WHEW!

Finally I have time to blog! I had several people email and even a phone call 

to see where I have been. Thanks for checking up on me Jane and Karen! I 

have been busy with baking orders and selling online and to make the 

deadlines I had to take the time away from blogging. The picture

shows just a few of the orders I have been working on.

Our yard is finished and I have pictures, so stay tuned!

RUNZAS (BIEROCKS)

My goal to make dinner at least 4 nights a week with only the ingredients I
have in the kitchen left me a little puzzled this week. I had a fresh cabbage,
onion and of course, moose burger in the freezer. I went to www.allrecipes.com
and used their search where you can type in the ingredients you have and they
will list recipes you can make with those ingredients.

Runzas came up--something I had never heard of before. After reading a bit
more about them it seems they are very popular in the midwest region. I read
that there are Runza fast food chains and they are sold at ball parks with beer.
Some states call them Runzas, some states call them Bierocks. Whatever you
call them, they are delicious! A bread pocket filled with cooked cabbage and
meat that is very good hot from the oven and just as delicious the next day in 

the lunch box. 

These are easily adjusted to your tastes too--you can add cheese, mushrooms,
sauce, whatever sounds good. A Runza pizza pocket would be good too I think

with pizza sauce, pepperoni and cheese. I like the way they are easily held in 

your hand to eat--no utensils required. Perfect for on the go lunches & camping!

I made these with the frozen bread dough because I was short on time, but next
time I will plan ahead and make the dough from scratch because frozen bread
dough is  very expensive here!



RUNZAS

1 pound (1 loaf) frozen bread dough, thawed
1 small onion, diced
1/2 pound ground beef
4 cups shredded cabbage
1 teaspoon celery seeds
1/2 can cream of soup-your choice: mushroom/celery/chicken
Salt, pepper to taste
Butter

Divide thawed bread dough into 6 pieces and roll into balls.

Saute onion in large saucepan until browned; add ground beef & cook until beef
is no longer pink. Stir in cabbage, cover and cook until cabbage is wilted, then

sprinkle with celery seed. Add undiluted soup and heat through, then add salt & 

pepper to taste.

Remove from heat and let cool.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Flatten each dough ball into approx. 5 x 5" square. Fill center of each square with 

about 1/2 cup of beef mixture. Bring opposite corners of dough square together

one at a time and seal so there are no leaks. Place seam side down on greased 

cookie sheet and flatten slightly with palm of hand.

Bake in preheated oven for approx 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven and butter

top of each pastry as soon as they come out of the oven. Delicious dipped in ketchup

or mustard.

MAKING BREAD

One of the almost daily routines I have is to make bread. I have tried 

many different recipes over the years and some I have kept, some I 

have thrown out. For awhile I even tried a bread machine because it 

was so much easier to just put the ingredients into the machine and 

push some buttons.

I don't know if it was my bread machine or the recipe I was using but 

it never really tasted very good. The loaves were small and the crust 

tasted like cardboard. But hey--it was homemade!

Growing up, I remember my mom always making bread. In fact, she 

has a newspaper clipping with a picture of her in our kitchen with her 

bread. We had fresh milk from a friend's cow, deer meat my dad and 

brother shot, fresh smelt from Camano Island, clams that we dug, etc. 

I recently made clam fritters for the first time ever with some of the 

clams my family dug on a weekend. They were delicious--just like I 

remember mom making.

My kids are not picky eaters, just like my brothers and sister and I 

weren't. If there is food on the table, you eat it. Recently I had the 

neighbor girls over for dinner. They don't have a mom and their dad 

was out of town so I thought they might like a home cooked meal. We 

had moose burgers (not gamey--better than beef by far) grilled outside 

on the BBQ, fresh cantaloupe and baked beans. The burgers had melted 

cheese, fresh lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, mayonnaise, mustard--whatever

you wanted!

They took one bite and didn't want them. I was so shocked by that. They

do eat at McDonald's at least 3-4 times a week, so maybe my burgers 

were not what they expected? They wrapped them in napkins and said 

they would eat them later, but I have a feeling the other neighbor's dog 

was a very happy camper that night. It's not the first time I have had 

young people over to eat that didn't like things made from scratch. Is it 

possible their tastebuds are so accustomed to processed, packaged and 

flavor enhanced foods that they truly don't know what real food is sup-

posed to taste like?

Speaking of real food--my brother let me borrow his wheat grinder so 

I can make my own flour. I went to the health food store and ordered a 

50 pound bag of organic hard red winter wheat. The price doubled since 

the last time I bought it! The store owner was so apologetic, but it's not 

his fault the fuel prices are soaring and causing everything to go through 

the roof. I bit the bullet and ordered more since I figured it's not getting 

any cheaper. The longer I wait, the more I'll pay. I like the fact that I have 

food stored that I can just walk out to the garage and get if I need it. My 

nightmare is to walk into the store after some sort of crisis or catastrophe 

and see empty shelves.

It has been fun grinding my own flour and making bread and rolls. I also
learned about dough enhancers that help to make the whole grain breads
softer and store better. I have been using vital wheat gluten and it makes
a huge difference. Vitamin C and Lecithin also work to improve the quality
of the dough.

I have several wheat bread recipes I use, but I found a good one a few weeks 

back on my friend Sharon's blog The Sheperd's House. It is excellent! The 

bread is tasty, the recipe is very easy with only 7 simple ingredients and 

it makes 2 loaves so you can give one away or freeze it for later use. It is the 

kind of recipe that a first time breadmaker can use and have success with. 

Give it a try--you may never buy bread from the store again!

50 pounds of organic wheat berries to grind. These keep for years if stored 

in a cool place with an airtight cover to keep the varmints out. I use 50 gallon 

buckets with tight fitting lids.

Magic Mill wheat grinder. It is LOUD! I guess it has to be since it is grinding 

the wheat berries that are literally hard as a rock. it only takes about 5 minutes 

to grind 10 cups of flour.

The resulting flour is very nice--unbleached with all the good stuff 

where all the nutrition and fiber is. The bread rises very fast when using 

freshly ground wheat because the grinder works so hard it leaves the flour 

very warm--yeast loves that!

My trusty Kitchen Aid doing all of the hard work for me. I don't even knead 

much anymore since getting this appliance. It's great for my sore shoulder!

The dough after the first rise in a warm spot. I warm up my oven for 2-3 minutes 

and leave the pilot light on. It seems to work great and it only takes about an hour for 

the dough to double in size.

2nd rise after punching dough down and shaping into loaves. This rise usually 

takes about 25 minutes.

Yum! Tasty and very nutritious to boot. After eating this the bread from the 

store tastes like paper. Maybe that is because I read that there is a certain amount 

of sawdust allowed by the FDA in commercial bread dough for use as an extender. 

Has anyone else ever read that?

DELICIOUS WHOLE WHEAT BREAD

2 cups warm water

1/3 cup honey (raw if you can get it!)

1 T. yeast

1/3 cup olive oil

2 teaspoons salt

1/3 cup wheat gluten flour

5 to 7 cups whole wheat flour

In a large bowl or in a large mixer combine the water, yeast and honey.

Let it sit for a few minutes  to give the yeast a chance to start working.

Add the salt, gluten flour and 3 to 4 cups of flour with mixer on low. 

Continue to add more flour until the dough does not stick to the sides 

of the bowl and it does not feel sticky to the touch. Knead for 7 to 10 

minutes in a mixer like Kitchenaid or 10 to 15 minutes by hand.

Grease a bowl and place dough into bowl, turning it over to grease the

top. Cover with a damp towel or plastic cling wrap and set in a draft-free

warm place to rise to double in size. This usually takes about an hour or

so. I use my oven that has been warmed for 2 to 3 minutes first.

Punch dough down and divide equally in half. Shape into loaves and place

in greased bread pans. I use metal pans because they give a nicer crust. Let

these rise again in the slightly warmed oven until the dough is 1/2 inch above

the rim of the pan.

Turn oven to 350 degrees without taking the bread out (I love this part!)

and set the timer for 30 minutes. Bake until golden brown and if you want

a soft crust, cover the tops of the loaves with butter as soon as you take

them from the oven. That's it! Very simple and the bread is beautiful.

Cool for 10 minutes in the bread pans and then turn the loaves out of the

pans and let cool completely on racks. Bread can be packaged once it has 

cooled completely.

Makes 2 loaves

SCORE!

My sister called at 8:00 this morning to let me know her neighbor was selling her
large Kitchenaid mixer--perfect for my baking/bread making/mixing large quantities
catering adventure. My sister worked in a Sur La Table kitchen store a few years back
and said these mixers sold for approx. $600. This lady was asking $200. with a meat
grinding attachment thrown in and all the hooks and a 6 quart bowl. So here it is on
my table just waiting to be put to some good use. I can hardly wait to try it! The flowers
are from my daughter for my birthday--aren't they gorgeous?



Last week I had a hankering for fresh rolls, so I made a batch of these Cloverleaf
Sweet Rolls from my Grandma's old Betty Crocker cookbook. They are fairly easy to
make and just as good as it gets for taste and excellent eating quality. I think one
of the keys with these is to keep the dough as sticky as possible before kneading.
The more flour you have to use the tougher the dough in my opinion.

These rolls can be made in any shape you like: Parker House, Twists, Knots, etc.
I like the Cloverleaf because I can't really mess them up as far as shape and they
are fun to pull apart and eat.




SWEET CLOVERLEAF ROLLS

1/2 cup warm water (110-115 degrees)
2 packages active dry yeast
1 1/2 cup lukewarm milk
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup shortening
7 to 7 1/2 cup sifted all purpose flour

Measure warm water into mixing bowl and add yeast, stirring with a wire whisk until
dissolved completely. Stir in milk, sugar, salt, eggs and shortening with the whisk until
the shortening is in small pieces. Add about half the flour and mix until blended. Add
enough of the remaining flour so that you have a dough that can be handled--keep
in mind that the less flour the better for a softer roll in the end. Turn dough out onto
lightly floured board or countertop and knead until smooth and elastic (about 5 min.)

Grease a large bowl and place dough in bowl, turning the whole round of dough with
your hand so that it is greased all around. Cover the bowl (I use plastic wrap to hold in
the heat) and place in a warm spot (I use my oven with the pilot light on) until double
in size (approx. 1 1/2 hours) Deflate the dough by pushing with fists once or twice and
let rise again in the same bowl until almost double, which takes about 30 minutes.

Place dough on your floured board or countertop and cut in half with a sharp knife.
Cut those halves in half (kitchen shears work great for this!) and continue doing this until
you have 72 small pieces of dough. The idea here is to place 3 dough pieces in each muffin
cup to make a cloverleaf roll. Lightly roll each bit of dough into a round shape and place
3 balls in each greased muffin cup.

Brush with melted butter and place in oven with pilot light on for approx. 15-20 minutes
to rise until light. Bake at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes, turning each pan once during
baking to distribute heat evenly. Remove from oven and brush again with butter for taste
and softness. Cool completely before removing from pan. Store in airtight container so
they don't dry out.

Makes 24 large, buttery, tender I can't believe how good these are! rolls.

COTTAGE BREAD

I tried this old-time bread that I found in my Grandma's cookbook yesterday. It is
baked in a casserole dish, so the loaves have a nice round shape that makes good
sandwiches when cut. I only had one casserole dish that would work, so I baked
the second loaf in a regular loaf pan.

The flavor was very good and the bread was so easy because of no kneading and
a short raising time. We ate it warm from the oven with tuna fish on it. Delicious!
Definitely a good choice if you are planning a meal with soup to dip it in.



2 3/4 cups warm water (110-115 degrees)
2 packages dry yeast
3 Tablespoons sugar
1 Tablespoon salt
2 Tablespoons shortening
6 1/2 cups sifted all purpose flour (I only use unbleached)

1) Measure warm water into mixing bowl and add yeast, stirring to dissolve.

2) Stir in sugar, salt, shortening and half of the flour. Beat 2 minutes until smooth.

3) Mix in rest of flour thoroughly. Cover and let rise in warm place (I use my oven
with the oven light turned on) until doubled, about 30 minutes. Beat batter down
for 1/2 minute.

4) Pour half into greased 3 x 5 x 9" loaf pan and half into a greased 1 1/2 quart
casserole dish. Let rise 20-30 minutes.

5) Bake in 375 degree oven for 40-50 minutes. Bread is done when top is golden
brown and sounds hollow when tapped. Grease with butter as soon as removed
from oven for a soft crust. Remove from pans after 10 minutes to cool completely
on rack.

Makes either 2 regular loaves or 2 round casserole loaves.

MAKING POTATO LEFSE

Right before Christmas I was invited to a friend's house to learn how to make authentic Potato Lefse.
I jumped at the chance since this she has all of the right equipment and the knowledge--it was great
fun!

My youngest daughter came with me to watch and ended up showing us all how it was done. No kidding-
she mastered the turning of the Lefse right off the bat, which isn't that easy since it is so thin and wide.

Making the dough is similar to pie crust, in that you want to work it as little as possible to keep it tender
and the thinner you can roll it the better the Lefse tastes.

Lefse is usually made on a special round grill, but she said I can substitute any flat grill. You need a 26"
long, flat stick to turn the lefse and a 19" round board covered with baking canvas so the dough can
be rolled out without sticking. There are also special rolling pins that are used for Lefse, but we used a
regular rolling pin and it was fine. A potato ricer is essential for the right consistency of the potatoes
and she specified only Russet potatoes be used because they are drier.

We ate it with the traditional butter and sugar spread on it and then we also added some cinnamon and
then I tried my friend's recipe for Orange Butter--YUM. She takes a cube of softened butter and adds
powdered sugar and orange rind to taste. It was delicious on the Lefse and she said it is their favorite for
warm, buttered toast.

She invited me to come back in January to learn how to make Lutefisk--I can hardly wait.

4 cups riced potato
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup canned milk
1/3 cup butter
2 Tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt

Mix all ingredients until you can pick it up without it sticking too bad to your hands. Pour out onto
floured work surface and knead until it doesn't stick to your hands. Shape into balls and refrigerate
for several hours. Roll each ball out ont he floured board and cook on hot griddle, turning after
about 2-3 minutes, depending on your griddle. Gently press down bubbles that form as it cooks.

Stack on cotton towels, folding in half and then folding in half again until cool. Spread the open Lefse
with butter and sugar. Some people like jelly, brown sugar or honey on theirs.

SWOPE BREAD

I found this recipe on the back of Bob's Red Mill Flour for "bread so easy it's laughable." Now who
wouldn't want to try something described that way? No kneading, no yeast, no rising and it makes
very good toast. The taste reminds me of a bran muffin and the texture is wonderful. This would
be a great bread to make and give as a gift with some homemade jam and honey in a pretty jar!





4 cups Organic Whole Wheat Flour
2 cups Unbleached White Flour
1/2 cup Sugar
2 teaspoon Salt
1 quart Buttermilk
4 teaspoons Baking Soda

1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees and grease 2 bread pans.

2) In a large mixing bowl, mix first 4 ingredients. In a separate bowl mix baking soda and buttermilk.

3) Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients.

4) Pour dough into bread pans and smooth tops of loaves.

5) Turn oven temperature down to 350 degrees, bake approximately 50 minutes.

6) Remove from oven and let rest 10 minutes in pans, then turn bread out onto it's side to cool
completely on racks. If you want a softer crust, brush tops with butter immediately after removing
from the oven.

**Bread tastes best and is easiest to cut when allowed to cool.

CINNAMON ROLL BREAD

Today was bread baking day and my favorite white bread recipe makes 4 loaves, so I always make
at least 2 of them cinnamon roll bread. I remember my Mom making bread all the time and she
would make one loaf into this delicious cinnamon treat. It's embarrassing how much fresh bread I
can eat all by myself--I can hardly wait until it's cool enough to slice!

My youngest daughter helps me with this recipe by sifting the mound of flour and greasing the
bowl while I knead the bread. Everyone else helps by eating it!




2 packages (1/4 ounce each) active dry yeast
4 1/2 cups warm water (110-115 degrees)
6 Tablespoons sugar
2 Tablespoons salt
1/4 cup shortening, melted and cooled
12 to 12 1/2 cups sifted all purpose flour, divided in half

**The first thing I do is melt the shortening so it can cool off**

1) In a large mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add sugar, salt and shortening; stir until dissolved.

2) Add half the flour; beat until smooth and the batter sheets off the spoon when you hold it up.

3) Mix in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough that cleans the bowl. Turn out onto a floured board.

4) Knead 8-10 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Place in a greased bowl and turn over once so the top
of the bread is greased.

5) Cover and allow to rise in a warm place until doubled in size (approx. 1 1/2 hours)

6) Punch dough down, cover and let rise again for 30 minutes.

7) Divide dough into 4 parts and shape into loaves. If making white bread, place dough into four greased
9 in x 5 in x 3 in loaf pans and continue on to step 9.

8) If making cinnamon bread, roll 1 part dough into an 8 x 12 inch rectangle on a floured surface. Brush
melted butter over dough and sprinkle with cinnamon/sugar mixture (3/4 cup sugar combined w/ 1 Tablespoon
cinnamon). Starting at short end, roll up tightly and place roll with seam side down into greased loaf pan.

9) Cover and let rise in a warm place (I use my oven with the oven light on) until doubled, about 30-35 minutes.

10) Bake at 375 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. I always spread the tops with butter to keep
the crust nice and soft. Let rest for 10 minutes in pans, then cool completely on wire racks. Store in airtight
container or bag so the bread doesn't dry out.

Makes 4 loaves.

OATMEAL MOLASSES BREAD

This is a delicious, easy bread that makes you never want to eat store-bought bread again! The recipe is from my Grandma's old recipe book. The molasses gives it a nice moist flavor and the oatmeal adds the perfect texture. There is no kneading and only one rise, so you can start this bread in the morning and make fresh sandwiches with it for lunch.

Stir together in mixing bowl:

1 1/2 cups boiling water
1 cup rolled oats
1/3 cup shortening
1/2 cup organic molasses
1 tablespoon salt
Cool to lukewarm.

Combine, stirring to dissolve:

2 pkgs. active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water (not hot: 110-115 degrees)
Stir into lukewarm oatmeal mixture and mix well.

Add:

2 eggs
5 1/2 cup sifted unbleached white flour

1) Mix everything together thoroughly.

2) Cover with plastic wrap and let stand in a warm spot for 15 minutes (I use the oven with the oven light on and door shut)

3) Place dough into 2 well greased 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pans and pat into a loaf shape. I have used smaller pans, but the bread has a tendency to rise too high when baking and the resulting loaf is very hard to cut because the top crumbles where it baked over the pan.

4) Let rise in a warm place (uncovered) until double in size--approx. 1-1 1/2 hours.

5) Bake at 350 degrees for approx. 1 hour.

I turn my bread halfway through the baking time since most ovens have a tendency to be hotter in the back. Check the bread towards the end of the baking time to make sure the top is not getting too dark, as all ovens vary a bit in temperature. I always spread the top with butter as soon as it comes out of the oven since we like a soft, flavorful crust. Let the loaves rest in pans for 10 minutes, then turn out onto racks to cool completely. I have found that it is best to tip them on their sides once they come out of the pans so the hot bread isn't compressed by the weight of the loaf while it's cooling.

**Store home made bread in airtight containers so it doesn't dry out.

Makes 2 loaves.

HONEY WHEAT BREAD

This is an excellent wheat bread recipe that is just a bit sweet with hearty flavor and so simple to make! With store bought bread prices anywhere from $2.00-4.00 a loaf and the fact that they are filled with preservatives, dough conditioners, and a bunch of chemicals I can't even pronounce, I get excited whenever fresh homemade bread made with just a few simple ingredients is coming out of my oven!

1 packet active dry yeast
2 C. warm water
1/3 C. honey or dark molasses
2 T. soft shortening
2 t. salt
5 1/2-6 C. whole wheat flour

In mixing bowl place in order given all ingredients except flour. Add flour gradually
to make a stiff dough. Knead on well floured surface until smooth and satiny
(8-10 minutes). Place in greased bowl. Cover, let rise in warm place until doubled,
1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Divide in half, shape into balls. Cover with bowl, let rest 15 minutes. Shape into
loaves. Place in well greased 9 x 5 or 8 x 4 inch pans. Cover, let rise until light and
doubled, about 1 hour.

Bake at 375 degrees for 30-35 minutes until a deep, golden brown and sounds hollow
when tapped. I like to immediately spread top crust with butter while hot from oven for
flavor and a softer crust. Let loaves rest in pans for 10-15 minutes, then turn out onto
cooling rack. Bread is much easier to cut and tastes better when given a chance to cool
before cutting. Once cooled completely store bread in airtight plastic bread bags or
airtight container so it doesn't dry out.

Makes 2 loaves.

HOMEMADE PIZZA

I made this pizza with venison (deer meat) seasoned with chopped garlic--very tasty! I used mozzarella cheese and homemade pizza sauce. Chopped onions are good, sauteed mushrooms and olives complete the great pizza taste.

INGREDIENTS:

1 tablespoon yeast
1 cup water
2 tablespoons oil
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups flour

Pizza toppings: sauce, meat, olives, mushrooms, cheeses, etc. Whatever sounds good!

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Dissolve yeast in water and oil. Stir in sugar, salt, and flour.

2. Mix until a soft dough forms that doesn't stick too bad to the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 5-10 minutes in a warm place. The oven is a good spot and I like to leave the oven light on for just the right amount of warmth. Place the dough on an oiled pizza pan or cookie sheet and spread to the edges leaving a nice rim around the edge. I like to spread corn meal on the pizza pan for an extra crunch and to keep the pizza from sticking.

3.Cover with your toppings in layers, starting with the pizza sauce. Bake at 385 degrees for 20 minutes or until the crust is golden. Turning the pizza halfway through the baking time helps to keep the crust from browning too much on one side.