Becoming Wiser

Jan. 25, 2006 - Pancake Mix

13 cups whole wheat flour
5 tsp. baking powder
1 Tbsp. baking soda
1/4 cup sugar
1 Tbsp. salt, optional
3 cups cornflakes crumbs (I wonder if just cornmeal would work. Haven't tried it yet, though.)
2 cups old fashioned rolled oats

Combine ingredients; cover and store.

When ready to use, mix about 1 1/2 cups dry mix with 1 egg and 1 1/2 cups milk. Flop on griddle as usual. Yield: approx. 18 cups dry mix.

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Jan. 25, 2006 - Boston Baked Beans

Another recipe courtesy of Hillbilly Housewife (see sidebar).

2 pounds white beans (northern or navy beans)
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons dry mustard
1/2 cup molasses
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 onion, peeled and chopped
4 to 6 oz of raw bacon, chopped

Soak the beans overnight in plenty of tap water. Or, you can bring them to a boil on the stove and then turn them off, cover them and let them sit for an hour or two. The point of this is to reconstitute them some, making them easier to cook.

After the initial preparation boil your beans on the back of the stove for about half an hour. They won't be perfectly soft, but they will be almost soft. Drain off the cooking water. In a very large casserole (4-quart) combine the semi-cooked beans, salt, dry mustard, molasses, sugar and chopped bacon. Add enough hot water to barely come to the top of the beans. Put a lid on the casserole, or tin foil. Bake the beans at 300° for about 5 to 7 hours. They will be tender, fragrant and delicious. My kids love this stuff. The cooked beans may be frozen in two cup portions to substitute for canned baked beans or canned pork'n'beans in any recipe. They make a good main dish, or a side dish for a large crowd. This recipe serves about 16. I make such a large amount so I can have plenty of leftovers to freeze.

Another way to cook this, good in the summertime, is to use a crock pot. Boil the soaked beans for half an hour, as directed above. Then, instead of combining everything in a casserole, combine them in the crock pot instead. Put the lid on the Crock Pot after you've mixed everything up in it, and cook it on High for about 3 or 4 hours, or on low for 6 or 8 hours. You can put a folded dish towel on top of the lid if your crock pot doesn't get quite hot enough to cook beans normally. The dish towel helps maintain a temperature hot enough to just barely simmer the beans. Serve with Corn Casserole, Mixed Greens and Oatmeal Muffins or Whole Wheat Bread.

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Jan. 23, 2006 - My Bread

I always bake our own bread, but I cheat. I use my bread machine to mix, knead, and rise the dough. Then I dump it into loaf pans and let it rise before popping it into the oven. I don't like the shape of the bread OR the crust when I bake it in the machine. This makes it look and taste like I did it all by the sweat of my hands!! This is the basic recipe I use. I alter it occasionally to make Herb Bread (add spices) or Raisin Bread (add raisins and cinnamon). Yum!

Place the following ingredients into your bread machine in the order recommended by your owner's manual. Then set your machine to the "Dough Only" cycle and get on with the rest of your day while the machine does all the hard work! When cycle ends, dump out the dough, seperate it into two loaves and put it into bread pans. Let it rise till the tops are just above the edge of the pan, and bake in a 400 degree oven for 30 minutes. Easy!

13oz. water
4 cups whole wheat flour
3 Tbsp. butter or cooking oil
2 1/2 Tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. salt
3 tsp. yeast

For Herb Bread, add 2 tsp. tarragon, 2 tsp. basil, 2 tsp. oregano, and 2 tsp. parsley. This is DEE-VINE! I often serve it for company and always get compliments.

For Raisin Bread, add 2 tsp. cinnamon and 2/3 cup raisins.

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Jan. 23, 2006 - Chicken Pot Pie

This recipe is taken from the Hillbilly Housewife website (see sidebar)

FOR THE CRUST

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup shortening
about 1/2 cup of tap water

FOR THE FILLING

3 cups cooked, chopped chicken
1 pound frozen mixed vegetables

FOR THE GRAVY

1/4 cup margarine
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
4 packets low sodium chicken broth powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste

Prepare the crust first. In a large bowl combine the flours, salt and baking powder. Add the shortening, and mash it into the flour until it is crumbly. Add the water and stir to combine. Gather the particles up into a ball of dough. Roll the dough out between sheets of waxed paper, to make a large rectangle. Set aside.

Oil a 9 by 13-inch pan. In it arrange the chopped chicken and the mixed vegetables. Set this aside.

In a large saucepan melt the margarine. Add the onion and celery, and saute it all around until the onion is tender and fragrant. Sprinkle the flour over top of the vegetables and stir it up nicley. Pour on the broth. Stir everything around to dissolve the flour in the bouillon. Add the pepper and poultry seasoning. Bring the gravy to a boil while you stir it frequently. Boil for a few minutes to blend the flavors and thicken.

Pour the hot gravy over top of the chicken and vegetables in the pan. Stir it up a little, to get everything evenly moistened. Arrange the dough on top of the chicken and vegetables. It doesn't have to touch the sides of the pan. If it is too large, then tuck under the edges a little, to accomodate the pan. If it is too small, don't worry, just put it on top anyway. Using a sharp knife, score the dough into 10 servings. Poke each serving with a fork in the center. This makes it pretty and easy to serve.

Bake at 450° for 30 minutes. Serve hot with fruit gelatin and cucumbers. Makes 10 servings.

If desired, you may use all whole wheat flour for the crust. Pastry flour will make the flakiest crust, but regular whole wheat flour will also do just fine.

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Jan. 21, 2006 - Cornmeal Muffins

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup cornmeal
2 - 4 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 beaten eggs
1 cup milk
1/4 cup cooking oil

Grease muffin tin and set aside. In medium mixing bowl, stir together flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and salt. Make a well in the center of dry mixture. In another bowl, combine eggs, milk and cooking oil. Add egg mixture to dry mixture. Stir just till moistened. Spoon batter into muffin tins. Bake at 425 degrees for 12 - 15 min. or till brown. Makes 12 muffins.

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