Home Cookin'

In order to make the new digs feel like a home, we're making soup and bread tonight for dinner. Also this cooking/baking meets several other needs beyond dinner, 1) Our apartment still smells a little like fresh paint, 2) It is REALLY windy and cold outside (and I've BEEN to North Dakota), and 3) It tests our improvisation skills in the kitchen.

"I'm going to make some bread to go with the soup." says I.
"I gave away all the yeast before we moved." says she.
"Consarnit woman!" says I.

So, I rooted around online and found this little gem:

From: Sandy Lemons
I make a beer bread that is fantastic..very simple, too..

Beer Batter Bread

3 cups self rising flour
3 Tablespoons sugar
12 oz. room temp beer

Mix all together and pour into a regular bread pan..Bake 350 about 30 minutes or until lighly browned on top....Remove when cool enough to handle and place on rack.

Now..seems to me that you can add some cooked well drained veggies to this..I have used herbs and sun dried tomatoes in this bread..I don't see why you couldn't use some dried bell pepper flakes or onions..or even some sauted and well drained zukes or carrots or frozen corn...I would not, however use anything like sweet potato, carrot or pumpkin puree as it is a moist heavy bread to begin with...

...and while sandy lemons don't sound very appetizing, the baking bread in the oven smells delicious. For beer I used the a bottle of Red Stripe. I also added to the mix 1 t dried thyme, 1 t dried rosemary, and 1/2 t oregano, which can't hurt anything. The soup is Val's improv, based upon a bag of split peas and seasoning that I got for Christmas.

I also found out that you can make your own "self-rising" flour by adding approximately 1 to 1.5 t of baking powder and 1 t salt to every cup of all-purpose flour.

Bon Appétit!