.................. Cooking with Barry & Meta

Linda Carslon’s Bread Recipe -- Cracked Wheat Berry Bread

Linda Carlson spent her life sharing her talents and knowledge with others and I’m sure she would be pleased to know that her memory lives on through recipes and the thoughts they recall.

She taught Home Economics at Hope and then later at Solomon High School.

This unusual bread recipe is one that she shared with me – it came from an elderly relative. Over the years, besides making this for our own personal use, it’s been a mainstay in several other venues . . .

At the Heritage Center’s Pioneer Camp where young campers kneaded, rolled and shaped small loaves that were then baked in a wood burning cookstove. Despite the random pulling and pushing, and the irregular shaping techniques, the breads always seemed to come out picture perfect.
At former Dickinsion County Arts Council’s Rennaisance Feasts where baguettes of bread were ripped apart by medieval lords, ladies, and a few barbarians.
And, again this year . . . baguettes of this "yo-ho-ho" bread will be awaiting those who swashbuckle their way onto the pirate’s “ship” at the Art’s Council Pirate’s dinner (June 16^th and 17^th at the Civic Center). Arrgghhh!

The bread can also be baked in standard loaf pans

Cracked Wheat Berry Bread

Yield: four 9 x 5” traditional loaves or baguettes

1 cup “good” wheat

2 cups warm water

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2 (1/4 oz.) packages active dry yeast (or a scant 2 Tbsp. of yeast)

2 cups warm water (110°-115°)

9 to 10 cups+ all-purpose flour or, use part whole wheat (regular or white whole wheat); bread flour or unbleached flour can also be used – divided use

½ cup honey

½ cup (1 stick) butter at room temperature

2 tablespoons salt

3 eggs

1. Start with 1 cup “good” wheat (pick out any chaff, stems, etc. and rinse). Soak overnight (on counter) in 2 cups warm water.

2. Next day put the wheat and water in the blender. Blend until fairly well cracked; don’t drain. Place this mixture in a large mixing bowl.

3. In another bowl, dissolve yeast in 2 cups warm water. Add to wheat mixture, blend well with a wooden spoon (or electric mixer).

4. Add and mix 2 cups flour, honey, butter, salt, eggs, than add 2 more cups of additional flour; continue beating. Mix in 5 or 6 cups additional flour. Work dough by hand (or with dough hook) until it can be kneaded without stickiness.

5. Knead well (usually about 10 minutes), adding more flour as needed.

6. Form dough into a large ball. Put in a large bowl that has been coated with oil or a thin layer of shortening; then turn so greased surface is up. Cover with a towel.

7. Let rise until double in size. Punch down. Let dough rest 10 minutes.

8. Shape into (4) loaves and put into greased pans.

Bread has been slashed and is ready to go into the oven. I put the baguettes
in French bread pans but they can also be placed on a cookie sheet as well.

9. Let loaves rise until double in size. (If bread has been formed into baguettes, make 3-4 diagonal slashes across the top (at about a 20 degree angle) with a sharp knife. Slashing provides a means for some of the carbon dioxide gas to escape during the baking process and helps prevent the bread from splitting and cracking during baking.)

10.Bake 40 minutes in a 350° preheated oven. (Loaves should be nicely browned and sound hollow if removed from pan and tapped on the bottom or sides).

11.Remove baked loaves from pans and cool on racks.

* “Good” wheat refers to wheat berries and these can be purchased at a health food store or untreated wheat berries might be procured from a farmer during harvest. Or simply use cracked wheat and soak as directed; if in a hurry -- place cracked wheat in water and microwave about 5 minutes; cool and use. Bulger (cracked wheat that has been partially cooked) would also work in this recipe – soak it in hot water (long enough to soften) and proceed with recipe.

** During earlier times, wheat berries were probably ground with a mortar or stone grinder. It can be assumed that the flour used would have probably been all whole wheat.

For addition info. and tips on bread baking on our blog, go to . . .

Bread Baking Tips

Yeast Tips & Info

Erabell's Cheese Bits

Remembering Erabell Venneberg

We recently attended the Solomon High School alumni reunion as guests of the class of 1981. During dinner we set with former faculty members, including Clyde Venneberg, the principal that hired Barry. As we were reminiscing, I couldn’t help but think of Erabell, Clyde’s wife.

Barry came home from his first day of school at SHS (fall, 1978) with what was left of a plate of goodies. That assortment of home baked treats was prepared by Erabell Venneberg . . . and similar plates greeted each teacher that year and every year, until Clyde retired.

Erabell was an unforgettable lady – positive, cheerful and always glad to see everyone. She always had a smile on her face and a kind word for all.

She made several different cheese crackers, this is just one of them . . .

Cheese Bits

Great with cocktails, as an accompaniment to salads or just for snacking.

2 cups Cheddar cheese, grated*

2 sticks (1 cup) butter or margarine

Dash Tabasco® hot sauce or Worcestershire

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups rice crispy cereal

1. Mix cheese, butter and Tabasco® or Worcestershire in a large bowl with an electric mixer.

2. Add flour and rice crispy cereal. Mix well.

3. Roll into balls and place on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Flatten with a fork or the bottom of a flour-dipped glass.

4. Bake 12 minutes in a preheated 350° oven (cheese crackers should be a nice golden brown on the bottom and lightly browned on top).

5. Cool on a rack. Store in an airtight container. They do freeze well if you can stop eating them long enough to save a few for the freezer.

Romaine Leaves w/ Thousand Island Dressing

The inspiration for this salad was the Iceberg wedge, popular in the 1950s and ‘60s. Literally a wedge of crisphead lettuce drenched in a thick dressing and topped with chopped tomatoes, the salad seemed to lose its popularity in the ‘70s and ‘80s. Spring green mixes and light vinaigrettes eventually took its place. However is the last few years, the wedge has resurfaced as a trendy menu item, often accompanied by bleu cheese dressing and nuts.

I watched Paula Deen the other day and she made a wedge salad with a homemade Thousand Island dressing as a tribute to one she had eaten as a child. It looked good, but I didn’t have Iceberg, so I used Romaine leaves and made a few changes in her dressing and this was the result . . .

Romaine or Wedge Salad

Romaine or wedges of Iceberg lettuce

Thousand Island Dressing

Chopped tomatoes (allow ¼ to 1/3 of a large tomato per person)

Hard cook egg (allow ½ of a finely chopped egg per person)

Crouton toast*, if desired

(Other possible salad additions: bacon bits, chopped green onions or chives, grated Cheddar cheese or, add slices of grilled chicken or grilled shrimp for a main dish salad)

1. Wash and dry lettuce. Separate Romaine into leave and pile onto a salad plate. Or, remove any wilted outer leaves from Iceberg lettuce; cut into wedges and place on plate.

2. Ladle dressing across leaves or wedge so that it runs over one side. Sprinkle with chopped tomatoes and chopped onions and any other additions of your choice.

3. Add a couple of crouton toasts to the side of the plate, if desired.

Thousand Island Dressing Makes 1¼ cups

½ clove garlic, minced

¼ teaspoon kosher salt plus more to taste

3/4 cup mayonnaise

¼ cup bottled chili sauce**

2 tablespoons ketchup

1½ tablespoons minced onion

2 teaspoons sweet pickle relish

1/2 hard-cooked large egg, pushed through a sieve or finely chopped

Freshly ground black pepper

1. Make a paste with the garlic and ¼ teaspoon of the salt by crushing them with the side of a chef's knife.

2. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the garlic, mayonnaise, chili sauce, ketchup, onion and relish Season with salt and pepper to taste.

3. Use now or store covered in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

*Crouton Toast – Cut French, Italian, or herbed bread into thin slices. Place on a cookie sheet; brush lightly with olive oil; turn bread and brush the other side. Sprinkle with dried herbs that compliment the other flavors in the salad + a little Kosher salt, if desired. Put cookie sheet in a preheated 350° oven and bake about 10 minutes (checking frequently) or until croutons are golden brown and crisp. Cool and store in an air-tight container until ready to use.

**To make a homemade chili sauce, combine 1 c. tomato sauce, ¼ c. brown sugar, 2 Tbsp. vinegar, ¼ tsp. cinnamon, dash of ground cloves & dash of allspice (this can also be located in the Substitution chart under the MIXES & MORE tab at the top of the page – scroll down the page to locate the chart).

Origins of Thousand Island Dressing

Finding the origins of food and tracking their history is another one of my interests. A great resource is The Food Timeline (http://www.foodtimeline.org/index.html). The info that follows is an edited version of what I discovered at that that website.

Many food historians credit Sophia LaLonde, of Clayton NY, with the invention of Thousand Island dressing. Her recipe, as legend has it, was popular with vacationers summering in the Thousand Island region between New York and Canada. LaLonde's hotel, now renamed the Thousand Island Inn, stills serves the "original product."

Historians also credit another originator — Chef Theo Rooms of Chicago. According to the “National Culinary Progress” magazine, “It was first produced in The Blackstone of Chicago, when this hotel was first opened, and Mr. Rooms was the chef de garde manger. The magazine quotes Mr. Rooms to the effect that it was first called Blackstone Dressing. Later, Mr. Rooms, in collaboration with Albert Awater, maitre d'hotel of the Blackstone, gave to it the name Thousand Island Dressing.

Yet another story of its creation is that it originated in the home of George C. Boldt, in the Thousand Islands of the St. Lawrence River, and that it was served under the name of Thousand Island Dressing in the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, New York, before being served in The Blackstone."

Relishing RHUBARB! Rhubarb Crumble Pie

Out by my grandparent’s windmill, there was a big patch of rhubarb. My mother’s rhubarb flourshed by the barn on the old Newell homestead. Both Grandma Newell and my mother (Phyllis Newell) used this tart fruit (which is technically a leafy vegetable from the buckwheat family) to make a tangy sauce (we ate it like applesauce) and as a filling for pies, crisps, etc. It was a summertime treat.

When Sandi Dutt recently offered me some homegrown rhubarb, I was not about to pass up such a generous offer. This ruby red variety came from her sister’s farm in Minnesota. (We have a patch but the stalks are green and it is far from being prolific.)

The big decision – what to make? So many recipes . . . but I finally decided on my mother’s Rhubarb Crumble Pie. It’s easy to prepare and we love the combination of the crunchy oatmeal crust with the cooked rhubarb.

Rhubarb Crumble Pie Makes one 9” pie

Crumb Crust:

2/3 cup packed brown sugar

½ cup al-purpose flour

1 ½ cup oats (I use old-fashioned but quick-cooking would work, too)

½ cup melted butter

½ cup chopped nuts, optional (we like the added crunch)

1. Mix all ingredients; reserve enough for topping.

2. Pat remainder into a sprayed or greased 9” pie plate.

Filling:

½ cup granulated sugar

1½ tablespoons all-purpose flour

3 to 4 cups rhubarb, cut into 1” pieces (1 lb. rhubarb stalks = 3 cups of raw, sliced rhubarb)

1. Mix ingredients until rhubarb is well coated. Turn this mixture into the Crumb Crust; sprinkle rhubarb with the reserved crumb mixture.

2. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes, or until rhubarb is soft and juice (from the cooked rhubarb) has thickened.

3. Serve warm topped with whipped cream or ice cream (but it’s good cold and with or without the additional toppings).

Mini Fiji fraternity reunion -- ready to eat Rhubarb Crumble Pie w/ Ice Cream (Barry West, Jim Taylor, Greg Stuart).

About Rhubarb . . .

· Choose rhubarb with moderately thin, crisp stalks that are brightly colored, and with leaves that are unwilted and blemish-free.

· To prepare rhubarb, remove leaves and rinse stalks just before using, patting dry. Trim the ends and cut into 1” chunks. Remove any tough strings as you would with celery (although they will usually break down during cooking).

· Leaves should never be eaten, because they are full of toxic oxalic acid.

· Fresh rhubarb is highly perishable, so wrap it tightly in a plastic bag to retain moisture, refrigerate, and use within 3 days.

· You can also freeze it for up to a year: Cut in into 1” chunkcs and seal in an airtight bag.

Homemade Version of Gates Rub & BBQ Sauce and recipes that use them . . .

Ollie Gates appeared on Martha Stewart (“From Martha’s Kitchen”) several years ago and shared recipes for his seasoning (dry rub) and BBQ sauce. We, of course, tried it and have been fans ever since.

His sauce is typically Midwestern – sweet, spicy, tangy and tomato based. Gates Bar-B-Q is world famous and has been around since 1946 (the first store was located at 19th and Vine in Kansas City, Missouri).

Gates Rib Seasoning (dry rub) Yield: about 2 cups

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup salt

2 tablespoons paprika

2 tablespoons crushed red pepper flakes

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon ground celery seed

1. In a medium bowl, combine sugar, salt, paprika, red pepper, cumin, and celery seed.

2. Store in an airtight jar at room temperature for up to 3 months.

Gates BBQ Sauce Yield: about 3 quarts

Although it can be used right after it’s made, the flavors do meld if allowed to set for a day or two. Simple to prepare – no all day simmering or fuss. I usually cut the recipe in half.

1 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup salt

2 tablespoons celery seed

2 tablespoons ground cumin

2 tablespoons ground red pepper

2 tablespoons garlic powder

1 tablespoon chili powder

2 quarts ketchup

2 cups apple cider vinegar

1 1/2 teaspoons liquid smoke

1 teaspoon lemon juice (we prefer fresh squeezed)

1. In a small bowl, combine sugar, salt, celery seed, cumin, red pepper, garlic powder, and chili powder. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, combine ketchup, vinegar, liquid smoke, and lemon juice. Add dry ingredients and mix until very well blended. Serve warm or at room temperature.

3. Sauce may be stored in an airtight container in refrigerator for up to 3 weeks or in freezer for up to 6 months.

Note: This is a thick sauce and can be thinned with a little water, if desired.

Here are two recipes that Ollie also shared on Martha’s show . . .

Gates Ribs w/ BBQ Sauce 18 to 20 servings

6 slabs of 2 1/2 to 3 pound pork spare ribs with skirt

2 cups Gates Rib Seasoning

Gates BBQ Sauce

1. Prepare and preheat grill. Use hickory chips and wood blocks to flavor the smoke. Indirect heat is recommended, so if using a standard charcoal grill, arrange coals to 1 side. Grill is ready when temperature reaches 230 - 250°.

2. Trim ribs and blot with paper towels; then sprinkle rib seasoning on both sides. Marinate for 15 minutes.

3. Arrange slabs on grill rack, starting close to the fire so that the ribs cook fast in the beginning and then move the meat away from the fire so that they continue to cook slowly. Continue cooking the slabs for 1 hour for the first pound and 30 minutes more for each additional pound, approximately 2 hours. Ribs are done when you can gently pull them apart with gloved hands.

4. In a saucepan, heat barbecue sauce. Transfer ribs to a cutting board, and cool slightly. Cut between individual ribs and serve with barbecue sauce.

Gates BBQ Baked Beans 18 to 20 servings

2 (55-ounce) cans baked beans

1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar

1/2 cup molasses

3 tablespoons Gates Rib Seasoning

3/4 cup Gates BBQ Sauce

1 teaspoon liquid smoke

1. In a cast iron pot, combine beans, brown sugar, molasses, Rib Seasoning, Barbecue Sauce, and liquid smoke.

2. Cook on the grill, stirring occasionally, until a hardened "crust" forms on top of beans, about 20 minutes.

For other recipes that use Ollie’s BBQ sauce, go to Gates Bar-B-Q website.

Have A Ball! . . . with Cake Balls or Cake Pops

Have A Ball! . . . with Cake Balls or Cake Pops

Itty-bitty cakes with the frosting on the inside! This dessert is a trendy blend of cupcakes and bite-size desserts. Crumbled baked cake is combined with frosting, rolled into balls that are into confectionery coating which creates a glossy, crisp exterior.

I originally put this page together for a Christmas tea we did at the Kirby House a couple of years ago. Cake balls were just becoming popular and so I adapted some of the available information and ideas to use with the Kirby House Carrot Cake recipe. This information was available in handout form for all partygoers.

Chocolate Carrot Cake Balls Makes 4 to 5 dozen

Carrot Cake . . . Begin with the Kirby House’s signature cake recipe

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 1/2 cups granulated sugar

2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

2 1/2 teaspoons salt

2 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

5 eggs

1 1/4 cups vegetable oil (canola)

5 cups shredded carrots (approximately 1 1/4 lb.)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a jelly-roll pan.

Mix together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the eggs until frothy. Gradually add the oil while beating. Next, gradually add the flour mixture and mix just until blended.

Pour into prepared pans. Run a table knife through batter to break large air bubbles and to evenly distribute batter. Bake for 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from oven, allow to cool slightly; while still warm, crumble the cake into a large bowl. With a fork, mash in Maple Cream Cheese Frosting (use just enough so that you can easily form ball shapes). Chill mixture for at least 2 hours.

With your hands, form the mixture into 1 1/2” balls or use a melon scoop to create uniform and easy-to-eat small balls; place balls on wax paper, and freeze at least 6 hours. However, before dipping, make sure the cake balls aren’t frozen solid because after being dipped, the coating has a tendency to crack when drying.

Using toothpick or a fork, dip each ball into warm melted Vanilla or Dark Chocolate Confectionery Coating (or use dark, semi-sweet or white chocolate instead), working in small batches. Set on wax paper to harden, placing the spot where you pierced the ball down to cover the hole, or cover the hole with decoration. Dipped cake balls can be kept frozen for weeks.

NOTE: For excellent step-by-step directions (with photos) go to Dawn James' blog -- http://jamesfavoriterecipes.blogspot.com/2011/07/cake-pops.html or Cake Pops - A Tutorial

Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

1/4 cup butter, softened (1/2 stick)

8 oz. cream cheese

1 teaspoon maple flavoring

4 1/3 cups powdered sugar

(1 tablespoons water)

Cream together butter and cream cheese. Add maple flavoring and gradually add powdered sugar (sift if lumpy) until spreading consistency is reached. Add water if frosting is too stiff.

Vanilla or Chocolate Coating Confectionery coating or almond bark is the key ingredient in cake balls. It melts easily and does not need to be tempered. Vanilla and chocolate almond bark are sold in most supermarkets; cake supply and craft stores offer confectionery coating in wafer form in a range of flavors and colors.

Confection coating or almond bark is a blend of sugar, milk powder, hardened vegetable fats and flavorings.

48 oz. (3 lb.) dark or white chocolate or vanilla flavor confectionery coating wafers*

Heat and stir wafers, using a double boiler or microwave oven, just until melted, stirring until smooth, using care not to scorch.

Note: If using almond bark instead of the wafers, stir in 1 teaspoon vegetable oil per every 20 oz. package.

Added Optional Decorations & Additions

Fill a narrow-tip plastic squeeze bottle with a contrasting color of melted coating and paint strips over the balls.
Sprinkle on rainbow jimmies, colored sparkling sugar or finely chopped nuts.
Insert a popsicle stick in the ball to create a cake pop.

Adding Color to Confectionery Wafer Coating or Almond Bark -- Food coloring from the supermarket doesn’t work well. Oil-based dye is a must. Start with a few drops, and add a little at a time to the melted coating. The oil in the dye will cause the coating to set up quickly so if you plan to add jimmies, etc., so add sprinkles immediately after dipping cake balls.

OTHER CAKE BALL OPTIONS -- Almost any cake and frosting combinations work including cake and frosting mixes (use a standard cake mix, 18.25 oz. along w/ 16 oz. of canned frosting). Here are some ideas for winning combos:

Strawberry cake w/ strawberry frosting & chocolate coating
Red velvet cake, chocolate frosting & chocolate or vanilla coating
Devil’s food cake w/ fudge icing & dark chocolate coating
German chocolate cake w/ coconut-pecan icing & milk-chocolate flavored coating
Yellow cake w/ buttercream frosting and orange-colored vanilla coating
Lemon cake w/ lemon frosting & vanilla coating
Chocolate cake w/ vanilla frosting & mint-flavored coating tinted green
White confetti cake w/ white frosting & rainbow-colored jimmies / vanilla or white chocolate coating tinted pink

Cherry Slices

I first tasted this delicious pastry at a Delta Kappa Gamma (women teacher's organization) brunch meeting. Elinor Haas had prepared it and willingly shared the recipe.
One of those recipes that was easy enough for high school Foods students to prepare but fancy enough to serve for an elaborate brunch. It makes a nice coffee or snack cake and is also great for pot lucks.

Cherry Slices
1 cup butter or margarine

1¾ cups granulated sugar

4 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

2½ cups all-purpose flour

1½ teaspoons baking powder

Pinch of salt

1 (21 oz.) can cherry pie filling

Frosting

1 cup powdered sugar, sifted

Milk

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Grease or spray a 11”x17” cookie sheet with sides.

2. Combine butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla; beat at medium speed, about 2 minutes, until light and fluffy.

3. Gradually add flour, baking powder, and salt. Beat well.
4. Spread dough in prepared pan, saving 1½ cups of batter for top. (An offset spatula is great for this task.)

5. Spread cherry pie filling over dough.

6. Drop rest of dough by spoonfuls and spread out (it will not, and need not, cover the entire surface of the cherry pie filling).

7. Bake 40 minutes.

8. Mix powdered sugar with enough milk to make a thin glaze.

9. Drizzle over warm coffee cake.

10. When cool, cut into squares.

Recipe without photos . . .

Cherry Slices

1 cup butter or margarine