Canning Beef

Canned 8 pints of beef from freezer. 

I can meat after it has been a year or more in the freezer.  Now it's good to go for another year and is a delicious addition to a large salad--a quick, no-cook summer meal.  The broth from the jar makes a flavorful base for a no-fat vinegarette atop.  Spring is a nice time to can—don’t mind the heat and no other food waiting to be processed.

Canned Beef—nice and easy for soup or summer salads

Don't be afraid to can your own meat--it's surprisingly easy.  Mostly, you just loosely fill the hot jars with chilled, raw meat; put the lids on and put them in the pressure canner.  Then continue as per pressure canning.  Nothing more to add--it makes it's own delicious broth.  Just be sure to follow the instructions per a good canning guide (see recommended list).

Bread Baking

I usually do my bread baking weekly, especially during Winter months.  Nothing better on a cold winter day than the aroma of fresh bread coming from a warm oven.  When it’s too hot to bake, we get our grain from other dishes--rice, couscous, cereals, flaxseed…

I do not use quick-rise yeasts, as a slow rise gives the bread more character and flavor.

My favorite bread recipes:

Mom’s Milk Bread – This is my mother's recipe for white bread and rolls
350 for 25-40 min   (15-20 min for buns—makes 2 doz)
1 cup whole milk
1 cup water
1/4 cup sugar  (sugar can be reduced; I allow it as I am all-too-familiar with, and fond of, this recipe.)
1/4 cup butter
1/2 TBlsp. Salt
1 TBlsp Yeast (1 pkg) dry or ½ cake
5-6 cups flour (more if needed for soft dough)
--Melt butter ;  Add milk and heat to lukewarm;  Heat water to lukewarm.  Put yeast in the water and let sit until foams (15 min)   Sift 3-4 cups of the flour into a large bowl.  Add the sugar and salt and mix.  Make well in center and add liquids.  Stir in remaining flour until large ball can be formed.  Place ball on floured surface and knead 10 minutes.  Put in large bowl, cover with light towel and set in warm place to rise until doubled.  Takes approx. one hour to rise.  Punch down and put in greased bread pan or make buns on greased cookie sheet.  Let rise a second time.  It will take less time, approx. ½ hour.  Bake until golden brown on top and has hollow sound when top is tapped on top.  Cool before storing.

Herb Bread – spice up white bread simply by adding herbs
Make Mom's bread recipe above adding  1 TBlsp. fresh or dry herbs to dough.  Do not use powdered herbs.  I sometimes add 1/2 TB each of two different kinds. 
My favorite additions:  1 TBlsp. Italian Herbs
                                      1/2 TB minced garlic or onion plus 1/2 TB Oregano
                                      1/2 TB rosemary plus  1/2 TB grated orange peel
                                      1 tsp sage leaves plus 2 tsp grated lemon peel

Wheat or Rye Bread – a nice variation, nice with soups or stews
Substitute 2 cups rye or wheat flour for 2 cups white flour in Mom's bread recipe above.

Dill Bread – a delicious savory bread, good for company and appetizers
350    25-30 min        makes two 8” rounds
1 package yeast dissolved in ¼ cup warm water  (let sit 10 min)
1 cup warm cottage cheese  (be careful not to overheat)
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 Tablespoon instant onion
1 Tablespoon butter
2 tsp dill seed (not dill weed)
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp baking soda
1 egg
2+ cups flour
--Prepare yeast and warm cottage cheese in microwave.  Mix with rest of the ingredients in order; add flour as needed until it becomes a stiff dough, form into ball, cover and let rise to double.  Divide in half, form into flat rounds, put in greased pie pans, let rise again; bake.

Whole Wheat Oatmeal Bread--Melt-in-your-mouth kind!

Whole Wheat Oatmeal Bread
  350, 30-40 min in greased 9x5 pans,  Makes 4 loaves
Mix together:   2 cups instant oats
                         4 cups wheat flour
                         4 teaspoons salt
                         1/2 cup honey
                         1/4 cup oil, coconut oil is healthiest
Stir in 4 cups boiling water;  Cool to lukewarm
Stir 1 Tablespoon of yeast into 1 cup warm water and let sit 10-15 minutes.  Add to cooled oat mixture.
Stir in:   2 cups whole wheat flour
              3-4 cups white bread flour
Knead dough 6-8 minutes.  Let rise to double in bulk.  Put in bread pans.  Let rise again.  Bake 350.

The most delicious and moist wheat bread I have ever had. 

Bread Pudding

I never throw out drying bread, ends or crusts.  They make wonderful bread puddings, stuffings and croutons or used in any recipe calling for bread crumbs (think meatloaf).  Keep two large Ziplocs in the freezer, one for white bread pieces and the other for herb bread pieces.  If my bread ever turns out doughey or hollow in the middle, I cut off the good parts and toss them in the bag(s).

Here are two yummy recipes for leftover bread:

Bread Pudding with Vanilla Sauce   
4 cups bread cubes  (1/2”-1” in size)
1 cup whole milk
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup sugar
2 eggs – well beaten
1/2 teaspoons nutmeg
1 teaspoons vanilla flavoring
--Spread bread cubes in 8- or 9-inch square pan.  Melt butter.  Add milk and heat to very warm or hot.  Pour over bread cubes in pan and let sit until bread is soaked through (10-15 min).

In separate bowl or blender, mix sugar, eggs nutmeg and vanilla.  Pour over bread mixture.  Bake at 350 until lightly browned, approx. 30-40 min.  Serve with vanilla sauce—recipe follows.

Vanilla Sauce 
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoons vanilla.
--Bring all except vanilla to boil.  Remove from heat, add vanilla.  Serve warm over bread pudding.

More often than not, I can’t wait for the white bread pieces to accumulate for this melt-in-your-mouth treat; so I make a fresh recipe of milk bread and press it out solid in a  greased jellyroll pan to bake.  Turn it out immediately after it comes from the oven; cut it into cubes when cooled.  The cubes can be used for bread pudding without first drying.

Herb Stuffing         makes 9x12 pan      350  for 25-40 min
I save the herb and dill bread leftovers all year to make stuffing at Thanksgiving-mmm!
8 cups bread cubes  (1/2-1 inch in size)
1 tsp. poultry seasoning or sage
1 tsp. Italian herbs (omit if using herb bread)
1 cup diced celery
½ cup diced onion
½ - 1 cup sliced, fresh mushrooms or two 4-oz cans, drained  (mushrooms optional)
  if using fresh mushrooms, reduce broth to 1/3 cup; drain canned mushrooms
½ cup butter
1 cup chicken broth and 1 tsp boullion granules or cube, or ½ cup prepared boullion
2 eggs
--Spread bread cubes in 9x12 pan.  In large frypan over med. heat, melt butter and cook celery, onion (and mushrooms if desired) until starting to soften and mushrooms release juices.  Add herbs/seasoning, broth or boullion and heat to very warm.  Pour over bread cubes in pan and let sit until bread is soaked through and slightly cooled (20+ min).   Beat eggs and stir well into pan mixture.  Bake until lightly browned.  Can stir and put in bowl, or cut into squares and serve on plate.

Cinnamon Rolls

I make these warm, gooey treats for our Christmas Breakfast, following my mother's tradition.  I'm sure to make plenty for a quick breakfast treat on other Winter mornings.  They can be frozen individually and warmed in the microwave (1 min.); then frosted(recipe included)

Cinnamon Rolls            
350   ungreased 9x12 pan(s)    makes 1-2 dozen cinnamon rolls
Make “Mom’s Milk Bread” dough (recipe found in previous blog under “Bread Baking”).  After the first rising of dough to double size, punch dough down and roll out into large, thin rectangle.  Slather rectangle with coat of soft butter.  Then cover with light coat of brown sugar.  I put a fistful of brown sugar in the center, then lightly spread it over the butter with fingertips.  Add more as needed until butter covered.  Sprinkle generously with cinnamon.  Starting at one long end, roll up tightly.  Slice at 1” intervals.  Put in cake pan(s) to rise.  Let rise to double.  Bake to light brown.  While hot, turn pan over onto another pan.  Frost while warm, but not hot.

Frosting:  2 TB butter, 1 tsp vanilla, sifted powdered sugar (2-4 cups), milk
--Mix butter and vanilla, add powdered sugar alternately with milk until thick, store in fridge 

April Showers bring May Flowers for the Table

I love the warmth and color that cloth linens add to a meal; and using them supports my "zero paper/packaging" goal. A meal at Grandma's was all the more inviting with her many-different, hand-stitched tablecloths and matching napkins.

Being a collector of dish sets and linens, I provide myself the opportunity to change the look of our table for every season and holidays.  The meal table never gets boring.

Pink roses seemed appropriate for the dishes and table linens during the month of May. 

The tablecloth was my favorite of Grandma's.  She used to iron on the pattern and take them to her wheelchair-bound mother, who would then add the color.  This is one of those sets embroidered by my Great Grandmother.

  I acquired this set of rose-patterned dishes

while working at a jewelry store during my college years. 

If you looking for in vintage table linens and accessories, visit my cousin Sandy Cookman's website, hobnobbers-sandy.blogspot.com, for some exciting buys and great sales.    

Preservation Guides and Cookbooks

These are my favorite books for food preservation and cooking with local foods.  They pretty much are in order with my most favorite at the top, although they are all good.

Preservation Books

So Easy to Preserve by University of Georgia Cooperative Extension; order at http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/publications/publications_uga.html

  This is the canning bible of Iowa Extension Offices (mine too!), answers lots of ?’s

Preserving Summer’s Bounty by Rodale Garden Book   (Amazon)

 Excellent book for all methods of preservation, very good recipes
Ball’s Complete Book of Home Preserving  (cheapest through Amazon)

  Very good, thorough canning book for water bath and pressure canning

Root Cellaring by Mike & Nancy Bubel   (Amazon)

 A must for those who want to do lots of root cellaring; has many plans root cellars
Fermenting by Sandor Katz 

  He’s the Guru of fermenting food, and this book has it all

Charcuterie by Michael Ruhlman  (salting, smoking and curing meats, poultry, fish)

 Michael is the master of Chacuterie and this book is the best there is for it.

Preserving by Oded Schwartz

 Fun, colorful book for methods of preserving in vinegars, oils, brandy…, good gift ideas 

Preserving Food without Freezing or Canning

 Excellent book for salting, fermenting, using vinegars or oil, drying and cold storage

Dehydrating Books by Mary Bell of the Dry Store: http://www.drystore.citymax.com/

 Instructive and creative ideas for dehydrating

How to dehydrate and store food  (Youtube video)  google at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxVpIHre2ao

 step-by-step instructional video for dehydrating, good introductory video to dehydrating

Fresh Food from Small Places  R.Ruppenthal

 good for the apt or condo dweller; year-round container growing, fermenting, sprouting

 

Cookbooks

Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon

 Has it all!  Instruction for traditional preservation and much info on nutrition.

Three great cookbooks for creative, fresh recipes using seasonal, local products:

  Lots of lore, guidelines, charts, tips and pics; fun to read

  Earth to Table by Jeff Crump and Bettina Schormann

  Simply in Season by Mary Beth Lind and Cathleen Hockman-Wert

  Farm Food by Chef Daniel Orr

Savoring the Seasons of Northern Heartland by Lucia Watson/Beth Dooley

 wonderful, ethnic-Minnesota traditional recipes, lore and pics (a must for Minnesotans)

Cooking with the Seasons by Monique Hooker

 seasonal cooking from French heritage (no longer in print, but grab it if you find it)

New Prague Hotel Cookbook by John Schumacher

 delicious German-inspired recipes; good guide for preparing wild game

Farmer John’s Cookbook by J. Peterson

 Great, fun book for growing, storing and cooking with garden produce; lots of good tips

Moosewood Restaurant Kitchen Garden by David Hirsch

 Excellent, creative book for vegetarian gardening and cooking

Chez Panisse Cooking by Paul Bertoli with Alice Waters

 Renowned and Legendary Organic Restaurant and Chef

Betty Crocker Pie and Pastry Cookbook  never fails me for a delicious pie of any kind