Well today in April it feels like June is busting out all over.  The sun is shining and many of the flowers are blooming including the bluebells in my  backyard that come up wild every year.  The things I plant very rarely survive more than one season.   I love flowers but always joke I have a white thumb not a green one.  I really love roses and I don't know how many I have planted over the last forty years.  At the present time I have a very straggly one on the south side of the house that Don and Elane Catton gave me for a gift when I retired.  I have fertilized it and sprayed it for insects.  It doesn't bloom but it hasn't died yet either.

 

Enough about flowers, the other day at Blackhawk Unit of Retired Teachers Kathleen Kelly gave me a start of Amish Friendship Bread.  I think it is about 10 years since I have had a start.  The last time I had it I got so tired of it I finally baked it all and sold it at one of the many bake sales I contribute to.  If you would like a start call me in a week I will have several starts.  I gave the last two to Bobbie Beals and Sherie Ayers so they will have starters too.  Following you will find the directions for :

 

AMISH FRIENDSHIP BREAD

 

DO NOT  use metal spoon to mix-use only wood or plastic spoons.

DO NOT refrigerate.

DO let the air out of the bag when it collects.

 

WHAT TO DO

DAY 1 nothing-you received the bag today.

DAY 2 Mush

DAY 3 Mush

DAY 4 Mush

DAY 5 Mush

DAY 6 Add 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar, and 1 cup milk. Then mush.

DAY 7 Mush

DAY 8 Mush

DAY 9 Mush

DAY 10 Put it in a big bowl and add 1 cup flour, 1 cup sugar, and 1 cup milk.

Mix (with a wooden or plastic spoon)  Pour (3) 1 cup starters into large ziplock bags.  Give to friends and keep on for your self to start all over again.

 

With the remaining starter, add 1/2 cup milk, 1 cup oil, 1 cup sugar, 2 cups flour, 3 eggs and 1 large of 2 small boxes of vanilla or lemon instant pudding mix. ( Do  not make the pudding, just mix into batter). Add 2 teaspoons cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon salt.  Mix and pour into 2 large bread loaf pans that have been greased and sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar.  Sprinkle cinnamon and sugar on top before baking Bake at 350 degrees for 50 to 60 minutes.  Do Not Overcook.  Cool for 10 minutes .  Eat and Enjoy.  Note you can substiture Applesauce instead of oil.  You can use 1/2  cup of each.

 

I plan to eperiment a little using Splenda and Eggbeaters.  I will let you know how this turns out.

 

I was going through some of my accumulation of recipes and found two that I have not tried but have sampled .  They are from an article in the Mid West Living magazine February 1997 called Big City Breakfast Recipes.   The two I have selected are from Ann Sather's in Chicago.

 

ANN SATHER'S SWEDISH PANCAKES

Thin and sweet, these pancakes lure diners from the Chicago area to Ann Sather''s restaurants .  Serve the traditional way, with lingonberry jam and sour cream.  They're good with syrup ,too and fresh strawberries.

 

1 2/3 cups all-purpose

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup non-fat dry milk powder

dash of salt

4 slightly  beaten eggs

2 cups water

1. In a large mixing bowl, stir flour, sugar, milk powder and salt together.  In another mixing bowl, combine eggs and water.  Add to dry ingredients,  Beat with a wire whisk or rotary beater till thoroughly combined and smooth.

2. Heat a lightly greased 10-inch nonstick skillet with flared sides over medium heat tilla drop of water sizzles.

3. For each pancake, pour about 1/4 cup batter into the pan.  Tilt pan till batter coats the bottom of pan. Cook over medium heat till the tops appear dry and bottoms are brown ( 1 to 1 1/2 minutes)  Flip pancakes to brown other sides ( 20 to 30 seconds) Roll up pancakes of fold into quarters.  Serve immediately with lingonberry or other jam and sour cream.  Makes 16 large pancakes.

 

STICKY APPLE CINNAMON ROLLS

 

6 1/4 to 6 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 packages active dry yeast

2 cups milk

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup butter or margarine

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 egg

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup flour

1 Tablespoon cinnamon

1/2 cup butter of margarine

2 cups finely chopped peeled apple

1 cup chopped pecans

Caramel Syrup ( recipe  follows)

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine 2 1/2 cups of flour and yeast. Set aside

2. In a medium saucepan, heat and stir milk, 1/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup butter, and salt jut till warm ( 120 degrees to 130 degrees) and butter almost melts.  Add milk mixture to flour mixture.  Then , add the egg.   Beat with an electric mixer 30 seconds, scraping sides of bowl. Beat on high speed for 3 minutes.  Using a wooden spoon, stir in as much of the remaining flour as you can.

3. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface.  Knead in enough of remaining flour to make a moderately  soft dough that's smooth and elastic ( 3 to 5 minutes total)   Shape the dough into a ball.  Place dough in lightly greased bowl, turning once to grease the surface of the dough.  Cover; let rise in a warm place till doubled (45 to 60  minuter)

4. For filling: In a small mixing bowl, combine the 1/2 cup brown sugar, the 1/2 cup sugar, the 1/4 cup butter of margarine till mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

5. Punch dough down.   Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface.  Cover and let rest for 10 minutes.  Grease a 13x9x2 baking pan and set aside.

6. Roll the dough into a 24x16 inch        rectangle.  Sprinkle with filling apple and nuts.  Roll up from long side, jellyroll style.  Pinch to seal edge.

7. Prepare Caramel Syrup.  Pour into baking pan,   cut dough, crosswise, into 12 rolls and lace, cut side down, into about 45 minutes or till nearly doubled.

8. Bake, uncovered, in a 350 degree oven for 40 minutes of till lightly browned and rolls sound hollow when lightly tapped ( place baking sheet under baking pan to catch any drips ). Invert onto serving plate while warm.  Makes 12 rolls.

CARMEL SYRUP

In a saucepan, melt 1/2 dup butter or margarine,  Stir in 1 cup packed brown sugar and 1/4 cup corn syrup.  Cook and stir till sugar melts.  Remove from heat.
 

 

I had one more recipe for a breakfast casserole but I will wait for July and then maybe some new picnic ideas.