Hickery Holler 6 Week Bran Muffins

Sometime around the late eighties my then mother in law shared a muffin recipe with me called 6 week muffins. You can find many variations of this recipe all over the internet. The greatest thing about this recipe was that it was said that the batter would last for 6 weeks in the refrigerator.  Now to be honest I have no idea as to if it will last that long or not. In the late eighties I had 4 growing children in my household and this muffin recipe was a staple for many breakfasts for my children. No muffin batter was going to last for 6 weeks in my house unless there was something seriously wrong with it. It's been probably 30 years now and I am still making this muffin.  And it still doesn't last 6 weeks : )

This recipe makes a huge amount of batter but it does keep well and I think the batter gets better after about a week in the fridge. The original recipe is as follows. 

6 Week Muffins

1 (15 ounce) box Raisin Bran cereal
3 cups sugar
5 cups flour
5 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons salt
4 beaten eggs
1 cup melted margarine
1 quart buttermilk



Mix raisin bran, sugar, flour, soda,cinnamon and salt in large bowl.
Stir in beaten eggs, margarine, and buttermilk.

Mix well.

Store, covered, in refrigerater.

To use, bake at 400* for 15-20 minutes.

Will keep in fridge for 6 weeks.

Now over the years I have experimented with many additions. From the main bowl I simply remove 2 1/2 cups of the mixed batter. I added 1/2 cup apple sauce and 1 small chopped apple and about 1/2 cup of walnuts then mixed well and baked as directed. They were wonderful sweet and moist. 2 1/2 cups of batter will make about 12 muffins with additions. 1 1/4 cups batter with half the additions will make 6 breakfast muffins which is what I bake in the mornings. 

  

These muffins are great with that same 2 1/2 cups of original batter and a cup of grated carrot, or try some of my canned pineapple zucchini or even just plain zucchini. Or maybe a cup of sweet potatoes grated or a cup of pureed pumpkin. 

A great way to start off the morning or a convenient after school snack with the batter handy in the refrigerator. Even if you don't have a house full of kids bet these won't last 6 weeks at your house either. 

This recipe should make from 4 to 5 dozen regular size muffins . 

Blessings from The Holler

The Canned Quilter

Farm Supper

With cold weather on the way we picked all the asparagus spears that we could find above ground knowing that if it snowed on top of the spears they would be no good. Normally we pick asparagus about the first of April but with the cooler temperatures it is about a month late. I think it should have waited a couple more weeks!

We got a nice size bowl for a first picking. The chickens have started laying again with more sunlight and we gathered about 16 dozen eggs last month. Locally heavy rains have dropped so much rain on the little dirt roads that very few will tackle the mud to venture out here beyond the sidewalks and stoplights when eggs are available in town. Therefore right now we have a plethora of eggs in the refrigerator. 

 Hmmmm...Asparagus, eggs, down home farm bacon, lettuce in the spinner.

Yes indeed it sounds like quiche to me.

 

Salad with boiled farm eggs, my own pickled beets, fresh roasted asparagus and homemade garlic parmesan croutons. Not to mention a homemade buttermilk dressing.

And beside it quiche, warm from the oven, overflowing with fresh asparagus, fresh eggs, homegrown onions, chives from the garden, melted cheese and little chunks of crispy home grown home smoked bacon.  I even threw in a couple chopped morel mushrooms O Wise one found fresh today. And all inside a beautiful brown flaky crust made with none other than home grown and rendered leaf lard. Makes the flakiest pie crust you will ever eat !

 

 Who cares if the mud in the roads is knee deep. Who's going anywhere with good farm eating like this on the table. The recipes to the pie crust and the quiche are linked below.

 PIE CRUST TUTORIAL

QUICHE RECIPE

What a great way to use up some of those eggs that are piling up. Breakfast or dinner ...quiche is always a winner.

Blessings from The Holler

The Canned Quilter

 

Grits For Supper

My family loves breakfast food and there are times when things get rushed around the homestead and homemade/homegrown breakfast foods make a healthier alternative to fast food. This is my husbands favorite way to eat grits and his holiday morning favorite breakfast. Every so often I make it for supper as a treat. He will eat slices of this straight out of the fridge cold!! Leftovers of this casserole never go to waste and warm in the microwave beautifully.

Cheesy Sausage Grits Casserole

4 cups water
1 tsp salt
1 cup quick cooking grits
4 eggs lightly beaten
1 pound pork sausage browned and drained
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese divided
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup butter or margarine softened

In a saucepan bring water and salt to boil. Slowly stir in grits. Reduce heat and cook until done.  Remove grits from heat and add a teaspoon of hot grits at a time to beaten eggs while beating eggs to temper or slowly heat the eggs. Return eggs to grits pot and stir well.

  

While grits are cooking I browned my sausage

Add milk, butter and 1 cup of cheese and sausage to grits pot and stir well. Then add sausage and stir until combined. Pour into a buttered 13 X 9 baking dish. Sprinkle 1/2 cup remaining cheese over the top.    

Bake uncovered in preheated 350 degree oven for 50 to 55 minutes or until top begins to brown. Remove and allow to cool for a few minutes. As it cools it thickens. 

Serve warm with a skillet of flaky hot buttermilk biscuits, strawberry rhubarb jam  and a mug of hot coffee.

Blessings from The Holler

The Canned Quilter

Scrapple

We haven't butchered our hogs yet. They should be ready by the first of December or so. We did find some pork on sale recently and buy some to smoke for bacon and Canadian bacon. Like our parents before us we try to waste little as far as food. So with the small scraps that were trimmed during preparing our bacons we made scrapple. Scrapple very simply is a loaf made from the cooked trimmings from pork mixed with liquid and ground corn meal then cooked and shaped into a loaf. Then it is sliced and fried for breakfast usually along with the traditional eggs and biscuits. 

Here is the recipe we use for scrapple.

1 1/2 pounds lean pork trimming

1 large onion 

2 1/2 quarts broth

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 Tablespoon pepper

2 teaspoons ground sage

1 teaspoon thyme

3 cups corn meal

 

Place pork pieces into large pot with water and whole onion. Cook slowly covered for about 2 hours. Drain reserving broth. remove onion and discard.  

Chill meat and remove any fat remaining and chop finely.

In pot return meat and add 1 1/2  quarts of retained broth. Add salt, pepper, sage and thyme and bring to a boil. With remaining 1 quart of pork broth add 3 cups corn meal. Stir this into boiling mixture. Cook over medium heat until thickened, stirring constantly. Cover and then cook over VERY LOW heat, stir again after 20 minutes.  

Note** If you run short of broth you can use chicken broth

Pour into 2 greased 9 X 5 loaf pans. Chill overnight.

Remove from refrigerator and take loaves from pans. Slice into 1/2 inch slices.

At this point we roll our slices in flour and freeze them in vacuum bags. You can simply roll them in flour and cook.

When eaten fresh we simply roll ours in flour and brown them in a small amount of olive oil in a black iron skillet until brown.

We served ours with scrambled eggs and biscuits. This makes a nice break from everyday breakfast foods while using up small meat scraps. 

Note** If you freeze your scrapple remove from freezer and place in hot pan frozen like hash brown patties. Allow to completely brown before trying to flip. Once brown on one side flip and brown the remaining side.     

Blessings from The Holler

The Canned Quilter

Return to Farm Girl Friday Blog Fest 7

This Aint Ya Mama's Grits !!

Nothing says southern like grits ! We were raised on them. Not them little bags of instant grits. Real honest to goodness grits you cook in a pot, on the stove no less. No microwaves involved. It was the standard breakfast fare on my mama's kitchen table my whole life. Right along side them biscuits and breakfast sausage. Lets not forget them fresh eggs fried in that cast iron skillet.

I remember one time when I was a young teenager and I went to this 4-H competition. It was at a local university and there were kids there from northern states. We were housed in the dorms. We were all sitting around one night playing cards and someone asked about grits. My girlfriend and I strung this story about going grits hunting and finding these illusive little grit bugs under logs and such. Had all them little yankee children out with flashlights lookin under hollow logs for them grits. A real life grits hunt.  Convinced them that was what the gators ate. We got in so much trouble...........my girlfriend and I are still laughing about it though 40 years later.

This is O Wise One's favorite way to eat grits. Mixed with sausage, cheese, milk, butter and eggs. Yes indeed he will eat this cold out of the fridge the next day for a snack. What am I gonna do with him?

CHEESY SAUSAGE & GRITS CASSEROLE 

4 cups water

1 tsp salt

1 cup quick cooking grits

4 eggs lightly beaten

1 pound pork sausage, browned and drained

1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened

In a large saucepan, bring water and salt to a boil. Slowly stir in grits. Reduce heat and cook for 4 - 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove grits from heat and add a small amount of hot grits to beaten eggs. (to temper eggs) Add egg mixture back to grit pot and stir. Add browned sausage, 1 cup cheese, milk and butter to grits mixture. Stir until butter is melted. Pour into greased 13 X 9 X 2 baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake uncovered, at 350 for 50 to 55 minutes or until top begins to brown. Take out and let sit for about 10 minutes . Serves 10 - 12 .

  I served this for my Sunday morning breakfast this morning along side some hot biscuits.

Now booking hunts for grits and snipe : )

Blessings from The Holler

The Canned Quilter

Lovin From The Oven

What a storm we had last night! Luckily we didn't get the high winds that so much of the area did. We did however get rain. Since everything was soggy outside I spent the day inside with Baby O. It was her first day of home school and I wanted to fix her something special for breakfast as well as something that I could make extra of and freeze for breakfasts later next week.  Waffles was her choice. Many times I make large batches of pancakes or waffles and freeze them. She can take them out and microwave for breakfast or even a snack when things are busy.  

Buttermilk, Brown Sugar and Cinnamon Waffles

4 large eggs

Pinch cream of tartar

1 cup buttermilk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 Tablespoons melted butter

1 cup unbleached flour

4 Tablespoons brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Beat egg whites and cream of tartar until stiff peaks form

In a separate bowl whisk together egg yolks, buttermilk, vanilla and melted butter.

In another  large bowl sift together flour, brown sugar, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg.

Add egg yolk mixture to flour mixture and mix just till incorporated. Fold whipped egg whites into the batter gently. 

Ladle batter onto hot waffle iron and cook until brown.

Yields approximately 10 waffles.

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I served these hot with butter and homemade apple syrup. The house smelled delightful and I froze 8 waffles for later. 

Blessings from The Holler

The Canned Quilter  

Granola For Breakfast

I rarely buy sugary breakfast cereals anymore. We have started eating homemade granola in the mornings. I buy large boxes of oats and use raisins, my homegrown dehydrated apples, honey from the Amish, pecans or walnuts off the farm and sometimes throw in coconut. We eat this with milk for breakfast, over yogurt and sometimes just straight out of the canister as a quick snack during the day. Heart healthy and delicious and much more economical that those little boxes of cereal.    

Granola

12 cups uncooked oats
2 cups shredded coconut
1 cup flour ( I use whole wheat)
1/2 cup powdered milk
1 Tablespoon cinnamon
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup light olive oil 1 1/3 cup honey
1 Tablespoon vanilla
2 cups raisins
2 cups nuts chopped
In a very large mixing bowl combine oats, coconut, flour, powdered milk, cinnamon, brown sugar and salt and mix well. In a sauce pan heat oil, honey and vanilla just until warm. Pour this over the oats and stir very well until everything is evenly mixed. Spread this in thin layer on several large cooking sheets and bake in oven at 3oo degrees for 45 minutes to 1 hour stirring every fifteen minutes. Every fifteen minutes when I stir I rotate the pans from top to bottom so they all brown evenly. When done pour onto wax paper or aluminum foil and allow to cool. When completely cool add in dried fruit such as raisins and nuts.  Store in airtight containers or Ziploc bags. This recipe will make approximately 20 cups.
( I have substituted maple syrup for honey, used dried cranberries and even dried apples in place of the raisins. Get creative)

Blessings from The Holler

The Canned Quilter

Homemade Instant Oatmeal

There are many things that I make homemade here in Hickery Holler. In the winter on those cold mornings I like to get up to warm oatmeal for breakfast. It is heart healthy and I just like oatmeal.  I no longer buy those little packets of instant oatmeal but rather make my own. I buy large boxes of off brand quick cooking oatmeal on sale or in bulk. Between making granola and instant oatmeal I know the oats will be used.  

This is the recipe that I use:

Oatmeal Mix

4 cups fast cooking oats

2 additional cups fast cooking oats powdered ( run through food processor)

3/4 cup brown sugar

3 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt 

1 cup non dairy coffee creamer ( I use the low fat and have even used the flavored) 

1 cup dried apple pieces

Mix all ingredients and store in air tight container. I keep mine in a plastic coffee can that has been washed out.  I mix 1/2 cup mix with 1 cup water and microwave until ready. In my microwave that is about 2 minutes on high. Sometimes I add a squirt of honey that I buy from the Amish. The dried apples I dehydrate every year from my apple tree just for this purpose. This year I have a jug of real maple syrup brought from Wisconsin by O Wise One's cousins as a gift. It tastes wonderful with that brown sugar and apples. Sometimes I throw a few raisins in.   Best of all I can make this for a fraction of the cost of those little packets.



Blessings from The Holler

The Canned Quilter