End of the Year, hopefully a new begining

Hey y'all, I slacked off, again. I'm going to make a better effort to keep up with this blog. So it was pasta night on the homestead. Lasagna noodles to be exact. Homemade, mostly. I never canned any tomato sauce this summer so I had to fall back on old Prego (seasoned up of course). You may not have tried but making your own pasta is very easy. It has a learning curve just like anything in life. However once mastered it becomes second nature. Give it a try, the worst that can happen is you've wasted a pound of flour.

For the pasta dough you'll need; 1 pound all-purpose flour (4 cups) 4 whole eggs, plus 1 yolk 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil Kosher salt (2 pinches) 1 to 2 tablespoons water or more if needed






 Put the flour on a clean dry work surface. Make a hole (this is also called a well) in the center of the flour pile that is about 8 inches wide (bigger is definitely better here). Crack all of the eggs and the yolk into the hole and add the olive oil, salt and water. Using a fork beat the eggs together with the olive oil, water and salt. Using the fork, begin to incorporate the flour into the egg mixture; be careful not to break the sides of the well or the egg mixture will run all over your board and you will have a big mess! I have done this many times, you'll have to work quickly. Also, don't worry about the lumps. When enough flour has been incorporated into the egg mixture that it will not run all over the place then the sides of the well are broken, begin to use your hands to really get everything well combined. If the mixture is tight and dry, wet your hands and begin kneading with wet hands. When the mixture has really come together to a homogeneous mixture, then you can start kneading. When kneading it is very important to put your body weight into it, get on top of the dough to really stretch it and not to tear the dough. Using the heels of your palms, roll the dough to create a very smooth, supple dough. When done the dough should look very smooth and feel almost velvety. Kneading will usually take from 8 to 10 minutes for an experienced kneader and 10 to 15 for an inexperienced kneader. Put your body weight into it, you need to knead! This is where the perfect, toothsome texture of your pasta is formed. Get in there and have fun!
 When the pasta has been kneaded to the perfect consistency, wrap it in plastic and let rest for at least 1 hour. I have left it in the fridge overnight. If using immediately do not refrigerate. Roll and cut the pasta into desired shape. OR better yet get yourself a KitchAid and a bunch of attachments (more later).

So now that you have your dough, Let's get to making some supper. First get your pasta attachment  installed on your mixer. St it to stir or the next setting, whatever you feel comfortable with. Grab a half handful of dough and run it through the pasta roller set on 1. Now fold it over and run it through again. If it is sticky sprinkle a little flour on both sides. You'll have to play with it until you consistency is not sticky, but playable. Fold over again and run it through on number 4 or 5 (your preference).

So now we have our dough going lets get going on the meal.

1 lb. ground beef 

2-1/2 cups Shredded Mozzarella Cheese, divided 

1 container (15 oz.) Ricotta Cheese 

1/2 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese, divided 

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley 

1 egg, beaten 

1 jar (24 oz.)Traditional Pasta Sauce 

1 cup water

Heat oven to 350°F. Brown meat in large skillet on medium-high heat. Meanwhile, mix 1-1/4 cups mozzarella, ricotta, 1/4 cup Parmesan, parsley and egg until blended. Drain meat; return to skillet. Stir in pasta sauce. Add 1 cup water to empty sauce jar; cover with lid and shake well. Add to meat mixture; stir until blended. Spread 1 cup meat sauce onto bottom of 13x9-inch baking dish; top with layers of 3 lasagna noodles, 1/3 of the ricotta cheese mixture and 1 cup meat sauce. Repeat layers twice. Top with remaining noodles, meat sauce and cheeses. Cover with foil sprayed with cooking spray. Bake 1 hour or until heated through, removing foil after 45 min. Let stand 15 min. before cutting to serve.

Trying to get back

So with trying to get back into the swing of things, I need to start writing again. I'll start by adding some prepping activities. Ordering in bulk is my start. So I got a few 5 gallon pails and a large sack of Processed sugar and and bleached flour. Hopefully I won't need it in an emergency setting, and will just use it for a cost savings perspective. I'm ordering some screw-on lids gamma lid. I'll keep you posted.

Saturday night off

Insert your favorite joke here...........................................

Why shouldn't you tell a secret on a farm? 
       Because the potatoes have eyes and the corn has ears! 

French Bread Pizza

The kids love this! It's not a lot of work either. If your making this into a Pizza I skip the egg wash.

Ingredients:

6 cups all-purpose flour 2 1/2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 2 cups warm water

1 tablespoon cornmeal 1 egg white 1 tablespoon water

Directions:

1.	In a large bowl, combine 2 cups flour, yeast and salt. Stir in 2 cups warm water, and beat until well blended using a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment. Using a wooden spoon, stir in as much of the remaining flour as you can.
2.	On a lightly floured surface, knead in enough flour to make a stiff dough that is smooth and elastic. Knead for about 8 to 10 minutes total. Shape into a ball. Place dough in a greased bowl, and turn once. Cover, and let rise in a warm place until doubled.
3.	Punch dough down, and divide in half. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Cover, and let rest for 10 minutes. Roll each half into large rectangle. Roll up, starting from a long side. Moisten edge with water and seal. Taper ends.
4.	Grease a large baking sheet. Sprinkle with cornmeal. Place loaves, seam side down, on the prepared baking sheet. Lightly beat the egg white with 1 tablespoon of water, and brush on. Cover with a damp cloth. Let rise until nearly doubled, 35 to 40 minutes.
5.	With a very sharp knife, make 3 or 4 diagonal cuts about 1/4 inch deep across top of each loaf. Bake in a preheated 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) oven for 20 minutes. Brush again with egg white mixture. Bake for an additional 15 to 20 minutes, or until bread tests done. If necessary, cover loosely with foil to prevent over browning. Remove from baking sheet, and cool on a wire rack.

A little trick I picked up, while your kneading the bread by hand, fill up the bowl with hot water and let sit. After your done kneading, dump the water and just wipe out bowl with paper towel and then rinse. Cleanup is a breeze.                                                                           After water, then just wipe clean

Before water

Let bread sit, cut horizontally. Lay out on baking sheet tray, Top with pizza sauce and mozzarella cheese and season to taste. Set under broiler till cheese is melted.  Side note; forgot pic of finished product. oops.

why oh why are you doing this to me?

I'll try not to do this to you after today,,,,,,, but another few things. Thanks FDA for having our backs.

And if your not sick enough

For those reading the last couple of posts, as if that wasn't enough. Here are eighteen more things to find out about.

More food problems

The more I read the sicker I get. Why are these things aloud in our food. Why would our government allow this? Lord only knows, but I've lost my appetite for the day. Thanks world, I knew you were on my side,,,,,,,,,NOT!