Midway to Paradise

cornmeal-fried onion rings

I made these on Memorial Day, and oh my gosh, they were SOOOO good!  There weren't any leftovers.  The recipe came from Barefoot Contessa at home by Ina Garten.

Cornmeal-Fried onion Rings

2 large Spanish onions (or 3 yellow onions)

2 cups buttermilk

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup (medium) yellow cornmeal

1 quart vegetable oil

     Peel the onions, slice them 1/2- to 3/4-inch thick, and separate them into rings.  Combine the buttermilk, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper in a medium bowl.  Add the onion rings, toss well, and allow to marinate for at least 15 minutes.  (The onion rings can sit in the buttermilk for a few hours.)  In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.  Set aside.

     When you're ready to fry the onion rings, preheat the oven to 200 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with paper towels.

     Heat the oil to 350 degrees in a large pot or Dutch oven.  (A candy thermometer attached to the side of the pot will help you maintain the proper temperature.)  Working in batches, lift some onions out of the buttermilk and dredge them in the flour mixture.  Drop into the hot oil and fry for 2 minutes, until golden brown, turning them once with tongs.  Don't crowd them!  Place the finished onions on the baking sheet, sprinkle liberally with salt, and keep them warm in the oven while you fry the next batches.  Continue frying the onion rings and placing them in the warm oven until all the onions are fried.  They will remain crisp in the oven for up to 30 minutes.  Serve hot.

banana-sour cream loaf

I got this recipe from a Gooseberry patch cookbook called Made From Scratch.  It turned out pretty good...

Banana-Sour Cream Loaf

2/3 c. butter

1 1/3 c. sugar

2 eggs

1 1/2 c. bananas, mashed

2 1/4 c. all-purpose flour

1 t. baking powder

1 t. baking soda

1/2 t. salt

1/2 c. sour cream

1 c. chopped nuts

     Cream butter and sugar together; add eggs and bananas, beat until smooth.  In a separate bowl, sift flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together.  Add dry mixture alternately with sour cream to banana mixt, blend well.  Fold in nuts and pour into a gread 9"x5" loaf pan; bake at 350 degrees for 55-65 minutes.  Makes 8 servings.

garden update

I got my garden all planted!  I am SO excited!  Here are the plants before I put them in the garden...

I am starting to get some strawberries in my little strawberry patch!

My tomatoes and a few of the squash plants...

Some views of my garden:

going for a ride

Dave got a new cart for on the back of his lawn mower.  Now the kids are constantly asking him to drive them around in it...

preschool graduation

Emily graduated from preschool on Thursday...The time has flown by!  They asked each child what they wanted to be when they grew up, and Emily decided that she wants to be a clown, LOL.  She will be very good at it.  Last year she wanted to be an elephant...

country fair white bread

This is the first homemade bread I have ever made!!  It turned out pretty good!  Next time I'll add a bit more flour, I think...  It is from The Bread Breakthrough by Nancy Baggett, which was a giveaway on www.breadworld.com  I am not sure if they are still giving them away, but there are still lots of great recipes on that website!

Country Fair White Bread

3 cups (15 ounces) unbleached white bread flour, plus 2/3 cup ( 3.33 ounces) or as needed

2 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons table salt

3/4 teaspoon Fleischmann's RapidRise Yeast

1 3/4 cups ice water, plus more if needed

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled, plus extra for coating dough top and baking pan

1/4 cup good-quality instant nonfat dry milk ( don't use a generic brand)

1 large egg, at room temperature and beaten with a fork

     FIRST RISE:  In a large bowl, thoroughly stir together 3 cups of the flour, the sugar, salt, and yeast.  Thoroughly stir the water into the bowl, scraping down the sides and mixing just until the ingredients are thoroughly blended.  If the mixture is too dry to incorporate all the flour, a bit at a time, stir in enough more water to blend the ingredients and produce a fairly soft dough.  Brush the top with butter.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.  If desired, for best flavor or for convenience, you can refrigerate the dough for 3 to 10 hours.  Then, let rise at cool room temperature for 16 to 20 hours; if convenient, vigorously stir the dough about halfway through the rise.

     SECOND RISE:  In a medium bowl, stir together the butter, milk powder and 2 tablespoons of the beaten egg until thoroughly blended; reserve the remaining egg for glazing the loaf top.  Vigorously stir (or beat on low speed with a heavy-duty mixer with a dough hook) the butter mixture into the dough until smoothly and evenly incorporated; this may take several minutes.  Gradually mix in 2/3 cup or enough more flour to yield a very hard-to-stir dough.  Using a well-oiled rubber spatula, fold the dough in towards the center, working all the way around the bowl; this helps organize the gluten for shaping into a loaf.

     Invert the dough into a well-greased 9x5-inch loaf pan.  Smooth out the top and press evenly into the pan using a well-buttered rubber spatula or fingertips.  Evenly brush the loaf top with the reserved beaten egg; don't allow the egg to pool around the pan edges, as it will cause sticking.  Using well-buttered kitchen shears or a serrated knife, make a 1/2-inch-deep slash lengthwise down the center of the loaf.  Cover the pan with nonstick spray-coated plastic wrap.

     LET RISE USING ANY OF THESE METHODS:  For a 1 1/2- to 2 1/2- hour regular rise, let stand warm at room temperature; for a 1- to 2-hour accelerated rise, let stand in a turned-off microwave along with 1 cup of boiling-hot water; or for an extended rise, refrigerate for 4 to 48 hours, then set out at room temperature.  Continue the rise until the dough nears the plastic.  Remove it and continue until the dough extends slightly above the pan rim.

     BAKING PRELIMINARIES:  15 minutes before baking time, place a rack in the lower third of the oven; preheat to 375 degrees.

     BAKING:  Bake on the lower rack for 40 to 50 minutes, or until the top is nicely browned.  Cover the top with foil and continue baking for 10 to 15 minutes longer, until a skewer inserted in the thickest part comes out with just a few particles clinging to the bottom ( or until the center registers 208 degrees to 210 degrees on an instant-read thermometer).  Then bake for 5 to 10 minutes more to be sure the center is done.  Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes.  Turn out the loaf onto the rack; cool thoroughly.

     SERVING AND STORING:  Cool thoroughly before slicing or storing.  Store airtight in plastic or aluminum foil.  The bread will keep at room temperature for 2 to 3 days, and may be frozen, airtight, for up to 2 months.

my garden

My mother-in-law was nice enough to give me some seed potatoes to plant in my garden...They took up a lot more room than I had intended, but I will find room for everything.  My garden is pretty big...

Here are the potatoes all cut and ready to be planted...

And here are some pictures of me digging the first row...

yard sale finds

I didn't get much this week as far as yard sales go, but I did get a French bread pan for 50 cents, and I got a Pampered Chef cookie mold for my collection...

cookie cutters

I collect cookie cutters, and I literally have thousands of them.  There is an old set by Loma that is Mickey Mouse, minnie Mouse, Pluto and Donald Duck.  They are hard to come by, especially at what I call a reasonable price...  I think I paid $5 each for the Mickey and Minnie of the set, and the other day my mom found Pluto and Donald for 15 cents each!!!  How awesome is that?!?  I am SO excited!

garden

It is too early to plant a lot of the vegetables here in PA yet, and this week has been too wet to plant any potatoes, but I did plant a few things, and took pictures of the other things that are doing well in my little garden...

My strawberry patch--yes, there are a few weeds, but I am getting some blossoms!

The start of my garden...

One of my broccoli plants...

One of my cabbage plants...

And the horseradish I planted a few years ago.  It keep spreading and I can't get rid of it!