Sourdough Sharing - Muffins

October is the time of year I finish putting the yard and garden to bed and to finish making juice, jam and other preserves.  I then travel to Alberta and Saskatchewan for several weeks visiting relatives and friends before winter hits with a vengeance.  So this month, I am linking to a previously blogged recipe.

This month's sourdough challenge is muffins and quick breads.  I have a preference for muffins as you can freeze a batch and then just take out one or two as needed.

I have tried several muffin recipes but always come back to this Bran Muffin recipe.  It is moist and tasty - I always loved bran muffins with molasses as an ingredient and this is my all time favorite recipe.

 

The recipe calls for raisins and nuts but I sometimes add chopped dates instead of the raisins and nuts.  I have also used dried cranberries or dehydrated cherries instead of the raisins and I have substituted sunflower seeds instead of nuts.

 

 

I hope everyone enjoys this month's offering of muffins and quick bread in the links below. 

 

 

 





Mincemeat

I have tomatoes coming out the ying-yang.  Even though I only planted 6 plants (4 regular and 2 cherry type) I have boxes of green tomatoes in the garage.  I picked and pulled out my tomatoes yesterday because they have been threatening frost for the last few days.  It went down to +3°C last night but since I am going visiting over the next few weeks, I decided it is time to put my yard and garden to bed.

So back to the tomatoes.  I have made spaghetti sauce and canned a number of red tomatoes but wanted to get rid of some of the green ones.

My sister-in-law, Barb sent me her recipe for mincemeat since I have an abundance of green tomatoes and apples.  I decided to give it a whirl since I love her mincemeat.  (I was lucky enough to have received a few jars from her last year.)

Ingredients

6 c chopped green tomatoes
6 c chopped apples (cored and peeled)
3 c raisins
1 c suet or butter
3/4 c vinegar
1 c mixed peel
4 c brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cloves
3/4 tsp allspice
2 tsp salt

Core and chop tomatoes.  I used my food processor on pulse.

Place tomatoes in a large pot and cover with hot water.  Bring to a boil and the drain thoroughly.

Do that 3 times.

Add the rest of the ingredients.

Mix well and cook for an hour.

Fill sealers and process in hot water bath for  25 minutes.

I got 5 quarts of mincemeat.  Barb's was slightly browner in colour but I added a bit more tomatoes and apples since I had lots. 

 

Store until needed for pie, tarts or squares.  Last year I made some squares similar to matrimonial cake but used mincemeat instead of the date mixture.  They were very yummy.  ;)

 

Sourdough Sharing - Sourdough Gingerbread Waffles

This month's sourdough challenge was pancakes and waffles.  I had recently been given an almost new waffle iron from my sister who didn't want it and decided to try this recipe for Gingerbread Waffles from my Sourdough Cookery Cookbook by Rita Davenport.

Ingredients
1/2 c molasses
6 Tbsp cooking oil
1/2 c sourdough
1 c milk
2 eggs, slightly beaten
2 c flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp cinnamon
4 Tbsp sugar

Mix molasses, oil, sourdough, milk and eggs.  Combine dry ingredients and mix into the first mixture.

Heat waffle iron.

Pour amount batter onto waffle iron suggested by manufacturer (different amounts for different sizes irons).

Cook for 5 to 6 minutes or until done.

Remove to rack.  Cut if necessary.

Top with butter and serve.

The recipe suggests eating them with applesauce and bacon or whipped cream and bananas.  I served them with mulled applesauce.  Very yummy!

 

The recipe said it makes 6 small waffles so I doubled it.  I will definitely make these again.  Enjoy!

 

 

Check out other pancake and waffle recipes shared below.

 

 



I'm Back

This has been a very tough summer.  Losing Lulu took a lot out of me.  I have been very lonely and down in the dumps and often cried at the drop of a hat.  I was lucky that Barry was home several times throughout the summer and I went to see him when I needed to get away.

I had trouble weeding this summer because every time I went outside, I expected to see Lulu.  It was hard to dig weeds and see the beetles and worms that she would have loved to eat.  It seems like a chore now that she isn't there to egg me on. 

The wasps have been especially ferocious this year.  I have never been stung before but both Barry and I have been stung three times each. They are everywhere!  I got stung digging garlic and also while picking a plum.  Many outdoor chores are best done early in the morning before the sun rises over the mountain or in the evening when they seem to have settled for the night.

As a result of both missing Lulu and fighting off the wasps, my garden did not do too well.  By the time Barry was here to help out, the weeds had more or less taken over.  We did have some successes - cukes, cabbage and tomatoes did well.  In fact, the cukes went crazy after a very slow start.  I have been giving away at least two grocery bags of them a week!  We have eaten tons ourselves (I love Greek Salad!) and made some relish, etc.

I was disappointed with the corn this year.  I didn't plant my regular variety and found this year's corn too starchy.  Plus I had trouble enjoying corn on the cob this year because Lulu was always there to share it in the past.  It just seemed to stick in my throat. 

I have been making jam and juice as well as freezing fruit for later use but haven't taken any pictures so those recipes will not make it to my blog.  I have had trouble staying focused on blogging.

I am doing somewhat better now but still find I get teary-eyed now and then.  Last week at the grocery store, I had trouble when one of the clerks asked me about Lulu.  I hadn't seen her since Lulu died so she was unaware.  She would always ask me, "How's your baby?" and tell me that she told her kids and other relatives about Lulu.  It was hard to tell her about Lulu without breaking down in the checkout line.

I have quite a few photos of stops with Lulu on the trip in June for my parents' 60th anniversary.  I will be posting them since so many of your seemed to enjoy Lulu's adventures. 

I will be slowing down my blogging as I don't have much gardening happening and I haven't recorded very many recipes.  I don't plan to stop but may not be as regular as I have been.

I thank all of you who sent kind words or called to offer your sympathy.  My sweet little chicken is firmly entrenched in my heart.  I miss her so.

Sourdough Crackers - Sharing Recipes

This month's sourdough sharing is crackers.  Now I've always wanted to make homemade crackers and this seemed like a good chance to try my hand at it.  And using sourdough was a neat bonus.  There are so many ways to make a recipe your own - herbs, cheese, seeds and more.

Unfortunately, I've had a tough month with my dear, sweet house chicken, Lulu getting sick and me having to put her to sleep.  She was very special to me and I miss her so much.

I did want to link to all the recipes showcased this month so I have a starting point when I get around to making my own crackers.

Enjoy the following links and recipes.

Sourdough Sharing - Pumpkin Pie Cinnamon Buns and More

This month's sourdough sharing is cinnamon buns or other variations.  I decided to try some pumpkin pie cinnamon rolls.  I got the original idea from here.  I got the dough recipe from Sourdough Cookery by Rita Davenport.  

Ingredients
dough
1 1/2 c sourdough
3/4 c milk (I used 1 c pumpkin puree instead)
1 tsp vanilla
2 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp melted butter or marg
1 tsp salt
2 - 2 1/2 c flour (I needed about 4 c flour)

filling
1 c pumpkin puree
1/4 c butter
1/2 c sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp allspice
1 tsp vanilla

My sourdough was very bubbly but not as thick as usual.  So that plus using pumpkin instead of milk may have accounted for the need for that much extra flour.

To make the dough
To sourdough add and mix in all ingredients except flour.  Add enough flour to make a stiff dough.  Knead until smooth, adding more flour if needed.

 

Place in a greased bowl and let rise until double.  The original recipe said 2 hours but mine took all day.

Roll dough into a rectangle.

To make filling
Combine pumpkin (I used homemade puree) with other ingredients and stir well.  I did not add the butter at this stage but you may if you wish.

I spread the butter evenly on the dough like you do for regular cinnamon buns.

Spread the pumpkin filling evenly, leaving a bit of dough at the edges uncovered.

Roll up dough sealing the edges.

Cut and place in greased pans.

Cover and let rise until double.

 

Bake at 400°F for 25 - 30 minutes.

 

Rita Davenport suggests drizzling on a mixture of icing sugar, milk and vanilla (no amounts given).

 

Mama Taney suggests pumpkin cream cheese icing.

 

I did neither and we ate them as is.  Usually I find icing on cinnamon buns too much sweetness but these would have been nice with the cream cheese icing as they are not too sweet.  They were tasty and the spiced pumpkin had a nice flavour.

 

I wouldn't bother adding the pumpkin to the dough next time because all it did was turn the dough a nice golden colour.  Pumpkin doesn't have much taste by itself so I don't think it added to the taste.

 

Enjoy these or some of the other recipes below.

 

 

 

 

Sourdough Sharing - Crepes

This month's sourdough challenge was crepes.  The recipe was so easy-peasy and tasty.  My challenge came when it was time to make the crepes as I don't own a correct size frying pan.

Ingredients
1 c sourdough
2 eggs
2 Tbsp melted butter
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 to 1/2 c milk

Beat all ingredients together, adding enough milk to have a thin batter.  Heat the frying pan, add some butter and pour in 1/4 c of batter. 

 

Now comes the tricky part.  You are to use a pan between 8" and 10" in diameter.  I only have cast irons frying pans - one 6" and the other 12".  I used the 12" because the 6" was too small but found it too heavy to swirl the pan around so I ended up with flower shapes instead of nice round, thin crepes.

 

You are to cook the crepe for a minute or two, then flip and cook about 30 seconds or so on the other side.  Remove crepe to plate and continue making until finished the batter.  This makes about 8 to 10 crepes.

I then tried to pour the batter round but ended up with a thick crepe (or thin pancake).

I found this recipe and thought I sounded yummy and easy.  Spread Nutella on crepe and add a banana.  I cut the banana lengthwise so each crepe was rolled around 1/2 banana.

I also spread some with peanut butter and rolled them around the banana as well.  Both were very tasty and would be enjoyed by kids and adults alike.

I found the crepe very tasty and made them a second time as pancakes without trying to swirl my heavy pan.  They were very tasty with butter and syrup. 

 

I will try the crepes again when I have the right size pan.  They were tasty and easy to whip up with so few ingredients.

 

You can make your crepes into sweet dessert crepes or savory crepes as a main course depending on your filling.

 

Check out the links below for more delicious crepe ideas.  Enjoy!  ;)

 

 



 

Apple & Cherry Buns

I found the recipe for Apple Buns here and decided to give them a try. I decided to make both apple buns and try cherry buns so I made a double batch of dough.

Ingredients (for a double batch)
Dough
2 c milk, scalded
1/2 c sugar
2 Tbsp oil
1/2 tsp salt
5 tsp yeast
6 c flour

Fillings
#1.  2 - 3 apples peeled and diced
3 tbsp. butter
1/2 c brown sugar
cinnamon

#2.  for cherry filling I used the above with 1-2 cups pitted frozen cherries instead of apples
cornstarch for thickening

#3.  I had extra dough so mixed up some spiced apricot jam, chopped nuts and chopped raisins.  I did not cook this filling but used it as is.

Scald milk and then mix with sugar, oil and salt.  Cool until lukewarm and then add yeast.  Let sit 10 to 15 minutes until it becomes frothy.  Mix in flour and knead for 10 minutes.  Place in a greased bowl to rest and rise until double in size.

I made the dough first and while it was rising, I made the fillings.

Melt butter in pan and add brown sugar.  Stir to combine, then let caramelize at medium high heat.  Stir only enough to keep from burning. 

 

Add apples and cinnamon and cook until apples are soft and mixture has thickened.  Let cool before using.

 

For the cherry filling, I added some cornstarch as it was cooking because they are much juicier than the apples.  I just sprinkled on a bit at a time and let it cook until thick.  Cool before using.

 

The original recipe was for 16 buns but with it doubled, I only got 24.  Roll the dough into a circle and the fun begins.

 

I used this video as guide for shaping the buns.  I watched it numerous times as my fingers kept forgetting what I wanted them to do.  Place a spoonful of filling in the centre of the dough.

 

Pleat the dough following the video making sure the filling is all inside.

 

Continue pleating until entire edge is done.  Once my fingers got the feel of the action, it was fairly easy, but I had to stop and rewatch the video because they would sometimes fumble and forget.

 

 

Once the dough is in a nice bunch, twist the dough as they do in the video to close and seal the bun.

 

Voila!  I was impressed with myself!  The buns actually looked nice.

 

Place buns twisted side down on a baking sheet.  You can brush top of bun with egg wash if you wish.  (I didn't)

 

Bake in a 400°F oven for 15 minutes.

 

Cool on rack.  I found that a few of the jam and cherry buns leaked a bit and the filling burnt to the pan.  I think they were not sealed as good as the others but also those fillings were juicier than the apple filling.

 

All three fillings were tasty.  Enjoy!  ;)

Potato, Bacon and Cheddar Soup

I like homemade cream soups but don't like the texture when they are put through the blender.  I still like to have something to chew.  I found this soup recipe here and thought I'd give it a try. 

Ingredients
6 large potatoes
1 liter chicken stock (I used store bought this time) 
2 green onions chopped (I omitted these since I didn't have any and just added more chives)
1 c milk
1 c shredded cheddar cheese
1 c mozzarella cheese
½ c chives
2 Tbsp sour cream
½ package bacon
seasonings to taste - salt, pepper, paprika, etc. 


Thinly slice bacon, fry until crisp and drain.  Set aside.

 

Peel and cube potatoes.  Cook potatoes in chicken stock and add water if needed to cover potatoes.  Cook until potatoes are well done.  Do not drain.

If you like smoother soup, run the potatoes and liquid through the blender.  I like mine rough mashed instead.  I leave them lumpy.

Mix in the chives, onions, bacon and cheeses. 

Stir to help melt the cheese.

Add sour cream.

Add milk and stir.  If it is too thick, add more milk.

Return to heat for a few minutes and season to taste.  I added a bit of pepper and paprika. 

The soup was thick, tasty and filling.  To reheat leftover soup, you need to add more milk.  Enjoy!  ;)