A Traditional Farm Life
By Shasta Hamilton
Hot Fudge Sauce on Deb Sanders Gluten Free Pumpkin Cheesecake |
We’re hoping to see walls and a roof up on Enterprise’s new
Grist Mill before cold weather truly sets in.
Concrete was poured, and walls are in the process of being built to be
put in place on Saturday’s “Barn Raising.”
By the time you read this, the barn raising will be history, but the
historical nature of the project will continue.
Joe Minick has spearheaded this nod to Enterprise’s long
history connected to the Hoffman Mill.
We appreciate his desire to see a flour mill back in Enterprise. It is located on Abilene and Smoky Valley
Railroad property immediately after you cross the bridge across from Great
Plains Manufacturing—and within eyesight of the location of the old Hoffman
Mill.
Flour has been flying lately here in the Test Kitchen, but
for an altogether different reason. I’ve
been busy putting together bakery and spice mixes for sale at our restaurant
and specialty shops here in the area.
Currently we have Buttermilk Pancake, Maple Cornbread,
Wholegrain Maple Cornbread, Quick Cream Biscuits and Country-Style Milk Gravy
mixes to make your meal preparation a little less hectic this time of year.
We are also offering four spice blends our Buggy Stop
customers will find familiar. You can
now make Buggy Stop Chili anytime in your own kitchen with our Chili Seasoning
blend. Don’t forget the Maple Cornbread!
We use our “House Seasoning” on our ribs and chicken, add it
to ground beef we’re browning, to simmering soups and gravies, and even stir it
into sour cream for a quick chip or veggie dip.
We’re even multiplying the many ways you can eat Buggy Stop
Bread. With the help of our Garlic Bread
Seasoning, you can now make garlic butter at home just like we use for our
Custom Grilled Sandwiches. In addition,
we are even offering our own Cinnamon Sugar blend to sweeten up you next slice
of toast!
I’m currently developing a line of gourmet pancake mixes
here in the Test Kitchen to add some welcome variation to our Buttermilk
Pancake Mix. Our children have been
willing taste testers as I’ve served up Gingerbread Pancakes, Double Chocolate
Chip Pancakes, and even Sunflower State Multigrain Pancakes--taking hint from
our popular Sunflower Multigrain Bread.
Next up in the Test Kitchen are Apple Cinnamon, Blueberry,
Banana Nut, Pumpkin Spice, and just for fun—Cranberry pancakes. And to think our children used to think
breakfast was boring!
While it is true that a chocolate pancake with chocolate
chips topped with whipped topping and hot fudge sauce for breakfast will
rival—and perhaps exceed--my childhood favorite, “Cocoa Pebbles,” for an early
morning sugar rush, at least your blood sugar will be on an “all-natural with
no artificial ingredients” high!
(Parents with young children, a note of caution--maybe you better save
this one for the weekend!)
Surprisingly, it turns out the pancake the children all
flipped for was my Brown Sugar Oatmeal version.
With chocolate chips it was superb—no topping needed--but I couldn’t
resist trying the Hot Fudge Sauce recipe I’d been wanting to try on top. Since our goal is usually to restrict sugar
at breakfast, none of our children passed up the chance at putting what they
would usually only see on ice cream on top of a pancake!
And so, friends, the choice is yours: Sweeten the family up at breakfast, or wait
for until later for a Hot Fudge Sundae.
Either way, this simply rich homemade fudge topping is sure to bring a
smile to their faces.
Hot Fudge Sauce
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
dash salt
1/4 cup butter, cut
in 4 equal pieces
1/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
extract
1. In medium saucepan,
mix sugar, cocoa, and salt.
2. Add butter and
milk; bring to a boil over medium high heat, stirring constantly. Reduce heat, but maintain the full rapid boil
for 2 minutes, stirring constantly; remove from heat.
3. Stir in vanilla
extract. Let cool at least 20 minutes
before serving. Sauce will thicken
considerably as it cools. Refrigerate
leftovers.
Yield: 1 cup.
Copyright © 2015 by Shasta Hamilton
Shasta is a fifth generation rural Kansan now residing in
Enterprise, Kansas. She and her husband
own and operate The Buggy Stop Home-Style Kitchen with their six home-schooled
children. You can reach The Buggy Stop
by calling (785) 200-6385 or visit them on the web at www.thebuggystoprestaurant.com.