Bobbie Biscuits

Last week, our friend Bobbie passed on her recipe for successful fluffy, flaky, high rise biscuits.  We tried them right away (a great accompaniment to fried chicken) and had really good results.  They doubled in height when baking, had a lovely soft texture, and a nice, mild flavor.  High and mighty!  The odd ingredient here is the cream of tartar, which I have never used in making biscuits before.  Did not affect the taste in any negative way, but something sure worked well for getting these to rise.  (Val & Beka – if you give this recipe a try up here this summer, let me know how they work for you.)

I hope you try and enjoy.

Have a good weekend, friends.  Sure is nice having computers change the clocks for us automatically.  And yes, sure enough, it’s snowing here again…

Bobbie Biscuits

In a large bowl, combine:

            2 cups white flour

            1 cup whole wheat flour

            4 ½ teaspoons baking powder

            2 tablespoons sugar

            ½ teaspoon salt

            ¾ teaspoon cream of tartar

Cut in:

            ¾ cup butter or margarine

Then fold in:

            1 egg, beaten

            1 cup milk

Stir together gently until just combined, keeping mixing to a minimum.  With lots of flour on your hands and on the counter, knead together very lightly, and then pat down to a thickness of 1 inch.  Cut biscuits (I use the rim of a pint canning jar) and place on doubled baking sheet.  Bake at 450 degrees for 12 – 14 minutes.

Heart shaped biscuits and steaming sausage gravy

A good, hearty Sunday morning breakfast, and one of the boys’ favorites. 

I’ve been on a mission to find the best recipe for homemade biscuits.  With all this flour, I refuse to resort to buying those that come in a can, though they are cheap and easy. 

In my quest for the perfect biscuit, I am up against a few added challenges due to the altitude and my preference for making breakfast on the old wood cook stove. After many attempts, none with the results I desired (though the boys have been enjoying my various and frequent tries), I turned to a fellow “high altitude” back country baker for her favorite biscuit recipe.  The results were the best yet.  The boys found them especially tasty.  So, following is a “guest post” recipe for biscuits, thanks to Valerie, followed by my old faithful simple recipe for sausage gravy.  I hope you try and enjoy.

Biscuits and gravy with Val's biscuit recipe

Valerie’s Biscuits

In a large bowl, combine:

          2 cups flour

          4 teaspoons baking powder

          1 teaspoon salt

          2 tablespoons sugar

Cut in:

          1/2  cup Crisco

Add:

         1 large egg

         2/3 cups milk

Mix together just until blended. Do not over mix. On a heavily floured surface with well floured hands, pat out dough to about ½ – ¾ of an inch thickness.  Cut with the rim of a small canning jar (or heart shaped cookie cutter if you’re feeling so inclined), and place on a baking sheet fairly close together. Bake in a good, hot oven (if using a gas or electric oven with proper gages, preheat to 425 degrees) for 15-20 minutes.

(thank you, Val!)

yes, I'm a sucker...

Breakfast Sausage Gravy

This is good on fried eggs, hash browns, and even toast.

In a medium iron skillet, melt:

            1 tablespoon butter

Add, and cook until brown:

            1 pound bulk breakfast sausage (you can use crumbled bacon, or diced ham with good results as well)

Stir in:

          3 tablespoons flour

Slowly add, while stirring over medium/high heat:

            2 ½ cups milk

            1 chicken bouillon cube

Stir until boiling and thickened, then sprinkle liberally with:

            Fresh ground pepper

I know this photo is completely unrelated to the recipe, but we ate all the brownies before I thought to take a picture... so I thought I'd share this cutie with you instead.

Guest recipe post today!  And really from a guest. That is, a guest visiting up here at the ranch just last week.  Karen brought a plate of these brownies with her and kindly shared them with us.  Sorry, no picture, as we consumed them all quite rapidly.  But I requested the recipe so we (OK, I!) could make more.  Here’s Karen’s recipe. These are good.  I hope you try and enjoy.  I know I will.

Karen’s White Brownies

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 Cup butter
3/4 Cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg
3 bars (6 oz) Nestle Toll House Premier White Baking Bars, chopped (Karen used white chocolate morsels, and I’d probably do the same – they were perfect)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease 9-inch square baking pan.

Combine flour, baking powder and salt in small bowl.   Beat butter, sugar and vanilla in small bowl until creamy.  Beat in egg.  Gradually beat in flour mixture.  Stir in baking bars.  Press into prepared pan.

Bake for 18-22 minutes or until golden brown.  Cool in pan on wire rack.

Chocolate Truffles under the bouquet

Uh oh.  Did you forget today was Valentine’s Day?  Forget to get or do something special for your sweetheart? 

Better get baking.

Here are two recipes that can save the day.  Chocolates.  Real quick and simple. 

Say, did anyone notice the bouquet?  No, that’s not a new one from today; it’s an old picture from December (see the post entitled Bouquet for more on that story).  However, as for gifts this Valentine’s Day, stay tuned for the next post…

In the meanwhile, happy Valentine’s Day to you all, and I hope you’ll try and enjoy these recipes.

Dark Chocolate Truffles

In a double boiler, combine:

            2 cups semi sweet or dark chocolate chips

            6 tablespoons butter

            1/3 cup heavy whipping cream

Cook over medium heat, stirring regularly, until all ingredients are melted together and smooth.

Remove from heat and stir in:

            1 teaspoon vanilla

Let cool until it begins to harden up.  This can take a few hours, even in the fridge.  But don’t let it harden completely…

Now you’ll want to form the “dough” into balls, each under an inch in diameter, by rolling in between your palms.  Drop each ball into a pan with about 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, roll the balls around until complete coated.

Fudge

Fudge

In a heavy pot over medium heat, combine:

            1 ½ cups sugar

            2/3 cup evaporated milk

            2 tablespoons butter

            ¼ teaspoon salt

Bring this mixture to a boil, stirring constantly, and keep at a full rolling boil for four minutes, continuing to stir constantly.

Then add:

            2 cups marshmallows (full sized marshmallows are difficult to measure so I press them down firmly in the measuring cup to make sure I have a good two cups)

Continue stirring over medium heat, and cook for another two minutes or until the marshmallows are mostly melted into the milk/sugar mixture.

Remove from heat and stir in:

            1 ½ cup chocolate chips

            1 teaspoon vanilla flavoring

Stir until smooth and completely combined, then pour into a small baking pan, 8” x 8” which has been lined with aluminum foil.  Smooth out and allow to cool completely, then cut into 1” squares.

Our experiments with baking Biscotti

Over the holidays, a friend sent a bag of home baked biscotti up this way.  For those who have never had, biscotti are a dry, twice baked Italian cookie best served with a cup of hot black coffee.

They did not last long. 

I remember baking these, many varieties, year ago, and distributing them for Christmas presents.  It’s been a while since I’d made any myself, but after the three of us enjoyed the little gift bag we received so much, I figured it was time I tried again. 

Here are a couple recipes that we tried this past week.  The cookie jar is empty once again; time to try some new ones, so I suppose that means these went over pretty well.  Best part about these, besides the wonderful dry crunch, is that they are very easy to make.  Experiment with what you can put in them, depending on what you have on hand – keep it simple with just toasted almonds, or get more fancy with orange zest, dried cranberries and pecans.

I hope you try and enjoy.

Biscotti with macadamia nuts and white chocolate chips

In a medium bowl, mix together until smooth and creamy:

            1 stick butter, softened

            1 cup white sugar

Stir in:

            3 eggs

            1 teaspoon vanilla flavoring

            1 teaspoon almond extract

Then combine and stir in the following:

            3 ¼ cups flour

            1 tablespoon baking powder

            ½ teaspoon salt

            1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

Finally, stir in the “mix ins,” in this case, I used:

            1 ¼ cups toasted macadamia nuts (to toast the nuts, put them in the hot oven single layer on a baking sheet for about 5 minutes or so)

            1 ¼ cups white chocolate chips

I used my hands to finishing the mixing to evenly distribute the “mix ins.”

Then divide the dough in two, and with each half, on a cookie baking sheet, with your hands, form a log about the length of the cookie sheet and almost half the width, and about ½ inch thick.  Bake these in an oven preheated to 375 degrees for about 20 minutes.  Take them out right before golden brown on top.  I found if I waited until browning, they would crumble and be too delicate at the next stage (though they still turned out tasting mighty fine).

On the cookie sheet with a sharp knife or the edge of a metal spatula, cut each baked log into the “cookies,” resulting in long wedge shapes each about 1 inch wide.  Spread them out on the cookie sheet and put them back in the oven, and bake for another 6-8 minutes, now until they are golden brown.  Remove from heat and cool on a wire rack.

Biscotti dough spread out in pan before the first baking

 Biscotti with toasted pecans and dark chocolate chips

In a medium bowl, mix together until smooth and creamy:

            1/3 cup vegetable oil

            ¾ cup white sugar

Stir in:

            2 eggs

            1 teaspoon vanilla flavoring

            1 teaspoon almond extract

Then combine and stir in the following:

            2 ¼ cups flour

            1 teaspoons baking powder

            ¼ teaspoon salt

            1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

Finally, stir in the “mix ins,” in this case, I used:

            1 cups toasted pecans nuts (to toast the nuts, put them in the hot oven single layer on a baking sheet for about 5 minutes or so)

            1 cup dark chocolate chips

I used my hands to finishing the mixing to evenly distribute the “mix ins.”

Then divide the dough in two, and with each half, on a cookie baking sheet, with your hands, form a log about the length of the cookie sheet and almost half the width, and about ½ inch thick.  Bake these in an oven preheated to 375 degrees for about 20 minutes.  Take them out right before golden brown on top.  I found if I waited until browning, they would crumble and be too delicate at the next stage (though they still turned out tasting mighty fine).

On the cookie sheet with a sharp knife or the edge of a metal spatula, cut each baked log into the “cookies,” resulting in long wedge shapes each about 1 inch wide.  Spread them out on the cookie sheet and put them back in the oven, and bake for another 6-8 minutes, now until they are golden brown.  Remove from heat and cool on a wire rack.

And a warm thank you to J. Ruth Kelly for sharing a bit of sunshine today!

Bleu cheese crisps

Funny the things we take the time to do as we prepare for an upcoming move.  Like flip through my recipe files, folders filled with newspaper clippings, torn magazine pages, and hand written notes.  Surely I don’t want to move all these random pages…

These recipes have amassed from those I have collected over the years, some that have simply caught my fancy, and well as many others have contributed. Shared recipes are like recollections of times together; each one may have a story attached, or bring back a memory of a certain time and place.  I suppose that’s why I enjoy sharing them with you.

So, today I’d like to share a few recipes found in my “appetizers” folder.  All are tried and true.   Simple and tasty treats to enjoy before a meal, or for a special occasion or party.  Some I have discovered myself; others have been shared by others, passed on at my request. I hope you will try and enjoy.

Bleu Cheese Crisps

With a fork, combine well in a large bowl:

            ¼ cup butter softened

            1 tablespoon onion grated

            ¾ cup bleu cheese crumbled

            ½ cup cheddar cheese grated

            ¾ cup flour

With your hands, roll the dough into 1 inch balls.  Place on an ungreased cookie sheet.  Flatten each slightly and mark with the back of a fork. Bake for about 10 minutes in a hot (45 degrees) oven.

Smoked Salmon Ball

With a fork, combine well in a medium ball:

          One package cream cheese

          1 can salmon, drained with bones and skin removed

          1 bunch green onions, minced

          2 tablespoons lemon juice

          1 teaspoon liquid smoke

          Dash red pepper sauce

Chill this mixture until firm in a small bowl lined with plastic wrap.  When firm, shape into a ball, remove plastic wrap, and roll in:

            Chopped walnuts and/or parsley

Serve with crackers or chips.

Stephanie’s Bean Dip

In a medium bowl, mash together with a fork or wooden spoon:

            2 cans cooked black beans

            3-4 cloves minced garlic

            1 minced jalapeño pepper

            1 can diced green chilies

            1 tablespoon olive oil

            1 teaspoon Worchester sauce

            1 teaspoon lemon juice

            Salt to taste

Jane’s Cheese Krispies

In a large bowl, combine together well with a fork:

            2 cups flour

            ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

            2 sticks margarine or butter, softened (I use one of each)

            2 cups sharp cheddar cheese shredded

            2 cups Rice Krispies cereal

With your hands, roll dough into 1  inch balls and flatten with a fork.  Bake at 350 degrees for 15 – 20 minutes until lightly brown.

Karen’s Warm Mix Dip

In a large cast iron skillet, brown:

            1 package bulk sausage

Then mix in:

            1 package cream cheese

            1 can diced green chilies

            1 can diced tomatoes (drained)

Sprinkle the top with:

            ½ cup grated cheddar cheese

Bake until bubbly and browning on top.  Best served with Frito scoop chips.

 Highcounty Hillbillies Ride!

Peppermint Bark and Chocolate Coconut Balls

Now for sharing Sunday recipes… where did time go this month??? It’s almost Christmas and all the holiday recipes I wanted to share will be obsolete before you know it.  So I’ll share two today.  Both for candy.  One of my favorite ways of getting in the festive spirit is stirring up all sorts of sweets and sharing them with visitors and neighbors, far and wide.  Not to mention my boys.  A plate full of assorted candies was a tradition and gift inspired by a remarkable elder woman I knew on another mountain in another day.  It was a gift which represented time.  Time.  One can ask for nothing more precious. However, we also learned to anticipate those treats, and our mouths would water when she’d drive up to our ranch, and step out with a perfect little plate every year around this time.

Here are two of the many I make during this month.  By the way, candies freeze well, so you can put small portions in ziplock bags, put them in the freezer, and pull out a sampling from each bag to share with your guests. I hope you try and enjoy.                                                                                

Chocolate Coconut Balls

In a medium bowl, stir together with a fork until well combined:

     1 14-oz bag flaked coconut

     1 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk

Let sit for about an hour.  Then with two small spoons, roughly shape and form into small balls about 1” diameter.  Let these sit for about an hour, then take each one up gently in your hands and roll it around in your palms to smooth out the shape.  Let sit about another hour.  Then in a double boiler (I just use a small pot to hold the chips, then a slightly larger pot filled with a couple inches with water that the smaller pot can easily fit into) on medium/low heat, melt:

     1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate morsels.  I use Ghirardelli – they melt very well.

With a soup spoon, pour a dab on top of each of the coconut balls.  It will cover the top and drip down the sides.  You may want to use wax paper underneath to help in clean up.  Let these cool and dry out a bit over night before putting them in bags and into the freezer (or consuming them all right away..).

Peppermint Bark

In a double boiler over medium/low heat, melt:

     1 bag semisweet chocolate chips (again, I’ve had the best luck with Ghirardelli)

When completely smooth and melted, use a spatula and spread this out thin, about 1/8 inch, on a cookie sheet lined with wax or freezer paper.  Allow this to cool – almost completely, but not hard.  Then, in a double boiler, melt:

     1 bag white chocolate chips

When these are melted smooth and creamy, use a spatula and spread this out thin over the chocolate layer.  If your chocolate is still warm, the two will swirl and blend together a little bit.  If the chocolate is too cool and hard, I find the two layers may not hold together when broken apart.  Then on top of the warm, smooth white chocolate, sprinkle:

     4 candy canes, broken into small pieces (I put candy canes in a ziplock and tap with a rolling pin)

Press the candy cane bits gently into the white chocolate so they stick in there.  Let this all cool until hard (about an hour or so) then break off into smaller assorted size pieces with your hands or the tip of a sharp knife.

A plate full of Thanksgiving leftovers... including this cranberry sauce!

Doesn’t the kitchen smell so good this time of year?  Seems like there’s always something baking or stewing or being stirred up. Then flavors and aromas linger, and plates are prepared and laid out for snacking and nibbling on all kinds of wonderful things. Goodies, treats, and savory specials.  For those of us who enjoy doing the cooking, there are always new things to try.  But it’s that holiday feast, the simple and traditional turkey dinner – with all the fixings, of course – that still remains my favorite meal.

From the looks of the photo above of a plateful of leftovers from Thanksgiving, you’d think this recipe was for the gravy, since I’m big on smothering everything, and no matter how much I make, we always run short for pouring over leftovers.

But this is about that cranberry sauce.  It was a new recipe – combining ideas borrowed from two family recipes.  An accident or experiment?  In any case, it came out even better than I had hoped.  Made a batch for Thanksgiving and plan on doing it again for Christmas. Thought I’d write it down before I forget it, and figure this one is special enough to share. This is GOOD.  Hope you try and enjoy.

Cranberry sauce with zip and zing 

In a heavy, large saucepan, combine:

            1 bag cranberries

            1 ½ cup sugar

            1 ½ cup water

            1 ½ cup vodka

            2 tablespoons crystallized ginger, coarsely chopped

            1 tablespoon grated orange zest

            ½ teaspoon cinnamon

            ¼ teaspoon ground clove

Bring this mixture to a boil, then cover it loosely and let it simmer for about 35-45 minutes or so, until much of the liquid is reduced and it starts to thicken like heavy syrup.  I don’t know if it’s the sugar or natural pectin in the cranberries, but it will gel on it own with heat and time.  Pour the thick syrupy sauce into a bowl and cool in the fridge until set.

Lee's pumpkin chiffon pie

On a side note here:  Lee baked the Pumpkin Chiffon Pie and I just had to share a photo of her final product. I’m thinking this picture makes up for the not-so-pretty one I used at the top of this post. I’ve always wondered what to do to make this tasty pie look a little more attractive than just an orange pie with blobs of whipped cream on top.  Lee spread the top layer of whipped cream evenly over the pie, then used a cookie cutter for a form and filled it the shape with crushed ginger snap cookie crumbs, removed the cookie cutter, and voila!   Nice job, Lee!  Finally it looks as good as it should.

Oh, and to respond to Lee’s comment about our whipping cream without “power tools” – we take turns.  Everyone loves whipped cream, so we pass the bowl and whisk around the table. No one ever complains about doing their fair share of the whipping if it means they get to enjoy their fair share of the final product…

Lots and lots of doughnut holes

A good snowy day treat.  Here, if you have a craving, better look around the pantry and see if you just can’t make it yourself.  So, when Bob hinted at “doughnuts…” you know we couldn’t head over to the nearest Crispy Creme shop. We had to make our own.  A rather messy project, but when it’s snowing hard outside, finding an excuse to linger longer in the kitchen is OK with me.

Here’s the recipe I made.  A few suggestions.  I do not have a doughnut cutter, so used the upside down rim of a small juice glass instead, producing lots and lots of doughnut holes.  They were quite easy to work with, and the scraps, I fried up and we nibbled on them for a treat – though not as “pretty,” they tasted great.  Also, I used a candy thermometer to regulate the temperature of the oil.  It worked super.  When my oil got too hot, however, the outsides of the doughnuts cooked too rapidly, leaving the insides still rather raw.  Yet I imagine if I tried to cook the doughnuts when the temperature was still too low, they would have become tough and over done inside.

So, next time you’re stuck inside for a snowy (or rainy?) day, give these a go.  Your spouse and/or family will thank you for them.  I hope you try and enjoy!

Glazed Doughnuts

Ingredients:

-          2 packages (or 3 ½ tablespoons) active dry yeast

-          ¼ cup warm water

-          ½ cup sugar

-          1 teaspoon salt

-          2 eggs

-          1/3 cup shortening

-          5 cups all purpose flour

-          A pinch of nutmeg

-          A quart of vegetable oil for frying

In a medium bowl, sprinkle the yeast over the water.  Let sit for 5 minutes.  Then whisk in with a fork (or use a blender if you must) the sugar, salt, eggs, shortening, and nutmeg.  I might still not be perfectly smooth, but it will blend in as you go. Add the flour, a cup at a time. By the fifth cup, you’ll need to use your hands to mix this up.  Add just enough flour to have a smooth, elastic dough.  I ended up using about 5 ½ cups flour.  Kneed the dough for about 5 minutes, then return to the bowl, cover with plastic, and let sit until doubled in size (about an hour).

Turn the dough out on a lightly floured surface and roll it out to about ½ inch thickness.  Cut out your doughnuts with a real doughnut cutter, small biscuit cutter, or like I did with the glass.  Lightly cover these with plastic until they rise about doubled in size (about another ¾ of an hour).

In the meanwhile, you can make the glaze (see below).  Then, in a large, heavy sauce pan, get your oil good and hot, to about 325 degrees.  You’ll have to regulate your burner to keep the oil at a steady temp.  Carefully dip in your doughnuts – watchful not to splatter the hot oil – and turn them to cook both sides evenly.  A slotted spoon works great.  Remove the cooked doughnuts onto a wire rack with newspaper underneath to help with clean up.  While still warm, dip into the glaze, swirl around, and lift back onto the wire rack to cool and dry.

For the glaze:

In a small sauce pan, combine:

-          1/3 cup butter

-          2 cups confectioners’ sugar

-          1 teaspoon vanilla

-          A couple drops maple flavoring if you have it (I did, and it was great)

-          A few tablespoons hot water

Stir until butter is melted, sugar is combined, and add just enough water to make it smooth and like a creamy soup, but not too watery.

A plate of fresh tortillas

I hadn’t made tortillas in a while. In fact, I guess it’s been years. I knew they were easy to make, but I remember a mess, a big mess, and figured they were cheap enough to buy – I could avoid all the hassle.  But when you have 300 pounds of flour in the pantry… you can NOT buy tortillas.  You have to make them.  And truth is, I’m glad I did.  They were much easier than I remember, much less mess and waste.  Maybe I’m just neater now… but if you look around my home, you won’t believe that.  Anyway, as with most everything we make from scratch, the homemade was so much better than any store bought, it was worth the effort.  Gladly, the effort was minimal, so these will be a staple again in our house.  And another good use for some of that flour.

I hope you try and enjoy!

Flour Tortillas

In a large bowl, mix together with a fork, pastry cutter, or your fingers:

            3 cups flour

            2 teaspoons baking powder

            1 teaspoon salt

            5 tablespoons shortening or lard (I use shortening)

When the shortening is well mixed with the dry ingredients so that the flour more resembles corn meal in texture, slowly add:

            1 cup warm water

Knead the dough for a few minutes.  It should be soft and pliable, not sticky.  Use less water if it’s getting sticky; more if it’s still too dry to knead.

Pull apart or cut the dough into 12 equal parts. Roll each into a little ball. Let them sit out for about 15 minutes.  Preheat your griddle or heavy fry pan.  I have a large cast iron griddle that takes up two burners on my gas stove, and allows me to cook two tortillas at a time.  Since you’re only making a dozen here, it doesn’t take too longer no matter how you do it.  Keep your heat at medium.  Too much heat will burn them; not enough will dry them out.

Roll out the dough balls into an approximate circle, as thin as possible. Use a rolling pin, and turn the tortillas over, rolling both sides flat and thin.  Use a little flour to prevent sticking, but no more than is necessary.  Lift and put onto the dry skillet, one at a time, single layer. Cook on each side for about 2 minutes – air bubbles with form evenly in the cooked dough, and they will have golden brown spots when cooked perfectly.

Stack them in a pile to keep them warm, or reheat them back on the cast iron skillet if need be before serving.

Rolling out the dough

Cooking tortillas on the griddle

Yesterday morning on the ranch.

In a once and future day, I had a garden worthy of canning.  At nearly 10,000 feet elevation and with perhaps at best four frost free weeks per year, I hope my current excuse is legitimate. 

At times, of course, I miss it: the early morning calls to the garden to inspect the ever changing challenges and rewards, the extra hours in the evenings pulling weeds and picking at the edge of ripeness, putting up in jars and drying racks…

I believe the soil becomes a part of you.  It binds you to the land.  Here and now, I can leave for days during our summer and ride up to ditch camp to work without fear of the garden missing me.  There is little garden to care for. There is little to do. Even few weeds will grow here. Time for other things, though for those of us with black gold in our veins, gardening is always time well spent. A time gone but not forgotten.

Stocking up for winter here is no less important, though very different from my gardening days.  More vital, at times, with a road that will close in a month or two at the latest, leaving us somewhat closed off, blocked off and inaccessible until late spring when the county sends the dozer to break through the snow banks en route to our ranch.

Folks often ask us how we manage to supply ourselves adequately to make it through the long winter.  I remind them we are not completely isolated. We do have snowmobiles and skis.  In fact, riding along the packed trail or zipping across the frozen surface of the Rio Grande Reservoir on snowmobile is far more comfortable than taking a pickup along the rutted and ripped up track we call a road during the summer.

So, during the winter season, a 6 ½ mile sled ride brings us to our pickup truck, which brings us in an hour of so from there to town. Providing the road is plowed.  Otherwise, stay home and wait out the storm.

But we do stock up. Obviously, we need to.  A trip to the grocery store in winter is an event, usually spanning two days to get it all done. The list gets long.  Talking tends to take up more time than anything when you finally get to town. 

What do we keep on hand? The basics.  A full freezer of meats, pantry of canned goods, fresh lettuce growing in the south window.  And baking goods.  Plenty of baking goods. Sugar, chocolate chips, yeast, salt… and flour. Usually I go through about 150 pounds of flour a year.  That’s a lot of bread and cookies.  For winter, I usually store about 4 25-pound bags of all purpose flour, and we just squeeze by.

You have to be organized.  Keep track of what you have, keep lists of what you need, know how much you tend to use.  That kind of thing.  Get used to doing without or making do.  And if you have an abundance, learn to use it.  Waste nothing.

In my attempt to avoid a town trip and shopping spree to stock up this fall, I sent my boys.  But alas, I did not send a list.  Just general instructions to “stock up”…

What they came home with was twelve 25-pound bags of flour.  That’s a lot of flour.  Nice of them to make sure we would not run out.  Though finding a place to store it all is not a simple matter.

Ah, think of all the baking I get to do this winter.  Just when I was wondering what my purpose in life was.  The answer came to me in 25-pound bags.

At least for now, that will do.

The chickens help weed the garden after a humble harvest.

A temperate spell charms the mountain, warm as the color of the leaves ablaze across the hillsides before us.  We head outdoors in shirtsleeves, allowing the down jackets and wool hats a week of rest before what we imagine will be the beginning of the end of balmy days.

A welcome interlude. The frozen air has already visited us, spreading its frosty silver lace across each blade of grass and the remains of the garden, now barren for the season, awaiting its heavy white blanket tucking it in for the long season of rest.

I envision others elsewhere right now. Overwhelmed with abundance.  Drenched deep within the feast of the harvest.

Consider zucchini. Ah, perhaps you take it for granted, this humble fruit of your labor and soil. But please do not!  Remember it to be the beautiful blessing it is, even if it takes over and seems to besiege your garden and kitchen table. For you, those lucky enough (yes, I really do mean lucky) to have zucchini from your garden, I share this recipe.  Alas, not from the harvest of my garden.  This recipe is from my mother, who also manages to grow this humble vegetable in plenty, and still finds creative ways to use it all. I hope you try and enjoy.

Zucchini Chocolate Cake

 1 c. whole wheat flour

1-1/4 c. all purpose flour

½ c. unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1-1/2 c. sugar

1 stick unsalted better

Recipe called for ½ c. vegetable oil. Instead I used ¼ c. marmalade and ¼. C. applesauce

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla  (I added 2T triple sec, a liqueur)

½ c. buttermilk

2 c. grated unpeeled zucchini (about 2-1/2 medium or one really big like I used)

1 c. semisweet chips

¾ c. chopped walnuts

Butter and flour a 13x9x2 pan.  Stir together the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Beat sugar, butter and oil in large bowl until blended.  Add eggs, one at a time. Beat in vanilla.  Mix in dry ingredients alternately with buttermilk.  Mix in grated zucchini.  Pour batter into pan and sprinkle chocolate chips and nuts over.

Bake at 325 degrees for about 50 minutes.

French onion soup for dinner

I’ve been considering sharing recipes for camp cooking. You know, good ol’ ditch diggers fare. But I don’t know many who do or even want to cook over the open fire as we do in camp.  And I don’t know anyone who needs a recipe for Hamburger Helper… Yes, it’s true.  When we’re up at camp, even the most simple of foods taste wonderful.  And after a day of digging, the easier the better.

But weekends and days back home, we enjoy baking on the old wood stove (We?  OK, me.) and serving up a little more fancy fare, as occasion, energy and ingredients allow.  We don’t have a great deal of opportunities for town trips this time of year either (though you know by now how good I am at putting those things off), so available ingredients are often slim picking.

Can’t tell you how grateful we are for generous neighbors, who may share their “leftovers” as they clean up their summer home-away-from-home and reluctantly head off the mountain and back to the heat of their main home.  Last night, its past 8 pm, the day was too nice to work inside, the dishes left undone, and dinner in desperate need of cooking for us three tired and hungry mountain folks.  Lo and behold, our neighbors stop by and present us with the gift of a whole cooked turkey… still warm.  Talk about counting your blessings…

Otherwise, we’d be doing the pantry scraping, creative cooking. Which really isn’t too bad.  As long as there is some fresh bread around, and for some reason, I usually do manage to keep up on my baking.  Strange sense of priorities, I suppose.

French Onion Soup is a good example of that pantry scraping cooking style.  Chances are pretty good we can scrounge up all the necessary ingredients in the pantry or on the counter to put this one together.  It’s a rich, satisfying meal with minimal fuss and even fewer ingredients.  Simplicity at it’s finest. 

Well, if anyone is interested in how to cook simple meals over the open fire, tips on how to avoid smoke in the eyes and soot on your clothes, please let me know.  In the meanwhile, I’ll share this recipe with you.

French Onion Soup

In a medium size heavy pot (I use a dutch oven without legs) over moderate heat, melt:

            2 tablespoons butter

Slice in half and then in long even thin curls, and sauté in that butter until tender and golden brown:

            2 large onions

Stir in:

            2 tablespoons flour

Then slowly add, stirring constantly:

            5 cups beef broth; or 5 cups water and bullion cubes or beef base.

            ½ cup white wine or dry vermouth

            1 teaspoon sugar

            ½ teaspoon thyme

            A small pinch nutmeg

            A dash of white pepper

            Fresh ground black pepper to taste

Let the soup simmer for 20-30 minutes, covered over medium-low heat.

Meanwhile… toast and smear with butter:

            6 small slices of day old French bread. 

Actually, any kind of bread will do.  I’ve used old hamburger buns when that’s been all we have in the house, and it still tasted great.

In a separate bowl, grate:

            2 cups swiss cheese

Now, assemble the soup.  I start by stirring in ½ cup cheese, then layering on three pieces of buttered toast, then ½ cup cheese, then the final three pieces of buttered toast, topped with the final cup of cheese.

Put this in a medium hot oven without a cover for 15 minutes.  The toast will be crispy, the cheese hot and bubbly, and everything soaked together really well.

Hope you try and enjoy!

comfort food at its finest: nanner puddin

As you can imagine, we need to consume a great deal of calories at Ditch Camp. But with the three of us digging, sawing or caring for the horses, little energy remains for fancy camp cooking.  And truth is, when you’re that tired and hungry, most anything tastes good.  We’re not picky.  Food is fine.  Fancy fare would not be appreciated as much as just plain hearty, filling, calories.

However, when we return home on the weekends, we indulge.  Not because we have felt wanting for anything, or have cravings that need to be satisfied, but because I simply like cooking and baking, and enjoy doing this for my boys.  So, yesterday we got bread started, baked dinner rolls, and have cinnamon rolls rising as I write.  Today we’ll find time to make cookies after the cabins are cleaned.  And last weekend, oh, last weekend was a good one… Banana Pudding.  We call it Nanner Puddin. 

Now, for those of you who have never had the pleasure of tasting this indulgence, you’re in for a treat.  This is comfort food at its finest. Save room at dinner; you’ll need plenty for a big helping of this dessert. Or, just skip the main meal and have at it.

You can make this into a pie by starting with a crust.  I like a cookie crumb crust made with Nilla Wafers.  However, I prefer no crust – nothing to get soggy should any last long enough to be consumed as leftovers for breakfast the following morning. 

I must have had a deprived childhood – I’d never had this or even heard of it growing up.  I don’t believe it is common fare back east.  But I’ve since learned, and love it.  Hope you try and enjoy.

Banana Pudding

Start with making the vanilla pudding earlier in the day.  In a heavy, medium sauce pan, whisk together:

                2/3 cup sugar

                ¼ cup cornstarch

                ¼ teaspoon salt

Slowly whisk in:

                2 ½ cups whole or evaporated milk

Then vigorously whisk in until smooth:

                5 egg yolks

Continue constantly whisking this mixture over medium heat until it thickens, bubbles and comes to a boil.  Remove from heat and whisk in:

                3 tablespoons butter

                1 ½ teaspoons vanilla

Cover this mixture with plastic wrap, smoothed over the pudding, directly on it.  This prevents a film from forming on the pudding.  Set this in the fridge to cool for several hours.  Then you’re ready to assemble the pudding.  To do this, start by spreading half the vanilla pudding evenly on the bottom of a medium serving bowl.  In a separate bowl, combine:

                2-3 sliced bananas

                1 tablespoon sugar

                1 teaspoon lemon juice

Toss this gently, then spread on top of the first layer of pudding in the serving bowl.  Next, cover the bananas with a second layer of the vanilla pudding.  Top it all off with sweetened whipped cream.  Whisk in a small bowl:

                1 cup heavy whipping cream

                1/3 cup powdered confectioners sugar

                ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

Spread the whipped cream on top of the pudding, then decorate with Nilla Wafers.

Corn bread baked in cast iron cornbread pans

My apologies for the late post.  Our internet has been down all day.  Isn’t it funny how we take for granted something as remarkable as internet service way up here, and how put out we feel when that satellite dish fails us?  Well, we’re back up and running, and feeling pretty silly for having been so grouchy about it all…

At last… the recipe for cornbread.

Doesn’t sound like anything worth waiting for, perhaps, but hold on there… this is no ordinary cornbread.  I’ve seen this devoured in a most gluttonous manner by some.  As I mentioned I think my sister comes here for the soup alone, but I wonder sometimes if her daughter visits me just for my corn bread.

Look at the ingredients here.  This is not your ordinary corn bread.  You can see by just the recipe you’re in for a treat. 

The recipe started as a corn muffin recipe found in Cook’s Illustrated.  I altered it ever so slightly, and bake it in my old cast iron corn bread pans.  It also works super baked in one large or two smaller cast iron skillets.

I hope you try and enjoy.

Corn Bread

Preheat oven to a medium hot setting, about 400 degrees.

In the corn bread pans, I divide into each section and melt:

                1 stick butter

                2 tablespoons margarine

When melted, swirl the pans around to coat the bottom and sides.  Then pour the butter/margarine into a medium mixing bowl.  Cream in:

                ¾ cup sugar

Then add:

                ½ cup milk

                ¾ cup sour cream

                2 eggs

Mix it up well, then add the dry ingredients, folding them in all at once and blending just until smooth:

                2 cups all purpose flour

                1 cup cornmeal

                1 teaspoon baking powder

                ½ teaspoon baking soda (make that a full teaspoon for you folk in the low lands)

                ½ teaspoon salt

Spoon the mixture evenly into the two corn bread pans, or about ½ – ¾ inch depth into the cast iron skillets.  Bake between 15 – 20 minutes until the tops and sides are all crisp and golden brown and the centers are slightly crackled.

I let this cool in the pan for just a few minutes, then use a butter knife to loosen the edges and prop up each wedge onto the sides of the pan for cooling.  Best served still a little bit warm…

the cast iron cornbread pans cured with melted butter