Italian Pizza Dough

This is my adaptation of the delectable "Tammy's Italian Cheese Bread" recipe. It's so good! Make sure to try the Cheese Bread when having spaghetti.

Italian Pizza Dough

10 cups bread flour (will not work with AP flour)
4 tsp salt
4 tsp sugar
1 Tbsp yeast
1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp garlic powder
4 cups warm water
1/4 cup olive oil

In your mixer bowl with dough hook, combine first 6 ingredients, mix well. Add liquid ingredients and, once dough is combined, allow to knead 4-5 minutes. Let rest, covered, for 20 minutes (can be skipped if in a great hurry). Form into pizzas. Top as desired. This makes three large, thin pizzas or two thick ones.

2010 Canning Inventory

With the year wrapped up, I can post all that I canned this year. Keeping track helps me know what I need to make more of and what I can skip in 2011.

11 quarts strawberry-lemonade concentrate
28 pints strawberry jam
9 pints strawberry-blueberry jam
10 pints pizza sauce
5 pints banana-strawberry jam
9 pints spiced peach jam
6 pints vanilla peach jam
10 pints peach plum jam
5 pints peach strawberry jam
14 pints zucchini salsa
6 pints hot El-Pato sauce
12 pints apricot-strawberry jam
9 quarts picante sauce
12 pints picante sauce
18 quarts mexican tomato sauce
5 quarts apple pear sauce
27 quarts applesauce
37 quarts pickles
8 pints lemon juice
10 half-pints lemon juice
21 quarts apple pie filling
5 quarts pinto beans
9 quarts turkey meat and broth

I canned many more beans in 2009. I found that I was using them almost as fast as I was canning them, though, so I forced myself to stop and get in the habit of cooking beans on a regular basis. In 2011, I plan to get about 20 quarts on the shelf and leave them there for needful meals, not for convenience. I also need to make more meals-in-a-jar. We depleted them when Polly was hospitalized last year. I have chili canning as I type this, for my first entry on the 2011 canning inventory. Several soups are on my to-do list for the coming weeks.

I *miss* having canned green beans. I was not able to make a bulk purchase at the farmer's market at all last year. Spring can't come fast enough! We do have a small number of strawberry based jams left, but they are almost gone. I used our last bag of frozen berries in smoothies last month. I should increase the strawberry jams by a batch or two.

Buckeye Candy

This is going on my Christmas dessert table. Yum! I found it at Plain Pam's Blog.

Buckeye Candy

1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
6 ounces semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips
2 tablespoons coconut oil

Directions
1.Line a baking sheet with waxed paper; set aside.
2.In a medium bowl, mix peanut butter, butter, vanilla, and confectioners' sugar with hands to form a smooth stiff dough. Shape into balls using 2 teaspoons of dough for each ball. Place on prepared pan, and refrigerate.
3.Melt coconut oil and chocolate together in a metal bowl over a pan of lightly simmering water. Stir occasionally until smooth, and remove from heat.
4.Remove balls from refrigerator. Insert a wooden toothpick into a ball, and dip into melted chocolate. Return to wax paper, chocolate side down, and remove toothpick. Repeat with remaining balls. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to set.

Apple Farina Pudding

Apple Farina Pudding

Pour the left-over breakfast porridge into a 8x8 and stand it aside. When cooled, cut this into thin slices, cover the bottom of a 9x 13 baking-dish with these slices, and cover these with sliced apples, and so continue until you have the ingredients used, having the last layer apples. Beat an egg, without separating, until light, add a cup of milk and a teaspoon of salt, then stir in a cup of flour. When smooth pour this over the apples and bake in a quick oven a half hour or so.

Jackie Clay's Canned Beef or Venison Stew

This is from Jackie Clay's blog. She's the very best source of canning wisdom.
Beef (or venison) Stew

5 pounds stew meat
1 Tbsp cooking oil
3 quarts cubed potatoes
2 quarts sliced or cut carrots
3 cups chopped celery
3 cups chopped onions
1 quart or more tomato sauce or stewed tomatoes (optional; may use water)
1½ Tbsp. salt
½ tsp. black pepper
Cut meat into 1-inch cubes; brown in oil. Combine meat, vegetables, and seasonings in large stockpot and cover with tomato sauce, tomatoes, or water and bring to a boil. Do not cook. Ladle hot stew into hot jars, leaving 1 inch of headroom. Remove any air bubbles. Wipe jar rim clean, put hot, previously simmered lid on jar and screw down ring firmly tight. Process pints for 75 minutes and quarts for 90 minutes at 10 pounds pressure.

*Note to self, thicken this after opening and reheating. Use arrowroot, flour or cornstarch.

Oat Dinner Rolls

I found these at Enola Gay's blog Paratus Familia.

Oat Dinner Rolls

5 cups water (divided)
2 cups oats, freshly rolled, if possible
1 1/3 cup brown sugar
6 Tbsp butter
3 tsp salt
1/4 cup yeast
10-12 cups flour

Boil 4 cups of water. Stir in oats and simmer. Add sugar, butter, salt and rest of water. Cool.

Stir in yeast - let sponge.

Add flour, 1 cup at a time. Put dough in lightly greased bowl. Cover with a towel and let rise in a warm place. Punch down, let rise until almost double. Punch down again. Shape into rolls. Let rise until almost double.

Bake for 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees.

Harvest Cookies

I found these at Enola Gay's blog Paratus Familia. They sound SO good!

Harvest Cookies

1 cup butter
3 cups packed brown sugar
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp ground nutmeg
2 eggs
2 cups chopped peeled apples
2 cups chopped walnuts
1/2 cup milk (or apple juice)
2 C all-purpose Flour

Vanilla Glaze:
3 cups confectioners' Sugar
2 Tbsp butter
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
5 Tbsp milk

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter, sugar, baking soda, salt, spices and egg. Stir in apples, nuts, milk and half of the flour; mix well. Blend in remaining flour. Drop by heaping tablespoons onto greased baking sheets. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 - 12 minutes. Remove to wire racks. Combine glaze ingredients and spread over cookies while warm. Yield: about 6 dozen.

Coating Mix for Meats

This breading mix can be used on a variety of meats. You can alter any of the spices to your liking, as well.

Coating Mix For Meats

2 cups dry bread crumbs
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp paprika
1 tsp celery salt
1 tsp onion salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp poultry seasoning
1/4 cup oil

Blend all ingredients with a fork. If using a shelf stable oil, you can make this ahead of time and keep it stored in your cupboard in an airtight container. I prefer to use coconut oil and make it as I need it.

To use, place spice mix in a baggie or a pie plate. Moisten meat with egg, water or milk. and shake or press, one piece at a time, till covered well. Bake or fry meat as desired.