Fry Bread and Beans A family Tradition

I remember being super excited when my Father in law was willing to tell me how to make this recipe. Though I can’t honestly say that mine tastes as good as his, I do strive to get it as close as humanly possible. My husband’s father was Native American and the recipe is from his childhood. Its a favorite at our family gatherings.

2lb red beans

1/2 lb bacon

12-16 cups water

If you don’t know how to cook beans the easiest way to go about it is to pick through the beans to make sure they are not broken, old, or have rocks in them. (You’d be amazed how many times I’ve found rocks, particularly in black beans) Next you want to soak the beans over night in lots of water. I usually just set them on the counter. My parents always put them in the fridge. I personally find that unnecessary and that it takes up valuable space. I buy allot of things like eggs, cheese, fruit, veg, and what not in bulk. Mostly because of all the baking I do. Beans just don’t take priority when there are 7 dozen eggs vying for space. And, I’m off my little tangent.

The next morning you’ll want to drain the water. I do this cause I don’t rinse the beans before putting them in there and you want want to be eating dirt, grit or dust. (There’s a mental image for you, lol) Then you’ll want to put them into the LARGE pot you have on hand. Stock pots work great!! Next throw in the bacon. No need to chop it. My FIL never chopped his so I don’t chop mine. See how that works?

Easy peasy right? Next, water.

Aren’t those beans pretty? Now cover and add heat!

Low temp don’t worry it will most definitely get hot enough. I find the the cover makes so that the water does evaporate so quickly. Let it be and cook 4-6 hours.

To be perfectly honest, the crockpot is even better cause there’s no work, watching, chances of scorching if you get busy and forget about it… that is low for 6-8 hours high for 4-6.

For those of us lucky enough to have a fabulous electric pressure cooker I usually halve the recipe, cook on high pressure for 30 minutes with natural release.

Eventually you will have this…

Now, I don’t salt these. I put a shaker on the table because everyone is different in their tastes and sodium in takes.

Now fry bread is exactly how it sounds!

Take your favorite bread dough recipe which I will post mine later. (My data base seems to be down at the moment.) You will want to use a “white flour, yeast” bread dough. Please don’t use a biscuit dough. That is not fry bread. That is a hoe cake! Now I’m not “hating” on hoe cakes. They are quite delicious and if you want one of the most melt in your mouth recipes you want to head over to Southern Plate for Christy Jordan’s recipe, but hoe cakes and fry bread are not the same.

Another thing, wheat flour recipes don’t fry and taste right. I’ve tried. Trust me. Before I forget, you might want to start heating around 2 inches of oil in your frying pan. The temp takes… adjusting. You want the oil hot, but not too hot. If the dough cooks too quick it is left raw in the middle (not good eating) and if it doesn’t cook quickly enough the dough gets saturated in the oil. (again not good eating) I usually take itsy bitsy pieces and drop them in the oil, in seconds it should start to bubble around the dough, then it will float up. If it sinks and stays there your oil isn’t hot enough.

Now, your bread dough. You want to pull off a decent handful.

About like that. Next you want to roll it flat.

And cut it into strips

And then carefully place them in the hot oil. They should bubble at the edges, float and puff up.

It should take a couple minutes. They will turn a golden brown and then you want to flip them. I use a pair of tongs.

I usually take a cookie sheet, place paper towels on it and then a cooling rack on top of that. They don’t usually get to cool. The family usually takes to them as soon as they come out of the pan. ~_^

Menu Plan Monday

So my best friend’s family has had to switch to a gluten free diet for health reasons. Gluten free meals planned on my calendar are for the nights I am expecting her and her children to come over for dinner.

Monday

Chicken and Veggie Pasta

Tuesday

Gluten free dinner: BBQ Lentils and Rice, mandarine oranges and corn

Wednesday

Banana Pancakes, no sugar added applesauce and Turkey Bacon

Thursday

Grocery shopping day: Gluten Free Nachos: Beans cooked in the crockpot, Corn Chips, shredded cheese, olives, tomatoes, sour cream, home made salsa, avocado etc.

Friday

Skillet Salmon, baked potato, green beans and biscuits

Saturday

mac and cheese, hotdogs, fruits and veggies are kids choice

Sunday

Soup! Very likely chicken and/or lentil served over rice

Quick Blender Salsa

Blueberry Bagels

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I used a recipe from “Tammy’s Recipes” Blog and we loved it!! Only change I made was adding half a bag of thawed frozen blueberries.

Home Made Bagels

To Die For Brownies

To-Die-For Brownies!!!

Recipe from Jonnie McCoy’s “Misery +
Meals” Cookbook

6 eggs

1 cup butter, melted

1/2 cup vegetable oil

4 cups sugar

1 Tablespoon vanilla extract

 3 cups flour

1 1/2 cups cocoa powder

2 teaspoons salt

In a mixing bowl combine the eggs, butter, oil sugar and vanilla. Mix well. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix until well blended.

Spread the batter evenly in a greased 9X13 pan

Bake at 350 for 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Do Not Over Bake!!

Note: the batter is very thick. VERY! If you have a stand mixer I would use it. If you have a hand mixer, don’t. It will burn it out!

I just kind of threw this together tonight…

Doesn’t that just look yummy?!

I don’t have a printable for this yet, but I will soon.

Tonight I had the house to myself. (Yea me!) So as I do with these so few times I have with no picky eaters, I made something loaded with veggies! 

Heat 1-2 tablespoons olive oil in a pan (I’m partial to my frying pans. usually my cast iron but it wasn’t available). I diced a whole onion and added it to the pan. I let that cook as I washed and diced half a green bell pepper. I added that to the pan the a little salt and freshly ground pepper and then took a look in the fridge, I had some tomatoes, so I seeded and diced them and added them to the mix. Back to the fridge… The other night I’d made cabbage rolls (I’l post that after I’ve tested a few more recipes for it) so I had some leftover leaves. Those soft tender inner leaves. I chopped up a few and added them to the pan. I added the precooked shrimp (about 10 shrimp) I’d defrosted from the freezer (bought on sale of coarse) and let is cook just a minute or two to warm the shrimp through. I turned off the heat, and added about 1 tablespoon of minced garlic which I mixed through, letting the warm veggies heat the garlic. I served it over brown rice (leftover from the cabbage rolls). And I had enough for lunch tomorrow as well. (Yea me again!)

Doesn’t that just look wonderful? Let me tell you, it tastes as good as it looks!

Home-made French Bread

French Bread (Betty Crocker picture cookbook 1950) printable

1 c luke warm water
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 cake compressed yeast (I believe a cake of yeast was the equivalent of a packet of dry yeast, so that’s what I used.)
1 tbsp soft shortening
3 1/2 to 3 3/4 cups sifted flour

When dough is ready for shaping, after second rising, follow directions.

roll into 15×10 oblong. Roll up tightly toward you…. beginning with wide side. Seal edge by pinching together.
with a hand on each end, roll gently back and forth to lengthen loaf and taper ends. Place it diagonally on lightly greased corn meal sprinkled baking sheet.
make 1/4″ slashes in dough at 2″ intervals, or 1 slash lengthwise. Brush top with cold water. Let stand uncovered about 1 1/2 hr. Brush again, and bake.
Bake 10 minutes in hot oven (425 F). Remove from oven and brush again. Reduce temperature to 375 F and bake 10 minutes more. Remove from oven and brush again. Sprinkle with sesame or poppy seeds. Continue baking 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown.

Notes: This is a heavy dough so requires maximum rising time.
For more glaze, less crustiness, use egg white wash. (1 egg white slightly beaten with 1 tsp water

Now tips from me
when you grease your bowl use solid shortening. I keeps the dough from drying out without making it to greasy to handle
when dough is rising boil a kettle of water, put a 9×9 baking pan in the bottom of the oven and fill half full with boiled water. The steam from the water will warm the oven, helping the dough rise, as well as keeping the dough from drying out.
also instead of all that taking the bread out of the oven to brush with cold water, fill a spray bottle with cold water, open the oven door and spritz the bread. As well as keeping the pan of water in the oven while the bread bakes.

This recipe turned out soooooooooooo yummy!!!! The whole family loved it!!!