Homemade Butter

        This post is a companion to the last one, because if you bake homemade bread, you've got to go the extra mile and make some homemade butter to go with it! Just the other day, I was gifted a block of homemade butter straight from the cow and stand mixer, so I came home and made some bread for a family dinner.  I placed the bright yellow brick of butter ( all natural coloring ) on the table and it was a magnet! Warm bread from the oven, creamy butter melting in, what a treat! The gifter told me I didn't need a cow  to make my own, all I needed was heavy whipping cream, salt to taste and a stand mixer, so now, I can make homemade butter anytime and you can too!

Homemade Butter

2 c. heavy cream
1/4 t. salt
Pour cream in a stand mixer or food processor and blend for 10 min. on med. speed or till the butter separates.  Stain off the liquid, which is buttermilk so save for other baking. Season to taste with salt. Press butter into small bowl or foam brick. Use the back of a spoon to further remove liquid. Process longer if not firm.

There's no more excuses for supplying your family with the best of butters, a little time equals a feast for the taste buds and easy on the tummy too! Enjoy and pass the butter please!

Tasty Tuesday

               I'm throwing you a curve ball this week and letting the pumpkin posts have a little rest, but I'm still geared up for fall and winter baking, just stalled on breads, which are my weakness! One of my all time favorites is sourdough, even more so since I learned decades ago how to make it, so I thought I'd share this gift with you.
      Back in the 80's when I was a young wife, my hubby had notions of living a remote life in the wilderness, and being a young wife, I did encourage this notion and would of followed him anywhere!  To make a long story short, that was a marriage ago but I still have kept up with the back to basic longing we had then, only now, I share it with another husband and my son's. Making your own bread is a good beginners course for self suffiencity, it's easy once you find a good recipe and the rewards are better than store bought!
      Sourdough cookery is different than most bread making, and  with a few simple guidlines, you will make your own starter that is needed to bake sourdough bread. You will need a starter pot, always use a glass, ceramic or plastic bowl with plastic or wooden spoons to mix, never metal! You will need to store your starter pot in a warm, dry place and make sure it has a vent hole for gas to escape and room for the yeast to rise. You can bake your bread in a metal pan but don't use metal to store your starter in, it just doesn't mix well with the yeast and may interfer with the sour taste that makes this bread so famous.

Sourdough Starter

2 c. all purpose flour
1 t. salt
3 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. dry yeast
2 c. lukewarm water
With a wooden spoon, mix all dry ingredients in a large bowl and gradually add lukewarm water. Stir till mixture resembles a smooth paste. Cover with a towel or cheesecloth and set in a warm place to sour. Stir once a day at least, in 3-4 days the starter will be ready to use. Store in a heavy plastic container, with a hole in lid for gas to escape.

Quick Sourdough Bread

2 c. sourdough starter
1 t. dry yeast
3 Tbsp. warm water
3 Tbsp. sugar
1 1/2 t. salt
3 Tbsp. powered milk
2 Tbsp. cooking oil
3-4 c. all purpose flour
Measure out sourdough starter ( replenish starter with equal parts of flour and water). In a small seperate bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add to sourdough starter along with sugar, salt, powered milk and oil. Mix well. Slowly add flour till dough pulls away from sides of bowl. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead till smooth, add more flour if needed. Shape dough and place in well greased loaf pan. Cover with cloth, set aside in a warm place and allow to rise till doubled in size. Bake at 350 for about 45 min. or till done. Makes 1 loaf.

    Once you get this age old art down, you will find tons of recipes for sourdough starters, like pancakes, pizza crust, buns, cakes, cookies and rolls! So, explore the wild ways of baking bread, see if sourdough doesn't tame your thoughts of store bought goods!

Fall Followers Fling Winner

            The lucky winner for my latest giveaway is Sewn with Grace! Congrats! Send me your mailing info. so I can get your goodies in the mail. If you haven't checked out this adorable blog, do so, it's packed with all kinds of sewing sweets and grace! Happy Monday everyone!

Fall Fun

           What a week! Last weekend we hosted our annual fall fun nite, neighbors, friends and family gather here at our place for a potluck dinner alfresco, bonfire, hayride, apple bobbing, music and fellowship! This year my oldest son made a old fashioned metal tripod so we could make camp coffee and heat up some apple cider, both were perfect! We had 35 in all show up this year, each bringing a dish of choice, so much food! See the bacon and eggs above made from pretzels and candy-very cleaver and good! The kids love the hayride and apple bobbing but the fellowship and fun were had by all!

       And don't forget about my fall followers fling, just a few posts down is where you need to get signed up! Only followers can enter this giveaway, just a chance to thank you all for being a fan of my blog. You have till the 24th at midnight to do that so be sure to get entered if you haven't already. I'll pick the winner early on Monday morning! Last week my brother from California was here for a visit, we had a wonderful time! Even got him interested in geocaching since I took him out on one hunt, which we found. The fall colors are amazing this year considering our hot and dry summer but we have been rewarded with a gorgeous fall show! I LOVE fall, can't you tell!

Tasty Tuesday

           Next to pumpkin, the ever so sweet potato is a fall favorite in many ways, and this week I had a can of pureed sweet potato and I wanted some homemade biscuits to go with dinner that night, so I combined the two thoughts and found a easy recipe for sweet potato biscuits. These gems were simple, tasty with a hint of sweet potato, pretty too and best with honey!

Sweet Potato Biscuits

1 1/4 c. all purpose flour
2 Tbsp. sugar
4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
3/4 c. mashed cooked or canned sweet potato puree
1/4 c. soft butter
2 to 4 Tbsp. milk
Preheat oven to 400. Sift together flour, sugar, b.powder and salt . In a another bowl mix the sweet potatoes and butter, add flour mixture and make a soft dough. Add milk a tablespoon at a time to the mixture and cut in. Turn dough onto floured surface and knead lightly and smooth. Roll dough out to 1/2 in. thick and cut with cutter. Place on greased cookie sheet and bake for about 15-20 min., keep a eye on them. Cool. Enjoy!

       These were such a hit I think they will be on my Thanksgiving menu. They can also be made with pumpkin since they are related in some way! lol

My New Etsy Shop

            I've finally done it! Yep, I've opened up my brand new Etsy shop and I invite you to come and take a peek, let me know what you think, any hints or tips will be gladly accepted! I don't have much up yet, got more to photograph or resize I should say, but soon. Susie Simple will feature simple goods, at affordable prices with shipping as cheap as I can make it. I know when I'm shopping online, the shipping charges are sometimes as much as the product I'm ordering and I know it doesn't cost that much. My aprons will be the heart of my shop, I also barter and make custom clipboards to suit your needs. I'm not looking to get rich here, my goal with this shop is to keep me designing, learning more about the crafts I enjoy and to pocket a little mad money here and there to play with, this girl has a fabric and apron pattern addiction to support! So, comment away, you won't hurt my feelings, I can't improve my goods if I don't know how! Thanks for visiting Susie Simple!

Tasty Tuesday

            Gee, a week without posting, so sorry! I've been busy planning and preparing for our annual fall fun night, where the neighbors, friends and family gather here for a bon fire, hayride, a potluck dinner alfresco style and just a night of good old fashioned fun, to celebrate the fall season! So, to make up for my slacking here, I'm treating you to a double feature, all about the great pumpkin! So, treat yourself to a pumpkin spice latte that puts Starbucks to shame then bake up some pumpkin doughnuts, yes, you heard me right, baked doughnuts! Less in calories but high in taste and praise from all who try them.

Pumpkin Spice Latte

1 pot of extra strong coffee
2 c. milk
2 Tbsp. canned pumpkin
2 Tbsp. sugar
1  Tbsp. vanilla
1/2 t. pumpkin pie spice
In a pot over med. heat, whisk together milk, canned pumpkin and sugar until mixture starts to steam. Remove from heat, whisk in vanilla and pumpkin pie spice. Add the milk mixture to the coffee, top with some whip cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon. Enjoy!

Baked Pumpkin Doughnuts

2 c. all purpose flour
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 1/2 t. baking powder
1 1 /2 t. pumpkin pie spice
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. baking soda
1/2 c. canned pumpkin
2 eggs
1/4 c. milk
1/4 c. oil or butter
In a med. bowl, stir together flour, brown sugar, b. powder, pumpkin pie spice, salt, b. soda. Add pumpkin, eggs, milk and oil or butter. Beat with a electric mixer on low till mixed well. Spoon mixture into a pastry bag with a large star tip and pipe onto 2 greased baking sheets in 3 in. circles. Or you can use the doughnut pans. Bake in a 375 oven for 10 min. or till golden brown. Cool on rack. You can either eat plain or ice with your favorite frosting.

       Canned pumpkin is high this year, here anyway. I paid $1.50 for a can the other day that only made one batch of pumpkin chip bread, so when a local store had real pumpkins for $1.99, I bought 3. Once I'm done with them outside for decoration, I'll peel and cook them down into filling and will yield plenty for all my pumpkin baking through Thanksgiving! Food for thought! Enjoy!

Tasty Tuesday

               Home cooking from scratch just can't be beat, and so much healthier too.  When I was a much younger bride, times got tough, making tortillas feed us when not much else did,  but I'm thankful for those days of doing without or cutting back. Hard times keeps us grounded! So, this week, I'm taking you back to making your own tortillas. If you've made them before, you know how much better they taste, if you haven't made them yet, consider doing so. With little effort and enough prep time, you can accent any meal with home made tortillas. I made white chili last night and a batch of these tortillas and it was a filling meal.

Home Made Flour Tortillas

2 c. all purpose flour
1 1/2 t. baking powder
1 t. salt
2 t. oil
3/4 c. warm milk
Mix together the flour, b. powder, salt and oil. Slowly add the warm milk. Stir till a loose, sticky ball is formed. Knead for 2 min. on floured surfaced. Dough should be firm and soft. Place dough in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap for 20 min. After the dough has rested, break off 8 sections, roll them into balls and place on a plate, cover again and let rest for 10. The resting is very important.
After dough has rested, roll each ball out on floured surface to make a thin 8 in. tortilla, but don't play with dough too much and if you can't get them 8 in. that's fine too. In a dry skillet or lightly oiled then wiped clean, cook tortillas about a min. each side or till bubbles brown or to your liking. Keep cooked tortillas warm wrapped in a towel or tortilla box. Makes 8.

       These will quickly become a family favorite, we prefer them to bread with many meals. It's fun to expand our culinary habits and explore the many fine traditional foods from all over. Enjoy!

Fall Followers Fling

             My favorite season seems to be in full swing, the temps are flirting with our first frost and my followers are adding up, almost daily, so I think it's time once again to reward YOU followers who like my blog enough to be a faithful fan. To thank you, I'll put together a nice surprise package with some fall goodies and maybe even add a apron pattern to the mix? All you have to do is be a follower and leave me a comment HERE, tell me why you became a follower so I can keep you as a follower! Got it? Now, only followers may apply for this giveaway, but you may become one only if you really like my blog and plan on visiting again, and again. Please don't join in just to get entered in the giveaway, I love the numbers but I"m not  a numbers fanatic! I treasure those who enjoy my blog and I want to bring you what you come here for, I aim to please! I'll leave this open until the 24th to give you all time to figure out what this post is all about! Don't you just love my post title? LOL  Thank you all for following and I hope to keep CP on your list for awhile yet!