Sourdough starters have been popular since the Sumerians, Egyptians, Mayans and other ancient civilizations discovered that ground up grains mixed with water would ferment. Every civilization that ever discovered bread, discovered beer and wine at the same time. They also found that the only practical way to continue to use his magical living substance was to save a part of the leavening from today’s bread, and use it to start tomorrow’s. We now call that ’sourdough starter’. I’m not sure that my sourdough starters would make good beer, but I do know they make excellent breads, rolls, pancakes, waffles and biscuits. I’m offering a packet of dried, active starter that once activated, can last for the rest of your life. I will mail you a generous spoonful of the dried starter, along with instructions for activating it along with a few basic recipes.

The cultures that I offer are grown from ordinary unbleached wheat flour. One culture is from the Humboldt County coast of California, and has a traditional, almost vinegary flavor, and a soft, chewy crumb.  The other culture is from the Columbia River region of the Pacific Northwest. It has a rich, buttery aroma and flavor. Both are heirloom cultures. They can be purchased separately, or together. Either culture will take about five days to reach its full flavor and activity, but can be used as leavening after the second day.

A purchase of either, or both cultures includes the packet(s) of dry starter, activation instructions, and a few basic recipes, with the registration information to log onto my website. All of this for the low price of $5.00 for either culture alone, or $9.00 for both. Shipping is free in either case. Thank you for your interest in my products!

Miz Parker is an inquisitive old soul, who enjoys cooking and feeding her friends.  Her maternal grandmother taught her to cook, with an emphasis on Central and Eastern European foods and methods. Miz Parker has enjoyed cooking and baking for her family and friends since she was very young.

Vegan!  Gluten free!  Deeeeelicious!!

3 large, ripe bananas, well mashed (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup coconut oil, barely warm - so it isn’t solid (or alternately, olive oil)
2 cups rolled oats
2/3 cup almond meal
1/3 cup coconut, finely shredded & unsweetened
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
6 - 7 ounces chocolate chips or dark chocolate bar chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, racks in the top third.

In a large bowl combine the bananas, vanilla extract, and coconut oil. Set aside. In another bowl whisk together the oats, almond meal, shredded coconut, cinnamon, salt, and baking powder. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until combined. Fold in the chocolate chunks/chips.The dough is a bit looser than a standard cookie dough, don’t worry about it. Drop dollops of the dough, each about 2 teaspoons in size, an inch apart, onto a parchment (or Silpat) lined baking sheet. Bake for 12 - 14 minutes.

Wonder Woman is Miz Nosey Parker’s grown up daughter. She works for Starbucks in their corporate offices in Seattle.

The hot weather is here and something cool and delicious for dinner sounds great. Wait, don’t say “Oh no, another boring pasta recipe”. This is fantastic. Always a hit. I have been making it for years. I clipped the recipe from the old Philadelphia Bulletin which no longer exists.

Pasta Salad Jarlsberg

3 cups cooked pasta twists
1 lb raw shrimp (medium or large)
1 cup quartered cherry tomatoes
1 cup jarlsberg cheese, cut into julienne strips
1/2 cup thinly sliced celery
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1/2 cup green, red, or yellow pepper strips
1/3 cup sliced, pitted ripe black olives (drained from can)
1/3 cup red pimento strips
1/2 cup olive oil
1 TB vinegar
2 TB chopped parsley

1 to 2 cloves of garlic (pressed)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp sugar
1/8 tsp coarsely ground pepper

Rinse shrimp and cook with shell on in boiling water sprinkled with Old Bay seasoning and garlic salt. Drain and let cool, then shell. Set aside. Cook pasta spirals according to package directions (about 7 to 8 minutes in boiling water). Do not overcook. I always use Eden Organic Kamut Vegetable Spirals. The pasta is colorful and cooks beautifully staying firm for a pasta salad. After cooking drain thoroughly while letting the pasta cool. Once, drained and cool, pour into a large bowl. Add all ingredients tossing gently as you go. Mix the olive oil (use real olive oil, not light because you want the flavor to come through in the salad), the vinegar, the salt, the sugar, the parsley and the pressed garlic. Wisk in a bowl to mix. Pour over the pasta, vegetables and shrimp and gently blend. Taste for correctness, you may want to add a little more sugar (but don’t go overboard). Cover with saran wrap and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled.

Note: It is important to use jarlsberg cheese because it adds a nice flavor. I have also made this pasta salad with leftover ham strips or chicken strips and it is delicious. But, the shrimp is always the favorite. And, of course, you can cook the shrimp anyway you prefer and add more or less of the vegetables, etc. to suit your taste.

RAISIN SOURDOUGH STICKY BUNS

As a teenager I just loved the cinnamon buns with white icing that were common fare among bakeries. Not knowing a lot about different kinds of bread, I often wondered what ingredients were used to make the bread part. It wasn’t like loaf bread, but it was obviously a raised product and not a quick bread.

Not long ago, I started taking an interest in making various kinds of bread and buns, thanks to some sourdough starter from Nosey Parker. Not too long after that, I saw a video on Cooks.com that explained how to make sticky buns and had to try the recipe.

The original plan called for a non-stick pan, which I don’t have, and made a 9” x 13” sheet of rolls, a bit more than I needed. In my recipe I also substitute raisins for the traditional nuts. I always have raisins around.. If you are using nuts, add them to the sticky topping for the buns so they will come out on top.

I adapted the recipe to my only non-stick pan, my 10-1/2” cast iron skillet, the original non-stick pan. I couldn’t cook without it. I also reduced the finished product to nine, instead of 12, large rolls. When I tasted the result, to my surprise, this was the type of rich egg dough that those old favorite cinnamon buns were made with.

For the buns, you will need:

1 cup of starter – I used the more buttery Columbia River type for this recipe
2 eggs
3 T melted or real soft butter
3 T sugar
2 T milk or cream, the heavier the better.
1 T lemon juice
1/8 t salt
2 to 2-1/2 cups flour

Mix all ingredients except the flour together until well blended. Add a scant two cups of flour and stir until the dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl. You may need to add a bit more. Put a fat half cup of flour on a board or countertop and turn and fold the dough to incorporate the flour. Adding bit more flour if needed and continue until the dough looses most of it stickiness. The dough should be fairly loose.

Allow to rise until about double in size by leaving it on the board or putting it into a buttered bowl. Grease the top lightly so the dough won’t dry out as it rises.

FILLING

For the filling, you will need:

 1/2 cup brown sugar
1 T soft butter
2 t cinnamon
dash of salt and cloves

Mix well and save.

TOPPING

For the sticky topping, you will need:

1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup white Karo syrup
2 T mild or cream
dash of salt

In the bottom of the skillet, mix and stir all ingredients until the sugar dissolves and the mixture bubbles.<

On a floured surface, roll out the dough so that it makes a rectangle about 16” wide and a foot long, keeping it as even and rectangular as you can. Cover dough with filling, pressing it gently into the surface. Sprinkle with one cup of raisins, if desired.

Roll the dough, jelly roll style, into a 16” log. Cut the log into thirds and cut each third into three, making nine rolls. Put these rolls, cut side down, in the skillet on top of the brown sugar sticky sauce.

Allow buns to rise for about an hour or two.

When double in size, place in 350 degree oven for 40 minutes, or until golden brown. Allow to cool for 5 or 10 minutes and turn onto a large platter. Enjoy!

Karen Herberman works as a columnist and writer for The Bisbee Observer in Bisbee, Ariz. She and her retired husband, Paul, live in the southeast corner of Arizona at Double Adobe where they raised eight children. Karen has enjoyed cooking since she was a child.