Homemade Bread: An explanation is in order

Dear friends,

In case anybody missed it, my last blog wasn't actually a story about bread.  In fact, it had nothing to do with bread.

Somebody said to me once, "Wow - I never realized you could make bread at home .... I just thought you had to buy it, and it was made by some mysterious, complicated method!"

It occurred to me in that moment that that is exactly what school is like.  Any more these days, nobody thinks you can school a kid at home - because all they've seen is store-bought kids.  Go back and read the blog again.

And, just in case your mouth got all lathered up thinking about homemade bread, I'll put a little bread-topping recipe at the end of this blog for your enjoyment.

Cheers to homeschool on the "rise" ...


Mrs H
tweet us @_mrs_h
Follow us on Facebook!

Bread Topping 

Any quantity or variation of mixtures on the following ingredients.  After the bread rises in the loaf pans, and before you put it in the oven, brush with water or a mixture of egg white and water (well beaten until homogeneous).  Then sprinkle or slather on toppings to your heart's content.

sesame seeds - white or black, poppy seeds, sunflower seeds, dried fennel seeds, caraway seeds, garlic flakes, coarse sea salt, black pepper, dried shredded parsley, and anything else you have hanging around.  If anybody else has any more topping ideas - please share!  I love topping bread!

It's Impossible to Bake Bread at Home: This is not a recipe.

Dear fellow loaves,

Did you know you can't make bread at home any more?  That's right; it all has to be store-bought now.  Back in the day, people made bread at home pretty much every darn day, and it was downright good bread, too.  Ma knew exactly what ingredients she was mixing into the bowl and feeding to her family.  She knew where the ingredients came from, how healthy they were, how much they really cost, and what they looked like.  And better yet, the kids loved the bread - they didn't have to be forced to eat "healthy" stuff, no, they had to be begged to stop gobbling it all down without sharing. 

Ma was no real expert on bread-making when she started, but she kept at it until she had it down "pat".  After all, bread-making was invented in the home.  Somebody realized they needed something to spread their fruit jam on, and the universal loaf was invented.  It satisfied a need.  It was real, and it was good.

Sadly, those days are gone.  As many of you know, it's virtually impossible to make bread at home now.  Why is that, you ask?  Well, the most important reason is - nobody else does it.  Honestly, who wants to deviate from the norm... And storebought bread, made with flour stripped of the original complex nutrients, is niacin enriched - how could you deprive your kids of niacin enriched bread by making homemade crap and not buying a plastic wrapped loaf at the store?  Please, just do the right thing for your kids.

All of the neighbor kids have cool sandwiches - when you take a bite, the bread sticks to the top of your mouth like a dental mold, and you can almost smell the rich, earthy scent of mono and di-glycerides - which brings us to the other amazing feature of storebought bread!  You can buy a loaf and leave it on your counter for, well gosh, a few weeks.  You can completely ignore it, forget about it, and pick it up later when you are ready to enjoy it.  That homemade stuff?  It takes constant care - has to be baked weekly, or it goes bad. 

Yeah, and did I mention how long it takes to make bread?  You have to mix ingredients, let it sit, shape it, let it rise, bake it - in other words, no rest for the weary!  Why not just go to the store, throw some money down, and get a loaf baked by somebody else?

The FDA is a fantastic government organization that ensures the safety and quality of the average loaf of bread -  if you make bread at home, you'll have to research ingredients, nutrients, carbohydrates, procedures, even bakeware.  If you buy storebought bread, then snap, all of those decisions are taken care of, and you rest in the capable and sure hands of the government. 

Don't worry, though.  Storebought bread isn't 100% compulsory - not yet.  But we can see to it that it becomes that way - save the ignorant people from making their own decisions, if we at all can.  Relieve them of the burden of using their minds.

Sincerely,

A homebaked loaf

tweet us @_mrs_h
Follow us on Facebook!


Thinking you might have missed the point?  Read the explanation of this allegory here.  

The Infamous Coveted Quiche Recipe

Dear queenly cooks,

When I was little, my Mom would occasionally make spinach quiche - one of my favorite dinners, and I especially loved the tender flaky crust.  For years (we won't say how many) I thought she was saying "Keith", and always associated the green spinach-y quiche with Keith Green.

Well, live and learn to spell, right?

The following recipe is so excessively simple you almost feel stupid making it.  It has endless options for variation and can be modified to fit any taste/leftovers in the fridge.  It is also exceedingly popular - I've made it for a few events and the guests always come to me and ask for the recipe - or, they just eat every quiche on the platter and thereby cast their silent vote of approval.

I pulled the original recipe from the 2002 Taste of Home Annual Cookbook (a $0.50 find at an estate sale!).  I'll post it in the original form, in case it was a lost favorite of yours, and include my tweaks in italics.

Mini Mexican Quiches

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 package (3 oz) cream cheese, softened
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup (4 oz) shredded Monterey Jack cheese (or any cheese, really)
1 can (4 oz) chopped green chilies, drained (I opened 1 pint of halved poblano chilies that I canned in vinegar, and minced them for filling. You can use any chilies or peppers you like, but for large crowds I keep the filling mild since in general crowds won't eat spicy foods.)
2 eggs
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
Other filling ideas: bacon, sausage, chicken, ham etc cooked and minced small.  Chopped bell peppers, tomatoes, various cheeses, olives - black or stuffed ... obviously, the possibilities are endless.

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and cream cheese (I use a stand mixer for easier mixing). Add flour; beat until will blended.  Shape into 24 balls (each ball will weigh 13 grams); cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.  Press balls onto the bottom and up the sides of GREASED mini muffin tins.  Sprinkle a rounded teaspoonful (a generous pinch) or cheese and 1/2 teaspoon of chilies/various fillings into each shell.  In a bowl, beat eggs, cream, salt and pepper (I do this while the dough is chilling).  Spoon into shells. Bake at 350F for 30 - 35 minutes or until golden brown.  Let stand for 5 minutes before removing from tins.  Serve hot or cold.  Refrigerate leftovers. Yield: 2 dozen.

Enjoy your "keith"!


Mrs H
tweet us @_mrs_h
Follow us on Facebook!

Punchy flavor?

Dear party-goers, 

This recipe comes from my mom, Leslie.  I use it whenever I am serving at a party or some shower or event.  It's super easy, flexible, and - most importantly - simple and straightforward to maintain, even with a large crowd guzzling down punch!  All of the ingredients are completely interchangeable based on your taste preference and the prices at the grocery store.  

Leslie's Party Punch 

Quantities depend on the size of your crowd, but I'll give the approximate measurements for the average punchbowl. 

1 frozen drink concentrate (any fruity flavor that sounds good)

1 liter ginger-ale, or citrus-soda, 7-up, club soda, home-carbonated water, etc

Pineapple rings (optional)

1 quart frozen sorbet or sherbet or both - preferably homemade! (Use sorbet for vegan punch)

Ice-cold water 

Dump the concentrate, soda, pineapple rings (if using), and sorbet/sherbet into the punchbowl.  Top off with water - if you wish, you can use 1/2 liter soda and more ice-water.  It just depends on how many guests you have, supplies you have, how fizzy you like it, etc.  Adjust quantities based on your taste - it is VERY flexible! 

During the party, just keep dumping random quantities of these ingredients into the bowl.  Take it upon yourself to taste several cups, in the best interest of your guests, of course! 

When I make this at a party (if I am not hosting at my home) I bring a cooler with a few tubs of sherbet or sorbet, a few liters soda, some frozen concentrates, and a water jug of ice-water.  

Happy party-hosting! 

Mrs H
tweet us @_mrs_h
Follow us on Facebook!

Tart, Fresh Lemony Goodness

Thanks for reading this post, I'm so excited to visit with you!  

After you've gleaned all the good information you need, visit our new blog platform at www.farmandhearth.com to read even more fascinating tidbits from the kitchen and the fields. 

Dear zesty readers,

The following recipes are based on the fresh, summery taste of the sprightly lemon.  Only use organic lemons for the following recipes, even if you aren't an "organic produce" fan; the peel of the lemon goes into these recipes and you don't want to know what is sprayed onto that peel.

To wash the lemons: scrub thoroughly with a veggie scrubber in a mixture of white vinegar and water,( and, if you have it, veggie wash).

The sorbet/sherbet recipes are drawn from "The Perfect Scoop", my favorite frozen treat cookbook.

Lemon Sorbet
Makes about 1 quart (1 liter)
This recipe would qualify as both vegan and gluten-free

2 1/2 cups water
1 cup sugar (you can add more if you like it sweeter)
2 lemons, organic
1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 6 lemons) or bottled (if you squeeze it yourself, pick the seeds out of the pulp and include the pulp with the juice.  Sometimes I use a mixture of fresh-squeezed orange and lemon juice.)

In a medium, nonreactive saucepan, mix 1/2 cup of the water and the sugar.  Grate the zest of the 2 lemons directly into the saucepan.  Heat, stirring frequently, until the sugar is completely dissolved.  Remove from the heat and add the remaining 2 cups water (if you're in a hurry, make this water be ice-water or at least ice-cold!), then chill thoroughly in the refrigerator.
Stir the lemon juice into the sugar syrup, then freeze the mixture in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturers directions.

Lemon Sherbet
Makes about 1 quart
This recipe would qualify as being vegetarian (but not vegan) and gluten-free

3 cups whole milk
3/4 cup sugar
1 lemon, organic
6 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 - 3 lemons)

In a medium, nonreactive saucepan, mix 1 cup of the milk with the sugar.  Grate the zest of the lemon directly into the saucepan.  Heat, stirring frequently, until the sugar is dissolved.  remove from the heat and add the remaining 2 cups milk, then chill thoroughly in the refrigerator.
Stir the lemon juice into the milk mixture.  If it curdles a bit, whisk it vigorously to make it smooth again.  Freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturers instructions.

Tips on ice-cream making: I have the Cuisinart ice-cream maker and it works excellently, is easy to use and clean, and I use it often!  Store the churn piece in your freezer so that it is always ready for use.  If this is the mixer you have, assemble for use and start the churn spinning, and then pour the liquid through the hole in the top.  If it is spinning before you pour, the ice-cream doesn't stick to the sides as much.  Then, cover the churn with plastic and swaddle in a bath towel.  This insulates it and speeds up the process.  On average, churning the ice-cream custards and sherbet/sorbets takes about 30 minutes.  The recipes about take 20 - 30 minutes to thicken up.  When the frozen treat is thickened, scoop it out and put it in a tub and store in the freezer to firm up.  If your churn is not completely rock-solid frozen before you start churning, your ice-cream will churn forever and never get thick.

Happy churning!


Mrs H
tweet us @_mrs_h
Follow us on Facebook!

willful waste makes woeful want

Dear wandering wonderers,

The above quote is dated from 1576, and is a precursor to the later 1772 version of "waste not, want not".  Who knows when the quotes were actually coined; these are just the earliest dates we have them recorded.  However, the concept is ageless and contains more than a morsel of truth.

I learned some clever tips for wasting not from some more experienced canning friends, and since they are such beautiful ways of using what would otherwise be food refuse, I want to share them with you.

In a previous post I mentioned that blending tomato peels makes an excellent tomato paste; in this post, I willl show you what to do with the peels and cores of fruit. 

The other evening I made a batch of sweetened, spiced pear-sauce using about 20 pounds of organic red bartlett pears.  The sauce was delicious, and simple: peeled, cored, chopped pears, cooked soft, mashed with a potato masher, and just a hint of cinnamon, allspice, clove, and ginger thrown in.  Put into pint jars, process for 15 minutes like applesauce.  But what to do with the leftover pile of peels and cores?  Waste not!  Depending on the tools available for your use, there are two ways of going about this.  I'll give you the optimal method first.

Taking my cue from Miz Carmen, I borrowed her steamer-juicer and set it up on my stove while I made the pear-sauce.  I piled the peels and cores in the top, put boiling water in the bottom, and let it percolate for an hour or two.  The juice that steamed out of the peels I reserved in a half-gallon jar, and then boiled with a little sugar and a bit of lemon juice.  I added two boxes of no-sugar pectin, and jarred it in 4-oz and half-pint containers.  Voila - pear jelly!  And the heap of hot, steamed peels with all of the flavor and goodness extracted were still good for composting.  Waste not! 

If you don't have access to a steamer-juicer, here is the second option:  Put the peels and cored in a saucepan with a little water; let them simmer and bubble for a while.  Pour into a mesh strainer over a bowl and mash out any juice.  Then, make into jelly per the instructions in the pectin box or as directed above.

Off to enjoy some jelly on my toast! 

Wasting not,


Mrs H
tweet us @_mrs_h
Follow us on Facebook!