Thursday, February 21, 2008

Hamburger, AGAIN!!!

Rule # 1: NEVER brown hamburger on high heat. Use medium; you might still burn it, but then it's your fault not mine.

Rule #2: Even if I don't write/type it. Drain the grease. Every one has their favorite way, but NEVER put the grease down the sink (the drain pipe will eventually clog) or straight into a plastic bag lined trash can (it will melt the bag if hot). I've got an empty can near the stove to pour/spoon or baster squirt the hot grease into. Throw the can away when it is full or stinky & cool . I also put paper towels into the meat to sop up the grease. By the way, when thinking of how much grease needs to be drained, just imagine the grease clogging in your arteries the way it does in the drain or in that can.

Things people debate: Do you put the onions & garlic, salt & pepper into hamburger as it browns or after you drain the grease? If you do it before you drain the grease, then the seasonings supposedly cook into the meat better. This is especially true for dry minced onions and garlic. But some seasonings and flavor seem to leave the pan with the grease.... So you figure out what works for you.

Efficiency advice: Buy big packages, then that day or the next do some combination of the following: Shape hamburger patties, mix meatloaf or meatballs, brown the rest of the meat chopping it into a fine texture as it cooks. Season the cooked meat with at least salt & pepper, or add onions, garlic, or season all. Refrigerate or freeze for anticipated use. If you do this, then the meals are prepped much faster and there is less whining about how long until dinner. It also helps prevent food from going bad since you are more likely to use it. Similar advice can apply to marinating cheap steak meat by cutting it for fahitas, stir fry, stroganoff, etc.



Sloppy Joes --

Grammy style-- the original recipe

Brown 1-2 pounds hamburger
Add 1 can tomato soup
1 knife of mustard
a big glob of ketchup to even out the consistency
blob of barbecue or Heinz 57 for flavor
Stir until evenly heated. Serve on sliced bread.

Mama style: omit mustard, add onion or onion powder, & just a small dash of cinnamon, bigger blob of barbecue, smaller glob of ketchup. Served on onion buns or in pita bread with some american or cheddar cheese.

Carl style: tomato soup & KC Masterpiece barbecue sauce. Sliced bread.


Clearwater Kayette Style: (an actual recipe that was usually tripled for wrestling meets)
1 pound browned hamburger 2 Tablespoons milk
1 small can tomato sauce 1 Cup instant oatmeal
2 Tablespoons BBQ sauce salt & pepper
2 Tablespoons onion flakes

Simmer 10-15 minutes. (then kept warm in a crock pot until served to the customers.)


Meatloafs-- hamburger is uncooked while mixing

Mama Original

1 or 2 pounds of hamburger depending on budget & size of crowd
1 egg (never 2 even when I make a huge batch 2 doesn't work)
1 or 1 and 1/2 Cup quick cook oatmeal

Take a big spoonful of beef boullion, boil it in less water than how much oatmeal you used. (If you used 1 cup oatmeal use about 3/4 Cup water; if you used 1 & 1/2 Cup oatmeal use about 1 cup water.

Add minced onions, or onion powder; salt, pepper, season-all, what ever...
Mix it altogether. Shape it into a low wide loaf shape, and put it on a sheet cake pan or a 9x13. The edges of the loaf should not touch the edge of the pan. You want a place for the grease to drain to.

Bake at 350 for 45 -60 minutes. Serve with brown gravy.

Italian Variation---
There was once a real recipe, but this is as close as I can get since I've not looked at for 5-6 years.

Take the basic recipe above, but use tomato sauce or spahetti sauce instead of the water & boullion. Add oregano, marjoram, thyme, garlic,basil, fennel, "italian seasonings" until it smells yummy.

Get out a piece of wax paper & some Mozzerella cheese.

"Roll" or pat out the meat until it's a good rectangle about a 1/2 inch thick. Put Mozzerella cheese on the rectangle. Pick up an edge of the wax paper & roll the meat into a loaf (like a jelly roll). Get the meat onto the pan with the edge/seam down. Throw away the wax paper.

Bake at 350 for about an hour. Serve with spaghetti sauce.

Meatballs variation
Mix 1 pound Italian sausage with 1-2 pounds hamburger
Follow the basic recipe using tomato sauce & Italian seasonings. Do NOT add more fennel!

Shape into meatballs. Put on broiler pans to keep out of grease drippings. Bake at 375 for 10-15 minutes. Serve with spaghetti or as appetizers w/ toothpicks.




"Souper" Meatloaf (serves 6)

1 can cream of onion soup 1 beaten egg
1 and 1/2 pounds hamburger 1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup fine dry bread crumbs 1/4 cup water
2 Tablespoons chopped parsley 1/4 teaspoon soy sauce

Mix beef, crumbs, parsley, egg, salt & 1/2 Cup soup, Shape firmly into loaf. Place in shallow dish. Bake at 350 for 75 minutes.

Blend remaining soup, water, soy & 2-3 Tablespoons of drippings. Heat, stir some. Serve w/ meat.

Real Recipe Meatloaf --for you novice meatloafers
This is the recipe I grew up using.

1 & 1/2 pounds groundbeef 1 Cup cracker crumbs
2 eggs 1 Cup (8 oz can) tomato sauce
1/2 Cup finely chopped onion (or LESS) 1 & 1/2 teaspoon salt
"spices" a dash or two (In my mom's house this means salt & pepper or season-all)

Mix in order given. Shape into loaf. Put into 1 1/2 quart oven proof glass pan (more usually a metal bread pan)... Bake at 350 for 75-90 minutes. Before last 15 minutes brush with a mixture of 2 Tablespoons ketchup & 1 tablespoon brown sugar or with some BBQ.

Bacon Meatloaf:

2 pounds hamburger 1 teaspoon Accent (a salt)
2 eggs 1/2 Cup warm water
1 & 1/2 Cup bread crumbs 1 package dry onion soup mix
3/4 Cup catsup 8 ounce can of tomato sauce
2 strips of bacon

Beat & mix everything except bacon & tomato sauce. Shape into loaf. Put in a loaf pan. cover w/ bacon & tomato sauce. Bake at 350 for 60 minutes.


Hamloaf variation: --- for the more experienced meatloafer

Take the last inch or so of the ham heel that no one ever wants to eat. Chop it up real small or grind it up. Toss it into almost any of these recipes using less hamburger. Avoid the Italian seasonings & go easy on the beef boullion. Put in seasonings that sound good with pork or ham, if you want... but the ham gives it a nice flavor anyway without needing much help. Cook until its done.

Pasta & Burger Combinations
To get the hang of some of these I first bought products like Hamburger Helper, but usually the store brand since it cost less. To be truthful, there are a few flavors I never figured out... Potato Stroganoff & and a newer one that uses shredded Hashbrowns & "cheese", so I still buy these. Others are not inspired by those boxes, but were actual recipes given to me. All basically have meat & pasta.

Spaghetti --- the easy way.
buy a package of spaghetti,
buy a can/jar of tomato sauce
buy a package of spaghetti seasoning if the sauce isn't already flavored.
Use about a pound of hamburger... less if you're really poor, or find the meatball recipe in the meatloaf section above.

Read the instructions on the spaghetti, &/or pre-made sauce or packet of seasoning. Follow the directions.

Goulash---
1/2 to one pound hamburger brown & drain grease
use shells or macaroni & follow the packages cooking instructions.
use 16 ounce can of plain tomato sauce & some water, or stewed tomatoes
Use onions-- you can make them big enough to see, or be wimpy with onion powder.
Season with lots of paprika, garlic, a little bit of chili powder, oregano, & tiny bit of nutmeg
Some folks like green peppers in it, but I don't use it.

Goulash sauce is thinner than most spaghetti sauces, and it is not Italian. Usually it's considered "Hungarian," but I make the south central Kansas version that my mom probably learned from her German mama.

Buckaroo Goulash-- kids like it

1/2 pound hamburger 1/2 Cup BBQ sauce
1 Cup water 1 pound hotdogs cut into 3/4" slices
2 & 1/4 Cup cooked noodles (or wagon wheel pasta)
1 Cup shredded american or cheddar cheese

Brown & drain hamburger in skillet. Add BBQ, water & hotdogs. Cover & simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in noodles, cook until evenly heated & saucy. Sprinkle with cheese & serve.

Beef & Noodles soup
Cook cheap pasta/noodles in a nice strong beef boullion, but don't drain water. Uses less water & improves noodle flavor.
Add 1/2 to 1 cup of cooked drained hamburger ( or left over pot roast)
Onions, salt, pepper

My kids have started adding american cheese to this once it is on their plates & that's good too.

Ground Beef Stroganoff -- can use small strips of cheap steak instead

Cook noodles in beef boullion but don't drain the water
Add the cooked & drained beef,
Worchester sauce-- probably a Tablespoon or so.
Couple BIG spoonfuls of sour cream (or a can of cream of onion soup)
1/2 to 1 teaspoon of paprika
salt & pepper to taste.

Skillet Lasagna

Cook noodles in water; drain
Add:
1/2 to 1 Cup hamburger
tomato or spaghetti sauce
package of spaghetti sauce seasoning if using cheap tomato sauce
A couple of spoonfuls of sour cream
A spoonful of cottage cheese ( or ricotta if you're wealthy)

Mix well & simmer for a while.
Sprinkle with mozzerella &/or parmesan & serve.

Cheeseburger Mac

Cook macaroni; drain most of the water. Put heat on medium low.
Add milk so pasta won't stick to the bottom of the pan.
Add lots & lots of american cheese (or store brand version of Velveeta)
(in an emergency, cottage cheese with yellow or orange food coloring added to the milk early in the process can help if you don't have enough yellow cheese.)
Salt & PEPPER & onion powder or minced onions.
Bacon bits are nice touch too, if you can afford them.

Muffins

NUMBER ONE Rule for Muffins: DO NOT MIX them until batter is smooth. Leave the batter a little lumpy, but NOT CLUMPY. Over mixing makes the muffins tough & chewy.

Not Necessarily the Same Ol' Muffins

This recipe was originally called Sweeter Muffins by Linda Reida who won a ribbon for them at a 4-H fair when she was quite young. The original recipe has none of the options in parentheses or in the optional list at the end and is very yummy too.

1 egg 1/2 Cup sugar (if using sweetened 1/2 C milk applesauce instead of oil, use slightly 1/4 Cup vegetable oil less sugar)
1/4 cup vegetable oil (or 2 teaspoons baking powder
applesauce) 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 and 1/2 Cup sifted flour (can substitute 1/2 cup wheat flour or cornmeal)

Optional: Suggest use only one at a time.

1/2 to 1 Cup drained diced canned fruit Cinnamon &/or nutmeg, anise 1/2 to 1 Cup frozen berries mace or cardamon to taste
1Tablespoon poppy seed, or orange peel 1/2 to 1 Cup chocolate chips
1 Tablespoon of your favorite coffee 1-2 Tablespoons of cocoa (but then add a bit more sugar too.)

Beat egg. Stir in milk and oil. Stir dry ingredients & optional ingredients in until moistened and lumpy. If using poppy seed or orange peel, add them to wet ingredients & let them sit for just a few minutes before adding other dry ingredients. Fill muffin pan/papers about 2/3 full. Bake at 400 for 20-25 minutes if no wet fruit or 25-35 for wet fruit. I have used mashed bananas too, but I don't recall how much, probably only one or two. Sometimes when using wheat flour, you may need more milk or the wetter fruit. Makes 12-18 muffins


Bran Muffins -- courtesy Nabisco Bran cereal

1 Cup flour 1 Cup milk
1/2 teaspoon salt 3 Tablespoons shortening
2 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1/4 Cup sugar
1 Cup bran 1 egg

Add bran to milk; let sit for 5 minutes. Meanwhile beat shortening & sugar until light. Add egg, beat smooth. Stir in bran & milk. Add flour, salt, and baking powder. Fill greased muffin pan 2/3 full. Bake at 400 for 20-25 minutes. Makes 10-12 muffins. (only double recipe for more than 8 people... a single bran muffin can be very filling.)

To maintain enthusiasm serve warm with lots of butter and or honey. I like bran muffins, but some people won't like them cold even if they like them warm.


Mystery Muffins makes about 12


1 cup milk
1/4 Cup vegetable oil
1 egg slightly beaten
2 Cups flour
1/4 Cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder

Mystery fillings: jam, jelly, peanut butter, coconut, raisins, apple butter

Mix wet stuff first really well. Add dry ingredients. Stir just enough to moisten. Fill each greased muffin cup 1/3 full. Put in 1 teaspoon of any mystery filling. Add more batter to make each cup 2/3 full. Bake at 400 for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Tuesday, February 5, 2008

Yeast Breads -- Use a wooden spoon

Rule #1 for yeast breads: ALWAYS read all instructions before starting.

Rule #2 : The warm water is warm NOT hot to the inside of your wrist... like a baby's bottle. If the water hurts you, it will kill the yeast.

Rule #3: Don't over knead the bread. That said, I can't really explain when it is "right." All ingredients will be mixed, and usually the dough isn't sticky, but Tsourekie is the first 2 times.

Tsourekie --- Everything Bread

This came from a book I read in 4th or 5th grade. No, I don't know the title, but I think it was a hardback green book on a lower shelf on the east side of the school library. I seem to recall animals being the characters.

Anyway, I use it for everything. I add minced onions for onion buns, cinnamon for cinnamon bread & I even make sticky buns with it. It makes 4 loaves... or in my case usually 2 loaves, a 9X9 pan of sticky buns & some onion buns or a loaf of cinnamon bread. The first time it takes a long time to make, but you'll get faster. But with the multiple risings, do plan for it taking awhile. On a BAKING day, I usually make it the first thing I mix, but the last thing I bake.

Scald 2 Cups Milk, (can be not so fresh milk) Melt 1 & 1/4 Cups of butter in it and cool to luke warm. (I have a metal bowl, & I sometimes cheat & just put it on the burner, other times I have put it all in a 4 Cup measuring cup & nuked it for 2 minutes)

Dissolve 3 cakes of yeast (or 6 1/2 to 7 teaspoons of dry) in 1/4 Cup of warm water. Set aside

Sift together 12 cups of flour (can replace 3-4 cups with whole wheat), 2 Cups of Sugar, and 1 teaspoon of salt in a LARGE bowl (I've used a dutch oven before).

Add the yeast, the milk and butter and a 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract or anise.

Stir these together as best you can. Then add 6 eggs one at a time. Mix each egg in well before adding the next. Yes, it can be very gooey at this point.

Cover the dough with wax paper or a tea towel/cheese cloth-- No fuzzy towels allowed--
Set in a warm place. I like near the oven while something else is baking.

Let it DOUBLE in size.

Knead & let rise again until double. (Not so gooey now, is it.)


Now decide what you want to do with it. Divide it into 4ths.

For normal bread knead & shape it into oblongs/ovals. Place in greased loaf pan(s) to rise AGAIN. When big enough, bake 350* for about 40 minutes. About 10 minutes before it's done, brush with a mixture of an egg w/a Tablespoon of water, if you want. (I usually skip it.)


For Cinnamon Bread

Roll the dough out into a rectangle or square. sprinkle with cinnamon, and a little brown sugar and raisins if you want. Roll it up into an oval/oblong. Place in greased loaf pan(s) to rise AGAIN. When big enough bake at 350* for about 40 minutes. Really good served hot or toasted.

For Sticky Buns

Butter/grease a 9x9 pan. Pat brown sugar into it about a 1/4 to 1/2 inch deep. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Drizzle this with milk. I measure it by the lid or spoon until damp but not soggy. Try to avoid lots of puddles. This takes practice. Sprinkle pecans or walnuts in the pan if you want.

Roll the dough into a rectangle about 9 -12 inches long. Sprinkle it with cinnamon & brown sugar (more than for cinnamon bread). Roll up it up into a 9-12 inch snake. Cut it into 9-12 pieces. Place the spirals showing in the pan. Let it rise AGAIN.

Bake at 350* for about 30 minutes. Put a big plate on top of the pan & CAREFULLY flip it upside-down right after it leaves the oven.

I've tried saving the baking until morning by storing the pan of risen dough in the fridge with mixed results. Usually it worked.

For ONION Buns:

I usually used reconstituted minced onions because I cooked a LOT & they were cheap.
Mix about 1/4 cup of onions into the dough. Divide into Equal sized pieces. This is most easily done by making a snake of the dough & slicing it. Take each piece in your hand, place it on a lightly floured countertop. Keep your hand cupped and touching the countertop with fingertips & pinky finger as you lightly push the dough around in a tiny circle. (Sort of like the circular movement for scrubbing a stain with an SOS pad.) The dough will become a smaller ball if you're doing it right. It is hard the first time, esp. since you can't watch me do it.

Let the dough rise AGAIN. Bake at 350* for 10-15 minutes for small dinner-roll-sized buns, longer for hamburger-sized buns 15-30 minutes.


Normal Easy Bread 1 loaf size

Read directions before mixing the Ingredients!!!

3/4 Cup Milk
1/4 Cup sugar
3 Tablespoons shortening (NO not oil!!!)
1/4 Cup Warm Water
1 teaspoon salt (or 1/2 t)
1 pkg dry yeast ( 2 1/4 teaspoons)
1 egg
3 and 1/2 cups Flour (can substitute up to 1 1/4 Cups whole wheat)


Scald the milk.
While it's heating up...

Add 1/2 Tablespoon of the sugar to the yeast in a small bowl. Add the warm water to the yeast and stir with a fork. Set Aside.

Pour the hot milk over the remaining sugar, shortening & salt in a large bowl until shortening is melted. Cool to luke warm.

Add the egg to the rising yeast & mix/beat with fork. (don't over beat yeast)

Add yeast mixture to luke warm mixture.
Add about 1/2 of flour beating with WOODEN spoon. Add remaining flour mixing & kneading well. Knead until smooth.

Place dough in greased bowl, cover (with waxed paper or tea towel. NO FUZZY TOWELS & let rise until double. Punch down, knead & shape into loaf or see above for variations. Lightly grease top of dough. Let Rise AGAIN until double.

Original recipe said to Bake 450* 15-20 minutes, but I prefer 425* for 20-25 minutes.


Whole Wheat Bread

2 Tablespoons dry yeast 1 Tablespoon salt
1 and 1/2 Cups luke warm water 1/3 Cup liquid oil (vegie, corn, canola)
3/4 Cup milk 3 Cups Sifted white flour
3 Tablespoons brown sugar 3 and 3/4 Cups whole wheat flour
1/3 Cup molasses

Dissolve yeast in 1/4 Cup warm water, Heat milk until warmed. Add sugar, salt, molasses, and oil. Add remaining water and flour. Knead. Let rise until double. Knead lightly. Shape into 2 loaves. Rise 30 minutes. Bake at 375 for 40-45 minutes.


English Muffin Loaves (2)

2 packages active dry yeast (4 1/2 teaspoons) 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
6 Cups unsifted flour 1 Tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons salt 1/2 Cup water
2 Cups milk about 1-2 Tablespoons of cornmeal

Combine 3 Cups flour, yeast, sugar, salt and soda. Heat liquids until very warm (120-130 degrees-- yes, hotter than usual for yeast breads). Add to dry mixture; beat well. Stir in rest of flour to make stiff batter. Spoon into bread pans that have been greased and then sprinkled with cornmeal. Cover. Let rise in warm place for about 45 minutes. Bake at 400 for 25 minutes. Remove from pans immediately. Slice and toast as needed. About 16 slices per loaf.

Basic Quick Breads

Banana Bread --- originally from Aunt Mary Ellen modified by Mama

Step One: Save bananas that are too brown but not slimy in the freezer until you have at least 3 medium sized ones. Too save time make double, triple & quadruple batches & estimate 3 more bananas for each size up.

Step two: On the day when you have at least 1 1/2 hours, start thawing those bananas.

Step three: Assemble the following ingredients in a bowl for a regular one-loaf sized batch. Double, triple or quadruple as you need or want: It all takes about the same amount of time.


1 Cup Sugar
1/2 Cup shortening
Dash of salt

Mix these until creamy

Add:
1 Cup mashed bananas (about 3 medium )
A Dash or few of cinnamon
1 dash of nutmeg
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon soda

When this is pretty mixed up start adding:
2 Cups flour (to be healthier you can replace 1/2 Cup with whole wheat flour)

Optional fun things to add that can blow the budget, so limit to 1/2 Cup per loaf.
walnuts chocolate chips peanut butter chips toffee chips

Place in greased, buttered, or sprayed regular sized loaf pans. After you put the batter in the pan run the spoon or spatula lenghtwise down the center of the pan & push the batter to the edges. This keep the edges from burning and a puffed up middle from staying gooey.

Bake 375 degrees for an hour ( add 10 minutes if needed)


Waterford Banana Bread --- from a calendar a long time ago

Mix the following in a bowl:
2 & 1/2 Cups flour
1/2 Cup sugar
1/2 Cup brown sugar
3 & 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
3 Tablespoons of applesauce
1/3 Cup milk
1 egg
3 medium mashed bananas (1 Cup)

Grease bottom only of a 9x5x3 loaf pan. Mix all ingredients; beat 30 seconds.
Bake 350 degrees for 65 minutes.


Baking Powder Biscuits (aka real cheap pizza crust)

probably from a Clabber Girl can, but in the family for over 4 decades... For a family of 4 to eat w/ gravy, I double it.

In a bowl mix with a wooden spoon:

2 Cups flour (can substitute 1/2 Cup whole wheat)
3 teaspoons (or 1 Tablespoon) Baking POWDER
3/4 Cup milk (can be sell by date milk)
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 Cup shortening

On a lightly floured formica/stone cabinet top pat out dough until it's about 1/2 to 1 inch thick. Just make it consistent in thickness. Take a biscuit/cookie cutter or a drinking cup & cut out the biscuits as close together as possible. Smash the left over dough together & repeat.

Place on baking sheet.
Bake at 450 degrees for 12-15 minutes (The bigger the thickness or diameter they are, the longer they need to bake.)

If the biscuits turn out tough, 1 of 4 things may have happened: Biscuits are too thin; you over worked the dough, over baked the biscuits, or your shortening is too cheap & you need to use Crisco (one of only 3 name brands I'll probably ever suggest.) Just dump gravy on them & try again another day.

Scones

2 Cups Bisquick (or similar mix)
1/4 Cup Sugar
2 eggs
2 Tablespoon melted margarine/butter

Stir Bisquick, sugar and eggs together to a soft dough. Smooth dough on board. Knead 5 times. Roll dough 1/4' thick. Cut into 2" squares. Brush with margarine/butter. Fold each square into triangle. Lightly seal edges. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet at 400 for 6-8 minutes. Serves 18.



Butter Dips aka Bread Sticks

1/2 Cup butter/margarine 3 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
2 and 1/4 Cups sifted flour 1 and 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 Tablespoon sugar 1 Cup Milk

(OPTIONAL ingredients... onion powder, garlic powder, salt, parmesan, italian herbs)

Heat oven to 450. Melt butter in oven in 13x9x2 pan. Remove pan when butter is melted. Meanwhile, Sift flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add milk. You can add onion or garlic powder now, if you want. Stir slowly with fork until dough clings together. Turn onto well floured board. Roll over to coat w/ flour. Knead lightly ~10 times. Roll out 1/2" tink into 12x8. Put dough in pan. Slosh butter all over dough. Sprinkle optional herbs/spices as desired. Cut or score dough into sticks. Bake 450 for 15-20 minutes or golden brown. Serve hot.