Great Grandma Jones Homemade Bread

2 Cups Scalded Milk cooled to lukewarm

2 Cups Water Lukewarm

1 Large Cake Yeast or 3 pkgs Dried Yeast

5 heaping TB Lard or Crisco (I use Canola or Olive Oil)

4 TB Sugar

4 tsp Salt

12 Cups Flour (Approx.)

In a large bowl mix Crisco, Sugar and Salt in the Scalded Milk and let cool to lukewarm, add 1 cup of lukewarm water.

Proof the yeast in 1 cup of lukewarm water by adding 1 tsp Sugar and mixing well. Let it bubble up at least an inch, then add to remaining ingredients in the bowl.
Now add about 4 cups flour using the mixer or by hand. Mix well after each addition of flour. When it gets thick enough to knead, either let the mixer knead it, if you have that attachment, or knead it by hand in the bowl or on the table top at least 100 "turns" or even 200 if you used bread flour. (Bread flour has more gluten and needs more kneading than All Purpose flour).

Place dough in a large greased bowl and oil spray the top of the dough, then cover with plastic wrap or a cotton cloth. Don't forget to oil spray the top of the dough before covering. Let rise about 1-2 hours, until double in bulk, then punch down dough turn over to empty puffy dough onto table or counter top and divide the dough into 4 equal pieces. Shape the dough into a loaf by rolling flat to remove air bubbles and then shaping into loaves. Place in oil sprayed loaf pans. I weigh mine-24 ounces for a medium loaf pan- 8 and 1/2" X 4 and 1/2 " and 30 ounces for a large loaf pan like Pampered Chef sells.

Let loaves rise until 1" above sides of pans, then bake in  400 degree oven for 40 minutes, or until a nice medium/dark brown. They should sound hollow when tapped on bottom. Cool on racks completely before slicing and or freezing.

NOTE: I personally cut the cooled loaves in slices and freeze 2-3 slices in sandwich bags so the loaf doesn't go moldy on me, taking outhem out as I need them, because there are no preservatives in them. I even freeze whole loaves and THEN thaw them and slice them and refreeze them with no problem.

Lorraine's Light Chicken Marinade

1/2 Cup Burgundy Cooking Wine

1/2 Cup Olive or Canola Oil

1 TB Kikkoman Soy Sauce

1 TB Yellow Mustard

1 TB Minced Garlic

1 tsp Sugar

1/2 tsp Emeril's Original Seasoning

1/2 tsp Mrs. Dash Italian Medley

Mix well and place in a flat dish, or set aside to pour over chicken in a zip lock bag.

Cut your chicken breasts lengthwise into 3 pieces, poke holes in it with a "nail" type tenderizer on both sides.  Then place in marinade and place in fridge for about 3 hours. Turn once half way through. Grill at least 5 minutes on each side. This is a flavorful marinade that doesn't overpower your taste buds. No dipping sauce needed.

Baking Bread

I'm baking bread today! Three loaves at a time. I would have made 5 but mom and dad didn't need any.

Crock Pot Chicken Soup

3 LB whole Chicken or 6 or more large chicken thighs.

4 carrots diced small 1/4"

1 Lg Onion diced small 1/4"

2 stalks celery, diced small  1/4"

2 Cups Peas

2 TB BETTER THAN BOUILLON

1/2 heaping cup pearl Barley

10 Cups water

1 tsp salt

1 tsp Essence of Emeril.

Throw all ingredients except the frozen peas. Let cook on high for 4 hours. Remove chicken and de-bone after it cools. Cut in bite sized pieces and add to crock pot with the 2 cups of peas. Let cook another hour then serve. This freezes well.
NOTE: Add any other veggie you like. I often add 2 LB of mixed vegetables for a more filing soup.

Buffalo Chicken Egg Rolls

3 chicken breasts

1 Pkg of Egg Roll Wrappers (20)

12 OZ shredded Cheddar , Sharp or Blue Cheese.

3/4 Cup Crystal or Franks Hot Sauce

1/2 Stick Butter

1 tsp Sugar

Beaten egg to wet the edges of wrappers.

Oil for frying egg rolls.

Cook the chicken either by poaching for 45 minutes or grilling the breasts after they've been cut in 3 chicken tender sized pieces.  Cool and then shred or cut up small. Pour wing sauce over the chicken and set aside while you get the oil ready for frying and lay out 6 egg roll wrappers and place 2 TB of the chicken as directed on egg roll package. Then place a hand full of cheese on chicken on top and wet the edges of the wrapper and rol as directed on package. Set on a plate and make 6 more egg rolls up. Make all twenty egg rolls then proceed to fry them, either in a Fry Daddy or in 1/4 " of Canola Oil. Brown on both sides and drain well.

NOTE: One recipe I saw online mentions placing 1 TB Cole Slaw on top of the meat too. I did not, although shredded cabbage would have been okay.
Another recipe I saw mentions spraying the egg roll with Oil spray and baking for 20 minutes at 400 degrees until brown and crispy. I may try that next time to save calories.

Sweet Potato Pie! LOL

No Knead Bread

I made my first batch of No Knead Bread this morning. I admit I mixed the sticky dough by hand before setting it aside for the first rise. But I did knead the 5 loaves of bread individually only 15 turns before shaping into loaves. Still and all it was a lot less kneading and on smaller dough balls, so it was easier. The recipe was just like French Bread.. Unbleached flour, yeast, water and salt. I baked mine in loaf pans though - no cottage loaves for me since I toast my bread quite a lot.

6 & 1/2 to 7 & 1/2 Cups Unbleached Flour

3 Cups Lukewarm Water

1 TB Salt

1 and 1/2 TB dry Yeast (4 and 1/2 tsp)

 If dipping measuring cup into flour before leveling off, use 6 and 1/2 cups. If pouring the flour into cups before leveling off, use 7 and a 1/2 cups.

Mix well and set aside for first rise in the fridge for 2 hours if you plan to bake the bread right away.  Then form into 2 loaves or 3 small loves and let rise again. Bake at 400 degrees for 40 minutes.

If you want to bake the later or the next day place dough in fridge for 2 hours up until 7 days before forming into loaves and letting rise before baking. The longer you let dough ferment in the fridge the more it tastes tangy like sour dough bread.