Mom's Unleavened Bread

It wouldn't be Unleavened Bread without some of this.

Mom's Unleavened Bread

Ingredients:

• 3 cups flour
• 1 stick butter, softened
• 1 cup milk

Directions:
Cut butter into 1/2 the flour.  Alternately add milk and remaining flour.  Knead until smooth and roll out on cookie sheet.  Prick with fork and bake 20 minutes at 400°.  Cut while warm.

So good!  It's hard to stop eating this stuff, especially when it's fresh.

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Brown Rice Salad with Salmon

I read an interview with Claire Robinson on My Wooden Spoon this morning.  I was not aware of her or her show, but I like the idea of easy, flavorful recipes, so I'm going to have to check her out.  What caught my eye was her approach to recipes:

She says you should read the recipe, put it away, and do your own thing. Don’t be afraid to swap an ingredient out or add more or less.

Yep!  That's pretty much my approach to any recipe.  I use them for ideas, and then proceed to throw in the ingredients I have.  It's more fun that way!  The only problem is that, when I come up with something we especially like, I usually can't repeat it.

All that to say that I found this recipe on Oprah.com for Brown Rice Salad with Salmon (by searching for 'salmon rice salad' - imagine that!)  The recipe already has a lot of leeway built into it - but I thought I better jot down what I used this time - just in case it's the perfect combination.

Brown Rice Salad with Salmon

Salad:

• 2 c. cooked brown rice
• 1-1/2 cups frozen peas
• 1 medium carrot, grated
• 3 green onions, sliced
• 1/2 green pepper, chopped
• 1 stalk celery, sliced
• 8 oz. cooked salmon, broken into small pieces

Dressing:

• 2 t. cider vinegar
• 4 t. soy sauce
• 2 t. olive oil
• sea salt and fresh ground black pepper

Directions:
In mixing bowl, combine rice and vegetables.  Mix vinegar, soy sauce, oil and salt & pepper; pour over rice mixture and mix well.  Add salmon, and toss lightly to combine.  Chill well.

I'm already noticing that the original recipe called for some cooked vegetables, where I used green pepper and celery, but the rice was hot when I mixed everything, so I'm going to figure that's OK.   Besides, they'll add a little crunch.  I'm thinking some chow mein noodles on top will be good, too.

Potluck tomorrow.  We'll see what everyone thinks.  It certainly smelled good when I mixed it up.

Update:  Definitely the perfect combination!  This salad has become a favorite around here.  It's great for not only a potluck, but as a cool summer meal.  It's great with chow mein noodles, on a bed of greens, or just by itself.

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Jeana's Unleavened Bread Recipes

My friend Jeana shared these with us on Facebook. In order to be able to find them again, I am copying them here.

The Famous Biscuit Recipe
they are quick and easy and can be made as small or big as you like:

• 5 cups flour(wheat, spelt, oat, or whatever) 
• 1 tsp salt 
• 3 Tbs honey or molasses 
• 2/3 cup oil 
• 1 1/2 cup milk or water. 

Mix dry ingredients, add wet ingredient mix. Mix well until moistened dough. shape into flat biscuits and fry in very lightly greesed griddle, flipping to brown both sides. you can store the dough in fridge and use as needed.

Swiss Butterhorns 

• 2 cups flour 
• salt 
• 1 egg yolk 
• 2/3 cup butter 
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup finely chopped nuts 
• 3/4 tsp cinnimon (or use a spice mix) 
• 1/2 cup sugar.

Cut butter into flour and salt. Stir in egg yolk and sour cream. Mix well. Chill overnight or a few hours. Divide dough into 3 parts. roll each part out into a 12 inch circle, cut into 12 wedges. Mix sugar, cinnamon or mix, and nuts, and sprinkle over the circle. Roll each wedge starting at the wide edge. Place on greased baking sheet with point under. Bake at 375° 20-25 minutes.

Oat Cakes 
very good, very Scottish

• 1 cup flour 
• 1/3 cup oil 
• 1 Tbls honey
• 4 cups oats (quick or regular)
• 1/4 tsp salt. 

Mix water, oil and honey. Add dry ingredients. Turn out on floured surface, press to 1/4 inch thick, cut into sizes desired. Bake at 350° about 15 minutes. Watch, can be ready sooner.

Tortillas
are made with the biscuit recipe, or my (Jeana's) mom's recipe

• 1-1/2 cups warm water 
• 1/4 cup oil 
• 1/4 cup honey (optional) 
• salt 

Mix and add flour until you have a good bread dough consistency. Roll out balls into circles and fry in a lightly greased skillet; keep skillet very hot. 15 seconds or so on each side.

additional advice from Jeana: 

If you want to give any unleavened Bread recipe a boost of moisture, just add some apple sauce or dry fruit, or egg whites, or yogurt. IT all works well. 

 

These all sound pretty good.  I'm especially thinking I'm going to try the oatcakes.

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Bread and Water

Thank you to everyone who filled out my form telling me what one food and one drink you would choose for the rest of your life.  First, I'll tell you what I chose - bread and water.  Sounds like prison rations or something, doesn't it?

Seriously, that is what I would choose.  Water is my beverage of choice.  I rarely choose anything else.  Sure, a nice glass of wine is good every once in a while, but I couldn't live on it.  And about that bread - it couldn't be just any bread.  It would have to be this wonderful Sourdough Bread that I've been making.  It's so good!

So, those are my choices.  What did everyone else choose?  Here are the results:

• eggs and water
• cookies and milk
• lobster and water
• pollack and homemade organic tomato juice
• avocados and rum
• lasanga and Pure Cranberry Juice
• Spaghetti and Diet Coke
• Eggs and Coffee

If you didn't fill out the form with your own choices, feel free to add yours in the comments here.

If You Could Have Only One

I saw this question on The Newlywed Game - not something I usually watch, but my husband turned it on.  They asked the husbands if their wives could have only one food and one drink for the rest of their lives, what would they choose.  It took me a little bit to figure out for myself what my choices would be - imagine trying to figure out someone else's choices!  Of course, my husband is pretty good, because once I figured it out for myself, I asked him - and he got it exactly right!  Now, if I had to guess what he'd choose, I don't think I'd do a very good job.

Anyway, the whole question got me thinking, so I thought I'd ask:

I'll leave this open for a while and then publish the results, so please play along.  It will be fun!  And I'll tell you what I would choose, too.