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.

TREASURES

My Mom arrived yesterday for a 2 week+ visit! The weather cleared 

from a torrential downpour to cloudy skies just in time for her flight 

to arrive. She will be helping out at Keith's house and visiting 

everybody since most of our family lives in this town.

It's surprising how the grandkids have a way of becoming 

almost as tall as you when you haven't seen them for awhile.

My Mom read my blog post about my Grandma's tatting and needlework, 

so she brought me a few of the pieces she had that my Grandma had made. 

This one I remember from growing up. It was on the back of my Grandpa's 

chair where his head rested. I distinctly remember his head resting on this 

as he snored with his chin on his chest. I am going to get a frame and mount 

this in to hang on the wall.

I think these Tatted pieces would look neat displayed in a frame too...

These are the best for drying dishes! My Grandma had a swing-out hanger 

in her kitchen that these would dry on after doing dishes. Her cupboards 

were so tall and if you opened certain ones you could see the candy stash 

she had. My Grandma loved sweets and her favorites were the orange sticks 

covered in chocolate (mine too) and those huge gumdrops covered in sugar.

This is the same as real gold to me...my Grandma's roll recipe that I 

remember from growing up. My uncle John wrote it out so Mom could 

bring it to me. My Grandma baked in one of those ovens that was on top 

of the stove with a glass window and we used to watch these rolls while 

they were baking. I can still smell them as they cooked and there was 

always a pressure cooker hissing on the stove top with brown rice inside. 

I can't wait to try it--I wonder if I can make them as good as I remember?

A LITTLE OF THIS AND THAT...

We had dirt delivered yesterday to begin filling our raised beds and pots for vegetables.
My niece's boyfriend was the driver of the truck (you can see him up on top) He did a
great job backing that monster into a very small space with our deck at the top. There
were about 2 inches to spare between the running board of the dump truck and the
support beam of our deck. Whew.

My husband built a 3 way bird feeder for the deck now that the hummingbirds have
arrived. They are excited about our Pink Cranberry bush in the yard, but I haven't
seen them at the feeder yet. I wonder if they will come with the larger bird's food
hanging right next to their feeder?

I found a new recipe for Cinnamon Rolls and tried it last night. I didn't realize I was
almost out of flour and it took 9 cups, so I ended up making up the difference with
whole wheat flour. They are gigantic rolls since you cut each roll 2 inches wide instead
of the usual 1 inch. I am going to try them again with regular flour and see how they
turn out. They were good, just not as light and fluffy as I like them because of the
whole wheat flour's heaviness. I'll post the recipe here after I make them again. It
made a gob--16 huge rolls that we ate with dinner, breakfast and again at lunch!

I found this beautiful painting in WA state in an old antique store I used to frequent.
The owner's found it at an estate sale and hung it up near the ceiling in an old, unused
part of the store. I saw it up there and asked how much? $40 bucks. When they took it
down I realized it is an original oil painting! The name signed on it is K. Williams.

It was unframed, so my husband took some old wood from our church remodel and
made this lovely frame for it. He was kind of bumming when he sanded it down because
of a vertical nail mark in the lower right of the wood. I saw it and suggested that he make
a horizontal mark and voila! we have a cross. I think it fits nicely with the subject matter,
don't you?

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.

CRESCENT ROLLS

I cannot remember where I got this recipe, but it is a keeper! I am one of those people
that is a bread snob. If I can't have delicious bread I just won't eat any. So, living in a
place where people call Fresh something that has been frozen rock solid and reheated
(sometimes more than once) I have been forced to learn to make the kind of bread I like.

These rolls are light, tender, sweet and really pretty to serve. They have a buttery flavor
and if they are cooked just the right amount of time they have a wonderful golden color
that is irresistible.

The catch is that they require overnight refrigeration, which means planning ahead. Uggh.
Planning ahead is not my best quality, but for these rolls I'll do it. One time I did try to
fudge by making the dough in the morning and baking them later in the afternoon, but
they didn't rise right and they kind of deflated when they cooled. Bummer. They still tasted
good, but I definitely learned my lesson about letting the dough set overnight in the fridge.




1/2 cup shortening (I only use Crisco)
1 cup boiling water
1 teaspoon salt
1 package yeast
3 Tablespoons warm water
2 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
4 cups flour (approx.)

***Prepare the night before:

1) Place shortening and salt in glass bowl, add the 1 cup boiling water. Stir until
dissolved and let cool to lukewarm.

2) Dissolve yeast in the 3 Tablespoons of warm water, set aside.

3) Beat the eggs well with the sugar and add the lukewarm shortening mixture
and dissolved yeast, mixing well.

4) Add 2 cups of the flour, mix in well, then add the remaining flour and mix well.
Add sufficient flour to make a "kneadable" dough and knead lightly until well mixed.

5) Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap and place overnight in the refrigerator.

***Next day:

1) Cut the dough in half and roll each into 2 rounds, each approx. 1/4 inch thick.

2) Spread rounds with softened butter and cut into equal pie shaped wedges. A pizza
cutter works perfect for this. I cut them into 8 pieces, so the rolls are large.

3) Starting at the wide end, roll snugly into crescents that end at the pointed side. I have
learned to try and keep the point of the crescent facing down and kind of pushed into the roll,
otherwise they have a tendency to want to pop up during baking and it looks funny. If you
look at my photo before they are baked you will see where I didn't practice what I'm preaching
and yep--they look funny!

4) Place rolls on parchment lined or non-stick cookie sheets. Let rise in a warm place until
approx. double in size. I like to use my oven with the pilot light turned on for rising.

5) Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Watch them carefully near the end of baking time
since ovens vary a great detail in temperature and your rolls may be getting dark by the
minimum baking time.

I brush mine with softened butter as soon as they are out of the oven for even more flavor.
These are delicious warm, cold and everything in between! Store in an airtight container
so they don't dry out.

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.

HOMEMADE BAGELS

Did you know you can make bagels at home? I didn't! For some reason I figured there was some deep, dark
secret to making bagels and only the stores and bakeries knew what it was. Well I am here to tell you that
I have made them and the taste blows the store-bought bagels out of the water. Not to mention it costs
pennies to make your own compared to the dollars it costs for one package in the store.

The picture below shows ones that I made, but for an excellent bagel making tutorial with perfect pictures
and step by step instructions, visit a favorite blog of mine: Tammy's Recipes

HOMEMADE WAFFLES

In our house we like waffles for breakfast, lunch or dinner! For years I just used packaged Bisquick mix until one day I read the label and realized there were artificial ingredients in the mix in order for it to sit on the store shelf and then be able to sit in my cupboard or refrigerator indefinitely. Plus--it is expensive! This recipe came from my Grandma's old cookbook and takes a few more minutes of prep time, but the taste and health benefits are more than worth it. The whole wheat flour gives these waffles a hearty taste and a little bit darker color. We plug the waffle iron in right at the table and make these one at a time for each person so they are still warm when served.

Heat your waffle iron while mixing up the batter.

Beat 2 eggs well.

Using a wire whisk, beat in:

2 cups buttermilk OR sour milk (2 cups regular milk with 2 Tablespoons lemon juice or vinegar stirred through)
1 teaspoon soda
1 cup sifted all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons aluminum-free baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons soft shortening

Whisk everything together until smooth and the shortening is in small bits throughout. This is a thin batter. Bake in a hot waffle iron and serve warm covered with sliced, fresh or frozen strawberries and real whipped cream, pure maple syrup, jelly, jam or fruit. Makes approx. 8 waffles.

***If you like nuts, you can sprinkle 2 Tablespoons coarsely chopped nuts over the batter as soon as it is poured into the waffle iron. 2 Tablespoons fresh blueberries can be sprinkled over the batter once it is poured in the waffle iron for delicious blueberry waffles.