Herbed Foccacia Bread

In large mixer bowl:

Dissolve 2 Tbsp. Yeast in 3 cups + 2 Tbsp. Warm water

When bubbly add:
3 1/2 – 4 cups Prairie Gold flour
1 Tbsp. Sugar
2 tsp. Salt
1 /2 cup olive oil
2 cups unbleached flour

Mix on low speed. Knead with dough hook for about 10 minutes. Adding 1/2 Tbsp. minced garlic, 2 Tbsp Italian Seasoning, 1 Tbsp. Spicy Spaghetti Seasoning and more flour as needed. Dough should be slightly sticky. Cover and let rise until double.

Roll out about 1” thick, cut in sandwich size pieces. Cover and allow to rise to double on greased or lined baking sheets.



Bread ready to rise.

Before baking brush tops with Olive oil. Bake bread at 375° for about 20 minutes. (Should be golden brown. Over-baking will dry out the bread.)



Immediately upon removal from oven brush tops again with olive oil and sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese.



We like chicken grilled with tomato, lettuce, and a slice of mozzarella on our foccacia.

Stains on Coffee Mugs

Baking Powder cleans coffee, tea, and chocolate stains on ceramic cups. Moisten your cup, then apply baking powder with a rag or sponge. You might need to add a little water to your baking powder to get it paste like in consistency.

Potato Doughnuts

This is my mom's Potato Doughnut recipe. They are not overly sweet. I made a half batch on Saturday. Yum!
Makes about 42 doughnuts and doughnut holes

Combine in a large bowl:
1 cup mashed potatoes
2 Tbsp. yeast
1 1/2 cup very warm water
1 1/4 tsp. Salt
1 cup sugar

Stir until dissolved, let stand 20 minutes until bubbly.

Stir in 2 beaten eggs, 2/3 cup softened butter. Add 6 1/2-7 cups of flour, 1 cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. Knead last portion of flour in. Let stand (covered) until more than doubled.

Stir down; divide in half. Roll about 3/8” thick, cut.


Cover and let rise.


Fry in hot oil, puffy side down first. Drain on toweling.

Add 1/4 cup hot water to 1/2 cup powdered sugar and 1/4 tsp. Vanilla to make glaze. Dip doughnuts in glaze while still hot.

Benefits of Whole Grains, Part 4

Fiber Continued

Fiber is divided into soluble and insoluble. Here is a chart and some tips for adding fiber to your diet.

Food- Portion Size-Fiber (grams)-Soluble/Insoluble
banana 1 medium 2.4
orange 1 medium 2.6
peach 1 medium 1.9 fruits with skins half/half
carrots 1/2 cup 2.3 high in soluble
corn 1/2 cup 3.6
green peas 1/2 cup 3.6
potato, with skin 1 medium 2.5 (1/2 the fiber without skin)
beans, cooked: half/half
lima 1/2 cup 4.5
navy 1/2 cup 6.0
kidney 1/2 cup 7.3
bran flakes (cereal) 3/4 cup 4.0
shredded wheat 1 biscuit 3.0
air-popped popcorn 1 cup 1.0
whole-wheat bread 1 slice 1.4
bran, wheat 1/2 cup 10 mostly insoluble
oat over half soluble
rice brown/wild 1/2 cup 2.5 mostly insoluble

Increase fiber in the diet gradually. Too much, too fast will cause gas, cramps, diarrhea, and discouragement. If you tend to cramp or have an uneasy stomach when eating a high fiber food–your overall diet is very low in fiber.

Drink lots of water–fiber, especially soluble, absorbs large amounts of water; a high-fiber diet can actually constipate if not accompanied by plenty of fluid. Body weight divided in half = number of ounces per day. Adequate water consumption will also help keep hunger down and contribute to proper weight.

Linens

Linens in the kitchen are so much fun and nicer than throw away, scratchy paper. They help you feel like you're cultivating a warmer atmosphere.

I have made fabric napkins out of gingham, wovens, linens, and cotton holiday prints. A 14 to 15-inch square makes a nice large napkin. Using a standard 44/45" wide fabric, pre-wash your fabric, fold in thirds not including the selvedges where there is printing or not pattern. Cut in thirds. Cut these thirds in lengths to make squares. Serge or narrow hem your new napkins.

Along with a more standard assortment of napkins…living in the wild west (at least it gets wild at our house at times) we like nice big bandanas for napkins. Washable, inexpensive, colorful and fun for barbeques and picnics.

Diane at Tomato Soup Cake has a wonderful post with great ideas on how to keep your linens spotless. Click on the title to take you to her post. Read the comments too!

Experiment from the Garden's Plenty–Raspberry/Rhubarb Pie

1 pound rhubarb, cut in 1/2” slices or 1 qt. frozen or canned 1/2” rhubarb slices, drained
2 cups raspberries
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 Tbsp. cornstarch

Mix above together. Let rest for 15-20 minutes.

Line 10” pie plate with pastry; pour in filling. Adjust lattice top; seal edges. Brush lattice top and edges with milk.

Bake at 400° for about 45 minutes. Cover edges if needed to avoid over browning.

Mom's Easy Refrigerator Rolls

Oven 400°F
About 4 dozen medium pan rolls or 2 dozen plus of cloverleaf rolls

Mix day before:
Dissolve 2 Tbsp. (pkgs.) dry yeast in 2 cups very warm water.

Stir in:
1/2 cup sugar or 1/4 cup honey or fructose
2 tsp. Salt
1/4 cup softened butter
1 egg

Mix in 6 1/2-7 cups flour. (I used slightly over half, freshly ground Prairie Gold whole wheat flour.)

Place in a large bowl. It will more than double. Cover with lid or damp cloth, place in refrigerator.



Punch down dough when it reaches the top.

About three hours before baking, shape into rolls. Placing in greased pans. Cover and let rise until double. About 3 hours.

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Heat oven to 400°F. Bake rolls for 12-15 minutes.