundating the family blogs with pictures of Acadia, so I post some here (I know that's the only reason you visit).

Cold days need warm and hearty meals. Sometimes I forget this and make some springy chipper something that just doesn't feel right. I have to remember it's also ok to make something of a nick-nack-patywack (a series of surprise snacks served, in place of a meal, by the most loving of mothers) for dark winter nights. Lately we'e been eating a lot of homemade bread with some roasted veggies, hummus, cheese, olives, simple salads, etc. No main course, no theme, no structure. And they seem to fit the days perfectly. 

This is how Acadia looked up at me for the last 15 minutes of a very cold walk.

Risotto

Lots of food blogs/recipes/etc make risotto out to be super hard or time intensive. I found it to be fairly straight-forward. It took a good 15-20 minutes at the stove, but I'm in the kitchen for that long making any dinner. 

I used this recipe: Mushroom Risotto with a few adaptations: vegetable stock instead of chicken, no wine, and dried porcini, portobello and baby bella mushrooms. It is, as they say, very creamy and delicious.

James rated it top 10 things I've ever made. And since James is so great, I guess I should make it again.  

I will definitely be trying out some of Jamie Oliver's variations here.