Salady bit-
1 12 oz bag of shredded lettuce (or shred your own if you're not lazy)
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
1 small onion thinly sliced
2 oz crumbled blue cheese
Dressing bit-
1/3 cup mayonaisse
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 Tablespoon Sherry Vinegar
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
In a large bowl, mix together all the dressing bits until well combined. Add all of the salad bits and toss to coat. Yum, yum, yum, yum, YUM.
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
WIP (works in progress)
I'm trying to become better at chronicling (I wonder if I spelled that right) the food we experiment with. I've decided to just throw them here and work on them until the recipe is right. Hopefully I'll move them to a post of their own once I feel I've "perfected" them.
October 23, 2006
What a crock!
or
Karl's Curried Chickpeas and Chicken in a Crockpot
Night before-Drive to Schnuck's to buy cream for coffee. Wander around aimlessly then decide to make bean soup. Buy a few stalks of celery and a packet of Northern beans. Pay for groceries, get in car have husband tell you he'd like to make Chickpeas with Chicken and some Curry. Brainstorm...drive all the way to Pizza King on Weinbach because the one near our house sucks. Eat stromboli. Make another trip to Schnucks (the Washington Avenue one this time) Purchase a package of dried chickpeas and some other stuff not related to this recipe. Come home rinse chickpeas in colander picking out the bad ones. Place chickpeas in crockpot and add enough cold water to cover by 2 inches. Cover tightly and leave overnight to soak.
You can skip most of the above stuff and go directly to rinsing and soaking a 1 pound package of dried chickpeas.
In the morning add to the beans and leftover soaking water
2 large onions cut into small dice
1 cup frozen pepper stir fry
1/3 cup Maykway Curry Powder
2 Tablespoons Ship Curry Powder
2 teaspoons salt
1 clove garlic minced
1 cup (or more if needed) water
Stir together then add
4 chicken breast halves kinda burying them in the beans. Add more water if needed to barely cover the beans etc. Turn crockpot on low and leave to cook all day.
September 27, 2006
I brought this to work today and the muffins were so good. (Melissa had five if that tells you anything) Normally I would just go ahead and put the recipe in it's own post, however I'm trying a variation with cherries, blueberries and walnuts and in mix form. The original muffins reminded me of a really good bowl of oatmeal in muffin form.
The 12 grains are hard red wheat, stone ground corn,
rye, oats, triticale, brown rice, soy beans, oat bran, millet, barley, sunflower seeds, and flaxseed. Personally I think some of those things don't quite count as grains but Bob begs to differ and hell, 12 Grain Muffins sounds better than * Grain and Some Other Stuff Muffins.
12 Grain Muffin
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup Bob's Red Mill 8 Grain Hot Cereal
1 cup Bob's Red Mill 7 Grain Hot Cereal (Yes, these are two different things.)
3/4 packed light brown sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon vanilla (powdered if you've got it)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 cups milk
1/2 vegetable oil
1/2 cup sourcream
2 eggs
Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease small muffin tins or line with cupcake liners. In a large bowl mix together first 8 ingredients and stir to combine. Add final four ingredients and mix until just combined. Fill prepared muffin cups about 2/3 full. Bake 15-20 minutes or until golden brown and delicious. 24 muffins
12 Grain Cherry Blueberry Walnut Muffin Mix
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup Bob's Red Mill 8 Grain Hot Cereal
1 cup Bob's Red Mill 7 Grain Hot Cereal (Yes, these are two different things.)
3/4 packed light brown sugar
1/4 buttermilk powder
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon powdered vanilla
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/3 cup dried cherries
1/3 cup dried blueberries
Combine all ingredients thoroughly and divide into 2 portions and bag up. For each mix use 1 cup milk, 1/4 vegetable oil, and 1 egg. Mix until just combined and fill prepared muffin tins 2/3 full bake 15-20 minutes until gbd.
I'm making these for brekkie at work tomorrow if they turn out ok I'll give them their own post.
Notes-These were not quite as good as I hoped. I think they had too much leavening and were not quite sweet enough. I'm out of 7 Grain Cereal but my plan is to lower the baking powder to 2 teaspoons, add 1/2 a teaspoon of baking soda and up the sugar to a full cup. I may also up the cinnamon to a full teaspoon.
September 12, 2006
I'm planning a good ole fashioned southern feast for dinner tonight. Baked ham with gingersnap glaze, scalloped potatoes, succotash, buttered cabbage and 7 grain corn bread.
1 cup all purpose flour
3/4 polenta or grits
1/4 7 Grain Cereal
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup milk
1/4 sourcream
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 egg
Preheat oven to 425. Place a small amount of vegetable oil in a 9" skillet and place in oven to heat.
In a medium bowl mix first six ingredients together until blended. Add next 4 ingredients all at once and stir just enough to combine. Let sit for 5 minutes (just about the time it takes to clean up) then pour into heated pan in oven. Bake for ? until done.
I've fiddled with this in a few ways. The second time I made it I used whole wheat flour which I liked quite a bit. I also made a sweet version by adding 1/4 cup of brown sugar. Very yummy too. As for baking time it's 15-20 minutes.
September 4, 2006
Seven Grain Bread has moved to it's own post.
August 29, 2006
Still working on breads. I really liked the blueberry orange buns I made and I've decided to play with it it.
Cherry Berry Bread
In a small bowl mix one cup of warm water with 2 tsps sugar sprinkle one tablespoon active dry yeast set aside until foamy
In a sauce pan heat over low heat 1 cup whole milk with 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter until butter is just melted. Do not boil. If milk get overly hot set aside to cool otherwise stir in 1/2 cup sugar and two eggs and one teaspoon vanilla to combine.
In a large bowl mix 2 1/2 cups of flour with 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt. Stir in the yeast/water mix and the milk/butter/egg/sugar mix and stir until well combined. Cover and set aside for one hour. Mixture should be bubbly and risen. If not you screwed up and have to start over. Most likely prob...dead yeast either from being too old or too hot. Buy fresh and watch your liquid temps. I didn't so i get to go on to the next step.
Stir down the yeasty mixture (technical term sponge) and stir in 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 cups more flour to make a soft, workable, but slightly sticky dough. (if you are using a stand mixer the dough will clean the sides of the bowl but stick slightly on the bottom) Turn out on a lightly floured surface and knead for 5-10 minutes until dough is smooth and pliable. Form into a ball and place in an oiled bowl turning to coat. Cover with a damp cloth and set aside to rise until doubled.
At this point you have a great sweet bread dough. It will make yummo cinnamon rolls, heavenly fruit buns, even a passing danish type bread or conchas.
To make the cherry, blueberry buns, punch down the dough and knead in 4 oz each dried cherries and blueberries and half cup of chopped walnuts. Divide dough into 32 equal pieces form into buns and place on a lightly oiled sheet pan. Cover and let rise until doubled. Bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes until golden and hollow when thumped. While still warm frost with
1/4 softened butter
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
dash salt
Beat together and add
2 Tablespoons sourcream (more is frosting is too thick)
----
Sun Dried Tomato and Swiss Bread has moved to it's own post.
Naan Bread
1/2 warm water
1 teaspoon white sugar
2 teaspoons or 1 package active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm milk
1/4 cup plain yogurt, room temperature (or yoghurt if you must)
4 tablespoons melted butter
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Put warm water in a small bowl, add sugar and yeast and stir until dissolved. Set aside for 5-10 minutes or until it foams.
Blend in the warm milk, yogurt and melted butter.
In a large bowl, mix flour, salt, baking powder and poppy seeds. Pour in the yeast/milk mixture all at once and work it into the flour, using your hands. Continue mixing, adding flour or water as needed, until the mixture leaves the sides of the bowl.
Knead for 6 to 8 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Place in a lightly oiled bowl and turn to coat. Cover with a damp cloth and let stand in a warm place to rise for about 1-2 hours or until doubled in volume.
Punch down and divide into 8 equal pieces. Lay out the dough balls and allow to rise until doubled in volume (about 30-45 minutes). Roll each dough ball into an approximately 8 inch circle.
Preheat a griddle or large skillet over high heat until a drop of water dances on it. Lay one circle of dough on the griddle. Cook until lightly browned on one side, flip and brush the cooked side with a little bit of melted butter. Continue cooking on 2nd side until bubbled bits develop dark brown spots. (A little charring is ok)
Repeat wtih remaining dough.
Notes-These were not as chewy as I like naan to be. The taste was very good so I'm going to try it again with only 2 Tbls of melted butter.
Curried Onion Bread has moved to it's own post and been renamed to Bharji Bread.
Curried Beef Stew has moved to it's own post
All of these are from Sunday August 27, 2006
October 23, 2006
What a crock!
or
Karl's Curried Chickpeas and Chicken in a Crockpot
Night before-Drive to Schnuck's to buy cream for coffee. Wander around aimlessly then decide to make bean soup. Buy a few stalks of celery and a packet of Northern beans. Pay for groceries, get in car have husband tell you he'd like to make Chickpeas with Chicken and some Curry. Brainstorm...drive all the way to Pizza King on Weinbach because the one near our house sucks. Eat stromboli. Make another trip to Schnucks (the Washington Avenue one this time) Purchase a package of dried chickpeas and some other stuff not related to this recipe. Come home rinse chickpeas in colander picking out the bad ones. Place chickpeas in crockpot and add enough cold water to cover by 2 inches. Cover tightly and leave overnight to soak.
You can skip most of the above stuff and go directly to rinsing and soaking a 1 pound package of dried chickpeas.
In the morning add to the beans and leftover soaking water
2 large onions cut into small dice
1 cup frozen pepper stir fry
1/3 cup Maykway Curry Powder
2 Tablespoons Ship Curry Powder
2 teaspoons salt
1 clove garlic minced
1 cup (or more if needed) water
Stir together then add
4 chicken breast halves kinda burying them in the beans. Add more water if needed to barely cover the beans etc. Turn crockpot on low and leave to cook all day.
September 27, 2006
I brought this to work today and the muffins were so good. (Melissa had five if that tells you anything) Normally I would just go ahead and put the recipe in it's own post, however I'm trying a variation with cherries, blueberries and walnuts and in mix form. The original muffins reminded me of a really good bowl of oatmeal in muffin form.
The 12 grains are hard red wheat, stone ground corn,
rye, oats, triticale, brown rice, soy beans, oat bran, millet, barley, sunflower seeds, and flaxseed. Personally I think some of those things don't quite count as grains but Bob begs to differ and hell, 12 Grain Muffins sounds better than * Grain and Some Other Stuff Muffins.
12 Grain Muffin
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup Bob's Red Mill 8 Grain Hot Cereal
1 cup Bob's Red Mill 7 Grain Hot Cereal (Yes, these are two different things.)
3/4 packed light brown sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon vanilla (powdered if you've got it)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 cups milk
1/2 vegetable oil
1/2 cup sourcream
2 eggs
Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease small muffin tins or line with cupcake liners. In a large bowl mix together first 8 ingredients and stir to combine. Add final four ingredients and mix until just combined. Fill prepared muffin cups about 2/3 full. Bake 15-20 minutes or until golden brown and delicious. 24 muffins
12 Grain Cherry Blueberry Walnut Muffin Mix
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup Bob's Red Mill 8 Grain Hot Cereal
1 cup Bob's Red Mill 7 Grain Hot Cereal (Yes, these are two different things.)
3/4 packed light brown sugar
1/4 buttermilk powder
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon powdered vanilla
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/3 cup dried cherries
1/3 cup dried blueberries
Combine all ingredients thoroughly and divide into 2 portions and bag up. For each mix use 1 cup milk, 1/4 vegetable oil, and 1 egg. Mix until just combined and fill prepared muffin tins 2/3 full bake 15-20 minutes until gbd.
I'm making these for brekkie at work tomorrow if they turn out ok I'll give them their own post.
Notes-These were not quite as good as I hoped. I think they had too much leavening and were not quite sweet enough. I'm out of 7 Grain Cereal but my plan is to lower the baking powder to 2 teaspoons, add 1/2 a teaspoon of baking soda and up the sugar to a full cup. I may also up the cinnamon to a full teaspoon.
September 12, 2006
I'm planning a good ole fashioned southern feast for dinner tonight. Baked ham with gingersnap glaze, scalloped potatoes, succotash, buttered cabbage and 7 grain corn bread.
1 cup all purpose flour
3/4 polenta or grits
1/4 7 Grain Cereal
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup milk
1/4 sourcream
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 egg
Preheat oven to 425. Place a small amount of vegetable oil in a 9" skillet and place in oven to heat.
In a medium bowl mix first six ingredients together until blended. Add next 4 ingredients all at once and stir just enough to combine. Let sit for 5 minutes (just about the time it takes to clean up) then pour into heated pan in oven. Bake for ? until done.
I've fiddled with this in a few ways. The second time I made it I used whole wheat flour which I liked quite a bit. I also made a sweet version by adding 1/4 cup of brown sugar. Very yummy too. As for baking time it's 15-20 minutes.
September 4, 2006
Seven Grain Bread has moved to it's own post.
August 29, 2006
Still working on breads. I really liked the blueberry orange buns I made and I've decided to play with it it.
Cherry Berry Bread
In a small bowl mix one cup of warm water with 2 tsps sugar sprinkle one tablespoon active dry yeast set aside until foamy
In a sauce pan heat over low heat 1 cup whole milk with 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter until butter is just melted. Do not boil. If milk get overly hot set aside to cool otherwise stir in 1/2 cup sugar and two eggs and one teaspoon vanilla to combine.
In a large bowl mix 2 1/2 cups of flour with 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt. Stir in the yeast/water mix and the milk/butter/egg/sugar mix and stir until well combined. Cover and set aside for one hour. Mixture should be bubbly and risen. If not you screwed up and have to start over. Most likely prob...dead yeast either from being too old or too hot. Buy fresh and watch your liquid temps. I didn't so i get to go on to the next step.
Stir down the yeasty mixture (technical term sponge) and stir in 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 cups more flour to make a soft, workable, but slightly sticky dough. (if you are using a stand mixer the dough will clean the sides of the bowl but stick slightly on the bottom) Turn out on a lightly floured surface and knead for 5-10 minutes until dough is smooth and pliable. Form into a ball and place in an oiled bowl turning to coat. Cover with a damp cloth and set aside to rise until doubled.
At this point you have a great sweet bread dough. It will make yummo cinnamon rolls, heavenly fruit buns, even a passing danish type bread or conchas.
To make the cherry, blueberry buns, punch down the dough and knead in 4 oz each dried cherries and blueberries and half cup of chopped walnuts. Divide dough into 32 equal pieces form into buns and place on a lightly oiled sheet pan. Cover and let rise until doubled. Bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes until golden and hollow when thumped. While still warm frost with
1/4 softened butter
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
dash salt
Beat together and add
2 Tablespoons sourcream (more is frosting is too thick)
----
Sun Dried Tomato and Swiss Bread has moved to it's own post.
Naan Bread
1/2 warm water
1 teaspoon white sugar
2 teaspoons or 1 package active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm milk
1/4 cup plain yogurt, room temperature (or yoghurt if you must)
4 tablespoons melted butter
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Put warm water in a small bowl, add sugar and yeast and stir until dissolved. Set aside for 5-10 minutes or until it foams.
Blend in the warm milk, yogurt and melted butter.
In a large bowl, mix flour, salt, baking powder and poppy seeds. Pour in the yeast/milk mixture all at once and work it into the flour, using your hands. Continue mixing, adding flour or water as needed, until the mixture leaves the sides of the bowl.
Knead for 6 to 8 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Place in a lightly oiled bowl and turn to coat. Cover with a damp cloth and let stand in a warm place to rise for about 1-2 hours or until doubled in volume.
Punch down and divide into 8 equal pieces. Lay out the dough balls and allow to rise until doubled in volume (about 30-45 minutes). Roll each dough ball into an approximately 8 inch circle.
Preheat a griddle or large skillet over high heat until a drop of water dances on it. Lay one circle of dough on the griddle. Cook until lightly browned on one side, flip and brush the cooked side with a little bit of melted butter. Continue cooking on 2nd side until bubbled bits develop dark brown spots. (A little charring is ok)
Repeat wtih remaining dough.
Notes-These were not as chewy as I like naan to be. The taste was very good so I'm going to try it again with only 2 Tbls of melted butter.
Curried Onion Bread has moved to it's own post and been renamed to Bharji Bread.
Curried Beef Stew has moved to it's own post
All of these are from Sunday August 27, 2006
Sunday, October 08, 2006
Sunday, October 01, 2006
Rye and Kamut Bread with Caraway Seed
2 cups bread flour
1 cup dark rye flour
1 cup Kamut flour
2-2 1/2 cups water
1/4 cup Vital gluten
2 Tablespoons caraway seed
2 Tablepoons sugar
1 Tablespoon yeast
1 1/2 teapoons salt
In a large bowl mix together the bread flour, rye flour, kamut flour, vital gluten, caraway seed, sugar, yeast and salt. Add about 1 3/4 cups of flour and stir to combine. Continue adding water until a soft, slightly sticky dough forms.
This does have rye flour in it so it's not going to go completely smooth and if it's not slightly sticky you have too much flour.
Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5-6 minutes. Watch how much flour you add, you really could end up with a brick. Place in a lightly greased bowl, cover and set aside to rise until doubled in bulk. Punch down and form into desired loaf size(s). Place on a lightly greased cookie sheet, cover with lightly oiled paper towels and let rise until doubled. Brush tops with Starch Glaze* or egg white. Slash tops with a sharp knife and bake at 450 for 10 minutes. Turn heat down to 350 and bake for a further 10-20 minutes until bread is golden, and sounds hollow when thumped.
Because this has rye and a whole grain flour in it you might want to test it with an instant read thermometer. You're looking for 190 at the center of the loaf.
Starch Glaze
1 cup water
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
Mix together and bring to a boil. Brush on chewier type bread to achieve a crunchier top.
1 cup dark rye flour
1 cup Kamut flour
2-2 1/2 cups water
1/4 cup Vital gluten
2 Tablespoons caraway seed
2 Tablepoons sugar
1 Tablespoon yeast
1 1/2 teapoons salt
In a large bowl mix together the bread flour, rye flour, kamut flour, vital gluten, caraway seed, sugar, yeast and salt. Add about 1 3/4 cups of flour and stir to combine. Continue adding water until a soft, slightly sticky dough forms.
This does have rye flour in it so it's not going to go completely smooth and if it's not slightly sticky you have too much flour.
Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5-6 minutes. Watch how much flour you add, you really could end up with a brick. Place in a lightly greased bowl, cover and set aside to rise until doubled in bulk. Punch down and form into desired loaf size(s). Place on a lightly greased cookie sheet, cover with lightly oiled paper towels and let rise until doubled. Brush tops with Starch Glaze* or egg white. Slash tops with a sharp knife and bake at 450 for 10 minutes. Turn heat down to 350 and bake for a further 10-20 minutes until bread is golden, and sounds hollow when thumped.
Because this has rye and a whole grain flour in it you might want to test it with an instant read thermometer. You're looking for 190 at the center of the loaf.
Starch Glaze
1 cup water
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
Mix together and bring to a boil. Brush on chewier type bread to achieve a crunchier top.
WIP (works in progress)
I'm trying to become better at chronicling (I wonder if I spelled that right) the food we experiment with. I've decided to just throw them here and work on them until the recipe is right. Hopefully I'll move them to a post of their own once I feel I've "perfected" them.
September 27, 2006
I brought this to work today and the muffins were so good. (Melissa had five if that tells you anything) Normally I would just go ahead and put the recipe in it's own post, however I'm trying a variation with cherries, blueberries and walnuts and in mix form. The original muffins reminded me of a really good bowl of oatmeal in muffin form.
The 12 grains are hard red wheat, stone ground corn,
rye, oats, triticale, brown rice, soy beans, oat bran, millet, barley, sunflower seeds, and flaxseed. Personally I think some of those things don't quite count as grains but Bob begs to differ and hell, 12 Grain Muffins sounds better than * Grain and Some Other Stuff Muffins.
12 Grain Muffin
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup Bob's Red Mill 8 Grain Hot Cereal
1 cup Bob's Red Mill 7 Grain Hot Cereal (Yes, these are two different things.)
3/4 packed light brown sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon vanilla (powdered if you've got it)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 cups milk
1/2 vegetable oil
1/2 cup sourcream
2 eggs
Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease small muffin tins or line with cupcake liners. In a large bowl mix together first 8 ingredients and stir to combine. Add final four ingredients and mix until just combined. Fill prepared muffin cups about 2/3 full. Bake 15-20 minutes or until golden brown and delicious. 24 muffins
12 Grain Cherry Blueberry Walnut Muffin Mix
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup Bob's Red Mill 8 Grain Hot Cereal
1 cup Bob's Red Mill 7 Grain Hot Cereal (Yes, these are two different things.)
3/4 packed light brown sugar
1/4 buttermilk powder
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon powdered vanilla
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/3 cup dried cherries
1/3 cup dried blueberries
Combine all ingredients thoroughly and divide into 2 portions and bag up. For each mix use 1 cup milk, 1/4 vegetable oil, and 1 egg. Mix until just combined and fill prepared muffin tins 2/3 full bake 15-20 minutes until gbd.
I'm making these for brekkie at work tomorrow if they turn out ok I'll give them their own post.
Notes-These were not quite as good as I hoped. I think they had too much leavening and were not quite sweet enough. I'm out of 7 Grain Cereal but my plan is to lower the baking powder to 2 teaspoons, add 1/2 a teaspoon of baking soda and up the sugar to a full cup. I may also up the cinnamon to a full teaspoon.
September 12, 2006
I'm planning a good ole fashioned southern feast for dinner tonight. Baked ham with gingersnap glaze, scalloped potatoes, succotash, buttered cabbage and 7 grain corn bread.
1 cup all purpose flour
3/4 polenta or grits
1/4 7 Grain Cereal
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup milk
1/4 sourcream
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 egg
Preheat oven to 425. Place a small amount of vegetable oil in a 9" skillet and place in oven to heat.
In a medium bowl mix first six ingredients together until blended. Add next 4 ingredients all at once and stir just enough to combine. Let sit for 5 minutes (just about the time it takes to clean up) then pour into heated pan in oven. Bake for ? until done.
I've fiddled with this in a few ways. The second time I made it I used whole wheat flour which I liked quite a bit. I also made a sweet version by adding 1/4 cup of brown sugar. Very yummy too. As for baking time it's 15-20 minutes.
September 4, 2006
Seven Grain Bread has moved to it's own post.
August 29, 2006
Still working on breads. I really liked the blueberry orange buns I made and I've decided to play with it it.
Cherry Berry Bread
In a small bowl mix one cup of warm water with 2 tsps sugar sprinkle one tablespoon active dry yeast set aside until foamy
In a sauce pan heat over low heat 1 cup whole milk with 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter until butter is just melted. Do not boil. If milk get overly hot set aside to cool otherwise stir in 1/2 cup sugar and two eggs and one teaspoon vanilla to combine.
In a large bowl mix 2 1/2 cups of flour with 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt. Stir in the yeast/water mix and the milk/butter/egg/sugar mix and stir until well combined. Cover and set aside for one hour. Mixture should be bubbly and risen. If not you screwed up and have to start over. Most likely prob...dead yeast either from being too old or too hot. Buy fresh and watch your liquid temps. I didn't so i get to go on to the next step.
Stir down the yeasty mixture (technical term sponge) and stir in 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 cups more flour to make a soft, workable, but slightly sticky dough. (if you are using a stand mixer the dough will clean the sides of the bowl but stick slightly on the bottom) Turn out on a lightly floured surface and knead for 5-10 minutes until dough is smooth and pliable. Form into a ball and place in an oiled bowl turning to coat. Cover with a damp cloth and set aside to rise until doubled.
At this point you have a great sweet bread dough. It will make yummo cinnamon rolls, heavenly fruit buns, even a passing danish type bread or conchas.
To make the cherry, blueberry buns, punch down the dough and knead in 4 oz each dried cherries and blueberries and half cup of chopped walnuts. Divide dough into 32 equal pieces form into buns and place on a lightly oiled sheet pan. Cover and let rise until doubled. Bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes until golden and hollow when thumped. While still warm frost with
1/4 softened butter
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
dash salt
Beat together and add
2 Tablespoons sourcream (more is frosting is too thick)
----
Sun Dried Tomato and Swiss Bread has moved to it's own post.
Naan Bread
1/2 warm water
1 teaspoon white sugar
2 teaspoons or 1 package active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm milk
1/4 cup plain yogurt, room temperature (or yoghurt if you must)
4 tablespoons melted butter
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Put warm water in a small bowl, add sugar and yeast and stir until dissolved. Set aside for 5-10 minutes or until it foams.
Blend in the warm milk, yogurt and melted butter.
In a large bowl, mix flour, salt, baking powder and poppy seeds. Pour in the yeast/milk mixture all at once and work it into the flour, using your hands. Continue mixing, adding flour or water as needed, until the mixture leaves the sides of the bowl.
Knead for 6 to 8 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Place in a lightly oiled bowl and turn to coat. Cover with a damp cloth and let stand in a warm place to rise for about 1-2 hours or until doubled in volume.
Punch down and divide into 8 equal pieces. Lay out the dough balls and allow to rise until doubled in volume (about 30-45 minutes). Roll each dough ball into an approximately 8 inch circle.
Preheat a griddle or large skillet over high heat until a drop of water dances on it. Lay one circle of dough on the griddle. Cook until lightly browned on one side, flip and brush the cooked side with a little bit of melted butter. Continue cooking on 2nd side until bubbled bits develop dark brown spots. (A little charring is ok)
Repeat wtih remaining dough.
Notes-These were not as chewy as I like naan to be. The taste was very good so I'm going to try it again with only 2 Tbls of melted butter.
Curried Onion Bread has moved to it's own post and been renamed to Bharji Bread.
Curried Beef Stew has moved to it's own post
All of these are from Sunday August 27, 2006
September 27, 2006
I brought this to work today and the muffins were so good. (Melissa had five if that tells you anything) Normally I would just go ahead and put the recipe in it's own post, however I'm trying a variation with cherries, blueberries and walnuts and in mix form. The original muffins reminded me of a really good bowl of oatmeal in muffin form.
The 12 grains are hard red wheat, stone ground corn,
rye, oats, triticale, brown rice, soy beans, oat bran, millet, barley, sunflower seeds, and flaxseed. Personally I think some of those things don't quite count as grains but Bob begs to differ and hell, 12 Grain Muffins sounds better than * Grain and Some Other Stuff Muffins.
12 Grain Muffin
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup Bob's Red Mill 8 Grain Hot Cereal
1 cup Bob's Red Mill 7 Grain Hot Cereal (Yes, these are two different things.)
3/4 packed light brown sugar
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon vanilla (powdered if you've got it)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 cups milk
1/2 vegetable oil
1/2 cup sourcream
2 eggs
Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease small muffin tins or line with cupcake liners. In a large bowl mix together first 8 ingredients and stir to combine. Add final four ingredients and mix until just combined. Fill prepared muffin cups about 2/3 full. Bake 15-20 minutes or until golden brown and delicious. 24 muffins
12 Grain Cherry Blueberry Walnut Muffin Mix
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup Bob's Red Mill 8 Grain Hot Cereal
1 cup Bob's Red Mill 7 Grain Hot Cereal (Yes, these are two different things.)
3/4 packed light brown sugar
1/4 buttermilk powder
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon powdered vanilla
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/3 cup dried cherries
1/3 cup dried blueberries
Combine all ingredients thoroughly and divide into 2 portions and bag up. For each mix use 1 cup milk, 1/4 vegetable oil, and 1 egg. Mix until just combined and fill prepared muffin tins 2/3 full bake 15-20 minutes until gbd.
I'm making these for brekkie at work tomorrow if they turn out ok I'll give them their own post.
Notes-These were not quite as good as I hoped. I think they had too much leavening and were not quite sweet enough. I'm out of 7 Grain Cereal but my plan is to lower the baking powder to 2 teaspoons, add 1/2 a teaspoon of baking soda and up the sugar to a full cup. I may also up the cinnamon to a full teaspoon.
September 12, 2006
I'm planning a good ole fashioned southern feast for dinner tonight. Baked ham with gingersnap glaze, scalloped potatoes, succotash, buttered cabbage and 7 grain corn bread.
1 cup all purpose flour
3/4 polenta or grits
1/4 7 Grain Cereal
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup milk
1/4 sourcream
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 egg
Preheat oven to 425. Place a small amount of vegetable oil in a 9" skillet and place in oven to heat.
In a medium bowl mix first six ingredients together until blended. Add next 4 ingredients all at once and stir just enough to combine. Let sit for 5 minutes (just about the time it takes to clean up) then pour into heated pan in oven. Bake for ? until done.
I've fiddled with this in a few ways. The second time I made it I used whole wheat flour which I liked quite a bit. I also made a sweet version by adding 1/4 cup of brown sugar. Very yummy too. As for baking time it's 15-20 minutes.
September 4, 2006
Seven Grain Bread has moved to it's own post.
August 29, 2006
Still working on breads. I really liked the blueberry orange buns I made and I've decided to play with it it.
Cherry Berry Bread
In a small bowl mix one cup of warm water with 2 tsps sugar sprinkle one tablespoon active dry yeast set aside until foamy
In a sauce pan heat over low heat 1 cup whole milk with 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter until butter is just melted. Do not boil. If milk get overly hot set aside to cool otherwise stir in 1/2 cup sugar and two eggs and one teaspoon vanilla to combine.
In a large bowl mix 2 1/2 cups of flour with 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt. Stir in the yeast/water mix and the milk/butter/egg/sugar mix and stir until well combined. Cover and set aside for one hour. Mixture should be bubbly and risen. If not you screwed up and have to start over. Most likely prob...dead yeast either from being too old or too hot. Buy fresh and watch your liquid temps. I didn't so i get to go on to the next step.
Stir down the yeasty mixture (technical term sponge) and stir in 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 cups more flour to make a soft, workable, but slightly sticky dough. (if you are using a stand mixer the dough will clean the sides of the bowl but stick slightly on the bottom) Turn out on a lightly floured surface and knead for 5-10 minutes until dough is smooth and pliable. Form into a ball and place in an oiled bowl turning to coat. Cover with a damp cloth and set aside to rise until doubled.
At this point you have a great sweet bread dough. It will make yummo cinnamon rolls, heavenly fruit buns, even a passing danish type bread or conchas.
To make the cherry, blueberry buns, punch down the dough and knead in 4 oz each dried cherries and blueberries and half cup of chopped walnuts. Divide dough into 32 equal pieces form into buns and place on a lightly oiled sheet pan. Cover and let rise until doubled. Bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes until golden and hollow when thumped. While still warm frost with
1/4 softened butter
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
dash salt
Beat together and add
2 Tablespoons sourcream (more is frosting is too thick)
----
Sun Dried Tomato and Swiss Bread has moved to it's own post.
Naan Bread
1/2 warm water
1 teaspoon white sugar
2 teaspoons or 1 package active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm milk
1/4 cup plain yogurt, room temperature (or yoghurt if you must)
4 tablespoons melted butter
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Put warm water in a small bowl, add sugar and yeast and stir until dissolved. Set aside for 5-10 minutes or until it foams.
Blend in the warm milk, yogurt and melted butter.
In a large bowl, mix flour, salt, baking powder and poppy seeds. Pour in the yeast/milk mixture all at once and work it into the flour, using your hands. Continue mixing, adding flour or water as needed, until the mixture leaves the sides of the bowl.
Knead for 6 to 8 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Place in a lightly oiled bowl and turn to coat. Cover with a damp cloth and let stand in a warm place to rise for about 1-2 hours or until doubled in volume.
Punch down and divide into 8 equal pieces. Lay out the dough balls and allow to rise until doubled in volume (about 30-45 minutes). Roll each dough ball into an approximately 8 inch circle.
Preheat a griddle or large skillet over high heat until a drop of water dances on it. Lay one circle of dough on the griddle. Cook until lightly browned on one side, flip and brush the cooked side with a little bit of melted butter. Continue cooking on 2nd side until bubbled bits develop dark brown spots. (A little charring is ok)
Repeat wtih remaining dough.
Notes-These were not as chewy as I like naan to be. The taste was very good so I'm going to try it again with only 2 Tbls of melted butter.
Curried Onion Bread has moved to it's own post and been renamed to Bharji Bread.
Curried Beef Stew has moved to it's own post
All of these are from Sunday August 27, 2006
Sun Dried Tomato and Swiss Bread
Sundried Tomato and Swiss Bread
1 1/2 cups warm water
2 Tablespoons sugar
4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3-4 cups flour
2 Tablespoons good quality olive oil
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1 1/2 oz sun dried tomatoes snipped into small bits
8 oz swiss cheese cut into 3/4 inch chunks
Dissolve the sugar in the water. Sprinkle on the yeast and allow to bloom. Stir in 1 cup of the flour, the salt and olive oil. Stir in enough of the remaining flour to form a soft, pliable dough. Form into a ball and place in a large bowl lightly greased with olive oil. Cover and let rise until doubled in bulk.
Punch down the dough and knead in the oregano and pepper. Form into a ball and place in a large bowl lightly greased with olive oil. Cover and let rise until doubled in bulk.
Punch down the dough and knead in the tomatoes and swiss cheese. Form into two loaves, and place on a lightly greased cookie to rise one last time. When doubled in bulk, bake at 375 for 35-40 until golden brown and hollow sounding when thumped.
Notes-This is not quite as spicy or chewy as the original (Great Harvest Bread Company) However it does have a fine grained crumb and the olive oil in the background is an exceptional note. I actually prefer my version especially because it has more cheese. Like the original this makes fabulous toast made even better by more swiss cheese chunks to toast and melt. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!
1 1/2 cups warm water
2 Tablespoons sugar
4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3-4 cups flour
2 Tablespoons good quality olive oil
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1 1/2 oz sun dried tomatoes snipped into small bits
8 oz swiss cheese cut into 3/4 inch chunks
Dissolve the sugar in the water. Sprinkle on the yeast and allow to bloom. Stir in 1 cup of the flour, the salt and olive oil. Stir in enough of the remaining flour to form a soft, pliable dough. Form into a ball and place in a large bowl lightly greased with olive oil. Cover and let rise until doubled in bulk.
Punch down the dough and knead in the oregano and pepper. Form into a ball and place in a large bowl lightly greased with olive oil. Cover and let rise until doubled in bulk.
Punch down the dough and knead in the tomatoes and swiss cheese. Form into two loaves, and place on a lightly greased cookie to rise one last time. When doubled in bulk, bake at 375 for 35-40 until golden brown and hollow sounding when thumped.
Notes-This is not quite as spicy or chewy as the original (Great Harvest Bread Company) However it does have a fine grained crumb and the olive oil in the background is an exceptional note. I actually prefer my version especially because it has more cheese. Like the original this makes fabulous toast made even better by more swiss cheese chunks to toast and melt. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!
Sunday, September 17, 2006
Wuss for the Cure
Every year I contribute to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Research Foundation's Race for the Cure. It's usually on a Saturday and my job keeps me from participating in any other way. This year it was on a Sunday and I convinced my wonderful husband to get up extra early and come out to do the Race with me.
I haven't been feeling well lately so I opted for the 1 mile family walk (Wuss for the Cure) as opposed to the 5k run/walk (Race) Also participating with us was my sister Lora Ferguson, my nephew Jacob Sisco, my neice in law Melissa Long my grand"daughter" Baylee and actually running in the 5k, my brother in law Don Ferguson. Due to a back injury my sister Cate Sisco Slept in for the Cure and good friend Brandi Davis might have had a little too much fun at a party the night before and also Slept in for the Cure. Together we were Team Piece of Cake.
Sunday morning dawned and after a nourishing breakfast of black currant yogurt topped with cranberry almond crunch and approximately 400 phone calls to find out who was going and where we were meeting, we arrived at Robert's Stadium parking lot to wait for the rest of the team and lament that we hadn't brought any coffee.
And I got up at 6 am to wait for your family in a parking lot?
It seemed like forever before Lora and Don arrived and of course Melissa and Jacob hadn't even left their houses. Everyone did get there before the last bus left, so in the end it was fine.
Lora Ferguson, the first of our team to arrive, with Baylee the last of our team to arrive.
Yes, that is Melissa taking off her shirt in a public parking lot. She says she can do the same with undies.
Here is Jacob, the only one of us with enough sense to preregister for the Race.
There wasn't anyone handy to get all of us and Don had run off already but Jacob took this photo of all the Pink Shirts on Team Piece of Cake.
Don left on one of the earlier buses but the rest of us wanted to sit together. So after everyone who was going to get there (remember Brandi may or may not have had too much 'fun' the night before.) got there we headed off to the big, yellow school bus which I forgot to take a photo of.
Baylee, who is just one year old had never ridden on a school bus before.
Karl, who is British, hadn't either.
The bus dropped us off a short distance from the actual race and we had to walk the rest of the way.
The crowds were unbelievable. It's hard to imagine that so many people could care enough to get their butts out of bed on a Sunday but they were there. In fact over 13,000 people participated in the Race this year.
We managed to find Don almost immediately in spite of the huge crowds. (Most likely because he's hilariously tall and skinny and was wearing a bright red shirt with a cake on it)
Grandpa Don (who actually RAN in the 5k) holding Baylee, who Strolled for the Cure.
After finding Don we headed off to late registration to get our T'Shirts and Race bibs.
If you've never done a Race this is the part that is hard. You pay your $25 for the privelage of a white shirt with the Race logo, a racer's number and in addition you can pin bright pink In Celebration or in Memory of placards onto your shirt to tell people who you are Racing for. You look around you and there are women in special pink Survivior t'shirts. Some of them don't have any hair, some of them are carrying signs that say "10 years" or "6 years". Over to the right is a group of people wearing matching T'shirts that proclaim the name of a woman they are racing in memory of. Then you think of some woman that you know and love, maybe more than one woman that you know and love, and if you're lucky you put her name on a In Celebration of instead of In Memory of and pin it to your back.
This is my first year racing. I didn't know that it was gonna make me cry. But I did and so did Lora and so did Melissa and when I asked my husband if it would be okay to carry his parents names with me too I could feel his sadness. I was fortunate to carry the name of two survivors with me. However being at the Race for the Cure brought back what they had gone through to become survivors.
I also discovered the night before the Race, that my Aunt Judy, who is on her second round with breast cancer, has been diagnosed with Lupus and a degenerative bone disorder. Carrying her name with me felt like an extraordinary responsibility and honor.
We got ourselves registered, dried our tears and Team Piece of Cake
waited for 9:30 and the start of the 5k race. Again, the amount of people participating was stunning. We tried to see Don but despite the hilariously tall and thin thing and the red shirt, lost him in the crowd.
Baylee and Melissa looking for Grandpa Don
and Karl foiling one of Baylee's escape attempts.
The 5k is the bigger part of Race day and literally thousands of runners and walkers pass through the opening gate. An announcer calls out team names and the names of Survivors as they pass. After the majority of the 5k-ers pass they let the ones walking in the 1 mile Family Walk line up at their start.
This is Karl heading towards the starting line.
And we're off!
The 1 Mile course takes you from the back of Eastland mall past Macy's and around the front almost to JC Penney's.
We decided about 3/4 of the way through that we all could have walked the 5k.
In fact it was an easy walk and a beautiful day for it.
The people in front of us.
The people behind us.
Apparently a few others agreed
For the last leg of the race we let Baylee out of her stroller to walk. She was initially way more interested in the flowers than actually walking anywhere. With Grandma Lora on one side and Mommy on the other she decided it was ok to go, go, go!
Which was a good thing because we were almost at the end where you get to be attacked by the big, pink, balloon arch.
All in all it was a great experience and if they continue to have it on Sunday then I will continue to Wuss or Race depending on my health at the time.
I haven't been feeling well lately so I opted for the 1 mile family walk (Wuss for the Cure) as opposed to the 5k run/walk (Race) Also participating with us was my sister Lora Ferguson, my nephew Jacob Sisco, my neice in law Melissa Long my grand"daughter" Baylee and actually running in the 5k, my brother in law Don Ferguson. Due to a back injury my sister Cate Sisco Slept in for the Cure and good friend Brandi Davis might have had a little too much fun at a party the night before and also Slept in for the Cure. Together we were Team Piece of Cake.
Sunday morning dawned and after a nourishing breakfast of black currant yogurt topped with cranberry almond crunch and approximately 400 phone calls to find out who was going and where we were meeting, we arrived at Robert's Stadium parking lot to wait for the rest of the team and lament that we hadn't brought any coffee.
And I got up at 6 am to wait for your family in a parking lot?
It seemed like forever before Lora and Don arrived and of course Melissa and Jacob hadn't even left their houses. Everyone did get there before the last bus left, so in the end it was fine.
Lora Ferguson, the first of our team to arrive, with Baylee the last of our team to arrive.
Yes, that is Melissa taking off her shirt in a public parking lot. She says she can do the same with undies.
Here is Jacob, the only one of us with enough sense to preregister for the Race.
There wasn't anyone handy to get all of us and Don had run off already but Jacob took this photo of all the Pink Shirts on Team Piece of Cake.
Don left on one of the earlier buses but the rest of us wanted to sit together. So after everyone who was going to get there (remember Brandi may or may not have had too much 'fun' the night before.) got there we headed off to the big, yellow school bus which I forgot to take a photo of.
Baylee, who is just one year old had never ridden on a school bus before.
Karl, who is British, hadn't either.
The bus dropped us off a short distance from the actual race and we had to walk the rest of the way.
The crowds were unbelievable. It's hard to imagine that so many people could care enough to get their butts out of bed on a Sunday but they were there. In fact over 13,000 people participated in the Race this year.
We managed to find Don almost immediately in spite of the huge crowds. (Most likely because he's hilariously tall and skinny and was wearing a bright red shirt with a cake on it)
Grandpa Don (who actually RAN in the 5k) holding Baylee, who Strolled for the Cure.
After finding Don we headed off to late registration to get our T'Shirts and Race bibs.
If you've never done a Race this is the part that is hard. You pay your $25 for the privelage of a white shirt with the Race logo, a racer's number and in addition you can pin bright pink In Celebration or in Memory of placards onto your shirt to tell people who you are Racing for. You look around you and there are women in special pink Survivior t'shirts. Some of them don't have any hair, some of them are carrying signs that say "10 years" or "6 years". Over to the right is a group of people wearing matching T'shirts that proclaim the name of a woman they are racing in memory of. Then you think of some woman that you know and love, maybe more than one woman that you know and love, and if you're lucky you put her name on a In Celebration of instead of In Memory of and pin it to your back.
This is my first year racing. I didn't know that it was gonna make me cry. But I did and so did Lora and so did Melissa and when I asked my husband if it would be okay to carry his parents names with me too I could feel his sadness. I was fortunate to carry the name of two survivors with me. However being at the Race for the Cure brought back what they had gone through to become survivors.
I also discovered the night before the Race, that my Aunt Judy, who is on her second round with breast cancer, has been diagnosed with Lupus and a degenerative bone disorder. Carrying her name with me felt like an extraordinary responsibility and honor.
We got ourselves registered, dried our tears and Team Piece of Cake
waited for 9:30 and the start of the 5k race. Again, the amount of people participating was stunning. We tried to see Don but despite the hilariously tall and thin thing and the red shirt, lost him in the crowd.
Baylee and Melissa looking for Grandpa Don
and Karl foiling one of Baylee's escape attempts.
The 5k is the bigger part of Race day and literally thousands of runners and walkers pass through the opening gate. An announcer calls out team names and the names of Survivors as they pass. After the majority of the 5k-ers pass they let the ones walking in the 1 mile Family Walk line up at their start.
This is Karl heading towards the starting line.
And we're off!
The 1 Mile course takes you from the back of Eastland mall past Macy's and around the front almost to JC Penney's.
We decided about 3/4 of the way through that we all could have walked the 5k.
In fact it was an easy walk and a beautiful day for it.
The people in front of us.
The people behind us.
Apparently a few others agreed
For the last leg of the race we let Baylee out of her stroller to walk. She was initially way more interested in the flowers than actually walking anywhere. With Grandma Lora on one side and Mommy on the other she decided it was ok to go, go, go!
Which was a good thing because we were almost at the end where you get to be attacked by the big, pink, balloon arch.
All in all it was a great experience and if they continue to have it on Sunday then I will continue to Wuss or Race depending on my health at the time.
Thursday, September 14, 2006
Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrggggghhhhhh!!!!! I'm a PIRATE!
Your pirate name is:
Black Jack Rackham
Like anyone confronted with the harshness of robbery on the high seas, you can be pessimistic at times. You have the good fortune of having a good name, since Rackham (pronounced RACKem, not rack-ham) is one of the coolest sounding surnames for a pirate. Arr!
Black Jack Rackham
Like anyone confronted with the harshness of robbery on the high seas, you can be pessimistic at times. You have the good fortune of having a good name, since Rackham (pronounced RACKem, not rack-ham) is one of the coolest sounding surnames for a pirate. Arr!
Arrrrrrrr
My pirate name is: Dirty Bess Kidd
You're the pirate everyone else wants to throw in the ocean -- not to get rid of you, you understand; just to get rid of the smell. Even though you're not always the traditional swaggering gallant, your steadiness and planning make you a fine, reliable pirate. Arr!
You're the pirate everyone else wants to throw in the ocean -- not to get rid of you, you understand; just to get rid of the smell. Even though you're not always the traditional swaggering gallant, your steadiness and planning make you a fine, reliable pirate. Arr!
Monday, September 04, 2006
On vegetable broth...
I keep a gallon zippie bag in my freezer. Every time I peel a vegetable (except potatoes) snap a pea or bean or cut the end off a tomato or squash I toss these normally discarded bits into the bag. When it's full I plop the frozen veggies into what I think of as my pretty big pan. I then fill it with water, bring it to a boil and let it go for anywhere for 1/2 an hour to an hour depending on how distracted I am whilst making it. After I notice it again I strain the vegetable broth into one of my gallon pitchers. I return all the cooked once veggies back to the pot, fill with water and repeat. I do let this second brew cook slightly longer because it kinda seems like you should have to. (Although I've never scientifically tested this.) I strain this batch into the second of my gallon pitchers (You could use large bowls if you don't happen to own gallon pitchers or both of them are filled with Kool Aid or iced tea.) Toss the veggies, (if you have one, put it on the compost pile) wash the pan out, combine both (approximate) gallons of veggie broth and allow to cool.
Once the broth is cool enough to handle, I place 1 and 2 cup amounts in quart size zippie bags, (Label them before you start) place the bags flat in the freezer and let them freeze solid. I also fill standard muffin cups with 1/3 cup of the broth freeze these solid then pop them into a gallon baggie for when I just need a wee bit of broth.
Some things that I've put in the bag-Asparagus ends, bean and pea snap offs, celery tops, carrot peels and trims, mushroom stems, tomato tops, zucchini and yellow squash trimmings, onion peels and tops, garlic peels, lemon peels (from when you've juiced a lemon, but I wouldn't go overboard) trimmings from broccoli and cauliflower (again not too many) cabbage cores, I've even used lettuce leaves.
Basically any non starchy and not too 'strong veggie'
What I would avoid-Potato peels or trimmings, beets (too staining) brussels sprouts, corn cobs, excessive amounts of any strong smelling or tasting veggie like fennel or raab.
I do know of people who will toss their leftover dinner veggies and the juice from canned veggies. I tend to avoid this as I like butter on vegetables and I really don't eat a lot of canned veggies.
"What's the point?" you may ask. Several things. I use a lot of broth in my cooking. A can of vegetable broth costs about 79 cents. For the cost of the zippie bags, 2 gallons(ish) of water, enough gas to boil it up and a bit of time, I can get the equivalent of 16 cans of vegetable broth. (If you do the math that's about $1.25 instead of $12.64) It's also a delicious, high quality broth with no added salt.
I can control portion size more easily than canned broth. A can of vegetable broth is about 15 oz (close to 2 cups) I don't always need 2 cups of broth and I often waste the remainder of the can. I have good intentions but the can sits in the fridge until it ferments or spills on the eggs, sometimes both.
I also like the idea of further using something that would normally just get pitched. Back in the days when I had more time I did pitch the spent veggies onto the compost heap. In turn the compost went into my pathetic garden which provided me with at least a few new veggie peels and trims to put in the zippie bag. That's a cycle I can get behind.
Oh, and I have a freezer to store the equivalent of 16 cans of vegetable broth, so it's also practical for me.
For me making my own broth makes sense. It's a money saver. For me it's also a time saver because I am forever forgetting to buy it and then having to run back to the store for it. Finally it's my little stand against the throw away society we live in. Reduce, reuse, recycle and eat well.
Once the broth is cool enough to handle, I place 1 and 2 cup amounts in quart size zippie bags, (Label them before you start) place the bags flat in the freezer and let them freeze solid. I also fill standard muffin cups with 1/3 cup of the broth freeze these solid then pop them into a gallon baggie for when I just need a wee bit of broth.
Some things that I've put in the bag-Asparagus ends, bean and pea snap offs, celery tops, carrot peels and trims, mushroom stems, tomato tops, zucchini and yellow squash trimmings, onion peels and tops, garlic peels, lemon peels (from when you've juiced a lemon, but I wouldn't go overboard) trimmings from broccoli and cauliflower (again not too many) cabbage cores, I've even used lettuce leaves.
Basically any non starchy and not too 'strong veggie'
What I would avoid-Potato peels or trimmings, beets (too staining) brussels sprouts, corn cobs, excessive amounts of any strong smelling or tasting veggie like fennel or raab.
I do know of people who will toss their leftover dinner veggies and the juice from canned veggies. I tend to avoid this as I like butter on vegetables and I really don't eat a lot of canned veggies.
"What's the point?" you may ask. Several things. I use a lot of broth in my cooking. A can of vegetable broth costs about 79 cents. For the cost of the zippie bags, 2 gallons(ish) of water, enough gas to boil it up and a bit of time, I can get the equivalent of 16 cans of vegetable broth. (If you do the math that's about $1.25 instead of $12.64) It's also a delicious, high quality broth with no added salt.
I can control portion size more easily than canned broth. A can of vegetable broth is about 15 oz (close to 2 cups) I don't always need 2 cups of broth and I often waste the remainder of the can. I have good intentions but the can sits in the fridge until it ferments or spills on the eggs, sometimes both.
I also like the idea of further using something that would normally just get pitched. Back in the days when I had more time I did pitch the spent veggies onto the compost heap. In turn the compost went into my pathetic garden which provided me with at least a few new veggie peels and trims to put in the zippie bag. That's a cycle I can get behind.
Oh, and I have a freezer to store the equivalent of 16 cans of vegetable broth, so it's also practical for me.
For me making my own broth makes sense. It's a money saver. For me it's also a time saver because I am forever forgetting to buy it and then having to run back to the store for it. Finally it's my little stand against the throw away society we live in. Reduce, reuse, recycle and eat well.
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