Belief

Believing comes

in first-day covers,

sincere blue kisses

after the first row;

dazed like a bird that soars

headlong into a closed window.

Ink-traced hands are prayers

that end with laced pinkie fingers,

promises that know no distance.

You wonder where I keep the bread.

They settle new and hungry,

wordless with the milky awe

of pictures in a childhood bible

in olden days; when wishing still helped.

I was suspicious of all those palms.

tk/November 2013


Beautiful, poignant read from R.A.D. Stainforth: 

Join Magpie Tales creative writing group. 

jalapeno cheese bread

I love my bread machine. The thing is, it's too large to keep out on the kitchen counter, so I only dig it out of its cluttered spot at the back of the cabinet every once in a while.  But when I do, man oh man, does that baby know how to make bread.  It's super convenient, dumping in the ingredients and turning it on, but since I'm a tactile kinda girl, I miss the kneading, the touch of the dough in my hands.

Here's one of my tried and true recipes.  I just made it last night, and it won't live to see another day.  It's mildly spicy, moist and irresistible, perfect party food with beer, wine, or a frosty margarita.

Jalapeno Cheese Bread

3/4 cup sour cream
3/4 cup water
2 eggs
2 tsp salt
3 Tbsp sugar
4 cups flour
1 cup grated sharp cheddar
1 small can diced jalapeno peppers
2 1/2 tsp active dry yeast

Toss the above in the bread machine, light crust setting, press start...3 hours 15 minutes later...presto chango...yum!

quietly civilizing

There is something quietly civilizing

about sharing a meal with other people.

The simple act of making someone something

to eat, even a bowl of soup or a loaf of bread,

has a many-layered meaning.

It suggests an act of protection and caring,

of generosity and intimacy.

It is in itself a sign of respect.

Nigel Slater

When snow is coming down in boatloads, nothing warms the body and spirit quite like a steaming bowl of homemade soup. A favorite here at the manor is ham and bean.  I like to save the bone from the holiday ham (not one of those pre-cooked, spiral sliced hams; a wonderful uncooked ham roasted all Christmas morning and eaten for brunch) in the freezer until the perfect cold January day.  Well, today was the perfect snowy day. My recipe varies a bit from year to year, but this one turned out to be extra delicious.

Willow's Ham and Bean Soup

1 ham bone with meat scraps
2 cups dry navy beans
3 carrots, diced
3 ribs celery diced
1 large onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, smashed
1 bouquet garni (I used fresh sage)
1 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp white pepper
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Place all the above ingredients in a Dutch oven, (I used Little Red) fill with water, cover and bake in 325 degree oven for at least 3 hours, or until beans are tender.  Discard bouquet garni, remove bone, pull off any attached meat, dice and return to pot.  Serve with warm cornbread. Wear woolly socks.

Willow's Cornbread

3/4 cup cornmeal
1 1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup skim milk
1 egg
1/2 cup oil

Mix gently until just moistened. Turn into a greased 8 x 8 or 9 inch round pan. Bake 375 for about 20 minutes or until toothpick comes clean.


Click HERE for my other soup recipes.

I'm back in the bloggyhood

So, what have I been doing? I had a wonderful extended weekend hosting the in-laws at the manor. Four of my five sister-in-laws and dear father-in-law flew in from Kansas City. We played cards, shopped till we dropped, filled each other in on the latest gossip, and I cooked up a storm. One of the things I made while they were here was Kary's fabulous Dilly Bread. I promised the girls I would post the recipe. It's super moist and the dill flavor is very subtle. I toasted a piece the next morning and had a scrambled egg sandwich with havarti cheese. Heaven. Thanks, Kary. It was a huge hit! I think I'm gonna have to make another loaf this week, just for me.


Dilly Bread

1 package dry yeast (2 1/2 tsp)
1/4 cup warm water
1 cup large curd cottage cheese
2 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp instant dried onion
1 Tbsp soft butter
2 tsp dill seeds (not dill weed)
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 egg
2 cups of flour (or so, just enough to make a stiff batter)

Sprinkle yeast into warm water and dissolve.
Heat cottage cheese till just warm.
Combine in a bowl the cottage cheese, sugar, onion, butter, dill seeds, salt, baking soda, egg and the yeast mixture.
Add flour enough to make a stiff batter.
Beat everything together well.
Cover and let rise till double, about 60 minutes.
Stir down and put into a well greased 8 inch round casserole pan.
Cover and let rise about 45 minutes.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes.
Remove from the oven and rub the bread with butter and sprinkle with sea salt.
When warm enough to handle remove from pan.

I doubled this recipe to make two loaves.

Little Bread Beast

A few years ago, I bought a bread machine. It was one of those
crazy things I bought on a whim, not knowing if I would like it, or how
much I would actually use it. Now, it is one of those things I can't live
without. Don't get me wrong, I am an old fashioned kind of girl and
enjoy the glories of getting my fingers in the dough and the process of
kneading it. But how many times did I actually do it? Not many.

In five minutes, I can throw the ingredients into this little beast, turn
it on and three hours later, a glorious loaf of homemade bread is
cooling on my cutting board! Here's a simple recipe for super rich and
moist buttermilk bread, I make quite often. It's good fresh and fabulous
the next morning toasted.

Willow's Buttermilk Bread (machine version)

1 5/8 cups buttermilk
1/3 cup honey
2 tsp salt
2 tbsp butter
4 cups bread flour
2 1/2 tsp active dry yeast

Place all ingredients in bread pan.
Select Light Crust setting and press start.
Bake cycle: Standard.

Makes one large 2 lb. loaf

Easy peasy! Pair it with a nice bowl of homemade chicken soup
for a wonderful little supper. Yum-a-licious.

There is something quietly civilizing
about sharing a meal with other people.
The simple act of making someone
something to eat,
even a bowl of soup
or a loaf of bread,
has a many layered meaning.
It suggests an act of protection and caring,
of generosity and intimacy.
It is in itself a sign of respect.
Nigel Slater

Squaw Bread

I never thought that I would like a bread machine. I like the feel of the dough and enjoy the process of kneading and baking. But how many times do I actually knead and bake? Not many. Last year I gave in and purchased one. Now, I don't know how I existed without it. You just throw the ingredients into the machine and turn it on. That's all. There are hundreds of wonderful bread machine recipes out there. The only thing is, I have to be careful not to make bread too often, or we will gain hundreds of pounds! Pictured above is one of my favorites, Squaw Bread. My world traveler teases me every time I make it, reminding me of my Native American heritage. It is absolutely delicious!

Squaw Bread

Recipe for a 2 lb. loaf

7/8 C milk
1 C water
3 T oil
3 T honey
1 handful raisins
3 T brown sugar

(puree all of the above in blender and pour in bread machine)

add:

2 C flour
1 1/2 C whole wheat flour
1 C rye flour
4 T vital wheat gluten
2 1/2 t dry active yeast

Set machine on "whole wheat", medium crust.