I do not like the taste of beer and so never drink it, but when I was given this beer bread recipe I just had to try it. I had to enquire as to what stout beer was and learned that you can buy just one can at the beer store. (I probably know a couple of people who would have used the rest of a pack, though).
When making this bread you can replace the 3 cups of self rising flour with 3 cups of all purpose flour that has ½ tsp. salt and 4 tsps. of baking powder added to it. Don’t shake the beer before opening it or you will have a mess like I did when I made the first loaf. The beer can be replaced with seltzer water, but you will want to add additional seasonings as the beer creates flavour. Don’t skimp on the salt, sugar, or butter or the bread will be tasteless. You can add garlic powder, dried basil, or parsley, along with parmesan or cheddar cheeses, to change up the flavour.
Mix the dough only until moistened. If you over mix it, the bread will become very dense. Several people taste tested it for me and each of them found it to be dense and dry. They all stated that you could really taste the beer and that it was a bit salty. Some found that it should be toasted with jam or marmalade on it. I added cheese to my second attempt and it was suggested that I should have added more. Thanks to all those who tasted it and commented.
I have not tried the pancake mix yet, but it certainly looks delicious. It is a recipe that I will be trying soon.
I had several mini cucumbers and wanted to use them up and so I made these pickles. I left the peel on the cucumbers and thought the appearance and the flavour were great. The note on the recipe said that these will keep indefinitely in the fridge and are really not pickled until after a couple of weeks anyway. I tried one a couple of days after making them and they definitely needed much more time in the fridge.
In continuing with our random acts of kindness my neighbour came and weeded my flower beds for me and another neighbour trimmed all of my cedar trees; two readers shared that others returned their carts to the grocery store.
Beer Bread
- 3 cups self rising flour or all-purpose flour (see above note)
- 12 oz. beer at room temperature
- 1/3 cup melted butter
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 Tbsp. white sugar
Preheat oven to 375. Grease an 8×4-inch loaf pan. In a medium bowl whisk self rising flour and sugar until well combined. Add beer, melted butter, and salt. Stir to combine. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool before slicing it.
Easy Refrigerator Pickles
- 3 cups white vinegar
- 2 ¼ cups cold water
- 3 Tbsp. mustard seed
- 3 Tsp. peppercorns
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 ¼ lb. cucumbers
- 4 green onions
- 6 garlic cloves
- 2 ½ Tbsp. salt
Slice green onions and mince garlic cloves. Slice cucumbers into ½ inch slices. Stir the vinegar and water together then stir in the mustard seed, peppercorns, salt, and bay leaves. Add the cucumbers and onions. Cover and refrigerate.
Double Chocolate Pancakes
- 1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3 Tbsp. white sugar
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- ½ tsp. salt
- ½ cup mini chocolate chips
- 1 ¼ cups milk
- 4 Tbsp. melted butter
- 2 eggs
Dash of vanilla
Whisk flour, cocoa, sugar, baking powder, and salt together. Stir in mini chocolate chips. Put mixture into a large bowl and whisk in the milk, butter, egg, and vanilla. Cook in a hot buttered skillet until golden, flipping once.
HINT: If you have ants in your house simply saturate a couple of cotton balls with lemon juice and put them on a small saucer near where you see the ants. They hate the smell and will leave immediately. Soak the balls again weekly if more come around.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT: Every flower must push through the dirt to bathe in the sunlight.
