Pear Ginger Crisp



We harvested the fruit from our Kieffer Pear tree last week. We ended up with 20 pounds of pears from our little, 8-foot-tall dwarf tree! :)

I used some to make spiced pear jam in the slow cooker (works GREAT for the PB&J cookies), we have been eating them fresh, I gave some away and I used some to make this crisp last Sunday. What a lovely recipe! Between the maple syrup, fresh pears, dried cherries and oatmeal topping this is a fabulous dessert for fall!

The original recipe, from Simply Recipes, is for a pie but I didn't have time to properly chill the dough for the crust that afternoon so I decided to just go with a crisp. The only other change I made was to add about a cup of dried cherries, dried cranberries would be nice too.

The Bisbee Farmer's Market has a pie baking contest every fall and I put some of the pears in the refrigerator to keep so that I can enter this pie in the contest. Actually, I never told ya'll, but I WON the pie baking contest last year for a Peach Blueberry pie. It was my first week attending that market and, honestly, I was a little embarrassed about winning. LOL!!

Linking up with the Rurality Blog Hop, Farmgirl Friday and What I Am Eating.

Fruit & Nut Cookies

These cookies were inspired by a bar cookie recipe I used to make years ago. That recipe called for the addition of fresh banana and orange juice, which wasn't the way I wanted to go with these. I use a combination of dried blueberries, dried cherries and chopped dried apricots but any combination of dried fruit would be nice. The Apple Pie spice really adds a nice flavor and the dried blueberries are heavenly! A few of my die-hard Cowboy Cookie and Cowgirl Cookie customers at the Farmer's Market have actually switched and now buy these every week. ;)

Fruit & Nut Cookies

1 cup butter                         **Click here to print this recipe**
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups Baking Mix
2 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats
1 1/2 teaspoons Apple Pie spice
2 cups diced mixed dried fruit
2/3 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, beat together butter and sugars until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla; mix well. Stir in the Baking Mix, oats and Apple Pie spice; mix thoroughly. Stir in the dried fruit and pecans. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets.
Bake for 10-12 minutes until lightly browned.
Cool on baking sheets for a few minutes and then remove to racks to cool completely.
Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

Apple Pie Spice

4 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons allspice
1 teaspoon cardamom
1 teaspoon nutmeg

I use this Apple Pie spice in all kinds of baked goods, not just apple pie! Besides these cookies, I use it in fresh apple muffins and zucchini muffins for the Farmer's Market. It is also really nice in pancake or waffle batter with some pecans.

Sharing with the Rurality Blog Hop, Farmgirl Friday and What I Am Eating.

Update on Red:
He is still here and doing well. Jerry took him along this morning when he rode his horse out in the pasture and he did fine. We had to put him in the horse trailer last night since it was the only place we could think of that he couldn't escape from. Right now, he is actually sitting in the livingroom watching Gunsmoke with Jerry...

Gilding The Lily - Multigrain Bread

 

Recently, I picked up the May 2013 copy of Cook's Country magazine, it has some awesome foodie photos and I'm always looking for ideas. One of the recipes that really caught my eye was for Dakota Bread, a lovely multigrain bread all dolled up with a generous coating of seeds over the top. I thought that it looked like something that would really sell at the Farmer's Market. :)

Once I read the recipe, I realized that it was very similar to the multigrain bread that I have been making for several years...as a loaf bread, as rolls and even as a free-form round loaf. This is one of my favorite breads for sandwiches for us and it sells but, honestly, it looked kind of boring. I decided to try "Gilding the Lily" by adding sunflower seeds, sesame seeds and poppy seeds over the top before baking and WOW, what a difference! Just that little extra attention to detail makes people look twice and (usually) buy some.

Multigrain Bread                         **Click here to print this recipe**

1 to 1 1/4 cups milk
2 1/2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup 7-grain hot cereal (I use Bob's Red Mill)
3 tablespoons raw wheat germ
3 tablespoons oat or wheat bran
2 tablespoons bulgur wheat
1 cup whole-wheat flour
2 cups bread flour
2 teaspoons bread machine/instant yeast OR 1 packet active dry yeast (If using active dry yeast, dissolve it in the warm milk before combining with the remaining ingredients.)
1 egg beaten with a bit of water
Sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds and poppy seeds for the top (Use any combination you like)

Mix, knead and let your dough rise until doubled using your favorite method; bread machine, manual or stand mixer. Shape the dough into a smooth ball for a large loaf or divide the dough in half and shape each half into a smooth ball for smaller loaves. Place on a baking sheet, slash the top and let rise in a warm place until nearly doubled in size. Just before baking, brush top and sides with egg mixture and generously sprinkle with seeds of your choice.
Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 30 to 35 minutes until golden brown; cover loosely with foil after 10 minutes. Remove to a wire rack and cool completely.

Linking up with The Country Homemaker Hop, Farmgirl Friday and What I Am Eating.

Shepherd's Pie

Like a lot of people in this country, we don't eat much lamb and I have to confess that I had never made Shepherd's Pie until this week. Actually, I don't think I'd ever even eaten it. All I can say is...boy howdy, was THAT a mistake! I'm really, really looking forward to the leftovers for tonight's supper!

Jerry is so funny, when he looked at what I was making and I told him it was Shepherd's Pie, he said "Why can't we just have that with the mashed potatoes?" He was afraid it was going to be like a pot pie with a pie crust and he is NOT a fan of pot pie. Just so you know, he went back for seconds. ;)

One of the vendors at the Farmer's Market sells his homegrown lamb and beef. He has been out of hamburger so I bought some ground lamb from him last week. Since I had lamb, Shepherd's Pie just seemed like the right thing to make. There are hundreds of recipes out there for Shepherd's Pie but it is basically a ground meat and vegetable mixture topped with a "crust" of mashed potatoes which is then browned in the oven. Here is what I did.

Shepherd's Pie               **Click here to print this recipe**

4 large red-skinned potatoes
1-1/2 tablespoons butter
Milk
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
6 or 7 Baby Bella mushrooms, chopped
1/2 pound ground lamb
Salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon Mediterranean Seasoning (recipe here)
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup beef stock
1/2 cup frozen corn, defrosted
1/2 cup frozen peas, defrosted
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Dice the potatoes and cook in salted, boiling water until tender (I didn't even bother to peel them). Drain well. Add the butter and mash them up a bit. Add enough milk to get a mashed potato consistency. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

While the potatoes are cooking, in a large cast iron skillet, saute the onion, carrot and mushrooms in the olive oil until softened and lightly browned. Add the ground lamb and cook until no longer pink, breaking up the meat as it cooks. Season with salt, pepper and Mediterranean Seasoning. Add the flour and stir to combine, let it cook for a minute or so. Stir in the beef stock to make a gravy. Add more stock if necessary to get the consistency you like. Stir in the corn and peas.

Spread the mashed potatoes over the top of the meat mixture, making sure to go all the way to the edges of the pan. Don't make it perfectly smooth on top, you want the potatoes to have some texture so they will brown. Sprinkle the cheese over the potatoes. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes or so until the top is nicely browned.

Linking up with Rurality Blog Hop, Farmgirl Friday, What I Am Eating and Pie*ography Thursday.

 

What I Did Last Week

It's kind of hard to tell from the picture, but that is actually a royal purple. The expectant mother is very clear that she wants absolutely NO PINK for her little girl and prefers purple and red! :)
I decided to go with a cocoon and matching hat for this baby. When those were finished, there was leftover yarn so I made a diaper cover. I really like the textures in these crocheted pieces.

The yellow afghan I showed last time is for a different little girl due later this summer. I didn't get a chance to work on that one last week but was thankful to get at least one of the gifts finished.

I also did my baking for the Farmer's Market and made some signs for my booth on the computer. I had the signs laminated and hung them from my EZ-Up. They did draw people in.

I forgot to take a picture of my table until I had already sold some things but you can see how much baking I do each week.

Each batch of bread or rolls yields two packages, a batch of muffins yields six, there were six Toaster Tarts, nine packages of Rugelach and 29 packages of cookies.

It keeps me pretty busy each Monday through Thursday. On Fridays, I run a couple of errands, get everything ready for Saturday and print my menu and all my labels. Every item has to have a label per the rules of the Home Baked and Confectionary Goods Program through the state of Arizona. I'm really glad that they now allow the sale of home baked goods. I'm certainly not getting rich doing this but it does buy all the groceries each week, which helps, and I get to pursue my passion of having my own little Bakery! :)

Linking up with Dolly for The Creative Blog Hop this week.

Pie*ography Thursday III

"Pie, pie, me oh my!" Who remembers the Pie Song sung by Andie MacDowell in the movie Michael? ;)

These portable pies were inspired by the lovely cookbook "The Homemade Pantry - 101 Foods You Can Stop Buying & Start Making" by Alana Chernila. If you are interested in making more things from scratch, this book has a lot of good recipes.

I sell these yummy little pies at the Farmer's Market where people appreciate goodies that can be eaten without the use of utensils.

Toaster Tarts               **Click here to print this recipe**

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 cup cold butter, cut into chunks
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons cold water
Filling(s) of choice (I used homemade apple butter this time)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Mix the flour, salt and sugar in a mixing bowl. Cut the butter into the flour using a pastry cutter. The mixture should look like large crumbs and begin to cling together in clumps. Sprinkle the apple cider vinegar and cold water over the dough and with your hands, mix it in until the dough holds together adding more water if necessary.
Divide dough in half. Roll one half of dough out to a 9 x 12 inch rectangle. Cut into six equal rectangles, 4 1/2 x 4 inches. Transfer to a baking sheet leaving at least two inches in between. Spoon at least a tablespoon of filling down the center of each rectangle. Roll out other half of dough and cut into six rectangles as above. Put the "tops" on and crimp all edges with a fork. Prick holes down the center of each tart. If desired, sprinkle liberally with cinnamon sugar.
Bake at 375 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown.
You could also drizzle with a powdered sugar icing when cool or simply dust with powdered sugar.

I really want to thank everyone for the tip about adding the apple cider vinegar, what a difference! You can see how incredibly flaky it makes the pastry!

Pie*ography isn't just a fun linky party, it is also a beautifully written and photographed book with
"42 Fabulous Recipes Inspired by 39 Extraordinary Women" by Jo Packham. I just had to have it and received my copy last week. What a treat!! Our hostess for Pie*ography Thursday, Anne Marie Klaske, did the food styling for the book and it is awesome, as is the stunning photography by Traci Thorson.

Linking up with Anne Marie for Pie*ography Thursday, as well as The Country Homemaker Hop, Rurality Blog Hop, Farmgirl Friday, and What I Am Eating.

Pie*ography Thursday II

Anne Marie at Na-Da Farm Life has started Pie*ography Thursday, what a neat idea! :)

If I could be a pie, I would want to be a quiche. Making quiche defines my current philosophy towards cooking and baking...use what you have on hand and use as many homegrown or locally grown ingredients as possible. For this basic quiche, I used our farm fresh eggs, some spicy, pepper-jack style cheese made with our goat milk and some of the milk itself. The bacon is local and came from one of the vendors at the Farmer's Market. During the late fall and early winter, I can even get locally grown onions at the Farmer's Market. The beauty of quiche is that pretty much anything goes for the filling, meat or no meat, any type of cheese or even no cheese, and any vegetables you want to include.

I have always been more of a cookie and cake person and only recently started making pies. It's only been in the last year that I even started making my own pie crust! This pie crust recipe is my absolute favorite and comes from Ree Drummond's "The Pioneer Woman Cooks - Food From My Frontier." For a two-crust pie, double the ingredients.

Crust               **Click here to print this recipe**

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 cup cold butter, cut into chunks
3 to 4 tablespoons cold water

Mix the flour, salt and sugar in a mixing bowl. Cut the butter into the flour using a pastry cutter. The mixture should look like large crumbs and begin to cling together in clumps. Sprinkle the cold water over the dough and with your hands, mix it in until the dough holds together. Roll out the dough two inches larger than your pie pan. Place dough in pie pan, crimp the edges and put it in the refrigerator while making the filling.

Quiche

6 to 8 slices bacon, depending on size
1 1/2 yellow onions, thinly sliced
6 eggs
1 1/2 cups half & half (I use half goat milk and half heavy cream)
Salt and black pepper to taste
2 cups grated cheese

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Chop up the bacon into bite-sized pieces and cook in a heavy skillet until crispy. Remove the bacon from the pan and set aside. Remove all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat from the skillet, add the onions and cook over medium low heat until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes.
Mix the eggs, half & half and salt and pepper in a bowl. Add the bacon, onions and cheese, stir to combine. Pour the filling into the chilled pie shell, cover lightly with aluminum foil and bake for 45 to 50 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 10 to 15 minutes or until the quiche is set and the crust is golden brown. I put a pie shield on towards the end so the crust doesn't burn.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes.
Serve warm or cold, either way is delicious!

So, what kind of pie are you?

Linking up with The Country Homemaker Hop, Farmgirl Friday, What I Am Eating and P52 Sweet Shot Tuesday.

Kale with Sausage and Beans

Last week, I had a lovely bunch of kale from the Farmer's Market to use up and some spicy Italian sausage. I thought about making Sausage Potato Kale soup but Jerry was about "souped out" for awhile.

I did a search on the internet for ideas and came across this recipe from one of my favorite sites, Simply Recipes. I did make a couple of changes to the original recipe. I used spicy Italian sausage and I substituted some leftover pinto beans for the white beans, since that was what I had on hand. I also added some mushrooms. Wow, this dish is simple, quick and full of flavor!! The above picture is actually some leftovers that I had for breakfast the next morning with a poached egg on top, YUM! :)

Kale with Sausage and Beans

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 pound bulk spicy Italian sausage
1 onion, sliced thin
8 ounces sliced mushrooms (I love baby Bellas)
2 garlic cloves, sliced thin
1 pound kale, remove center rib and roughly chop leaves
1/2 cup chicken stock
2 cups cooked pinto beans
Salt and pepper

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the sausage and cook for about 5 minutes, then add the onions and mushrooms. Cook until the edges of the onions start to brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Add the kale, sprinkle with salt, then add the chicken stock. Cover the pan, lower the heat to medium and cook for 2 or 3 minutes to wilt down the kale. Uncover, mix well and add the beans. Cover again and turn the heat to low. Cook for another 5 minutes and then turn off the heat. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Linking up with The Country Homemaker Hop, Down Home Blog Hop, Rurality Blog Hop, Farmgirl Friday and What I Am Eating.

Wearing Aprons

I don't have a real extensive apron collection. The red one with the rooster was my dad's, he ran the Senior Nutrition Site and one of the ladies made the apron for him to wear while serving lunches. The denim one on the left Jerry just bought for me this past weekend. It has the Bisbee Farmer's Market logo on it and I'm going to start wearing it at the Farmer's Market on Saturdays. The second one from the right was the apron I made when I first started reading MaryJanesFarm magazine and participating in the forums. The second one from the left is a MaryJane pattern called the harvest apron. The entire yellow panel is a large pocket. I LOVE it! The one in the middle is my favorite apron though, and it is the one I have been wearing at the Farmer's Market for a couple of years. I even had to patch one of the pockets because I wore a hole in it carrying quarters in it! LOL!!

Since I now have a new apron for the Farmer's Market, I have started wearing my old favorite here at home for my baking and housework. There was a wonderful post floating around awhile back on Hillbilly Housewife entitled Apron Evangelism but, sadly, the link no longer exists. I was able to come up with a couple of quotes from the original article on other sites.

"One day Maggie, in the midst of a couple of vexing household/parenting issues, asked her mother for advice. Her mother told her she needed "a uniform or costume which would reassure myself and others of my intention and status in the home....It would remind me of my duties, inspire me to greater levels of cleanliness...and reaffirm my authority."

"Boy howdy, was I in for a surprise. In the mirror I saw a vision of the homemaker I have always strived to become staring back at me. Her cheery face glistened in the sunshine. Her hair tied up neatly in a bun looked authoritative and compassionate all at the same time. The apron covered several figure flaws and accentuated the fertile curves of the woman I saw in the mirror. This woman had purpose. She had status. She had clout. I stood there, contemplating the wonder of the homemaker that shone through my image in the mirror. “This is who I want to be” I told myself. “This is the Keeper of the home, with a capital ‘K’. ”

One of the issues I had with wearing an apron was where to store them so that I could get to them easily. Oh, and actually remembering to put one on!! ;) I just don't have any space on the walls in the kitchen for hooks so I got one of those over-the-door hooks and put it on the laundry room door so my aprons are now easily accessible.

How about you? Do you wear an apron? Do you think it helps to validate your position as the Keeper of the home to yourself and others?

Sharing with The Country Homemaker Hop, the Down Home Blog Hop, Farmgirl Friday, the Farm Girl Friday Blog Fest and the new Rurality Blog Hop with Madge at The View From Right Here.

It's Purty Cold...

...here in Beautiful Southeastern Arizona! This is the hose down at the barn yesterday morning. It was 16 degrees Friday, Saturday and Sunday mornings. Today, it was all the way up to 20! Woo-Hoo!! It's supposed to be that cold again tonight. The highs have been staying in the 30s. I know, I know, some of ya'll are having HIGHS of 16 but we just don't usually have this kind of cold for this prolonged of a period. The cold weather makes Jerry very cranky. ;)

We went to see the movie Lincoln on Friday. It was pretty good and Daniel Day-Lewis did an outstanding job. Sally Field was also good, as was David Strathairn. I can see why it got so many Academy Award nominations. We thought it was a little long though...

It was stinkin' cold at the Farmer's Market in Bisbee this past Saturday. We were doing all right with the cold until the wind picked up. Everyone ended up closing down about an hour early. At least it wasn't snowing! LOL!! Considering the weather, I did okay with my sales, about half of what I normally do.

I'm behind on my blog reading and commenting. We were gone pretty much all day Friday and Saturday and the internet was down most of the day Sunday. I'm going to work on getting caught up with everyone today. :)

This is my P52 Sweet Shot Tuesday offering for this week. I like how it turned out.

Kolaches

Kolaches are an Eastern European sweet yeast roll. They are tradtionally shaped into a circle as a symbol of good luck, prosperity and eternity. Our Farmer's Market manager is from the Hill Country of Texas and it seems Kolaches are quite common in that area. She asked me last month if I had ever heard of them and if I could make them. I had actually heard of them and remembered seeing a recipe in my Better Homes and Gardens Old-Fashioned Home Baking cookbook.

I used that recipe as a starting point and tweaked it quite a bit after looking at other recipes on the internet.

Kolaches
1 cup milk
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried lemon peel
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
2 cups bread flour
2 to 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons bread machine yeast OR 1 packet active dry yeast (If using active dry yeast, dissolve it in the warm milk before combining with the remaining ingredients.)
Solo brand Cake & Pastry filling in flavor of choice. (I used Poppy Seed and Apricot this time)

Mix, knead and let your dough rise until doubled using your favorite method; bread machine, manual or stand mixer. Divide dough in half and divide each half into 12 equal pieces and shape into balls. Flatten each ball to 2-1/2 inches in diameter. Cover; let rise until nearly double. Using your thumb or two fingers, make an indentation in the center of each dough circle. Spoon about 2 teaspoons of filling into each indentation.. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes or until the rolls are golden brown. Remove rolls from baking sheets and cool on a wire rack. If desired, lightly sift powdered sugar over the tops. Makes 24 Kolaches.

I don't normally like using canned anything but in looking at the different recipes on the internet, I came across several comments that trying to use jam didn't work because it melts and runs off, so I broke down and used the canned stuff. If I was making them just for us, I would try making my own fillings but that would be a bit much to add to my already busy weekly baking schedule!

I made a batch with the poppy seed filling for our last Farmer's Market before Christmas and they were well received so I decided to make them again for this Saturday. I hope they all sell! :)

Linking up with the Down Home Blog Hop at Tilly's Nest, The Country Homemaker Hop and Farmgirl Friday.

Cranberry Jam

So, ya'll did buy extra cranberries and stash them in the freezer for later use during the year, right? Well, if not, there should still be some available in the supermarket. I always buy extras and freeze them because I really like making cranberry sauce throughout the year to go with my homemade cottage cheese.

I found this recipe for Cranberry Jam in a Taste of Home Canning magazine I bought earlier this year and decided to give it a try. This is the second batch I've made, it is sooo good and isn't overly sweet like a lot of jams and jellies. Several people commented that their jam didn't set up but mine has set up really nicely both times I've made it. I have been using it as one of the fillings for the Rugelach I've been selling at the Farmer's Market too, yum!! I just can't bring myself to buy jam from the store anymore because of the price and the fact that I'm not overly fond of some of the ingredients used, even in the more expensive ones.

I know THE Holidays are over but what a nice gift this would make for Valentine's Day tucked in a basket with some homemade Buttermilk Biscuits. :)

Linking up with Deb, Dolly and Heidi for Farmgirl Friday and the Farm Girl Blog Fest at Fresh Eggs Daily.

Dark Days Challenge - Week One

I'm joining Nancy at Little Homestead in Boise for the Dark Days Challenge.

What’s the Challenge?The dates are between December 1 and April 15th. The goal is to try to cook four meals each month (1 per week) focused on sustainable, organic, and local ingredients (SOL). Whatever you can find is fine!

What does local mean?
Traditionally local food challenges call for a 100 mile radius, but winter is more difficult in many climates. If you’re new to eating locally try 150 miles. Typical exceptions are oils, coffee, chocolate and spices. If you’re making fewer, or more exceptions, please note that on your first post or comment.

What if I can’t find every ingredient locally?
If you can’t find every ingredient, or even most ingredients, please still write about your attempts. This is just as much about what we learn, the obstacles we find and the decisions we make as it is about cooking with SOL ingredients. Do what you can, where you can.

What if I don’t have good photos?
Take photos of what you’ve got, just do your best. No worries, keep it simple, or just tell the story and we’ll use our imaginations.

I'm glad good photos aren't a requirement because this certainly isn't one of my best! ;)
The beef and noodles included local grass-fed beef. The green beans were from my girlfriend's garden. The chopped Winter Salad included lettuce and red cabbage from the same friend's garden, carrots from the neighbors' garden, local organic apples from the Farmer's Market and my Fromage Blanc goat cheese. The yummy Lemon Vinaigrette dressing included locally grown shallots picked up at the Farmer's Market. Not everything was local or organic but I felt pretty proud serving it up!

I hope some of you think about joining Nancy and the rest of us as we try to live up to this challenge! Check out Nancy's blog for more info. :)

Linking up with Farmgirl Friday at Deborah Jean's Dandelion House.

Gingersnap Cookies

I have been selling these cookies for awhile now at the Farmer's Market and they always sell out. It took a bit of fiddling around with my recipe to get it to where I was really happy with it and wanted to share it with all of you! :)

Gingersnap Cookies               **Click here to print this recipe**

3/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 large egg
1/4 cup molasses
2 3/4 cups Baking Mix
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
Sugar for rolling the dough in (I use Turbinado, or raw, sugar)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light. Add the egg and molasses and beat well. Stir in the Baking Mix, cinnamon, ginger and cloves, mix well.
Shape the dough into balls and roll in the sugar to coat.

Place the balls of dough onto a cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned and crinkly on top. Let cool slightly before removing to a rack to cool completely.

These are a lovely, spicy, softer cookie. The Turbinado sugar adds a special touch and a little crunch. I hope you get a chance to try these for the upcoming Christmas cookie baking season! :)

Linking to The Country Homemaker Hop, Farmgirl Friday and the Farm Girl Friday Blog Fest.

Bread Making Tips

For something a little different today, I thought I would share some of the tips and tricks I've learned baking bread for the last several years for the Farmer's Market. If my loyal, repeat customers are any indication, I must be doing something right! :)
I do have to admit to another reason for doing this. Last week, I was checking some settings on my blog for a fellow blogger and happened to look at my blog's stats. It isn't something I normally do but it is sometimes interesting to see where people are "coming from" when they visit my blog. One of the traffic sources was Pinterest. I don't do Pinterest because I have a hard enough time keeping up with all the blogs I follow and, yeah, I know there is a LOT of really good "stuff" on there that I'm probably missing out on! Anyway, someone made a comment on a "Pin" of my Buttermilk Wheat Dinner Rolls that the dry/wet ratio seemed a little off. That got me to thinking of all the variables encountered when making bread: quality of ingredients, moisture content in butter, type of liquid used, humidity, altitude, temperature in the house, etc., so I thought I would do a post.

I use King Arthur Flour for all my baking. I have found it to be high quality and it produces consistent results. I also believe it helps make my baked goods just a little better than the competition so it's worth the extra money to me. If I was baking just for Jerry and I, I would use organic King Arthur flour or grind my own but that is cost/time prohibitive for my little business. The brand, and consequently the protein content, of the flour used can make a huge difference in how your bread turns out. Even something as simple as the moisture content in the brand of butter used or whole milk versus skim milk will make a difference. One thing that a bread baker has to learn is what the dough should look and feel like. I personally like my dough a little on the soft side, especially for rolls.

Sweet Potato Rolls

You can see in the above picture that the dough is very soft. I find that this makes for lighter, fluffier rolls. I also check the consistency of my dough a few minutes into the mixing/kneading cycle Every. Single. Time. I don't care if I just made a batch of Oatmeal Wheat Bread an hour ago and am starting another, I still check the consistency of the dough. If it seems a little dry, I add a tablespoon or so of water. If it is too wet and sticky, I add a little flour, one tablespoon at a time. I have found that I will need to adjust the amount of liquid (usually whole milk) in my recipes by almost 1/4 cup from summer to winter. The dough below is a little dry.

Black Pepper Parmesan Rolls

After adding about a tablespoon of water, it comes together and is nice and soft.

 

Black Pepper Parmesan Rolls

 

I have also learned that the recipes that use water instead of milk are stickier. When I go to shape a dough that is a little on the sticky side into rolls or bread, rather than adding more flour, I grease my hands and the counter just a tiny bit to prevent sticking and that way, the rolls or bread is still nice and light. My Pumpernickel Rye Bread dough always comes out sticky.

Another thing I have learned is to not let the dough overproof after shaping. It should only rise about one inch above the top of the pan.

Honey Wheat Bread

If it rises too much, it will collapse as it cools after baking and you will be left with a "wrinkly" top, like the one below. ;) It doesn't affect the taste and it usually doesn't affect how it sells but it just isn't as pretty. (sigh)

Onion Dill Rye Bread

Almost all of my bread recipes I have developed myself by taking other recipes and tweaking them to suit my needs, the ingredients I use and my altitude and humidity (mostly lack thereof!). So, the next time you are making bread, I hope you can use some of these tips to make the recipe your own and don't hesitate to adjust the amount of liquid and/or flour to make it work for you! Oh, and don't forget to take notes on any changes you make, they will come in handy later; you should see all the scribbles on some of my recipe cards! LOL!! Okay, gotta run, it's time to get back to the Onion Cheddar Rolls. It's cheese bread day here at The Home Bakery.
Linking up with The Country Homemaker Hop, Rural Thursday and Farmgirl Friday. I'm also featured on Dolly Is Cooking, thanks Dolly!!

Cowgirl Cookies

I have been trying to come up with a new cookie recipe for the Farmer's Market and I wanted to create a Cowgirl cookie to complement the popular Cowboy Cookies. I made a variation of oatmeal cookies using Chai Spice and adding coconut, dried cranberries and vanilla chips. It was okay but didn't have the Wow! I was looking for.

Then, the other day, Tammy at Our Neck of the Woods posted a recipe for Maple Brown Sugar Granola Cookies that got my creativity going. If you haven't visited Tammy's blog yet, you really should, it's great! Oh, and I admit to totally stealing her idea of tying a ribbon around the cookies for their photo shoot. (blush) I'm always on the lookout for food styling ideas, thanks Tammy!!

These cookies have the Wow! with the addition of the granola and the Chai Spice and what Cowgirl can resist dark chocolate and dried cranberries? I know a certain Cowboy who even gave them a thumbs up! ;)

Cowgirl Cookies                **Click here to print this recipe**

1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups Baking Mix
4 cups granola, homemade or store bought (I used homemade)
1 1/2 teaspoons Chai Spice
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup dark chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Beat together butter and sugars until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Add Baking Mix, granola and Chai Spice; mix well. Stir in cranberries and dark chocolate chips; mix well. Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for one minute on cookie sheet then remove to wire rack to cool completely. Makes about 4 dozen cookes. I flattened each cookie slightly so they would spread out a little more.

Sharing with The Country Homemaker Hop, Rural Thursday, Farmgirl Friday and the Farm Girl Blog Fest.

PB & J Cookies

Move on over Cowboy Cookies, there is a new favorite cookie in town!
This recipe idea came from the Better Homes and Gardens Special Fall Baking issue which, by the way, has lots of fabulous recipes in it! :)
I have changed it a bit to utilize my Baking Mix. It is a basic oatmeal cookie with peanut butter chips stirred into the batter and a dollop of jam on top. We are not big jam or jelly eaters so I have been using up homemade jam I had in the cupboard. The picture above has two with plum and one with peach.

PB & J Cookies

1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups Baking Mix
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3 cups old fashioned or quick cooking oats, uncooked
1 cup peanut butter chips
Jam or jelly

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Beat together butter and sugars until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Add Baking Mix, cinnamon and oats; mix well. Stir in peanut butter chips; mix well. Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet. Make a depression in the top of each cookie and fill with about 1/2 teaspoon of jam or jelly of your choice. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for one minute on cookie sheet then remove to wire rack to cool completely. Makes about 4 dozen cookes.
These have become THE cookie at the Farmer's Market recently. I even had a lady call me this week and order two dozen for this Saturday. I hope you give them a try. :)
Linking up with The Country Homemaker Hop, Rural Thursday and Farmgirl Friday.

Sweet Potato Biscuits

It seems I'm making up for a lack of recipe posts lately! ;-)

There is a recipe for Sweet-potato Biscuits in the November/December issue of Hobby Farm Home magazine. It sounded pretty good to me...except for the brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger. I had some leftover sweet potatoes from making Sweet Potato Rolls for the Farmers' Market and so I decided to try making "regular" sweet potato biscuits to see how they would come out. Well, they are YUMMY!! They are light and moist and have just enough sweet potato "sweetness" without being pumpkin pie-ish.

Sweet Potato Biscuits

2 1/2 cups Baking Mix
6 tablespoons cold butter cut into little cubes
1 cup mashed sweet potato
1/4 to 1/3 cup milk or buttermilk

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Place Baking Mix in a bowl; cut butter into Baking Mix until it resembles small peas. Make a well in the center and add the sweet potato and milk all at once. Start with the lesser amount of milk and add a little more if your dough is too dry. Stir together until a soft dough forms. Turn dough out onto a well floured surface OR you could use your handy-dandy pastry cloth! Dust the top with additional flour. Knead gently 8-10 times. Pat dough to about 1/2-inch thickness and cut out biscuits. Gently push the dough back together and keep cutting out biscuits until all the dough has been used. Place biscuits on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 425 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. I like my biscuits a little crunchy on the outside so I bake them for the longer time.

By the way, they make wonderful egg sandwiches. :)

Linking up with the Farmgirl Friday Blog Hop and Food on Friday.

Cowboy Cookies

Howdy ya'll! This here is a cookie that will satisfy them hardworkin' cowboys in your life. Why shoot, even the little buckaroos and buckarettes down to the Farmers' Market have told me, "Miss Candy, them are some mighty tasty cookies!" Just so's ya' know, these ain't no chicken-livered girly cookies. Nope, they're chock full of oats, raisins, chocolate chips and walnuts. They'll make ya' sit up and say "Yee-Haw!" Why, you could even grab one or two on the way out the door to see you through them early mornin' chores. I know my cowboy can go through several before the sun has even come up! ;-)

Okay, let's git down to bakin'!

Cowboy Cookies               **Click here to print this recipe**

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
2 cups Baking Mix
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
2 cups uncooked quick or old-fashioned rolled oats
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup golden raisins or regular
3/4 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and eggs; mix well. Add Baking Mix, cocoa and oats; mix well. Stir in chocolate chips, raisins and walnuts.
Drop dough by tablespoonfuls about 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet. I flatten the dough a bit as it doesn't spread very much.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until bottoms are lightly golden brown. Cool on pan for 2 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

I haven't done an "ingredient" picture in awhile but I wanted to show off the new mixing bowl that I picked up at a thrift store in Willcox a couple of weeks ago. It is marked Robinson Ransbottom and probably isn't particulary old, the company was in business until 2005, but I have always wanted a heavy crockery mixing bowl and the price was pretty good! :)

Linking up with The Country Homemaker Hop, Rural Thursday, Farm Fresh Friday and Farmgirl Friday.

When Life Gives You Pumpkins...

...make Pumpkin Scones!! I sure hope ya'll aren't sick of scone recipes yet because here is another one! :)

I have been gifted several pie pumpkins in the past week or so and after cooking and pureeing the pumpkin, I decided to see how it would do in some scones. The pumpkin puree, an egg and some molasses were the only wet ingredients I used and I added some dried cranberries and vanilla chips. I also used my homemade pumpkin pie spice, you can find the recipe at the end of this post. (That reminds me, I need to make that Applesauce Molasses cake sometime soon!)

Pumpkin Scones

2 1/3 cups Baking Mix
1/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
6 tablespoons cold butter
3/4 cup dried cranberries
3/4 cup vanilla chips
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1 large egg
1 tablespoon molasses
Turbinado sugar for the tops

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a medium bowl, stir together Baking Mix, sugar and pumpkin pie spice. Cut in butter until it resembles small peas; stir in dried cranberries and vanilla chips. Make a well in the center. In a separate bowl, combine pumpkin puree, egg and molasses; mix well. Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry and mix lightly until incorporated. Do not overmix.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently for 4 or 5 turns. Roll or pat dough into a circle 7 inches in diameter. Cut into 6 or 8 wedges and place on a baking sheet. Make sure to leave enough room between the scones as they will rise a bit and spread out. Brush the top of each scone with a little heavy cream or milk and sprinkle with turbinado sugar.
Bake at 375 degrees for 18 to 22 minutes until golden brown.

I had some of these for sale at last week's Farmers' Market and they went fast, guess it's getting to be pumpkin season, my favorite time of year!

Linking up with The Country Homemaker Hop, Rural Thursday, Farmgirl Friday and Farm Fresh Friday. Thanks ladies for hosting these wonderfully fun blog parties! :)