Grandma Breuker's Rolls & Coffeecake

I wish there was a hyper-link for smells.  Grandma's rolls coming out of the oven are … I don't even know what word to use.  Perfect.  They were a staple of my childhood, since we used to walk to Grandma's house after school and hang out there until my parents got out of work.  She'd keep them frozen and warm them up for us in her toaster oven, and they were always just perfectly smooth and lightly powdery on top and soft and yeasty throughout.  A little butter was nice, but you could down them straight, too.  Walking into her house after church on a Sunday was almost more than you could handle, with the smell of roast beef mingling with the rolls.  Plus all the uncles and then aunts and then children, crammed into her tiny kitchen and living room…plenty of harassment and teasing, but it was worth it.  Canned peaches in perfect halves were usually on the table, too, and always some homemade applesauce for Uncle Dave.  Dessert was a homemade pie…rhubarb for my dad or banana cream with meringue for Uncle Mark if we were celebrating a birthday, otherwise plenty of blueberry and apple double-crust pies.  Grandma wasn't a fancy cook, but what she made, she made from scratch and made it well!

I'm glad that at some point when I was young she let me "help" her make rolls (and coffeecakes).  I can still see the yellowish cupboards and counters trimmed with metal, and I remember being very frustrated because I couldn't get the hang of how to shape them.  Funny, now that I'm grown, the method comes naturally and it's my kids who struggle to make sense of it.  I wonder if there's a cognitive or motor skill "switch" that needs to be flipped to be able to shape rolls in this way rather than trying to force-roll them into a ball like they always seem to want to…

Anyway, once we bought a bread maker a few years ago, I decided to try my hand (machine) at these.  The dough setting seems to work fine in about 90 minutes, so I can go straight to the snipping and shaping and baking.  And the outcome?  Still no words, but if you could smell the kitchen right now…mmmmmmmmm……

Basic recipe (bless you again, Aunt Marilyn, for preserving these recipes & instructions!)
1 cup milk
1/2 cup oil
1/4 cup water
2 eggs
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
4 1/4 cups flour
2 pkgs yeast (1 tablespoon *it says 4 1/2 tsp later…think I've done both)
Mix. Let rise. Shape. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

(I put the ingredients above into my bread machine following the manufacturer's instructions - either pre-warmed or using the preheat cycle - and then skip to the ** below when the dough is done.)

Recipe with expanded instructions
1 cup milk (warmed, not hot)
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup oil
Mix together and make sure it stays warm

2 pkgs yeast (or 4 1/2 tsp from jar) (Fleischmans active dry yeast, not quick, not Breadmaker)
1/4 cup warm water
Mix in a 1 cup measuring cup
Make sure it's warm

Beat 2 eggs in mixing bowl (don't whip)
Mix in milk mixture
Mix in yeast mixture
Mix in 4 1/4 cups Gold Medal flour, one at a time, low to medium speed
Dough will be somewhat sticky

Generously sprinkle flour on counter
Knead dough with added flour until not as sticky (will still be somewhat sticky)

Lightly spray oil or non-stick spray in an oven safe bowl and spread the dough out in the goal.  Put the dough in a "register warm" place (either on a register or in an oven that was on warm for a few minutes but is now off).  Put a warm wet cloth over it and let is rise for about a 1/2 hour.

** Once it has risen, take out and knead with a little bit of flour.  Snip roll size pieces (slightly smaller than actual baked roll size) off with a scissors, dip the snipped edge in a little flour, and form them into rolls. This can be done by putting your thumbs in the center and pulling the edges out and under a few times. Place them on sprayed air bake cookie sheet if you have one, and let them rise for about 1/2 hour (don't cover).

Set oven to 350 and bake for 15 minutes - watch them.  Take out and brush with melted butter.

For coffeecakes (makes 1 really large or two medium…I've always done 2)

Make the dough as instructed above, using traditional method or bread machine.

**Once it has risen, take out and knead with a little bit of flour.  For 2 coffeecakes divide dough in half and keep one half warm while working on the other.
Roll out dough into a rectangle shape, roughly 6" x 18" x 1/3".
Spread 2 tablespoons melted butter on it with a pastry brush.
Generously sprinkle cinnamon all over it.
Generously sprinkle brown sugar all over it.
Roll it up the long way and place it on a sprayed air bake cookie sheet with the seam facing down.
Form the tube of dough into a circle on the pan.
Snip it with scissors, 1 1/2 inches apart, only snipping 1/2 way down into the dough.

Let it rise for 15-20 minutes.
Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes, watch it (I struggle to get the center done without burning the top…but as I'm typing these instructions I'm wondering if I'm doing the snipping wrong by snipping from the outside in, rather than from the top down.  Will try that next time!)

Let cool, then frost.
Frosting: mix powdered sugar, water, and a little melted butter.

Grandma's coffeecakes were always a treat when we got to spend the night at her house.  She'd have two wedges wrapped in foil in her toaster oven, smelling up the whole house with morning goodness.  The real legacy with her coffeecakes, though, was Christmas Eve.  At some point she started giving each family a coffeecake when we'd gather to celebrate on Christmas Eve so that we could enjoy it on Christmas morning.  When the Alzheimer's prohibited her from doing this, I think Aunt Marilyn took over for a little while, and eventually Holly took up the mantle for our branch of the family.  When I discovered how easy it was with the bread machine, it became my job instead.  This year it was truly a beautiful thing to see on Facebook that by Christmas Eve, I had made our coffeecakes, Andrea had made them for her family, and Aimee and Aunt Chris were busy baking theirs, too.  Maxine left her mark on all of us in quiet ways, and these coffeecakes are warm, homemade evidence of that.

Grandma Breuker's Potato Salad

My grandma made awesome potato salad.  It ruined any store-bought potato salad for me...I just can't eat it.  It was always the most lovely yellow color, and it always tasted just right, and she usually topped it with a hard boiled egg carved expertly but simply into an open flower with the yolk in the center.  She graciously made a TON of it for my high school graduation open house, with a little help from my mom, I think.  I remember my mom talking about the "recipe" for it...She'd asked my grandma for it at one point, and it started with "some potatoes."  How many potatoes?  Well, it depends on how much potato salad you want, and how big the potatoes are.  That kind of recipe.  She always just made it from scratch, with no regard for measuring cups.  I think at one point my Aunt Marilyn tried to nail down the recipe.  She followed Grandma around the kitchen with measuring cups and spoons and back-measured the quantities of things that Grandma had already put in the bowl.
Maxine died several years ago, and in the last few years my mom has started making potato salad.  She never did until then, because Grandma's would always be better.  Now it gives me a little warm fuzzy that my kids are learning to love and appreciate "Grandma Breuker's Potato Salad" too...from their own Gram B.
I needed to have potato salad for a social gathering the other day, and heaven forbid I buy it.  So I called my mom to get the recipe.  It started with "some potatoes."  How many potatoes?  Well, it depended on how much I wanted and how big the potatoes were.  Love.

But here's what she gave me.  I tried it, and everyone was pleased with how it turned out.

6-8 potatoes, peeled and chunked
Onion, finely diced (maybe 1 medium one?)
Lots of eggs (she said maybe 10, I used 8 extra-large)
No celery (really?  "We like it better without")
Mayo (3/4 cup or more - I used more)
A little mustard
Less than a tsp sugar
Tsp milk
Salt
Pepper

Boil potatoes until cooked but firm.  Drain. Cool.  Then chop coarsely with chopper.
Add diced onion and chopped egg (put through egg slicer both ways) and mix well.
Mix remaining ingredients and then stir into potato mixture.  Add more of anything that it needs!

Butternut Squash White Bean Soup

So when we were kids, we hated squash so much that it became the "safe word" in our family.  You know, the word that a stranger is supposed to know if they show up and say they're supposed to pick you up from school?  Ours was "squash."  My dad loved it, and my mom didn't hate it like she did peas (she NEVER made them - woohoo!), so each fall we'd have a few meals where the dreaded acorn squash halves appeared on the table.  I still haven't fully embraced acorn (though, to be fair, I'm not even trying it in anything), but I've become a fan of recipes containing butternut, delicata, and a couple other varieties of this fall staple.  Maybe it was the plastic-wrap-covered-and-microwaved-with-no-salt-or-butter preparation...maybe it was because I was a kid...maybe it was both.  But either way, I'm glad to discover that there are amazing flavors to combine with these workhorse gourds and I'm glad I'm a big girl now and have to eat them!

Here's one from Cooking Light that I tried and loved.  It's a regular in the fall now.

3 bacon slices (I mean, how can it NOT be good when it starts with bacon???)
1 cup chopped onion
2/3 cup chopped celery
3 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups (3/4-inch) cubed peeled butternut squash (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1/4 cup dry white wine
4 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 cup whipping cream (I have used fat-free evaporated milk instead)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 (15-ounce) cans Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained
3 tablespoons unsalted pumpkinseed kernels, toasted (never seem to have these)
Preparation

Cook bacon in a Dutch oven over medium heat until crisp. Remove the bacon from pan, reserving 2 teaspoons of drippings in pan; crumble the bacon, and set aside.
Add onion, celery, and garlic to pan; cook 3 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Add squash; cook 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add wine; cook until liquid almost evaporates. Stir in broth, cumin, red pepper, cinnamon, and cloves; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 5 minutes or until squash is tender. Stir in cream, oregano, salt, black pepper, and beans; bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Sprinkle each serving with bacon and pumpkinseeds.

Judy Lockhart, Cooking Light
OCTOBER 2004
http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/butternut-squash-white-bean-soup-10000000701134/

Ultimate Brownie Mix

We discovered this recipe while looking for German Chocolate Brownie recipes to make for my 40th birthday party...Oktoberfest theme, complete with sausages, sauerkraut, pretzels, and beer!  Lots of beer...But the brownies turned out to be fantastic, and I liked that it created a dry mix you could make in advance & keep on hand for future brownie emergencies.

Ultimate Brownie Mix

851g     4 cups granulated sugar
207 g    1 cup brown sugar
6 g        1 teaspoon salt
140 g    1 1/2 cups cocoa powder
253 g    2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
             2 4 ounce bars semisweet chocolate, finely chopped (optional)

Combine all ingredients and store in an airtight container for up to 2 months.


Basic Ultimate Brownies

4 1/4 cups Ultimate Brownie Mix
4 eggs, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons vanilla
12 tablespoons melted butter
*For a slightly more sophisticated brownie, add in a small pinch of cayenne pepper and a 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 13×9 inch pan with nonstick cooking spray. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and mix until well combined. Pour into the pan and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.

http://blogs.babble.com/family-kitchen/2010/07/19/make-your-own-ultimate-brownie-mix/

Turkey Black Bean Chili

This recipe has been the go-to chili recipe in our household for close to ten years.  Black beans are my favorite variety (and they're smaller and less beany inside), and with the tomatoes puréed first there's nothing the kids (ok, or me) find offensive.  Shortly after we moved back to Muskegon, Marty's mom dragged me to a cooking night at a local church, where Deanna House told funny stories while walking us through her recipes.  I have no idea what any of the other ones were, but this one stuck!

1 pound ground turkey
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 28-oz cans whole tomatoes, crushed (I purée)
2 15-oz cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 4-oz can diced green chiles (mild, medium, or hot...you pick)
1 Tbsp instant beef bouillon or beef base
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
Cheese, crushed tortilla chips, and sour cream to top if desired.

Brown the turkey and onion in a soup kettle until cooked.  Drain.
Add remaining ingredients and stir well.
Heat to boiling, stirring often.  Reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Pizza Crust - Gluten Free and GOOD!

From the Gluten-Free Goddess at http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/2007/03/gluten-free-beer-bliss.html. This makes a great homemade crust...better than any gluten-containing ones we've tried!

In a measuring cup, proof:

1 cup warm water (following temp. directions on your yeast package)
1 package dry, active yeast (2 1/4 tsp)
1 tablespoon sugar

Whisk together in a bowl and let it sit for 5-10 minutes as the yeast proofs and begins to foam.

In mixing bowl, combine:

2-3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon each: dried basil, oregano, rosemary, and crushed red pepper [maybe 1/4 tsp red pepper]
1/2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1-2 teaspoon salt
1 scant teaspoon xanthan gum

Add the proofed yeast mixture. Stir to combine.

Add:

2 1/2 cups gluten-free flour*

Mix the dough by hand for 2-3 minutes. Let it rest as you oil a pan and sprinkle cornmeal on top of the pan (to prevent dough from sticking).

Drop the dough onto the pan and using wet or oiled hands, flatten and spread the dough evenly to the thickness you prefer. (This usually covers a 10x13-inch baking pan.)

Allow the dough to rest while you pre-heat your oven to 425ºF.

Pre-bake the pizza crust for 10 minutes.

Add sauce and toppings. Bake for an additional 10 minutes or so, until the crust is done and the toppings are heated through and bubbling.

*Lydia's Gluten-Free Flour Mix is:

3 parts white rice flour
3 parts brown rice flour
2 parts potato starch
1 part tapioca flour

She notes: If you use a pre-made gluten-free mix, I would recommend not using one with leavening (baking soda, baking powder).

Thank you, Lydia! This recipe will be (mucho) appreciated by our readers.


Read more: http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/2007/03/gluten-free-beer-bliss.html#ixzz1lpd5bUkl

Sour Cream & Chive Potatoes

Technically, I've never even made these, so this recipe should not be on the "old standby" blog.  However, it's most definitely a Sytsema family tradition, and the Breukers (Holly & my mom) have called me questioning the ingredients enough times that I'm going to post it anyway.

Sour Cream & Chive Potatoes - Mary Sytsema
6 cups water
2 cups milk
1 1/2 sticks margarine
1 1/2 tsp salt
8 cups potato buds
8 oz cream cheese
1 cup sour cream
chives

Combine water, milk, margarine, & salt.  Just before this boils, remove from heat and add potato buds.  Mix together.  Add cream cheese & mix together.  Add sour cream & mix together.  Add chives to taste.
This can be made ahead of time and warmed up in 350 degree oven for 45-60 minutes.  From my personal observations:  Marty's mom makes this and we heat it in the microwave in big bowls.  My mom makes it and it comes out of the oven in a 9x13 pan, and somehow it doesn't taste anywhere near that good.  I should also note that Marty's mom shared this recipe in a family cookbook a few years ago, and it was discovered that - oops - somehow some of the measures weren't quite right.  Since I've never made this, I can't vouch for the instructions above.  Proceed with caution and if you get it right the rewards will be worth it!