Sage Bread

This bread recipe won a blue ribbon at the huge Clay County Fair in Spencer, Iowa for Janice Nostrom of Humbolt.  I can see why – it smells heavenly while baking and needs nothing more than butter to be delicious.  It was great with a pasta salad, for sandwiches or simply toasted.   
I made this recipe with my mixer and instant yeast.  Check out our mixer bread information HERE.  Remember, you can also make this recipe by hand too, the way I did for years.    

Sage Bread

  1            Cup  Warm Water -- 120°-125°

  3 1/3     Cups  Flour, All-purpose -- 14 3/4 ounces

     1/4     Cup  Dry Milk

  1 1/2     Teaspoons  Instant Yeast

  1            Tablespoon  Sugar

  1            Tablespoon  Brown Sugar

  1             Teaspoon  Salt

  2             Tablespoons  Cornmeal

  4 1/2      Teaspoons  Dried Onion Flakes

  1 1/2      Teaspoons  Celery Seed

     3/4      Teaspoon  Poultry Seasoning

     1/2      Teaspoon  Sage

     1/2      Teaspoon  Black Pepper

  2 1/2      Tablespoons  Butter -- softened

In large mixing bowl, combine all dry ingredients except 1 cup flour.

Add water slowly while mixing with paddle attachment at low speed; add remaining flour until dough leaves sides of bowl.  Beat at medium-low speed for 2 minutes.  Change to dough hook and knead for 6 minutes, or turn out onto lightly floured surface and knead for 7-8 minutes.

Cover and let rest in a warm place 10 minutes.  Shape into a loaf and let rise in well-greased pan, in warm place, covered, until nearly doubled, about 25-30 minutes.  (I used a 4 x 12" pan, a 4 1/2 x 8 1/2 or a 9 x 5" pan would also work.)

Or shape into 2 balls and let rise on a greased baking sheet.

Bake at 350° for 25 minutes for 2 round loaves, or 30 minutes for a single large loaf, or until bread reaches 190° - 200° with an instant-read thermometer.  Cool on a wire rack; brush with softened butter if desired.

**If you don’t use instant or quick rise yeast, let the dough rise 45 minutes the first time.  

  "America's Hometown Recipe Book"

Creamy Pear Pie

  Eric kindly lent us his cookbook, America’s Hometown Recipe Book. Among the recipes I am trying was this recipe for pear pie. I usually have pears on hand as we all like them and while I did alter this slightly, it is very close to the original recipe.

  I have made pear pie before, but not with the sour cream this calls for. It is very good and a nice change of pace from the normal fruit pie. 

  Outside of peeling the pears, there is not a lot of work to this pie, and I used the pie crust recipe HERE I always use and keep in the freezer for just times like this when I don’t want to mess with a pie crust also.

  The nutmeg I added because we like that flavor with pears is optional or you might try just a pinch of cinnamon. Try this when the pears are nice and ripe for a different pie.

Creamy Pear Pie

4 cups peeled, sliced pears

⅓ cup sugar

2 tablespoons flour

2 teaspoons of lemon juice

½ teaspoon vanilla

½ teaspoon almond extract

⅛ teaspoon nutmeg

1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream

1 unbaked 9 inch pie crust

¼ cup flour

2 tablespoons butter, melted

2 tablespoons brown sugar

  Preheat oven to 400°

Toss pears with lemon juice as you are peeling and slicing. Than toss with the sugar, nutmeg and flour.

  Stir the vanilla and almond extract into sour cream. Add to the pears and flour, sugar mixture. 

  Spoon into pie shell. Combine flour, melted butter and brown sugar until crumbly. Sprinkle over pears. Bake for 10 minutes at 400°.
Reduce heat to 350° and bake for 45 minutes or until pears are tender. Cool on wire rack.

Streusel-Topped Lemon Tart

Sliced in small pieces

  This is a good recipe for a lemon tart that is different from several I have made. The streusel topping is quite different, and the filling is similar to lemon bars. If you do not have a springform pan, this might be the time to buy one. They are good for many things though it is usually a good idea to wrap the bottom and sides with foil or place on a cookie sheet when baking with them. 

  I did change one or two small things in the recipe to suit our tastes, but nothing too different. If you like lemon, I would add more lemon peel to the filling as we felt it could have had more lemon flavor, but then, we all like lemon.

Streusel-Topped Lemon Tart

Crust

1 ¼ cups all purpose flour

⅓ cup confectioners’ sugar

½ cup cold butter

FILLING

4 eggs

1 ½ cups sugar

¼ cup lemon juice

¼ cup all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon grated lemon peel or to tste

TOPPING

⅓ cup all purpose flour

⅓ cup packed brown sugar

3 tablespoon cold sugar

2 tablespoons chopped pecans

  In a small bowl, combine the flour, confectioners’ sugar and lemon peel, cut in butter until crumbly. Press onto the bottom and ½ inch up the sides of a 9” springform pan. Bake at 350° for 10 to 15 minutes or until crust is lightly browned. Cool on wire rack.

  While crust is cooling slightly, in mixer bowl beat the eggs, sugar and lemon juice until thick and lemon colored. Beat in the flour, baking powder and lemon peel until blended. Pour into crust. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until set. (mine took the 25 minutes)

  For topping, in a small bowl, combine the flour and brown sugar; cut in butter until crumbly. Stir in pecans. Sprinkle over filling. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes longer or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack. Remove sides of pan. Refrigerate leftovers.

Yield 12 servings

Taste of Home Baking Favorites

Sunday in Iowa

Finally, some signs of Spring...the big old magnolias are blooming around town even if it's been cold and rainy and will be again next week

Family Favorites..,Lazy Day Lasagna

Clockwise, bottom left:  Ready for the oven, baked, 5 ingredients, ready to eat.

This may be the first lasagna recipe you tasted – a classic from the Better Homes & Gardens 1968 plaid cookbook.  It’s not Italian lasagna – it’s really American lasagna.

 It’s simple and quick – not the usual production for more sophisticated recipes – really only 5 ingredients.  It's also a small recipe - only 4 servings.  Use your favorite bottled or canned sauce.  We like Barilla noodles; they are manufactured in Ames, Iowa. Be sure you wipe the moisture from your cooked noodles before assembling the casserole.  I confess I just had to sprinkle a little parmesan on top the last few minutes of baking although the recipe didn’t call for it.  This is even better if it is assembled in the morning and refrigerated; as it sets up better.  Although cottage cheese is one grocery item that has increased in price this year, this is still an economical main dish.

                             Lazy Day Lasagna

  6            ounces  lasagna noodle

     1/4     teaspoon  dried oregano -- crushed

  15          ounces  spaghetti sauce with meat

  1            cup  cottage cheese -- cream style

  6            ounces  mozzarella cheese -- thinly sliced

Cook noodles in boiling, salted water according to package directions; drain.  Add oregano to spaghetti sauce.

In greased 10 x 6 x 1 1/2" baking dish, make layers in order half each noodles, cottage cheese, mozzarella cheese slices and spaghetti sauce.  Repeat.

Bake in moderate oven 375° about 30 minutes.  Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
4 servings

2014 Cost:  $3.93 or 99¢ per serving

Per Serving: 395 Calories; 13g Fat (30.4% calories from fat); 24g Protein; 43g Carbohydrate; 4g Dietary Fiber; 43mg Cholesterol; 924mg Sodium.  Exchanges: 2 Grain(Starch); 2 1/2 Lean Meat; 1 1/2 Fat.

Caramel Crunch Corn

 This recipe from the Better Homes and Gardens Test Kitchen Favorites is one of my favorites. 

  The caramel corn does not have to be baked in the oven after the syrup is poured on and I think it is more of a almond toffee taste. The addition of the sliced almonds and toasted pecans is one of the best reasons to eat this.

  Buttering the sides of the pan helps to keep the syrup from sugaring while you are cooking this to a soft crack stage. When you pour it over the popcorn and nuts, do not scrape the sides. This is most often what will cause your syrup to sugar. 

  Having two people helps when you are working with it, just not younger children as the sugar syrup is very, very hot. After it cools in the pan, you can use your hands to break up the clumps further if you like more of a crackerjack type of caramel corn. We like having it in small clusters, so I do not break it up too small.

  This is messy and sticky, but the pans do clean up quite easily and it tastes so much better than the stuff you buy at the supermarket. This batch cost $5.79 for about 10 cups. The cheapest brand in the store was $2.00 for 2 cups. 

Caramel Crunch Corn

8 cups popped popcorn (not microwaved)

1 cup pecan halves, toasted

1 cup slivered almonds, toasted

1 ⅓ cups sugar

1 cup butter, Use some of this to butter the sides of your pan

½ cup white corn syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla

  Remove all unpopped kernels from popped corn. Place popcorn and nuts in a large baking or roasting pan. Keep warm in A 250° oven while you are making the caramel.

  For the Caramel mixture, butter sides of a heavy, medium saucepan; in sauce pan combine the sugar, butter and corn syrup. Cook and stir over medium high heat until mixture boils. Clip a candy thermometer to the side of the saucepan. Reduce heat to medium and continue boiling at a moderate, steady rate; stirring frequently (do not scrape sides of pan) until thermometer registers 280°F or soft crack stage. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla.

  With someone to help, if you have that option, pour the hot syrup over the popcorn and nuts. Quickly, gently stir to coat. Spread the popcorn on a large sheet of foil and allow to cool, breaking up the large clumps with two forks. After it has cooled, store in an air tight container, if you have any left that is.

Butter Pecan Ice Cream

Here’s a different recipe for ice cream – with brown sugar in the ice cream base and caramelized pecans stirred in.  The pecans are easy to make in a non-stick skillet; just be sure you don’t let it burn.  I simply broke my pecans into quarters or so.  You can make them early in the day or the day before.  We liked the smaller amount of brown sugar, and whole milk instead of half and half in the ice cream mixture – it depends on your taste.

Any way you make this recipe it is delicious!

Butter Pecan Ice Cream

     ½        Cup  Pecans -- coarsely chopped

     ¼        Cup  Sugar

  1            Tablespoon  Butter

  2            Cups  Half and Half -- or whole milk

     ¾ -1   Cup  Brown Sugar -- packed (6-8 ounces)

     ½       Tablespoon  Vanilla Extract

  2           Cups  Heavy Cream

Pinch     Salt (My suggestion)

Pecans: In a heavy 8" skillet, heat butter and sugar over medium high heat for 4 minutes or until sugar melts and turns a rich brown color, stirring constantly.  Add pecan halves, stir until coated.  Remove from heat.

Spread nuts on a buttered baking sheet or foil; separate clusters and cool. Break clusters into small chunks.

Ice Cream:  In a large bowl, combine half and half, brown sugar and vanilla; stir until sugar is dissolved.  Stir in the whipping cream.  Chill.  Freeze in a 2 quart ice cream freezer.  Stir in pecan mixture.  Ripen 4 hours.

  "BH&G Test Kitchen Favorites”

  "1 1/4 Quarts"

2014 Cost:  $3.66 for about 8 servings

Raspberry Almond Tassies

  Raspberries and almonds are among my favorite flavors and foods so this was a easy choice for me to bake.  The Better Homes and Garden’s Test Kitchen Favorites uses these two flavors in Raspberry Almond Tassies. With a butter crust, which rolled out beautifully after chilling, Raspberry All Fruit preserves and ground almonds make up the filling. They are quite easy to make, just a little time fussing with them. I was surprised how easily the dough handled. I did get 24 tassies instead of the 18 it stated. A nice bonus.

  Do use the amount of the jam called for in each tassie. I had a few that I got too much jam in and it boiled up on the sides.

Raspberry - Almond Tassies

1 cup all purpose flour

¼ teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons cold butter

3 to 4 tablespoons cold water

4 ½ teaspoons seedless raspberry jam

½ cup sugar

3 tablespoons butter, softened

⅔ cup finely ground almonds

¼ teaspoon almond extract

1 slightly beaten egg

  In a medium bowl, stir together the flour and salt. With a pastry blender, cut in the cold butter until mixture looks like coarse crumbs. With a fork, stir in the cold water one tablespoon at a time until all flour is moistened and the ball stays together. Add a little more water if necessary. Shape into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap and chill in refrigerator for one hour.

  On a lightly floured surface, roll dough out to ⅛ inch thickness. Cut circles with a 2 ½ inch round cookie cutter. Ease into the cups of a ungreased 1 ¾ inch muffin cups.

Spoon ¼ teaspoon jam into the bottom of each cup. No more than ¼ teaspoon.

  In mixer bowl, beat sugar and softened butter till creamy. Beat in the egg, add the almond flavoring and ground almonds. Stir until well mixed.

  Spoon 1 tablespoon of filling into each cup on top of raspberry jam. Bake in 400° oven for 23 minutes or until brown on top. Remove from pan and cool on wire rack.

Dust with powdered sugar if desired.

Homemade Beef and Noodles

We never had a large family meal at my mother-in-law’s without beef and homemade noodles, unless we had chicken and homemade noodles.  The first time I made them for a crowd, my sister-in-law Dixie helped me make them using her grandmother’s recipe – we made a large enamel dish pan full, and they all disappeared!  The only way to serve this country dish is over mashed potatoes.  Better Homes and Gardens (of course, headquartered in Iowa) says this is one of the straightest paths to comfort food heaven.  I never ate these growing up in Minnesota or Texas, and I don’t know if it’s just an Iowa thing or not, but everyone here loves them.  They are usually at every pot luck dinner.

Use good homemade broth or dilute 2 cans of consommé to make the 3 cups of water.  You may need additional liquid when you add the noodles.  When I make mashed potatoes for this, I keep them a little stiffer so they don’t get runny under the gravy.

I usually make my own noodles, but I followed the recipe here and used Reames regular frozen noodles.  They cost about 5 times what I can make them for, and I freeze my own too, so these are probably the last I will buy.  Reames noodles originated in Iowa in 1952, and I expect most women here use either purchased frozen or dry homemade-style noodles nowadays, although my husband’s family members still make their own fresh ones.

 Beef and Noodles

  1         Pound  Chuck Roast -- or round steak

     ¼     Cup  Flour, All-purpose

  1         Tablespoon  Cooking Oil

     ½     Cup  Onion -- chopped

  2         Cloves  Garlic -- minced

  3         Cups  Beef Broth or consommé

  1         Teaspoon  Dried Basil -- crushed

     ¼     Teaspoon  Black Pepper

  8        Ounces  Frozen Homestyle Noodles

  2        Tablespoons  Fresh Parsley -- snipped

Trim fat from meat.  Cut into 3/4 inch cubes.  Coat meat with flour.  In a Dutch oven, brown half of the coated meat in hot oil.  Remove from saucepan.  Brown the remaining meat with onion and garlic, adding more oil, if necessary.  Drain off the fat.  Return all the meat to the saucepan.

Stir in the broth, basil and pepper.  Bring to boiling; reduce heat.  Simmer, covered, for 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours or until meat is tender.

Stir noodles into broth mixture.  Bring to boiling; reduce heat.  Cook, uncovered, for 25-30 minutes or until noodles are tender.  You may need to add hot broth or water to keep noodles from sticking.  Sprinkle with parsley.  4 Servings.

  "BH&G Test Kitchen Favorites”

Per Serving: 351 Calories; 21g Fat (55.4% calories from fat); 27g Protein; 11g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 66mg Cholesterol; 1019mg Sodium.  Exchanges: 1/2 Grain(Starch); 3 1/2 Lean Meat; 1/2 Vegetable; 2 1/2 Fat.

Happy Easter

Happy Easter...from our homes to yours.

Family Favorites...Oven Barbecued Ribs

  Since I really, really do not like to BBQ outdoors, this recipe from the Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book Gold Souvenir Edition, has always been a favorite of mine. My family likes it quite well and I have been making it for  better than 40 years.

  It is a fairly mild sauce. If you are into hot, you could always add some hot peppers, chilies or even your own favorite sauce. However, this is quite a good sauce, easy to make and worth a try. The lemon slices and onion slices are what make it good.

  Also baking for a half hour first gets some of the fat drained off and the sauce doesn’t burn as easily. 

  We like it with french fries which I do in my electric frying pan. Saves getting out the deep fryer for just a small amount and none of us like them as well baked in the oven.

I do not make them often, too much oil and salt, but good for a treat.

Oven Barbecued Ribs

3 to 4 pounds spare or loin back ribs (I use boneless ribs, more meat, less mess)

1 lemon thinly sliced

1 large onion thinly sliced

Basting Sauce

1 cup catsup

⅓ cup Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 ½ cups water

2 dashes Tabasco Sauce

  Salt ribs; place in shallow roasting pan, meaty side up. Roast at 450°F about 30 minutes. Drain excess fat from pan. Top each piece of ribs with a slice of lemon and a slice of onion.

  Make Basting Sauce; Combine remaining ingredients; bring to a boil.Pour over ribs.

Lower temperature to 350°F; Bake till well done, about 1 ½ hours. If sauce gets too thick, add more water.

Makes 4 servings

Braised Chicken Thighs, Pancetta and Sherry

Ready to Serve

  When you have 4 boneless chicken thighs and some Iowa Pancetta, thanks Sue, and not a recipe that was really what you wanted, this is the result. I took two recipes one from the internet and one from a Fine Cooking magazine and came up with my own variation on braised chicken thighs. 

  Chicken thighs hold up better to braising than breasts and are usually cheaper to buy. Also, the dark meat goes well with the Sherry and Pancetta, onion mix.

  This took very little time and the result was very good. So here is my recipe for chicken thighs braised in Sherry.

Before sauce has cooked down

Braised Chicken Thighs with Pancetta and Sherry

4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs

2 ounces of Pancetta (or bacon) chopped

¼ of a medium onion diced or two diced shallots

½ cup chicken broth

¼   cup Sherry (or all chicken broth)

  In a medium skillet or size to hold your chicken, heat a small amount of oil. When hot add the diced Pancetta and saute till brown and crisp. Remove to paper towel to drain while you saute the onions till limp and browned. 

  If necessary add a little oil and lightly flour chicken thighs and brown on both sides. If they start to unroll let them and lay them out flat to cook faster. When brown remove from pan and deglaze with the chicken broth. Add everything back to pan, cover and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes adding more broth if needed. Add the Sherry if  using and cook another 5 minutes or until sauce is thickened.

  Serve with the sauce from the pan on top of each thigh. Good with rice or noodles.

Classic Rich Bread

I bake bread regularly, and this is an old recipe from the "Red Star Yeast Centennial Bread Sampler 1981" that I have been making probably since the book came out.  It makes a nice, golden, fine-grained sandwich loaf that’s perfect for toast.  It's really just a "good white bread".  

When you can get farm eggs, like we do from my husband’s brother and sister-in-law Don and Bonnie, this bread is even better.   The directions for mixing are mine, not the original recipe.  If you use regular dry yeast, rising times are longer.  
             

Classic Rich Bread

  5 1/2    Cups  Bread Flour

  3           Teaspoons  Instant Yeast

     1/2    cup  Sugar

  1           Teaspoon  Salt

  1           cup  Whole Milk

     1/2    Cup  Water

     1/2    cup  Butter, softened

  2           Large  Eggs

Heat water and milk to 120°-125° (I use my microwave).  Place flour (minus 1 cup), butter, sugar, salt, eggs and yeast in mixer bowl.  Using paddle attachment, turn on mixer to slow and add liquids.   Let mix 2 minutes.  Change to dough hook, add remaining flour and knead 6 minutes or knead by hand 8 minutes.  Let rise in warm place in covered mixer bowl 20 minutes.  Shape into 2 loaves, about 1# 13 oz. each, let rise in greased 8 1/2 x 4 1/2" pans until center of loaf rounds above the rim of the pan about 1 inch, while preheating oven to 375 °.  Bake 25-30 minutes.

2014 Cost: $1.81 for the recipe or 91¢ per loaf

Chicken Imperial

I love the photo index in the "Good Housekeeping Illustrated Cookbook" – the recipe photo for this recipe caught my eye.  It’s beautiful, delicious and oh so tender.  I flatten my chicken breasts a little, and then the cooking time is about 10 minutes total.  This is a great dish for Sunday dinner.

                             Chicken Imperial

  8         Chicken Breast Halves -- boneless, skinless

     1/4   Cup  Flour, All-purpose -- for dredging

     1/2   Cup  Butter

  1         Pound  Mushrooms -- quartered

  1         Tablespoon  Onion -- minced

  1         Cup  Heavy Cream

     1/4   Cup  Dry Sherry

  1 1/2   Teaspoons  Salt

     1/8   Teaspoon  Pepper

  1         Tablespoon  Flour, All-purpose

  2         Tablespoons  Water

On waxed paper, coat chicken breasts with flour, shake off excess.  In 12 inch skillet over medium heat, in hot butter, cook chicken, a few pieces at a time, until lightly browned on all sides.  Set aside.

In drippings in skillet over medium heat, cook mushrooms and onion 5 minutes, stirring frequently.  Stir in cream, sherry, salt and pepper and stir to blend well.  Return chicken to skillet.

Reduce heat to low; cover skillet and simmer 10-15 minutes or until chicken is fork tender.  Remove to a warm platter and keep warm.

In a cup, blend 1 tablespoon flour with water.  Gradually add to pan liquid, stirring constantly.

To serve, spoon sauce over chicken.

8 Servings

Per Serving: 494 Calories; 36g Fat (67.1% calories from fat); 33g Protein; 7g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 165mg Cholesterol; 623mg Sodium.  Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 4 1/2 Lean Meat; 1/2 Vegetable; 0 Non-Fat Milk; 4 1/2 Fat.

Flemish Carbonade

  This is a version of Flemish Carbonade.  Several years ago, our older sister Kay who lived most of her married life in Texas, gave me some Texas cookbooks. In one of them was a very simple version of Flemish Carbonade. While I am sure that American Test Kitchen has a different and more complicated version, this works quite well for us.

  Serve it with a lot of mashed potatoes or rice or noodles. I seem to do it more with the mashed potatoes. So here is my version of Inez’s Flemish Carbonade. Not fast, but easy to get together and will cook with out a lot of attention.

Inez’s Flemish Carbonade

1 pound of round steak (our butcher tenderized it)

Oil 

3 medium onions sliced in rings

1 can or bottle dark beer

1 teaspoon butter

Salt and Pepper

Brown sugar to taste

  Cut round steak in 3 inch pieces. Brown in a small amount of oil. Remove the meat and add onions, stirring to brown. Remove and off of the heat, pour in the can of beer, stirring in the drippings from the pan. Add butter to beer mixture.

Put meat and onions in a casserole dish pour the beer mixture over. Add 1 or 2 bay leaves and a teaspoon dried thyme leaves. Cover and bake in a slow oven, 325° for 2 to 3 hours or until tender. About an hour before it is done, add a tablespoon or less of brown sugar. You want a sweet sour flavor.

  Served over mashed potatoes, rice or noodles, great cold weather food.