The Ultimate Easy Bread

I love to bake bread!  Through the years I've tried just about every good sounding recipe I've come across with varying results.  I learned that we all have different ideas about what makes a good loaf of bread.  Many bakers insist upon special ingredients and thermometers and baskets etc.  Recently, in my effort to find a bread that did not make my blood sugar spike, I came across some interesting reasoning which goes thus: very little yeast and a slow rise forces the yeast to use the starch found in the flour for food and this will produce a product that will cause less of a spike in blood sugar.  Well, that sounded promising.  I decided to give it a try.  Yes, my blood sugar does spike less but it does still spike, even with plenty of butter to slow down the absorption rate.  The really great discovery is that it takes few ingredients, no special equipment (only a bowl, spoon and towel) and it tastes wonderful, at least to us.  So here it is.  Let me know what you think.

Slow Rise Bread

1 1/2 c warm water
1/2 t yeast (really, only 1/2 teaspoon)
1t salt
4 c flour (can use all white or a mix of whole wheat and white)

Add yeast to warm water and let bloom.  Add 2 c flour, salt and mix.  (I have discovered that, unlike many recipes, it is not necessary to mix vigorously.)  Add enough flour to make a stiff dough. Turn out onto board and knead, adding flour as needed.  This is a softer dough than many recipes.  Let rise in well oiled bowl until doubled, about 4-6 hours.  Punch down.  Shape.  You can make a loaf for a loaf pan or a ball for a dutch oven.  Cover (if a dutch oven just use the lid) with plastic wrap and a towel.  Let rise until doubled again, this will take less time than the first rising.  (Once, I went to town and it rose up and over the top of the loaf pan so I punched it down, clean and oiled the pan again and let it rise for a 3rd time and it was great.  A very forgiving recipe.)  Bake 350 degrees (with lid if using dutch oven for 30 min then and additional 15 without the lid)  or for 40 min for a loaf pan.

The ease of this recipe is fantastic.  I can leave the dough for hours, I don't have to haul out the heavy mixer and it really comes out great every time.  Plus, it makes great toast!  Have fun.

Are There Any Old-Fashioned Cooks Anymore?

My herb garden did beautifully this year.  I have an abundance of fresh herbs.  My two parsley plants are the size of an old style washtub.  I've used and dried and still have far more than I need.  So, of course, I have offered to share.  As prices for fresh herbs are $1.99 for about an ounce, you would think someone would be interested.  But no!  Everyone just looks at me with either a blank look or a look that asks "What cave did you just crawl out of?"  I've yet to find anyone that uses fresh herbs!  I'm not talking about unusual herbs, just common cooking herbs (I only share medicinal herbs with those who have shown me knowledge).  You know, parsley, chives, dill, oregano, sage.  Really common ones.  Once they understand what I'm talking about I get another common response.  Either "I don't cook like that" or "I just use what comes in a can."  And so I am worried.

Those little cans of herbs are very expensive, the nutrients are long gone because of age and I don't trust the ingredients.  The cheaper herbs may be sweepings for all I know.  I sure hope they aren't but how can I be sure?  With my own homegrown herbs I am sure.  I am also sure of receiving all the precious vitamins and nutrients from a living food.  Even if I dry them, at least I know how the plant was raised and that it is very fresh.

So, if any of you are new to using herbs, here is a great starter recipe.  My husband loves this salad dressing.  Although it takes a little time, it is worth it.  And the time is mostly in allowing the flavors to meld.


Mama's Ranch

Thinly slice 1 clove of garlic and 2Tlb of shallot.  Sprinkle with Redmond Salt and mash with a fork. Allow to stand for about 20 min, occasionally mashing again.  (This allows the salt to cook the shallot and garlic for a less biting flavor.)  Add to 1/4 c buttermilk. (I make my own with dried milk and a half teaspoon of lemon powder or vinegar and let stand 5 min.)  Add dill and parsley to taste. (I use about a tablespoon of dried dill and a tablespoon of dried parsley.  Less in the summer with the fresh herbs, just adjust to your taste.)  Add 1 Tlb of dried onions and a dash of onion powder.  (This is a lot of onion I know but the flavor is just not the same without these different types of onion.  Each adds its own taste.)  Add a bit of fresh or dried lemon peel.  (This lightens the whole dressing but you can do without.  Since I use a lot of lemons for medical reasons, I have a lot of dried lemon zest.)  Let stand awhile for the flavors to meld.  (This is the best point for adjusting to your own taste.)  Place 1c mayonnaise (can use a lite version or homemade) in a bowl.  Add 1/4 sour cream (or yogurt or even just more mayonnaise).  Stir and add the buttermilk and herbs.  Taste and adjust.  This has kept in my fridge for over a month without spoiling and just improved in taste as the flavors mingled.  This is such a basic recipe that any of you could improve it or change it to suit your family while allowing you to be sure of what you are eating.  It also costs a lot less than bottled dressings from the store.

Peach Pie Filling

I took the last of the peaches, a few weeks ago, and canned the most delicious peach pie filling.  Although I've canned apple pie filling before, and learned a few great tricks I'll share sometime, this is the first time for peaches.  The taste was wonderful and we are excited to make a few crunches and pies this winter. 

I found the recipe and directions here: http://www.pickyourown.org/peachpiefilling.htm 

I chose to use the almond extract and it really added a new dimension to the overall flavor. 

Here is the results, absolutely fantastic!

Rhubarb Crisp

It has been a little hectic around here lately.  We've had tremendous thunder storms this week.  Sunday's was probably the worst I've ever experienced.  We had spent Saturday harvesting garden herbs and were we ever glad on Sunday as the remaining plants were beat into the ground. I had intended to wait until the next day so the strawberries would be perfect but alas they are no more. I still can't go into the garden as it is too muddy.  We needed to bring the awning in and were drenched, as in just a few seconds, and had to hang our clothes up in the shower to dry! 

In addition, I began teaching early morning Seminary (a religion class for high school age) this week and have been busy preparing for that new adventure.  So the blog has been a little neglected but today I want to post the best ever (in my opinion) and easiest Rhubarb Crisp recipe.  I made it just a couple of week ago as our rhubarb was finally ready.  We have enough growing for one more this year.


Rhubarb Crisp

Topping:
1c flour
3/4 c oats
1c brown sugar ( I use white sugar and add 1Tlb of molasses)
1/2 c melted butter
1tea cinnamon

Filling:
4c diced rhubarb
1c sugar
2Tlb cornstarch
1c water
1tea vanilla

Mix together the topping ingredients until crumbly.  Press half of the crumbs into a greased 9" baking pan.  Cover with diced rhubarb.  In a small saucepan combine sugar, cornstarch, water and vanilla.  Cook, stirring until thickened and clear.  Pour over the rhubarb and top with remaining crumb topping.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 50-60 min. 
Yield: 8 servings

I like this recipe because there is no need to cook the rhubarb first.  That always seems to make such a mess.  I baked it in the Sun Oven with great results. 

Notice the upside down bottle of molasses.  That was the end of that bottle!

All done!

Baking With the Solar Oven

We've spent this summer experimenting with alternative cooking methods and we've learned a lot.  Today, I would like to concentrate on baking with a solar oven.  I love to bake!  I think it must be genetic as my Grandmother had her own bakery at one time and she taught her joy to me.  But baking in a solar oven is a little different.

The how-to books on solar cooking all claim that it is as easy to cook with a solar oven as a stove.  Well, if it were truly that easy, why would cook stoves be the norm all over the world?  However, it does have a lot of advantages.  Free fuel and a cool kitchen are not to be sneered at.  There are a few drawbacks though.  For proper baking (not emergency I'll take whatever I can get kind) you need to have good control of the temperature.  Especially when baking cookies.  Despite what many claim, the angle of the sun does make a difference for this type of baking.  I have found that here, even on the hottest summer days when the sun is right overhead and no clouds, that I need to bake in the middle of the day.  After 3:00 pm, forget it.  An inferior product will result later in the day or too early in the morning.  This info is important when planning your evening meal.  I've discovered that it is best to have our main hot meal at noon as it is hard to have properly prepared hot food after that magical 3:00 pm.  The sun angle (despite our adjusting of the oven) just doesn't allow the food to get hot enough unless it has had that magical middle of the day.  In fact, the oven begins to cool and so does the food.

It also helps to allow the oven to heat 25 degrees above the baking temperature you need as you will lose about 25 degrees when you open the door to place the food inside.  No matter how fast we are, we always lose 20-25 degrees.

By following this advice though, we are able to bake cookies at the right temperature for the same amount of time as in the kitchen oven.  I love that free fuel.  Have fun and experiment with some cookies.

Extra Strawberries

We were given some lovely ripe strawberries last evening.  There was about 1/2 of a gallon bag.  Well, right now we have plenty of fruit so I made some chunky strawberry syrup today.  I first washed and hulled them and then, using my pastry cutter, because tools have to useful for more than one thing, I mashed them.  Then I came up with this recipe which is delicious and has less sugar because of the clear jel.

2 1/2 c crushed strawberries
1/2 Tablespoon dried lemon peel
3c water
3/4 c sugar
3 Tablespoons clear jel

Bring strawberries, lemon peel and water to simmer.  Add red food coloring until you are happy with the color.  Add sugar and clear jel (which are mixed together, very important).  Simmer a few minutes.  Can and process for 10 min at sea level.  Here I processed for 15 min.  Yield: 8 half pints

We tried it over some butter pecan ice-cream  Talk about good!  The great thing is I now have some for us and some to give as gifts is needed. 

Canning Peaches

Why can peaches while living in an RV?  Why do any prepping while living in an RV?
Truthfully?  Most people don't.  RVs are designed for camping trips of a weekend or a couple of weeks at most.  The fridge is small, counter space almost non-existent and storage space is more for a few clothes and some sleeping bags. Some of the newer and very expensive ones are designed for rich retirees who want to travel and not be tied down to a home somewhere.  Wish we all could enjoy such a life but in today's economy that just isn't happening for most of us.  We live in an RV because that is what we can afford.  We want to take care of ourselves, and honestly, does anyone really think that housing prices were reasonable a few years ago?  When the average worker could not afford a house without taking on crippling debt, I knew that something was seriously wrong and it would come crashing.  We almost bought a couple of times but felt so uneasy that we didn't.  Hence, we do not worry constantly about losing our home.  And that, is peace of mind.  Is it hard to accept living this way?  You bet, at least for me for some years. I groaned and complained but now I'm grateful.  The most important lesson I've learned is "Be happy whatever your living conditions."  You only make others miserable if you aren't.  Learn to make the best of wherever you find yourself and if you really don't like it then work on changing it.  There are more and more people finding that living full time in an RV can be a blessing.  Most are forced to it via the economy or natural disasters.  However you've come to it, remember, it can turn out very  nice.

So, why am I spending so much time canning?  Most stock some canned beans, cereal and paper plates and then plan on going to the store every day or so.  Many give up all self-respect and turn into slobs, never or seldom even cleaning.  I cringe at the way some live but I figure they would probably live like that anywhere they crashed. We want to live a good life, a healthy life with our self-respect intact.  So we choose an RV with lots of windows for light and light bright colors so we don't get depressed in the winter when the days turn gloomy.  For the most part, we live as we would in a house.  And that includes canning.

 Now, how do you can in an RV.  Well, if you've never canned before, find someone to teach you in their home.  It is a little trickier in such a small space.  We have added a small, free standing, light weight, butcher block that adds enormously to our counter space.  Without it, I would soon have the screaming meemies.  But, even so, I have to carefully plan every step of canning.  I also only have so many pans and bowls, once more I have to carefully plan.  Because of this, I have to finish one step at a time, clean and then go on to the next step.

1. Wash the jars
2. Put the jars into my 20 quart stock pot
3. Place the stock pot onto a heat diffuser on the stove.  (This prevents the extended heat from warping the stove grate.)
4. Bring the water to a boil and leave the jars in until I'm ready to fill them.
5. Pick over the fruit while the jars are sterilizing.
6. Preparing a large bowl of water and lemon juice to prevent the sliced peaches from browning.
7. Peel and slice the peaches.  The peelings go into a wash basin or pie plate until I can throw them onto the compost pile in the garden.
8. When I have enough sliced peaches, I drain them on paper towels (I will use the lemon water again so I don't pour it away through a colander.)
9. Remove the jars, one at a time, placing them on a pie plate (in case of spills it is easier to clean) and then fill with peaches.  
10. Wipe the jar rims carefully (the rim must be clean or the jar will not seal)
11. Place the lid, that has been simmering in a pan of water on the back burner, on the jar.  Put on the ring and tighten.
12. Move the stock pot to a trivet on the table.
13. Place the canning pot on the diffuser on the stove.  
14. Add the jars and add water until the jars are covered by at least an inch or two.
15. Bring to a boil.
16. Process according to jar size and elevation.

Then I repeat the process for each batch.  I don't pour out the sterilizing water until I am done.  No sense in heating fresh water each time.  And I only pour out most of the water in the canner as well.  I have to cool it down with some fresh water so the jars won't break but I can leave in about a quarter of the water that I used to process the last batch.

Obviously, this is time consuming and not very cost effective if you only count money and time. We feel it is worth it.  While on our mission I could not can and had to purchase commercially canned products.  That was a terrible waste of resources, (i.e. money)  Hard little green peaches from China!  They were terrible.  They were so hard that the peach would fly out of the bowl when you tried to cut it with a spoon.  You were forced to use a knife and there is no way I will ever believe those peaches and pears had any nutritional value.  In canning my own, I know exactly what I've got.

And the most important reason?  Because the Lord has told me to care for myself and to be prepared.  I know that if I do my part, no matter how small that is right now, He will make up for my deficiencies and that folks, is real peace of mind.