Tag Archives: food

Canning, Dinner, Food Storage, Lunch, Preserving, Pressure, Recipe

Home Canned Meat

Leave a comment

Canning meat at home is one of the easiest canning you will ever do! The only special items you need are a pressure canner (not a pressure cooker), jars and pickling salt. If you want to keep canning after you try this, I would also suggest a tool set. I will be including links to these items on Amazon but, aside from the pressure canner, you can get most of these at a local store. This is the picture I took at Ace Hardware. LOOK AT ALL OF THESE GOODIES! I have never seen so many canning supplies in person! There were so many I ended up buying more than I intended (they had 1/2 gallon jars!!!!).

20200312_105638

This is my pressure canner.

Presto Canner
It’s a Presto 16-quart pressure canner and holds 7 quart jars (16 quarts is the total liquid the pot holds). There are times I wish I had a bigger one but it would make it too heavy to move around if I did have a bigger one (which means, maybe, I should get a second one). Now, even though mine isn’t the largest, it IS heavy. You cannot use canners on glass top stoves! If that’s what you have, you could use them on a stable/secured turkey fryer base (you don’t want it tipping over), a propane grill, or a tabletop electric burner (as long as it can handle the weight). You need your heat source to be easily adjustable, so wood or charcoal would be much more difficult.

Pickling Salt
Pickling salt: why do you need this? Well, table salt has iodine and anti-caking agents (which can change the color of the foods and leave liquids cloudy), whereas pickling salt is just that: salt. Officially, this is the only salt you can use for canning. Unofficially, I have used kosher salt and never had any issues.

Now, you will need jars. For meats, I like to use pint or 12-ounce jelly jars. They are perfect for a meal (or adding just a little meat to a dish). Every grocery store I have been to in my area has canning jars but if your stores don’t, here’s a link to the best deal I found on Amazon. You don’t need anything fancy. How many jars will you need? It depends on how much meat you want to can. Roughly 1 pound of raw meat will fit in a pint jar.

Print Recipe

Home Canned Meats

Author: brendanolen Cuisine: Courses:

Description

Canning meats at home is simple once you have all of the right tools.

Ingredients

Home Canned Meats

Instructions

Instructions

  1. Wash jars and lids.
  2. Cut meat into cubes.
  3. Place in a clean jar, packing the meat down to ensure there are no air pockets. Continue to fill, leaving 1 inch of space between the meat and the rim of the jar.
  4. Pour 1/2 – 1 teaspoon of pickling salt on top of meat (amount of salt depends on your tastes).
  5. Pour some vinegar on a paper towel and wipe the rim of the jar (this is to ensure there is no residual fat or liquids from the meat). Place lid on top of the jar, then screw on the ring. Do not over tighten the ring or it will be virtually impossible to remove later.
  6. Process in your pressure canner for the amount of time required (I am at sea level, so I process at roughly 12-15 pounds pressure for 90 minutes). Remember to add about 1 tablespoon of vinegar to your water to prevent mineral buildup on your jars.
  7. Turn off heat and allow the natural release of pressure (let sit until the pressure gauge is at 0).
  8. Remove jars from canner, placing them on a towel. Let them cool (and seal).
  9. Remove the rings, wash the jars with soapy water, write the contents and date on the lid, then store in a cool, dark place.
  10. As long as the seals hold, these should last for at least a year.
Bread, Recipe

Challah

4 Comments

The first loaf of bread I ever made was challah.  I had to be … maybe 12 years old?  I don’t remember the exact age but do remember where we were living (so that narrows down the time frame a bit).  I also remember that beautiful loaf of bread.  It was gorgeous and HUGE!  I was so proud!  Well, until I cut into that dark golden crust to find raw dough (just about an inch of the dough had cooked … the rest was raw as can be).  That was also the last time I made bread until I was an adult.  I’ve made bread that resembled a chunk of concrete to bread that resembled a dried glob of glue but I was determined.  It’s taken me many years of trial and error to figure out exactly how long to knead and  how much flour/liquid to add to obtain the right consistency.   I’m very happy with my bread making skills (I’ve worked hard for them 🙂 ).

So, while trying to figure out a way to pay back my neighbor for finishing off the front yard that we started whacking on Valentine’s Day, I decided on challah.  I have been wanting to make it so long and this time (yes, this was the first time I had made it since that day too many years ago) it was beautiful (and edible)! I used a recipe I had written down and stuffed in my binder of recipes.  I have no idea when I wrote this down or who it was who originally shared it (may have been a friend who lives in Israel) BUT I discovered (while doing my favorite activity … searching the internet) a woman who pretty much uses the same recipe on You Tube!  The recipe she uses makes 4 huge loaves.  The recipe I have makes 6 standard loaves (so, just cut the dough into 6 pieces instead of 4 and you are good, unless you have a large family or are making this to take somewhere).

So, here is the playlist of her videos, plus a couple more.  The first video is an amazing demonstration of various ways to form/braid rolls and loaves.  I just sat there with my jaw open, in shock that there are so many different ways to manipulate the dough!  The second is a woman demonstrating the various braiding methods for loaves: from 3 strands up to 9 strands.

AND here’s my bread:

I cut the dough into 6 sections and made 4 loaves.
I cut the dough into 6 sections and made 4 loaves.

See that ugly loaf?  That’s what happens when you forget to grease your loaf pans!  Here’s a close-up:

The bottom of the loaf stuck like crazy to the pan.
The bottom of the loaf stuck like crazy to the pan.

So, those took care of four of the dough chunks and this is what I did with the other two.  I cut each of them into 6 sections and made sandwich rolls out of them.  Now, these look beautiful but I cooked them way too long.  That’s what happens when you turn the timer off (because they weren’t quite brown enough) and then proceed to talk to the neighbor about how her grandson is doing.

3 of these large rolls is the equivalent to one loaf.
3 of these large rolls is the equivalent to one loaf.

And here’s the recipe I used:

Print Recipe

Challah (Braided Bread)

Author: brendanolen Cuisine: Courses: , ,
Difficulty: Intermediate

Ingredients

For Bread:

For Egg Wash:

Instructions

  1. In a large bowl (remember, enough dough for 6 loaves of bread), pour in the warm water (How warm?  I test on my wrist: if it doesn’t make me flinch, it’s good.  For more specifics, check out this web page: Yeast Is Fussy About Temperature) and whisk in the yeast and sugar (I use Saf-Instant.  I don’t bake a lot  so once opened, I store it in the freezer.  I have had the most consistent results from this yeast even when it has expired).  Let sit in a warm spot until it looks like a layer of foam is across the top of the liquid.
  2. In a smaller bowl, break the eggs into it and whisk in the salt and oil.  Once the yeast is ready (proofed), whisk the egg mixture into the yeast until everything is well incorporated and you can’t see chunk of egg.  Now, for the fun part: adding the flour.
  3. Using a large spoon, stir the flour (1 to 2 cups at a time) into the liquid.  Keep doing this until it feels like your arm is going to fall off (I tried making large batches of dough like this when I had a working Kitchen Aid mixer … it wasn’t pretty and is probably what lead to it dying).  Then, on a large surface (counter top, kitchen table, whatever will work as long as it is sturdy) sprinkle about 1/4 cup or so of flour and turn your dough out onto the floured surface.  Time to knead in more flour.
  4. This is where I used to mess up.  When a recipe called for X-amount of flour, I used it all.  The amount of flour you use depends on so many factors from the humidity in your house to the size of the eggs you use to what kind of flour you are using that you need to pay attention to how the dough is behaving to determine how much flour you really use for a certain recipe.  I typically add (to the bowl) all but the last two or so cups, then add more flour while I knead.
  5. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
  6. When the dough is ready place in an oiled bowl (I don’t have one large enough so I used my stock pot), cover with plastic wrap or a towel (I usually wet a towel with hot water, wring it out, and cover the bowl with it if I’m using a container that doesn’t like plastic wrap) and let rise until doubled (1 to 2 hours, depending on how warm your house is).  Once it is risen, punch the dough down and place it onto a very lightly floured surface.  Knead just a bit so you can form a nice ball, then separate into sections to make loaves or rolls.
  7. Now, get the egg wash ready.  In a small bowl, beat the egg with the water and vanilla (if you are using it).
  8. Each one of the loaves I did a 6-strand braid and the rolls were two strands each.  You can shape the dough however you want. Once shaped, brush with the egg wash and sprinkle with sesame seeds (if using).  Let the loaves rise until nearly doubled (1 or 2 hours).  Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the loaves are a deep golden brown.  Each one of my loaves were baked for 25 to 30 minutes and, because I got distracted, the rolls probably went for about 40 minutes.
Keywords: bread, braid, braided, enriched,
Journal

Amazing Update – Our Bodies are Truly Amazing

3 Comments

January of 2010, as I have noted before, I was rushed to the E.R. I had developed an allergy to scallops, which branched out to all fish/seafood, then to latex, then to certain chemicals, etc. Two months later, I was diagnosed with not only type-2 diabetes but my Vitamin D levels were in the single digits. I worked on the diabetes and started taking Vitamin D supplements but I read that many adult-onset allergies can be “outgrown”. I told hubby that I would test myself in 5 years.


Fast forward to Monday of last week. I was sitting here, thinking, and then a realization hit. I hadn’t had to wear a face mask in public in about 4 months. I also hadn’t had to wear one when working outside in the yard. So, I decided to test myself. See, in 2010, when we were scouring the house of all fish-related products, we tested Worcestershire sauce. I put a little on my finger, touched my tongue, and was immediately hit with an itching wave that shot down my tongue, into my throat. I performed this test on Monday of this past week and nothing happened. So, I decided to try some actual fish.


As of this moment, July 25, 2014 at 3:40 pm, it has been an hour since I ate a grilled tuna steak and having NO REACTION WHATSOEVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OMG! I just realized I can now start posting fish recipes! 🙂


Next test (next pay day) … shrimp. That’s what I miss the most. AND I may be able to handle it. My allergy to fish had gotten so bad that just walking near the aquariums in Bass Pro Shops made be unable to breathe last year and today I shoved my nose (not literally) into a bag of fresh mussels and had no reaction. I can’t tell you how thrilled I am! I’ll go measure myself and post my number on my stats page (I bought my first new pair of shorts and they are a comfortably loose 32 inch waist) and am 2 pounds down from last week (164 pounds).

Canning, Dinner, Food Storage, Low Carb, Lunch, Preserving, Pressure, Recipe, Supplies

Homemade Corned Beef

Leave a comment

I can’t believe I didn’t post about this!  I made homemade corned beef last year, leaving out the sugar and the pink salt, and it was fantastic!  I thought, well, I could make this, then can it so I know exactly where it came from and what was in it.  I haven’t gotten around to canning this because it usually doesn’t last that long!

Anyway, if you are interested (I wanted to see if I could and I did), here is how I did it:

Print Recipe

Homemade Corned Beef

Author: brendanolen Cuisine: Courses: ,
Difficulty: Beginner
Servings: 12

Description

It’s so much easier than I thought!

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. To Cure:

    Mix all of the other ingredients, ensuring the salts dissolve.

    Remove as much fat as you want, leaving a minimum of roughly 1/4 to 1/8 inch.

    Place your meat and the brine in a container that will allow the meat to remain submerged. Submerging the meat is key to proper curing. Exposure to air introduces bacteria. I prefer plastic freezer bags. This allows me to actually remove all of the air and turn the meat with less mess.

    Place the container in the refrigerator for a minimum of 5 days, with 7 being preferred. Turn once per day. Now, it’s ready to cook or freeze.

     

  1. To Cook:

    Place the meat in a large pot along with enough hot water to cover it by at least 1″ and put the lid on. Turn the heat to medium, bring to a low simmer and keep it simmering for 30 minutes. If you boil it, it will get tough and shrink. Beware that the meat is cold, so when it warms the water will slowly move from simmer to boil. Keep an eye on it and try not to let it boil.

    After 30 minutes, dump out the water and cover 1″ over the meat with fresh hot water. Bring to a low simmer again, this time for 3 hours or until it is fork tender. Keep the meat submerged with a small plate.

    For Corned Beef and Cabbage dinner, remove the meat and let it rest. Now add sliced carrots, potatoes, and cabbage to the cooking liquid. Simmer until the carrots are tender.  

    Slice the meat across the grain and serve.

Keywords: corned, beef, brisket, pastrami, home, made

And here is how to can it (ever since I canned that chicken, I prefer raw canning meats):

http://canninggranny.blogspot.com/2011/05/canning-corned-beef-brisket.html

There you go!  Give it a shot (even if you only do one).  It really wasn’t as difficult as my brain said it would be!

Fitness, Journal

What is Wrong With “Normal” Foods?

2 Comments

I may not be the most “natural” eater (I do use supplements and Whey protein, after all) but I don’t understand some of the ingredients that are “must haves”. I’ve been reading (yes, mostly reading since I’m so out of shape) about health and fitness for most of my life (We recently started watching “The Shield” from the beginning of the series and right there in the 3rd or 4th season was Cory Everson and I just about died. I looked at my husband and exclaimed, “Wait until I show you who that is!”. Then I dragged him to the computer and showed him her Ms. Olympia-era pictures.) So, that proves how long I’ve been reading! Anyway, it seems like every two to three years, a magical, miracle food shows up with claims that it will revolutionize your fat loss, your muscle gains, your health and wellness, or some other claim. Most of them I either wanted desperately (who wouldn’t want an easy, no exercise needed fat loss supplement?) or totally discounted because the claims were just too outlandish.


One of my favorite pieces in Muscle and Fitness magazine (I truly hated “Muscle and Fitness Hers”) was just inside the back cover when they would bash themselves for the stories published in the past about everything from exercise, food/supplements, and clothing fads. Who doesn’t still giggle at the brightly colored spandex, headbands, and mullets?


Well, now that so many people are either going low carbohydrate in one way or another (or gluten free), I’ve been seeing a lot of recipes with the latest miracle foods: flax, quinoa and chia seeds. I typically just bypass those recipes just because they include the “it” foods of the day (yeah, I’m such a rebel).
 
While I have done my best to include flax in my diet (I can’t pass up the Omega fatty acids since I am unable to eat any seafood). I hate it. I tolerate it as long as I can’t really taste it. The first full-blown recipes I tried were MIMs – Muffin In a Minute. The first one was a cinnamon muffin. It was awful! I hated the flavor and boy, did it bound me up! The next one I tried was a chocolate muffin. That one tasted great and, since I had that intestinal issue with the first one, I sliced it and didn’t scarf the entire muffin in one sitting. My mouth’s initial reaction: What flax meal? BUT if you are on a low carbohydrate diet, have you looked at the nutritional breakdown of the basic muffin? Whether you do net carbs or not, one muffin contains 12.7 grams (9.3 grams fiber). If you are limiting your carbohydrate intake to 20 grams per day, you just blew most of them on one muffin! I think I’ll stick with adding it to my protein powder shake. Plus, with it adding only 3 grams carbohydrates (3 grams fiber) and 3 grams of protein in two tablespoons per day, that’s not bad!

Next is quinoa. I have not tried it and probably will not (no, I take that back. I tried an ancient grain tortilla with quinoa, amaranth, flax and other grains I can’t remember. It was alright but the carbohydrate count was still too high for me). Quinoa is the magical Andean grain that will give you everything you need to stay healthy, right? Well, yes, as long as that’s pretty much all you eat. If you look into the diet of those who have been eating it the longest, you will see this is a staple of their diet (little meat, whatever vegetables they can get, and quinoa). Well, it was until it was more expensive for them to eat it than to sell it. Now, their health is beginning to suffer because this miracle grain is a “must-have” for those who are in with the in-crowd. Another thing to consider is the nutritional content of quinoa. Yes, it has 8 grams of protein per cup of cooked quinoa but in that cup of quinoa is also 39 grams of carbohydrates.

The next is chia seeds. Every single time I see this in a recipe, the song from the Chia Pet commercial goes through my head. I had never considered this a food because of those dang commercials. I thought it was interesting, but that was it. That is, until I began reading about it. I’m intrigued, especially since this (and the flax) I can grow here (which is always a bonus for me). I tried growing maca but I guess everything about my region is wrong (I’m in Central California). I really like plants that have more than one purpose (more edible/medicinal parts) and all I’ve been able to find on leaf usage is as a medicinal tea. If anyone has any more information, I would love to see it. From what I read, it’s suggested that you only consume 2 to 3 Tablespoons per day but it gives a powerful nutritional punch! In two Tablespoons, there are 12 grams carbohydrate (10 grams fiber) and 4.7 grams of protein. It seems hefty on the carbohydrates but with all the other nutritional benefits, this one just may be worth it! Here’s a great article on the health benefits: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/super-seed-the-case-for-chia.html. I haven’t quite jumped on the band wagon but it can’t hurt to buy a chia pet if it’s majorly on sale! 🙂


After writing all of this (and second guessing myself on chia seeds) I really think it’s important to get as much of our macros (protein, carbohydrate, fat) from as much whole food as possible and make the wisest choices for ourselves. If I could eat seafood, you can bet your bottom dollar I would rather have salmon over this stuff any day of the week!

Bread, Recipe

Plain-Old White Bread (with variations)

Leave a comment

I adapted this recipe from The Good Housekeeping Illustrated American Cookbook but you can basically take any recipe for white bread and substitute water for the milk.  You end up with something closer to white bread from the store (without all the extra garbage).  This recipe makes 2 loaves.

Ingredients:

  • 3 Tablespoons sugar (any sugar will do as long as it IS sugar and not a sugar substitute)
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 package dry active yeast (2 1/2 teaspoons)
  • 5 1/2 to 6 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (you can substitute up to half the flour with any other kind of flour and still end up with a good tasting bread)
  • 2 cups warm water
  • 3 Tablespoons butter

Put the yeast into a bowl and mix in about 1/2 cup of the warm water (for specifics on temperature, go here http://www.cookistry.com/2011/01/technique-water-temperature-for-yeast.html. I turn on my hot water, which gets very hot, then turn it down just until I can stand it.).  I then place this on top (above the vent) of my still on drip coffee maker.  No matter what I’ve tried, this seems to get the yeast going faster than anything else I’ve tried.  If you don’t have a warm place like this, it just takes a little longer (maybe placing a towel over it to hold in the warmth will help it move along faster).  Leave it there until it is bubbling.  Now, before it actually ever really did anything I had no idea what people were talking about when they said to proof the yeast.

This is what I thought it was supposed to look like:

But this is what is is supposed to look like:

This was my first breakthrough.  The second was the warm required for all processes of rising.

While the yeast is proofing, heat the rest of the water with the butter, just until the butter is melted (can be done in the microwave or on the stove top).

Mix 2 cups of flour with the salt, sugar, water/butter and yeast mixture.  Mix until there is no sign of flour or lumps (this was my second breakthrough and helps IMMENSELY when NOT using a Kitchen Aide mixer, since mine died about a year ago).  It’s almost like this gives you a head start on kneading the dough (which helps your hands, later on).  Continue mixing, adding one cup at a time until the dough no longer sticks to your finger when you touch it (if using a Kitchen Aide) or if mixing by hand, it’s much easier to incorporate the rest of the flour while kneading on a table or counter top.  If you haven’t done so already, generously flour your table or counter top with flour and turn out your dough.  I have always found it helpful to have a flat scraper (like this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:BenchScraper.JPG) to scrape up any dough that sticks to your work surface so you don’t waste anything.

Now, about kneading your dough.  If you use a Kitchen Aide (or even a bread machine), you REALLY don’t have to worry about this.  The machine does it all for you.  All you need to do is just make sure there are no overly wet spots left.

If you are hand kneading (which I struggled with for years), there’s a bit of a technique to it so you don’t end up with a rock for a loaf of bread.  I used to manhandle it, squishing the hell out of it until there was pretty much no life left to it (it would be ugly and look torn by the time I was done).  I now only knead with one hand.  You place the dough on the table, sprinkle it with flour, then fold it in half toward me, then push down with the heel of my hand.  I then turn the dough counter clockwise (doesn’t matter which way but it’s just a quarter turn) and repeat until I’m done and the dough no longer sticks to my hands.  The only way I can describe how it feels when it done is to ask a question: When you were a kid, did you play with Play-Doh?  Remember how it felt when it was warm (just without the slightly greasy feeling)?  That’s how the dough should feel when you are done.  The closest video I could find it this one (wish I had a video camera) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmGawHsRAAk.  It IS more difficult to knead if you add other flours (whole wheat, spelt, etc.) so you will have to use a little more muscle.  Place in a large bowl that has been oiled (I put some oil on a paper towel and rub all but the upper edge of the bowl).  Cover with plastic wrap that has also been rubbed with oil (if the dough rises that high, it WILL stick to plastic wrap, which is quite annoying).  If you don’t have/use plastic wrap, you could cover with a damp towel.  The only problem I have with that is the towel gets cold, which makes the dough take longer to rise.

Now, find the warmest spot in your house to let the dough rise.  This has to be figured out ahead of time so you can prepare the area.  If it’s the dead of winter, who wants to spend all that money cranking up the heat in your house so you can “save money” by making your own bread?  What kind of a heater do you have?  Is there a spot where it enters your house that is warmer than others?  What about where your hot water heater is?  Is it in an enclosed closet?  If you use a wood stove, figure out how close you can get the dough without actually cooking it (it may take some trial and error but it will be well worth it).  If none of those work, how about where you have your electronics?  Behind your refrigerator?  Cover with a whole bunch of blankets just to keep the dough’s warmth in?  OH!  A sub-zero sleeping bag would work!  You just need to keep your dough draft and dust free.

Once it it doubled in size (if you don’t remember, make some indentations in the dough with your fingers.  If they do not spring back, your dough is ready), turn it out onto a floured work surface and knead it just a few times.  Form it into a ball and cut it into two equal pieces.  Set one aside and roll one piece into a rectangle about 12″ by 8″ (or as wide as your dough pan).  If you want to play with your bread, now is the time to do it and it’s all by your tastes and what you prefer:

  • For cinnamon bread, sprinkle (leaving about 1/2″ of the edges free) with brown sugar and cinnamon (for us, I use so much of these two ingredients I can’t see any dough but the edges).  If you want nuts and/or raisins, sprinkle those on.
  • For jalapeno cheese bread, sprinkle grated sharp cheddar and jalapenos on the dough (not too much cheese, though.  This is one of the few times when too much cheese makes something taste nasty).
  • For garlic bread, sprinkle with some minced garlic and grated Parmesan cheese … I think butter would keep the loaf in separate layers, so save that for the top of the loaf when it’s done baking.

Anyway, you get the picture.  You can pretty much do whatever you want so you don’t end up with plain white bread for the rest of your life.  🙂  Now, starting with the short side, roll the dough up (imagine making cinnamon rolls) tight.  Pinch the seam together along the bottom of the roll.  Pinch the ends of the roll together and tuck them under (toward the seam) then place this into the loaf pan.  Repeat for the other half of the dough.  Cover your dough with oiled plastic wrap (treat it the same as the dough in the bowl) and let rise until doubled (about an hour).

When your dough is almost done rising, heat your oven to 400 degrees F.  If you want, brush your risen dough with butter (I usually do this just after pulling the bread out of the oven).  Bake 25 to 30 minutes (the bread will be golden brown and sound hollow when you lightly tap it with something hard, like your knuckle or a spoon).  Let cool just a bit on a raised surface (cooling rack or trivet) then turn the bread out onto a rack and let it cool completely (hard to do the first few times but it’s well worth the wait).

If any of this is unclear, let me know.  I’m typing this as I remember doing it (it’s been a couple of months since I’ve made bread).

Bread, Cake, Recipe

Blueberry Muffins

Leave a comment

O.k.  I was on a mission to find the closest replacement for Costco’s Blueberry Muffins.  I tried 4 or 5 different recipes, with only one being a true bust (I messed with the recipe so much that I threw the whole batch out … the muffins were gummy and I had to scrape them off the muffin liners).  This, right here, is the closest I will ever get because I’m not taking the chance of wasting any more of these delicious blueberries!  This recipe was adapted from here.  Take a look at the picture of the muffins on that page … that’s what these looked like!  Yum!  This recipe would be wonderful baked in loaf pans (maybe to standard-sized) … for about an hour or so.  The texture would be firm enough to slice and make French toast with it (if you are that kind of a person *grin*).

Print Recipe

Blueberry Muffins

Author: brendanolen Cuisine: Courses: ,
Difficulty: Beginner

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375°F with a rack in middle of the oven.

     

    In a mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients—the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

     

    In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar together, until fluffy (easiest and best consistency if using an electric hand mixer or Kitchenaid).  Add the eggs to the mixture one at a time, beating well after each one (at this point, it should look like fluffy frosting).  Now, add the vanilla and mix in well.

     

    Add one third of the dry ingredients to the butter/sugar/egg mixture and beat until just incorporated.  Mix in one third of the yogurt.  Repeat until all the flour and yogurt are mixed in.  Do not over mix (though, for this entire process I used my electric hand mixer and the batter remained light and fluffy, unlike the rocks I ended up with the first time, where I gently mixed in all the ingredients by hand)!

     

    Gently fold the blueberries into the mixture (I found it easiest to sprinkle the frozen berries over the entire surface of the batter, instead of in a giant pile in the center).

     

    Place a muffin liner in each well of the muffin tin, or if you don’t have muffin liners, coat the inside of the muffin tin wells with vegetable oil or butter with a pastry brush or with cooking spray.  Distribute the dough equally among the cups (I use a standard ice cream scoop).  Don’t be afraid to fill them high.

     

    Place in the oven and bake until the muffins are golden brown, about 25 to 30 minutes. Test with a tooth pick to make sure the centers of the muffins are done.  Let the muffins cool in the muffin tin for 5 minutes, then remove them from the tin and let sit on a wire rack for 10 more minutes.  Serve slightly warm.  If you have any left once they are cool, store in a sealed container so they don’t dry out.

Keywords: blueberry, muffin, breakfast, snack, sweet
Bread, Recipe

Tortillas (Corn or Flour)

Leave a comment

I found a web page with instructions for “30 second bread,” which was really just tortillas, although they didn’t call it that.

Tortillas… despite being genetically the whitest person you may know, I grew up eating fresh flour tortillas. No one around ever made corn tortillas at home, and I can understand why. They call for a special corn flour that isn’t readily available in some areas but you can find all-purpose flour everywhere! However, as much as I love fresh flour tortillas, nothing beats fresh corn tortillas! I am lucky enough to live near some Mexican markets that make them fresh every day and I can be seen wandering around the market eating warm tortillas right out of the bag.

I’ll be honest. I have the recipe for making corn tortillas. I tried it once, but they tasted like fried mush. They were nothing like store-bought tortillas. I used the wrong masa (yellow corn meal instead of yellow corn flour). I realized today that the method for making corn tortillas can also work with any grain flour since it doesn’t rely on gluten at all.

Here are the recipes for both flour and corn tortillas. Play around with them. In the picture, those tortillas were made with about 1/3 sprouted grain flour (red and white wheat, with a little barley).

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Print Recipe

Flour Tortillas

Author: brendanolen Cuisine: Courses: , ,
Difficulty: Beginner

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Stir together the flour and salt in a large bowl.  With your fingertips, mix in the shortening (LARD *grin*).  Add the water, working the liquid into the dough until a sticky ball forms (Kitchenaid with a dough hook works wonders).

     

    Dust a counter with flour and knead the dough vigorously for 1 to 2 minutes.  The mixture should be soft but no longer sticky.  Let the dough rest, covered with a damp cloth, for about 15 minutes.  Divide the dough into about 25 balls, coat in shortening, cover them again with the damp cloth, and let them rest for at least 45 minutes longer (this is to allow the gluten to form … if you don’t have the time, it won’t hurt them too much).  **If not for use immediately, the dough can be greased lightly and refrigerated for up to 12 hours.  Bring the dough back to room temperature before proceeding.

     

    Lightly flour your counter.  Flatten a ball with your hand, then roll the dough from the center outward, turn the tortilla a few inches and roll again, attempting to keep the growing circle even.  Roll out the dough into a circle as thin as possible, preferably 1/16 to 1/8 inch thick.  They don’t have to be perfectly round … just make sure you do not have any folds. OR you can use a tortilla press with plastic wrap or oiled parchment paper. These will result in a less-chewy tortilla.

     

    Heat a dry griddle or large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat.  Cook each tortilla 10 seconds on each side, then continue flipping (about 10 seconds on each side) until the dough looks slightly dry and wrinkled with a few brown speckles on the surface.  It helps to use a cloth or paper towel to pop any air bubbles that form but be careful … that steam is HOT!

     

    Place cooked tortillas between on a flat surface, ensuring they do not touch. This will prevent them from sticking together.  Once cool, you can put them into a 1 gallon Ziploc bag and place in the fridge (if you do this while they are still warm, the steam will cause them to become mushy, and nothing’s worse than a mushy tortilla). 

     

    I don’t know how long these will last … they are so good, they are gone in no time!

Keywords: Mexican, flour, tortilla, flat, bread, quick

To see how it’s done (none of the videos I found are the same recipe), here’s a great video:


Flour Tortillas (For Tacos and Burritos)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Print Recipe

Corn Tortillas

Author: brendanolen Cuisine: Courses: ,
Difficulty: Beginner

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. There are two types available in the stores.  One is for tamales, the other is for tortillas.  The difference is the grind.  The masa harina for tortillas is a fine flour, the tamale one is courser but not as course as corn meal.  For authentic tortillas, you cannot use corn flour.  Masa harina is made by taking the dried corn and soaking it in a water/lime solution (to read more about this, go here: What is Masa Harina?).  For any other grain, just grind to a fine flour.

     

    Heat a dry griddle or heavy skillet over medium-high heat.

     

    In a large bowl, mix the ingredients with a sturdy spoon or your hands until the dough is smooth and forms a ball.  The dough should be quite moist but hold its shape.  Add a little more water or masa harina, if needed, to achieve the proper consistency.

     

    Form the dough into 12 balls approximately 1 1/2 inches in diameter.  Cover the balls with plastic wrap to keep them from drying out.  If any of the balls do dry out before cooking, knead more water into them.  Unlike the dough for flour tortillas, this dough can be reworked.

     

    Place one ball of dough in a tortilla press between the two sheets of plastic that are sometimes sold with the tortillas press or two a 1 gallon freezer bag, cut into two sections.  If you don’t have a tortilla press, you can either roll each ball between two sheets of waxed paper or press between two sheets of waxed paper with a heavy, flat bottomed pot (my pressure canner worked great for this). Flatten to about 1/8 inch thick.  Carefully pull the plastic from the tortilla and lay on the hot griddle or skillet.

     

    Cook for 30 seconds, flip over and cook about another minute, flip and cook the first side an additional 30 seconds.  Place the cooked tortillas between two cloth towels until all tortillas are cooked.  Store as above (once cooled, place in a gallon Ziploc bag and store in fridge).

Keywords: Mexican, corn, tortilla, flat, bread, gluten, free

Here’s a video for making corn tortillas (these videos are to show the techniques):
Making Tortillas in Puebla, Mexico

Bread, Breakfast, Desserts, Dough, Recipe

Sweet Dough

Leave a comment

I’ve been using this recipe for about 6 months now and it hasn’t failed me yet.  I got it from my mom’s friend Bernice (who got it from a neighbor when her kids were little … and they are about my age).  I love it!  One note I would like to make:  I have tried substituting Splenda for all (and then part) of the sugar.  They just weren’t the same.  Splenda doesn’t have the same “bite” as sugar.  So, if you can’t have any sugar, just don’t make these.  I haven’t used whole grains yet.  Now that I’m more comfortable with the recipe, I’ll start branching out and maybe substitute some for the all-purpose flour but today I’m making these for other people (a memorial for my dear friend’s mother).

Recipe Card

Print Recipe

Sweet Dough

Author: brendanolen Cuisine: Courses: ,
Difficulty: Intermediate

Description

For pastries, cinnamon rolls, anything sweet.

Ingredients

Instructions

Basic Dough Instructions

  1. Basic Dough Instructions

     

    In a small bowl, mix yeast and water.  Let sit while preparing the milk mixture.

    In a medium saucepan, mix sugar, butter, salt and milk.  Heat just until the butter and sugar melt (stirring continually to prevent scorching).  Pour into a large bowl.  Once lukewarm, beat in the egg and the yeast mixture.  Now, mix in the flour, a cup at a time, until a soft dough forms.  Pour out onto a floured surface and knead until it’s fairly smooth (I don’t knead this as much as bread dough).

    Place in an oiled bowl, cover, and set in a warm place until doubled (about an hour).  Now, form into whatever you decide to make, let rise another hour, then bake at 350 degrees F until slightly brown (about 15 to 20 minutes).

    A friend of mine just suggested this dough could be used to make kolaches.

For Cinnamon Rolls:

  1. For Cinnamon Rolls:

    You need

    • room temperature butter
    • brown sugar
    • cinnamon

    Roll out the dough into a rectangle that is about 1/4 inch thick (the thinner it is, the more sugary-cinnamony goodness your rolls will have).  Spread with butter (I use a rubber spatula so I don’t stick the dough).  Do not spread the butter all the way to the edge (leave about 1/4 inch gap).  Now, sprinkle with brown sugar.  I think the first time I did this I used about 1/2 cup packed brown sugar.  Now, I just go by look (I want it everywhere).  Then, sprinkle with cinnamon.  I use a lot.  I make sure all the sugar/butter has a dusting of cinnamon.

    Starting at a long side, slowly start rolling the dough tightly (I can’t emphasize this more … the first time I made these I didn’t roll tight enough and they unrolled while baking … tasted great, looked awful).  Once you get the the end, pinch the ends of the dough together (or, they will unroll).  Slice across the dough, making your rolls about and inch or more thick.  Place in a well greased 13X9 pan, cover, and let stand u

For Fruit Danishes:

  1. For Fruit Danishes:

    You need

    • room temperature butter
    • sugar
    • jam (I’ve used blackberry, blueberry, raspberry, grape, apricot-pineapple)

    Now, this one’s trickier.  Roll out the dough just like you are making the cinnamon rolls above.  I got the technique from Joe Pastry (http://www.joepastry.com/category/pastry/danish-pastry/).  He describes it much better than I do (and he has great pictures) so go there and read how he does it.  He also has other pastry ideas that this dough would be perfect for.  I originally made it like he does, with pastry cream.  Well, I don’t have any today so I’m just going to spread the dough with butter and sprinkle sugar on it (I’m wondering if brown sugar would be

For Icing:

  1. For Icing:

    • Powdered Sugar
    • Milk

    For a double recipe of sweet goodness, I use about 1/2 cup of powdered sugar, then slowly add the milk until it’s the consistency I like.  If it’s too runny, add more powdered sugar.  See in the picture on Joe Pastry’s web page of the icing?  That’s how it should look after you mix it.  Still white (can’t see through it) but liquid enough so it will stream a bit off a fork (I tried using a spoon and a tiny whisk but ended up with giant blobs of icing).

Keywords: pastry, dough, sweet, danish, cinnamon, roll,
Garden

Strange Weather and Planting

1 Comment

As most of you know, we have not had our typical California weather this year.  It is June 7 and today is supposed to be a high of 77 degrees F.  Plus, possible showers tonight.  I’m tired of waiting.  Tired of waiting for the weather to cooperate and tired of waiting for a house of our own so I can STOP growing in these dang pots!

So, I am making a truck garden.  While I’m still growing in containers, the plants will get all the sun they need, and we may be able to get a little more food aside from sugar snap peas and tomatoes this year (though the tomatoes are questionable).  Here’s what I already have planted (and growing):

Sugar Snap Peas and Mixed salad greens, which didn’t really perform like I had hoped.  Next time, I’ll just stick with spinach in its own container.

Carrots (yes, they are there somewhere)

Cherokee Purple tomatoes (only had room for this one, Toni, but THANK YOU FOR THE SEEDS!)

Early Girl Tomato (which isn’t all that early … dang thing just now got it’s second set of leaves)

Zucchini

And I’m going to tempt the weather gods by planting … tuscan melon!  Please let us have a mild/warm autumn!  This isn’t including the pots I’m not moving: brussel sprouts, collard greens, celery, three different mints (peppermint, spearmint, and chocolate mint) plus a couple kitchen herbs (basil and oregano … I need more of these).

Like I said, all these are in containers.  The only problem (aside from weather, which I’m going to complain about constantly) is the lack of sun in my back yard.  This is my back yard:

Notice the HUGE pecan tree?  Well, it just keeps getting bigger (at least one thing is growing well this year) and now my pots get sun until about noon.  That’s it.  So, I complain every time I go out there to take care of them, just about ready to put the pots on the roof of the garage when it hits me.  Our truck!  We non-oped it a couple years ago because 8 miles to the gallon!  I love the truck.  I love the fact that if we need to move a whole bunch of stuff, we have the truck.  BUT, it’s just sitting there, in the driveway, getting more sun than any spot in my back yard!  So I took out the tool box, sprayed the wasp nests all over the place (they really like the side rails), knocked the nests down, and raked out the truck:

I hosed it out and put my containers in the bed … oh, I also drilled an extra drainage hole in the dent in the bed where the water keeps pooling.  Then I found a set of misters that have been sitting in my garage for about 5 years (I keep finding uses for all my junk and I’ll NEVER throw anything away again), took off the misting heads, and voila!  Drip system!

Now, I have a garden that may actually produce this year!  Do you see that?  That’s sun!  As you can see, there’s plenty of room to add more!  BTW, those are water containers cut in half and the blue container is one of those toy containers you can buy just about anywhere.  Since the kids are no longer kids, I recycled!

Oh, see that upside down recycling bin?  That is a REAL multipurpose tool!  As it is right there, it’s my step ladder (which I need because the tailgate is chest level).  Turn it over and it holds the weeds, leaves, and garbage.  It holds my clippings.  I can hold harvested food (sturdy and has handles).  AND whenever it’s time to move, it will hold miscellaneous garage items!  I love these things!

So, anyway, here are the links I found while trying to figure out what I could plant now:

list-of-companion-plantsDownload

What to do in your Northern California garden in June

Monthly Vegetable Gardening Tips – Sacramento Master Gardeners

Now, I’m tired.  I did this, trimmed, weed-eated, and mowed my weeds (I mean lawn) so I’m done!  Time to wash up and eat lunch!