Overstocked

For some strange reason, I keep stocking up on odd ingredients. First it was butterscotch chips, now it's whole wheat flour. Every time I go to Wal-Mart I think I'm running low & should grab a bag, since they don't sell it at ALDI's. Today I discovered I have 2 1/2 bags of whole wheat flour in my pantry! So I decided it was time to use some of it & I made my favorite bread recipe.

As our freezer is overstocked with pork sausage & venison, I also decided to make a modified recipe of "Beirrocks". The Mennonite recipe calls for cabbage, which my son despises. The kids' mouths were watering when I pulled these "sausage sandwiches" from the oven, but the first words out of my son's mouth were, "What's in those?" He smiled when I told him they were "just meat" & promptly devoured one!

Last week, the boys took a walk through our neighborhood & found a mulberry tree. They picked about 8 cups of fruit, so Abbie & I turned it into a pie. She made a mini-pie (which I forgot to photograph), and we got to try a "sample", which was surprisingly delicious. It would have been perfect, if it wasn't for the pie popping & spilling sweet, sugary filling all over my oven...which soon filled my kitchen & home with thick, gray smoke. Mom, I can hear you giggling from here. Some things never change...

Despite my clumsy cooking habits, it's all still edible (I hope!) and here are the recipes:

Sausage Sandwiches

2 Tbsp. yeast

3 c. warm water

1/3 c. honey

2 eggs

1/3 c. canola oil

8 c. flour (1/2 whole wheat, 1/2 white)

1 Tbsp. salt

3/4 c. powdered milk

1 medium onion, chopped

minced garlic (optional)

3 lbs. meat - sausage, beef, venison

shredded cheddar cheese (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine yeast, warm water, and honey in a large bowl & set aside until foam rises to the top. Add eggs & oil. Add 4 c. flour, salt, & powdered milk; mix. Add remaining flour & stir until dough begins to leave the sides of the bowl. Place on a floured surface & knead until smooth & elastic. Place dough in greased bowl & cover w/ a damp cloth. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in size (30-45 min). Meanwhile, brown meat & onion. Season with salt & pepper or seasoning salt (I like Lawry's). Drain grease. Stir in shredded cheese. Divide dough into fourths & roll out in a large square (about a foot square). Cut into 9 squares & place about 3 Tbsp. meat in the center. Gather dough around meat, pinch together & place seam side down on a greased baking sheet. Bake at 375 degree for 10-15 min. until nicely browned on top. Cool on a wire rack. These can be frozen.

Mulberry Pie

6 c. mulberries

1 1/4 c. sugar

1/4 c. + 2 Tbsp. flour

2 c. flour

1/2 tsp. salt

2/3 c. shortening

6-7 Tbsp. cold water

Combine mulberries (or blackberries) with sugar & flour. Mix well & set aside. For pie crust: mix flour & salt. Add shortening & cut in. Slowly add water, stirring just until crust holds together. Divide dough in half & form into balls. Roll out & place in pie pan. Fill with mulberry filling. Roll remaining dough & place on top of pie; fold top crust under bottom crust & flute edges. Cut slits to allow steam to escape. Bake @ 375 for 40-50 min. until crust is golden brown. For safety, place a baking sheet below to catch any filling that may explode out because you tried to put extra filling in!