What Do the Feet Say

Today was beautiful with blue sky, temperature around 36 (in the sun) and much colder in the deep valley and hills behind our house.  Only sun hits the very top of the hill, there is plenty of snow left back there.  It really made for a great walk even though you have to go up to come down.  The snow was crisp and crunched with each step.  Not too deep so walking was very easy.  I like the sound especially because all was quiet, just the crunch with each step we took.  We never walk side by side.  What is the sense of looking at the same things or finding a new discovery of a deer trail, buck rub or turkey scratching.  Dick is always on the look out for mushrooms and yes even this time of the year.  He carries florescent tape just in case he finds a new kind.  They are dried up now and not edible by next year it is likely there will be more in the same spot.  As luck would have it he found a type of mushroom he had been looking for the last couple years.  The name starts with an R....I am not a mushroom guru so very seldom do I remember one from another.  I like to eat them.....

The sounds walking in the snow reminded me of what a horse sounds like when their hoofs hit the ground or gravel.  I love that sound too.  Something about it makes me think of so long ago.  Then that reminded me of baseball and the sound of feet hitting the ground running to first base.  Amazing how such simple things of sound can take me to pleasant memories.  I like days like this.  In fact when we were getting ready to leave my first thought was the camera, no actually my first thought was to take a couple bite size snicker bars........I might need the extra energy!  The snickers went, the camera stayed.  This was just a walk for me to enjoy and not think of taking a picture of this or that.  It worked, calm, peace, quiet with a crunch brought me to getting back to the blog.  90 minutes later we were back to the house and I felt totally refreshed and at peace.

Once back it was time to start supper even though it was only 11:30 the plan was for Hungarian Goulash and homemade bread which was about a four hour deal.  I have never made Hungarian Goulash before but let me tell ya............it will be made often this winter.  For some reason I have been watching cooking shows on you tube from other countries.  The gal that had this recipe was so interesting and looked like my kind of cook.  She wasn't a trained chef but she could be just with her everyday recipes and know how of foods from farm meat to garden veggies.

If you are interested, the recipe for Hungarian Goulash and pinch noodles....yes, pinch.  You will see why.

In a large pot add cooking oil to cover the bottom, 1 cup of diced onion, 1 diced large yellow bell pepper (she said this has a very similar taste to their Hungarian yellow pepper), a little salt and pepper.  Saute' until tender, then add 2 tomatoes diced (I used plum tomatoes, cheap) and 2 cloves of garlic finely chopped.  Once they mixture simmers add 5 TBSP. of sweet paprika, 1/4 tsp. of hot smokey paprika, tsp. of garlic powder and if you want 1/2 tsp of ground caraway seeds.  I didn't add caraway because I didn't have it.  Stir the mixture until well blended.  Then add 1 quart of chicken or veggie broth along with 1 to 2 lbs of chuck roast cut in bite size chunks and a bay leaf.  Simmer on very low  until meat is tender.  Then add 3 cups of carrots cut in chunks and a couple parsnips cut in chunks.  Again, I didn't do parsnips, (too far to the store).  Let it simmer until carrots are tender.  While it is simmering it is a good time to make the "pinch" noodles.  In a bowl add one cup of flour, 1/2 tsp of salt and one large egg.  Mix with your hands until it forms a stiff dough.  It will take a while so if you have a food processor, use it.  Only takes seconds to bring the stiff dough together.  Put some flour on a large plate and start pinching off little pieces of the dough and lay them on the plate.  Make sure they are covered with flour so they won't stick together.  I had to keep sprinkling more flour on them.  Once the dough is all pinched into little pieces just let it set until the Goulash is done and at a low simmer.  Put the noodles and excess flour into the Goulash, cover and let simmer until the noodles are floating.  There ya have it, Hungarian Goulash.  They put bit of sour cream on top but I didn't.  Maybe the next bowl.  It is absolutely one of the best stews I have ever made or tasted.  The only one that I can think might top it was a Mutton Stew I had at an Irish Pub in MD.  Maybe it topped it but right now I am thinking the Goulash won out.  The liquid gets a slight thickness to it with the adding of the extra flour from the noodles.  Just right for dipping the homemade bread in it.

Speaking of bread by accident I changed up my Farm Bread routine last week and now it is my new way.  If you have Della's Daughter cookbook here is the difference.  Warm 2 cups of milk, pour into a large bowl with 2 TBSP of butter, 1 TBSP of salt and 2 TBSP of sugar and 2 pkg of yeast.  There is the difference.  Do not put the yeast in the 1/4 cup of water as I originally did.  Add 2 cups of flour and mix just until blended.  Let stand for 10 minutes, it will be frothy and yeast doing its thing.  Next add 2 cups of flour, mix, then add 1 cup of flour, mix and you will now add the final cup a little at a time until the dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl.  You can do this in a kitchen aide mixer, (I do).  No sense letting a good machine set in the cabinet....getting lazy around here.  Take the dough out of the bowl, grease the bowl, put the dough back in and turn once to get the top of the dough greased.  Cover with saran wrap and a kitchen towel.  Let raise, punch down and raise 30 more minutes.  Take out and divide for two large loaves or 3 smaller ones, put in greased bread pans, grease the top of the dough, cover with saran wrap and towel, let raise until double.  Bake at 375 degrees until golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped on.  Remove from the pans, place on a wire wrack and butter the top of the loaves.  You can also use this dough for cinnamon rolls. 

When I make something special it always deserves my mothers beautiful plate.  Now you can see how rich and dark the sauce is and so tasty!

I am not one to talk of sad times and so I will only say, this blog is for a dear friend that was one of my dearest friends.  She would send me short or long messages that were always positive and fun to read, she was quite the historian of Oswayo Valley.   Even in the last few months she said reading my blogs would get here through some dark times and had went back to read them all again.  What can I say, Donetta Sutton Brandt....you will always be in my heart and in my thoughts.