Staff Of Life

I've been baking bread.  Friend Monique, from La Table de Nana, is quite a baker and I decided to use a recipe she published.  So glad I tried it as it is easy and very good.  Of course, mine doesn't look like hers', but I am happy with it.  It got me thinking of the old proverb about bread being the staff of life. I am a bread devotee; could easily live on it alone.

Sounded biblical to me and then I remembered why.  The Lord's Prayer has the line, "give us this day our daily bread". Googled it and found it was referred to as the staff of life for ages.  Staff meaning food in general.  Seems Jonathan Swift was quoted to have said, "bread is the staff of life".

Nevertheless, this bread is a no knead variety.  My kind of bread. You must use a cast iron pot with a lid.  I didn't think I had one in the city.  Looked around and found this old chicken pot I'd never used. It is small and the perfect size for a loaf (almost a ball) of bread.

No-Knead Bread

3 cups + 2 TBS all purpose flour

2 tsp coarse sea salt

1/2 tsp. Red Star Platinum yeast

1 TBS honey

1 1/2 cups warm water

Mix ingredients. Dough will be sticky but don't worry if it is dry and shaggy like mine.

Shape into a ball - cover with plastic wrap and leave on counter 12-18 hours.

Turn dough out and shape into a ball. Score an X on top. Cover and leave 30 minutes.

Pre-heat oven to 475 degrees.  Bake 25 minutes with lid on then remove lid for another 8-10 minutes.  This bread is so easy, I mis-read the directions, baked it covered for 15 minutes and un-covered for 10 minutes, AND IT STILL TURNED OUT!

Dried fruits, nuts or seeds - customize your dream bread. I have had to use measuring spoons and cups instead of my hands and eye estimations.

And I'll need a staff to walk about before long if I don't quit eating bread all of the time.

Baking Bread

Each day, it becomes more and more evident that fall is already here. I should be making lists of things I need to do: clean out the garage, clean up the barn, throw old clothes etc. away. I could fill a binder with things I need to do but don't want to do. Instead, I think of things I'd like to do. Bake bread, make butter; real chores from days of yore. I want to try different kinds of flour - flour from kernels of red wheat, fresh if possible, and pearls of barley, oats and other grains. I've saved recipes for decades that I haven't yet tried. So, what am I waiting for? I've also been reading up on butter making. I need to find a source of raw cream where the cows are feeding on green grass or pastures. Seems this makes the most delectable butter. It is illegal to sell unpasteurized milk in the stores in our state, so I'll have to find a small dairy that still operates somewhere. Hopefully, with Jersey cows, as their milk and cream are superior in butter making. I would also love to use goat cream if I can find it. It makes the best butter ever. So, we'll see what the coming days and weeks bring. Possibly, a pilgrim Thanksgiving, only I'm not killing a turkey!

MY CHERRY PIE

I'm known among my family and friends for my cherry pie. It is one of the first things I learned to cook. My friend Janis taught me how. There is really only one secret and it has to be followed. It's the cherries. You MUST use tart pie cherries. It makes all the difference. Not a filling or sweet cherries or a combination of cherries. Only tart cherries.

Start with the crust. For the flakiest crust, you must use a lot of fat. Cut 1 1/4 cup of shortening into 2 2/3 cups all purpose flour and 1/2 tsp. salt. Then add 7-8 tbs. of water (sometimes I use more). Dough will be a little sticky. That is why I use so much flour to roll out the dough. Divide into 2 discs.

I roll out one crust (this is a 10" crust) and place it into the bottom of the pie pan. Then, I mix up the filling. To two cans of tart pie cherries, add 1 3/4 - 2 c. sugar, 1/2 cup flour, 1/2 tsp. cinnamon and 1 tsp. almond extract. (You can add less cinnamon and almond extract if you want). Mix all together and pour into crust. Dot with two to three tablespoons of butter.

Roll out top crust. Cut into what ever size strips you want. Be creative and make fancy edges, make wide strips etc. I start with two strips; they make a cross in the center. Then I work outward, lifting strips to make a basket weave. Roll edges inward around pie and crimp. Again, this is a place to get creative with the edges. Sometimes, I sprinkle a large grain sanding sugar on top. Bake in a 325 - 350 degree oven for about an hour. You just want to make sure the center is a solid not a liquid.

Voila. Pie. Cherry pie. I have a Cuisinart ice cream machine and made a vanilla ice cream to go with it (kind of gilding the lily).

Snickerdoodles In A Cachepot?

I thought I'd make some cookies for the family and wanted to share them with you. Of course, you have to make them. Does anyone know what this made in England container is? The top and bottom part are one piece and all it says on the bottom is Made in England. There is no hole at the bottom so I don't think it is for a plant. I simply don't know what it is. I do know the cookies are crisp and crinkly on the outside and moist and chewy on the inside. Very easy.

1 cup butter - 11/2 cups sugar - 2 eggs - 1 tsp. vanilla - 22/3 cups unsifted flour - 1/2 tsp. soda - 1/4 tsp. salt - 2 TBS. sugar - 2 tsp. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cream butter and sugar. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in flour, soda and salt. Shape dough into balls and roll into the sugar and cinnamon mixture. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8 - 10 minutes.
Your house will smell wonderful. Enjoy.

Almond Toffee Grahams

Almond Toffee Grahams

This recipe is really better than toffee. I don't think you'll find an easier recipe. It is rich and buttery and if you like it even more decadent than it already is, you can sprinkle some milk chocolate chips atop the hot finished squares and swirl the melted morsels with a knife; gilding the lily is good right?

1 package graham crackers
1 package slivered almonds
2 sticks butter
1/2 c. sugar

Break graham crackers up into fourths. I saw mine with a serrated knife for perfect edges. Lay onto a cookie sheet with sides. In a saucepan, bring the sugar and butter to a boil over medium heat. Boil 3 minutes, stirring until thickened. Pour over graham crackers and sprinkle with almonds. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes. Let cool and break cookies apart.

This recipe is also known as poor man's toffee and I guarantee, rich or poor, you, your friends and family are gonna love these.