Consulting work is very slow. I have the feeling it's not really going to pick up and be steady, and if it does, only for a couple months.
So, I've been thinking about selling pretties that I make. I'm really not sure how it would work. I'm making a pair of fingerless mittens - my grey ones - but the new ones are green. I'm thinking about listing them on Etsy. I may try them at $100 and see what happens.
I have to keep thinking about how this might work and what exactly I want to accomplish with this venture...
Sunday, September 15, 2013
Saturday, September 14, 2013
Baking Powder Biscuits - Cooking from Quilt Country
I made this recipe yesterday and froze over half. They taste wonderful the first time around. And I just pulled some out of the freezer and baked them for dinner - they are equally as wonderful. I have a new recipe!! For super tall biscuits, be sure to roll them out thick - 3/4 to 1 inch thick, honest it works!
"Cooking From Quilt Country:Hearty Recipes From Amish And Mennonite Kitchens".
MARCIA ADAMS' BAKING POWDER BISCUITS
Marcia Adams says, "This is one of my favorite biscuit recipes since the rolled-out biscuits can be frozen and then baked just before using. The combination of lard and butter makes them especially tender."
Page 4
Ingredients:
6 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup instant nonfat dry milk powder
1/4 cup baking powder
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 cup cold lard -- cut into chunks
1 cup (2 sticks) cold butter -- cut into chunks
1 3/4 cups buttermilk -- approximately
Preheat oven to 400F.
In a very large bowl, combine all the ingredients except the shortenings and buttermilk. With a pastry blender, cut in shortenings until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Make a well in the center and pour in the buttermilk. With a fork, quickly and lightly combine the ingredients. Not all of the flour will be incorporated at this point.
Turn the dough out onto a well-floured pastry cloth or board and, with floured hands, knead it 8 to 10 turns until smooth. Roll out to about 3/4 inch thick. Use a 2-1/2" biscuit cutter to cut the dough, and prick each biscuit 3 times with a fork.
At this point, either bake or freeze the biscuits. If using immediately, place about 2" apart on oiled cookie sheets and bake for 13 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. To freeze, place unbaked biscuits on sheets in freezer. When hard, transfer to plastic bags. To serve, remove as many biscuits as needed and bake frozen on oiled cookie sheets in a 400°F oven for 15 to 18 minutes.
Makes 30 biscuits
"Cooking From Quilt Country:Hearty Recipes From Amish And Mennonite Kitchens".
MARCIA ADAMS' BAKING POWDER BISCUITS
Marcia Adams says, "This is one of my favorite biscuit recipes since the rolled-out biscuits can be frozen and then baked just before using. The combination of lard and butter makes them especially tender."
Page 4
Ingredients:
6 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup instant nonfat dry milk powder
1/4 cup baking powder
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 cup cold lard -- cut into chunks
1 cup (2 sticks) cold butter -- cut into chunks
1 3/4 cups buttermilk -- approximately
Preheat oven to 400F.
In a very large bowl, combine all the ingredients except the shortenings and buttermilk. With a pastry blender, cut in shortenings until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Make a well in the center and pour in the buttermilk. With a fork, quickly and lightly combine the ingredients. Not all of the flour will be incorporated at this point.
Turn the dough out onto a well-floured pastry cloth or board and, with floured hands, knead it 8 to 10 turns until smooth. Roll out to about 3/4 inch thick. Use a 2-1/2" biscuit cutter to cut the dough, and prick each biscuit 3 times with a fork.
At this point, either bake or freeze the biscuits. If using immediately, place about 2" apart on oiled cookie sheets and bake for 13 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. To freeze, place unbaked biscuits on sheets in freezer. When hard, transfer to plastic bags. To serve, remove as many biscuits as needed and bake frozen on oiled cookie sheets in a 400°F oven for 15 to 18 minutes.
Makes 30 biscuits
Thursday, September 12, 2013
Biscuits
I also want to figure out how to make really good biscuits, every time. I had reasonable luck with a recipe from Betty Crocker that used Cream of Tartar as well as baking powder, but recently it hasn't turned out well.
I tried one with baking soda and yogurt today, no fats - they were okay - but didn't rise super high like I wanted them too.
I have a recipe that uses lard and butter - again out of the Cooking From Quilt Country book. It makes 30 biscuits and says you can freeze them and bake them from frozen. I'll have to try it. I'm going to search out a few other recipes to try also. And maybe just mess around a little with "cooking chemistry" and see what I can figure out.
Now to do some of that research.
I tried one with baking soda and yogurt today, no fats - they were okay - but didn't rise super high like I wanted them too.
I have a recipe that uses lard and butter - again out of the Cooking From Quilt Country book. It makes 30 biscuits and says you can freeze them and bake them from frozen. I'll have to try it. I'm going to search out a few other recipes to try also. And maybe just mess around a little with "cooking chemistry" and see what I can figure out.
Now to do some of that research.
Pie Crust
So the steering team decided it would be fun to make pie crusts at our first Mom's Connection meeting this year. Since I'm in charge of crafts, the project fell into my lap. After much figuring, I made it work. We made Crisco crusts according to Clelda's recipe, sort of. After making about 8 pies in a month, I've pretty much figured out the basic theory for the Crisco crust.
2 cups flour plus 2/3 cup for rolling
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup very cold Crisco
6-10 Tablespoons cold water
Using your hands for all the mixing...combine 2 cups flour and 1 t salt. Then add the Crisco and combine to a peasized crumb - don't over mix. Then add 6 T water to start and mix. You will likely need more - dough should be a little sticky but mostly sticking to itself and no longer sticking to your fingers.
Split dough roughly in half. You want slightly more for the bottom crust than the top crust. Put 1/3 cup flour in the middle of the counter, then dough and fold dough a couple times. Roll from the center out until about 2 inches larger than the pie pan. Put crust in the bottom of the pan and repeat the procedure for the top crust.
Bake at 425 for 10 minutes, then drop to 350 for the remainder of the fruit pie recipe time (about 50 minutes)
I want to try a butter crust and see how that works. I also found an intriguing Boiling Hot Water crust in my Amish cookbook that I want to try too.
2 cups flour plus 2/3 cup for rolling
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup very cold Crisco
6-10 Tablespoons cold water
Using your hands for all the mixing...combine 2 cups flour and 1 t salt. Then add the Crisco and combine to a peasized crumb - don't over mix. Then add 6 T water to start and mix. You will likely need more - dough should be a little sticky but mostly sticking to itself and no longer sticking to your fingers.
Split dough roughly in half. You want slightly more for the bottom crust than the top crust. Put 1/3 cup flour in the middle of the counter, then dough and fold dough a couple times. Roll from the center out until about 2 inches larger than the pie pan. Put crust in the bottom of the pan and repeat the procedure for the top crust.
Bake at 425 for 10 minutes, then drop to 350 for the remainder of the fruit pie recipe time (about 50 minutes)
I want to try a butter crust and see how that works. I also found an intriguing Boiling Hot Water crust in my Amish cookbook that I want to try too.
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