DILLY CASSEROLE BREAD

Martha sent me this 'blast from the past' recipe and I tried it today. It is very easy to make and very good to eat. 'Dilly Casserole Bread' comes from the 1960s, she said she got the recipe while living in Denver right after college.

I have a Kitchen Aid mixer and used it for this recipe. If you don't have this kind of mixer, it shouldn't be much trouble to make it by hand.

Dilly Casserole Bread

1 package dry yeast

1/4 cup warm water

1 cup small curd cottage cheese, heated to lukewarm

2 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon minced dried onion flakes

2 teaspoon dill seed

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon soda

1 unbeaten egg

2 1/4 to 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 tablespoon softened butter

Soften yeast in water.

Combine in a mixing bowl:

Cottage cheese, sugar, onion, dill deed, salt, soda, egg and softened yeast.

Add flour to form a stiff dough, beating well after each addition.

Cover and let rise in warm place until doubled in size, 30 to 45 minutes.

Stir down dough, turn into a well-greased 8-inch round (1 1/2 to 2 quart) casserole.

Let rise in warm place until light, about 20 minutes.

Bake at 350 degrees for 40 to 50 minutes or until golden brown.*

Brush top with soft butter and sprinkle with salt.*

*I used a convection oven at 350 degrees, it took a little less time to cook.

*I used Kosher salt, a slightly coarser salt.

Serves 6 to 8

It was good with soup. Martha said it was also good with a salad.

OLD FASHION VEGETABLE BEEF SOUP

When I was growing up, homemade vegetable soup usually included some sort of meat, usually beef. It is so hardy, it makes a great winter supper served with biscuits, cornbread or as we ate tonight, Cheese Biscuits, recipe found in the Stone Cottage Kitchen blog.

This recipe is just a guide line to any number of variations. It is a good way to clean out your refrigerator, using up a left over roast and vegetables. I made it today, following the recipe as written, next time I might add some other vegetables along with the ones listed. The recipe makes a lot, 16 to 20 servings, and it only improves when reheated. It is good to freeze or share with a friend.

Vegetable Beef Soup

2 1/2 pounds beef steak, t-bone, rib eye or top sirloin. Beef bones will improve the flavor

Water and/or beef stock

Salt

Pepper

1 pound carrots, scraped and slice

5 stalks celery sliced into small pieces

2 large onions, chopped

1 (28-oz) can tomatoes

Cavender's Greek seasoning and Tony Chachere's Creole seasoning. These are a couple of my favorite, Chachere's adds heat and Cavender's add flavor and salt. Use you favorite and spice to desired hotness with Tabasco, or other pepper sauce.

Kitchen Bouquet

Cut meat into bite size pieces, place along with any bones into large, heavy Dutch oven type pot, cover with water and beef stock, about half and half. Cover and simmer for about 2 hours. Add salt and pepper(go easy on salt and pepper if using the seasoning listed in ingredients) .

Add remaining ingredients, add seasonings a little at a time and finish up when soup is cooked.

Simmer for 1 to 2 hours.

I added some Kitchen Bouquet for color and flavor. A couple of tablespoons should be enough.

BUTTERMILK ROLLS AND CINNAMON ROLLS

Aunt Iva Cecil is on the right in this picture. My mother Modena is on the left, my great grandmother Amanda, in the middle, my brother Bob and I stand in front. Aunt Iva was like a grandmother to us, our grandmother was ill and died when we were young. I have very few recipes from family members, so many cooked without recipes and rarely wrote things down. I would like to share with family, friends and followers, what recipes I do have.

Buttermilk Rolls

1 cup luke warm buttermilk
1 cake yeast or 1 package dry yeast
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons shortening
1/4 teaspoon soda
2 1/2 to 2 3/4 cups flour

Pour buttermilk over salt, shortening and soda, mix. Crumble yeast with 1/2 cup flour into a bowl. Stir in liquid until yeast dissolves. Add remaining flour. Turn dough onto floured board. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Knead until smooth. Shape into rolls, place on greased pan, cover with damp cloth and let rise 1 to 1 1/4 hour.
Bake 15 to 20 minutes at 425 degrees for 25 minutes.*

*If you have a convection oven, I think 400 degrees for 15 minutes or until done.

Cinnamon Rolls

2 tablespoon butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoon cinnamon

Make dough for buttermilk rolls, roll out dough; spread with butter, sugar and cinnamon. Roll dough like a jelly roll and cut in 1/2" slices. Let rise and bake 25 minutes at 400 degrees.*

Yield 2 dozen

*For convection oven, bake at 375 or 400 degrees for about 20 minutes.
I think that convection ovens are wonderful for breads and rolls. You will get an even browing without over cooking the bottom.