Archive - December, 2013

Meringue Cookies

December 30, 2013 in Fresh Off the Farm, Smorgasbord with 4 Comments

Sunbeam Mix Master, Mix Master, low cholesterol cookie, Gluten-free cookie, Christmas cookie, Meringue cookie,If you are looking for a low cholesterol, gluten-free, melt-in-your-mouth cookie, look no further.

 

Beat 2 egg whites with, 1/2 tsp. cream of tartar, and a pinch of salt till stiff.

 

Add 3/4 C. sugar; red or green food coloring (opt.); and 1/8 tsp. peppermint extract, or to taste.

meringue cookies, low-cholesterol cookies, gluten-free cookies,

 

Fold in 1 C. mini-chocolate chips.

 

 

 

Turn on oven to 375°F.  Heat for 15 minutes.

low cholesterol cookies, gluten-free cookies, meringue cookies, Christmas cookies, waxpaper,

 

 

On cookie sheet covered with waxed paper, make cookies by the teaspoonful. Place the cookies in the oven.

 

 

Christmas cookies, peppermint, low-cholesterol cookie, gluten-free cookies, candy cane,

 

 

Turn off oven and leave them in the oven overnight.

 

 

You may like to try leaving the cookies white and flavoring them with vanilla or almond flavoring.  Feel free to experiment with your favorite flavors.

 

photo credit:Wenda Grabau
photo credit:Wenda Grabau
photo credit:Wenda Grabau
photo credit:Wenda Grabau

 

Cream Comes to the Top

December 28, 2013 in Fresh Off the Farm with 5 Comments

glass pitcher, "I love Milk", Land O' Lakes pitcher, milk, Cream,

Notice the line of cream just beneath the top of the upper "I". Above that line is cream, below it is milk.

On the farm, milk is our business, but it is also our beverage.

We use the milk from our cows.  It is refrigerated in the milk house as soon as it comes out of the cow.  We use about a gallon and a half in a day or two.

As the milk sets in my kitchen refrigerator the cream rises to the top.  Before we drink it, I like to skim most of the cream.  We drink and cook with the skimmed milk.  The cream is used for many purposes.  As it sours in makes biscuits, pancakes, breads, cakes or cookies. We sometimes even make ice cream.

 

 

 

 

Skimming cream from milk, Skimming milk, glass pitcher, "I Love Milk", Land O' Lakes pitcher, Milk, Cream,I thought you might like to see how the skimming gets done, since it won’t be a common practice in most kitchens.

photo credit:Wenda Grabau
photo credit:Bretta Grabau

Caramel Corn Made in the Oven

December 25, 2013 in Fresh Off the Farm, Smorgasbord with 4 Comments

Corn popper, White popcorn, popcorn popping, popcorn,A quick, rich treat for anytime, including Christmas, is caramel corn.  Kids of all ages take to this snack.

I preheat the oven for 250° F. I pop our homegrown popcorn in my popcorn popper. Store-bought popcorn will do.  We need 6 quarts of popped popcorn.  That is enough to fill up my roaster pan or about 3 poppers full. I put the popcorn in the oven to keep warm while I make the caramel topping.

 

 

brown sugar, corn syrup, butter, salt, caramel mixture, caramel corn,

Margarine will work, but...butter is better.

In a heavy saucepan, at low heat, I melt 2 sticks of butter with 2 cups brown sugar, 1 tsp. salt and 1/2 cup corn syrup stirring constantly till it boils.   Let it boil for 5 minutes without stirring.

 

 

caramel, caramel corn,

 

 

 

Take off of the burner and add 1 Tsp. vanilla and 1/2 tsp. baking soda.  Stir.  The mixture will foam.

 

 

 

 

 

Lifetime cookware, caramel, caramel corn, popcorn,Remove the popcorn from the oven. Pour the caramel mixture over the popcorn and stir.  Cover as much popcorn as possible.  Return the popcorn to the oven for 15 minutes.  Stir the popcorn.  Do this 3 more times and you have a super treat for any holiday.

 

 

 

 

 

Lifetime cookware, caramel corn, popcorn,

 

When the mixture cools the final time, break the kernels apart with a wooden spoon.  Store in an air-tight container.

 

 

 

When the weather cools and the leaves start to fall, this recipe beckons.

photo credit: Bretta Grabau
photo credit: Bretta Grabau
photo credit: Bretta Grabau
photo credit: Bretta Grabau
photo credit: Bretta Grabau

How to Scald Milk

December 23, 2013 in Fresh Off the Farm with 2 Comments

milk, scalded milk,

The wrinkled-look on the surface of the milk indicates that the scalding has taken place. Remove the pan from heat.

Many yeast breads require scalded milk.

Let me share with you how I do it.

Measure the milk into a sauce pan.

Heat on low heat.  I have done this on high heat and it will work.  However, the likelihood of my getting distracted is so great that often the milk comes to a boil before I notice the scalding.  So the lower heat is recommended.

When the milk is scalded you will notice steam and a scum covering the surface of the milk.

When I scald, I watch the milk closely. If I am not sure scalding has taken place, I blow on the surface of the milk.  If it is scalded, I see the ripples of the scum react to the blowing. When scalded, take the milk off of the heat.

For yeast breads, hot milk will kill the yeast.  This milk must be cooled from hot to warm.  To hasten the cooling I add the butter and other cold ingredients, not egg, though.  The butter melts.  (An egg would cook into lumps if added before the milk is sufficiently cooled.) If the warmth in the milk is not uncomfortable to your touch, then it is ready to be used with the softened yeast.

Now your milk is ready for your recipe.

photo credit: Wenda Grabau

Swedish Kardamummakrans

December 22, 2013 in Fresh Off the Farm, Smorgasbord with 2 Comments

milk, scalded milk, warmed milk,

Scald milk at medium heat. Note the wrinkled texture on the surface of the milk. This is your clue that the milk is scalded.

One of our favorite Christmas breads is Swedish Kardamummakrans, or as we call it, Cardamom Bread.

The spice, cardamom, is a bit costly, but its fresh, mild flavor is a special delight.  I know I will use the spice for Thanksgiving and Christmas, so to me the cost is worth it.  Besides, the spice keeps from year to year.  There have been Christmases when I could not find it on the grocery shelf and I found it helpful to have extra on hand.

Cardamom bread dough, cardamom bread, braiding dough, Christmas bread,

Braid dough loosely to allow for the second rising of the dough.

This recipe calls for 2.5 cups of scalded milk.   It is best not to boil it. So a lesser temperature will be helpful.

Add 1.5 sticks of butter, 1 cup of sugar, 1.5 tsp. cardamom and 1/2 tsp. of salt to the milk.  Stir mixture and allow it to cool.

Cardamom wreath, Cardamon bread, cardamom bread dough, Christmas bread, Christmas yeast bread,

Join the ends of the braid, making a ring, to form the wreath.

The recipe calls for 1 pkg. of yeast and 1/4-1/2 cup warm water.  Mix and let this mixture rest a few minutes to soften.

When the milk mixture cools enough so that you can hold your finger in the milk comfortably, you may add the yeast mixture.  Beat 1 egg and add it to the yeast/milk mixture. Mix well.

Add 8 cups of flour.  Knead dough until elastic in texture.  Let rise until doubled in bulk.  Punch down the dough and cut the dough into 3 pieces.

Cardamom bread, iced cardamom bread, Swedish Kardamummakrans, frosted Cardamom bread, Christmas yeast bread,

M-m-m, it is yummy!

Each piece will make a medium sized loaf of bread.  Cut each of the 3 pieces of dough into 3 pieces and make them into 3 ropes of about 15-18 inches in length. (You may make larger loaves by making only 2 pieces of dough of 3 ropes each.)

Braid dough being sure to join the ropes together at each end of the braid.  Place the braid on a greased baking sheet and secure the two ends of the braid together to form a wreath.  Allow the bread to rise again.  Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Braided Christmas Cardamom Bread garnished with Anise Cookies

Christmas Favorites at our House, Swedish Kardemummakrans and Anise Cookies

When bread is cooled, you may freeze it or frost it.

Icing is made with 1 cup powdered sugar, 1 T. soft butter, 1 tsp. vanilla, and 1-2 T. cream.  When the frosting is somewhat hardened, you may decorate the wreath with halved green and red candied cherries.

Have fun and I hope you enjoy this bread as we do.

(For more detail on the process of scalding milk, see “Scalding Milk” on my website.)

photo credit: Wenda Grabau
photo credit: Bretta Grabau
photo credit: Wenda Grabau
photo credit: Wenda Grabau
photo credit: Wenda Grabau

 

 

Memories of Christmas Past

December 18, 2013 in Family Ties, Smorgasbord with 2 Comments

Christmas, Christmas tree, Christmas trimmings, Christmas lights, Christmas garlands,Looking back on my life, I have enjoyed several memories.  Let me list a few of them for you. You may have experienced several of similar significance.

1. At Thanksgiving, aunts, uncles, cousins, mom and dad, my brothers and sister and I, and grandma and grandpa put our names in a hat. Each person drew the name of one person for whom to buy a Christmas gift.  All gifts would be roughly the same cost. The name exchange proved to start the excitement  for the coming Christmas party, a delight that stretched over the following month until we got together again.

lutefisk, bowl of lutefisk, 2. At the Christmas party on Christmas Eve, we gathered in grandma and grandpa’s small house.  I remember the trimmed and lit Christmas tree. Dozens of gifts, gaily decorated, lay in heaps beneath the tree.

3. The main course of the menu consisted of lutefisk and milk gravy.  As a child I considered the lutefisk to be tasteless.  I thought it compared in taste to that of unsalted, boiled egg whites. As I grew, I learned to like it.  Even my dad of German descent became fond of the menu.

4. After dinner, Santa Claus came to grandma and grandpa’s house to hand out the gifts.  I recall that Santa was a crabby guy.  When he called my name to go up and get my present, he held tight to it and would not let me get it without a struggle. He scared me.

hand, hand out, Red apple, apple, 5. Every Christmas my Sunday School had a Christmas program.  I generally had a recitation to say as my part of the program telling of Jesus’ birth.  Sometimes, when I got a bit older, I sang a song with other children.  When the program was finished, we left for home.  The deacons waited for us at the church door and gave each of us a huge, sweet Christmas apple to take home.  Mom and Dad promised that when we arrived home from the program, we could open one gift from them.  The black night and the sparkling snow decorated the winter landscape, adding to the fun of the evening.

6. Mom particularly liked decorating our house with outdoor decorations.  When I was a teen I remember mom got a job at a Christmas wreath factory.  We had a patio door in our northern Wisconsin home. She got us a 60-inch balsam Christmas wreath for the door. It was painted white and adorned  with only red decorations and Christmas lights.

7. Our family sang Christmas carols in the car as we drove during the holiday season. That is how those songs sank deep into my heart.

Do any of these sound familiar?  Have fun recounting your fond Christmas memories.

photo credit: weisserstier via photopin cc
photo credit: mtcarlson via photopin cc
photo credit: Www.CourtneyCarmody.com/ via photopin cc

In the Olden Days

December 16, 2013 in Cards, Family Ties, Smorgasbord with 2 Comments

peppermint candy, peppermint lozenge, Letter to Grandma, Letter to Grandpa, Notebook paper, pencil drawing,

Christmas has been a holiday of importance for many years. The birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus have affected all of our lives whether or not we realize it. If, in your case, you have a family celebration planned, you might take time to pass on to the younger ones, what Christmas meant to you as you grew up.  What was your perspective on family, on life and on Christmas?  Share this with your family. They will never know the dearest memories you have unless you tell them.

Be sure to include reading from the Bible. If Christ was not the center of your holiday in the old days, He can be this Christmas.  He is central in the true Christmas story of the Bible. Find the Christmas story in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 2.

Let’s not leave our young people clueless as to the significance of this holiday that has traveled down to us over the many generations of humankind. Be their link to the past this Christmas and share your story with them.

And may I wish you a

                               Merry Christmas!

The card in this illustration is available through our store. It is called, “In the Olden Days.”

 

Sketch by Wenda Grabau

Fret, Worry or Peace?

December 13, 2013 in Farming Fancies, Verse by Verse with 0 Comments

(Excerpt from our book, Tales from Heritage Farm, available in our store)

barn, red barn, lilac bush, lilac flowers, lilac, farm,Following the storm, several weeks after the clean up period, Farmer’s wife was busily pushing the lawn mower trying to keep the grass clipped short.  The sunlight highlighted something especially beautiful in the space where the fallen cedar had been. “Oh, Lord, How fun! These are little lilacs,” she squealed with delight.  “I had no idea you were here, little plants.” The perfect young plants measured nearly three feet tall. “You are just the right size for transplanting,” she added.

Farmer did not have to think long about which spot was best for growing. It was on the side of a hill in the full sun. Farmer’s son saw to it that the five lilac sprouts were quickly moved out to their new homes. Today their future is as bright as the sun. These plants will have the chance to carry on the mission that Lilac’s Creator had given her many years before.

Lilac’s excitement was contagious when the friends in the windbreak realized how their Creator made the whole situation work out for good. “Lilac,” chided Woody. “Don’t you feel silly that you fretted so?

lilac, lilac flowers, purple lilac flowers, “Yes, I do,” she admitted. “I wasted all the time worrying when I could have enjoyed the peace of trusting our wise and wonderful Creator. He moved a tree, gave Farmer’s wife the eyes to see the youngsters, and used Farmer and his son to work out the fulfillment of my children’s destinies. God, our Creator, is truly faithful.”

I Peter 4:19 (RSV) “Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will do right and entrust their souls to a faithful Creator.”

Roman’s 8:28 (KJV) “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.”

You may not be a lilac,

You may not be a tree,

But your Heavenly Creator

Made you for eternity.

Do not trade fret and worry

For peace in trusting Him.

Great is His reputation,

Let your heart trust only Him.

He brings peace in sadness,

Security midst fear and doubt.

Your future is His concern,

He will surely work it out.

photo credit:Wenda Grabau
photo credit:Wenda Grabau

The Creator Has a Plan

December 11, 2013 in Farming Fancies with 0 Comments

(Excerpt from our book, Tales from Heritage Farm, available in our store)

A hush fell over her spirit as the voice of her long time friend assured her that their Creator was in control.

“Lilac, I know what you’re thinking,” Woody’s tone split into her consciousness. “Remember our Creator made us both. He had us planted here. And He has a purpose for your children just as He had for us. Have your forgotten that?”

“No, but it seems like it has been forever since we were young. I can’t imagine what it will take for our Creator to work out a desirable future for my sweet little ones,” she fretted.

“Now, now, be patient, dear Lilac. I am sure that the Creator has a plan.” assured Woody.

Many days went on. One chilly, April afternoon, a violent windstorm shook the old farm. Limbs were lost. Farmer’s windmill was damaged. Several large trees succumbed in the wake of the powerful winds.

One of Woody’s cousins could no longer stand against the unrelenting wind. With a thundering crash, he toppled to the ground. Fortunately, the tree fell on empty sod.  With his great height, the downed tree took up a large space in Farmer’s yard. It had to be removed and made into useful firewood.

The whole grove was upset by its loss of friend and cousin. But they all knew that their Creator was working out His faithful design. The trees and bushes at the fence line were at a loss, however, for what good might possibly come from this event which weakened the much needed windbreak.

photo credit: Dendroica cerulea via photopin cc

Lilac Reminisces

December 9, 2013 in Farming Fancies with 3 Comments

lilac, purple lilac, bee on lilac, bee on flower, bee,(Excerpt from our book, Tales from Heritage Farm, available in our store)

“In the old days,” she told her offspring, “I put forth the most heavenly, sweet scent. Bees bumbled over to visit me. They hummed happy songs on their visits to my beautiful flowers. I know they loved me and I felt appreciated,” she related as her whispery voice carried over the airwaves. She continued to reminisce, “Farmer’s Mom and Grandmom used to drink deeply of my perfume and pick armful of my blooms.  While the hard work of spring chores was underway, my lavender bouquets refreshed the spirits of their hard working families at break time and meal time. Those days were so rewarding and satisfying,” she said with a sigh. Then in a moment of silence, she reflected on the days gone by.

“Don’t stop there, Mama,” urged her little children’s voices over the soft breeze.  “Tell us about when we were little.”

“Oh, well, all right.  My many flowers faded after a time. It made me sad at first.  But all the while something even greater was in the works.  The purple flowers dried and fell away, leaving the little seeds that my Creator had placed in my care.  They began to gradually grow to maturity.  Day after day they swelled until they burst forth from their shelters on my twigs. Some of the seeds blew away. Other seeds that fell down began to take root and grow on the rich earth. With the abundance of rain and the partial sunshine of the grove, you began to thrive.” Lilac beamed as she continued, “I have been so pleased to have you grow up here with me. Your being here has been my greatest joy.”

Her voice trailed off as a poignant pain seized her lilac heart.  In their shady world, she could only expect that her children would probably never experience that same joy of blooming and making seeds to pass on their heritage of beauty to Farmer’s world.

photo credit: ajburcar via photopin cc

Page 1 of 212»