Pigging out down on the farm

ELDRED, Ill. After a few days at Hobson's Bluffdale, a working farmthat accepts guests, I began to feel a little like Arnold, theresident Yorkshire pig.

At each family-style meal, I couldn't resist double helpings ofLindy Hobson's delicious down-home dishes. Among those that broughtout the Arnold in me were fresh peach cobbler, biscuit-topped turkeypot pie and hearty potato soup with chunks of country bacon.

Bluffdale, a 320-acre farm 70 miles southwest of Springfield,has been a family vacation spot since 1963. It is operated by Lindy,her husband, Bill, and their son, Ken, 28. Russ, a law student atDePaul University, also helps out in the summer. (The Hobsons' twoother sons live elsewhere.)

Bill's family has owned Bluffdale's land since 1820, when hisgreat-great-great-grandfather bought it from the U.S. government.About a third of the current acreage is planted with corn andsoybeans. The remainder is thick forest, much of it coveringdramatic bluffs.

The 25 or so guests work up appetites riding horseback, swimmingin the pool, canoeing on the nearby Illinois River and hiking ontrails that crisscross the bluffs. Guests can also help feed thehorses, geese, chickens and pigs, including the insatiable Arnold.There are also sunset hayrides, cookouts and after-dinner bonfires.

Between outdoor activities, guests congregate in Bluffdale'spicturesque stone farmhouse. Built in 1828, it was expanded severalyears ago to accommodate a big kitchen. From 6:30 a.m. seven days aweek, Lindy usually is found there, frying french toast forbreakfast, kneading a plump ball of dough, frosting a layer cake, ormaking pitchers of iced tea and lemonade.

A native of suburban Oak Park, Lindy was strictly a city girluntil she and Bill moved in at Bluffdale in 1955. "I'd never evenseen a farm," she said.

Lindy knew how to cook for a crowd, however, long beforeBluffdale became a vacation farm. As a student at the University ofIllinois, she lived in a residence where meal preparation was shared.Now she turns out three meals a day for 30 or more, counting thehired help, and bakes breads and desserts daily.

Guests interested in an informal cooking lesson need only ask.Lindy is happy to share recipes and demonstrate techniques, andwelcomes hands-on participation (as long as hands are scrubbedclean). During my stay, another guest and I helped make a deliciousyeast-raised tea ring filled with preserves, and good-looking knotteddinner rolls formed from ropes of dough.

Though I enjoyed every meal at Bluffdale, one of my favoritesfeatured classic country fare: juicy fried chicken, creamy sweet-sourcole slaw, potatoes browned in parsley butter, thick slices ofhomemade bread with Lindy's preserves, and cobbler made with localRed Haven peaches.

For breakfast, there were platters of hotcakes and bacon, frenchtoast with sausage, eggs cooked to order and gooey caramel rolls.One morning, Lindy served an old-time country specialty - sausage incream gravy over biscuits.

At lunchtime, we ate hamburgers and cold roast turkey onhomemade rolls, tasty soups and Lindy's own applesauce, made with asplash of cider. One day she fried delicate morsels of freshbluegill, caught in a nearby lake.

Bluffdale's corn on the cob was the best I've eaten. Billpicked it late it in the afternoon, shucked it at a picnic tableshaded by a couple of tall cottonwoods, then carried it in a big tubto the kitchen where Lindy boiled it for about 10 minutes. The youngwhite kernels were so delectable I nibbled them without butter orsalt.

Here are recipes for Lindy's peach cobbler topped with biscuits,tender knotted dinner rolls and glazed tea ring with preserves. Therolls and tea ring are made from the same sweet dough.

Hobson's Bluffdale offers farm vacations from April throughNovember. Write Hobson's Bluffdale, Eldred, Ill. 62027 or call217-983-2854. LINDY'S PEACH COBBLER

1/2 to 3/4 cup sugar (depending on sweetness of fruit) Dashsalt 3 tablespoons cornstarch 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 4 to 5cups sliced ripe peaches (see note) 1 teaspoon lemon juiceChunks of butter or margarine Biscuit topping:

1 cup flour

1/2 tablespoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons nonfat dry milk

2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened

1/2 cup water (approximately)

In small bowl, mix 1/2 to 3/4 cup sugar, a dash of salt,cornstarch and cinnamon. Place peaches in saucepan, add lemon juiceand dry ingredients and toss.

Bring mixture to a simmer, stirring frequently, then pour intogreased 8-by-8-inch baking pan. Dot peaches with several smallchunks of butter.

Make biscuit topping: In a bowl, mix flour, baking powder, salt,dry milk and sugar. Cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Addwater. Mixture will be sticky.

Using a tablespoon, drop balls of the mixture on peaches,spacing them evenly, three across. Bake in preheated 400-degree oven20 to 25 minutes. Serves 9.

Note: Choose peaches that are slightly soft and have a "peachy"odor. The fruit will ripen on counter, but rock-hard peaches, eventhose that are gorgeous, are likely to be tasteless. SWEET DOUGH

1/2 cup sugar

2 teaspoons salt

3/4 cup nonfat dry milk

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened

2 cups warm water (about 105 to 115 degrees)

2 packages dry yeast

2 eggs, lightly beaten

6 to 7 cups flour

In large bowl, mix sugar, salt and dry milk. Add butter andblend. Add water and mix well. Sprinkle yeast over mixture, stir todissolve, and let stand about 10 minutes or until mixture begins tofoam. Add beaten eggs and stir to blend.

Add 6 to 6 1/2 cups flour, a few cups at a time, mixing wellafter each addition. Turn dough out onto floured surface. Kneaddough, adding remaining flour as necessary, until it is smooth andslightly elastic. Place in large, greased bowl, cover with dampcloth and allow to rise in warm spot for 45 minutes to an hour, oruntil doubled in bulk. Use dough in following recipes. KNOTTED DINNER ROLLS

1/2 preceeding sweet dough recipe

Milk (for brushing tops of rolls)

Prepare dough according to recipe above. (Cover half and reservefor tea rings or another use.) Place remaining 1/2 recipe dough onfloured surface and punch down. Cut off pieces of dough about thesize of a plum, roll into cylinders 7 to 8 inches long; tie eachcylinder in knot. Place on greased cookie sheets a few inches apart,and allow to rise again in warm place about 40 to 50 minutes, oruntil about doubled in size. Brush with milk if desired. Bake in375-degree oven 10 to 12 minutes. Makes 20 to 22 rolls. GLAZED TEA RING WITH APRICOT PRESERVES

1/2 preceeding sweet dough recipe

Softened butter or margarine

Apricot preserves (or substitute another variety) Glaze:

3 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened

3/4 cup confectioners' sugar

1 to 2 teaspoons milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Prepare dough according to recipe above. (Cover half and reservefor knotted dinner rolls or another use.) Turn remaining 1/2 recipedough onto floured surface; punch dough down. Divide into two equalpieces. Roll each out into rectangle about 6 inches wide, 18 incheslong and 1/8-inch thick. Brush each with softened butter and spreadwith thin layer of preserves.

Roll up long side of each rectangle, jelly roll style.Carefully transfer each roll, seam side down, to greased cookiesheet. Form each into ring; pinch ends together.

Using sharp knife, make 10 to 12 cuts in each ring, 1 1/2 inchesapart, cutting from outside. (Don't cut to center.) Turn cut sectionsunder slightly. Let rise in warm place 40 to 50 minutes or untilabout doubled in size. Bake in preheated 375-degree oven 12 to 15minutes.

Meanwhile, make glaze. Beat butter and sugar together; addmilk and vanilla. Spread on rings just after removing them fromoven. Makes 2 rings. Each serves 8 to 10.