Happy Halloween!

When I think Halloween I think candy. Maybe it's the joy of remembering a childhood filled with make believe costumes, running from house to house, and most of all the sugar high that I had as a kid that made Halloween my favorite part of Fall. This year I was determined that my two rug rats were going to experience the joy of Halloween. From great costumes to trick-or-treat. They would enjoy the time.

What I didn't realize was how much I chewed off. You might be asking yourself what she saying. You get a costume, a bag, and run crazy right? Yes that's what you do. Only for me a cheap store bought costume wasn't going to cut it. My son and daughter deserved quality. So off I went to the fabric store to get material for them. Boy did that start my headache.

At the store I couldn't find a single costume pattern to satisfy my kids taste or mine. So I resolved to make my own. For my son, a star wars outfit that any Jedi would love. For my daughter, a trick-or-treat fairy made of candy/halloween prints. After trial an error and many many hours my kids and I were satisfied.

Today they wore there homemade costumes at the churches Trunk-or-treat. They had a blast. Hit a huge sugar high. And overall made a memory of a great Halloween. The hours spent was so worth their joy.

- FKB Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Bean & Pork Stew Please

Ok here's a radical stew for an adventure.
Prep time is a little intense but the flavor is nice and mellow. Major hint soak beans over night. The texture will be a little better.

Bean & Pork Stew Recipe:
1 package beans (I love 16 bean melody)
1 pork jowl cubed
1 pound pork stew meat
1 onion cubed
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp salt
1 clove chopped garlic

Soak beans overnight. Drain, rinse, and add to stock pan. Add water or beef broth for richer taste. Season and Bring to boil. Cube and lightly brown the pork jowl add to boiling beans. Leave grease in pan. Add pork stew meat, onions, and garlic to grease and brown. For added flavor I like to season stew meat with salt and pepper before browning. Add meat, garlic, and even grease to stock pan. Boil stew for 40 minutes. Optional vegetables:
1 cup cubed carrots
1 cup cubed potatoes
1 cup cubed squash
1 cup cubed zucchini

Added vegetables need more beef broth, but overall taste pretty good. But I'd suggest using kidney or lima beans only. Mixed beans just don't taste right. For added spice I love adding paprika and white pepper.

FKB Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Christmas Craft Anyone?

I know it's not even Halloween yet but it's time to start my Christmas crafting. I've started with my Victorian Lace Bulb. This might seam simple but it takes time. It starts with a 40 count triple threaded circle. After that I use a technique called circular netting. Shown below:As you can see I prefer to stitch on the bulb. I chose a nice Christmas red highlighted with Christmas green and light green. It's a nice color combination on a clear bulb. Shown below:


-FKB Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

My Fall Cookie

If you feel like a cookie monster in need of a fix try my Fall Sugar Cookie. Warning this recipe makes 4 dozen irresistible cookies. Don't eat them all in one setting. They will give you a tummy ache.


Fall Sugar Cookies:
1 cup butter flavored shorting
1/2 cup unsalted butter
3 eggs
2 cups sugar
2 tsp vanilla
3 cups unbleached flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
Decorating sugar
Optional 1 tsp orange zest & 1/2 tsp imitation orange or lemon flavoring

Combine eggs and butter till smooth and creamy. Add sugar, vanilla, and orange flavor. Blend till smooth again. In separate bowl shift flour, salt, and soda. Combine with wet mixture. Blend well. Add orange zest. In a bowl combine decorating sugar and plain sugar. Drop I small spoon fool of dough in sugar. Roll around till all sides are covered. Place on lined baking sheet. Bake at 350• for 13 minutes. Cool and eat.

Submarine Rolls, Anyone

I've been asked by a friend to re-share my wheat/white submarine bread recipe. Start with you bread machine pan and add in order of wet to dry, and salty to sweet.

White/wheat submarines:
1 cup hot milk (I nuke mine for 2 minutes in a big measuring cup since it can bubble over.)
2 tbs butter
1 egg
1 tsp salt
1 cup wheat
2 cups whole grain white flour
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 tsp gluten
3 tsp quick rise yeast

Add hot milk, butter, egg to pan. Fold in salt and wheat. Let sit 15 minutes as wheat needs to be moistened or it makes horribly dry bread. You can add honey here if you desire. A few bakers have stated that it helps the wheat taste better. After the rest period gently pour the flour on top insuring all corners of pan are covered. Make a well add gluten and brown sugar. Add yeast to the well. Put bread pan in your machine and select dough cycle. Check your dough in the middle of the mix cycle. It should look like a ball of sticky wet play-dough. If it looks wet add 1tbs of white flour. If to dry add tbs of water. Keep repeating until it looks right. After the machine completes the first rise cycle take the pan out. Invert it over a floured surface. Don't over work it but gently shape it into a 2/3 inch thick log that has a width comparable to the length of the subs you want. With a sharp knife cut of individual loves. Place loves on a bread stone or baking pan with at least an inch between. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise an hour or until double in size. Heat oven to 375• and bake for 17 minutes. If you want soft buttery tops brush with butter.

There you go. My sub recipe. If you bag them in the refrigerator they last for a few days.

- FKB Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Harty Hambone

Been feeling under the weather thanks to a radical temperature drop. Normaly when I feel icky my solution is to take it easy since my system can't handle a lot. But with kids home on fall break that's a little hard to do. My kids seam to always be hungry. Since I don't want to be contantly cooking today I need a simple solution. So what's is simpler then soup. Thanks to moms generosity I have a hambone to throw into a pot. So here is my recipe for Hambone soup.

Hambone Soup:
1 Hambone or Hamhock
1/2 cut diced ham
1 bag 16 bean mix
1 can pitete or crushed tomatos
1/2 tsp galic powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Start by soaking beans for 8 to 12 hours. Drain and rinse. Dump into stock pot with hambone or hamhock, seasoning, and fill with water. Bring to boil then reduce heat to a gentle simmer until beans are nice and tender. Add tomatoes and simmer for another 30 minutes.

Now what's soup without bread. Not just any bread but cornbread.

Cornbread Recipe
1 egg
1 1/3 cup milk
1/4 cup oil
2 cups cornmeal

Mix wet ingredients. Add cornmeal and mix well. Pour into oiled pan or cast iron skillet. Bake at 450 for 25 minutes.


- FKB Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Can It Be Done, Chicken

Ok it's Sunday, and like most Americans it's time for rest, a little TV, and a wholesome amount of food. But how can you have wholesome food for dinner while resting? Hmmm how about something cooked in a crackpot? 10 minutes prep, 8 hrs of slow cooking, another few minutes dishing up.... But what to cook, chicken, pork, Beef, or maybe vegetables.... Or better yet what recipe to use. But it bring Sunday and I haven't made it to the store in a few days i better check my refrigerator. I've got a whole 3 lb chicken, some apples, and a little coke. If I ignore the coke, combine the chicken and apples I can pull something together I think. So here goes!

My Apple Stuffed Fall Chicken:
3 lb chicken
2 small apples
Salt
Pepper
1/4 cup Brown Sugar
2 tbs Butter

Rub salt and pepper into the skin. Set in crackpot, legs up. Peel, core and chop apples into cubes. Stuff into cavity and secure legs. Position into crock best side up. Sprinkle brown sugar over, put butter on side, cover and cook for 8 hours. Don't open lid at all during cooking, or pot will lose it's temperature and cause chicken to not cook evenly.


- FKB Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Simple Circles

For the last couple of days I've been creating this simple circle necklace made of beads and silver findings.


The pattern for my circles was pretty basic. Start by selecting two contrasting bead colors, I chose champagne pink and teal silver. Loop 6 beads in a circle, any pattern you want. From above you can see I did a random color and a alternate pie design. Secure the end tightly and pass through the first bead in the loop. Pick up two beads and double back through the base bead and the two beads you picked up. repeat this for all 5 remaining beads. Loop the thread back through the first two beads and your second row of the circle is complete. From here repeat rows only use a pattern of 2, 1, 2 for bead pickup. On your final row add silver crimp beads in place of beads for two base beads. I like to flatten my crimps just a little bit to make the finish look more flat. Once all your bead circles are done start connecting using silver jump rings. I added oval rings to contrast my circles. Add a chain and clasp to your desired length and your done. Pretty simple but elegant I think.

- FKB Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

A Bead Of A Different Color

Ok for the last week I've been working on a nice piece of beads comprised of opaque black and opaque yellow lime clear beads. First I beaded a chain 20 inches long.

As you can see from the photo I used a spiral pattern plus alternated base colors ever 5 inches. Created a nice contrast on the chain.

Next I beaded a pendent. The pendent consisted of two pieces. A nice triangle held on the chain by a ruffled loop initiating the chain bead stitch pattern.

- FKB Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Stewed But What About Doughed?

After much probing I've been asked via email to release my Honey Wheat Bread Bowl Recipe. After all what is home cooked stew with out good homemade bread.

Base Recipe:
1 cup very hot milk
1 egg
2 tbs butter
3/4 cup stone ground wheat
1tsp salt
2 1/2 tsp wheat gluten
2 cups bread flour
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 1/2 tsp bread machine yeast or fast rise yeast

Add eggs & butter to bread machine pan, slowly pour hot milk into pan. Add salt and wheat. Gently stir till wheat is mixed in. Let rest 15 minutes. Add flour, wheat gluten, and brown sugar. Make a well in center and add yeast. Pour honey over top. Select dough cycle. Watch the mixing to insure the dough forms a nice ball shape that's not too liquid or dry. Think sticky but soft play-dough.






Let rise in bread pan. Check it to insure it isn't escaping the pan. Punch down after at least 45 minutes. Take out of pan shape into bowl size balls on tinfoil lined baking pan.






I like to butter the top and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise at least one hour or until double. My rise cycle has gone as long as 90 minutes.

Bake 17 minutes at 350, brush with butter as soon as you pull them from oven. Let cool at least 30 minutes before curing tops off and coring inside for stew.

Diabetic Version:
1 cup skin milk
1 egg
2 tbs butter
1 1/2 cup wheat
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup bread flour
1/2 cup honey
2 1/2 tsp yeast

This has a slightly different taste, but still good. You can use water instead of milk but that makes a harder bread with a less sweet taste. Im a soft bread fan so most of my recipes have a milk base.

Why don't you try my recipes and let me know what you think!




- FKB Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone