Swedish Rye Bread

This is a bread my mother used to make when I was a child. I remember fondly the wonderful smells that this bread produces and the Melody of flavors this bread brought to the table.
I have not had this old fashion bread since my mother passed away almost 15 years ago and I thought that the recipe had been lost back then; however, my sister recently surprised me with the very recipe card that had been my Greatgrandmothers and the very one that my mother would use to make this bread.

1 Pint Milk (2 cups)
1 cup Shortening
3 T Dark Molasses
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 t. salt
2 packages active dry yeast
1 1/2 T. orange zest
1 t. anise seed
1 1/2 cup rye flour
3 cups all purpose flour, approximate

Scald milk, add shortening, molasses, honey, brown sugar and salt. Stir to dissolve sugar and melt shortening. Let cool. Add yeast, orange zest and anise seeds. Stir in rye flour . Let rise 1/2 hour. Then add enough white flour to make a stiff dough. Turn onto lightly foured surface and knead until smooth and elastic.

Put into a greased bowl and turn once to gease top of dough. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour of double in size. Punch down and turn onto lightly floured surface. Divide in half, knead each half, place into 2 greased bread tins.

I have to say that I am not very excited about the fact that this bread takes a whole cup of shortening; however, I plan to play with it and maybe replace the shortening with olive oil, I know that olive oil is not very Swedish, but is shortening.

Making this bread also gave me a chance to start to teach the kids how to knead bread. We all had a blast squishing the dough down and pulling it up again; however, the kids got tired very fast.

A 64 SQ FT Kitchen is the Best Place to Eat

I do crazy things all the time and today was no exception. I packed up the kids and drove a little more then an hour to have lunch with Rose, a fellow food blogger. We met at the coffee house as planned and my 2 year old son saw Rose and her daughter walk into the shop and he pointed at them and said there they are, as if he knew them all of his life.

Like Rose I was nervous but my way of hiding my nerves is to talk and I will talk a LOT. I have to say that when I left I kept saying to myself that I should not have talked so much! And I am even a little nervous now afraid I may even write too much. Once I got over the fact that I talked too much I called my husband to tell him how wonderful lunch was, I had to share my enthusiasm with someone.

Rose first served a soup called Harira that was so wonderful, full of flavor and spice; however, I didn’t get to eat much of it because my 3 year old daughter took the bowl of soup from me and ate it up saying this is delicious (you know it is good food when a 3 year old says so) there was also roasted red and green peppers with tomatoes and garlic, a green salad, carrots that I have to try to make this week, and savory crapes stuffed with roasted chicken, tomato and olives they were so good. To end the meal, my first fresh mint tea, I had never had fresh mint tea before (only that dried stuff), but at I watched Rose prepare the tea with my daughter I was more and more intrigued and it too, with the cardamom madeleines, was out of this world.

I can’t wait to see Rose and her gorgeous daughter again! I enjoyed her company and watching the kids play together, it was an afternoon to remember. Thank you!

Going to a 64 SQ FT Kitchen

I am meeting Rose from 64 SQ FT Kitchen for the first time on Monday for lunch and I am getting so excited. I don't get an opportunity to talk with other foodies so this is something that I am looking forward to, I hope I don't embarrass myself and the kids behave.

Can't do better then this

On a hot late summer afternoon there is nothing better then a BLT. I just love them and they were my salvation when I was pregnant with my son.

My BLT starts with toasted Milton's Multi Grain Bread (4 grams of Fiber per slice), fresh ripe tomatoes straight off the plant, crisp Boston Bib lettuce (or Romain), fried turkey bacon and a slathering of mayo on each slice of toast. A sandwich that you feel good about; healthy and tasty.

Wild Apple Butter

First you need a beautiful basket full of wild Apples.

Then you will need to wash them and cut every apple in quarters and core them and check for worms. Once they have been cleaned put them in a pan and cook over medium heat, covered, stirring often until they are just soft. you may have to do this is batches, I had to do 3.


Next put the cooked apples in a "straining pan" (I really have no idea what it is called). and I squish the apples through this and I get apple in the pan underneath and the skins stay in the "straining Pan" This is so much better then peeling every apple.

once all the apples have been pureed return the apple to the stove (there was about 10 cups) and add 1 cup sugar (taste and adjust for tartness of apples) the juice of one juicy lemon, 2 teaspoons of vanilla, and 3 tablespoons of cinnamon. and heat up until it is hot. place into canning jars that have been in boiling water to heat and sterilize them and the lids. This is where asbestos hands comes in handy, with tongs pull out a jar fill it with apple butter using a canning funnel, tong a lid and ring from the boiling water and place the lid on top of the jar (be sure that the top of jar was clean) and screw lid on tight. Set filled jars aside and do not touch them until they are cooled. You will hear the thunk, tink sounds as the jars seal.

Oatmeal flax seed cookies

Cookies are by far the best thing to make with kids, they get to use the mixer and scrap the bowl and lick the beater. Life is grand.

As you can see my DD loves to get out the mixer and for some special Mommy Daughter time she chose to make cookies while Daddy and baby brother went for a bike ride.
1 3/4 cup all-Purpose flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1 cup room temperature butter
1 cup brown Sugar
1/4 cup flax seed
1 t. vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 cup bittersweet chocolate chunks
3/4 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 375F

In a small bowl, combine the flour, oats, soda, flax, and salt. in a large bowl, using an electric mixer, cream the butter, add the sugar and cream together until light a fluffy add the vanilla and the eggs one at a time beating well after each. Add the flour mixture, a little at a time, and beat until incorporated. Stir in chocolate and nuts.

Using a tablespoon, drop the dough onto 2 ungreased baking sheets, spacing each 2" apart.

Bake 10-13 minutes or until golden. Remove from oven and let cool on sheet for 2 minutes and transfer to rack to cool completely.