Day #87 and a New Cookbook

 One day last week Mom and I along with my daughter went shopping.  The only reason my daughter went with us was so she could get a book at Barnes and Noble.  She is an avid reader and loves her Nook she got for Christmas.  While she was off searching through the teen section, I wondered through the cookbook section.  There isn't much to choose from, two rows, but I did manage to find this little cookbook.

The Frugal Foodie Cookbook:  Waste-Not Recipes For The Wise Cook

by Lara Stark with Lynette Shirk

It has so many interesting recipes!  I will be trying out several this week. The first of which is a simple Bisquick recipe.  My kids love pancakes and biscuits, but I dread making them from scratch and I always forget to buy Bisquick at the store!  Here's a simple solution! 

NEW RECIPE #23  3-IN-1 Eye-Opener Mix

(The Frugal Foodie Cookbook:  Waste-Not Recipes For The Wise Cook)

(Average Family Rating: Biscuits and Pancakes, 5)

8 C. Flour

1/3 C. Baking Powder

1 Tbsp. Kosher Salt

3 Tbsp. Sugar

2 Sticks Butter, unsalted and cold

Mix all dry ingredients in a large bowl.  Cut the butter into small chunks and add to dry mixture.  Toss butter to coat, then cut butter into mixture with a pastry cutter, I just used my hands, until the mixture is sandy in consistancy.  Store in freezer bags for up to three months.

Biscuits

2 C. Eye-Opener Mix

1 C. Buttermilk

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. and grease muffin tin.

Combine milk and mix with a wooden spoon until combined, then beat briskly with wooden spoon for 30 seconds.  Using two spoons, drop 1/4 C. dough into each muffin tin.  Bake for 12 minutes.

Pancakes

2 C. Eye-Opener Mix

1 1/2 C. Milk

I would hope you all know how to make pancakes??

Tips:

1.  I packaged the mix in 2 1/2 C. food saver bags.  

2.  Cut the butter into small pieces then put in the freezer while you mix the dry ingredient. 

3.  I also use the cultured buttermilk powder. It keeps longer and you can mix only what you need at a time.

4.  Cool biscuits for 5 minutes, then remove from muffin tin before they get soggy!

Day #72 and Another Project

My daughter has a social studies project,  an encyclopedia of The Dominican Republic.  For her presentation this week she wanted to make a local bread.  Today is our trial run for Pan de Agua, water bread.  We found a recipe at Aunt Clara's Kitchen.   According to Aunt Clara this is bread is served at breakfast. The hardest part of this recipe for us was calculating how many teaspoons are in one packet of yeast.  I buy yeast at Sam's, not in individual packets.  I also used a Sil-pat instead of oil on my baking sheet.   I have never understood the greasing of cookie sheets or baking sheets.  The grease always seems to burn in between the cookies or whatever you are baking.  I don't know about you, but I do not enjoy scrubbing my baking sheets or really anything for that matter.

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NEW RECIPE #22  Pan de Agua:
(Aunt Clara's Kitchen)
(Average Family Rating)

3 C. Flour
2 1/2 (.25 ounce) Packages Active Dry Yeast OR  5 5/8 tsp.
1 tsp. Salt
1 C. Warm Water

Dissolve the yeast in the warm water. Mix in flour, salt. Add the yeast and mix in with a spatula until it is well blended. Flour a clean surface and knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic (same texture as children modeling clay).

Wrap in a plastic film and let rise in a warm place until it doubles. Put the dough on a floured surface and punch down to get rid of the excess bubbles. Divide the dough in 8 portions. Work them into rolls, then slash them lengthwise with a knife. Allow to double again before baking. Pre-heat the oven to 425° F.

Oil a baking sheet. Bake bread for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown.

Day #59 and a Bomb Went Off...

A bomb, tornado, something...in my basement!  I leave for five days and the basement is trashed.  And not just one room!  The computer area, the bar, the laundry room, and as usual, the boys room!  The latter I totally expected because they don't clean, ever.  I don't venture down to the basement often, usually just to do laundry.  The kids watch TV down there, play on the computer, etc.  But today I had to do laundry.  Uh let's just say the door to laundry room opened just enough for me to squeeze in.  Nice.  They had attempted to do laundry while I was away with clean clothes on top of the washer/dryer and hanging everywhere, I was furious!  So today and probably tomorrow I will be in the laundry room, ugh.

I threw out the granola I made yesterday.  Some of the fruit was burnt and it just tasted funny.  I will attempt to make it again this afternoon.  I bought some bread at Target,  Apple Fritter.  The boys loved it!  Today I am going to attempt to make my own.  Hopefully it turns out better than the granola!

White Bread:
(HMSJ)

1/4 C. Butter, melted

2 C. Water

1 Egg

2 tsp. Salt

4 1/2 tsp. Yeast

6 1/2 C. Flour

1/2 C. Sugar

Place all the wet ingredients in mixer.  Sift all dry ingredients.  Add dry to wet and kneed for 5 minutes.  Place in greased bowl and rise for an hour.  Divide dough in half.  Shape loaves and let rise additional hour.  Bake at 375 degrees F. for 30 minutes until golden brown.



Baking in the oven.



New Recipe #17 Apple Fritter Bread:

(CMW, 2011)

(Average Family Rating 4.3)

White Bread Recipe

1 Can of Apple Pie Filling

2 tsp. Cinnamon

1/4 C. Butter, melted

Raw Sugar

Make bread recipe as follows.  After the first rise, roll out into 8"x 20" rectangle on a lightly floured surface.  Mix pie filling and cinnamon together.  Dice any large pieces of apple into smaller pieces.  Spread the mixture onto the dough and roll.  Place the loaves in the loaf pans to rise for another hour.  Coat loaves with butter and sprinkle liberally with raw sugar.  Bake for 30 minutes at 375 degrees F. until golden brown. 

Let cool on a baking rack for 15 minutes.

A few tips:
1. When rolling dough after adding pie filling mixture fold sides in so the mixture doesn't ooze out!
2. Try not to let rise too much because it keeps rising in the oven.

Day #30 and Withdrawl

So I am having withdrawl, from cooking, baking, etc.  It's something I do everyday, something I like doing everyday.  Cooking with the electric skillet just isn't the same.  Today I asked the best neighbor in the world to borrow her oven.  I missed using the mixer, playing with my measuring cups, and the smell of baking!   Kinda sad...

But I made this awesome banana bread...yes I have made banana bread before, but not this recipe.  It's really easy and smells so yummy.  I won't be able to eat it, allergic to bananas, but I had fun making it!


NEW RECIPE  #11 Flour's Famous Banana Bread:
(Food Network)
(Average Family Rating 5)

1 2/3 C. Flour

1 ts. Baking Soda

1/4 tsp. Ground Cinnamon

1/2 tsp. Salt

1 C. plus 2 Tbsp. Sugar

2 Eggs

1/2 C. Oil

3 1/2 Bananas, mashed

2 Tbsp. Sour Cream

1 tsp. Vanilla Extract

2/3 C. Walnuts or Pecans, chopped

Set oven to 350 degrees F. Line the bottom of a loaf pan with parchment paper.
Sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Beat sugar and eggs with a whisk until light and fluffy, about 10 minutes. Drizzle in oil. Add mashed bananas, sour cream, and vanilla. Fold in dry ingredients and nuts. Pour into a lined loaf and bake for about 45 minutes to 1 hour.