Hello , Hi there and welcome
to the next edition of the HBHW newsletter. Fall is here to stay. The leaves are turning, and it's staying cold enough to turn on the heat. I can't tell you how much I love this time of the year. Stew is bubbling on the stove, bread is baking in the oven and I have a warm cup of coffee steaming away at my desk. Live is good.
It's also busy. We're making
plans for Thanksgiving, starting on the shopping and I'm finalizing the list of dishes I want to make this year. If you would like a little help and inspiration, grab your copy of the Hillbilly Housewife Thanksgiving Planner
here.
Now, let's move on to this week's newsletter. I've been in the mood for cookies lately and thought I'd start sharing some family
favorites with you. This week we'll start with some Black Forest Cookies
Today's tip is about using up those leftover bits and pieces of bread. I don't know about your family, but mine refuses to eat the
heels of bread. I toss them in the freezer until I have enough to make some homemade croutons.
The featured article of the week is perfect if you're worried about roasting a turkey for Thanksgiving. I'll walk you through it step by step. Make sure you click through to the article on the blog. It has plenty of pictures to guide you along the way.
There's also a new "I"m Looking for Request" take a look and see if you can help out a fellow HBHW readers.
If you have a recipe you're looking for, email me at susanne@hillbillyhousewife.com and I'd be glad to feature it and give you my own input. HBHW readers are an amazing resource when it comes to lost recipes as
well.
Enjoy!
Susanne
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As a kid my neighbor made cookies with anise she rolled a dark dough into a long “snake” then cut it into pieces. I’ve been unable to find a recipe for it…help, please!
Marla
Please click through to the post
here and share your suggestions, ideas and recipes.
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"Autumn is the mellower season, and what we lose in flowers we more than gain in fruits."
-Samuel Butler
Featured Recipe of the Week |
Black Forest Cookies
- 1 (11.5oz) milk chocolate morsels,
divided
- ¾ cup flour
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¼ tsp. Baking powder
- ¼ cup butter, softened
- 1 (6oz) package craisins (cherry flavored) or dried cherries
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp. Vanilla
- 1 cup pecans or walnuts, coarsely chopped
Preheat oven to 350o F. Lightly grease baking sheets. Pour ¾ cup chocolate morsels into large microwave safe bowl. Set remaining morsels aside.
Microwave morsels on high
for two minutes. Stir until chocolate is smooth. Stir in brown sugar, butter, eggs and vanilla. Add flour and baking powder, mixing until thoroughly combined. Stir in remaining morsels, cherry-flavored craisins and pecans.
Drop by tablespoonfuls onto cookie sheet. Bake for 12 minutes or until cookies are puffed and set to the touch. Bake 14 minutes for firmer cookies.
Cool on cookie sheets for 2 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and
cool completely.
Makes 2-2 ½ dozen
You're welcome to share the recipe on Pinterest, Facebook etc. I'm also sharing a lot of recipes
on the HBHW Facebook page. Click on through to check it out. As always, likes, comments and shares are much appreciated. :)Barbecue Chicken |
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Don’t run around like a chicken (or
should that be turkey?) with its head cut off on Thanksgiving morning. The Hillbilly Housewife’s Thanksgiving Planner will help you plan ahead and stay on top of things so you can actually enjoy Thanksgiving with your family & friends.
If you take a quick minute to read the first chapter you’ll realize how easy your Thanksgiving celebration will be.
There are plenty of tips and ideas to make sure this year’s feast doesn’t stretch your budget to the
breaking point, too.
There are also 2 bonuses tucked inside: A printable planner & checklist and all of the recipes in a printable pdf file.
Order the Book on
Amazon
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We're having a lot of fun talking about all things frugal and homemaking on Facebook. Join in the discussion at the Hillbilly Housewife Facebook
page. Be sure to like the page so you don't miss a thing. Here's just one of this week's topics. |
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Homemade croutons are a great way to use up leftover bread. If you don’t like to make sandwiches out of the heels of your bread, toss them in the freezer and when you have about 10 slices, thaw them on the counter and get started making croutons. This also works out really well when you somehow bought or made too much bread. Croutons will last much longer than fresh bread.
The seasonings below are a
suggestion. It’s how we like our croutons. Feel free to omit everything but salt and oil, or tweak the seasoning to your liking. I use dried herbs. Adjust as needed if you’re using fresh herbs.
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How To Make Homemade
Croutons
- 10 slices of bread, heels are fine (homemade or store bought)
- 1/2 teaspoon basil
- 1/4 teaspoon oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon celery salt (or 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon celery seed)
- 1/4 to 1/3 cup oil
First make 2 piles of your bread. Using a very sharp, serrated knife, slice them into small cubes. I make 5 cuts each direction, one down the center, and two to each
side, but you can do it the way that works best for you.
Place all of the bread cubes into a large bowl. Sprinkle on the seasonings. Toss briefly to mix in the seasonings.
Next dribble in the oil somewhat evenly. Now gently toss everything together. The oil will help the seasonings stick to the bread and also make the bread crispy without actually having to fry it.
Spread the croutons on a large cookie sheet, use two if you need to.
Bake them at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes or until they are crisp.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the pan. Store the croutons in a plastic bag, or resealable container.
Serve on salads, or tossed in omelettes, or on top of plain spaghetti and Parmesan cheese.
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Homemade Convenience Foods
Make even more convenience foods right at home! You'll save money, control ingredients, and avoid expensive "fast foods" when you start making your own favorite
convenience foods.
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Featured Article of the Week |
How To Roast A Turkey
I remember my first Thanksgiving as a solo cook. My husband and I were newly wed and had just moved away from family. I was determined to cook him a perfect Thanksgiving meal. I was on the phone with my mother-in-law daily to figure out how to do this. In the end. We had a huge table of food complete with a large roasted turkey, a big bowl of mashed potatoes and gravy, some corn on the cob, enough cornbread dressing to feed
an army and 2 pies. Did I mention it was just the two of us? Let’s just say still had dressing in the freezer when we moved out of our apartment 5 months later.
I learned a lot in the years past and one of the biggest things you want to get right is of course the turkey. If this is your first year roasting a bird, or you just want some tips to make it tasty and perfectly cooked, this was written for you. I put down what I do in a step-by-step fashion with plenty of
pictures. Hope it’s helpful this Holiday Season.
Roasted Turkey
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- Pepper to taste
- 1 brined turkey. We are using a 12-pound turkey in our recipe.
- 1 cup water
Also, keep on hand a small saucepan, heat resistant spoon, roasting pan, pastry brush, turkey baster, foil, and utensils to flip the turkey.
IMPORTANT: Your turkey is done when it reaches an internal temperature of 165 F. You can determine doneness by purchasing and using a meat thermometer. You can expect a 12-pound turkey to take up to 4 hours to cook using this recipe, but because oven temperatures vary, always use a thermometer to ensure doneness.
Step 1: Preheat Oven Preheat oven to 425F.
Step 2: Prepare Butter
Mixture Melt the butter in saucepan over medium heat. Turn of the heat, add the pepper and stir. Step 3: Prepare the Turkey Place the turkey in a roasting pan. We start with breast side down, which is again tradition, but we do it because it allows the juices to run down into the breast meat, creating a moister turkey. We also flip our bird half way through the process, so we have a nicely browned skin on the top and bottom of the
turkey. Start by brushing your turkey with the butter mixture. Brush it all over, top and bottom, under wings…everywhere. Add 1 cup of water to the bottom of your roasting pan to help collect juices.
Step 3: Start Roasting
Now, you can place the turkey in a 425 F oven. At this point, you don’t need to cover the turkey as we’re going to create a nicely browned skin. Bake at this temperature for about ½ hour. After ½
hour, remove and baste the turkey with its juices and turn the temperature down to 350 F. Cover lightly with foil and return the turkey to the 350 F oven. After about 2 hours, we flip the turkey. This allows for nicely browned skin all over the turkey. Return the turkey to the oven after flipping and reinsert thermometer.
Again, your turkey is done when it reaches an internal temperature of 165 F. Remove from oven and let stand for about 15-20 minutes
before carving. Enjoy your incredibly moist and delicious turkey.
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Please don't forget to "Pin" these articles and posts when you head to the Hillbilly Housewife website to read more. It helps get the word out about the site and the newsletter. Thank you! |
A Little Something Inspirational...
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That's it from me for this week. We've had a pretty busy and stressful couple of days and I needed something to help me relax and wind down at night. I started printing off coloring pages and am enjoying coloring them in. You can find plenty of adult coloring books at bookstores and even Walmart, but I prefer to just print off a few pages here and there.
My favorites at the moment are from ColorMonthly.com.
Did you see that the new issue of the Homemaker's Hutch magazine is out? It's beautiful and full of amazing articles, recipes and a knitting pattern from me. I think you'll enjoy it. Check it out if you're not already
subscribed.
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