Storing Flour

30 Sunday May 2010

Posted by in freezer, storing flour, wheat flour, whole grain flour

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Some flours need different storage than others.

For example, pastry flour should be stored in the freezer.
It will not go bad, but pastry is best made with cold ingredients so keeping it cold in your freezer is only good sense.

Whole grain flours, such as soy or wheat should be stored in the freezer also.

Whole grain flours have a tendency to go rancid unless used up quickly. So, by keeping them in the freezer, they will last a lot longer.

All-purpose flour( both bleached and unbleached), cake flour, and bread flour are fine if they are stored at room temperature.
They are not going to turn rancid.
And if you use your flour for making bread, you don’t want your flour cold.

Grilled Potato Packets

30 Sunday May 2010

Posted by in BBQ, grilled potato packets, grilling, Recipe

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This is my absolute favorite way to do potatoes on the grill. Yummy!!!!!

Preheat your grill to high.

You will need heavy duty aluminum foil or double thickness of regular foil. You need enough to encase a sliced up potato.

To make one potato packet:

1 medium sized potato- peeled or not and sliced thinly
1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
garlic powder
kosher salt
pepper

Arrange your sliced potato on a rectangle of aluminum foil.
Add the butter and season with the garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
Bring up the edges of foil together and seal tightly.
Lay the packet on the grill rack and cook 20-30 minutes, turning halfway through the cooking time.
The potatoes are done when the packet has puffed up.

It is also great to add other fresh vegetables to your packet. Ideas are onions or green peppers.
Fresh herbs are great to add, if you have any on hand.
Parmesan cheese is also good.

Cocoa Powder- Dutch Vs. Natural

29 Saturday May 2010

Posted by in acidic, alkaline, Dutch cocoa, natural cocoa

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Cocoa powder comes from chocolate that has had most of the cocoa butter removed from it.

There are two types of cocoa powder.

The first kind is Dutch processed cocoa powder.
Dutch processed cocoa has been processed with alkali and is usually slighter darker than the natural cocoa powder.
It has a more delicate flavor.
It is also more readily absorbed into liquids, such as hot water or milk.
When baking with dutch processed cocoa you must use baking powder as your leavening.
Since this cocoa is neutral or slightly alkaline it will not react with baking soda.

The second type of cocoa powder available is natural. It can also be referred to as Non-Dutch processed cocoa.
It is more acidic so it can be used with baking soda as your leavening agent.

So, always make sure to follow the recipe.
If it says to use Natural cocoa, don’t use Dutch due to the type of leavening agent needed.

If you are lucky, you may be able to find a cocoa powder brand that combines both Dutch and natural cocoa so you always have the right kind on hand.

Resting Your Grilled Meat

29 Saturday May 2010

Posted by in barbecuing, grilling, restingmeat

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Grilling out or barbecuing is a sure sign of summer.

Some people grill in any weather, but everyone loves to once the weather starts warming up.

Grilling good food is more of an art than some people think.
You don’t want to take the food off too soon or it will be undercooked.
You don’t want to leave it on too long either or it will be charred to death.

When it comes to cooking meat over a hot grill, resting before serving makes a big difference.

Grilling involves cooking at very high temperatures and while the meat cooks great that way, the high heat also pushes all of the juices into the very middle.

So resting the meat allows the juices that have been forced into the middle to flow back throughout the piece of meat.

Once you have the meat done to your liking, take it off the heat and let it sit 5-10 minutes before you cut it.

I guarantee that you will end up with a moister cut of meat, than if you just simply served and cut it right away.

Lemon Squares

22 Saturday May 2010

Posted by in dessert, lemon bars, lemon squares, recipes

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Lemon squares are yummy bars. They have a shortbread crust with a lemon curd like filling over the top, similar to the lemon filling in lemon meringue pie.


Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
You will need an ungreased 8″ or 9″ square pan.


Ingredients:

Crust-
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup powdered sugar

Filling-
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoon grated lemon peel, optional
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Mix the flour, powdered sugar, and butter. It will be crumbly.
Press that into the square pan. Build the sides up slightly.
Bake for 20 minutes.
While the crust is baking, beat the filling ingredients until light and fluffy.
As soon as the crust is done, pour the filling over the top of the hot crust.
Return to oven and bake another 25 minutes.
It is done when you touch lightly and no indention remains.
Cool on a wire rack completely before cutting.

Makes 16 bars.





Making Frosting

21 Friday May 2010

Posted by in chocolate frosting, Recipe, simple frosting, vanilla frosting

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This is how I make my frosting for my cakes and cupcakes.

This is the type of frosting I use for my everyday baking.
It is not a fancy buttercream but it is creamy and delicious.
It is also very simple to make.

Ingredients:
 

1/2 cup butter, softened
2-1/4 cups powdered sugar
A heaping 1/4 cup cocoa powder (for vanilla frosting eliminate and use that amount more powdered sugar)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2-3 Tablespoons milk

In a large bowl, put the butter and add the powdered sugar and cocoa powder, if using.
By hand, or with a mixer cream them together.
It might take a bit of work. It will clump up, but than smooth out.
When you work it together as much as you can, add the vanilla extract and the milk.
Now, finish mixing it until it is smooth and creamy.

If it is too stiff, add more milk, about a teaspoon at a time.
If it is too soft for you, add more powered sugar, a couple tablespoons at a time.

This is enough to frost a layer cake or a 9″x13″ rectangular cake.
Or a batch of cupcakes.

Tip: If it is too stiff, it may tear the top of the cake as you try to spread it. 

Chocolate Sour Cream Cupcakes

21 Friday May 2010

Posted by in Chocolate, chocolate cupcakes, cinnamon raisin breakfast biscuit recipe, cupcakes, dessert

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These are great chocolate cupcakes. They are very light and fluffy with great chocolate flavor.

I have frosted these with chocolate frosting, as you see.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

This batter will make 18 regular size cupcakes, 12 jumbo, or 60 miniature size. So get out your muffin pans and fill them with liners for the type you want.

Ingredients:

1 cup all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

11 Tablespoons unsalted butter, 8 Tablespoons(1 stick) softened and the other 3 Tablespoons melted

1-1/4 cups sugar

9 Tablespoons cocoa powder

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup water

Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a bowl and set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the 8 Tablespoons of softened butter with the sugar until it is smooth.
All at once, add the melted butter and cocoa powder.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Add the eggs, one at a time. Make sure the first is blended well before adding the second.
Add the vanilla extract and beat for a minute when the batter will lighten slightly in color.
Add the sour cream and beat until no white streaks are visible.
Add half of the flour mixture and mix well.
Add the water.
Now add the rest of the flour mix and beat until it is mixed well and batter is smooth.

With a spoon or cookie scoop, divide the batter among the muffin liners.
You will use approximately 1/3 cup batter for jumbo size, 1/4 cup batter for regular size, and just a couple Tablespoons for the miniature size.

Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes. Check them at 20 minutes. The tops should be form and will test done with the toothpick test.
These kind really don’t spring back to the touch test like some cupcakes do.

Cool in a rack for 10 minutes and ten out of the pans.

Cool completely and frost as you like.



To Sift Or Not To Sift the Flour

20 Thursday May 2010

Posted by in flour, sifting flour, strainer for sifting

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You don’t see for many calls for sifting flour in new recipes, but all the old ones did.
So is it important or not?
Sifting is important in the sense that is fluffs up the flour that may have settled during shipping or while sitting on the shelf.
It will also get rid of little clumps of flour.
Clumps won’t hurt but left when added to batter, they may stay in clumps instead of incorporated smoothly into the batter.
Than it bakes that way and you may have flour clumps in the finished product.
But, instead of getting a flour sifter, you can just use a whisk and fluff up the flour and break up any clumps.
Another thing you can do instead of using a sifter is to use a mesh strainer.
Get a bowl, a strainer, and a spoon. Sit the strainer over the bowl and add some flour. With the spoon work the flour through the strainer holes.
You could just stand and shake it, but you using a spoon takes less time and there is less of a mess.
Just add small amounts of flour at a time.

Banana Bread

20 Thursday May 2010

Posted by in Banana Bread, quick bread, Recipe

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This is my all time favorite recipe for banana bread.

It is so moist which I feel is important in a quick bread.

I love making this and giving as gifts during the Christmas season.


Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Grease the bottom only of an 8″x4″ OR 9″x5″ loaf pan.

Ingredients:

1 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter or margarine, softened
2 eggs
3 or 4 medium mashed bananas to equal 1-1/2 cups
1/3 cup water
1-2/3 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup chopped nuts-optional


In a large bowl, cream the sugar and butter together.

Stir in eggs until blended well.

Add the bananas and water and beat until mixed.

Add the flour, baking soda, salt, and baking powder and stir just until everything is moist.

Stir in the nuts if you are using.

Pour into the greased loaf pan.

Bake the 8×4 loaf 1 hour 15 minutes.
Bake the 9×5 loaf 55-60 minutes.
Test done with cake tester or toothpick.

Loosen edges with a knife, but leave in pan for 5 minutes.

Remove from pan and cool on wire rack.

This recipe comes out of my very first cookbook. Thank you, Betty Crocker.

Rhubarb Muffins

19 Wednesday May 2010

Posted by in breakfast, muffins, Recipe, rhubarb

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These muffins are very light and moist.
What a great way to start the day!

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
Grease 18 regular size muffin cups.

Ingredients:

MUFFINS:
1-1/4 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla extract
2-1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup butter milk or sour milk
1-1/2 cups finely chopped rhubarb

TOPPING:
1 Tablespoon melted butter
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
Mix the brown sugar, oil, egg, and vanilla extract.
Alternately add the buttermilk and the flour mixture.
Stir in rhubarb.
Divide among the muffin cups.
Mix the topping ingredients and sprinkle over the muffins.
Bake for 20-25 minutes.
Let cool for about 5 minutes before turning out of pans.