Monday, May 25, 2009

Rhubarb Upside-Down Cake


This morning LuAnne brought me some rhubarb and I decided to make my Grandma Tolstead's Rhubarb Upside-Down Cake. I used her original recipe, assisted by a revised version that my uncle, Bob Tolstead, had given me. I was having trouble figuring out what to do with the lists of ingredients until consulting his version. By the third and final phase of ingredients, I realized I was short a quarter cup of sugar and was thankful for my neighbors coming to the rescue, thereby saving me a trip to town. It turned out tasting just as I remembered it... Dee-licious! Anne & Carolyn Carter, LuAnne & Ev White, and Carol & Dave Peterson joined me for tea shortly after it came out of the oven. As might be expected, having friends here to share it with made it taste even better. It has only dawned on me in the last hour that this is "Rhubarb Upside-Down Cake" and so I had served it wrong-side up. If any of them noticed the upside-down cake wasn't upside-down they didn't mention it to me. It was a very nice way to spend an otherwise rather gloomy Memorial Day.

Rhubarb Upside-Down Cake

Saturday, May 09, 2009

The Rookery


There is Great Blue Heron rookery on Long Lake that has been in the same area for many, many years. I stopped by yesterday to try to get some photos. The herons were not exactly thrilled to see me. When I got out of the car with my camera in hand they all ducked down in their nests and refused to peek out. I could hear an occasional bit of muttering from them. (If you have ever listened to herons you know what I mean.) After awhile I gave up, got back in my car and drove slowly around a loop and back to the rookery area. This time I parked beyond it a bit, then got out and walked back toward them. That's when I got several photos of them... a few ignoring me, some glaring at me from their nests (well, at least keeping a sharp eye on my movements) and one that was afraid to land in it's nest on it's first few approaches because of my presence. If you would like to see the full set of photos just click on the title to this entry.


Thursday, May 07, 2009

Rudi's Stone-Ground Wheat Bread


Rudi's Stone-Ground Wheat Bread

Today I made Rudi’s Stone-Ground Wheat Bread from Bernard Clayton’s “New Complete Book of Breads.” With cracked wheat, wheat germ, sunflower seeds, and sesame seeds in it, along with whole-wheat flour, bread flour, molasses, and honey, it is nutritious, rich, and tasty. If you bake this I suggest you use greased, non-stick loaf pans. The egg wash can drip down and make it stick in spite of greasing glass loaf pans. (Yes, this is why I only photographed one of the two loaves I baked.) The not-photographed loaf had one unsightly end, but it still tasted great!

First Rising


First Rising
Originally uploaded by Minnesota Daybreak
This is bread dough rising in my favorite bowl. :)
I love the aroma in my house on days when I bake bread.

In the past I baked bread in a bread machine.  It tasted good, but the shape of the loaf wasn't very appealing or useful.  I've switched to making bread with a Kitchenaid mixer doing the harder work of kneading the dough.  Other than that, the process is much like my great aunt, Elsie, used when I was growing up.  She always let me 'help' with her baking. Good memories and good eating.

Friday, May 01, 2009

Cross Reference

"Christianity is not a religion of rules. It is the religion of divine example." -George Hodges