Sourdough Starter - Feeding the Flock 23

 

BEER SOURDOUGH STARTER

1 cup Sam Adams Alpine lager

¾ cup all-purpose flour

2 tbsp. rice flour 

1 tbsp. whole wheat flour

Open bottle of beer 24 hours in advance of making dough and let it go flat.

Mix dry ingredients together.  Add beer and stir well to combine.

Cover with cheesecloth and then plastic wrap.  Let stand 24-48 hours, stirring every 12 hours. After the 48 hours, either refrigerate or feed.

It will be bubbly and smell strongly fermented.

You can find out how to "feed" and maintain your sourdough starter here.

I do not have the recipe for the white sourdough starter because it was given to me.  The recipes that I have found use a commercial dry sourdough starter (there must be a better way)!

I'm going to use my beer starter for the first time today.

Enjoy.

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Rosemary Lemon Cookies - Feeding the Flock 23

½ cup butter flavored Crisco
1¼ cup sugar
2 eggs
3 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cream of tartar
¼ tsp salt
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tbsp. fresh lemon balm leaves
1 tbsp. fresh rosemary leaves

Preheat oven to 375°.

Mince the lemon balm and rosemary leaves.

Cream together Crisco and sugar and beat until fluffy.  Add eggs, lemon juice and leaves and beat until well blended. 

Combine flour, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt, and mix well then add to creamed mixture and blend well.  Dough will be thick. 

Use a small ice cream scoop to drop on ungreased cookie sheets. 

Bake at 375º for 14 minutes.  YIELD: 4 dozen

YUM.

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Quick & Easy Pork Loin - Feeding the Flock 23

 

Preheat oven 350º

1½ lb. pork loin

½ head cabbage (next time I will use the whole thing)

2 small pickling cucumbers, sliced (next time I will use 4-5)

2 tbsp. lime juice

1½ tbsp. onion flakes

2 tsp. garlic powder

salt & pepper

¼ cup mustard dressing

Place the cabbage and cucumbers in a greased baking dish.  Sprinkle with lime juice, onion flakes and garlic powder.  

Salt the pork loin and rub with honey mustard dressing.  Generously pepper the roast.  Cover and bake 1-1½ hours.  

I wasn't sure how I was going to serve this, but it worked splendidly on top of a garden salad.  Slice the pork and lay on top of salad.  Spoon the cabbage and baked cucumbers over the top.  Baked cucumbers are so good!!! Who knew?

Enjoy!

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Potato and Sausage Casserole - Feeding the Flock 23

 

I just want to thank my daughter for sharing this recipe with me, she is helping me out again in the challenge.  If you click on the picture you can visit her website.  Here's her recipe. 

10 unpeeled brown potatoes

Jimmy Dean regular sausage roll

1 yellow pepper, diced

1 red pepper, diced 

½ block cream cheese

½ container sour cream

1 stick butter

Generous amount of cheddar cheese

Preheat oven 375º

Slice potatoes and boil until almost soft.

Sauté sausage and peppers together until cooked.

Mix cream cheese and sour cream together with drained potatoes and place in casserole dish. 

Cut slices of butter over top of potatoes. 

Top with sausage and peppers mixture.

Sprinkle with generous amount of cheddar cheese and bake about 30 minutes.

Enough for leftovers.

Enjoy,

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Penguins - Feeding the Flock 23

 

I made these at Christmas time but never got around to posting.  They were so much fun.

1 box of chocolate cake

1 container of chocolate frosting

1 container of white frosting

1 sleeve of Ritz crackers

Peanut butter, creamy or chunky

Mix cake according to box instructions.  

Make peanut butter crackers (placing peanut butter between two Ritz crackers)

Using half of the cake batter, divide amongst cupcake tins.  Place one peanut butter cracker in the center of each cup cake.  Cover with remaining batter.  Bake according to box instructions.  Let cool.  

Frost with white frosting, saving some for feet and beak.  Using the chocolate, frost around the outside of each cake, creating a forehead for the penguin.  Then using food coloring, create orange for beak and feet and using the picture, create little penguins.  

These were so tasty with the peanut butter cracker inside the cup cake.

Enjoy.

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Open Faced Omelet - Feeding the Flock 23

 

2 small potatoes, scrubbed and diced

1 tbsp. butter

3 oz. breakfast sausage

½ green pepper, diced

½ onion, diced

3 large mushrooms, sliced

1 cup chopped mustard greens

4 cherry tomatoes

4 sliced, candied tomatoes

4 eggs, beaten

Add butter and potatoes to cast iron skillet and cook, stirring often for 10 minutes.  Add sausage and cook 5 minutes or until no pink remains.  Toss in peppers, onions, greens and mushrooms and sauté for about 3-5 more minutes.  Pour in eggs and cover.  Let steam and cook 3 minutes or so.  Top with tomatoes and jalapeños.  Serves 2.

Enjoy,

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Naughty Sourdough Bread - Feeding the Flock 23

The reason I called it naughty is because I fed it and it bubbled all over the counter and made a wicked mess.  Sometimes sourdough will do that.  In my theme reveal I said I was going to incorporate sourdough into my recipes.  I'm not coming up with as many as I hoped but it's fun when I create something new. This bread is so tasty and moist, I will definitely make it again.

2 tbsp. grapeseed oil

¼ cup agave nectar

¾ cup buttermilk (microwave about 20 seconds to about 70º)

8 oz. sourdough starter

3 tbsp. Nocino (I'm thinking any kind of liqueur would work)

4 cups bread flour

2 tsp. salt

2¼ tsp. yeast

Place all ingredients in the bread machine in the order given. Select the dough cycle and let process.  Remove from bread machine and divide dough into two loaves.  Place on baking pan, lined with parchment paper.  Let rise for 45 minutes to an hour.  Preheat oven to 355º.  Before backing slit tops of bread with sharp paring knife.  Bake 25 minutes.  Remove from oven, pat with butter if desired, cover with towel and let cool. Makes 2 loaves

Enjoy,

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Magnificent Meal - Feeding the Flock 23

This recipe idea came to me from remembering when I was a Brownie. We made (what was then called Mulligan Stew) where all the girls brought a can of soup and we mixed it all together to be on big soup.  Tall Cool ☺ne says it's called Stone Soup. Basically I took all the leftovers in the the fridge and sautèd them together to make a big ole magnificent stir fry.  

Canola oil

1 lb. onion sausage, casing removed

1 lg. zucchini, chopped

8 oz. whole mushrooms, halved

1 lg. onion, chopped

1 head broccoli florets, separated

8 oz. bag fresh baby spinach

8 oz. shredded carrots

1 large tomato, chopped

1 cup artichoke spread

2 tbsp. corn starch

3 tbsp. soy sauce

¼ tabasco sauce (sweet & spicy)

¼ cup water, (more or less)

In WOK add 1-2 tbsp. cooking oil.  Cook the sausage until no longer pink, remove from pan, cover with aluminum foil to keep warm. Drain grease from pan.

Add 1 tbsp. oil to pan and heat 1 minute.  Add zucchini, onion, broccoli, carrots and sauté for about 5 minutes.  Add mushrooms, tomato and spinach and cover.  Cook another 2-3 minutes.  Add tomato and artichoke spread and cook 2-3 more minutes, covered.  

Uncover and stir in sausage.

In measuring cup, combine corn starch, soy sauce and tabasco sauce and mix well.  Make well in center of WOK by pushing veggies up against sides.  Pour sauce into center and stir until thickened.  Mix into veggies and sausage.  Stir and simmer 1-2 minutes.  Remove from heat and serve.

Serve as is, or with a side of rice or muffin.

Enjoy,

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Lemon Cake - Feeding the Flock 23

 

1 cup al purpose flour

½ cup toasted chopped slivered almonds

¼ cup brown sugar

1 stick butter

1-15 oz. can crushed pineapple

2-3 oz. pkgs. lemon gelatin

1 cup boiling water

2 cups ice cubes

4 medium bananas, sliced

1 cup miniature marshmallows

½ cup sugar

2 tbsp. flour

2 eggs, beaten

1½ cups Cool Whip

1 cup coconut flakes (optional)

Drain pineapple, reserving the liquid.  In large bowl, dissolve gelatin in boiling water.  Stir in ice cubes, stir until melted. Let chill in refrigerator while prepping other ingredients.

Preheat oven to 350º

Mix together 1 cup flour, brown sugar, and almonds in a bowl. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Press into greased baking dish (13"x9") and bake for 15 minutes.  Remove from oven and cool.

Combine pineapple juice and enough water to measure 1 cup.  In small sauce pan combine ½ cup sugar, 2 tbsp. flour and pineapple juice.  Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture becomes thick and bubbly. Reduce heat.  Stir a small amount of hot mixture into eggs and stir well.  Add back into sauce pan and stir and cook 2 minutes longer.  Remove from heat and cool.

Fold the bananas, marshmallows and pineapple into the chilled gelatin. Spoon over crust.  Refrigerate until firm (about 45 minutes).

Fold Cool Whip into pineapple mixture.  Spread over gelatin layer. Chill over night. Sprinkle with tinted coconut if desired. 

Okay so it's not really a cake, it's more like a lemon-nana-mallow-Jell-O treat.

Enjoy

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KartoffelKloesse - Feeding the Flock 23

 

6 small potatoes, peeled and halved

¼ tsp salt

1 egg 

¼-½ cup flour

¼ cup bread crumbs

1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

½ cup butter

¼ cup chopped onion

2 tbsp. bread crumbs

(Optional- not German style) 

2 tbsp. bacon bits

¼ cup shredded cheddar

Boil potatoes about 20 minutes, drain, and mash, leaving them slightly lumpy.  Combine with salt, egg, flour, ¼ cup bread crumbs, and nutmeg.  Mix well and shape into small balls.  A small ice cream scoop works wonders.  If dough is too sticky, add a little more flour or bread crumbs.

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil.  Gently drop the dumplings into the water.   When they rise to the surface set the timer for 3 minutes and let them boil (uncovered) for 3 minutes.  Remove with a slotted spoon, place in serving dish and keep warm.

Melt butter in skillet over medium heat and add onions and the 2 tbsp. bread crumbs.  Cook, stirring often until the onions are tender and the sauce has thickened.

Pour sauce over dumplings and serve.

Add bacon bits and cheddar (optional) because they definitely need something to add a little flavor to them.  I also added some hot sauce and considered ketchup.

Enjoy,

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Jerking the Chicken - Feeding the Flock 23

3-4 lbs. chicken leg quarters or thighs

2-3 2" cinnamon sticks

1¼ tbsp. allspice berries

2 tsp. black peppercorns

2 tsp. whole cloves (or if you are out like I was, use ¾ tsp. ground cloves)

2 tbsp. brown sugar

1¼ tbsp. dried thyme

¼ cup olive oil

Preheat oven to 425º

Use a pepper grinder or a mallet to smash the cinnamon sticks, allspice berries, peppercorns and whole cloves into a fine powder.  Combine with brown sugar, and thyme and mix well.  Add the olive oil and mix to combine.  

Bake in preheated oven for about 45 minutes.  Remove chicken from pan, (feel free to make gravy with drippings if desired).  

Serve with salad and Jalapeño Cheddar Muffins.

Enjoy,

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Jalapeño Cheddar Muffins - Feeding the Flock 23

 

½ cup sourdough

1¾ cup all purpose flour

½ cup sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

¼ tsp. salt

¾ cup buttermilk

1 egg

¼ cup canola oil

½ cup shredded cheddar cheese

¼ cup diced candied jalapeños

Preheat oven to 400º.

Grease 12 cup muffin pan (or spray with cooking oil).

Combine all dry ingredients in mixing bowl and stir to combine.  Create well in center.

Beat egg and combine with buttermilk, sourdough, canola oil, cheddar cheese and jalapeños.

Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix to combine.  Scoop into prepared muffin tin and bake 18-20 minutes at 400º or until lightly golden and toothpick comes out clean.

Enjoy!

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Jalapeño Artichoke Spread

 

1 12 oz. jar marinated artichoke hearts

½ cup mayonnaise

½ cup shredded cheddar cheese

¼ cup chopped banana peppers

2-3 roasted garlic cloves

Parmesan cheese

Candied jalapeño peppers

Combine first five ingredients (artichoke hearts, mayo, cheddar, banana peppers and garlic cloves) and mix well.  

Spoon into 1½ quart baking dish. 

Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.  

Bake in 400º uncovered for 25-30 minutes or until golden.  

Top with jalapeño slices.  

Serve with pita chips or Irish Sourdough Soda bread.

Enjoy,

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