Carrot Almond Patte

 Okay so every month I pick up a free magazine at Harmon's right by the front door.  It is call Delicious Living.  I love it!  It is full of recipes and healthy living articles.  I put a link at the bottom of this post so please check it out and all of their recipes.  I made this one back in the spring and we ate it all summer, even took it with us to Disneyland. My husband likes it as a sandwich I like to eat it like a dip with sliced cucumbers or serve as an appetizer.  I hope you enjoy.

http://newhope360.com/recipes/6-quick-power-lunches
Carrot-Almond Pâté
1/3 cup whole almonds
2 large carrots (8 ounces), peeled and cut into ½-inch rounds
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/8 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 clove garlic
½ cup packed fresh cilantro leaves
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 ciabatta rolls, halved, or 6 slices whole-grain bread
6 roasted red pepper halves
3 slices Monterey Jack cheese (optional)
1 cucumber (6-8 ounces), thinly sliced
1. Preheat oven to 350º. Scatter almonds on a baking sheet. Toast for 15 minutes, until fragrant. Cool completely.
2. Meanwhile, steam carrots 10–15 minutes, until very tender. Cool completely.
3. Put almonds, carrots, salt, cumin, coriander, turmeric, cinnamon, garlic, and cilantro in a food processor. With motor running, add lemon juice. Continue to process until mixture is spreadable, scraping down sides as needed. (Pâté will be coarse, not completely smooth.)
4. Spread 2 tablespoons pâté on each bread piece. Top three halves with peppers, optional cheese, and cucumbers. Repeat with remaining peppers and cucumbers. Top with remaining bread; cut in half.
PER SERVING (1/2 sandwich): 229 cal, 8g fat (4g mono, 2g poly, 1g sat), 0mg chol, 8g protein, 33g carb, 6g fiber, 516mg sodium

No knead bread

Because I got tired of looking at the Wart Removal post I decided to hijack a post and put up something new. Now, in no way is this bread the nutritious, healthy, wholesome kind of stuff that usually gets posted on here but it is horribly carb filled and oh so yummy.

No Knead Bread

yield One 1 1/2 lb loaf

3 cups flour, more for dusting

1/4 tsp yeast

1 1/4 tsp salt

1 5/8 cup water

a bit of cornmeal

Combine your flour, yeast, salt and water. Stir until mixed, it will look very sticky. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit on your counter for 12-18 hours. (yes you read that right) You have to remember to start this the afternoon or evening BEFORE you want it.

The dough looks kind of bubbly when it's ready. Dust your counter top with flour and plop the dough out of your bowl. Fold the dough over on itself a couple/few times. Remember, it's NO KNEAD bread. (it's best if you remember to take your rings off)

Shape the dough into a ball and cover with a towel. You can do this right on your counter or on a cookie sheet.  Let rise for 2 hours.

4. Heat oven to 450 degrees, find a heavy pot, I love to use my enameled cast iron pot. Flip/plop the dough into the pot and put the lid on. Bake for 30 min and then take the lid off and bake for another 10 to make the top a beautiful golden brown.

5. Take the loaf out and let cool on a rack.

It's perfect with some yummy homemade soup!

Wart Removal, all natural, affordable, and quick

I wish I had a great picture to show you but of course I didn't think of it until it was too late.  So a great neighbor of mine, Robyn, told me about this trick and much to my surprise it worked!  So my 4 year old had a wart on his foot for almost a year that that I had been battling with duct tape and over the counter wart removers.  No Luck:(  so here is what you do.  At night before bed soak up some apple cider vinegar onto a cotton ball, place cotton ball on wart and secure with band aid or medical tape.  Go to bed remove in the morning.  Repeat the next night.  That is all I did for a small to medium sized wart.  I forgot the third night and when I came back the fourth night it was BLACK.  I though ohh how gross, but I gave it a nudge with the tweezers and the entire wart fell out.  It left a little crater but that filled up in a week or so with good healthy skin.  I have told others who have said it worked for them as well.  Totally painless and cost pennies and is quick.  I guess it has something to do with the PH in your body, but all I care about is no wart and no painful Dr. visit. So give in a try.

Black Bean Brownies

Okay so I am so sorry that I have disappeared for a month.  This is a new favorite of mine and if your kids are not suspisious like my two older kids (who won't even try them because they don't trust me anymore)  they will love them ( like my younger two).  I have become a really big fan of black beans.  It all started with Megans black bean soup which is now a comfort food.   However to save money I started cooking a big pot of dry black beans each week and then we just had them there to add to our meals.  It is amazing how many things are better with black beans. So give these a try they double really well in a 9x13 and no one I have given them to has known any difference.  They are pretty fudge like so if you like your brownies more cake like just add a couple tablespoons of flour. 

Black Bean Brownies:
3 eggs
1 can of low sodium  or salt less black beans or 15 oz. of cooked dry beans.
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp. sugar
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup nuts
I don't do nuts in brownies so I added penut butter chips and that is my favorite of all the variations I have tried.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Place all ingredients excepts chocolate chips and nuts in food processor and blend until smooth.  Stir in chocolate chips, pour into 8 inch baking dish and bake for 30 to 35 min.

End of Year Teacher Gift

Every year I scratch my head trying to decied what to do to say thank your to  great teachers.  This year I did something maybe a little cheesy but hopefully useful and healthy.  As you can see my card said "You sure can PRODUCE great strudents".  Then I bought a plastic chip bowl for $1 and then filled it with fresh fruit and veggies.  Mini watermellon or cantalope, bag of baby carrots, bananas, cucumber, lemmon, limes, apples and bell peppers.  Hopefully they can take that home and get so good use out of it.

Delicious healthy soups

http://www.organicspark.com/recipes/

Above is the link to my new favorite blog. She has some of the best recipes, this is her Healing Soup. I have made it many times and it truly is delicious and healthy. I have made the hummus and the carrot ginger soup and below is the salmon and millet cakes. All very very tasty. Go over there and find something you like.

Fruit and Grain Bar

http://www.digthischickmt.com/2011/03/figgy-figgy-figgy-cant-you-see.html

I tried these fig breakfast bars off of Dig This Chick. They are good, I did struggle to find figs in my area, I probably could have at the whole foods markets but I felt that I wanted to keep the cost down so I used apricot and prunes. I also couldn't find an affordable carrot juice until after I had made them so I used straight grape juice off of my own vines which might be a little too tart, but so far everyone eats them when I get them out. Also she said on hers she didn't use all the fruit filling. Of course I didn't listen and thought more is better, but trust her and me it is not, then they are like an overloaded PB&J and messy for the kids. Next time carrot juice and not all the filling. I do feel like it is healthier than the granola bars, but not as affordable unless you are able to dry your own apricots which is what I will have to do with mine this year.

Recipe:

3 Cups whole Wheat Flour

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 tsp. baking powder

3/8 tsp. baking soda

1/4 cup ground flax seed

dash ground nutmeg and ground cloves

1 stick butter, cold

1/2 cup whole milk

1/2 cup honey

2 eggs

Filling

2 cups dried figs

1/2 cup dried apricots

2 cups juice ( carrot-orange, I used grape any thing 100% juice)

1 cup water

Follow the link to get all the directions.

Home made granola bars (trying to replace z bars)

 Okay so this one is definely a money saver for us.  A box of Z Bars from Costco is $10 ish, and I do love them, soft and yummy with not too many calories for a quick snack or for energy on a bike ride.   So when I saw this one on Kitchen Stewardship I just had to try it.  I doubled it and ended up with over 40 bars which I wrapped and placed in freezer.  Then the next week took out a handful for soccer games, softball practice and keeping the little one happy during all of this.  Did I mention my husband ate 3 at the soccer game instead of the dinner I packed him.  Healthier I don't know, lots of oat, but also lots of butter and of course yummy chocolate.  Time sensitive definetaly only takes minutes to mix pour into a cookie sheet, bake, cook, cut , wrap done.   Cost saver, oh yea.  Again I don't know what oats cost because I buy in large 50 lbs. bags, the butter and honey are the expense so 2 cups of honey is maybe $4 and 1 lbs. butter is another $4 maybe so about $10 for all 40 bars.

Recipe:

4 1/2 Cups rolled oats

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup butter softened

1 cup honey

Add- ins: 1 Cup chocolate chips, I cup chopped nuts, or and 2 cup combination with dried fruits or sunflower seed, or coconut or whatever you like. (My kids like plain chocolate chips the most but my husband and I really like the craisons and coconut)

Pre heat oven to 325 degrees,  for single batch use 9x13 for double batch use a rimmed cookie sheet (jelly roll pan).

Beat butter and honey first until smooth and smelling yummy,  then all other ingredients except add ins.  Beat hard until combined then stir in add-ins.  Press mixture into pan,  you do need to really jam them down in (spray your hands with cooking spray and that will keep them a lot cleaner) so they don't fall apart later.  Then bake for 15 to 20 min. or until golden brown.  Let cool for at least 10 min before cutting into bars (in pan).  Then let cool completely and remove and wrap.

Homemade Wheat Thins (easy)

 So I have been trying to replace processed foods with more natural or whole foods,  I am not ready to jump completely into that change but am working towards it.  Most of the processed foods that does come into our house are snacks for the kids.  So what I want to focus on for the next few posts is are they healthier, time efficient and cost effective.  I have now made these crackers twice, the first time I doubled the recipe the second time I quadrupled the recipe and was much happier the second time around because I ended up with the equivalent of a two pouch Costco box.   I am just going to assume they are healthier since the wheat was ground minutes before use and I used honey and butter instead of processed sugar and hydrogenated oil.  I do thin these are fairly time efficient, it took me less than 30 min. the first batch and less than 45 min.  the second batch ( I do have double ovens which helped to speed things up). As far as cost, I think the Costco bag is about $5, I have no idea on homemade because I bought my wheat years ago.  The flour is minimal only a couple cups of wheat a small amount of honey, but two cubes of butter is at least $1.50 and they you have to think about the energy to bake and wash dishes.  So I think probably pretty even on cost.

Recipe:
1 1/4 Cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 Tbs. honey (or sugar)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. paprika
4 Tbs. butter
1/4 Cup water
1/4 tsp. vanilla
Salt for topping
Parchment paper or flat baking stone
Please follow directions, the second time I did not and the dough was not as smooth and harder to roll out.

 Pre heat oven to 425 degrees.  Combine flour, salt and paprika in mixing bowl, then cut in soft butter until it looks like large crumbs. no bigger than a pea.  Then combine water, vanilla and honey and add to flour mixture.  Mix well until combined and dough forms.
Then divide dough into fourths rolling out one fourth at a time on a sheet of parchment or right on to a stone (I only used parchment).  Use as much flour as necessary to make rolling easy.  Roll out until dough is as thin as humanly possible with out tearing.  Then use a pizza cutter to cut into a rectangle.  I saved all the edges and baked them together at the end our you can just cut as is and have some weird crackers, doesn't matter kids eat them either way.  Then continue to cut into squares I have done some big and some small, what ever you like.  Poke lightly with fork, I forgot on some and had bubbles but not a big deal if you are in a hurry.  Then sprinkle with salt and slide parchment onto cookie tray and bake for 8 min.  (in my oven but you make want to check and start with 6 or 7)

Whole Wheat Bread

This post is for Natalie who felt like the multi-grain bread was too complicated.  This one is simple and quick and 98% of the time I get perfect bread, (there is always that day once in a long while when things just aren't going your way and it's a flop) I think the main trick to this bread is to let the mixer knead for a full 8 to 10 min.  That will feel like a long time but it is well worth it.   This recipe comes from Kitchen Kneads which is a store in West Jordan, UT and is a great place to buy all your grain and nuts and other healthy items in bulk.  You can half this if your mixer can not handle that much flour.  It says it makes 5 loaves.  I am picky and don't like my bread to have a muffin top so when I make it I use 3 of the really long loaf pans from IKEA and one regular size I think 8 inch.  This gives me 4 loaves just the size I like.  Once cooled I slice and place in reused bread bags and place in my freezer for our every day use.

Whole Wheat Bread (kitchen Kneads)

6 Cups warm water                         2 Tbls. Yeast

3 Tbls. Lecithin                                   2 Tbls Dough enhancer

2 tbls. Salt                                            1/3 cup honey

14-16 cups wheat flour

Mix all ingredients adding last two cups of flour slowly until dough pulls away from side of bowl (I usually end up using all 16 cups and sometimes a little more).  Spray clean counter top with cooking spray and divide and pat into rectangles, roll up and place in greased bread pans.  Let rise until doubled( or just arching above rim of pan). It will rise considerably once in the oven.  Bake at 350 for 30 min.

Whole Wheat Hamburger Buns

I have been looking at this recipe for about 5 years now meaning to make it and I finally did and I will never go back to store bought white buns again.  I expected to hear some complaining from my kids at the change but instead they all sat down and gobbled it up even saying they liked it.  What was really convenient was that I made small buns and small patties for the younger kids so they could hold it and eat it with ease.  It also made enough to freeze and pull out next week when we have BBQ beef sandwiches for dinner.  My next post will be whole wheat bread which I made the same day as the buns,  they used a lot of the same ingredients so it made it a breeze.

 Recipe:
3 1/2 Cups warm water
3/4 Cup sugar ( I used honey but you could also use agave)
1 Cup oil ( I did this first time but from now on it will be apple sauce or cottage cheese)
6 Tbls. yeast
1 Tbls. salt
2 eggs slightly beaten ( I used 6 Tbls. flax meal and 2 Tbls. water as a substitute)
10 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
Combine water, sugar, oil and yeast.  Mix then add remaining ingredients and mix well.  Roll out to desired thickness. (Mine was about 1/4 inch thick and did rise to be about double a sandwich thin that you buy at the store.  Since I like the thin sandwich thins I think I will go even thinner next time on some for me but keep this same thickness for the kids.) Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Cut out using what ever you have I use a Ziploc container that had a screw on lid so the edge was pretty sharp and for the little burgers I used a small biscuit cutter.

 Place one circle on top of the other and let rise for 15 min. ( I let mine rise longer because my house was cold or maybe they just need longer).  Bake for 10 to 12 min. or until lightly golden brown.  I didn't do anything fancy with mine just to keep the kids happy but you could sprinkle with sesame seeds or what ever you like. I used my favorite wheat cook book for this it is called Wheat Cookin Made Easy, definitely a great resource if you plan to use wheat.

Bunny Buns

My daughter saw these in The Friend magazine and just had to have them, so we gave them a try.  They are an orange roll, but I think you could easily make them a cinnamon roll if you choose.  The kids enjoyed twisting them and putting on the tail so it did work as a family activity which is always nice.

Recipe

1 Tbls. yeast

1/4 Cup warm water

1 Cup milk, warmed but not boiling

1/3 cup sugar

1/2 cup butter or shortening

1 tsp salt

2 eggs beaten (of course only from a chicken you can trust)

1/4 cup orange juice

2 Tbls. grated orange peel

5 1/2 cups flour

Glaze

2 cups powdered sugar, 1/4 cup hot water ( just used milk right out of the fridge), 1 tsp. butter.

Combine yeast and water, set aside while warming milk.  Then add butter and sugar to milk.  Combine all ingredients. (I would do this step different next time.  I didn't feel like there was enough orange flavor a hint but I really like to taste the flavor so next time I would combine a little sugar and zest and then when I have it rolled out would sprinkle that on I think you would get a stronger flavor that way)  Mix or knead until smooth, then let rise until doubled, about 2 hours.   Roll out on a floured surface into a rectangle approx. 14 inches high, 1/2 inch thick and then using a pizza cutter cut off rounded edges to make straight edges, set cut pieces aside to roll into balls for tails.  Then cut rectangle into 1/2 inch strips then make a small loop in center of strip and twist once or twice leaving ends out for ears.  Then place on sprayed baking sheet and place a small ball for tail in the loop.   I added cinnamon chips for eyes but you could use mini chocolate chips or any cake decoration item you choose.  Once all the dough is used cover and let rise in warm place for about and hour.  Bake at 375 for 12 to 15 min.  While still warm brush with glaze and sprinkle as desired.  I got exactly 2 dozen bunnies from this recipe.

Freezer Jam vs. Cooked Jam

So for years I have making cooked jam and sealing it and keeping rows upon rows of jam in my food storage room.  However the other day when I cleaned out my freezer I saw that I had half used bags of raspberries, some ruhbarb from last summer, and the beautiful marion berries I bought in Oregon last summer.  I did not want to put them back in the freezer so I thawed them and cut up a container of strawberries from Costco and decided to make freezer jam since I did not have the time for canning.  After making my first batch I thought it is impossible for the sugar granuals to dissolve like this so I went back to making cooked jam that I was just going to freeze.  So in this picture the jam on the left is cooked and the jam on the right is freezer jam.  I made my husband (and jam know it all ) do a blind  taste test and he said he could taste the individual berry taste better in the freezer jam and that it was just as smooth as the cooked jam.  So there you have it freezer jam does taste the same if not better than cooked jam.  However I must add that I am really hating giving up the space in my freezer for all that jam and will probably return to canning my jam.

Log Pots

I have seen this in so many magazines so when we chopped down our tree I just had to do it.  Well the problem is our tree was a maple tree so it is a very hard wood and the tree was still very wet and not dried out so it did take quite a lot of work.  I do think however that if you had a really dry soft wood this could be done easily and quickly, just say log to desired length  use a drill or drill press with a wide circle bit.  I really wanted and still plan on making a big one from the main stump but that will have to wait until the wood is a lot drier.

Warm Quinoa Salad with Toasted Almonds

Delicious!  That is the word for this, it is so good.  We have had it a couple of times with orange chicken or just grilled chicken.  It is also so quick to make.  The only downside is that leftovers aren't as good as fresh because the almonds get a little soggy.

Recipe:

1 1/2 cups Quinoa

2 1/2 cups water

1/2 tsp salt

2 Tbls. soy sauce

1 Tbls. rice vinegar

1 tsp. asian sesame oil

1 tsp. grated fresh ginger

2 green onions thinly sliced diagonally ( I used the whole bunch)

1/3 cup sliced almonds toasted

Soak quinoa in water for at least 15 min. then rinse.  Add water and salt to quinoa in sauce pan.  Bring to a boil then cover and reduce heat to a simmer and let simmer for 20 min.  Meanwhile in small dish combine soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil and ginger.  Once quinoa is cooked and still warm add soy sauce mixture and green onions and almonds and toss until evenly coated.  Enjoy, I know I did.

Hen and Chicks in Eggs

I just couldn't resist doing this.  I saw on the cover of an old Better Homes and Gardens how they had planted "hen and chicks" in egg shells and had them in an egg carton.  A friend gave me this cute Terra Cotta chicken as part of a gift basket for my birthday and I have been wanting to combine the two ideas.  So here you have it a hen with her chicks coming out of the eggs. 

Garlic Spinach Loaf

On Saturday I picked up my produce co-op basket and brought home Swiss chard.  I have never bought nor eaten Swiss chard, so when I looked it up I fought that I could cook it and treat it just like frozen or cooked spinach.  So that is what I did.  This bread was delicious to eat warm but the best part was the smell while mixing it, the first time I have ever wanted to eat bread dough. Just remember it is supposed to chill overnight.

Recipe

3/4 Cup warm water

1 package active dry yeast

1/2 cup milk

2 Tbls. sugar

2 Tbls. butter

1 tsp. salt

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

1/2 cup grated Asiago cheese (I used grated Parmesan)

1/4 cup thawed and drained spinach (I used fresh steamed Swiss chard)

4 cloves garlic

2 1/2 cups flour

Combine yeast and warm water and let sit while warming milk, sugar, butter and salt on stove until butter is almost melted.  Then remove from heat and add cheeses, garlic and spinach.  Then combine with yeast mixture.  Next add in flour (I think that next time I will add another cup of flour to this) and mix on high for at least 3 min.,  Transfer to a clean bowl sprayed with cooking spray and cover with plastic wrap and place in fridge overnight. Remove from fridge 3 to 4 hours before you wish to eat it.  I first set the bowl in warm water in the sink for 1/2 hr.  then removed very wet dough from bowl onto floured surface and covered with plastic wrap for another 1/2 hr.  Then shape into oblong loaf and place on a sprayed and lightly corn meal covered cooking sheet.  Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in size.  Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.  Once bread has risen brush with beaten egg white and sprinkle with Parmesan.  Bake for about 30 min.  Mine came out pretty rounded but then I sliced it while still hot and then remembered to take a picture so mine is pretty flat.  I suggest letting it cool completely before slicing and then rewarm to eat.



Spinach Ice Cream ?

So I saw this recipe in the Costco magazine and it looked good, but how could spinach ice cream taste good?  Well it did, with a tiny after taste of spinach.  Give it a try.

Popeye's Ice Cream

3/4 cup coconut milk

1/4 cup agave nectar

2/3 cup powdered milk

2 cups spinach

1 1/2 TBLS. vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups ice cubes

Add ingredients to a blender and blend on high until smooth.  Eat immediately.

Roasted turnips and asparagus

I have never had a turnip until last week, so I wasn't quite sure what to do with it.  So I just cut it up with some asparagus and yellow squash, a little olive oil and coarse salt.  I roasted it at 400 degrees for about 20 min.  It was really good.  I would say a turnip is closest to a potato but with a sweeter flavor, you can definitely eat it raw.  I don't think I would take up the garden space with a turnip, but it was tastier then I thought it would be.

Corn Bread

Have you ever noticed that corn bread has a lot more flour than corn meal in it?  Well I found this recipe and have been using it for a while now and what I like is there is no oil or butter in the recipe and a fair amount of corn meal.  I will admit it doesn't taste the same as the other recipe I used to use, but it is very moist and with a dab of honey does taste just as good.

Old Fashioned Corn Bread

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup corn meal

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking powder

3/4 tsp. baking soda

2 eggs lightly beaten from a chicken you can trust. (I used 2 Tbls. flax meal combined with 6Tbls. water. Stir together and let sit while you mix other ingredients)

1 1/2 cups buttermilk ( since I rarely have buttermilk on hand I just put 3 Tbls lemon juice in a large measuring cup and add enough milk to make it a total of 1 1/2 cups and let that sit for a minute to sour the milk.)

Pour into a greased square pan and bake at 350 degrees for 20 min.

Quote of the Week

Learn to be satisfied.  It is

just as easy as being

dissatisfied-- and much

more pleasant.

Jacob de Jager

The Price is Right Game Night

Soo Much Fun!

Last night we had some friends over to play the price is right.  I am sure you could just buy a boxed game, but this was way more fun.  I am going to call this a craft because making the props took all my crafting skills. Of course Plinko was the big hit of the night and if you are going to make this buy a lot of dowels, it took me 5 trips to home depot before we had enough. Here is the list of all the games we made and hopefully you can tell from the picture what some of them looked like.  I am really excited to use this for birthday party's, family reunions, church activities and more. If you think you might want to try and make this stuff leave me a comment and I will tell you all the mistakes I made. 

Games:

It's in the bag

One Away

Bulls eye

Coming or Going

Plinko

Dice Game

Cliff Hanger

Check Game

Lucky Seven

Thats Too Much!

Hole in One

When and how to fertilize raspberries

 We got a lot of snow this weekend, which makes it the perfect time to fertilize raspberries.  Late winter, while there is still snow sprinkle some azalea food on top of the snow.  That is all.  As the snow melts the fertilizer is absorbed and believe me I have seen a difference in the years I do this and the years I forget.

Breakfast for Chickens

  Here is a quick picture of my chickens enjoying their breakfast of scrambled eggs and shells.

When I first got my chickens they were eating each others feathers so I did a little checking around and found out they needed protein. So I spoiled them and let them out of the coop to eat bugs.  That worked well in the summer when there was bugs to eat but what they really go crazy for is chicken scraps, eggs, shells and elk meat (I'm sure any red meat).  Now I am not going to give them good food, but the part of the chicken I won't eat or the egg left over from making french toast, or the left over roast I never got around to re-using.  It makes them happy, saves their feathers and makes bigger eggs.

Whole Wheat Blender Pancakes

Last weekend my nephews slept over and requested "normal pancakes" for breakfast.  I said whats a normal pancake and they said the white kind.  So I made buttermilk pancakes for them and my kids said they were blahh.  So this is what a normal pancake at our house is.  It is a great recipe because it does not require a grinder and has so much flavor you can eat just with fruit, or a bit of honey or syrup if you like.

Blender Pancakes:

1 1/2 cups milk

1 cup wheat berries (just the regular wheat grain)

Add the following and blend for 1 to 2 min on the highest setting

Then add:

1 egg

1tsp. salt

1/3 cup of oil ( I never use oil you can easily substitute with applesauce or cottage cheese)

2/3 tsp. baking powder

2 tbs. honey

Blend all ingredients for 2 to 3 more minutes.  The thickness of your batter will depend on your blender so if it is too runny you will need to add more wheat or less milk then next time and just add some regular flour this time.  If the batter is still gritty then blend longer. I always double this recipe for our family of 6 and that leaves a few leftover for snacks later in the day.

Quote of the Week

For some reason this quote will not leave my mind lately.  My brain must be trying to tell me something.  It is from Jane Austins "Emma"

"Vanity working on a weak

mind creates all sort of mischief."

Quinoa Black Bean and Corn Salad

 I can not wait until summer, and not because of warmer weather and garden fresh veggies, but so I can eat this salad for dinner at least once a week.  It has a great lime and cilantro flavor and usually lasts for 2 to 3 dinners as a side dish.  I hope you like it as much as I do.  I  found the recipe on the Internet a while ago and have made it work for us.  First of all I have never been able to find red quinoa, and second of all I never put in the jalapeno peppers because that is going too far with the kids. I do prefer it more the second day after the flavors have mixed and sometimes I warm it up.

• Red Quinoa, black bean and corn salad
• Red quinoa and black bean salad
• FOR THE DRESSING:
• 5 Tablespoons Fresh Lime Juice
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1 whole Garlic Clove, Finely Mined
• ¼ cups Finely Chopped Fresh Cilantro
• 1 teaspoon Ground Cumin, Or To Taste
• ⅓ cups Olive Oil
• ½ teaspoons Freshly Ground Pepper, to taste
• _____
• FOR THE SALAD:
• 1-½ cup Red Quinoa (sold In Health Food Stores)
• 1 Tablespoon Table Salt, Add When Boiling Quinoa
• 1 can (14 Oz. Can) Black Beans, Drained, Rinsed
• 1-½ cup Corn Kernels, Fresh (cut From About 2 Large Ears)
• 1 cup Finely Chopped Colored Sweet Bell Peppers
• 1 whole Jalapeno Chilies, Seeded And Minced (wear Rubber Gloves)
• ¼ cups Finely Chopped Fresh Cilantro
• ¼ cups Finely Chopped Green Onions

Preparation Instructions

For the dressing:
In a small bowl whisk together lime juice, salt, minced garlic, chopped cilantro, and cumin and add oil in a stream, whisking. Add pepper to taste. Set aside.

For the salad:
In a large bowl soak quinoa for at least 15 changes of minutes. Drain in a large fine sieve.  Bring quinoa and 2 1/2 cups of water to a boil then reduce heat to simmer and let cook for 20 min. covered.  Fluff with fork and cool completely.  ( I like to do this the night before and just put it in the fridge)

Combine in a large mixing bowl the beans, corn, remaining vegetables, herbs, and cooled quinoa. Toss gently with the dressing. Can be prepared a day ahead for flavors to combine. Serve at room temperature.

Birthday Gift Ideas

My very sweet neighbor had a birthday today so I wrapped up a loaf of bread and some eggs placed on a nest of floral moss.  She seemed to like it and hopefully something that will be used and not add to clutter.

This one may seem a bit odd but this weekend was my husbands 34th birthday and since my daughter will not eat cake we decided on rice crispy treats, but a birthday cake must be something right?  So I just molded and cut it into the shape of his favorite sport.  Hope you can tell what that is.

Apron Giveaway Winner!

Thank you everyone who made a comment over the last week.  I put all your names in a hat and let my 4 year old choose.  Sarah Smith from Oregon was chosen.  Don't worry I plan on doing more giveaways of my favorite things.

Blueberry Muffins

Blueberry Muffins

2 Cups Flour                                       ½ Cup Sugar

1 tsp. Salt                                            2 tsp. baking powder

¼ tsp baking soda                               ¼ tsp. cardamom

1 egg                                                   1 cup buttermilk

½ cube of butter melted then cooled

1 tsp. vanilla                                        1 Cup blueberries or raspberries (The original recipe called for 2 cups of berries, we found that to be too many for us, so you will have to decide if you like them loaded with berries or more muffin)

Mix all ingredients and fold in blueberries.  Fill 12 to 15 muffin tins and top with:

½ cup brown sugar                              ½ cup flour

½ cube of butter at room temp.          ½ tsp cinnamon

¼ tsp. nutmeg

Sprinkle over the  top of muffins and bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 min.

Multi grain Bread

 We usually eat this or plain whole wheat bread, this is my favorite.  It has a lot of flavor and is a lot less crumbly than wheat bread can be.

Cooking Tip #1:  If you are going to be measuring honey, corn syrup or anything sticky like that, measure oil or spray with cooking spray first. This way honey pours out easily so you get the entire amount and you didn't have to scrape out with spoon.

 Cooking Tip #2: Bread needs two things to rise well, humidity and warmth.  So I do one of two things.  Option 1 is to plug the sink and fill with hot tap water place a cooling rack over sink (make sure it is stable so your bread doesn't fall into water) place rising loafs on rack and cover with light dish towel.  Option 2 works best if you have two oven. Heat one oven to 150 degrees with a dish of water on one rack, then turn off all heat and place covered bread in warm oven to rise.  When bread begins to rise above rim of bread pan, pre-heat other oven to 350.  Then just move loaves into baking oven.

Multi grain Bread

Boil 6 cups of water and add to
1 Cup sunflower seeds (flatten in hand mill)      
½ Cup of sesame seeds
½ cup flax seeds ( seeds need to be milled to get nutritional value)
1/3 cup millet                                                     
1/3 cup amaranth grain  
Let soak for at least an hour to soften then add:

2 cups 9 grain cereal                                          
1 c. gluten flour or 1 cup white flour
2/3 Cup honey                                  
4 Tbls. Dough enhancer
2/3 Cup of oil                                     
2 Tbls salt
2 Tbls. Yeast                                        
Wheat flour 6 – 8 cups

Knead for 8 min.  Shape into 5 loaves and let rise.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 min.

If I am making this bread to go with a soup or something fancier than PB&J  I will make it into a round loaf, brush with butter and sprinkle with rosemary.  Then bake in a 450 to 500 degree oven.

Growing Onions

Has anyone had success growing onions.  Last year I bough a bag of bulbs from IFA and was so excited, but they just never got very big.  We still ate them and boy were they strong.  I thought we pulled them all up but I guess not because they have been growing all winter long, so now I am wondering if they need 2 seasons or if I will get the same result.  Also garlic does anyone know about growing garlic.

Apron Giveaway

This is one of my most favorite and used items in my entire home.

Years ago my mother-in-law made me one and I wear it every day, I carry the phone in one pocket, a dish towel in the other and any thing I take away from the kids goes into those large pockets. What I love most though is there are no ties.  The back just crosses over it's self.  It also fits all the time, no matter if you are 9 month pregnant or really skinny, it washes easily and never needs to be ironed. So now that I have told you why I love it I would like to pass it along someone else.  If you want a chance to have your name drawn out next Tuesday the 22nd of Feb all you need to do is look through this blog and make a comment about any post you like.  Thanks

 The Original

(below)



Gift Idea

 On my previous post about trarts there was a chocolate word on top.  I have seen these on a lot of other blogs so I tried them out.  Quite easy although I did do it twice first with Ziploc bag second with piping bag.  I liked the second result a lot more.  Since it took me two tries I had quite a lot of left over words and no tarts soooo I just wrapped them up on plates with a note to give ideas of things they could go on top of and to keep refrigerated and there you go some quick, inexpensive gifts for some friends and neighbors.  Since I was doing this for a family party I wrote out all of the kids names, which they all thought was special.  The possibilities are endless for this, my mind is racing with birthday cake ideas.

Tarts

 These are so delicious.  My mom always made them for party's I have carried on the tradition so tonight I made them for a family get together.  My sister said she loved coming to my house to eat all of our childhood treats.  This is a great one for barbeque's in the summer.

The Recipe:

1 Cup butter softened

1 Cup sugar

1 Egg (from a chicken you trust)

3 Cups flour

1/2 tsp almond flavoring

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

 The dough should be a wet crumbly consistency.

 Just a little tip, put all the tins on a cookie sheet and then spray.  This saves a lot of time instead of spraying individually.

 Put a generous amount of dough in the center of tin and press until there is excess coming up the sides, then gently knock off the extra.

Place in hot oven and bake for 8 to 10 min. When I cooked mine it was more like 12 min. They should just barely be beginning to brown.  Remove from oven and let sit for 10 to 15 min.  If you try to remove them too early the tins are hot and they are too soft.  If you leave them for 3 hours (like I did yesterday) then they are almost impossible to get out. So remove while warm, but set.

Once they have cooled completely and within an hour of so of serving fill with filling and top with desired pie filling.

Filling:

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp almond extract

1/3 cup lemon juice

1/2 cup cream (whipped firm)

Make sure you whip the cream well before adding other ingredients if you don't it will never set up.  It will still be a little too runny when you are done mixing, just place in fridge and in a half hour or more it will be set.  I usually make all of this a day ahead it stores well for at least 2 to 3 days.