Gold Medal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Since we love to try different cookie recipes, and since this was on the back of the Gold Medal flour bag I just opened, I decided to try their

Extraordinary Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 1/2 cups butter or margarine, softened
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 1/4 cups packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 tablespoon almond extract (I added this)
4 cups Gold Medal all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 bag (24 oz.) semisweet chocolate chips (4 cups)
For nut lovers; stir in 2 cups coarsely chopped nuts with the chocolate chips.

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. In large bowl, cream butter, sugars, vanilla and eggs on medium speed or with spoon until light and fluffy. Stir in flour, baking soda and salt (dough will be stiff). Stir in chocolate chips.

On ungreased cookie sheet, drop dough by tablespoonfuls or #40 cookie/ice cream scoop 2 inches apart. Flatten slightly.

Bake 11 to 13 minutes or until light brown (centers will be soft). Cool 1 to 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack.

Makes about 6 dozen cookies

Yummy!

Fire Bread

Since our youngest was just tiny, he has called "Fry Bread" at the Mountain Man Rendezvous, "Fire Bread"! It's mainly because he used to watch the Mountain Woman make them over a fire and because he ate them hot!

In anticipation of this event this week, we made them at home. We usually eat them for "Pioneer Day" as well in honor of our Mormon pioneers who ate them frequently along the Mormon Trail to Utah.

I've used the "Tiger Ears" recipe posted September 2007 usually, but decided to use this new one from the book "Boarding the Ark Today" which has recipes to make from your food storage.

Fry Bread
This bread is traditionally used as an edible plate.

2 cups flour, white or wheat
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup oil or shortening
1/2 to 2/3 cup water

Mix flour, baking powder and salt in bowl. Add oil and water all at once and mix with fork until soft dough forms; knead for 2 to 3 minutes. Cover and let rest for 10 to 15 minutes. Form dough into 6 to 8 balls. Flatten each ball into a 6 to 7 inch circle. Deep fry in hot oil until crisp, about 1 minute on each side. Bread can also be baked on a griddle although it does not have the same traditional flavor. Serve with honey, honey butter (see recipe below) or sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.
From "Boarding the Ark Today", page 30.

We had these for breakfast one with ham and cheese on it and another with honey butter on it. I served Cantaloupe with them.

You can also use these for lunch or dinner as Najavo Tacos where you top the fry bread with your favorite beans, grated cheese, diced hot peppers and onions, chopped tomatoes and shredded lettuce, etc.

Honey Butter
Making good fluffy honey butter is almost a lost art. A must for hot breads.

1 cube butter, softened
1/2 cup honey
1 teaspoon vanilla (optional)

Whip butter until light and fluffy. Slowly add honey and vanilla. Adding honey too rapidly makes the butter lose its thick, fluffy consistency. Whip 2 to 3 minutes longer; cover and refrigerate. Stores well. Serve at room temperature.
From "Boarding the Ark Today", page 46.

Note: Our local pizza chain serves honey butter so that you can use it on your pizza crusts!

Let's Make and Break Bread Together

My Mother-in-law can whip up some homemade bread, rolls, french loaves or cinnamon rolls in nothing flat it seems. She uses this recipe for all of these variations. It's a family favorite which I've never made myself until today. It was so easy and is so yummy. Thanks to her for sharing her recipe with me and others all over the world over the years. She has taught many to make and break bread together!

Darla's Bread or Roll Recipe

In a large bowl or mixer, mix the following ingredients together (in order given):
2 1⁄2 cups of lukewarm water
2 tablespoons of yeast
3 tablespoons of sugar (white)
1 tablespoon or 2 teaspoons of salt
5 tablespoons (tbsp) of light olive oil or canola oil
6-7 cups of flour (may substitute) a couple cups of whole wheat flour

Blend in half of flour and mix well. Stir in the remaining flour a little at a time until dough rolls into a ball without being sticky. Lightly oil outside of ball with a small amount of oil on your hand, cover and let double in size.

For French Loaves: Cut dough in half and roll into two rectangles. Roll into loaves. Roll into a roll. Put seam on the bottom. Make slashes on the top of loaves with a knife and brush with egg whites. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Bake on a stone or cookie sheet in hot oven (400/425 degrees for 20 t0 25 minutes until golden brown. Let cool on wooden board or something that won't sweat. Enjoy!

For Dinner Rolls: Shape as desired and bake same temperature for about 20 min.

For Cinnamon Rolls: Cut dough in half. Shape into a rectangle and spread with a thin layer of margarine. In a small bowl mix approximately 2 cups of brown sugar with about 4 tsp. of cinnamon. Spread about half of the mixture on the rectangle. Roll up and slice into about 1 inch cinnamon roll slices. Turn on sides and place on a cookie sheet. Let them double in size. Bake as above and ice with the following glaze or frosting:
2 cups of powdered sugar or icing sugar
1⁄4 cup of margarine
1 tsp vanilla
Just enough milk to make a thick icing. Spread a thin layer on rolls while warm.

Add this Cole Slaw to your outdoor picnic this summer

It's time for our last recipe club of the season. Where has this year gone?

Our theme is Outdoor/BBQ. I'm bringing a coleslaw salad that my Aunt makes for family reunions and my Mother loves so much and used to make frequently. I'm here with her today, so I made it up just now, so I can leave some of it with them to eat as well as for the ladies to taste tonight.

Aunt Juanita's Cole Slaw

6 c. finely chopped green cabbage

I used the food processor and put in a wedge at a time. It took about 3/4 of a medium head to equal 6 cups. I put it into a medium sized bowl and set it aside while I made the dressing to pour over it. No problem with leftover raw cabbage, because we like steamed cabbage as a vegetable with dinner.

Dressing:

1/4 cup + 1 Tbs. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup vinegar
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
1 tsp. grated onion
1/3 c. salad oil
1 tsp. poppy seeds

Next I chopped about 1/4 of a medium onion in the food processor for the 1 tsp. grated onion. Then I added the other ingredients and blended them altogether until well blended in the food processor or you can hand whisk them too. Fold the dressing into the chopped cabbage and chill before serving. Keeps well for several days and is a great addition to any summer picnic. It does taste best outdoors.

May Day May Day It's Snowing!!

Hauskaa Vappua!  Happy May Day! 

It's snowing here today and in Finland it's a beautiful spring May Day.  

My Mother almost always served sima as the drink with her Finnish meals for guests.  In Finland, her Mother only made it on  May Day.  My Dad made the sima a few days ago and I'm making the sugar dougnuts, something they used to make in her town as well.  See last year's blog post for the other pastry usually made in Finland. 

As I understand it, to make sima, my Mummo, would first wash and clean her milk bucket.  Second, she'd prepare the lemons and add the sugars and then pour the boiling water over it.  Next she'd let sit until it cooled enough to add the yeast.  After that, she'd cover the milk pail tightly and let it sit overnight.  In the morning, she'd strain out the lemon pulp and peel, and bottle it.  So, to make sima, you will want to make it 3-4 days before you want to drink it.  Here's my Mother's Sima recipe:

Sima 

1 lemon, (peel and pulp)

1 kettle of 4 quarts water

2 1/4 cups white sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

Boil a few minutes. Cool.  Add 1/4 tsp. yeast (mixed in a little warm water).  Cover tightly.  Let stand overnight.  In the morning, strain.  Bottle, add a few raisins and cap.  Put in dark, cool cellar for 3-4 days.  Serve chilled. 

Note:  Much more yeast is used as you make it at sea level, as Finland is.  As my Mother experimented in the mountains, she had a few surprises:)

Pikamunkit -- Quick Sugar Doughnuts

2 1/4 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
3 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cardamom
1 1/4 cups cream
2 eggs

Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl. Add the cream and eggs. Mix into a smooth dough. Take small dabs of dough and drop them immediately into hot 350F oil . Cook until light brown, about 4-5 minutes. Roll in sugar while still warm and serve as soon as possible.