Sunday, December 3, 2006

Sourdough Starter

My mom gave me some sourdough starter and directions on how to care for and use it. The idea is to always save some starter from every batch so that it ages. Supposedly, the older the sourdough starter, the better the taste.

Here's a link with more information on how to make your own sourdough starter...


Sourdough Starter Hints
Always save 1 cup for next time.
Store in refrigerator (in glass jar with lid)
“Gray” is ok (water on top)
Use warm water only- not hot.
Feed or use about every 2 months or sooner.
Mix with flour and water to feed (see below).

Sourdough Waffles or Pancakes
The night before, feed the starter by putting it into a bowl with
2 ½ cups of flour & 2 cups of warm water. Put in a warm place
overnight. The next morning, save one cup of the starter and refrigerate it.

To the remaining starter, add:
2 eggs
2 Tbls sugar
1 tsp salt
2 Tbls vegetable oil
1 tsp baking soda (add soda last)

Add ingredients to bowl of starter, adding the baking soda last.
Whisk together & cook in a waffle iron or in a skillet for pancakes. Leftovers can be frozen and will toast nicely.

Pumpkin Pie


Pumpkin Pie
This is Patrick's favorite. He likes it when I double or triple the spices... But I'll give you the recipe the way my mom does it:


1 can pumpkin (15 oz)
3/4 cups sugar
2 eggs (well beaten)
1 2/3 cups evaporated milk
1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp cinnamon
pinch salt
1 unbaked 9 inch pie shell

Mix the pumpkin, eggs, sugar, evaporated milk and spices together, blending well. Put into the pie shell. Bake on the middle rack at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. Then reduce the temperature to 350 degrees and bake for 45 more minutes or until mostly solidified.


The Purpose of This Blog


I try to do a fair amount of cooking and would like to have a venue to use to share my favorite recipes. These are all recipes that I use regularly and enjoy. I'll do my best to include pictures and to answer questions. I'll also honor requests if you've eaten something at my house and want to know how I make it...


Enjoy reading and visit often! Let me know how it goes if you try one of my recipes.