Refrigerator Pickles

Brine:
3 C. cold water
1 C. vinegar
2 T. salt

Cukes:
1 sliced onion
2 T peppercorns
4 cloves garlic, sliced
Crushed red pepper, to taste
Dill, to taste
Small whole cucumbers, or sliced larger cucumbers

Stir brine to dissolve really well.  Layer the solids in 2-3 quart-size jars.  Pour brine over.  I combined a few recipes, so I don't know exactly how to do it.  I let them sit on the counter, loosely covered for several hours and then stuck them in the fridge.  They were way yummier and more flavorful the first time around, so I'd say go heavy on the seasonings and flavor.

Good luck!

Rice Vegetable Soup

10 C water
1 large onion, diced
4 carrots, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
6 small white potatoes, diced
1 medium zucchini, sliced
1 medium summer squash, sliced
1/2 C rice, long-grain
2 bay leaves
2 cans tomato sauce
2 TB beef boullion
1/4 tsp ground thyme (or 1/2 tsp dried thyme)
2 tsp Italian seasoning

Place onion, garlic, carrots into pot.  Cook until onion is translucent.  Add water, beef boullion, potatoes, rice, bay leaves, tomato sauce, thyme, and Italian seasoning.  Simmer for 20 min. or until rice and vegetables are done.  Add zucchini and summer squash, cook for an additional 5-10 min.
I made this recipe up a few days ago when I needed to take dinner to someone.  (I know, I know, great time to make something up...but I didn't have may ingredients on hand, I refused to go shopping, and I needed to use my squash and zucchini from my garden.)  Cheryl helped me a bit with the recipe (thanks Cheryl!!)  And it ended up tasting so good that I thought I'd post it here.  I was thinking that the next time I made it, I might add celery and/or barley.  If you make it, let me know what you think-even if you don't like it.  Thanks!

Whole-Wheat Bread

There are about a million reasons why I love this recipe.  The directions are clear.  You can't mess this up.  The bread is so tasty and good for you.  The dough is fun to work with- not a sticky mess.  The bread is moist and sticks together- you can actually slice it thin and it will work with you.  And despite the length of the recipe, it's actually not at all time-intensive like other yeast breads.  Oh... it's just perfect.

makes two 1-pound loaves

Soaker

1 cup (4.25 oz) coarse whole-wheat flour or other coarsely ground whole grains (oats, corn, barley, rye)

3/4 cup (6 oz) water, at room temperature

Whole-wheat Poolish

1 1/2 cups (6.75 oz) high protein whole-wheat flour

1/4 tsp. instant yeast

3/4 cup (6 oz) water, at room temperature

Dough

2 cups high protein whole-wheat flour

1 1/3 tsp. salt

1 tsp. instant yeast

2 T honey

1 T vegetable oil (optional)

1 large egg, slightly beaten (optional)

2 T sesame seeds, poppy seeds, quick oats, or what bran for garnish (optional)

Note: The use of oil and/or egg is offered as an option to tenderize the bread.  If you use either of them, you will need to add additional flour during the final mixing.  Let the dough determine how much flour to add, as you knead it to a firm, slightly tacky consistency.  Another way to tenderize the dough is to use milk or buttermilk instead of water when making the poolish.

1. The day before makeing the bread, make the soaker and the poolish. For the soaker, mix together to coarse whole-wheat flour and the water in a bowl, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and leave it at room temperature until the next day.  For the poolish, mix together to whole-wheat flour and yeast, then stir in the water to make a thick paste.  Sir only until all the four is hydrated, then cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow to ferment at room temperature for 2 to 4 hours, or until it just begins to bubble.  Then put it in the refrigerator overnight.

2. The next day remove the poolish from the refrigerator  1 hour before making the dough to take off the chill.  In a mixing bowl (or in the bowl of an electric mixer), stir together the whole-wheat flour, salt, and yeast.  Then add the poolish and the soaker, as well as the honey, oil, and egg.  Stir with a large metal spoon (or mix on low speed for about 1 minute with the paddle attachment) until the dough forms a ball, adding more water or flour if needed.

3. Sprinlkle whole-wheat flour on the counter, transfer the dough to the counter and begin kneading (or mix on medium speed iwth the dough hook).  Add flour if necessary and knead until the dough forms a firt, supple dough.  This will take 10 to 15 minutes by hand, slightly less by machine.  The dough should be tacky but not sticky.  it should pass the windowpane test and register 77 to 81 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly oil a large bowl and ransfer the dough to the bowl, rolling it around to coat it with oil.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. 

4.  Ferment at room temperature for approximately 2 hours, or until the dough doubles in size.

5. Divide the dough into 2 equal pieces (they should weigh about 18 oz each).  Shape them into sandwich loaves, as shown here.  Lightly oil two 8 1/2 by 4 1/2 inch loaf pans and place the loaves in the pans.  Mist the tops with spray oil and loosely cover with plastic wrap.

6. Proof at room temperature for about 90 minutes, or until the dough nearly doubles in size and is cresting above the lip of the pans.

7. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit with the oven rack in the middle of the the oven.  Just before baking you may choose to garnish the loaves by misting the tops with water and sprinkling sesame seeds.

8. Bake the loaves for about 30 minutes, then rotate them 180 degrees, if necessary, for even backing.  (Mine is usually done after 30 minutes... so I recommend checking now to see if it is done.) Continue baking for 15 to 30 minutes longer.  The finished bread whould register between 185 and 190 degrees Fahrenheit at the center and should sound hollow when thumped on the bottom.  The loaves should be golden brown all around and firm on the sides as well as on the top and bottom.  If they are soft and squishy on the sides, return them to the pans and continue baking until done.

9. When the loaves have finished baking, remove them immediately from the pans and cool on a rack for at least 1 hour, preferably 2 hours, before slicing or serving.

 

Healing Cabbage Soup

I talked about this cabbage soup recipe at the reunion.  It's a great tasting way to use up that cabbage you get from your co-op or CSA.  My kids really liked it too. 

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 quarts water
• 4 teaspoons chicken bouillon
• 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
• 1/2 head cabbage, cored and coarsely chopped
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can Italian-style stewed tomatoes, drained and diced

Directions

1. In a large stockpot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Stir in onion and garlic; cook until onion is transparent, about 5 minutes.
2. Stir in water, bouillon, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then stir in cabbage. Simmer until cabbage wilts, about 10 minutes.
3. Stir in tomatoes. Return to a boil, then simmer 15 to 30 minutes, stirring often.

Apricot Lemonade

So... I have a really awesome friend (she was my birth class instructor) and she has a really awesome food  blog.  I really recommend it. 

It has a simply scrumptious recipe for Apricot Lemonade.  I am drinking it right now and I just might die of happiness.  Yum.

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups Sugar
1 cup Water
5 cups Water and Ice Cubes
1 1/2 cups Lemon Juice (~ 6-8 Lemons)
20 whole Apricots

Directions:

Boil sugar in 1 cup of water until dissolved.
Add syrup to the ice/water mixture to cool and stir to mix.
Juice lemons.
Halve and pit apricots.
Add 1/half of the syrup mixture, ½ of the lemon juice, and ½ of the apricot halves, and about 6-8 ice cubes to the blender. Blend on high until a smooth consistency. Mix the other halves of the ingredients with some more ice cubes for the second batch.
Makes two 8 cup batches; 16 cups total.

Note: Wes and I quartered the recipe and it barely all fit in our blender... but maybe we have a small one?

Strawberry Bread

This is the bread I brought to the Parley P. Jensen reunion in Chesterfield.

2 C fresh strawberries
3 1/8 C all-purpose flour
2 C white sugar
1 TB ground cinnamon
1tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/4 C vegetable oil
4 eggs, beaten
1 1/4 C chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Butter and flour two 9x5 in loaf pans.

Slice strawberries, and place in medium-sized bowl.  Sprinkle lightly wiht sugar, and set aside while preparing bread mixture.

Combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, salt and baking soda in large bowl.  Mix well.  Blend oil and eggs  into strawberries.  Add strawberry mixture to flour mixture, blending until dry ingredients are just moistened.  Stir in pecans.  Divide batter into pans.

Bake for 45 - 50 minutes, or until tester instertedcomes out clean.  Let cool in pans on wire rack for 10 minutes.  Turn loaves out, and cool completely.

Blueberry Rolls

These are DELICOUS!  Go make them.  Now.  You won't regret it. :)

Blueberry Rolls

From the 1939 Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book
Prep: 25 minutes Bake: 20 minutes
Oven: 425 degrees F Makes: 9 servings

1 16 1/2 oz can blueberries
1 recipe Rich Shortcake (see below)
1 T butter or margarine, melted
2 T sugar
1/2 t ground cinnamon
1/4 C sugar
2 T all-purpose flour
2 t lemon juice
Vanilla ice cream (optional)

1. Drain blueberries, reserving juice; set aside.  Grease a 2-quart square baking dish; set aside.  Prepare Rich Shortcake dough.  On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into an 11x9 inch rectangle.  Brush dough with melted butter.  Combine the 2 T sugar with the cinnamon; sprinkle over dough.  Sprinkle 1 C of the drained blueberries over dough.  Roll up, starting from a short side; pinch to seal seam.  Set aside.

2. In a small saucepan combine the 1/4 C sugar and the flour.  Add remaining blueberries and reserved juice.  Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubble.  Remove tfrom heat; stir in lemon jice.  Pour blueberry mixture into prepared dish.  Cut roll into 9 equal slices.  Place slices, cut side down, on top of blueberry mixture.  Bake in a 425 oven for 20 minutes or until rolls are golden.  If desired, serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

Rich shortcake: In a medium mixing bowl combine 2 C all-purpose flour, 4 t baking powder, 1 T sugar, and 1/2 t salt.  Using a pastry blender, cut in 1/3 cup shortening until mixture resembles course crumbs.  Make a well in the center of mixture.  Add 2/3 cup milk and 1 beaten egg all at once.  Stir just until dough clings together.  On a heavily floured surface, coat the dough lightly with flour.  Knead the dough gently for 10-12 strokes.