Ask the Farmers Wife !
How do I make potato dumplings ?
Potato dumplings
2 lb potatoes
8 tablespoons farina
10 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon salt and one egg
Boil potatoes, then peel and mash. Add farina, flour,
salt and egg. Work dough well. Divide into 5 dumplings. Place into boiling
water, cook for 20 minutes.
I've always wanted to make my own butter. How do I do it ?
Buy the freshest and best whipping cream you can find. Otherwise, you results will only be a step or two above the butter you buy at the store. I find that milk and cream at natural food stores often comes from smaller local dairies and tastes far better than any of the grocery chains. Chill your blender in your freezer for 20 minutes. Remove and add 2 cups of cold (but not frozen) whipping cream + 1/4 tsp salt + a few drops yellow food coloring. Blend on high for about 20 seconds, or until the cream stiffly sticks to the blender blades. Add 1/2 cup of ice water, no ice. Blend on high about 3 minutes, stopping to scrape the sides as needed, until all the butter fully separates from the water/liquid. Remove from blender, put into the middle of a handkerchief. Chill further, if necessary, then twist and wring it tightly, thus removing the water, This will make about a stick and a half's worth of butter. Make it the same day as you'll serve it. Shape into curls or balls. Your family won't forget it.
Do you have an instant while sauce recipe ?
Blend together 1 cup soft butter and 1 cup flour. Spread in an ice cube tray, chill well. cut into 16 cubes before storing in a plastic bag in the freezer. For medium-thick sauce, drop 1 cube into 1 cup of milk and heat slowly, stirring as it thickens.
I love French bread but live in an area where it isn't available. Do you have a recipe for it ??
1 package Yeast
2 c Bread flour
1 t Salt
1 t Sugar
1 t Butter or margarine
1 c Plus 1 T warm water
Place all ingredients in the order listed into the pan, select "French"bread and press "Start".
NOTE: Unless otherwise noted all ingredients should be at room temperature. This can be mixed on manual of the bread machine. After second kneading, remove dough from machine, divide into to equal portions and place in small loaf pans. Cover and let rise to double, about 45 min to 1 hour. Bake at 350 f. for 35-40 minutes
French bread without a machine:
French Bread
2-1/2 c warm water
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp salt
1 pkg yeast (1/4oz)
2 tbsp soft shortening
1/2 c water
1/2 tsp salt
1-1/2 tsp cornmeal
8-1/2 c flour
Sesame Seeds
Combine first 4 ingredients. Stir
to dissolve yeast. Let stand 5 minutes. Stir in flour and shortening. Work flour
in with hands. Kneed until smooth and elastic. Cover. Let rest in warm place
until double in size. Shape into 3 balls. Let rest 15 minutes. Roll out each
ball in the shape of a French loaf. Place on baking sheet sprinkled with
cornmeal. Combine water, salt and cornstarch. Cook until thick and clear. Brush
over loaves and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Make several diagonal slashes in top
of bread about 1/4 inch deep. Bake in 450 oven with a large bowl of water for 10
minutes. Cut oven down to 350 for 50-60 minutes.
How can I make my own cream cheese ?
Homemade Cream Cheese
(makes about 1 1/2 cups)
From: Better Than Store-Bought by
Helen Witty and Elizabeth Colchie.
In a stainless-steel, enameled, or flameproof glass saucepan, combine:1 quart
whole milk1 cup heavy cream (NOT ultra-pasteurized)1/4 cup buttermilk (as fresh
as possible). Warm the mixture slowly over low heat until it reaches 100 F (38
C) on an instant-reading thermometer, or until a few drops placed on the inside
of your wrist feel neither cool nor warm. Remove from heat.Combine:1 rennet
tablet (dessert type)1 tablespoon water. Stir until rennet dissolves in the
water. Add rennet mixture to milk mixture. Stir thoroughly for 1 minute. Cover
the pot and let it rest, absolutely undisturbed (NO stirring), at room
temperature for 16 to 24 hours, or until a firm curd has formed. The flavor
develops during this fermentation process, so give this step as much time as it
needs. The time will depend on the temperature of your kitchen - cooler
kitchens need longer for the curd to form. At this point, there will be a
solid-appearing cake of curd, surrounded by a clear, faintly yellowish liquid.
Line a fine-meshed sieve with 2 layers of dampened cheesecloth or, even better,
fine-meshed nylon curtain netting. Cut the pieces large enough so that
they can be tied into a bag later. Set the sieve over a bowl. First, ladle as
much of the whey (liquid) as possible into the sieve. Now ladle the curd into
the sieve. Let the mixture drain until only an occasional drop of whey falls
into the bowl. The curd will still be quite soft. Tie the corners of the
cloth together to make a bag and hang it over a bowl or the sink to drain for a
few hours. If the weather is hot, contrive a way to hang it in the
refrigerator. Work in a little salt (to taste. Probably about 1/4 teaspoon
TOTAL in this step and the later salt-adding step.). Refrigerate the cheese
in a covered bowl (it will still be fairly soft). If you want a firmer cheese,
place the cheese and cheese cloth back in the sieve and cover the cheese
with a small plate. Place the sieve over a bowl, weight the plate with an
object weighing about 1pound, and refrigerate. Double the weight after a
few hours. Let the cheese drain overnight, or until it is as firm
as you like. Remove the cheese from the refrigerator and work in a little
more salt if you wish. Pack it into a bowl and cover it with plastic.
If you wish, you can mold it into the shape of a bowl, or cup, or some other
container. Line the bowl with cheesecloth, pack the cheese into it,
and fold the cheesecloth over the top of the cheese. Invert the
bowl on a plate covered with folded paper towels (this will help remove a little
more moisture). Wrap the bowl and plate in plastic and refrigerate. The cheese
will be at its best for about 3 days, though it will keep longer.
I don't have mint and would love to have mint tea ! Any advice ?
Instead
of using sugar, dissolve hard mint candy in your tea. It melts
quickly and keeps the tea clean and brisk.
Try cinnamon and other flavors !
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