Archive | April 11, 2018

Recipes: Bread Loaf

Apr11

Aunt Mildred’s Bread Loaf

Aunt Mildred’s Loaf Bread
This recipe was shared with family in friends in loving memory of Aunt Mildred Marie Guinn Stoots, my Aunt. Every time we visited the family in east Tennessee, my Mom would head over to Uncle Leonard and Aunt Mildred’s house on Sunday. After church they would always have a big late lunch. With 8 kids, you can be assured it was BIG. Especially when they grew up and brought friends home.

I loved the smell of their house. Especially when Aunt Mildred was baking bread for the Sunday dinner. I really miss both of them. We lost our precious Mildred in January 2009. And we happily share our memories of her kitchen with the world.

Preparation Time: 1 hour
Total Rising Time: 2 hours
Serves: Makes 3 loaves Continue reading →

Recipes: Italian Bread Loaf

Apr11

Garrett’s Italian Bread

Italian Bread

There’s nothing like fresh baked bread on a cold winter day. The aroma that fills the air, can remind you of days gone by, visiting grand-parents for the holidays and just feeling warm and cozy at home.

One very cold January day, we were faced with 3 feet of snow outside and trying to decide what to do for dinner. Spaghetti ended up being our choice, and I made a comment, sure would be nice to have a loaf of Italian bread to go with it. That conversation occurred around lunch time and it started Gary thinking.

He had the rest of the afternoon to put his hands into making his version of an Italian loaf. He has become a well seasoned baker and he always has a few tweaks to any recipe you can find for baking. Bread baking is his usual obsession and what he’s learned over the decades certainly improves his adventures into baking something new. This recipe is just such an attempt.

Preparation Time: 3 ½ – 4 hours
Makes 2 bread loaves Continue reading →

Recipes: Hamburger Buns

Apr11

Homemade Hamburger Buns

Garrett’s Hamburger Buns
Gary is the baker in our house. One summer we had friends and family over for a cook-out and our homemade hamburgers were to large for store bought buns.

Right then and there, Gary decided he was going to make his own buns for the next cook-out. And they’re absolutely wonderful even by themselves!

We’ve become so enamored with his version that we have them anytime we’re having grilled sandwiches. They go great with grilled chicken, bbq, ham, and oh yes, hamburgers.

Preparation Time: 3 hours
Makes approx 32 buns
Use them for your next cook-out or once they’ve cooled from the oven, place them in a ziplock air-tight bag and freeze them until they’re needed. Continue reading →

Recipes: Saltine Crackers

Apr11

Saltine Crackers

Garrett’s Saltine Crackers
When you’re struggling and money is tight, picking up a box of crackers can sometimes seem like a luxury you can’t afford. We’ve been in that situation. It’s cheaper to pick up a pound of flour and make what you need then it is to spend $2 for this and $4 for that. Those little extra dollars eventually add up. But Gary likes having peanut butter and crackers for lunch.

When things were really bad during the recession, he worked on perfecting a saltine cracker recipe. We think he’s created a pretty good cracker.

The other good thing about making homemade crackers, you get to control how much salt is on those saltines. Or you can make your own version of a seasoned cracker. I love replacing the coarse salt with a Ranch Dressing powder for instance.

Preparation Time: 1 hour
Makes: 6 dozen crackers  Continue reading →