2009 March | Mama Knows

Homemade White Bread

March 31, 2009 in Recipes by Hanna Trafford

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Rating: 2.6/10 (7 votes cast)

homemade-bread2

It is surprisingly easy to make your own bread. And really – it is one of the most satisfying tasks you will accomplish in your kitchen! When that rich aroma fills the air, your family will love it!

Homemade White Bread:

2 packages of active dry yeast

2 teaspoons of sugar

1/2 cup of warm water

2 cups of milk

2 cups of warm water

1/4 cup of sugar

5 teaspoons of salt

1/4 cup of shortening

12 – 13 cups of all purpose flour

Soften yeast in 1/2 cup of warm water in which 2 teaspoons of sugar have been dissolved. Let stand 10 minutes, stir. Scald milk. In large mixing bowl, measure sugar, salt and shortening. Add scalded milk and stir until shortening melts. Add water. Cool until lukewarm and stir in yeast. Stir in 6 cups of flour and beat vigorously. gradually stir in 6 to 7 cups more flour. Turn on lightly floured board and knead until smooth and satiny, 8 -1 0 minutes (about 250 strokes). Place in a greased bowl, turn to grease top and let rise in a warm and humid place (85F) until double in bulk, about 1 hour. Punch down a let rise again until double in bulk (3/4 – 1 hour). Punch down and let rise again until double in bulk. Grease 4-8-1/2″ x 4-1/2″ x 2-1/2″ loaf pans. Cut dough into 4 equal pieces, shape into loaves and place in pans. Let rise until double in bulk – about 1 hour. Bake at 375F for 40 – 45 minutes.

Bread variations:

Whole Wheat Bread: Follow White bread recipe but use half all purpose flour and half whole wheat flour.

Rye Bread: Follow white bread recipe but use brown sugar in place of white sugar. (not for the one you will use to dissolve yeast) Add 6-1/2 cup of all-purpose flour and then add 5-1/2 cups of dark rye flour. Add more all-purpose flour if necessary to make the dough stiff enough to knead.

Herb Bread: Follow white bread recipe but add 3/4 teaspoon of nutmeg, 1-1/2 teaspoon of sage and 1 tablespoon of celery seed when first half of flour is added.

Raisin Bread: Follow white bread recipe but increase sugar to 3/4 cup. Add 3 cups of raisins just before second half of flour is added.

Currant Bread: Follow white bread recipe and add 1 of clean, dried currants just before second half of flour is added

Cheese Bread: Follow white bread recipe and add 1-1/2 cups of grated Cheddar cheese mixing it with the last flour to be added

For step-by-step instructions on how to make bread, check:

http://www.mama-knows.com/recipes/making-homemade-bread.html

Rating: +1 (from 1 vote)

Tags: Baking, Breads
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by Hanna Trafford

Making Homemade Bread

March 31, 2009 in Recipes by Hanna Trafford

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I have originally posted this information almost a year ago – and realizing that lot of you are looking for instruction how to make your own bread and for a good and tested bread recipe – I have updated it.

For a great Old Fashioned White Bread Recipe, go to:

Good Old Fashioned White Bread Recipe

Step-by-Step to Making Your Homemade Bread:

Follow the recipe to mix ingredients together

: Let rise

Knead for at least 10 minutes as directed

let rise for second time before baking

Bake until golden brown and enjoy the aroma!

Making homemade bread is surprisingly easy and simple! And really – no other type of baking can give you such a wonderful sense of personal satisfaction. You can feel the real thrill of creative cooking when that rich aroma of homemade bread fills your house.

Steps for making Homemade Bread:

Process: Straight Dough method is the most familiar method of making bread. The mixing is done in a continuous operation. After the yeast has been softened in lukewarm water and sugar, it is added to the liquid, sugar, salt and shortening. The flour is then added to make a soft dough that can be kneaded. The rising time will depend on the amount of yeast. Different recipes vary in the amount of yeast and therefore will vary in rising time.

Temperature: temperature plays an important part in bread baking. Too much heat can kill the yeast. Too little will slow it down. For best results, dissolve active yeast in lukewarm water (95F). To test, drop a little on your wrist. It should feel netiher warm or cold. Before combining hot ingredients to softened yeast, they need to be cooled to lukewarm.

Mixing: Measure flour accurately by spooning it into measuring cup. Level off with small spatula of flat knife. Many recipes state to stir half the flour into the yeast mixture first, beating with a spoon until almost smooth. The remaining flour is then added gradually, using only enough to prevent dough from sticking to bowl or hands. At this point, the dough is often too heavy to be mixed with a spoon and it is easier to use your hands. An approximate amount of flour is given in the recipe, because the flour’s absorptive properties vary with temperature and humidity.

Kneading: This process develops the gluten, which in turn develops good grain and texture. As you knead, you can feel the dough changing from rough, uneven texture to smooth, elastic ball. Turn dough onto a lightly floured board, canvas, tabletop or counter top. Keep supply of flour handy as you may require extra as you knead. The amount needed is determined by the amount the dough will absorb. Flour hands lightly and press dough into a slightly flat ball. Fold dough over on itself toward you, then push it lightly with a sort of rocking motion,with the heel of the hand, away from you. Make a quarter turn and repeat the process rhythmically until the surface of the dough feels satiny and smooth. This usually required form 8 to 10 minutes of kneading.

Rising : Round dough into a smooth ball and place in a lightly greased bowl that is large enough to let it double in bulk without overflowing. Turn dough over to grease top. Cover with a clean linen towel to prevent crust from forming. Let rise in a warm place (80 – 85F) free from draft until double in bulk. Temperature is important as the yeast works best at these temperatures. The rising time can vary depending on temperature, amount of yeast, type of flour used and the recipe itself. The times given in the recipes are approximate, and are useful guide to tell you when to test the dough. To test whether dough has doubled in bilk – press two fingers into it. If dents remain, then the dough is ready.

Punching down: when dough is ready, punch down by plunging fist into dough, then fold edges toward the centre, until dough is original size.If second rising is indicated int he recipe. place folded edges down in bowl, cover and let rise again. second rising is usually shorter in time.

Shaping the loaves: Divide dough into as many portions as there are to be loaves. Knead each part lightly to make a smooth ball. A resting period at this time makes the dough easier to handle. over with a towel and let rest for about 10 minutes. Flatten each ball and roll to a rectangle of uniform thickness. Shape with hands if necessary. Roll dough towards you as for jelly roll. Press gently with heel of hand to seal each roll. Seal final seam. Seal ends of loaf by pressing side of hand on ends. Gently fold sealed ends of loaf under.

Letting loaves rise: Place each loaf seam down in a greased loaf pan.Size of pan will vary with recipe. Do not work corners of the roll into corners of pan. Cover loaves with a clean towel and set in warm place until double in bulk.

Baking: When loaves are double in bulk, the surface should be smooth and moist in appearance with no dry areas or cracks. Place loaves evenly spaced in a preheated oven. Temperature of oven and baking time will vary with individual recipe.

To test if bread is done : When it is done, bread will shrink slightly from the sides of the pan and has a golden brown crust. The loaf should sound hollow when lightly tapped on the bottom.

Cooling the loaves: Remove break from pans as soon as it comes out of the oven. Let cool on cooling rack, uncovered and away from drafts. If a soft crust is preferred, brush tops of hot baked bread with melted butter.

Storing: When completely baked, wrap in waxed paper and store in well ventilated bread box or in refrigerator.

Freezing: Wrap completely cooled bread in moisture-vapor-proof freezer wrapper. Make sure wrapping is airtight. Bread will hold its freshness for several weeks in the freezer.

Enjoy one the best aromas that will ever fill your kitchen!

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Tags: Baking, Breads, Cook, Cooking, Recipes
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by Hanna Trafford

Easter Brunch for 12 – Recipe #4 – Sausage, Potato and Leek Slow Cook

March 31, 2009 in Recipes by Hanna Trafford

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sausageleek-and-potato-casserole1 The really good thing about this recipe is that it can be made well ahead of time. Actually, if you make it day or two before your brunch, it will taste even better, because flavours will combine properly. You can use fresh sausage or smoked sausage. If you use fresh sausage, you need to fry it first – you don’t need to do that with smoked sausage. The entire dish doesn’t need to cook too long – it’s easy and tastes awesome!

Sausage, Potato and Leek Slow Cook:

8-10 large potatoes, washed, not peeled, cut into pieces about 2″ x1″

8 sausages – fresh or smoked, cut into 1″ pieces (remember to fry uncooked sausages in a bit of butter to seal the flavour)

2 cups of leek, cut into small pieces

1 onion, chopped

1 small red pepper, finely chopped

2 cups of sliced mushrooms

5 tablespoons of butter

2 cups of chicken broth

1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons of fresh chopped sage (use dry if you don’t have fresh)

Salt and pepper to taste

Melt butter in large pan or pot, put all ingredients in a lightly toss to blend. Transfer into slow cooker (If you don’t have a slow cooker, leave in large dutch oven pot, cover and turn your stove to low simmer heat and cook for about 2 hrs.) Set slow cooker on low and check after couple hours. If potatoes are nice and soft, you can thicken the sauce and turn slow cooker off.

To thicken sauce:

Mix about 5 tablespoons of flour into 3/4 cups of milk (if you want sauce that won’t be so creamy, use chicken broth or water), mix into all ingredients while still simmering and mix slowly until your sauce reaches desired consistency.

This dish will freeze beautifully – when defrosting, do so in room temperature and just warm portions up before serving

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Tags: Breakfast, Cook, Cooking
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by Hanna Trafford

Top 10 Tips for Perfect Lawn

March 29, 2009 in Gardening by Hanna Trafford

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lawn I think everyone wants to have that perfect, lush, beautifully green lawn. You can work hard and have great flower beds, shrubs, trees and great overall landscaping, but if your lawn is full of weeds, dry patches and all the other nasty looking stuff – it just isn’t the same. Golf-course professionals know how to cut their labour to the minimum with the right practices, tools and materials. The following is a summary of their secrets to great lawns. And since the no-care lawn has not yet been invented, get ready to put some work into growing that beautiful lawn!

Mow your lawn frequently and make sure your lawnmower blades are good and sharp. Key to nice, green lawn is frequent cutting – it forces it to grow thick and keep out the weeds.
Don’t cut your lawn too short – how high to cut your grass depends largely on the type of grass you have. Some people believe in the "one third rule" – cutting off only about 1/3 of the height at a time. So – if your grass is 3 inches tall, only cut off one inch. If ou cut off more, you are basically "scalping" the plants and it can take two or three mowing cycles to recover. Mowing high forces grass roots to grow deep and the deeper the roots, the better it will resist disease and the less water it will require. The deeper the roots, the better it will resist disease and the less water it will require.
Don’t mow a wet lawn – if you do, the water in your lawn will compact the soil so the roots can’t breathe. When that happens, the grass dies and you will have bald spots in your lawn.
Mulch your clippings – leave the clippings where they fall. You will not only eliminate the bagging and dump trips, but the clippings fertilize the soil. If you are cutting often, the clippings are short and work their way easily into soil, without becoming brown and messy.
Water deeply and infrequently – it is very common to overwater, which will cause the build up of excess thatch (an unsightly thick mat of tangled roots between the grass blades and soil) Daily watering encourages shallow roots and it also wastes water. Instead – water deeply ,watching closely to see when more is needed. One of the signs that your lawn needs water is hard soil – ou can check it by pushing a screwdriver into the soil, checking the level of resistance. Another way to determine that your lawn needs watering is when footsteps across the lawn remain compressed. The best suggestion is to give your lawn about an inch of water each time you irrigate. You can measure this by leaving a plastic cup on your lawn during the watering.
Avoid nightime watering – if you don;t, you will be putting your lawn to sleep with wet feet. You need to let the grass dry out before the dew falls, since prolonged moisture invites disease. The best time to water is pre-dawn or early morning. You will loose water to evaporation by watering in midday.
Don’t over-fertilize – doing that stimulates very fast growth, thatch and the need for more watering – and you don’t want that. Excess fertilizer is also bad for environment – it washes into streams and lakes, clogging them with algae. To find out what your lawn needs, test your soil or have it tested. Then take the results to your local garden centre and ask for assistance deciding which fertilizer to apply. Natural fertilizers – sometimes called “organic” – work slower because they need heat and water to break down so grass can absorb them.
Don’t mix fertilizers - regardless of which type of fertilizer you will choose, stick with only one. Worse thing is to mix synthetic and natural fertilizer – you will most definitely get poor results.
Grow thick grass – and stay on top of your weeds. It is the best defense against weeds and diseases. If you only see a few weeds, pull them out by hand or use a weeder. By watching your lawn closely, you may let a problem resolve itself without treatment – that is what golf course professionals do.
Choose the right herbicide – if you decide you need help with weeds, you get choose to get either – "pre-emergents" – to prevent weeds from germinating (you would only needs to apply it once a year) or "post-emergents" that are used after the weeks is visible to control and the type of weed is not easily controlled by pulling it – like dandelions. "weed-and-feed| mixes of fertilizer and synthetic herbicides are popular post-emergents because they seem like an efficient way to get two jobs done at once. But logic dictate that they are not a great idea, since it results in spreading herbicide over the entire lawn.

If you have followed all the above tips and your lawn is still brown, dying or not thriving, you could have a disease or insect infestation. Treatment is no easy – it can be a complex task requiring accurate identification before taking action. Cut a sample of the affected grass, including plenty to roots and some healthy plant tissue as well. Place in a plastic sandwich bag and take to your local garden centre for help in identifying the problem and choosing the right treatment.

Good luck with your efforts to the perfect lawn and if you have more tips and information, please send in your comments!

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by Hanna Trafford

Easter Brunch for 12 – Recipe #3 – Easy Homemade Breakfast Rolls

March 29, 2009 in Recipes by Hanna Trafford

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Rating: 10.0/10 (1 vote cast)

breakfast_roll_main2

The one thing about baking your own rolls is that not only do they taste great but they fill your house with that fresh bread aroma that adds to the special atmosphere. The other thing is that baking your own rolls is easier than it looks – and you can’t pretty much go wrong following this recipe! As in my previous recipes, I have added a number of variations for you – the instructions for shaping different kinds of rolls are below the instructions. Try this and please let me know how it worked out for you and what comments you got from you family and friends!

Easy Homemade Breakfast Rolls:

2 pkgs. of active dry yeast

1 cup of lukewarm water

2 teaspoons of sugar

2 cups of milk

1 tablespoon of salt

1/4 cup of sugar

1/2 cup of shortening

8 cups of flour

Melted butter of margarine

Sprinkle yeast in lukewarm water with 2 tablespoons of sugar, let stand for 10 minutes, then stir. Scald milk and combine with salt, 1.2 cup of sugar and shortening, stir until shortening is dissolved. Cool to lukewarm, add softened yeast. Add half the flour and beat with wooden spoon or mixer until smooth. Stir in remaining flour, using just enough to make a soft dough and prevent sticking to hands or bowl. Use more if necessary. Turn out on lightly floured board, cover with a clean towel and let rest for about 10 minutes. Knead until smooth and elastic.Shape into a smooth ball and place in a greased bowl; turn dough over to grease the entire surface. Cover and let rise in a warm place (80-85F) until double in bulk- about 1-1/2 hours. Punch down and divide into equal portions. Shape as desired (shaping instruction are below this recipe) and place in a greased pan. Brush tops with melted butter or margarine. Cover with clean towel again and let rise in warm place until double in size – about 1 hours. Bake in moderate oven (375F) for 15 – 20 miutes.

This recipe will make about 4 dozen small breakfast rolls.

Variations:

Whole Wheat Rolls:

Use half of all purpose flour and half whole wheat flour

Method of shaping rolls:

Plain Rolls: Shape dough into smooth round balls of equal size. For crusty rolls, [lace 1: apart om greased baking sheet. For taller, soft rolls, place close together so that they touch.

Cloverleaf Rolls: Shape dough into small round balls – about the size of a walnut. Dip each ball into melted butter and place 3 balls in each section of greased muffin pan. Size of balls will depend on the size of your muffin pan.

Crescents: Roll dough into circular shape about 1/4″ think. Cut in equal pie shaped pieces. Brush with melted butter and roll up each piece, beginning at wide end. Curve slightly to form a crescent, tucking ends under. Place on greased baking sheet and bake.

Parkerhouse Rolls: Roll dough 1/4″ think.Cut with 2: round cookies cutter. Make a crease across each round, a little off centre, with back of a knife. Brush with melter butter. Fold over the crease so that wider half is on top; press edges together. Place 1″ apart on greased baking sheet, brush again with melted butter and bake.

Finger Rolls: Shape dough into small round balls. Roll each ball with palm of your hand to desired thickness, keeping them smooth and uniform in size. Place 1″ apart on greased baking sheet, brush with butter and bake.

FanTans: Divide dough into siz and roll each part into a rectangle 9″ x 5″ x 1/4″ thick. Brush with melted butter. Cut each rectangle into 1″ strips. stack strips in piles of 5, buttered side up. Cut each pile into 6 equal pieces. Place cut size down in greased muffin pans.

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Tags: Baking, Breads, Rolls
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by Hanna Trafford

eBay store update for March 28,2009

March 28, 2009 in EBay, News by Hanna Trafford

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Just listed – baby blankets galore! These pretty blankets are always popular with my customers – and the fact that each blanket is different is very well recieved.

To visit my store and check out all items listed, please follow this link:

http://www.stores.ebay.ca/momshoneypot

And here are a few samples of baby blankets just listed:

03-27-09-0051 306

307

308

312

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by Hanna Trafford

Easter Brunch for 12 – Recipe #2-Broccoli, Ham and Egg Bake

March 28, 2009 in Recipes by Hanna Trafford

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ham-and-cheese-egg-casserole-5001

This will become a really easy task if you prepare the ingredients ahead of time . You can prepare the ham and vegetable as far as 2 days before your brunch and combining all ingredients right in your baking pan the day before,keeping it in the refrigerator overnight will make the preparation a breeze for you!

Broccoli Ham and Egg Bake:

1-1/2 cups of chopped cooked ham

1 lb. of fresh broccoli (chopped into smaller pieces under 1 inch in size)

1 bag – 30 oz. of frozen shredded hash brown potatoes – thawed

1 medium onion – chopped

2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 cup of grated Parmesan cheese

12 eggs

1-1/4 cup of milk

1 container – 8 oz. of sour cream

2 teaspoons of lemon-pepper seasoning salt

2 teaspoons of ground mustard

1 cup of cornflake crumbs

2 tablespoons of butter, melted

Prepare 3 quart (13×9 inch) glass baking pan by spraying it with cooking spray. In a large bowl, mix ham, broccoli, potatoes,onion and cheeses, spoon into baking dish.

In the same bowl, beat the eggs, milk, sour cream, lemon-pepper seasoning salt and dry mustard until well mixed. Pour egg mixture over potato mixture.(the dish will be quite full) Cover and refridgerate for a minimum of 8 hours.

Preheat oven to 325F, uncover the baking dish and bake for 35 minutes.

Meawhile, toss cornflake crumbs and butter.

Sprinkle cornflake mixtrue over partially baked casserole and bake uncovered for 30 – 35 minutes longer or until knife inserted in the centre comes out clean or placing meat thermometer into the centre reads 160F.

Remove from oven and let stand for 15 minutes before serving.

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Tags: Casseroles, Cook
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by Hanna Trafford

Easter Brunch for 12 – Recipe #1-Pineapple-Orange Punch

March 27, 2009 in Recipes by Hanna Trafford

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orange-pineapple-punch1 Sweet and refreshing, this punch is always well received. You can strain it to have liquids only to serve, or you can leave pineapple chunks to get a few into each glass.You can also make this punch a bit more festive by substituting half the gingerale with champagne!I like serving it in individual glasses and leaving the punch bowl with remaining punch on the serving table for guests to get their own refills.You can dress it up by placing a maraschino cherry on toothpick into each glass,placing orange slice on the rim or creating a fruit stick by alternately placing cherries, pineapple chunks and orange pieces on a thin wooden skewer.

Pineapple-Orange Punch

2 cans of frozen orange juice

8 oz. of real lemon juice

2 quarts of gingerale

2 cans of pineapple chunks

Marashino cherries

Combine all ingredients, adding the gingerale last (you don’t want to loose all the fizzle) When adding the pineapple from can,s just empty the entire can into the punch – the juice will be a great addition!

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by Hanna Trafford

Top 5 tips for hosting a Successful Brunch

March 26, 2009 in Uncategorized by Hanna Trafford

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I started this Brunch process yesterday with posting Easter Brunch for 12 – the easy way. Before I start posting individual recipes and instructions, I think adding a few tips to help making your Easter brunch a stress-free success is a good idea. I limited the tips to only 5 to make it simple – but if you have other points to add, please do that and post them into the comment section to share with everyone.

Top 5 Tips for hosting a Successful Brunch:

Plan your shopping list. Items like frozen orange juice and all other non-perishables can be purchased well ahead of time, vegetables, fruits and all other items that are perishable, no more than 2 days before your brunch
Bake and freeze foods ahead of time if you want to. Most items like cakes, breads, muffins can be made in advance, frozen and then defrosted in room temperature, covered with foil and re-heated just before serving if desired.
Cut up meats,vegetables and fruits as directed in the recipes day before and place them into air-tight containers or Ziplock bags
Decide which serving dishes and utensils you will use and set them aside into one area to be ready for when you food is ready to be served.
Set the table the day or the night before your brunch – this alone will take quite a bit of stress away.

Enjoy your brunch and I am sure your family and friends will as well!

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by Hanna Trafford

eBay store update for March 25th,2009

March 26, 2009 in EBay, News by Hanna Trafford

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I am getting absolutely wonderful feedbacks from my customers. For those of you who are not quite familiar with eBay, feedbacks are comments your customers send after they receive the items they purchased. You, as a seller,post comments about your customers. That is how you can check if person you are dealing with delivers on what they promise. Feedback comments are rated from positive to negative and totals are recorded based on the rating. Basically – if everyone who buys from you sends in positive feedback, your score will be 100% and that means that all your customers are absolutely satisfied with your products and service. I do have a score of 100% and love reading comments my customers send in.