Apple on bread?

Though my family has never said so, I have this feeling that they think I am a strange cook. I must admit, they have every right to be sceptical of my culinary skills when it comes to meal preparation. Usually my meals are made from a recipe that I have severely altered or an idea sparked by a picture in some food magazine or web page. My experiments have had mixed results. Often there has been a voice somewhere around the table that says, "What's this?" or "What's that different flavor?" Yet I keep pursuing my odd dishes. Hey, they haven't fired me yet!

One noon Mom was gone, and my sisters were busy with preparations for teaching, so the job of making a meal fell to me. I never like spending much time on noon meals, so my main stays are either left-overs or grilled sandwiches. There must not have been any left-overs worthy of mentioning this day, because I opted for the grilled sandwich route. We weren't going to have any plain old grilled cheese. We were going to have apple and onion grilled cheese! It was fall, and we had boxes of lovely apples. Why not?

To start I fried the slivered apples in maple syrup until they were coated with a thin, sticky layer. At the same time onions sizzled their way to delicious translucency in our George Foreman grill. Once these two ingredients were ready, I spread Dijon mustard on sliced bread and piled with the apples, onions, and a bit of farmer's cheese. (Note: Something a little stronger like provolone or yogurt cheese would have made for an even nicer sandwich, but these were not in our cheese drawer.) A slice of bread was placed on top, and they were ready to be grilled. To cut fat (actually cholesterol is our enemy) we have started making all our grilled sandwiches on the George Forman grill. When done this way the sandwiches need no buttering and in the end have beautiful grill lines. It also makes them a bit like panini, though not quite as squished. So on the George Forman they went. A few minutes later we had beautiful sandwiches. Now it was time for the taste test.

The maple syrup didn't seem to come through, but maybe if it were brushed onto the bread... Something besides mustard could make the flavors better balanced, but it worked. Mild apple flavor, good onion and cheese flavors, the nuttiness of 100% Whole Wheat Bread, the zip of a little mustard. Yum. Even Dad gave it a thumbs up saying in a positive tone, "This is different, but it's good!"

I have now dubbed this sandwich "Apple Panini." Sure, there is room for improvement, but I think it may just have made it onto the list of successes.

To market, to market...

August 22, 2009

We're ready to go! It is 8:00 AM, and the van is loaded with bread, granola, and all the sweets. There is no way all this baking could fit in here without the racks Dad made!

An inside view of the packed van. Maren's oraganization is key.

Me at the wheel, ready for the hour drive to Detroit Lakes.

This is customer appreciation day. To make it special, I have "brownie bite" samples.

Backing up a little...

... and close up.

A veiw from behind the tables. They are looking a bit empty.

My family joins in on the festive day with a little picnic. Sure it is nice to sell out, but nothing could be better than a little time with the whole family!

For Maren

Have I told you about my helper? Well, actually I have several. It isn't uncommon to see Dad helping load my bread into the van. It is also a common sight to see Mom and both of my sisters tackling the large stack of dirty dishes I have left on the counter. Yet, there is one person who has made this summer's baking possible more than anyone else. Meet Maren, my oldest sister. She has been my personal slave. When too many timers were going at once, it was Maren who was ordered to run and check the baking bread. As the bread cooled it was Maren who kept an eye on it and bagged it when ready. It was Maren who swept up my flour messes on the floor. When the kitchen needed to be cleaned up, it was Maren who tackled the mess. I could go on a long time with all the jobs my sister did for me as I baked. Without her help I could not have kept so many people supplied with bread. So to Maren goes my thanks - and so should yours.

There were times this summer when our roles swapped. She became the head baker and I the assistant. Maren measured, stirred, and patiently baked over 300 pounds of granola this summer. (Picture 300 boxes of cereal!) As a result of her work, many customers have been happy and healthy because of this nutritious food. Once again, if you were one of these people (the happy/healthy ones), it is to Maren your thanks should go.

Most likely when she sees this post, she will say, "You didn't have to do that. You could have spent that time baking or resting instead". But no, Maren, you are worth much more than these words and a few minutes of typing. Thank you!

Love,

Elsa

A few of the 300+ pounds of Maren's granola.

My body is telling me it has been a long day. It was brownie and scone day. By chocolate frosting batch #6, I was ready for a break! Today is also preparation day - the day I get ready for Friday's bread baking marathon. Mainly the only prep I leave for this day is organizing and restocking ingredients. The flour pail has to be refilled. New bags of craisins and brown sugar have to be dug out of storage. Brown rice occasionally needs to be boiled. This list only scratches the surface. Tonight I have to set up the kitchen for baking. It's a good thing I like to organize!

Cucumber Season!

My sister who has an aversion toward this fresh vegetable, would never think of writing this post. But for me, a cucumber fanatic as of these last years (I ate three whole small ones for dinner today), this is a vegetable worthy of notice.

What could be better than eating cucumbers plain? Putting it on bread, of course! A bunch of cucumber, onion, some cream cheese, a bit of mayo. Dinner becomes a success... even for those in your family who try to keep this vegetable as far away from their mouths as possible.

Cucumber Sandwich Filling

Mix:

1c. diced cucumber (My sister [the other one ;) ] notes on her recipe to use more. Try up to 2c.)

1/2 tsp. salt

Let stand 2 hours; drain well.

Blend:

5 oz. cream cheese

6 T. mayonnaise

Add:

drained cucumbers

1/2 T. minced onion

2 tsp. parsley (optional)

Store in the refrigerator. Keeps well for a few days.

Serving suggestions:

-Pair with French Batard, Multigrain Bread, Dill-Onion Bread, Country White Loaves...

-Spread on open face sandwiches, and garnish with a small sprig of parsley.

-Spread between two slices of bread and cut diagonally. Cut off crusts if you want a fancy, tea sandwich.

The Bakery "Forecast"

Bakery "Weather" History

--Monday:
Baked all day
--Tuesday:
Sold 39 loaves plus sweets and granola at the Pelican Rapids farmers' market.
New on the table -- Dill-Onion Pizza Crusts
Maren baked 28 pounds of granola.

Bakery Forecast

--Wednesday:

Production of more granola (by Maren)

Baking of 15 individual Brownie Supreme plus 4 packages of 12 (by Elsa)

Baking of 16 each Blueberry, Cherry-Berry Chocolate, and Cranberry Oat Scones (by Elsa)

--Thursday:

Caramel roll baking

--Friday:

A long day of baking 63 loaves.

The day's specialty bread - Chocolate Pecan Bread

--Saturday:

Sales at the Lakes Area Farmers' Market, Detroit Lakes

--Sunday:

A welcome day of worship and rest

It is a common misconception. Baking does sound like a relaxing, homey occupation. But the reality is, well, far from relaxing.

To give you a little picture into one of my days of baking, this is last Friday's schedule. But wait! This doesn't include the set-up before hand nor the hours of clean-up and packaging after the schedule ends. It also doesn't show the dishes being washed, the restocking of ingredients, the book-keeping being done in every spare moment. Nor does it show the four and sometimes more hands needed to keep it all running smoothly. The schedule looks more like a skeleton than a body filled out with flesh. Oh, well. You can have a look anyway. (The schedule is a bit cryptic, so don't try too hard to understand it all. :)

7:00 Mix Dill #1

7:30 Mix Dill #2

8:00 Mix Dill #3 (4)

8:30 Mix WW

9:00 Mix Cran-Orange #1 (4)
375F

9:10 Form Dill #1 (4 sand, 2 round)

9:30 Mix Cran-Orange #2 (6)

9:40 Form Dill #2 (sand)

10:00 Mix Sourdough
Bake Dill #1 – Top & Bottom

10:10 Form Dill #3 (round)

10:30 Mix French #1
Bake Dill #2 – Bottom

11:00 Mix French #2
Bake Dill #3 – Top & Bottom
Form WW (sand)

11:30

12:00 Mix Multigrain #1
Bake WW – Top
Form Cran-Orange #1 (round)

12:30 Mix Multigrain #2
Pre-form French #1 (batard)
Form Cran-Orange #2 (sand)

12:50 Form French #1 (batard)

1:00 Mix Black Pepper #1
Pre-form French #2 (sand)

1:15 Bake Cran-Orange #1 – Top & Bottom

1:20 Form French #2 (sand)

1:30 Mix Black Pepper #2
No baking – Top & Bottom

1:45 Bake Cran-Orange #2 – Bottom

2:00 No baking – Bottom

2:30 Bake French #1 (Temp Change!) – Top & Bottom
Pre-form Sourdough (2 sand, 4 round)
Form Multigrain #1

3:00 Bake French #2 (Temp Change!) – Top
Form Sourdough (2 sand, 4 round)
Form Multigrain #2

3:15 Bake Multigrain #1 – Bottom

3:30 No baking – Bottom
Form Black Pepper #1

3:45 Bake Multigrain #2 – Top

4:00 No baking – Top
Form Black Pepper #2

4:30 Bake Black Pepper #1 – Bottom

5:00 Bake Black Pepper #2 – Top

5:30 Cinnamon Scones

6:00 Bake Sourdough – Top & Bottom

So there you have it -- the schedule of a baker. Is it worth all the work? Why do I do it? My prayer is that as I use the gifts my Creator has given me, He is glorified. Yes, it is worth it, every one of the fourteen hours per day.