Grain Mills

I've been enjoying the podcasts and information on GNOWFGLINS.com

Last week's podcast was about grain mills. Very informative if you are considering one for your home.

http://gnowfglins.com/2013/02/21/kyf-022-grain-mills-with-vickilynn-haycraft/

Snickerdoodles

A classic home-made cookie. The original recipe came from a very dear friend…Nancy. I've teaked it a bit to all butter and sometimes use part whole-wheat pastry flour.

Cream together:
1 cup butter
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 eggs

Mix into creamed mixture:
Up to 3 cups flour
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp sea salt

Shape into balls 1 - 1 1/2" diameter. Roll in cinnamon sugar mixture. We like lots of cinnamon, hence my mix is heavy on cinnamon and light on sugar. Bake at 400°F for 8 - 10 minutes. Remove to cooling rack.

Black Homemade Licorice

Thought I'd share our recipe for homemade licorice. It comes from good friend Robynne.

1. Melt 2 sticks (1 cup) of butter in 3 qt or larger pan
Add 2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cup corn syrup
1 cup (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk

Heat to boiling, keep stirring. Keep at a slow boil. It will turn a brownish caramel color. Don’t let scorch.


2. Add 1 bottle anise oil flavoring and 1/2 a container black food color paste or gel AFTER soft ball state is reached on a candy thermometer.

3. Pour into a 9” x 13” well buttered pan.

4. Cool 2 hours before cutting with pizza cutter. Wrap individual pieces in wax paper

Christmas Dinner Menu-2012

This is our planned menu…we are expecting at least 20 for dinner…

Appetizers–served in the afternoon with Knudsen Sparkling Juices

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

Bruschetta

Gouda Cheese

Dinner in the Evening:

Soup, Salad,  and Bread:

Potato Soup

Green Salad

French Bread

Main Course:

Cross-rib Beef Roast

with mushroom sauce

Herbed Spatchcocked Turkey

Rice Pilaf

Cooked Green Vegetable

Raw Vegetables

Dessert:

Lemon Meringue Pie

Blueberry Pie

Carob-Pecan Pie

Chocolate Beet Cake

with 

Ice Cream or Whip Cream

Coffee

Tea

What is on your menu plan?

Chocolate Christmas Pretzels

Each year the granddaughters come over and we play with Ghiradelli Chocolate and Christmas pretzels from Sam's Club!

Donning aprons.

It all started when the oldest granddaughter was about 2 years old. She wasn't old enough to handle decorating "Christmas" cookies. But she was able to drop the Christmas shaped pretzels into the chocolate.

Removing broken pretzels.

Dipping pretzels.

The oldest "cook."

The littlest "cook."

Simply melt the chocolate in the top of a double boiler. When melted remove the top to a kitchen towel. This will soak up any moisture and be heat protecting and keeping. Let the little ones drop the pretzels into the chocolate. Grandma can fish each pretzel out with a fork and lay it on some wax paper.

Finished pretzels.

Someone playing in the chocolate, again.

The girls also like to sprinkle the wet chocolate covered pretzels with sprinkles or with some white chocolate. Let dry. Then bag.

Putting pretzels into fancy bags.

Store in air tight container in freezer for long periods of time. It helps to keep them from immediately disappearing!

Linked with: Raising Homemakers

Canned Pumpkin

I enjoy using  pumpkins to decorate my kitchen in the fall. I simply set them around in out-of-the-way corners on the floor. Maybe with a decorative gourd or two.

After Thanksgiving I process them. The easiest way I've found is to cut the pumpkin in half.
Remove the stem and seeds. A spoon with a sharp edge helps to scoop the seeds out-like an ice cream scoop or large serving spoon.

I then place the halves upside down (skin side up) on silicone sheets on my cookie pans.
Bake at 350°F for about 1 hour. This will depend on the size of pumpkin halves and how full you have your oven. Bake until a fork easily goes through the skin.

Now using a large spoon or ice cream scoop, scoop the flesh out of the skins. This should be easy to do.

Put the pumpkin flesh in a large pot to heat. If your pumpkin is not juicy add a couple tablespoons of water. Once you pot of pumpkin is hot it is ready to fill your canning jars. Can in a Pressure Canner.

A quart jar will make a nice large pumpkin pie.

Sugar Cookies–"Cut-out Cookies"

This is the best sugar cookie recipe I have ever tried. 

The recipe is about 95-100 years old!

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup shortening, (half butter, half lard or shortening)
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla
Flour to thicken (approximately 3 3/4 cups) (dough should be slightly sticky)

Mix well, cover and place in refrigerator until chilled at least 4 hours. Roll out on floured board. Cut. Place on cookie sheet. Bake in slow oven 275-350°F. (I use between 325° and 340° for 12 minutes.) Time will depend some on size of cookie. Temperature on how hot your oven runs. Makes about 60 cookies.

I do not roll these out thin; it is probably between 1/8" and 1/4". They will puff some when baking. I bake until the bottoms are golden-brown and they no longer look moist on top. The edges are just tu