Holiday baking

This past weekend I got the baking bug and started working on my bread recipes.    It is a good work out for the arms making bread that's for sure.    Years ago I made bread every week, I had a few recipes that we enjoyed.   But  homemade bread is not the best for my diet,  :))  I love it too much  so I let it go by the wayside.   The holidays is a great time to  do some though,   I am working on a wheat dough that is  a bit lighter for some fluffy rolls.        This is a batch of 50 % whole wheat flour and 50 % white flour.      I am thinking I will reduce the wheat flour but first I am going to read through some recipes to see what else I could change before reducing the amount of whole wheat.   

Here it is in my rising bowl we will enjoy eating it over a couple days then try again.

While Joe was hunting with Pepper, Slide, Jake and Casey,  Miss Daisy Mae was my buddy for the weekend.     She wasn’t happy at all about being left behind.

Daisy had surgery for the second time on her accruciate ligament.    The crimp holding the line together didn’t hold both sides.  So the vet did the surgery again for us.   Poor little girl, she will be 10 in April  and will miss hunting this year.    She was enjoying being let out of her crate since she was the only one at home.

And when I told her I would put her on the blog she  perked right up.   She loves attention  and was looking forward to the taste of fresh baked bread.   

I made  up my favorite apple cake recipe a couple weeks ago, its out of A Taste of Oregon cookbook.    

Hood River Fresh Apple Cake

2 cups granulated sugar

1 cup shortening

2 eggs

2 cups flour

2 tsps baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

4 cups chopped cooking apples

1 cup chopped nuts

Cream together sugar,  shortening, and eggs.  Sift the dry ingredients and add to mixture.  Add chopped apples and nuts.  Bake in a greased 9 x 13-inch pan for 45 minutes at 350 degrees F.

SAUCE: 

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup margarine

1/2 cup whipping cream

1/2 tsp vanilla

In a small pan combine sugars, margarine and whipping cream.  Bring mixture to a boil, and then add vanilla.  Pour sauce over individual servings of cake.  It may be warm or cold, but is particularly good warm.   Serves 12 

This is one of my favorite fall recipes.  It goes together  quickly and is delicious!  This sauce has the most amazing flavors. 

               

I made an apple pie too.    I use premade pie crusts,  I use to make my own but these are really easy and flaky too.

I let them sit out of the refrigerator at least 20 minutes then roll them out a bitter thinner,  I used my leaf shape cutters to make vents and decorated the top of the pie.

I brushed the top crust with egg whites then sprinkled with sugar.  It make a pretty pie!

Today I am making pumpkin pies and rolls and looking forward to celebrating Thanksgiving.    Yesterday Joe and I went to the store and bought Turkey and all the goodies you need to make the meal.     It was fun doing the shopping together.

This year we are not going to Seattle,   we are staying in Bend.    So we are cooking a 20 lb Turkey and taking it to a homeless shelter and spending some time there serving food.   We are looking forward to our day,   after all the tough economic times here in Central Oregon its exciting to just get out and share with others.     We know we are going to receive much more than we give.  

We are so blessed to have a home and good health, the love of family, and Central Oregon is a fabulous area  to live.     We have great neighbors we enjoy,   friends that bless our lives and  Joe and I both have been able to enjoy our hobbies  so much this year.    

We are cooking a smaller Turkey for our celebration,  actually we picked out a 12 lb one and it looks much to small…..lol.   I’m sure it will be more than enough!!

I wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving celebration with your loved ones too,   God Bless!!

Hugs,  Carrie

Chicken Pot Pie in a Squash Bowl

My sister gave me an idea with the squash we bought last weekend. I love Chicken Pot Pies and Squash, especially Delicata Squash, I think these round shape are a variety of Delicata.

I checked out my Farmhouse Cookbook and googled Chicken Pot Pie and came up with a recipe.

First I cut the bottom off the squash, just a little bit. Cleaned out the seeds and “stuff”, put them in a baking dish with 1/2 cup water in the dish, added a small slice of butter to each squash and covered with foil. Baked 1 hour on 325 degrees, I may up that to 350 degrees but they were pretty tender.

Meanwhile: I prepared the filling…….

2 chicken breasts , cubed

garlic cloves

2 carrots, diced

2 celery stalks, diced

1/4 sweet onion, diced

1 cup frozen peas, petite green beans, cut one inch

14 ounce can of chicken broth

1/2 cup milk

3 tablespoons flour

2 premade pie crusts

Put 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in skillet, heat, add cubed chicken and garlic, sauté until almost cooked through, add carrots first cook 5-8 minutes then add celery and onion. Cook till onion are transparent add peas and green beans cook a couple minutes then sprinkle flour over the top and mix into veges. Don’t let it burn….lol ….just start to brown add 1/3 chicken broth mix in then slowly add more until all is used, then slowly add milk. This how I make gravy too. You will notice as you add the liquid it will work in and get thick , keep working so it doesn’t get lumpy, you want the mixture to be a bit soupy. It will get thicker in the squash bowl. So add more broth or milk as you want.

I filled the squash and a bit more, then used premade pie crusts. Cut out shape, I couldn’t find my leaf shapes but that is what I will use next time. I wasn’t sure how the steam would rise so I arranged them differently, they both held together equally. I brushed the tops with egg whites before baking too. Why? Because grandma did…..it makes them crispy, shiny…and I loved Grandma soo I do too! Oops forgot to say bake 30 minutes here!!

And here they are!! I was pretty excited and hungry, mine was way more than I could eat but I gave it a good shot. My first homemade Chicken Pot Pie! :))

I had some crimini mushrooms so I sautéed them in butter, and some Blue Moon beer I was drinking while I cooked. No wine in the house!! That's why I used beer….I use whatever, it is a wheat beer, have you tried it. I put the sauted mushrooms on the plate with the pie. I’m not PW and my little silver proves it…lol…

Yes, lots of filling left over, I filled 3 ramekins, no bottom crust used. Covered them and cooked them for dinner the next night. They were so good too and the filling did not stick to my pottery. I love my Longaberger Pottery for that very reason. Emile Henry is just as wonderful and Mary of Quilt Hollow loves her blue Polish Pottery for this same reason.

Well this was fun, now I need to make that darn apple cake, I have the apples so this weekend I will get to it.. You know I really don’t need the calories but hey its Fall and maybe it will warm up to the 60’s this weekend and feel like Fall too!!! Its been way to cold, except for my night sweats, cold nights feel good!! My DH says he is freezing, he has a down comforter, wool blanket, quilt with wool batting and I use the flannel sheet with one leg out!! How cold can he be, yep his toes are still cold, now I am worrying about his circulation!!

I’m going to go check out some more recipes, have a wonderful weekend.

Fall Blessings,

Carrie