Rye Bread

Rye Bread + Homemade Strawberry Jam = reason to wake up in the morning.

See?  Happy girl. 

I don't even need to preface this recipe, it's that good, and we all know it.  This recipe comes from Grandma Manning.  Here's a picture of her baking it in her sweet little kitchen.

The Recipe

• 1 pkg. yeast, softened in 1/4c water.
• 4 c. warm water
• 1 Tbsp salt
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• 1 Tbsp oil
• 2 c. (or more) rye flour
• white flour

1. Mix yeast, water, salt, sugar, and oil.
2. Add 2 c. rye flour (add more if you prefer it darker)
3. Add enough white flour to make a very stiff dough.  (For me it was a little under 8 cups)
4. Let rise in a warm area until almost doubled in size.
5. Shape into round loaves (usually 2 large loaves or 3 smaller).  Let rest 20 minutes.
6. Grease and flour your pans. (this is the cutest part of the recipe.  A sauce pan will give you the classic grandma's rye bread shape.)  Flouring the pans makes a unique blotched look on the lower crust like this: 

 Bake for 1 hour at 375.  If it gets too dark, lower temperature to 350.  Experiment!

Chinese Mother's Day

I have to say, I think my mom is pretty lucky when it comes to Mother's Day.  A few years ago Dad made a new tradition- every first day of the month is Mother's Day.  We don't have to get a gift every month but we try to make sure we at least say thank you and I love you and be a little extra nice on that day.  So when the real Mother's Day rolls around we have to outdo all the previous mini Mothers Days.  This year Dad did Chinese.  He went to Taiwan on his mission (working on putting a picture of that up) so I guess if we were to say he has a specialty, Chinese food would be it.  Another thing to add.  When Dad puts his mind to doing something, he doesn't just do the bare minimum.  Ever.  This meal was no exception. 

The menu:

Entrees:
-Pork noodles
-Sweet & Sour Chicken
-Beef & Broccoli
-White Rice

Dim Sum:

What's dim sum you ask?  It's Mandarin for the "everything else on the table."  I think it's just the greatest word for it!

-Steamed BBQ Pork Buns

-Pot Stickers

-Steamed Dumplings

-Shrimp Dumpligs

-Lychees

Pretty decent meal huh?  I made the (totally Americanized) Sweet & Sour Chicken so I thought I'd post that recipe up here.  

Sweet & Sour Chicken

• 4 chicken breasts
• 2 T vegetable oil
• celery
• red bell pepper
• pineapple chunks
• Kikoman's Sweet & Sour Sauce (so tasty- and even one of the cheaper brands!)

1. Thaw chicken breasts, cube, and using a large frying pan or wok, saute in the oil until thoroughly cooked. Drain liquid off.
2. Chop celery and red pepper, and add to chicken in pan. 
3. Pour enough sauce in to coat everything.
4. Add pineapple chunks.

See?  Not a lot of effort, still an awesome meal.

Freezer Jam

Can't post about rye bread unless we post about the jam too, am I right?

There's really no secret to this recipe.  All you have to do is follow the directions on the back of the Sure-Jell packet.  But I will mention a few tips:

• My mom blends the fruit so there are no lumps because that's just how we like it.  Traditionally jam is supposed to be lumpy so if that's what you want then go right ahead.
• Don't try to be healthy and lower the amount of sugar you add.  You have to have a ton of sugar or it won't form the gel.  (Little tip from my food science class)
• If you decide to make this, while you're at it make some rye bread (here) or some bran muffins (here).  You won't be sorry.

Funeral Potatoes & Spring Salad

Happy Easter!  

Isn't that just the most disgusting thing?  My sisters pick up worms and play with them.  I think it's safe to say I NEVER would have done that as a child and NEVER plan to do it as an adult.  Oh it just grosses me out.

Anyway, hope the Easter Bunny made it to your house and you ate your share of peeps.  (As a side note, I like my Peeps nice and stale.  So for the past few decades my Easter Bunny has planned ahead and slit my package open so they'd be perfect to eat on Easter morning.  Just a little luxury you never think about being thankful for until you're older....) 

So I thought I'd post a few Easter recipes.  Classic Easter funeral potatoes, which Mom made, and a salad and a few dressings that I made.  

 My mom was introduced to this recipe twenty-something years ago by her mother-in-law, Katie Cook.  Scalloped Potatoes (soon to be known as funeral potatoes) were just catching on back then, and obviously have been popular enough to stick around!  At one of my mom's bridal showers they collected recipes, and this is the one Grandma Cook chose.  Here is the recipe in her handwriting:

Funeral Potatoes

• 6 med. potatoes, boiled & grated (you can also use frozen hash browns if you're in a hurry)
• 1 1/2 c. grated cheese
• 1/3 c. chopped green onion
• 1 c. sour cream
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 1/4 c. butter + 2 T. butter
• corn flakes, crushed

1. Melt 1/4 c. butter in soup.
2. Add cheese, onions, and sour cream.
3. Add grated potatoes.
4. Pour into 9x13 glass casserole pan.
5. Mix crushed corn flakes with 2 T melted butter and sprinkle on top.
6. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

PS. This is a great freezer meal!

Spring Salad

• Spinach or Spring Mix
• Strawberries (slivered)
• Mango
• Slivered almonds
• Anything else you want- maybe Craisins, some feta, whatever

I had two kinds of dressings because we've got enough picky tastebuds that I knew just one wouldn't please everyone.  The honey dijon is more mellow, but honestly I think it goes better with a spinach salad, maybe with red onion slices, bacon, hard-boiled egg, mushroom, tomato kind of salad..  The lemon poppyseed vinaigrette just goes perfectly with the sweet fruit so I would recommend it if you used this salad.

Honey Dijon Dressing

• 1/4 c. honey
• 2 T Dijon mustard
• 1/2 c. vegetable oil
• 1 T fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp ground white pepper
• pinch salt

1. Combine all ingredients.  I used a whisk to get the honey mixed in thoroughly.

Lemon Poppyseed Vinaigrette (From Our Best Bites)

• 2-3 large lemons (1/3 c. juice and 1 tsp. zest)
• 1/4 c. rice wine vinegar
• 1/4 c. canola oil
• 3/4 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper
• 1/4 c. white sugar
• 2 tsp. poppyseeds
• 1 tsp. grated onion
• 1 clove finely pressed garlic

1. Using a fine grater, grate 1 tsp. of lemon and 1 tsp. onion.
2. Place in a small container with a lid.
3. Add remaining ingredients and shake vigorously.
4. Refrigerate at least an hour before serving.
5. Shake well before serving.