Yarn Along -23 March 2011 -Blogiversary -Giveaway -Recipe

 So many things to share today.  First of all it is our one year Blogiversary for our farm blog!!  I can't believe this blog has been up and running for a whole year.  It's been very helpful for the farm.  We've had a number of new customers who found us through the blog.  Very exciting.

 

I don't know what it is about Ella's sweater.  Maybe the gauge or maybe it's the pattern I can't seem to memorize, but I just don't seem to want to knit on it.   I know I need to get it done but there are so many other interesting things to knit.  So I started a pair of socks.  They are toe-up, two at a time and have a cable running up the middle.  I'm making them with Berroco Vintage.  It has some wool in it but doesn't feel like wool.  The person I'm making them for 'doesn't like' wool.   I know we're supposed to be reading something for the Yarn Along, I just can't seem to find the time this week.  I'm also trying to tidy up my corner of the living room.  The piles of books are getting taller than the piles of knitting  :)

Ella and I were busy baking this morning.  I made some of our every day bread. I tossed in a couple eggs (still swimming in eggs) and I had leftover potato water to use too.  Since I had some mashed potatoes that needed using I made scones too.  Ella and I will enjoy that for our afternoon 'tea'.







POTATO SCONES
makes one scone round (8 scones)
1 3/4 c flour                                 1/4 c wt. sugar
1 T bk powder                              1/4 c butter
1/2 c mashed potatoes (lump free and warmed)
1 egg                                                1/3 c currants or raisins
1/2 c milk
Mix all the dry ingredients.  Add the mashed potatoes and mix in well, I sometimes use my pastry blender.  Cut in the butter, fairly fine.  Stir in the currants and then the milk/egg.  Sometimes I need to add a bit more flour, you don't want it too soft but it doesn't need kneading either.  Shape into a 7 inch circle on a lined cookie sheet.  Cut into 8 wedges and sprinkle with coarse sugar.

Bake 400F for 25-30 minutes.

In honour of our blogiversary I'm doing a giveaway.  I'm going to make one of these lovely little dollies.  She's not made yet, so you get a choice of dolly or Christmas elf.  So leave us a comment and Ella will make the random drawing Friday at noon (our time).  Good luck!

Some Recipes

Garlic Bubble Bread

**do NOT try this with real garlic, it will burn and look terrible.

Melt 1/4 cup butter and add 1tsp of garlic powder. Take a loaf size chunk of proofed bread dough (one rise) and cut into inch size pieces. Dip balls and pile up in greased loaf pan. Top with any leftover butter. Let rise an hour. Bake 350F for 30 min. For best taste use real butter.


Chicken Casserole

This is a good recipe for leftovers:

2 cups leftover gravy or thickened chicken stock
1 cup milk
2 1/2 cups bite sized cooked chicken
8 oz cooked noodles (homemade or not)
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
sprinkle of breadcrumbs

Mix gravy/chicken stock and milk over medium heat and stir till thickened. Add meat, noodles and cheese; remove from heat. Pour into a greased 8 cup casserole dish. Top with breadcrumbs and bake 350F for 45min.


Meat Pie

Another good leftover recipe:

pie pastry for a two crust pie (your choice of size)
1-1 1/2 cups cooked beef, I shred in food processor
1 1/2 -2 cups cooked vegetables, whatever is leftover or can use frozen vegetables. I usually have to make a few more mashed potatoes
1-1 1/2 cups gravy

I mix all the filling in a bowl first, but that's the way my family likes it. Feel free to put filling in pastry lined pie plates in layers. Gravy can be poured over top, but I also mix this with the filling. You want the filling fairly moist. Top pie with other piece of pastry. Cut slits for steam to escape.

Bake 425F for 35 minutes, let sit for a few minutes before serving.


Stuffed Baked Potatoes
I do these the easy way:

Scrub as many potatoes as necessary. Cook in microwave until done. If you want to use the oven, toss clean potatoes in a 350F oven for an hour or hour and a half until soft. Carefully slice top off potatoes and scoop insides into a bowl. Save the skins. Mash or rice the potatoes. Add in enough butter, sour cream, minced onions, and cheese to make the potatoes yummy. Refill potato skins. 10 minutes or so before supper, put potatoes into a 350F oven and reheat to melt cheese -these also reheat nicely in my toaster oven.


Pizza Dough
I've tried a number of recipes over the last 6 years. This is Colin's favourite:

1 cup warm water
1 tsp salt
2 tsp oil
1 Tbsp sugar
2 3/4cup flour
1 Tbsp yeast

Put in bread maker in order given, set for dough cycle. This can also be made by hand the usual way for yeast dough. Let rise and roll out to fit pan. This fits a large-ish cookie sheet.

Pizza Day today! My helper did a great job rolling out the dough.

2 3/4 cup flour 1 tsp salt
2 tsp oil 1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp instant yeast 1 cup warm water


Mix, knead and let rise an hour. Roll out. Top and bake 450F for 15 minutes.



I usually just use spaghetti sauce. We don't have spaghetti that much so it helps to get the jar used up before it goes moldy :P Here's my helper sprinkling on the mozzarella. Though she's more of a pile maker than sprinkler :)


The pizza's ready for the oven. I know we're not that exciting for toppings. Peperoni for Daddy and Ella's side, tomato for mine. If I had time I'd fry some onions and put them on too.

It was very yummy. A meal I can be sure Ella will eat, though what she'll eat on top changes daily.

Baking

I've had a great opportunity come my way. One of my "internet friends" is trying to finish writing a baking cookbook on a very short time frame. Well, he is running out of time and running out of waistband :) trying to get all the recipes tested. So he offered those of us who bake to test out some recipes and take pictures. He's even going to mention us in the book. It's so amazing, I've never had a chance to do anything like this before. I got to try a new raisin bread recipe as well as peach upside-down cake and lemon squares. They all turned out delicious. I can't wait for the book to be ready.

I can't share any of those recipes, but I thought I'd share my everyday white bread one. I use my bread machine to make the dough. It saves time and wear on my wrist. I also don't like the hole that is left in the loaf from the paddles if you bake it in the machine. So, I form the bread into 3 loaves and bake in the oven. Colin says some days he can smell the bread baking across the yard to the barn. A great welcome home.

Put in bread machine in the following order:

2 1/2 c warm water
3 Tbsp brown sugar
3 Tbsp oil
1 Tbsp salt
3/4 cup instant potato flakes
6 cup flour, can use up to half whole wheat if wanted
1 Tbsp instant yeast

Set your machine to dough cycle. If your machine has a warning beep for adding extra ingredients, that is a good time to check the dough and see if you need to add water or flour. You want a fairly soft dough, but not too sticky. I usually take the dough out 30 min before the end of the cycle or it could grow out the top of my machine :)

When dough is fully raised, cut into 3 pieces and form into loaves. Put into greased loaf pans and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour. I usually warm my oven (then shut it off!) and put them in there.

When loaves are ready to bake, just turn the oven onto 300F and bake for 45 minutes, no need to preheat. Bread is done when it sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom. If not, put bake into oven for few more minutes. Remove from pan right after taking from oven.

This recipe works when made the conventional way too.