Our Country Life in the Big City

This is a wonderfully easy frosting and oh so good!  This frosting is creamy but hard all at the same time.  It will frost 2 - 8 inch layers.

2 cups sugar   

1 stick of unsalted butter

3 way heaping Tbs. cocoa

2/3 cup Evaporated milk

1/4 tsp salt

2 tsp. vanilla

Combine everything but vanilla in a medium sized boiler.  Cook over high heat stirring constantly with a wooden spoon (only use wooden or it just doesn't work right).  When the butter is melted and the frosting is really bubbling vigorously, cook for 4 more minutes while stirring.  Cut off heat and add vanilla.  Remove to somewhere cooler and stir until it begins to firm up.  Frost your cake in a hurry because once it starts hardening, it does so quickly. 

This will work on a chocolate or butter cake. 

I love this recipe because it is basically no fail.  I have never had a problem (well, unless you count the one time I forgot salt...it still rose, just had no flavor).  Try it and let me know what you think.

This recipe makes 3-31/2 lbsof bread dough which is too big for a regular bread machine if you use one.  Cut it in half and it will work in the machine.  This dough will make loaves, braids, rolls, whatever.

2 cups hot water                                          5 cups freshly milled flour (can be

1/2 cup oil                                                 all white or 1/2 white, 1/2 wheat)

1/2 cup honey                                              3 1/2 tsp instant yeast

2 tsp salt                                                      1-2 Tbs lecithin (optional...I have never used it)

1/2 tsp gluten (optional...i am blessed enough to be able to get organic milled flour with gluten added at our local farmer's market)

1/4 cup millet (optional but makes it oh so good)

Combine water, oil, and honey.  Sift together 3 cups flour, salt, lecithin, and gluten.  Sprinkle yeast on water mixture and immediately add 3 cups of the flour mixture.  Mix well then add the rest of the flour.  Knead until smooth and elastic on a floured board. Place in greased bowl, cover with dish towel, place in warm area.  Let rise until double, shape into loaves or whatever you want to make and let rise til double again.  Make sure your pan is greased.  For loaves, bake at 350 for 30 minutes.  Makes 2 1 1/2 lb loaves