QUICK YEAST ROLLS

Tags

Breads, butter, buttered, Crisco, flour, Food, lard, melted, Quick Yeast Rolls, rising, Rolls, shortening, unbleached, water, white, whole wheat

So often you are not in the mood or a biscuit or toast, you just want something bread like and homemade. Quick Yeast Rolls, well are not quick like biscuits, they are not quick like frozen rolls from the store either.

This recipe can be made with all white or unbleached if you prefer, however we all need fiber in our diets and the addition of the whole wheat gives you that and still makes a nice light roll.

QUICK YEAST ROLLS

1 cup white or unbleached flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup very warm water (to dissolve yeast in)

1 Tablespoon sugar

1 Tablespoon yeast

1/2 tsp salt

3 tablespoons shortening (butter, lard, Crisco actually whichever you prefer) melted

Place the flour (s) in the mixing bowl, and whisk or stir with flat paddle of the Kitchen Aid to blend.

Take flat paddle off and put dough hook on.

Take very warm water (my hot tap water seems to be the correct temp) and put the sugar, and yeast in , stir to dissolve yeast, allow a few minutes to make sure the yeast is working.

Add melted shortening and salt and stir.

Add to flour, and mix on stir speed (you may need to move the flour with a spatula into the yeast mixture to help the dough hook start mixing.

Now just allow the dough hook to mix everything into a nice soft ball, then stop,

If the dough is too sticky add a bit more flour, just toss some in and mix. I do not worry too much, take the dough out of the mixer, and put into a bowl with a bit of oil or melted shortening, flip over and let rise

NOTE:(In summer if warm it may double within 20 minutes, in winter I place my covered bowl on top of the water heater. also if using a Pyrex mixing bowl you can (if the oven is on) lightly warm the bowl in the oven and put the dough in) if baking something else while making the rolls you can place the covered bowl on the stove top to rise)

Now once doubled, punch down, and pinch of small pieces perhaps golf ball size or a bit larger and with your hands stretch, fold and shape in to balls and place in a greased square or round cake pan , cover and let rise until double (this often takes 15-20 minutes depending on how warm the kitchen is,

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees, place rolls in the oven, set timer for 12-15 minutes, I find that usually about 15 minutes is right, (all ovens are different so you will have to watch to see how yours does)

Remove from oven and brush tops with butter (I save butter papers for this) rub over surface to grease tops.

This looks complicated, but it is not, when you get used to doing it.

Depending on the size you choose to make the rolls you will end up with 9-12 rolls, as you can see I ended up with 13.

 

CREAMED ONION TOPS FROM GREEN ONIONS

Tags

1/2 and 1/2, Biscuits, butter, cornstarch, Green Spring Onions, half & half, milk, Roux, salt and pepper, seasonings, toast, water, yeast rolls, young onions creamed

When I was young I remember Mom making creamed onion tops for over toast and biscuits, back then I was young and did not know anything about being hard up, or making food stretch to feed two growing boys, it was just life.

During the summer months when my grandparents had the garden I often remember mom coming home from grandma’s with spring green onions (well in the summer time they were larger and older) but she would chop up the onions and the tops and cook in some water, with some salt and pepper and then when tender she would add milk, and thickening and then at the end stir in some butter. CREAMED ONION TOPS!!

Time are tight like those time back 40 to 50 years ago, so history repeats itself once again, we don’t know in life what will be fall us, or how we will cope with these hard times. However I am thankful for a good memory of the prior 50 years, that I am able to retain all of life’s lessons I learned along the way. When hard times befall us then we can go back to those days and draw on them for living today.

When you think about it this recipe for Creamed Onion Tops is the basis for many recipes, Asparagus Soup, Potato Soup, Oyster Stew, Hamburger Gravy, it is so easy to make and since so many recipes for quick meals can be created with just this one bit of knowledge you can create so many dishes for you and your family.

CREAMED ONION TOPS

1 bunch of 4-6 green Spring Onions (less can be used according to the age of the onions, more depending on how well you like onions and if they are very young)

2 cups Water

1 tablespoon butter

When onions are tender, add milk, 1/2 and 1/2 , or cream to desired amount,

Butter, Salt and Pepper, you may add some sugar, just a teaspoon to a tablespoon should do, as my grandmother and great aunt used to say, it is added to take the green taste out, however it depends on personal preference.

Thicken with 2 tablespoons Cornstarch dissolved in cool water, add to mixture stir and simmer until thickened (if too thick add more milk or water, if to thin add extra thickening.

If you are out of cornstarch you can melt a couple tablespoons of butter in a dish in the microwave and add a couple tablespoons flour and stir,  if flour make this mixture to thick add another tablespoon butter and melt, you want he consistency to be smooth, not runny, not thick. add this to the simmering water and milk mixture, and simmer for a minute or two, until the mixture thickens to desired consistency.

Serve over toast or Sour Cream Biscuits. or Quick Yeast Rolls.

SAVE YOUR ONION SKINS!

Tags

appearances, Broth, Color, Cookking, Entree's, Food, garnish, illussions, Kitchen Tips, Main Dishes, money, Onion, Onion Skins, onions, rich color, Richness, savings, Soups, Stocks, Zing

Save your onion skins? What for you ask? Well I will tell you something that I learned from Madeleine Kamman, years ago on one of her PBS cooking shows. Save your onion skins (the nice golden to deep brown skins) they are fantastic to add to any broth, in particular bland chicken broth, to give the color, richness lacking in chicken broth. However I have used in all broths where I want a deep rich brown color.

When you peel the outer layers of skin off your onions, it is like Madeleine said, it is just dried onion! I let it sit on the counter for a day to thoroughly dry out, then put them in an air tight container. When you need them take them out, as many as you like for the amount of broth you have and cook with the broth, it will turn a rich golden brown.

Note: Like many things in the kitchen and cooking, personal preference rules, on the amount of skins you will use, you just have to play with it and learn what amount of skins gives the color you desire most. Personally I have found with chicken broth, it will not take to many just to give a subtle rich color to your both.

This as simple as this are often overlooked in todays kitchens, these are the very simple and cost effective ways to save money when food prices are increasing by leaps and bounds. Often in cooking it is the illusion of a rich broth, if the bland broth looks bland it will be bland, but if it looks rich, then your mind will be tricked into believing it is something far different than it really is.

Food is all about presentation, illusion of what the cook wants people to think it is., just like an ordinary dish, say deviled eggs, by themselves they look good, but add a garnish to them, paprika, chopped parsley, chives, and you have created ZING!!

The same goes with both, stocks etc. I have always done this, it is so easy, a good way not to waste food needlessly, and they are ever ready in the cabinet waiting for your use.

I hope you will try this and start saving today.

I was hoping to find a good link to a biography of Madeleine Kamman, however I was unable to find one, other than advertising the many cookbooks she has authored, here is a link that give some information on Madeleine Kamman

Ice Water Cake

Tags

almond extract, baking, butter, Cakes, cooking, custard, Dessert, egg whites, egg yolks, flour, Food, ice water, layer pan, recipes, sheet pan, strawberry short cake, tube pan, Vanilla

It is really hard to believe that you can make a cake with Ice Water, but you actually can! My mother loved this cake  for Strawberry Short Cake, she always said it was like it was in between a Hot Milk Sponge Cake and an Angel Food Cake. It is denser and heavier than an angel food cake but still light. (if this make sense)

We always like baking this in a 10 inch tube pan, however the recipe calls for  two layer pans or a sheet cake pan. I am thinking the tube pan makes a little fancier cake than just a sheet or layer cake, as we never did ice this cake.

Since the cake calls for just egg whites, we always used the yolks to make homemade custards to go with the strawberries  to serve with or over the cake.

I am sure you will love this cake as much as we do.

ICE WATER CAKE

1/2 cup  Shortening (we use butter)

2 cups Sugar

3 1/2 cups  Cake Flour (we use regular unbleached)

3/4 tsp  Salt

3 tsp  Baking Powder

1 1/2 cups   Ice Water

1 tsp.  Vanilla

1/4 tsp  Almond Extract (if we have it we use it if not good with just Vanilla)

4  Egg Whites

Cream Shortening

Add sugar gradually and beat until fluffy.

Sift Flour; measure and add salt and baking powder and sift again.

Add sifted dry ingredients alternately with Ice Water and flavorings.

Beat thoroughly after each addition.

Fold in stiffly beaten egg whites.

Pour into greased, layer pans, or a sheet or tube pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes (tube pan will take slightly longer about 40-45 minutes) test with a knife or cake tester.

An excellent white cake.