Homespun...... from the Miller Homestead

A Prayer for Womanhood

{ 03:34, Wednesday, October 29, 2008 } { 2 comments } { Link }

A Prayer for Womanhood

God, give each true good woman
Her own small house to keep,
No heart should ache with longing,
No hurt should go too deep.....
Grant her age-old desire:
A house to love and sweep.
Give her a man beside her,
A kind man, and a true,
And let them work together
And love, a lifetime through,
And let her mother children
As gentle women do.
Give her a shelf for dishes,
And a shining box for bread,
A white cloth for her table,
And a white spread for her bed,
A shaded lamp at nightfall,
And a row of books much read.
God, let her work with laughter,
And let her rest with sleep.
No life can truly offer
A peace more sure and deep....
God, give each true woman
Her own small house to keep

~Grace Noll Crowell~
~~~~~~1934~~~~~~

I have found such joy...

{ 03:25, Wednesday, October 29, 2008 } { 1 comments } { Link }

I Have Found Such Joy

by Grace Noll Crowell

I have found such joy in simple things;

A plain, clean room, a nut-brown loaf of bread

A cup of milk, a kettle as it sings,

The shelter of a roof above my head,

And in a leaf-laced square along the floor,

Where yellow sunlight glimmers through a door.

I have found such joy in things that fill

My quiet days: a curtain's blowing grace,

A potted plant upon my window sill,

A rose, fresh-cut and placed within a vase;

A table cleared, a lamp beside a chair,

And books I long have loved beside me there.

Oh, I have found such joys I wish I might

Tell every woman who goes seeking far

For some elusive, feverish delight,

That very close to home the great joys are:

The elemental things--old as the race,

Yet never, through the ages, commonplace.

Baking Bread

{ 02:32, Wednesday, October 22, 2008 } { 2 comments } { Link }

“I would say to housewives, be not daunted by one failure, nor by twenty. Resolve that you will have good bread, and never cease striving after this result till you have effected it. If persons without brains can accomplish this, why cannot you?”
’Housekeeping In Old Virginia' Marion Cabell Tyree ed. (1878)

I've been experimenting with bread baking since I was a young teenager at home. I remember begging my mom to buy me some rye flour. She did and the resulting venture was delicious rye breadsticks for the family!

Over the years I've tried to 'capture' wild yeast, make my own sourdough starter, tried all types of flours and ingredients and I always go back to my stand by recipe for Country White Bread.

Other than the top of my son's head and my husband's neck, there is no other earthly scent I love more than fresh baked bread! So each week as I make our bread, I may grumble when I inevitably get flour all over the floor and counter, I still enjoy making bread. Wearing my favorite soft cotton apron, I add the flour and breathe in the yeasty aroma... then wait for it to rise...punch down.. and rise again. Only time and patience will yield nice loaves and rolls.

"For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.’ Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread. And Jesus said unto them, ‘I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.” John 6:33-35

Here are some of my favorite ideas and recipes:

*If you cook potatoes for supper, keep your boiling water and store in refrigerator. Use this water when making bread, it will help your yeast rise and give an added flavor to the bread.

*Homemade potato yeast: 4 potatoes, 2/3 c granulated sugar, 1/3 c salt, 1 1/2 c yeast Boil and mash the potatoes, saving water. Pour the potato water into a large saucepan and add more water to make 1 quart. Add sugar and salt. Boil. Turn off heat. Add yeast. Cover w/ with dishcloth and keep in a warm location while it rises. To use - ration of 2/3 c of yeast to 1 quart of flour.

* Whole Wheat Hamburger Buns (easily doubled for 12 buns)
2 cups whole wheat flour, divided, plus more for kneading
1 cup water, warm (110F)
2 1/2 tsp active dry yeast (1 packet)
1/4 cup wheat bran
2 tbsp brown sugar
scant 1 1/2 tsp salt

Combine 1 cup whole wheat flour, 1 cup water and the yeast in a large bowl and stir well. Let it stand, covered, for 1-3 hours (time is flexible here), until nice and bubbly. Stir the remaining flour, wheat bran, brown sugar and salt into the sponge. Add extra flour a tablespoon at a time until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead, adding extra flour as necessary to prevent sticking, for 6-8 minutes or until elastic. Place in a lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled, 1 1/2-2 hours.

Turn risen dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 6 equal portions. Shape into rounds and flatten (approx. 3/4" thick) onto a lightly greased baking sheet. Cover rolls with a clean dishtowel and let rise for 45-50 minutes. Preheat oven to 375. Bake rolls for 19-20 minutes, until browned. They will sound hollow when the bottom is tapped. Let cool on a wire rack before slicing.
Makes 6 burger-sized buns.

Sourdough Starter and Sponge

Sourdough starter: Mix 1 cup flour, 1 cup water, 1/2 to 1 package (or cake) of yeast in a pint jar. Let stand in a warm place overnight. =20

Sponge: Empty starter into a bowl. Fill the pint jar with war water (2 cups), empty it into the bowl, add 2 cups flour and eat to a smooth batter. let bowl stand in a warm place overnight. Batter should be thin enough to pour,. If too thick add a little warm water. In the morning, take out 1/4 to 1/2 sup of the sponge, put in clean pint jar, and place in refrigerator or cool place for the next sponge.

A sourdough starter will be good for many years if kept in a cool place and used every week. never add anything to the starter except flour and water.

To carry the starter, or keep it longer than a week, thicken it with flour to form a ball and keep it in the flour or in a covered container. To activate it, thin it out with water.

*Sourdough Brown Bread

1 cup sourdough sponge

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons molasses

2 tablespoons fat

2 cups coarse graham flour

To the sourdough sponge add the salt, molasses and fat. Mix well. Add the 2 cups graham flour, or enough to make a stiff dough. Knead lightly. Place in warm greased loaf tin, let stand 1/2 hour, then bake at 375 degrees F. until lightly browned, about 40 minutes. This is a coarse, heavy bread with a good flavor.

Wedding vows

{ 03:18, Monday, September 29, 2008 } { 3 comments } { Link }

Its wedding time again... this will be our third niece to be married this year!

This Friday, our niece Ruth will be married to her adorable fiancé Paul. Their wedding invitation says "Because our faith has been strengthened by the depth and purity of our love, we..invite you to join us as we are united as one before God, Lord Willing, on Friday, the third of October..." I have been pondering the power of these words... our faith has been strengthened by the depth and purity of our love. Isn't this something we all should strive to retain in our marriages? Whenever we attend weddings, my husband and I both get misty eyed and he squeezes my hand during the ceremony. While every wedding is a little different, the recitation of the vows and the preacher's sermons always seem to reinforce and remind me of the vows we took on our wedding day. I recently mentioned this to a friend of mine and we agreed that it would be a good thing for all married couples to attend weddings and hear these words again. Those promises to be true in sickness and in health, in good times and bad and to love and honor your spouse, all the days of your life.

So here I am saying this on my blog. I will repeat them to my husband today... and send him a link to this page! As our niece is married this Friday in a very long, traditional Amish wedding, she will not walk down an aisle, she will not be wearing a long, flowing gown, she will not be carrying a big bouquet... yet she will be exchanging vows with her beloved. Simple vows of that same commitment... all the days of their lives.

This is dedicated to my husband Allen, whom I try to honor everyday... in good times and bad, in sickness and in health, all the days of our lives. I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine.

Dill Dip Mix

{ 06:37, Thursday, August 28, 2008 } { 2 comments } { Link }

One of our favorite dips here in the Miller home is a Dill Dip. Now some of the popular home demo/party circuit will sell you this same dip mixture, but this is surely even tastier and less costly. I have extra dill and am finished making pickles

Dill Dip

3/4 c dried dill weed

1/4 c garlic powder

3/4 c seasoned salt (your own or store brand)

3/4 c dried onion flakes

3/4 c dried parsley

1/2 c Accent (Some may object to this ingredient, but it works well in this case)

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Store in an airtight container. To make dip - take 2 T of mix, 1 c sour cream and 1 cup mayo (some prefer Miracle Whip) and blend well. Refrigerate for an hour or two at minimum, overnight is best. This is delicious for a raw veggie dip, spread on crackers, pretzel dip, on top of a baked potato...etc.

This would be a nice gift item in little jars with a decorative label or tag including directions.

Enjoy! ~*Karen

Housewifery

{ 04:53, Thursday, August 28, 2008 } { 5 comments } { Link }

Housewifery

Make me, O Lord, Thy spinning-wheel complete.
Thy holy Word my distaff make for me;

Make mine affections Thy swift flyers neat;
And make my soul Thy holy spool to be;

My conversation make to by Thy reel,

And reel the yarn thereon spun of Thy wheel.
Make me Thy loom, then; knit therein this twine;
And make Thy Holy Spirit, Lord, wind quills.

Then weave the web Thyself. The yarn is fine.
Thine ordinances make my fulling mills.

Then dye the same in heavenly colors choice,

All pinked with varnished flowers of paradise.
Then clothe therewith mine understanding will,
Affections, judgement, conscience, memory,

My words and actions, that their shine may fill

My ways with glory and Thee glorify.
Then mine apparel shall display before Ye

That I am clothed in holy robes for glory.
~Edward Thomas~

(1642-1729)

It's Dill Pickle Time!

{ 12:07, Saturday, August 16, 2008 } { 1 comments } { Link }

Well, it smells like a Dill Pickle Factory in the Miller kitchen... well whole house... today! I'm taking a break from pickles while the first batch is in the canner. Thought I'd share my quick and easy recipe with you. I'll post my delicious bread and butter pickle recipe later, they're already in the cellar.

QUICK DILL PICKLES

(I'm not including basic canning instructions, assuming you know how to wash jars, keep hot,etc )

Cucumbers - I keep small and tiny ones whole, bigger ones slice into spears, even bigger ones cut into slices

4 c water

1 c pickling salt (or sea salt or whatever you have on hand)

8 c vinegar (5% acidity works best - watch store brands, they are weaker)

Dill flowers (1 per jar)

OPTIONAL: a clove of garlic in the bottom of each jar

Wash and slice pickles (if needed) Pack into hot jars (lay jars for spears on their sides, easier to pack)

Boil water, salt and vinegar. Place cucumbers and dill into jars (some put their dill on bottom, some on top. I like to see my dill, so I try to place on the side Pour boiling vinegar solution into jars. Leave 1/2" headroom. Cap and process 10 minutes for quarts.

Follow safe canning practices. Let jars sit for 24 hours after canning. Store in a cool location.

Delicious!

Amish menfolk singing

{ 09:08, Thursday, August 14, 2008 } { 2 comments } { Link }

After baking the previously mentioned shortbread, I decided to run out to my in-law's and take them some warm shortbread and a few other items. Watching the sun set in the west tonight was a beautiful sight of oranges, pinks and a little purple. Tonight our sunset was at 8:27pm. With each evening's earlier sunset I feel we're just one step closer to fall.

As I sat and visited with mother-in-law on their front porch we heard the clip clop of buggies coming down the road and the distant sounds of children playing in the last sunlight of the day. Then suddenly we heard singing nearby. The menfolk in my inlaws' 'church' were having a singing tonight, outside at a neighbor's home. The menfolk had gathered on this late summer evening for fellowship and to sing (practice) songs for Sunday's church. The Amish sing hymns from their traditional hymnbook called the Ausbund. While it does not contain a lot of songs, most of the songs are passed down through the generations without any written music. The songs are sung in unison, not in harmony. Many of the songs are very long, by modern church music standards. A stronger male voice is often the 'vorsinger' and he starts the lines of the hymn and the congregation joins in shortly.

The beauty of this singing never ceases to move me. Being at an Amish church service (or wedding or funeral) and hearing the 50-100 voices lifted in unison is just so inspirational. We sing at many family gatherings in the same fashion - in unison and one male being the leader to start each line. I especially enjoy this at Christmas time when we sing after dinner as a family.

So tonight, we listened to the menfolk sing on this cool summer night as the sun slipped down past the horizon. Tomorrow's a new day. The chickens are in the barn and it's time for bed. ~Karen

What's in the oven now... Shortbread!

{ 06:57, Thursday, August 14, 2008 } { 1 comments } { Link }

Mmm, the house smells so good right now, shortbread's in the oven.

What a simple and delicious treat. You can fancy up this recipe before baking if you lightly sprinkle the top with some colored sugar, prick the top in a decorative fashion with a fork, lightly press down a cookie mold on the top..... Use your imagination. It will be delicious no matter how you decorate it.

SHORTBREAD

1 c butter, left at room temperature for a little while, NOT softened (please do not make any substitutions for the butter)

2 c flour

1/2 c sugar

Preheat your oven to 300 °. Place the sugar and flour in a large bowl, blend in the butter with a pastry blender or fork. As it begins to come together, use your hands to gather into a ball. Don't work it too much.

Press your dough into a lightly greased pan (this can be a square 8x8 cake pan, 9" pie pan, tart pan,etc.) Just keep your dough about 1/2" thick. Prick the top with a fork or decorate as mentioned above.

Bake about 50-55 minutes until set but do not let it brown. Cut as desired, you can cut it while it's warm. Absolutely delicious!