Mrs. Freeman's Pumpkin Fruitcake

Mrs. Freeman was a sweet lady who lived just across the fence from us when I was a child. In her upper 80's, she knew the names of all her neighbors. I loved to visit her and we would have long conversations as she poured jams and jellies into baby food jars. These would be gifts for neighbors along with the most delicious pumpkin fruitcake you ever put in your mouth. Each baked in a tomato soup can and wrapped in foil, then Christmas paper and ribbon- they were special gifts. I wish I had her recipe, but I was only 8 and didn't know the importance of such things! This one's from Taste of Home and I've made it many times. It's moist and delicious, filled with pecans and dates, raisins and cherries and none of that yucky citron that makes people hate fruitcake to begin with.

Pumpkin Fruitcake 

From Taste of Home

3/4 cup butter, softened

1-1/2 cups sugar

3 eggs

1 cup canned pumpkin

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1-1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

2/3 cup milk

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1/2 cup chopped dates

1/2 cup raisins

10 red candied cherries, chopped

Glaze:

1-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

1/4 teaspoon Spice Islands® pure vanilla extract

2 to 3 tablespoons milk

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs; mix well. Stir in pumpkin. Combine the flour, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, salt and baking soda; add to creamed mixture alternately with milk. Fold in the pecans, dates, raisins and cherries.

Spoon into a greased and floured 10-in. fluted tube pan. Bake at 350° for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely.

For glaze, combine the confectioners' sugar, vanilla and enough milk to achieve desired consistency. Drizzle over cake. Yield: 12 servings.

If you'd like to try baking in the cans, just like Mrs. Freeman... here's another recipe that would be great for gift giving, complete with directions for baking times in soup cans!

Walnut-Date Bread 

3/4 cup walnuts,finely chopped
1 cup sliced dates
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup shortening
3/4 cup boiling water
2 eggs
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups sifted flour

Combine nuts, dates,soda and salt in mixing bowl. Add shortening and boiling water. Let stand 15 minutes, stir to blend.

Beat eggs slightly, add vanilla. Sift in sugar and flour and stir until dry ingredients are moistened. (This is a very stiff mixture.) Add to date mixture, mixing until well blended.

Grease 4 soup cans (10 1/2 or 11 oz. size). Pour batter into cans,filling two thirds full. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake 350° for 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake 10 minutes longer or until center test done. Cool 15 minutes and remove from cans. Cool completely.

"Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold,
everything is softer and more beautiful."

Norman Vincent Peale

Texas Sausage-Cheddar Kolaches

Kolaches on the brain here lately, I get this way when I can't find Texas food. There was this little bakery just off the Judson Road exit in northeast San Antonio that made the best sausage-jalapeno-cheese Kolaches. Our grandson Jackson would spend Friday night and on the trip home Saturday mornings... somewhere around Garden Ridge on I-35, he'd remember the cream filled donuts at this little place and beg for one. It didn't take much coaxing because we knew we could order Kolaches!

If you have the time to make the dough, it's definitely worth it. But if you have a craving AND you have Rhodes frozen dinner rolls in the freezer, you can easily make these if you plan ahead the night before! We had them for breakfast this morning and I feel better now. The world is round and life is good...

Texas Sausage Cheddar Kolaches
Rhodes dinner roll dough, thawed
hardwood smoked jalapeno sausage, cut in 2" chunks
Vermont cheddar cheese, sliced/chunk
Thaw rolls in fridge overnight. The next morning flatten the roll into a 4-5" circle and add a 2" chunk of smoked sausage and a slice of cheese, fold dough up around the deliciousness and pinch closed. Place seam side down on greased baking sheet and allow to rise for about 1/2 hour in warm place (I turn oven on, then off and set them inside with door open) all the while Jerry was like "How much longer???"  Bake 375 for 15 minutes. Brush with melted butter when they come out of the oven. Serve with spicy mustard.

Craving Kolache

When we lived near New Braunfels, Texas in the mid 90's, we were lucky to have not only the best Tex-Mex food, but descendants of Czech immigrants continued the rich tradition of making the kolache. In central Texas, kolaches outshine doughnuts. “Koláče (the Czech spelling) are little square pastries that hold a dollop of fruit (apricot or prune, apple, strawberry or blueberry) rimmed by a puffy pillow of dough. Fruit and cheese kolaches are old-world standards but a sausage link version, Czech klobasniki (pigs-in-a-blanket) are a Texas breakfast favorite. Bakeries offer regular and hot-sausage versions, adding cheese and jalapeño peppers and even sauerkraut. Americanized meal-in-one kolaches with pockets of bacon, egg and cheese are served at convenience stores along side sausage biscuits.

Naegelin's Bakery in New Braunfels turns 144 years old this year, being the oldest continuously operating bakery in the state of Texas. The fresh cookies, pastries, pies and cakes from the family-run bakery are of historic proportions and a timeless quality. The Granzin family still uses recipes developed by the Naegelin family during more than a century of experimentation to get just the right ingredients.

As you walk into the front door of the bakery the sweet smell of baked foods engulfs you like a warm blanket. The glass cases are full of what seems like an almost endless array and rainbow of cookies and pastries.The bakery is still famous for their strudels that Naegelin perfected years ago. The Granzin's have added terrific sausage kolaches to the menu of fruit filled ones.

This recipe is from the Texas Holiday Cookbook by Dottie Griffith

(Dottie is Dining Editor and Restaurant Critic for the Dallas Morning News).

It's my go~to cookbook for treasured Texas recipes that are hard to find...

Kolaches

(Czech Sweet Rolls)

2 packages dry yeast

1/2 cup lukewarm (105~115 degree) water

1 1/2 cups warm milk

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup sugarKolaches

1 teaspoon salt

1 egg, beaten

5~6 cups flour

Fillings (see below)
Sprinkle yeast over warm water, stirring to activate. Set aside.

Heat milk to almost boiling. Remove from heat. Add butter and stir to melt. Add sugar and salt. Pour into large mixing bowl and allow to cool to lukewarm. Stir in egg and add yeast mixture.
 

Add flour gradually, about 2 cups at a time, stirring after each addition to make a soft, sticky dough. Do not add too much flour or kolaches will be dense and dry. Cover and let rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour. Begin preparing fillings while dough rises.
 

Grease a baking sheet well. Rub hands with grease too. Using well greased hands, shape dough into 2- inch balls. Place on prepared baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise again until doubled in size, about 30-45 minutes.
 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using your thumb, make and indention in the center of each roll, leaving a 1-inch rim. Allow to rest 10 minutes. Fill with about 1 tablespoon fruit or cheese filling and bake 20-25 minutes or until golden.
 

Makes about 3 dozen

Fillings

*Combine 1 cup dried fruit (6-ounce package of apricots, prunes or apples) in just enough water to cover in a small saucepan. Bring water to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until fruit is soft, about 10-12 minutes. Drain fruit and chop fine. Return to saucepan along with 1 cup sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice, and 4 tablespoons butter. Cook and stir over low heat until mixture thickens like jam, about 10 minutes. Cool completely.

*Combine 1 cup cream cheese or dry curd cottage cheese with 1/2 cup sugar, 1 egg yolk, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and 3 tablespoons melted butter. Mix until smooth.
Printable Recipe

The version I'm craving today is the breakfast Sausage and Jalapeno Kolache that Texans enjoy at their favorite drive-thrus! Easy to make, simply wrap a three-inch flattened piece of dough around a two-inch piece of sausage and a couple of pickled jalapeno slices. Bake 375 for 12- 15 minutes. If I could just get my hands on some Meyer's Elgin Sausage....


Mud Street Muffins

If you have company coming for Thanksgiving weekend, you're probably planning your meals and want to make some extra special recipes to spoil them. I have just the recipe, from Mud Street Cafe at Eureka Springs, they share their famous Mud Street Muffins with us! It's unique, just like everything on their menu... in fact they are winners of Arkansas Readers' Choice Award for their adventuresome breakfasts and delicious desserts.

Located in  what the locals call "Underground Eureka," the building was built in 1888. At that time it was street level but frequent rains would cause the property to flood so eventually the street was built up, putting their present location down a flight of stairs. It's a beautiful building with wonderful old limestone walls, large wooden beams and stained glass lighting.The centerpiece of the dining room is a turn of the century oak bar with beveled mirrors. They feature Eureka's unique local art on the walls, it's a great place to go if you are anywhere near NW Arkansas!

The muffins can be prepared with any kind of fruit you like, fresh or frozen. The crumb topping is to die for, and you can even customize with balsamic vinegar, juices, ginger or nuts if that's to your liking! Mud Street is known for it's innovative dishes and this one is definitely "gourmet!"

The Mud Street Muffin  Just click the title to print!

Preheat oven to 400° for regular oven or 350° for convection oven. Spray 12 cup regular muffin pan or 6 cup large muffin pan.

Crumb Topping

Add to food processor:

1 cup flour

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

Process ingredients with enough soft butter to form heavy crumbs and set aside.

Dry Ingredients

Sift together in large bowl:

2 generous cups flour

1½ teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

Any spices being used

(see note below)

Wet Ingredients

Have prepared 2 cups fruit, fresh or frozen

(see note below)

In a 2 cup measuring cup add:

1 Tablespoon any kind of vinegar (balsamic is wonderful!)

2 teaspoons vanilla and any other flavorings to be used (see note below)

Fill to 1 and 1/3 cups with milk and microwave for 45 seconds. In a separate container melt 1/2 cup of butter in microwave. Beat 1 egg into liquid ingredients and add melted butter and beat in.

Directions

Add and combine fruit (and nuts to taste if using)to flour mixture, make well in center and add liquid mixture & fold in gently. DO NOT OVERMIX - this will toughen the muffins. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups. If using nuts in the muffins sprinkle same on top of batter in cups. Sprinkle generously with crumb topping. Bake for 26 minutes then test for doneness. Muffins should be firm to the touch. (May take as much as 5 min. more baking time) Let muffins sit in pan on cooling rack for at least 15 minutes before attempting to remove. (longer is better) Use table knife to help lift muffins from pan.

Notes

Any kind of fruit can be used. Cut up into pieces about the size of 1/2 inch of your forefinger. Try different combinations of fruit. If using frozen fruit, do not thaw before hand. Frozen fruit like peaches, blackberries, mangos need to be cut into pieces as above. There are all kinds of fruit flavorings available. Add a teaspoon to liquid ingredients to match fruit in muffins. Use fruit juice to replace part or all of milk. If using acidic juice like orange or pineapple (with pineapple tidbits for fruit) then omit the vinegar altogether. Add orange or lemon zest to dry ingredients. If you want lemon muffins replace vinegar with 2 Tablespoons of lemon juice and add a Tablespoon of lemon flavor. Be creative with spice combinations. Use fresh ginger finely chopped. Experiment!! Have fun!!! no matter what you do, the results will be, at the very least, "interesting"; and at best sublime!

Pumpkin Spice Donuts

I have a case of the cozies since the weather has turned off chilly, all I want to do is huddle by the fire and bake. Sunday was one of those days. We watched an old movie in the afternoon and then a few episodes of American Pickers. It didn't matter that we'd seen them before, we like that show. I resisted the urge to make anything sweet until sometime after supper... that's when I remembered a recipe that I'd posted on Pinterest for Pumpkin Spice Donuts. 

Pumpkin. Spice. Donuts. 

Those three words are dangerous all by themselves, but put them together and I have a "situation." It took 5 minutes to find the pin, roughly 10 minutes to make them and 12 to bake. They were delicious and tasted very much like that famous place with the sign that says "HOT DONUTS"... you know the one. Keep this recipe handy for the next time you are jonesing for KK, it'll save you a drive across town!

Pumpkin Spice Donut Holes
1 3/4 cup flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup milk
Coating:
1/4 cup butter, melted
2/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 Tablespoons cinnamon
Preheat oven to 350°.  Grease a mini muffin tin with cooking spray.
In a medium bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, salt and spices.
In a separate bowl, combine oil, brown sugar, egg, vanilla, pumpkin and milk.  Mix well. Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, stir until just combined.  Fill muffin cups about 2/3 of the way full with your cookie scoop. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until they test done with a toothpick. Mine were perfect in 12 minutes.
Melt butter in a small bowl.  In a different small bowl, combine sugar and cinnamon.  After donuts are done and have cooled enough to handle, dip them in the butter and then roll in the cinnamon-sugar mixture. 

*I had the cinnamon and nutmeg, but didn't have the allspice and cloves so I just added a rounded half teaspoon of Pumpkin Pie Spice. Worked great since I'd already started the recipe and couldn't turn back at this point!

Nana's House

via

Does Love=Food?

It does at Nana's house! Our GRANDson spends the night with us on Friday and Saturday morning we have a BIG breakfast! Bacon, ham or sausage... pancakes if we're in the mood, but more likely we eat biscuits with a side of gravy. 

Just because we're Southern, and just because that's what we grew up on! 

I will share that my 12 year old grandson's favorite breakfast are CREPES! Light and pinkalicious from the fresh strawberries I puree into the cream cheese filling.... don't be telling anyone that or I will be in BIG trouble!

Mini-Me

A bear, however hard he tries, grows tubby without exercise.

~ from Pooh's Little Instruction Book,  A. A. Milne

For me it has to be portion control, cause I'm not giving up any foods. Well, maybe I'd give up black-eyed peas, but that's it. If someone told me that I could never have fried chicken again or chocolate pie, well I'd just set down and weep. Lucky for me, there are some great sites out there with low calorie recipes.

from Healthy is Always Better

We don't have a Whole Food's chain here in SmallTownAmerica, so I did a little dance when I saw these on Pinterest last week! Can you imagine 3x's the chocolate for 116 calories?

Triple Chocolate Chunk Muffin

Knock-Offs of Whole Food’s 6 Dollar per 4 Chocolate Chunk VitaTop Muffins

Ingredients:

1 3/4 c oats

3 egg whites

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt (or regular plain low fat yogurt)

1/2 tsp cream of tartar (or 1-1/2 Tbsp. vinegar)

1-1/2 tsp. baking powder

1-1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1 cup hot water

1 cup sugar substitute (like Splenda granular) OR 1/4 cup + 2 tbs stevia

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (or use white chocolate or peanut butter chips!)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 (12-cup) muffin pans with foil cupcake liners, or spray muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.

In a blender, (or food processor), mix all of the ingredients together, except for the chocolate chips. Blend until oats are ground and mixture is smooth. Place mixture in a bowl and gently stir in 1/2 of the chocolate chips (set the rest aside). Scoop mixture into prepared muffin pans. Place muffins tins in the oven for 10 minutes.

*After 10 minutes, remove muffins from the oven (but don’t shut oven off), and distribute the other half of the chocolate chips on top of each muffin. Place the muffins back into the oven and bake for an additional 2-5 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

*Note, you could skip this step by putting all of the chips in the batter, and baking the muffins for 12-15 min straight, but this method gives the muffins the traditional ‘VitaTop Muffin’ look with the chocolate chips on top! Cool muffins before removing from pan. ENJOY!!!

Servings: 12 Regular Muffins or 24 Mini Muffins
Calories: 116 Calories Per Regular Muffin or 58 Calories Per Mini Muffin
PRINT RECIPE

Mom's Bran Muffins

The All Bran box that set on our kitchen table when I was a kid in the 1950's never tempted me. For one thing, I knew what natural laxative meant! Once a week, just like clockwork the box of ExLax would come out of the medicine chest and I'd be offered that little chocolate "treat." Saturday morning meant two things, cartoons and many trips to the bathroom! Mom was a bit of a health nut, she shopped according to food value... i.e. nutrition so we didn't have Ko-Ko Pops. Sad, I don't even know how to spell it correctly! Even though I stayed away from the cereal, you couldn't keep me from eating these muffins that Mom made often. The recipe used to be on the back of Kellogg's All-Bran box, but it's not there anymore. A quick Google Search will bring you all the variations on this delicious recipe. Perfect for a healthy snack or breakfast, they are only 163 calories each! 

Apple Walnut Bran Muffins

makes 24 muffins

2 large golden apples, peeled and chopped

1/2 cup butter

3 cups All-Bran

1 cup boiling water

2 cups buttermilk

2 eggs, lightly beaten

2/3 cup sugar

1 cup walnuts

2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2-1/2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon salt

In a skillet, saute apples in butter until tender, about 10 minutes. Combine cereal and water in a large bowl, then stir in buttermilk, eggs, sugar, raisins/walnuts and apples with butter. Combine dry ingredients; stir into apple mixture just until moistened. Bake as many as desired, then just refrigerate the remaining dough in a tightly covered container for up to 2 weeks (batter will be very thick). Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups three-fourths full. Bake at 400° for 20-25 minutes or until muffins test done. Cool in pan 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack. Makes about 24 standard-size muffins. 

Kolaches (Czech Sweet Rolls)

Kolaches (Czech Sweet Rolls)

This recipe is from the Texas Holiday Cookbook by Dottie Griffith

~PRINT~

2 packages dry yeast

1/2 cup lukewarm (105~115 degree) water

Sprinkle yeast over warm water, stirring to activate. Set aside.

1 1/2 cups warm milk

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup sugar

Heat milk to almost boiling. Remove from heat. Add butter and stir to melt. Add sugar and salt. Pour into large mixing bowl and allow to cool to lukewarm. Stir in egg and add yeast mixture.

1 teaspoon salt

1 egg, beaten

5~6 cups flour

Add flour gradually, about 2 cups at a time, stirring after each addition to make a soft, sticky dough. Do not add too much flour or kolaches will be dense and dry. Cover and let rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour. Begin preparing fillings while dough rises.

Grease a baking sheet well. Rub hands with grease too. Using well greased hands, shape dough into 2- inch balls. Place on prepared baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise again until doubled in size, about 30-45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using your thumb, make and indention in the center of each roll, leaving a 1-inch rim. Allow to rest 10 minutes. Fill with about 1 tablespoon fruit or cheese filling and bake 20-25 minutes or until golden. Makes about 3 dozen

Fillings

*You can use good quality preserves or make your own filling by combining 1 cup dried fruit (6-ounce package of apricots, prunes or apples) in just enough water to cover in a small saucepan. Bring water to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until fruit is soft, about 10-12 minutes. Drain fruit and chop fine. Return to saucepan along with 1 cup sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice, and 4 tablespoons butter. Cook and stir over low heat until mixture thickens like jam, about 10 minutes. Cool completely.

*Combine 1 cup cream cheese or dry curd cottage cheese with 1/2 cup sugar, 1 egg yolk, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and 3 tablespoons melted butter. Mix until smooth.

Not Stollen, Shared!

Photo and recipe courtesy of Crescent Dragonwagon

We learn sharing as children, but as we get older sometimes we forget that it's the nice thing to do! Author Crescent Dragonwagon shares this delicious stollen recipe, braided and folded-- sugared and spiced, it's a holiday bread that inspires memories. Many of you remember her from The Dairy Hollow House in Eureka Springs, a favorite restaurant for many and a memorable stay for those who had the pleasure of visiting the Arkansas Inn. Nowadays, Crescent resides in Vermont and stays busy with gardening, cooking and  writing new cookbooks. Her latest,  Bean by Bean, has more than 200 Recipes for fresh beans, dried beans, cool Beans, hot Beans, savory Beans...and even sweet beans! Thanks so much Crescent for sharing this great recipe for the holidays!

Stollen PRINT RECIPE
Shared in Relish magazine, this stollen says Christmas!
8 cardamom pods
1 cup 2% reduced-fat milk, scalded
1/2 cup yellow raisins
1 cup dried cherries
3 tablespoons dark rum or orange juice
2 (.25-ounce) packages active dry yeast
¼ cup warm water
1/3 cup sugar, divided
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
½ cup (1 stick) cold butter, cut into 8 pieces
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon rind
1 egg
2 egg yolks
½ cup slivered almonds, toasted
10 ounces almond paste
Topping:
½ cup salted butter
1 cup powdered sugar
1. Place cardamom pods in a small bowl. Add hot milk. Let stand 10 minutes.
2. Combine raisins and cherries with rum. Let stand.
3. Combine yeast, warm water and 1 teaspoon sugar. Set aside until mixture foams, about 10 minutes.
4. Remove cardamom pods from milk. Squeeze pods open. Scrape small black seeds into milk. Discard pods. Stir milk into yeast mixture. Add 1 cup flour; beat well. Cover this mixture (called the “sponge”) with plastic wrap; let rise 30 minutes.
5. As the sponge rises, place 2 cups flour and butter in the bowl of a food processor. Add salt and remaining sugar. Pulse 6 or 8 times.
6. Drain fruits, reserving soaking liquid. When the sponge is ready, add it to the processor; add lemon rind, egg and egg yolks, and soaking liquid from dried fruits. Process 20 or 30 seconds, until dough is thoroughly mixed. Then, with a few quick pulses, mix in fruits, almonds, and remaining ½ cup flour. Scrape dough, which will be quite tender, into a large oiled bowl, and refrigerate overnight.
7. In the morning, punch dough down, and divide into thirds. On a heavily floured board, gently pull and pat each portion of dough into a 10 x 14-inch oval. Divide almond paste into thirds. Cover half of each oval, the long way, with bits of almond paste, patting with your hands (don’t worry about getting it neat). Fold the other half of the dough over it, enclosing almond paste and making a pastry that is a plump half oval.
8. Gently transfer to parchment-lined baking sheets, shaping if necessary. Let rise until dough is puffy, though not quite doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
9. Preheat oven to 350F.
10. Bake 20 to 30 minutes, until golden brown. Using 2 spatulas, transfer to a wire rack; cool about 10 minutes.
11. Towards then end of baking time, place ½ cup butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. When butter melts, lower heat and let butter cook until browned and fragrant, about 8 minutes. Don’t stir the butter as it browns, but you can shake the pan a little.
12. Spoon browned butter over the tops. Sift powdered sugar generously over tops. Let cool at least 20 minutes, until sugar sets slightly. Serve, in thin slices, slightly warm or at room temperature. Makes 3 stollens (10 servings each).
Note: Make stollens ahead, wrap well and freeze up to one month.


You might not know this, but Dragonwagon has the distinction of having prepared beans and cornbread for a  President (Bill Clinton), titled royalty (Princess Elizabeth of Yugoslavia), a world-renowned feminist (Betty Friedan) and Marilyn Monroe's first biographer (Maurice Zolotow)! She teaches two writing workshops from various locations, Deep Feast: Writing the World through Food and Fearless Writing. This coming year Deep Feast Writing Workshops are planned in Seattle on Saturday, March 10, 2012, 11-5:00pm and in Boston Saturday, February 18, 2012, 11-5:00pm.

November

I had a burst of house cleaning fever yesterday, rare for me anymore. I used to clean "top to bottom" several days a week, but these days I put off the big chores. I stay ahead of the wash and the clutter, but deep cleaning where I wash windows, polish silver or move furniture is set aside for seasonal cleaning.... that means Spring and Fall. So yesterday I started out with cleaning the windows, got my Don Aslett microfiber cloths and my spray bottle of Windex and went after all the streaks and fly specks and spider webs. We live in the woods... so do bugs and we have a lot of them.

I had to displace a garden spider that had decided to take up residence outside a bedroom window. I leave them as they build in late summer, their sole purpose to lay eggs and reproduce. They in turn eat lots of bugs for me and I appreciate that. They totally creep out my daughters, but I have a fondness for them... as long as they are out of my path, tucked up under an eave or  high on a tree limb. Probably from seeing them in my Grandma's garden and she left them be, so I do too.

One thing led to another yesterday and I eventually got the whole kitchen cleaned. Wiped and swiped as Mom used to say! I had a pot of ham and beans on the stove so dinner was cooking and smelled so good as the sun began to dip low in the west. I'm looking forward to the time change this weekend. When November rolls around I'm ready for winter and being inside. I love the way the house feels, all cozy and warm. We are on the holiday countdown now, it's just 3 weeks until Thanksgiving, lots to do before then!

Something to make the house smell good...

Apple Bread

1/3 c. shortening

1 c. sugar
1 egg
2 c. sifted flour
3/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/3 c. orange juice
1 c. finely chopped or grated apples
3/4 c. raisins
1/4 c. chopped nuts
1 Tblsp. grated orange rind
1. Cream the shortening and sugar together thoroughly.
2. Add egg and beat well.
3. Sift together the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.
4. Add sifted dry ingredients and orange juice alternately to creamed mixture. Blend only until all the flour is moistened.
5. Stir in the grated apples, raisins, nuts, and orange rind.
6. Pour into well greased, 9" x 5" x 3" loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees F. for 50 to 60 minutes.

PRINT RECIPE

Fall Muffins

Apple Spice Muffins

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg (grating fresh nutmeg makes all the difference in these muffins)
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 cup sugar
1 stick (1/2 cup) plus 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
sugar and cinnamon for topping

Preheat oven to 400 degrees, line 12 muffin cups with paper liners. In a large bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, soda, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk eggs and sugar, add melted butter and applesauce and blend well. Fold into dry ingredients gently, then spoon into paper liners and top with cinnamon sugar. Bake 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Remove from muffin pan and place on a rack to cool.

Happy Fall!

PRINT RECIPE

Tea for Two

Can you keep a secret? I've got the recipe for the original Crumpet Tea Room's Orange Rolls and I just can't keep it to myself any longer! They foolishly put it in a cookbook called

"Crumpet Tea Room: A Unique Collection of Mealtime Treasures" ...

along with several of their most requested recipes...like their heavenly chicken salad.

The original Tea Room opened in 1972 at the corner of 1st and Elm in a building that was built in 1862. Historic downtown Rogers is Small Town America at it's best! Turn of the century architecture, brick streets, a farmer's market twice weekly in the summer months, coffee shops, cupcake bakeries, old fashioned candy stores and yes... even an English tea room!

The dining rooms are throughout the building, upstairs and down, and all have a different theme. Eclectic and unique, the tables are set with old sugar bowls and mix and match dishes and silverware. The rooms are like Great Aunt Ruth's house, Victorian and pink or Grandma Betty's with cheery calico curtains and an old Emerson radio on the buffet.

The old tearoom closed a few years ago, replaced by a new restaurant... 

The Tea Room at Vinson Square.

Offering the same homemade quiche, stuffed potatoes, fruit salad with poppy seed dressing, chicken salad to die for AND the heavenly Orange Rolls!

Crumpet Tea Room Orange Rolls
2 1/2 c. hot tap water
1/2 c. melted shortening
2 c. flour
2 t. salt
1/2 c. powdered milk
1/2 c. sugar
3 heaping T. fast active dry yeast
6 c. flour
In large mixing bowl, add the first 3 ingredients. Mix for two minutes with dough hook beater. Add next 4 ingredients and continue to blend. Slowly add remaining flour until mixture is blended well and not sticky to the touch. Cover and let double in size. Punch down and roll dough out long and narrow to 1/4 inch thick. Spread thin layer of orange frosting over dough. Roll up and cut in 1 1/2 inch rolls. Place in greased pans. Let rise to top of pans and bake at 375 degrees for 18 minutes or until golden brown. Makes 20 large rolls.

Orange Frosting
1 c. soft margarine
2 c. granulated sugar
1 orange
Cream margarine in mixing bowl until soft and smooth. Add sugar, juice from one orange and grated peel of orange. Blend well.

Crumpet Tea Room Chicken Salad
4 c. cooked chicken, shredded
1 1/2 c. celery, diced
1/2 c. sweet relish
4 eggs, hard boiled and diced
3/4 c. Miracle Whip (or enough to moisten mixture)
Combine all ingredients and mix well. Serve with tossed salad, fresh fruit or in a sliced croissant.

PRINT RECIPES

Before Food Network, before the Cooking Channel... we tuned into PBS to watch Graham Kerr, Justin Wilson or Nathalie Dupree. Our eyes were opened to regional food, international or southern, it was something new to eat. Mom used to say that... "I wish there was something NEW to eat!" The era of cooks before us were stuck in their repertoire of Wednesday Meatloaf or Fried Chicken Sunday. Their mother's had done it that way, and it was habit.

When I married in 1970, I had one cookbook... Betty Crocker's red edition, the OLD one! Four hundred seventy-nine pages; it had recipes for Cheese Fondue and Waikiki Meatballs, Beef Stroganoff and Stained Glass Cookies...I thought it was the only cookbook I'd ever need!

In the 1970's, I'd watch New Southern Cooking on PBS. Nathalie Dupree talked like me and her southern upbringing spilled over to her recipes. Her tv series on PBS was as much about entertaining as it was cooking. Relaxed and welcoming, I liked her style.... and I loved her recipes!

No respecting southern cook should be without a good recipe for Pimento Cheese. It's a staple at luncheons, weddings and Grandma's kitchens across the south. But lately, Pimento Cheese has been bumped up a notch on the social register. It seems that big city chefs have discovered the orange deliciousness can be parlayed into upscale recipes. I read an article at the Washington Post this week that included several wonderful recipes for the Southern Spread. The following, a recipe from Nathalie Dupree's new cookbook Southern Biscuits would satisfy Mom's criteria for "something NEW to eat!"

Pimento Cheese Biscuits
The Washington Post, April 20, 2011    

Makes 16 to 18 biscuits

• 2 1/4 cups store-bought or homemade self-rising flour, plus more as needed (see NOTE)
• 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 4 ounces pimento or roasted red bell peppers, chopped (from a jar)
• 1/4 cup finely chopped onion (optional)
• 1 cup regular or low-fat buttermilk
• 2 to 4 tablespoons melted unsalted butter, for brushing

Position the top oven rack in the upper third of the oven; preheat to 450 degrees. Brush a baking sheet with a little softened butter.
Combine 2 cups of the flour and the cup of cheese in a food processor; pulse two or three times. Scatter the 1/4-inch butter pieces over the flour mixture and pulse two or three times, then scatter the 1/2-inch butter pieces over the flour mixture and pulse two or three times, until the mixture resembles well-crumbled feta cheese, with no piece larger than a pea.
Add the pimento or roasted red pepper, the onion, if using, and 3/4 cup of the buttermilk. Pulse briefly to incorporate. When the blade stops, remove the lid and feel the dough. Add just enough of the remaining buttermilk or flour as needed; pulse to form a slightly wet dough. Pulse once or twice more until the dough looks shaggy but holds together.
Generously dust the work surface with flour. Use more of the flour to coat your hands.
Turn the dough out onto the work surface and sprinkle the top of the dough lightly with flour. Fold the dough in half, then pat it out into a 1/3- to 1/2-inch-thick round, using a little additional flour only if needed. Flour again if necessary and fold the dough in half a second time. If the dough is still clumpy, pat and fold a third time.
Pat the dough out into a round 1/2-inch-thick for regular biscuits, 3/4-inch thick for tall biscuits and 1-inch thick for large biscuits. Brush any visible flour from the top. For each biscuit, dip a 2-inch biscuit cutter into flour and cut out the biscuits, starting at the outside edge and cutting very close together, being careful not to twist the cutter.
Dough scraps may be combined to make additional biscuits, although they make tougher biscuits.
Carefully transfer the biscuits to the baking sheet, arranging them so they are touching each other. Bake on the top oven rack for 6 minutes, then rotate the baking sheet front to back. If the biscuits seem to be browning too quickly on the bottom, slip a second baking sheet under the first one to help insulate the biscuit bottoms. Bake for 7 to 9 minutes, until the biscuits are light golden brown on top.
When the biscuits are done, brush the tops with melted butter. Turn the biscuits out upside down onto a plate to cool slightly. Serve hot, right side up.
NOTE: To make self-rising flour, combine 1 cup all-purpose Southern flour (such as White Lily, which has more gluten), 1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt and 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 months, or freeze for up to 1 year.

Recipe Source:

Adapted from "Southern Biscuits," by Nathalie Dupree and Cynthia Graubart (Gibbs-Smith, 2011).

PRINT RECIPE

Lord love her, this Grandma shows us how to make a good pan of biscuits! Lucille here makes them like my Grandma did, using her bowl and her fingers to stir up the dough, then pinch them off, roll and flatten. I make them like my Mom, she always rolled them out and cut with her red Ekco biscuit cutter. This is an easy recipe that comes together in no time...

Momma's Biscuits
2 cups self-rising flour
1/4 cup butter flavored Crisco
3/4 cup milk or buttermilk
Preheat oven to 500 degrees.

Pay no attention to the baking powder here, I hadn't had enough coffee this morning so wasn't too clear headed! Just sift the self-rising flour into a bowl and cut in the shortening with a pastry cutter until the mixture is the consistency of fine cornmeal. Add the milk gradually and work into a soft dough.

Turn out on floured surface and knead for about half a minute. Remember what Lucille said, "I worked the dough too much and they were hard as rocks!" Roll the dough about 1/2" thick and cut with a biscuit cutter. Place the biscuits on a greased pan and bake about 10 minutes.

If you want to put a smile on someone's face today... make a pan of biscuits, set out the butter dish and a little honey! That's all you have to do and they will sing your praises...

Artisan Bread, despite myself

Jayme Goffin did a tutorial last week and shared her deeelicious artisan bread recipe. If you go to her blog Tales from the Coop Keeper it's one of the header pictures, the one that looks like it was baked at a fine Parisian bakery. Jayme listed the 4 ingredients and made the recipe step by step. I knew I could do it.

The night before at bedtime I stirred up the ingredients, then yesterday bright and early I logged onto the blog so she could "talk me through it."

That's when I realized I didn't have 3 very important elements for baking the most beautiful artisan bread I've ever seen. I didn't have parchment paper. I have looked at it before at the grocery store but when I saw the price $3.16, I jumped back and ran away fast. I was already knee deep in sticky dough so I had to figure something out, aluminum foil seemed the best substitute.

Next Jayme used a fancy knife that cost $130 to crisscross the bread but I all I had was one of Ron Popeil's Showtime bread knives so I just had to make do.

It's looking good despite the fact that I'm woefully unprepared for bread making. The smell in the kitchen would have brought a grown man to his knees. I wish I'd had one here this morning, I'd have sent him to town for parchment paper.

Jayme keeps saying, "Don't be afraid, it will turn out perfect no matter what you do!" She throws it in the cast iron pot to bake, a bead of sweat is now on the tip of my nose since I realize I don't even have the right pot to bake in. How is this ever going to be remotely like hers?

I plop mine in the heated pot, cover and slip into the hot oven lowering the temperature and whispering a prayer. Thirty short minutes the timer dings and I take off the lid and peer down into the stainless pot that should have been a cast iron Lodge dutch oven.

Fifteen more minutes and it's ready to make it's arrival into the world. It did peel off the foil ok, but it's not perfect like Jayme's bread. It has lumps and bumps and the crisscross is woefully nondescript due to the fact that it was just a cheap Ron Popeil bread knife. I put an ample serving of butter out, hoping to hide the fact that my loaf was a little misshapen and a little too pale. About that time Hubby walked in from work. The first words out of his mouth were, "How did the bread turn out?" He had watched the night before as I stirred it up. He'd evidently been thinking about it all day long.

I had already eaten the end piece and it was better than good, it was delicious. The texture was soft and heavenly, just like a cloud. He grabbed the second slice, buttered it and carried it away with him to the bedroom while he changed. At dinner we had two more slices, warm and buttered it was the main attraction of the meal. We have half a loaf left, two people did quite a bit of damage to this loaf of bread that didn't look perfect, but was.

For complete instructions for this easy to make bread that will improve your marriage, cure cancer and impart world peace...click HERE! 

"It's a good one..."

Our daughters both loved Little House on the Prairie, never tiring of re-runs of re-runs. When oldest daughter Stephanie was pregnant with first son Jackson, I’d call her mornings around 9AM. She’d answer the phone sniffling and obviously crying. I’d ask her, “Are you ok, is everything alright???” She’d answer,

“Yes, I’m watching Little House, it’s a good one”… then she would proceed to tell me every single detail about the episode! Little House on the Prairie had that effect on a lot of us. We craved it. We memorized it. We fantasized about living back then when a trip into Walnut Grove was a much anticipated event and the farm provided most of the things you needed to survive. It was a simpler, harder life than most of us can even begin to imagine, but somehow we desire that kind of life.

For my ancestors farming in Arkansas, it was their life; building their own houses, butchering their pigs in the fall, hard work and long days in the fields to provide food for survival. I’ve inherited so much from my own Grandparents who farmed the land that has been in their family since 1860, but how I wish I had recipes from Great Grandmothers. Treasured glimpses into the lives they lived back then.

Daughter Stephanie knows that I love cookbooks so when she came across

The Little House Cookbook at a book sale, she grabbed it for a Christmas present for me! It’s stuffed with recipes and tales of pioneer cooking like candy made from drizzling hot maple syrup onto snow, johnnycakes cooked over the open fire, and Little House doughnuts.
Here’s the recipe from The Little House Cookbook by Barbara M. Walker (Harper Collins, 1989)

The only thing I would change is Smart Balance oil to fry the doughnuts.

Doughnuts
For 2 dozen doughnuts you will need:
2 pounds lard
1 egg
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup sour cream
2¼ cups of unbleached all-purpose flour
a shaker full of powdered sugar
quart kettle
quart bowl
rolling pin
candy thermometer
Melt the lard in kettle over low heat. Beat egg, baking soda, and salt into the sour cream in the bowl. Beat in 1 cup of flour until well mixed. Continue to work in flour, ¼ cup at a time, until you have a dough that can be rolled. Roll the dough in a strip about 4 by 16 by ¼ inches. With a floured knife cut into inch strips about five eighth inch wide.
Heat the lard to 375 degrees F. Twist a strip like a corkscrew (it will stretch as you do); bring ends together and pinch them. Drop twisted dough in hot fat. In 2 minutes the dough should be brown on both sides, crisp and cooked through. If browning takes more than 3 minutes, the fat is not hot enough; if browning takes less time, the fat is too hot.
Remove cooked doughnut to brown paper to drain and coat it with powdered sugar. Continue twisting and cooking the remaining dough strips. Serve the doughnuts immediately.
*I think a little roll in some cinnamon sugar would be very good on these!
Printable Recipe

Wheat Sourdough Bread

This half~eaten loaf of wheat sourdough bread might tell you just how good this recipe was. It's Suzanne McMinn's recipe for Grandmother Bread made with her sourdough starter. I blogged about her Chickens In the Road recently and was anxious to try out the family recipe that she shared for her Grandmother's Bread. I'm not an accomplished bread baker, but I do come from a long line of bread makers...Mom, Grandma and Aunts who baked their own bread weekly. It's not difficult to make, as long as you follow directions. Suzanne has a whole section at the blog with step by step directions and pointers how to make the sourdough starter, the bread recipes and variation of the recipe... Cinnamon Buns, Raisin Bread, pizza.

The sourdough starter has to be made and aged for 10 days. Now don't let this scare you off. It's nothing more than flour, water, sugar, salt and yeast. Set it on the counter to do it's bubbly goodness for 10 days.

It will get you in the mood for Halloween since it looks like a bubbling cauldron!

After 10 days you store it in the fridge to use as you need. You keep it "alive" by adding when you take out starter...or by adding a teaspoon of sugar to "feed" the monster every 10 days. See how much fun this is? When you get ready to make the bread you take out the starter and let it come to room temperature. This is important since you want the yeast to "marry" with the starter. Isn't that romantic?

The yeast needs to be added to warm water and and allowed to "Proof" for 5 minutes. That just means to look and see if you have some bubbles rise, that tells you the yeast is good. Also the package has a due date and I've never had a problem unless it's old yeast.

Wheat Germ is just something I add to recipes to make them more nutritious. I added 2 tablespoons to the recipe. It won't affect the rising, it just gives a nice boost to the health benefits. The Wheat Gluten is KEY to making your bread "poofy."

It's kind of like an Insurance Policy for bread. It's right next to yeast and flour at the grocery store and it's not expensive like most insurance!

The dry ingredients go in the bowl...

Add the wet ingredients and allow the dough hook to do the work. If you have a bread machine it can take over and you can go blog for awhile. If you don't have either of these, God gave you a mixer attachment called hands! Just stir with a big mixing spoon until thoroughly mixed.

Plop out on the counter and admire the yeasty glob that will soon become a work of art!

Here's where the fun begins. You get to punch and roll, fold and press and in general take out all your aggression on this little loaf of bread dough. About five minutes and you should have worked up a little sweat if you've done a good job. Now this doesn't mean to mistreat the dough. Don't think about ex-husbands or what your Mother-in-law said the other day, or the gallon of milk that the grocery clerk failed to put in your cart and you got all the way home before you realized it. That will make the dough tough. Just fold and knead in a lady like manner...

Then place the little baby bottom of dough gently in an oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap.

I like to cover up with a clean dish towel because Mom always did this.

I got distracted so I am missing pictures of the risen dough in the bowl, kneading and forming again and placing on a baking sheet. Sorry, not very good at the cooking posts. I made a few slits in the top and allowed to rise. This picture was after it had risen and I was ready to put into the oven.

I can't explain the smell when it's baking. Nothing short of Heaven on Earth, it makes the house feel like home. That's it in a nutshell, just Home Sweet Home. It's an offering for your family that tells them hey, I made this because I love you!

Chickens In The Road blog has all of the recipes for Grandmother Bread,

visit and tell Suzanne THANK YOU!

How to make Sourdough Starter:
1 tablespoon (1 packet) yeast (not rapid-rise)

1/2 cup warm water

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 more cups warm water

1 tablespoon sugar or honey
In a large (non-metal) bowl, dissolve yeast in the 1/2 cup of water. Add flour, additional water, and the sugar or honey. Beat till blended. You can leave it in the bowl to ferment, or transfer it to a large jar.This is a 2-quart jar. You have to use a large bowl or a large jar because the starter needs room to bubble up and expand.
Cover the top with cheesecloth. (That cheesecloth keeps the cat hair out, whew.)I use a jar band to keep the cheesecloth on there good. Let stand at room temperature in a warm place while it ferments. I keep it on the kitchen counter as that’s the warmest room in the house most of the time. Depending on the temperature in your house, it will take 5-10 days to ferment. Stir the mixture 2 or 3 times a day. It should be kinda like pancake batter in consistency (after stirring). It may separate some and look goopy as it sits. Just keep stirring it up a couple times a day.You see how much it expands. That’s why you need a large bowl or jar. I like to use this 2-quart jar because later it will transfer easily to the refrigerator. (A big bowl would take up too much of my fridge space.)
You’ll know it’s ready when you walk by it one day and think, Is there some beer in here? And you get all upset because you have teenage boys and they’d better not have any beer. Then you look around and realize it’s the starter.
Once the starter is ready, you can store it in the refrigerator. (Continue to cover with cheesecloth. You can use a rubberband, or a jar ring, etc, but do not seal it shut.) Stir it once a day.
After each use of the starter, replenish it by stirring in another 1/2 cup warm water, 1/2 cup flour, and another teaspoon of sugar or honey. Allow starter to sit out for a day to ferment before putting back in the refrigerator. Wait at least a couple days before using the starter again. If you don’t use the starter for 10 days, stir in a teaspoon of sugar or honey to keep it active and stick it back in the fridge.
Never take more than two uses of the starter at a time. Each use is 2/3 cup starter per one loaf recipe. You can take out double that (1 1/3 cups) if making two loaves, and in that case replenish double, but no more than that or you’ll wear your starter down pretty quickly. (If you need to make more sourdough bread than that at a time, you might want to run two pots.)
You can keep your starter going for a long time if you take care of it. If you don’t and if you screw it up, just start over. It’s just yeast, water, sugar, and flour. It’s okay. If your house is very cold, it will not work. I tried to get some starter going one winter at the old farmhouse and it just sat there. Then I set it in front of the gas fireplace and it fried. There was no winning for losing there. I keep my new farmhouse at 67 degrees in the winter and it takes about a week to get starter going here, so unless you live in a freezing, drafty old farmhouse, you can probably ferment starter any time of the year. If you do live in a freezing, drafty old farmhouse, may I just say, I feel your pain and wait till spring to make starter. (I loved that old house anyway!)
Note: Always bring your starter to room temperature before using it in a recipe.

One-loaf sourdough Grandmother Bread
2/3 cup starter1 1/3 cups warm water1 teaspoon yeast1/2 teaspoon salt2 tablespoons sugar1/4 teaspoon baking soda3 cups flour
Two-loaf sourdough Grandmother Bread
1 1/3 cup starter2 2/3 cups warm water1 tablespoon (1 packet) yeast1 teaspoon salt1/4 cup sugar1/2 teaspoon baking soda6 cups flour
Follow general instructions for making standard Grandmother Bread. See full standard Grandmother Bread recipe and instructions here. The starter goes in with the water/yeast mixture in the first step, and the baking soda is added along with the flour.
You can also add up to three tablespoons of homemade dough enhancer per loaf (particularly recommended if using whole grains).
Printable Recipe