PREPAREDNESS...Am I Crazy?

1. Be Prepared
   
2. Walton Feed
   
3. Paula's Bread Best "Truck Load" prices for hard wheat, beans, TVP (bacon, sausage pepperoni) and popcorn. Products ordered from Walton Feed.
   
4. Pleasant Hill Grain
   
5. Natural Meals Best books.
   
6. Disaster Necessities
   
7. Grandma's Country Foods
   
8. USA Emergency Supply's Best prices for Gamma Seal Lids. Don't know what shipping is though. BEST "Information Center".
   
9. Honeyville Grain Best prices for freeze dried fruits, steel cut oats and Blue corn. Also cheapest shipping price...$4.49!
10. Auguson Farms
    

#2.5 can= 2 1/2 cups or 20 oz.
#10 can = 10-12 cups or 96 oz.

Amanda picked up my electric grain/bean grinder (I found it on Craigslist for 1/2 price), now all I need is to order some wheat/bean seeds.
Are you ready for some home ground bread...Hot from the oven?


2 LOAVES WHOLE WHEAT BEAD

using my Kitchen Aid Mixer...

• 2 cups warm water
• 1 T yeast
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/3 cup oil
• 2 t. salt
• 1/3 cup gluten ( you can substitute crushed vitamin C, 1/8 T per loaf)
  
• 5 to 6 cups whole wheat flour, freshly
• ground if possible (I use Hard White Wheat) 1 cup wheat berries makes approximately 1 1/2 cups ground flour.
  

In a stand up type mixer such as a Kitchen Aid combine water, yeast and honey. Let this sit for about 5 minutes or until the yeast is nice and bubbly. Add oil, salt, gluten flour and 3 to 4 cups of whole wheat flour. Knead this with your mixer and continue to add more flour until the dough does not stick to the side of the bowl and does not feel sticky to the touch. Knead for another 7 to 8 minutes.

When dough has finished kneading remove from mixer and divide the dough into 2 pieces and shape into loaves and put into bread pans that have been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.

Place in preheated 150* oven for 20 - 30 minutes to let rise, then increase temperature to 350* for approx. 30 minutes more or until golden brown.

I also have some homemade butter waiting.

Gluten Free...

Beth's No Fail Gluten Free Bread

Dry Ingredients:

1/2 cup Brown Rice Flour

1/2 cup Sorghum Flour

1 cup Yellow Pea Flour

1/2 cup potato Starch

1/2 cup Tapioca Starch

1 Package Yeast

1 tbsp Guar Gum

1 1/2 tsp Salt

Wet Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups Warm Rice Milk

2 tsp Cider Vinegar

1/4 Cup Canola Oil

egg replacer mixed with 1/4 cup warm sparkling water set aside and let set up

1/4 cup honey

I mix wet ingredients in the mixer, once mixed I add in the dry. Let mix for a few minutes and then put into the bread machine. Mine has a gluten free setting. I have also baked this in the oven, let it rise 20 minutes or so, Bake 35 plus minutes at 350 degrees. Watch it after the 30 minute mark. This is a very flexable recipe, the only thing you can not sub out is the pea flour. The recipe is based on the pea flour. This is something I will keep playing on. But it's a really good bread. It cuts well, it eats well. It doesn't crumble. It's so good the next day.

Savory biscuits...

I made the biscuits from "Bakers' Banter" for breakfast the other morning, they turned out really good. Get the recipe from here. I used bacon instead of sausage and added 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder to the flour and parmesan cheese along with the cheddar. I also used sour cream and a little milk to make it the right consistency.

Perfect Rolls...

We discovered the perfect yeast roll recipe.

Place milk, sugar, salt and butter in small saucepan.
Heat over low heat until butter melts and sugar dissolves.
Cool to lukewarm.

Dissolve yeast in warm water in warmed mixer bowl.
Add lukewarm milk mixture, eggs (Slightly beaten) and 5 cups flour.
I only needed 5 1/2 cups flour.
Mix together with spoon.
Place dough in greased bowl, turning to grease top.
Cover. Let rise in warm place for 1 hour.

Shape as desired for rolls or coffee cake.

Rolls: let rise another 30 minutes the bake for 20 minutes at 350*.

ENJOY!

P.S. Next time I think I'll change it up a little and use honey instead of sugar and 2 C. wheat flour and 3 C. white flour. I've been reading and they say you need a little more liquid when using wheat flour, so I may add another egg or a little more milk.

Our Thanksgiving...

We celebrated our non traditional Thanksgiving Saturday before Thanksgiving, because Kenneth and I are both working Thanksgiving day. This year I decided I didn't want to fix the traditional foods; turkey, dressing, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, five-cup salad, pink salad. I wanted finger food, appetizers. We did bake a sliced ham, but everything else was something different. Where was my camera...I got no pictures, sorry.

• Frito corn salad

2 C whole kernel corn

1/2 C finely chopped onion

1/2 C finely chopped bell pepper

2 C grated cheddar cheese

1 large tomato, chopped (optional)

1/3 C mayonnaise

Mix all ingredients together and refrigerate for at least 2 hours (it was actually better the next day)

Have Frito's on the side to top just before serving.

• Fruit salad (Sam, this is the new and improved "Pink" Salad)

1 can fruit cocktail, drained

1 large can cherry pie filling

1 can pineapple chunks, drained

1 C small marshmallows

1 C shredded coconut

1 8 oz. carton Cool-whip

1 handful grapes, sliced

1 can mandarin oranges, drained

1 can Eagle Brand milk

1 C pecans, chopped

2 bananas, sliced in half, then in half again (quartered)

Mix all the fruit in a bowl, add Eagle Brand, marshmallows, coconut and chopped pecans, mix again. Fold in cool-whip, refrigerate. Add bananas right before serving. You can change this up by adding to or leaving out anything you want.

• crab won tons

1 envelope crab meat

8 oz cream cheese

green onions, sliced

Mix together and put small amount in won-ton wrapper, seal and deep fry.

• sausage roll ups

1 pound Hot Jimmy Dean sausage, browned

8 oz. cream cheese

Mix together sausage and cheese place in crescent roll squares, seal edges and bake.

• celery with pimento cheese


• cream cheese jalapeno poppers

mix cheese and jalapenos together in bowl, place small amount in crescent roll squares and bake.

• roasted asparagus


• BBQ little smokies, made in crock pot.


• Hawaiian sweet rolls


• glazed ham

I did it!

After reading my friend Jenefer's blog...she made some pizza using homemade pizza crust (check it out over at "Just Jenefer")...Kenneth was like drooling... I got the nerve up to finally make some homemade bread, with yeast!

OK, I hear everyone going "what's the big deal?" But you have to understand my phobias...What if it doesn't rise? How will I know how long to knead it? What if it doesn't taste good? What if nobody likes it? Do you see a pattern here?

Once upon a time I went to a therapist, she was quick to point out to me that I have a tendency to "What IF?" everything to death. Anyway I'm still working on it soooo you ask.......how did it turn out?

Absolutely Fabulous!

It sliced up really nice for sandwiches and was a wonderful toast.

Since the recipe makes enough for two loaves,

I made cinnamon rolls out of half, see all the goodies in the bottom of the pan.

If you notice the missing roll from the pan, it was great with morning coffee!

Note: Bread recipe from "Chickens In the Road", its her Grandmother Bread. The rolls are from the "Crispies" recipe, only I didn't mash them down, maybe next time.

Question:

To save money by making your own homemade bread, do you save anything if you then decide to go buy the $200.00 Kitchen Aid mixer to help in making it?