Instructions on how to set up your solar shade oven

Instructions on how to set up your Auto Shade Solar Oven

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nT8JXxCPe1M

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHHjzBwCFw4


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hnynux2eGbY&NR=1
(wait until the end of the video to watch the solar shade ones)


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2g_Ca_uXoHM&feature=related

Solar Oven Recipes

For general cooking guidelines go to:
http://solarcooking.wikia.com/wiki/Cooking_guidelines

Baked Potatoes (www.solarovens.org)
This recipe is based on potatoes weighing 1 lb. each—the really choice bakers. For smaller individual potatoes approximately ¼ lb. each, the cooking will be faster.
2 lbs. baking potatoes per Sport cooking pot, 4 lbs total
4 tbs. minced flat parsley
4 tbs. minced fresh chives
fresh ground pepper and salt to taste
butter or olive oil to taste

1. Wash and dry the potatoes. Prick each potato a few times.
2. Place half of the dry potatoes in each Sport cooking pot. Do not add liquid.
3. Put lids on the black cooking pots and place them in the Sport solar oven. Clip the clear lid to the oven. Face the oven into the sun and then rotate it clockwise 30 degrees. Relax and do other things. The potatoes can be left unopened the entire cooking time. Check in 4 hours. If the potatoes are not done, face the oven toward the sun plus 30 degrees clockwise and continue cooking.
 Cooking Time - up to 6 hours. Serves 4 – 6
 
Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts With Tomatoes, Olives and Capers (solarovens.org)
This dish showcases how the SOS Sport solar oven strongly infuses the chicken with the flavors of the ingredients. It is easy to succeed on the first try and it cooks in 1 - 2 hours in good sun.
4 each, boneless, skinless chicken breasts – about 2 lbs total
2 tbs. olive oil
1 sprig of fresh basil, chopped
4 oz of pitted and sliced kalamata olives packed in oil
2 oz capers, drained
14 oz of fresh or petit diced canned tomatoes, minced
8 tbs. olive oil
salt & fresh ground pepper to taste
Make the Dish
Wash and dry the breasts on paper towels. Rub each piece on all sides with the olive oil. Place 2 tbs. of the olive oil in the bottoms of each of the 2 Sport cook pots and coat the entire bottoms. Add 2 breasts to each pot, divide the sauce ingredients between them and salt and pepper to taste. Pour 2 more tbs. of olive oil over the ingredients in each pot. Mix the contents of each pot well. Cover the pots and place into the Sport solar oven. Clip the clear lid to the oven. Face the oven toward the sun and relax.
This dish will be done in 1 - 2 hours, depending on the sun strength. Serve at once. Serves 4.

Bar-B-Que Chicken (www.solarovens.org)
1 ½ - 2 lbs. Chicken cut up into serving sizes. (A whole chicken [ 3 - 4 lbs.] will make two pots of chicken.)
Garlic powder, onion powder, thyme, etc. to taste
Your favorite barbecue sauce.
1. Place cut up chicken pieces on bottom of solar oven pot(s). Add preferred seasonings.
2. Put pot(s) into solar oven.
3. Cook for 1 ¼ - 2 hours in solar oven. Pour off the broth from the chicken (save it for soups or casserole if desired). Add barbecue sauce over top of chicken pieces. Continue to cook for another hour or more as required or desired.
The longer the chicken cooks, the better the flavors blend and the meat is tender.

Broccoli (wwwsolarovens.org)
1 lb. broccoli florets, including stems
1/3 clove garlic minced
½ tsp. salt, or to taste
½ tsp. fresh ground black pepper, or to taste
2 tbs. butter or olive oil
1. Wash the florets in cold water and transfer wet to the Sport cooking pot.
2. Add garlic. Do not add salt, pepper, oil or butter, if desired, until cooking is finished.
3. Cook in the Sport solar oven facing the sun for 45 minutes for al détente and longer for softer texture.
The taste of broccoli cooked in the Sport is huge because of the reduced leaching from not using cooking water! You’ve never tasted broccoli like this!
Cooking Time: 45 – 75 minutes. Serves 2 – 4

Chili Pie (www.solarcooking.wikia.com)
2 cans of chili
1 small can sliced olives
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
3/4 cup Bisquick
1 1/4 cup milk
3 eggs (beaten)
Butter a dark oblong or dark round roaster pan. Spread chili on bottom, then layer the olives, then layer the cheese. In a separate pan, mix Bisquick, milk, and eggs and pour over the cheese. Cover and bake until brown, about 1 1/2 hours.

Broccoli Casserole (www.solarcooking.wikia.com)
3 eggs
3 tablespoons flour
2 teaspoons salt
8 oz. cottage cheese
1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
2 packages chopped broccoli
In a dark round roaster, mix together eggs, cottage cheese, grated cheese, flour and salt. Thaw broccoli, drain and mix into egg mixture. Cover and bake 1 hour. (may use 1 large or 2 small heads of fresh broccoli).

Chili Relleños Casserole www.solarcooking.wikia.com
2 7-oz. cans whole green chilies                                  1/2 pound jack cheese, shredded                  1/2 pound cheddar cheese, shredded
3 eggs, beaten
3 tablespoons flour
1 small can evaporated milk
Cut chilies lengthwise, wash, remove any seeds and membrane and pat dry on paper towels. Spray a 9-inch dark casserole pan with non-stick. Layer half of chilies and then cheese, repeat layers, reserving 1/2 cup cheese for the topping. Beat eggs, add flour and milk until blended. Pour over chilies and cheese. Bake, covered, one our or until set in center.

Chicken-Broccoli Casserole www.solarcooking.wikia.com
4 chicken breasts
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon curry
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Broccoli, cut in pieces
Bread crumbs
Cheddar cheese, shredded
Preheat solar oven. Bone and fry 4 chicken breasts using conventional heat. Do not overcook. Set aside. In a mixing bowl, mix together undiluted soup, sour cream, lemon juice and curry. Set aside. In a dark rectangular pan, line the bottom with broccoli. Cut up the chicken and place it over the broccoli. Top with sour cream mixture. Top everything with shredded cheddar cheese and bread crumbs. Cover and place in oven. Bake about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Sunshine Chili www.solarcooking.wikia.com
1 pound small red beans (dry)
1 pound ground chuck
2 medium onions
1 small green pepper
1/2 cup fresh parsley, minced
dash of salt and pepper
1 28-oz. can tomatoes (may be blended first)
4 cups V-8 juice
1 tablespoon chili powder
Soak red beans in water overnight. Brown ground chuck, onions, green pepper, parsley, salt and pepper. Drain well after about one hour. Add tomatoes, red beans, V-8 juice and chili powder. Cover and bake about 4-5 hours in solar oven; serves 10. You may add more V-8 juice as cooking proceeds.
Pot Roast with Vegetables www.solarcooking.wikia.com
2 to 3 pound chuck roast (1 1/2 to 2 inches thick)
3 to 4 carrots, cut in 3-inch lengths
3 to 4 potatoes, peeled and cut in 1/2 inch lengths
2 tablespoons water
1 package dry onion soup mix
Place vegetables in bottom of dark granite pan and sprinkle with water. Put meat on top and sprinkle with package of soup mix. Cover and bake 3 to 4 hours or longer. Thicken gravy if desired.

Meatloaf www.solarcooking.wikia.com
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1/4 pound crackers, crumbled
1 package onion soup
2 eggs
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
3 slices of bacon (optional)
Mix together meat, crumbs, soup mix, eggs and sauce. Shape into a loaf and place in a dark loaf pan. Top with bacon slices. Put loaf pan inside a dark roaster, cover and bake for 3 hours.

Tamale Pie www.solarcooking.wikia.com
1 pound ground beef
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 envelope taco seasoning mix
1 cup corn, frozen
1 8-oz. can stewed tomatoes (drained) or fresh tomatoes
3 eggs
1 1/3 cups milk
2/3 cup Bisquick baking mix
1/3 cup yellow cornmeal
Place ground beef and onion in dark pan. Cover and cook for one hour. Drain. Add seasoning mix, corn and tomatoes. Beat together the remaining ingredients and pour over the ground beef mixture. Cover and bake for 1 1/2 hours. Optional: 1 8-oz. can of dark olives, 3 tablespoons of taco sauce and 1 cup cheddar cheese may be added.

Spinach Quiche www.solarcooking.wikia.com
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup mushrooms, sliced
1 cup Swiss cheese, shredded
1 10-oz. package frozen spinach, thawed and drained
3 eggs
1 can evaporated milk
3/4 cup Bisquick
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Salt and pepper, to taste
Butter a 9-inch round dark roaster pan. Combine onions, mushrooms, cheese and spinach in a round roaster pan. Beat together the remaining ingredients. Pour over the vegetables. Cover and bake for 2 1/2 hours.

Cheesed Onions www.solarcooking.wikia.com
5 to 6 medium onions
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
2 cups milk
1/4 cup butter or margarine
3 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
Slice onions and place in a dark round pan. Blend milk, butter, flour, salt and cheese together. Pour over the onions. Cover and bake 1 to 2 hours.
 
Black Beans www.solarcooking.wikia.com
1 pound package black beans
6 cups water
2 16-oz. cans diced tomatoes
2 ounces of picante sauce
Place clean and sorted beans in a black pot. Add water to cover top of beans by 2 inches. Cover and cook approximately 9 hours (start beans anytime before 9:00 a.m. and add tomatoes and picante sauce after 4:00 p.m.) Variations: serve over white or brown rice or top servings with shredded cheddar cheese.

Jim's Spaghetti Squash www.solarcooking.wikia.com
1 spaghetti squash
1 tbsp butter/margarine
1 cup water
spaghetti sauce of choice
parmesan cheese
Cut squash in half lengthwise and remove seeds. Coat inside with butter/margarine. Place skin side up in small roaster. Pour in 1 cup water. Cover, place in solar oven for 2 hours. Remove insides from skin, serve with spaghetti sauce and parmesan cheese.
We use a global sun oven...temps in Jan. in Arizona desert country get to 320F. at altitude of 850 feet. This serves 2...1/4 squash each. A whole squash could be done the same after cleaning and buttering.
 
Brownie Pudding www.solarcooking.wikia.com
1 cup flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons cocoa
1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons melted butter
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)
1 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cups boiling water
In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar and 2 tablespoons cocoa. Add the milk, butter and nuts. Mix thoroughly. Spread in a greased 9-inch dark pan. Mix together the brown sugar and 1/4 cup cocoa and sprinkle over the batter. Pour the boiling water over the batter. Cover. Bake about 2 hours in a preheated solar oven. Fudge sauce forms under brownie like topping.
 
Rice Pudding www.solarcooking.wikia.com
1 cup rice, cooked
3 eggs
1 1/3 cups milk
2 tablespoons brown sugar
5 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
fresh lemon rind
cinnamon
Combine eggs, milk, sugars, butter and vanilla. Mix into the cooked rice. Add lemon juice and rind. Place in dark pan. Cover and bake 1 1/2 hours. Sprinkle with cinnamon and brown sugar when done.

EXTREME GARLIC CHICKEN DRUMS
www.solarcooker-at-cantinawest.com
Place several chicken legs in a single layer inside of a plastic cooking bag. Spread the chicken with a generous amount of pureed, raw garlic (about 1 tsp for each leg) Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Close cooking bag end with provided tie and place entire cooking bag flat on the bottom of the preheated solar oven. Put a small slit in the top of the bag. The oven can be anywhere in temperature from 200 to 350 degrees depending on the type of cooker that you are using. The legs will be done in 1 to 2.5 hours. These chicken legs are incredibly delicious! Intense in roasted garlic flavor!

Apple Crisp www.sunoven.com
Makes (1) 9×12 pan
2 c dry apples, 3 c water, 2 Tb + 1 tsp cornstarch, 3/4 c sugar, 1/3 tsp salt, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/3 tsp nutmeg, 2 Tb lemon juice
Topping: 1 c rolled oats, 1 c brown sugar, 1 c flour, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/3 tsp baking powder, 1/2 c shortening
Mix dry ingredients for apple crisp in large covered pot, add water and lemon juice; mix well. Bake in covered dish 1 – 2 hours or until done. Mix the topping with pastry blender or fork, spread over cooked apples and return to oven for 30 – 40 min (uncovered) until browned.

 Brownies www.sunoven.com
Makes 1 8×8 pan or 4 pint jars
1 c shortening, 2 c sugar, 2 c white flour, 1 tsp vanilla, 4 eggs, 2/3 c baking cocoa, 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp salt
 Mix shortening, sugar, and vanilla. Add eggs and mix. Add flour, cocoa, baking powder, salt and vanilla and mix. Bake in 8×8 pan (or jars) about 45 min or until done.
  Chocolate Cake www.sunoven.com
Makes (1) 9×12 pan or 6 pints
3 1/4 c white flour, 2 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp salt, 1 1/2 c sugar, 1/2 c cocoa, 1/2 tsp baking powder, 2 c water, 2Tb vinegar, 2/3 c melted shortening, 5 tsp vanilla. 1/2 c chocolate chips, 1/2 cup walnuts
Melt shortening. Combine dry ingredients in large bowl. Mix together melted shortening, water, vinegar and vanilla and stir into the dry mixture until smooth. Pour into 9×12 greased and floured pan (or greased jars) and bake for 30 – 40 min or until done.

Chicken & Rice Casserole www.sunoven.com
1 recipe cream of mushroom soup, 1 Tb lemon juice, 1/2 tsp salt, 2 c rice, 4 c water +1 tsp salt (Don’t add salt if broth is used) 2 Tb dried onion, 1 pint undrained bottled chicken, 1/4 tsp pepper, 1/3 tsp paprika
Optional: 1/3 c dried celery and 1/2 c sliced toasted almonds
Add broth and water to make 4 cups. Add the rice to the liquid and cook in solar oven about 40 minutes or until done. In a large covered dish, mix the cream of mushroom soup, lemon juice, onion, paprika, pepper, salt, chicken and cooked rice. (And optional celery and almonds) Cover and bake until done.

Lasagna
1 jar (32 ounces) spaghetti sauce
1 package (8 ounces) lasagna noodles
Olive oil
1 pound ricotta cheese
1 pound mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Spread 1 1/2 cups of sauce over bottom of a dark roasting pan. Coat uncooked noodles with olive oil. Layer half the noodles and half the ricotta cheese over the sauce. Add half of the mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers of sauce, noodles and cheese. Top with remaining sauce. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over top. Cover and bake in the solar oven for 3 to 4 hours. Makes 6 servings.

Provident Living Meeting--No Knead Bread, Sprouting

http://www.breadtopia.com/cooks-illustrated-almost-no-knead/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evsdggMoBuM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=shy3lDiAlc0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dydRxSIlruE

http://www.youtube.com/user/breadtopia#p/u/14/piZt9LpgoHw

http://www.youtube.com/user/breadtopia#p/u/13/WmF7Z03mDsw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aiPFlcQuqLM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKmAZw8fe7U

(watch the great videos!)

Cook’s Illustrated Almost No Knead

White Flour Recipe:

3 cups (15 ounces) all purpose or bread flour
1/4 tsp. instant or rapid-rise yeast
1 1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 cup plus 2 Tbs. (7 ounces) water at room temp
1/4 cup plus 2 Tbs. (3 ounces) mild flavored lager
1 Tbs. white vinegar

Whole Wheat Recipe:

2 cups (10 ounces) all purpose or bread flour
1 cup (5 ounces) whole wheat flour
1/4 tsp. instant or rapid-rise yeast
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 Tbs. honey (I used 2 Tbs. raw sugar)
3/4 cup plus 2 Tbs. (7 ounces) water at room temp
1/4 cup plus 2 Tbs. (3 ounces) mild flavored lager
1 Tbs. white vinegar

Note: The beer can be non-alcoholic.
Also, regarding the use of sugar and the ratio of white to whole wheat flour in the ‘Whole Wheat’ recipe, see the post from Beatrix below. She used 2 cups of whole wheat flour and 1 of white and it still came out light.

Baking Instructions: For both these recipes, preheat your oven with Dutch oven or Cloche inside to 500 degrees. Reduce temperature to 425 when the bread dough goes in and bake covered for 30 minutes. Then remove cover and bake an additional 15 minutes or until the internal bread temperature reaches about 200 degrees.

Almost No Knead Sandwich Loaf Recipe

The thinner crust and softer, tighter crumb of the Almost No Knead recipe, combined with its subtle flavors, makes it a nice candidate for a sandwich loaf. Here’s a video of the process with the the adjusted ingredient quantities.

18 ounces (~3 2/3 cups) flour. Use all white or a combination of white and up to 6 ounces whole wheat.
1 3/4 tsp salt
3/8 tsp. instant yeast
1 cup (8 ounces) water
1/2 cup (4 ounces) beer
1 1/4 Tbs white vinegar
2 1/2 Tbs honey (I use raw sugar instead). The honey is suggested only when baking the whole wheat version of this recipe.

Baking Instructions: Preheat oven to 425. Place bread pan with risen dough in oven and reduce temperature to 350. Bake for 55 minutes or until internal bread temperature is about 200 degrees. Note that in the video I’m using a Pyrex bread pan. A metal bread pan would probably bake a few minutes faster.

Note: some have reported an issue with the loaf sticking to the bread pan. After buttering/oiling the baking pans, cornmeal can be sprinkled liberally on the insides and bottom of the pans. This eliminates the bread sticking to the sides while baking. Thanks to Tom & Melody DeGraziano for this tip.

Cranberry-Pecan Extraordinaire

http://www.breadtopia.com/no-knead-recipe-variations/#CP
(makes 1 loaf)---From www.breadtopia.com Watch his video. It is great!!

1/2 cup (2 1/2 oz.) whole wheat flour
2 1/2 cups (13 oz.) all purpose or bread flour
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup dried sweetened cranberries
1/2 cup pecan pieces
1 1/2 cups purified water
1/4 cup sourdough starter or 1/4 tsp. instant yeast

(Read paragraph near top of page for instant yeast version of this recipe)

• Combine the flours and salt
• Mix the starter into the water until mostly dissolved
• Mix the water/starter solution into the dry ingredients
• Mix in the pecans and craisins
• Cover bowl with plastic at let sit at room temperature for 18 hours
• After 18 hours turn dough onto well floured surface and gently flatten enough to fold dough back onto itself a couple times to form a roundish blob. Note: This folding stage can be accomplished within the bowl, speeding up the process even further and leaving less of a cleanup.
• Cover blob with plastic and let rest 15 minutes. During this rest period, coat a proofing basket or towel lined bowl with bran flakes.
• Gently and quickly shape blob into an approximate ball and place in proofing basket or bowl.
• Cover with a towel and let rise for 1-2 hours depending on room temperature.
• As gently as possible, flip the dough into a Dutch oven or ceramic (e.g. La Cloche) baker preheated to 500F degrees and bake covered for 30 minutes. Remove cover and bake an additional 15 minutes at 450 degrees. See Great No-Knead Baking Techniques for more tips.
• Allow bread to cool completely before slicing and eating. Warning: this most difficult step requires superhuman discipline and restraint.

You may have to adjust the baking times and temperatures to adapt to the various weights and materials of different baking containers.

No-Knead 100% Whole Wheat Bread

3 cups (430 grams) whole wheat flour, plus 1/4-1/2 cup more for dusting

¼ teaspoon (1 gram) instant yeast (or 1/4 plus 1/16 teaspoon active dry yeast*)

1¼ teaspoons (8 grams) salt

1 1/2 tablespoons vital wheat gluten

2 cups minus 1 tablespoon (430 grams) water

Cornmeal or wheat bran as needed

1. In a large bowl combine flour, yeast, salt and gluten. Add most water and stir until blended. Keep adding water until the dough is shaggy and sticky, like a stiff muffin batter. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 - 18 hours, at warm room temperature.

2. Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.

3. At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is O.K. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack. Yield: One 1½-pound loaf.

(Quicker) No-Knead Bread( makes 1 loaf)


3 cups bread flour

1/2 teaspoon regular yeast (not instant)

1 1/4 teaspoon salt
1 5/8 cups WARM water
1 TBSP. Vinegar

Mix all the ingredients in the morning. This should take about 3 minutes and leave you with a thick, slightly goopy dough. Cover with a towel or some plastic wrap and leave it in the warmest spot in your kitchen. It should get a 6 to 8-hour rise.

After 6 - 8 hours, sprinkle with flour and shape it roughly into a ball. Sprinkle more flour and cover with a towel or plastic wrap. Let proof for about an hour.

Heat the oven to 450°F. Put a Dutch oven in the oven to heat. (I’ve used lots of different pans and even Aluminum foil for the lid ).When the dough has doubled in size, put it in the pan. You may have to pour it, pry it off the baking sheet, or just roll it in - the dough is very wet. Don't worry if it looks a mess. Cover the pot with a lid and bake for 30 minutes. Remove lid and bake for another 15 minutes to let it brown.

No Knead Cinnamon Raisin Bread

3 cups flour (I used half white, half wheat)
1 1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp. instant yeast or a scant 1/2 tsp reg. yeast
1/2 cup raisins

Mix dry ingredients well.

Add the water. I sometimes knead the breads with whole wheat for about a minute the bowl.
Cover with plastic and let sit for 14 - 18 hours (less or more if it is cold or hot outside)
Use extra flour to handle dough. Fold the bread over a few times. Place in a floured and greased bread pan. (Sides too)
Let rise for 1 - 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Cook for 30 minutes. Turn oven down to 400 and continue cooking for 20 minutes. Put stick a candy thermometer and let it get ti 210 or 220 degrees.

“No Knead Pizza Dough” ( 2 15” pizzas)
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup tepid water
1/4 tsp dry active yeast
2 tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp sugar
1 1/4 tsp salt
18 ounces (about 4 cups) flour, plus more as needed

Add the water, yeast, olive oil, sugar, salt, and flour into a mixing bowl. Using a heavy wooden spoon, stir together to form a wet, very sticky dough. Do not try to knead with your hands, as it is too sticky to handle. The mixture will seem dry at first, but as you continue to stir together all the flour will be absorbed and it will pull away from the edges of the bowl. Add more flour if needed to form a very thick, very sticky dough ball. Once mixed, cover the bowl with a towel, and leave out at room temperature for 12 to 16 hours.

Flour a work surface very well; using a spatula scrape the sticky, bubbly dough on to the flour. Flour your hands and pat down to flatten. Cut the dough into 2 pieces and using plenty of flour to handle, knead each portion for several minutes to form 2 smooth, elastic, balls of dough. Allow to rest on a floured board covered for 30 minutes. Your pizza dough is ready to use! This dough is even better if kept refrigerated overnight, but let come up to room temperature before shaping pizzas.

This pizza dough works equally well for thin-crust or thick-crust pizza recipes.

No-Knead Pizza Dough (Other version)

Adapted from Jim Lahey, Co.

Makes four 12-inch pizza crusts



3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting

¼ teaspoon instant yeast (such as SAF brand)

1½ teaspoons salt

1½ cups water


1. In a large bowl, mix the flour with the yeast and salt. Add the water and stir until blended (the dough will be very sticky). Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rest for 12 to 24 hours in a warm spot, about 70°.
2. Place the dough on a lightly floured work surface and lightly sprinkle the top with flour. Fold the dough over on itself once or twice, cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest for 15 minutes.
3. Divide the dough into 4 pieces and shape each piece into a ball. Generously sprinkle a clean cotton towel with flour and cover the dough balls with it. Let the dough rise for 2 hours.
4. Stretch or toss the dough into the desired shape, cover with toppings and bake on top of a very hot pizza stone.

Crock Pot Hot Cereal

1 c. dry wheat kernels (also called berries)
4 c. water
1/4 tsp. sea salt (table salt will also work just fine)

Rinse/drain wheat in a screen-type colander, place in crock pot. Add water and salt, stir. Cook on low for about 7 hours, until wheat is popped opened and tender....sort of like rice....but it will be tender + chewy because of the healthy insoluble fiber found in wheat.


How to Sprout Wheat (and other grains)
What you'll need:
1/2 cup wheat berries
Wide Mouth Jar (or something similar)
Nylon Net or Cheesecloth + Rubberband (to cover the jar & keep the cover in place)

Directions:
Rinse ½ cup of wheat berries.
Put the wheat berries in a wide-mouth quart jar.
Add 2 cups of room temperature water.
Place nylon net or cheesecloth over the jar opening.
Use a heavy rubber band or the metal jar ring to hold the nylon or cheesecloth in place.
Soak 12 hours, then drain.

Thoroughly drain the water – shake a bit to remove most of the water.
Place the bottle in the cupboard, in the dark. Some people use a paper bag to keep the light out, but still near the sink to remind them of their sprouting project.
It needs the air (fairly warm air) – so don’t cover the opening with a solid lid.
Each morning and night rinse the wheat berries with room temperature water, drain again.
36 to 48 hours after the first soaking, Walla! You have germinated wheat or if you continue the process for a day or two more you have sprouted wheat.

Storing Wheat Sprouts
Replace the nylon net or cheesecloth with plastic wrap or the metal jar lid to help keep it moist but not wet.
Store in the refrigerator. Use within 5 days.

Faster No Knead Bread Recipe

Okay. Soooooo, I just made No Knead Bread, but a little faster. It usually takes 18 - 20 hours, but you can make this in the morning for dinner. (I usually use the other recipe, but this is good when you forget to start it the night before). This is how I did it. I was delicious!! I added a little more yeast and made the water pretty warm (not hot). This sped things up.

One Day No-Knead Bread

Adapted from Jim Lahey, Sullivan Street Bakery
Time: About 10 minutes plus 7-8 hours rising

3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting

1/2 teaspoon non-instant yeast (the original recipe calls for 1/4 tsp)

1¼ teaspoons salt

1 5/8 cup WARM water

1 Tablespoon vinegar (for flavor, I guess)

Cornmeal or wheat bran as needed.

1. In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 5/8 cups WARM water and vinegar, and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 6 hours (I'm in AZ where it is warm, to that was enough), preferably about 8, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.

2. Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.

3. Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 1 hour (usually 2). When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.

4. At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is O.K. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack.

Yield: One 1½-pound loaf.

Using your Dehydrated potates for Funeral Potatoes

Funeral Potatoes (using Dehydrated Potatoes)

This Easter I wanted to make those yummy Funeral Potatoes (also known as Cracker Barrel Potatoes or Cheesy Potatoes). I bought a lot of dehydrated potatoes and they need to be used! I also didn't have time to peel, cut, and cook other potatoes. Soooooooooo......I took two and a half cups of dried potatoes and put them in a pan full of quite a bit of water. I brought them to a boil (then turned them to low) and let them rehydrate and cook for 30 - 45 minutes. Try them to see if they are softish (not mush). I rinsed them off and then used them in my recipe. They were really great! These also work great for hash browned potatoes.

Cracker Barrel's Hash Browns Casserole

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups dehyrated potatoes (rehydrated and cooked until soft but not mushy)
• 1/2 cup margarine or 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1 (10 1/4 ounce) cans cream of chicken soup
• 1 (10 1/4 ounce) can cream of mushroom soup
  
• 1 pint sour cream
• 1/2 cup onions, peeled and chopped
• 2 cups cheddar cheese, grated
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F and spray an 11 x 14 baking dish with cooking spray.
2. Mix the above ingredients together, place in prepared pan and bake for 45 minutes (covered with aluminum foil).

Canning chicken stock

If you have ever read Nourishing Traditions, by Sally Fallon, you may remember how nourishing different broths and soup stocks are. I only use them occasionally because I don't always take the time to make stock. Wellllllll, I was going through my totally full freezer the other day and I found 3 -4 chicken carcasses (the bones). I save them after we get the rotisserie chickens (one of my "I don't want to cook" meals). I simmered the bones over night in a big stock pot covered with lots of water. After it cooked a long time, I strained it twice and put it in canning jars and PRESSURE canned it for 25 minutes for pints and 30 minutes for quarts at 11 lbs (I'm in AZ). Now I will be able to use it when I need it. I felt pretty handy!! I ended up with 7 pints and one quart.

Sweet Pork Recipe

Thanks to all those who came to our provident living night!! We had fun learning about canning. Here is the recipe for Sweet Pork. It is similar to what you get at Costa Vida or Cafe Rio:

28 oz. enchilada sauce ( I had red and green and I used them both)
2 4 oz. cans of diced green chilis
1/2 - 1 can soda pop (I used caffeine free Pepsi but you can use Dr. Pepper or Root Beer)
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
3 - 4 lbs pork roast (I sliced mine with a slicer to make it easy to put in jars.)

You can either cook this in a crock pot until tender and then can it. Or you can put raw pork in the jars 3/4 full then fill with sauce. Get rid of the bubbles with a knife which helps the sauce get down there. Process pints for 75 minutes or quarts for 90 minutes. It had a lot of liquid when I raw packed it. I had to cook it a long time to cook down the liquid.

Please visit: www.creativecanning.blogspot.com. She has lots of great ideas!! All of the recipes I have tried from her site have been great! She is awesome and has inspired so many of us!!

Spanish Rice a la Food Storage

I had to use some left over rice and I had to feed a lot of people quick!! Sooooo, this is the recipe that resulted. I thought it was really good and all the teenagers had seconds, so that was a good sign.

Spanish Rice

1 pint jar canned roast beef, w/juice
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes w, juice
1 4 oz jar green chilies w/juice
3 TBS. Dehydrated onions
1 TBS. Beef bouillion
1/4 cup salsa

Cook all this until the meat is easy to separate into small pieces (about 10 minutes). Add 4 - 5 cups already cooked rice and heat until it is warmed. I served this with the canned pinto beans I made. Those are the best. If you haven't canned beans, you are missing out!!