Cooked Bread, depression cooking

I'm not a fan of this one but maybe some of you will be.

Lentil soup and dumplings

Here's a recipe from hillbilly housewife. Usually we like our lentil soup with homemade bread and butter but we've tried these dumplings and they're great. You can use the dumplings in any soup. I think they're great with veggie. Soup 1-1/4 cups dry lentils 8 cups water (2 quarts) 4 carrots, peeled and sliced 3 or 4 celery stalks, peeled and sliced 1 large onion, peeled and sliced 4 approved bouillon cubes or 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1/4 teaspoon black pepper Dumplings 2 tablespoons approved vegetable oil or melted butter 1 egg or 3 tablespoons more whole milk (see note below) 1/2 cup whole milk 1-1/2 cups flour 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon each salt & sugar Begin by making the soup. Rinse the lentils under running water. Then place them in a large pot and cover them with 2-quarts of water. Bring the mixture to a boil and allow it to simmer over medium heat for about 20 minutes. The lentils will be almost tender. Add the vegetables, bouillon, garlic and black pepper. Stir gently and allow the mixture to simmer for 20 minutes more. The vegetables and lentils will both be tender. Taste and add salt if you think it needs it. Now look over the amount of liquid in the pot. Add enough extra water so that all of the solids are well covered with liquid. They don't need to be swimming over their heads, but they should be wading up to their waists. Bring the mixture to a slow lazy simmer, not a boil. If the soup boils it will disintegrate the dumplings instead of cooking them up into fluffy, glimmering jewels. While the soup is simmering, prepare your dumplings. Get out a big bowl. In it combine the oil, egg and milk until they are well blended. Add the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Mix it up to a stiff batter, like for drop biscuits. Set it aside until you need it. When the soup is simmering slowly, it is time to drop in the dumplings. Take small rounded scoops of the dough with teaspoon and drop them into the simmering broth, on top of the vegetables. Keep dropping the dough blobs until you have scraped the bowl clean. Now put the lid, or a handy pizza pan over the pot and let it simmer for 20 minutes. Do not peak. Let the dumplings simmer covered for the full 20 minutes. The thing about dumplings is that they cook partly from the boiling soup and partly from the steam. The steam is what makes them fluffy, and the simmering broth is what cooks them all the way through. If you peak while the dumplings are cooking then they will turn into lumpy, doughy rocks. When the time is up, serve the soup and dumplings as soon as possible. The soup will be thickened and the dumplings will be light and fluffy. Makes between 4 and 6 servings. NOTE: If you don't have any extra eggs, then leave out the egg and replace it with 3 tablespoons of milk. The dumplings will still be good. Here's another great bean, lentil and dry pea recipe you may want to try ... Chickpea Tacos. My family will just gobble those up.

mmmm pumpkin spice or anything else muffins

These are a staple of ours. They are one of the few gluten free baked items that I like so far. Sometimes we skip the pumpkin and add applesauce or another fruit or something else that's a little wet. These muffins are moist so they freeze very well. I freeze them in freezer ziplock baggies and get out as many as I need to thaw. If I need to go quickly I'll thaw them in the oven for 10 minutes at 350 degrees but it dries them out a little. Try to set them out the morning before instead. Since it's a staple the directions are all over the place. Just make sure your batter looks like muffin batter (sort of thick, barely beat it, lumps are good) and that you grease or oil the muffin tins so it comes out ok. I usually double the batch.

2-4 eggs, beaten

1 cup milk, water, or coconut milk

1/4 cup approved oil, approved shortening, or coconut oil

3 cups flour, all purpose, wheat, GF baking mix, or any flour. Millet, brown rice, and white or garbanzo bean is a good combination. If using coconut flour decrease a little, it absorbs liquid like crazy.

1 cup sugar, or 3/4 cup agave or honey, or 1/2 tsp pure stevia plus 1/4 cup other sweetner, or if you're used to stevia 1 tsp pure stevia.

4 tsp baking powder

1 tsp sea salt or other salt

1-2 cups of anything moist like pumpkin, applesauce, or thickly pureed fruit

1-2 tsp spices to go with it. My spice is a combination including cinnamon, ginger, allspice, nutmeg, and corriander.

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Grease muffin tins with an approved oil or butter. Beat eggs and add all wet ingredients. Mix in remaining ingredients just till flour is moistened. Batter should be a little lumpy.
Fill muffin tins 2/3 cups full. Bake 25 minutes or until done. Immediately remove from pan. If freezing, let cool, then package, then freeze.

Corn tortillas

http://thebakingbeauties.blogspot.com/2008/05/corn-tortillas.html

Corn Tortillas

These little tortillas were so simple to make, it isn't really even a recipe! You can buy the corn flour you need at your grocery store or mexican market. The corn flour, called masa harina, is a flour that has been treated with lime, which makes it more nutritious and easier to digest. By following the directions on the bag of corn flour, you can quickly & easily make your own fresh corn tortillas.

Source: Simply Recipes

Before you start
You can make the tortillas completely by hand, by forming a thin pancake with the dough between your hands. But unless you are somewhat experienced in this method, you'll get more consistent results by using a tortilla press. These too are available in Mexican markets and come either in wood or cast iron. They are available online at Amazon.com. You can also roll out the masa with a rolling pin, between pieces of wax paper.

Making the Masa Dough
To make 16-18 tortillas, start with putting 2 cups of masa flour in a large bowl. (Hint: for added "lift" you can mix in 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda.) Add 1 1/2 to 2 cups of very warm water to the masa flour (according to the directions on the package, some brands may call for different amounts of water). Mix in and let sit for 5 minutes or so. Begin working the masa with your hands to make the dough. Work the dough for several minutes. Press the dough with your fingers and the palms of your hands as if you were kneading bread dough. If at any point through the tortilla making process the dough seems too dry or too wet, add a little more water or masa to the dough.
Take a piece of the masa dough and shape it into a ball the size of a plum, or slightly large golf ball. Make about 16-18 balls from the dough.

Pressing the Tortillas
Take two pieces of wax paper or plastic from a plastic bag and cut them to the shape of the surface of the tortilla press. Open the tortilla press and lay one piece of wax paper on the press. Place the masa ball in the center. Place another piece of wax paper over the masa ball. Gently close the press and press down, until the dough has spread to a diameter of 6 inches.

Cooking the Tortillas
Heat a griddle or a large skillet on high heat. Working one at a time, hold a tortilla in your hand, carefully removing the wax paper on each side. Allow the tortilla to rest half on your hand, and half hanging down, and gently lay the tortilla down on to the skillet. Start working on pressing the next tortilla. Cook the tortilla on the hot pan for 30 seconds to a minute on each side. The tortilla should be lightly toasted and little air pockets forming.
Remove the tortillas to a tortilla warmer lined with dish towel or paper towels, or wrap them in a dish towel to keep them warm. Serve immediately or refrigerate and reheat.

(note from Danika, I was sick of the waxed paper and I bought a tortilla maker that's a tortilla press and a cooker all in one. It was only $19.99 at stuff mart and I wouldn't trade it for the world. It is one of my few non-stick appliances that I won't get rid of.)

Gluten free sandwich bread

http://thebakingbeauties.blogspot.com/2009/02/another-wonderful-gluten-free-sandwich.html

Another Wonderful Gluten-Free Sandwich Bread

I got this recipe from a gal in our church (the best receptionist ever actually HI CRYSTAL!), and she got it from another gal in our church (Hi Stephanie!), and I have no idea where Stephanie got it from. But whoever gave these gals the recipe ought to be thanked! I'm so happy when great recipes get passed along like this, then you KNOW they are winners, otherwise, we'd all just pretend that we never even tried that recipe, and move on, right? :)

This bread was simple to make, rose great in a standard bread pan, was soft, and when fresh, isn't crumbly at all. I did find it to be a wee bit crumbly after being frozen, but not as bad as some of the recipes I've tried in the past. It tastes SO good! If you're a celiac, you know it's hard to find good bread recipes. I'm so thrilled to have found as many great breads as I have in the few months I've been gluten-free. LOVE IT! And I absolutely LOVE when others share their gluten-free recipes with me. It's a great gift to receive tried & true recipes. :) I hope you guys enjoy this bread as well (I just did...topped with some pear marmalade...DELICIOUS!).

Ingredients:

• 1 cup warm water
• 2 tsp instant yeast
• 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
• 1 1/4 cup brown rice flour
• 1/2 cup ground flax
• 1/2 cup potato starch
• 1/4 cup tapioca starch
• 1/4 cup skim milk powder
• 2 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
• 1 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 eggs
• 2 egg whites

Directions:

1. Combine warm, yeast & sugar in a glass bowl. Stir & let sit 5 minutes. This allows the yeast to proof & shortens rising time.
2. In a large bowl or plastic bag, combine dry ingredients. Mix well and set aside.
3. In a separate bowl, using a heavy-duty mixer with paddle attachment or dough hook, combine remaining ingredients until well blended. Add water/yeast mixture & combine.
4. With mixer on lowest speed, slowly add dry ingredients until combined. Scrape bottom and sides of bowl with rubber spatula. With mixer on medium speed, beat for 4 minutes.
5. Spoon into prepared bread pan or mini-loaf pans. Let rise, uncovered, in a warm, draft-free place for 30-40 minutes, or until dough has risen to the top of the pan.
6. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until loaf sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom of single loaf.
7. Slice and wrap while still warm in airtight individual sandwich bags, then place these in a larger freezer bag. Freeze up to 6 weeks.
8. Bake 12 minutes for 11 mini loaves. Freeze 2 loaves/sandwich bag.

NOTE: Unlike the recipe, I let my loaf cool totally before slicing & packaging. LOVE the new electric knife we got for Christmas, it makes such wonderful, even slices. Perfect!

Seasoned breadsticks

http://www.ourbestbites.com/2008/04/breadsticks.html

Do not use pan spray on the bowl...it might just stick a little, that's ok. Or use approved oil or spray.

Do not use parm. in the seasoning unless it's whole milk real parm. I think it's fine just with the garlic and salt.

YUMMY!

A list of ok recipes from another website

http://frugalabundance.wordpress.com/

Lemon Slushie, use fresh lemon or approved lemon

citrus refresher

southern cornbread is ok if you use butter instead of margarine

multi-grain cereal is ok with no TVP

basic vanilla frosting is ok with real butter, whole milk, real vanilla

chocolate frosting is ok with real butter, whole milk, real vanilla

tomato, green pepper, and cucumber salad is ok with olive oil

pantry pesto is ok with olive oil, real Parmesan, and approved or in shell walnuts

homemade chicken broth is ok with just the chicken, water, and veggies using a minimally processed chicken.

Hootenannies

My Grandma used to make these and we loved watching them come out of the oven all poofed up.

Preheat a rectangle glass casserole dish with 1/2 cube of real butter to 425 degrees.
While this is preheating mix the following in your blender...

6 eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup flour
1 tsp salt

When the butter is melted and the oven is preheated carefully pour the batter into the casserole dish and cook for 20 minutes.

Serve with maple syrup, fried apples, powdered sugar, or whatever you can think of.
In England this would be cooked with roast beef drippings and called Yorkshire pudding.

When we're being money or calorie frugal we just use 1 TBSP of butter in the bottom, when we have company we use a whole cube.

Thanksgiving Dinner-Rolls

This recipe is more rich than my everyday rolls but they're sure worth it for a holliday.


Ingredients
2 cups whole milk
2 TBSP yeast
2 tsp salt
1 egg
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter
5 or more cups flour

Combine all ingredients and stir till mixture forms dough, dough should be soft but not sticky, add more flour if it's too sticky. Use dough hook or knead for a few minutes.
Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let rise till double (if I'm in a hurry I skip this part).
Punch down and turn out onto a floured counter. Hand knead just a few times then shape and let rise till double again. Remember to butter your pan so they don't stick.
Bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes

The best no knead bread

This bread only takes a few minutes of your time but it does take planning time. For a tutorial with pictures and more explanation please see http://steamykitchen.com/blog/2007/09/10/no-knead-bread-revisited/

By the way, this is nourishing traditions compatible since it sits overnight.

Yield: one 1 lb loaf

3 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon instant yeast
3/4 tablespoon salt
1 1/2 cups warm water

Covered pot (five-quart or larger cast iron, Pyrex, ceramic, enamel…something that can go into a 450F oven.)

1. Mix dough: The night before, combine all ingredients in a big bowl with a wooden spoon until the dough just comes together. It will be a shaggy, doughy mess. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit 12-20 hours on countertop.

2. Shape & preheat: The dough will now be wet, sticky and bubbly. With a wet spatula, dump the dough on a floured surface. Fold ends of dough over a few times with the spatula and nudge it into a ball shape. You can use your hands if you like, just keep your hands wet so that the dough does not stick. Generously dust a cotton towel (not terrycloth) with flour. Set dough seam side down on top of towel. Fold towel over the dough. Let it nap for 2 hours. When you’ve got about a half hour left, slip your covered pot into the oven and preheat to 450F.

3. Bake: Your dough should have doubled in size. Remove pot from oven. Holding towel, dump wobbly dough into pot. Doesn’t matter which way it lands. Shake to even dough out. Cover. Bake 30 minutes. Uncover, bake another 15-20 minutes or until the crust is beautifully golden and middle of loaf is 210F. Remove and let cool on wired rack. If not eating right away, you can re-crisp crust in 350F oven for 10 minutes. Best way to eat it? Smear a warm slice with some good butter (Kerrygold and Lurpac are both found in your grocery stores, usually on top shelf)