ANOTHER SNOW DAY! Are you kidding me?!

Another day off from school = another day added to the summer :( UGH! I am definitely ready for spring!

I decided to take another stab at Mary's Oatmeal Molasses Bread. I thought that the kneading would help get out some of my snow day frustration! This time around, I had success with the bread. Yeast breads make me nervous, so I made sure to follow this one very carefully.


Oatmeal Molasses Bread
Makes 2 Loves
(recipe cut out of the paper and glued onto recipe card)

1 cup milk
1 cup water
3 tablespoons butter
1 cup quick-cooking oats

1 package active dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water (105 -115 degrees)
1/2 cup molasses
1 tsp salt
5 1/2 to 6 cups unbleached all purpose flour

Grease large bowl and two 9X5 inch loaf pans. Combine milk, water, and butter in medium saucepan and bring to boil. Transfer to bowl; stir in oats. Cool to lukewarm

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Stir yeast into oatmeal mixture. Add molasses and salt and mix well. Stir in flour one cup at a time until mixture no longer sticks to bowl.

Turn dough out onto floured surface and knead for 8-10 minutes, adding small amounts of flour as necessary. Transfer to greased bowl, turning to coat all surfaces. Cover with plastic wrap and towel. Let stand in warm draft free area until doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours.

Divide dough in half. Transfer to loaf pans. Let dough stand in warm draft-free area until doubled in bulk.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake loaves until tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 40-50 minutes. Remove from pans and let cool on racks.

 Second times a charm!

Snow day...again?!

     This winter is really starting to bug me. Another snow day today which means another snow day tacked on to the end of the year...and it is only January!

     The only positive from this storm is the mark it will leave on the ski mountains! After the snow stops, I am heading off to a girls' ski weekend! YIPEE!
     For the event, I baked up a batch of Dipped Shortbread Logs. I don't remember this recipe, but my cousin Alison was asking if I had it so Mary made them at some point in time. I think that by the time I was old enough to participate in baking with Mary she had her set repertoire of cookies and breads (Chocolate Chip, Hermits, Shredded Wheat Bread, etc etc). I have heard that she was more of an "experimental" baker and cook before my time.


Dipped Shortbread Logs
(written on a chicken, yes chicken, recipe card...This isn't her recipe because once again, the handwriting is far to nice!)

2 cups flour
1 cup butter or oleo, softened
1/2 cup sifted confectioners sugar
1 tsp vanilla
Combine flour, butter, sugar, and vanilla in large bowl. Mix until thoroughly blended (will be crumbly). Shape into 2 inch logs. Bake @ 350 for 10 minutes. Cool Completely

Melt 6oz of chocolate bits and 1 tbsp solid white shortening. Add more, if needed to make dipping consistent. Roll in chopped nuts (I did not do this). Makes about 60.

I am not a fan of shortbread, but these were really good. Perhaps it was the 2 sticks of butter that turned the corner for me!

Not my forte

Snow Day=Baking
I started the morning by baking up one of Mary's bread recipes, but it was another failure. I am blaming it on the yeast this time. I bought it refrigerated, but kept it in the pantry, so I am thinking that I should have kept it cold. I am not even going to post the recipe until I try it again! 

Once my rocks came out of the oven, I changed my game plan and baked up some bars... I think cookies are more my forte.

This recipe was obviously not Mary's because the writing on it was way to nice to be hers, but I do remember her making these.

Congo bars
(written on plain lined recipe card)

3/4 shortening
1 package brown sugar
3 eggs, beaten
1 tsp vanilla
2 3/4 cup flour, sifted
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup walnuts, optional
Melt the shortning and add to brown sugar. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together. Add eggs to brown sugar mixture, followed by vanilla. Stir in flour mixture and combine. Add in chocolate chips and walnuts.
Place in greased 13X9 pan and bake for 30 minutes. Cool complete before cutting into thin bars.

These were very chewy and chocolaty! I don't like nuts in my cookies, so I substituted coconut! YUM!

Back to reality...

There wasn't anytime for baking last weekend as the entire family was attending my cousin Nicholas' New Year's Eve wedding. The entire Wilson clan packed up and traveled up to Brunswick to celebrate the event. Here are some pics from the weekend:

 The bride and groom!

 Typical family...getting into trouble

 

All of the Cousins

 

Henry, the ring bearer

Congrats again, Nick & Lindsay

Now vacation is over and it is back to reality :( 

This weekend is filled with progress notes, lesson planning, and report writing so there isn't too much time to bake. When I browsed the recipes this morning, I was looking for something quick and easy...Brownies.

Brownies - Very Best Recipe

(written on white recipe card in green ink)

2 squares chocolate

1/4 cup shortening

1 cup sugar

2 eggs, beathen

1/2 cup sifted flour

1/8 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup chopped nuts

Melt chocolate and shortening together. Add sugar and mix well. Add eggs. Sift flour and salt together. Add to chocolate mixture. Add vanilla and nuts and mix well. Pour into greased 8in pan and baked for 35 minutes at 325.  Cut when cool

 

I had a semi-fail with this recipe. I had never made brownies this way. I have always used cocoa powder, so I was a little nervous when preparing and baking them:

• I didn't add nuts. I am not a fan of nuts in dessert. 
• I only baked them for 30 minutes because some of the past recipes have cooked for less time and they were very fudgy
• Also, they weren't very chocolaty.

My husband, who will eat anything, ate an entire row stating, "They taste fat free. Maybe Mary liked them that way."

So, when making these again, I would add more chocolate (perhaps another ounce) and definitely cook them for 35 minutes. If any of the family can remember Mary making these, perhaps you can comment about what could have been tweaked...