My husband and I are back home after spending February and March in Arizona. We drive there and back, and this year we were lucky, with good roads in both directions.
The busy freeways in the Phoenix and Salt Lake City, Utah areas keep drivers, and passengers like me, on red alert. Many cars and trucks are speeding along in close proximity. It’s always a relief to get through these areas and into less busy roads.
Ironically, it was far from the busy freeways and when getting close to home, that we nearly had an accident. In sparsely populated rural Saskatchewan, there are hardly any cars on the road. With that, one lets down his guard, relaxes and sits back for an easy drive.
Read Also
Stock dogs show off herding skills at Ag in Motion
Stock dogs draw a crowd at Ag in Motion. Border collies and other herding breeds are well known for the work they do on the farm.
As we were doing just that, a truck sped up to a stop sign, stopped briefly to let the vehicle ahead of us go by, and then pulled onto the highway right in front of us. I’m guessing this farmer pulls up to this stop sign every day and usually there isn’t anyone coming. This time we were there.
A quick swing around him into the muddy and bumpy edge of the intersection prevented a crash. There was lots of #$%* from the driver beside me as he maneuvered the escape path. It was all over quickly and soon we settled back in our seats and continued down the road, thankful that an accident hadn’t happened.
Most of us have made similar mistakes when driving. Often it is close to home on a familiar road. We get too relaxed about our driving and our minds go off in another direction. Incidents like this remind us to always be alert and pay attention, whether we’re driving on busy freeways or on empty country roads.
Clear Jel
Dear TEAM: I use Clear Jel in making pies, especially berry. I purchased it at Mom’s Bulk Foods in Saskatoon on 22nd St. – E.L., Biggar, Sask.
Dear E.L.: Thanks for giving us another location where Clear Jel can be purchased. Back in Sept. 2005 we mentioned that Clear Jel was recommended as a thickener for canning pie fillings. It has many advantages over regular thickeners; one being that it will withstand high processing temperatures. Also, pie fillings won’t “weep” during storage with Clear Jel.
At first, where to purchase Clear Jel was a problem. But now thanks to our readers several locations have been sent in to us. Some were listed recently in our April 6 column. It’s nice to know it is available.
Cookbook
An updated version of Eat More Whole Grains by Winnie’s Winning Ways, has just been released. What I like best about this cookbook is all the grains information and baking tips.
Winnie, the author, shares her practical advice and experience with a great variety of flours, whole grains, pulses and other seeds as well as specialty diets, such as gluten-free cooking.
The cookbook contains “by hand” mixing instructions for those who want the old-fashioned kneading experience, as well as machine mixing instructions for busy folk or for those who find kneading painful.
The Bosch method for preparing yeast baking as well as other foods is added to many recipes in this new edition.
Elaine Edel (Winnie) and her husband Melvin farm near Morris, Man. They have five sons, five daughter-in-laws and nine grandchildren. Her chosen penname, Winnie, is part of her given name, Winifred Elaine. She has produced seven cookbooks, which grew out of her desire to provide more healthy foods for her family.
Her cookbooks can be ordered from:
Winnie’s Winning Ways Ltd., Box 59, Morris, Man., R0G 1K0, phone/fax: 204-746-8162,
e-mail: winnie@winnieswinningways.ca;
www.winnieswinningways.ca.
Until June 30, 2006, customers are offered $2 off the purchase price of Eat More Grains.
Oberlander dark rye bread
Dear TEAM: I’m looking for a recipe for Oberlander dark rye bread. I found it at a bakery. It was not too heavy of a bread, and very good. – J.R., Williams Lake, B.C.
Dear J.R.: I’m sorry that so far I haven’t been able to find a recipe for Oberlander rye bread. Would any of our readers be able to help? What I did find in the Eat More Whole Grains cookbook was this recipe for fluffy rye bread. You might like to try it.
Fluffy rye bread
Yield: Three round loaves in eight inch
(1.2 L) pans
11/4 cups warm water 310 mL
1 cup warm milk 250 mL
2 teaspoons salt 10 mL
3 tablespoons oil 45 mL
1 egg
2 tablespoons vinegar 30 mL
1/4 cup brown sugar 60 mL
2 cups rye flour 500 mL
2 cups whole wheat flour 500 mL
2 tablespoons fast rising yeast 30 mL
2 cups all-purpose flour 500 mL
cornmeal
sesame seeds, poppy seeds, oatmeal
or oat bran
In a large bowl, mix water, milk, salt, oil, egg, vinegar, brown sugar, rye flour and whole wheat flour with beaters. Continue mixing while sprinkling with yeast. Knead in as much of the all-purpose flour as needed to make a round smooth ball of dough. Knead another 10 minutes. Cover the dough with a towel and let it rise in a warm, draft free area until double in size.
Punch down. With oiled hands remove dough from bowl to an oiled surface. Divide into three even parts. Knead and shape each part into a round loaf and place on pans sprinkled with cornmeal.
Cut three slashes 1/4 inch (0.5 cm) deep diagonally across each loaf. Cover and let rise until more than double. Brush lightly with glaze (see below). Sprinkle with sesame seeds, poppy seeds, oatmeal or oat bran.
Bake for 25-30 minutes at 350 F (180 C).
Remove from oven and pans. Cool on rack.
You may need more or less flour, depending on if it is freshly milled and not yet settled, the altitude, the type of wheat, the humidity and/or the protein content of the wheat, Edel said.
Glazes for breads and buns
- Brush with beaten egg before baking.
- Beat one egg white with one tablespoon (15 mL) of water and brush on breads or buns before baking.
- Brush melted margarine on loaves after baking, while hot.
- Cornstarch glaze: Mix one teaspoon (five mL) cornstarch with 1/2 cup (125 mL) water. Mix well and cook until thick. Brush on before baking.
- Sweet glaze: Beat one egg yolk with two tablespoons (30 mL) sugar and three tablespoons (45 mL) of water or milk. Brush on before baking.
Tips from Eat More Whole Grains
- How do you like your crust?
For a browner crust, brush with shortening, oil, butter or margarine before baking. For a shiny crust, brush with milk, water or beaten egg. For a soft crust, brush with butter or margarine after baking.
- When your buns are slow at rising:
If your panned rolls are slow at rising, it is probably too cool in the room. Turn your oven on for half a minute to take the chill out. Then turn the oven off. Put two trays of rolls in the oven until they have risen to more than double in size. Remove pans from oven and turn oven on. When it has reached the desired temperature, bake as usual.
- Freezing and thawing buns:
Put baked buns single layer on a pan and freeze. In a few hours, after they have frozen, put them into a heavy plastic bag and close tightly. Thaw as many as you need.
- Need more pans?
Cover two oven racks with foil and grease them. Each rack holds about 30 buns. Be sure to bake these first as you will need the racks to bake the other pans of buns later. Wipe and save the foil for another bake day.
- Slicing unbaked cinnamon rolls:
Place a 12 inch (30 cm) length of dental floss or heavy string under the roll where you want to cut. Bring both ends together above the roll and pull quickly. Presto – you have nice round slices.
- Pulses for salad toppings:
Cook lentils, peas or beans until tender and freeze loosely for quick use. Microwave one or two tablespoons (15-30 mL) of frozen pulses for 10 seconds and toss into a lettuce salad, coleslaw, bean salad, carrot salad or pasta salad.
Recipe to file
Although tomatoes are still expensive, you might want to save this recipe for late summer when they are in abundance.
The following recipe is one I tried from this Atco Blue Flame Kitchen’s annual Christmas cookbook, A Holiday Collection.
Roasted tomatoes with herbs
10 Roma tomatoes, halved
lengthwise
1/4 teaspoon salt 1 mL
1 tablespoon chopped fresh 15 mL
parsley
1/4 teaspoon each oregano, 1 mL
rosemary and thyme, crumbled
1/4 teaspoon each salt and 1 mL
pepper
2 tablespoons oil 30 mL
Sprinkle cut sides of tomatoes with 1/4 teaspoon (one mL) salt. Place tomato halves, cut sides down, on several layers of paper towels. Let stand for 20 minutes. Place tomato halves, cut sides up, in a greased nine x 13 inch (23 x 33 cm) baking dish. Combine parsley, oregano, rosemary, thyme, 1/4 teaspoon (1 mL) salt and pepper; sprinkle over tomatoes. Drizzle with oil. Bake, uncovered at 350 F (180 C) for one hour or until tomatoes are softened and bubbly.
Alma Copeland is a home economist from Elrose, Sask., and one of four columnists comprising Team Resources. Send correspondence in care of this newspaper, Box 2500, Saskatoon, Sask., S7K 2C4 or contact them at team@producer.com.
