Day 4 {provisions}

Day 4 is already here and I've officially written more on my blog in October than I did for the whole of 2014! 

So this 31 Days of Writing challenge thing really works!

We awakened this morning to rain mixed with s.n.o.w.  ... and I promptly rolled over and went back to sleep!

My Historian is an early morning guy these days and has been getting up to do his quiet time, study for his Sunday School class and write for the Ancient Baptist Journal - as well as going for a brisk walk most mornings. He didn't walk this morning! Brrrr! I don't blame him!

After our very busy week our fridge is empty and our home is messy. Bathrooms need to be cleaned, beds stripped and re-made with FLANNEL sheets (yeah!) and the floors vacuumed.

Our fridge is also very empty, so today we'll spend some time shopping and gathering {provisions} for a bonfire we'll attend later and for Sunday lunch.

provisions

[pruh-vizh-uh n-z] 

noun

1.the providing or supplying of something, especially of food or other necessities.

2.arrangement or preparation beforehand, as for thedoing of something, the meeting of needs, thesupplying of means, etc.

3. something provided; a measure or other meansfor meeting a need.

4. provisions, supplies of food.

I am so thankful for our freezer and pantry which are well stocked with provisions for our family - more often than not it is the fresh fruit and veggies that we run out of first ... and of course, milk. I really do think we need to buy a cow! 

I learned so much about keeping a well stocked pantry from my Mum and my Nanny (grandma). My Mum is blessed with a large dark cold room that we call the Root Cellar that is filled with canned goods, extra veggies, beverages and other perishables. While it would be lovely to have a cold cellar here, we don't have a basement - so that would be hard. I do have a second fridge, a freezer and a nice sized pantry with roll-out shelves. I just re-organized my pantry and was so thankful that the shelves are full and we are able to feed our family with yummy, healthy foods. 

My friend Brenda has written several excellent posts on her blog Coffee,Tea, Books & Me and she's organized the series here: Deepening the Pantry I found it especially helpful be cause it changed my thinking about the provisions that I keep on hand at all times and also some lovely 'special' pantry items that may seem like non-necessities, but really are fun to have for exceptional circumstances. 

For many years our budget was such that it didn't seem like we could afford to have a well stocked pantry - but I've learned that I really can't afford NOT to. Buying things we use on sale and with coupons when available, and buying in bulk when possible really helps our food budget. Knowing the I have what it takes to throw together a quick healthy meal from the freezer and pantry saves many trips to the store or take-out meals. 

Eating healthy foods at home is not cheap, but it always saves us money! 

For the bonfire I made a new recipe - taking something I saw on Pinterest and making it my own with a little less sugar, a whole lot more pumpkin and some of my favorite spice and extract combinations. Two friends at the bonfire asked for the recipe so I thought I'd post it here while I remember what I did. I apologize for the terrible picture - I still don't know how to get the best out of my camera at night! Give me sunshine or give me BAD pictures! A photographer, I am not.

Caramel Pecan Pumpkin Cake

For the Cake:

3/4 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup loosely packed brown sugar
2 large eggs (room temp)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

¼ teaspoon orange extract
15 oz. can pure pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon Saigon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg

¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
1 3/4 cup unbleached all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

For the Filling-
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans
1 cup milk chocolate chips
1 – 11 oz. package caramels, unwrapped
1/4 cup whipping cream

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a jelly roll pan with non stick cooking spray and set aside.

Place caramels and cream into a heat-proof bowl. Microwave on high until caramel is smooth and completely melted, being sure to stir every 20 seconds. Set aside to cool.

Sift together dry ingredients and set aside. In large bowl cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add in the eggs, vanilla, orange extract and pumpkin puree until combined.  Slowly incorporate remaining dry ingredients into batter. Do not over beat. Scrape sides and mix briefly to produce a smooth batter. Spread about 2/3 batter thinly into prepared pan. Sprinkle nuts and milk chocolate chips over top.

Drizzle cooled melted caramel over the chocolate and pecans. Place spoonfuls of remaining batter over the caramel layer – it will not cover, but do the best you can. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until edges are golden, pulling away from the sides and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the cake (not the caramel). Remove from oven.

Sprinkle with powdered sugar and cool before serving. 

Enjoy!

 I often swing past the ‘fancy’ cheese area in front of the deli meat counter looking for really nice cheeses on ‘Manager’s Special’ – it’s a good way to try something new without investing a fortune, and it makes me get creative when I bring home something that I don’t usually have on hand.  We’ve found some yummy cheeses this way – and that’s good because our family loves cheese! One of the things I often see on sale is the cute individual fresh mozzarella balls packed in water in the little tubs. I usually scoop them up because they are so versatile in so many recipes. I had a ton of little tomatoes coming on strong in the garden at the same time that I found the mozzarella on sale, we were headed to a gathering at church and thus a new recipe was born!

Bacon, Basil & Tomato Pasta Salad

1 pound box mini penne or mini farfalle pasta
2 tbsp. light olive oil
2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
Cook pasta in salted boiling water 7 minutes until just tender. Drain. Immediately submerge in ice cold water for 5-6 minutes. Drain well again. Toss with first amount of lemon juice and olive oil and spread pasta out on a cookie sheet. Place in fridge to cool thoroughly and dry a bit for 30 - 45 minutes.
2 pounds cherry tomatoes, sliced in halves
8 oz. fresh mozzarella cheese bite sized balls (packed in water , well drained) cut in halves
¼ cup feta cheese crumbles
1 white onion, diced finely
½ cup fresh chives (I use scissors to cut these quickly) or green onions
Add tomatoes, onions and first amount of cheese to cooled pasta in a large bowl.
2 small cloves of fresh garlic minced
1/4 cup fresh parsley, coarsely chopped
¼ cup fresh basil, chopped
2 Tbsp. fresh oregano and thyme, finely diced
1 Tbsp. grated parmesan cheese
¼ cup feta cheese crumbles
¼ cup lemon juice
zest of one lemon
¾ cup olive oil
1 tsp. sea salt
½ tsp. fresh cracked black pepper
Combine dressing ingredients in a jar and shake well until they are emulsified together into a creamy dressing. Pour over pasta mixture and refrigerate overnight.
½ pound low sodium bacon cooked until crisp and crumbled
In the morning add the bacon crumbles and stir well. Refrigerate for 4-6 hours before serving. Garnish with additional bacon, chives or parsley.

Taste before serving – additional sea salt may be needed.

Makes 12 cups of pasta salad.
* Since this was originally for a potluck and needed to be ‘dry’ rather than soupy for traveling and serving, I made a small amount of the dressing. If you like more dressing, double the recipe!

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Soft & Chewy Naan Recipe

'Disappearing' Naan

Soft & Chewy Naan

2 large eggs at room temperature
1/4 cup plain yogurt (vanilla works well too)
3/4 cup milk (plus a tablespoon or two if your dough is dry)
1/4 cup cooking oil
2 Tbsp. raw honey
2 cups whole wheat bread flour
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. sea salt

Sift dry ingredients together. Beat eggs until frothy and add remaining ingredients, stirring until well combined. Dump the dough onto a floured surface and knead for 2-3 minute or until the dough is smooth. Cut into 30 pieces and shape each one into a golf ball sized ball; cover with a tea towel and allow to rest for 1 hour. Preheat oven to 450 degrees and grease a large cookie sheet or line it with parchment paper. Roll each ball into a 6" circle and place on the prepared cookie sheet. Bake for 4 minutes until the Naan is puffed and browned. Remove to a cooling rack, place the next 6 dough circles on the hot sheet and bake 4 minutes. Repeat until all of the Naan is baked. Now, count and see how many Naan are left on the cooling rack - since you started with 30 balls, you should have 30 Naan, but it's not likely! These freeze well, but even out of sight in the freezer they tend to disappear.

Our Storyteller had a rough day today. He felt that he wanted to attend the funeral of his favorite Sunday School teacher Mrs. Kathy and so I took him this afternoon, but it was really hard for him. Mrs. Kathy has been battling cancer for the last 14 years, but last week she went home to be with the Lord. Our Storyteller really cared for her - she made Sunday School really enjoyable for him and I treasured her as his teacher because she enjoyed him, rather than enduring him as some of his past teachers had. We've been praying for her and encouraging him to send her little notes to remind her that we prayed for her.

Some weeks just out of the blue he would feel a need to pray for her more often, and usually we found out later that those weeks were especially hard for her. I shared my own health struggles with her a bit and she sent me notes of encouragement in the midst of her own illness. She was always faithful to be at church whenever she could be, and often on days when I really did not feel like heading out the door Sunday morning I've thought of Mrs. Kathy and decided that if she could do it with cancer and chemo and chemical burns, I could push through my nausea and exhaustion and be in the House of the Lord in my place where I belong too. We're really going to miss Mrs. Kathy, but I know without a doubt we will see her in eternity! I'm sure our boy will have some stories to tell her!

This evening I made Naan because sometimes a boy just needs something he can tear into with his hands while he shares his heart with his Mama, and sometimes filling up his always hungering belly with something warm and comforting is a good way to share my heart with this man-child of ours.

John 6:51

I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.

Blessings to you,

 

Homemade Fruit on the Bottom Yogurt

Our darling Dreamer has been suffering with an infection for about 2 weeks. She didn't react well to the strong antibiotic that was necessary to kick the infection to the curb, so she's been really exhausted and just not her sweet self for days. She's doing so much better now, and we are truly thankful.  

She heads to the doctor tomorrow for a re-check, but I think she is all better.

What does that have to do with yogurt? Well, whenever anyone in our home is on an antibiotic, 

we push yogurt and lots of it.  

Prayer, fluids, rest, yogurt and lots of love 

- it seems to work.

I try not to buy the sweet, fancy dessert type of yogurt, but the good active culture-rich yogurt.

I prefer organic if we can find it - and afford it.

 

I have made homemade yogurt in the past. Not super successfully, but it all got used up one way or another! It wasn't our family's favorite, but it was great to top fresh fruit, mix with granola, make smoothies or bake with. Then I found this great simple yogurt making tutorial by Kristen at The Frugal Girl. She does a fabulous job of explaining the basic yogurt making process, and she breaks down the cost comparison like nobody's business in Sweating the small stuff. I couldn't possibly do a better job of showing you how to make yogurt and I followed her instructions to the 't', so please visit Kristen and learn the basic process from her if you don't already make yogurt from scratch. I promise it's super simple. Painless, really.

With Dreamer still on nasty meds to fight this lingering infection, we were all out of yogurt. Again. I had coupons and the Yoplait Whips were on sale, so we did get a few of those to fill the gap, but I consider those the 'dessert' yogurts despite the fact that they claim to have live and active cultures. I think all of the sugar and dye negates the cultures, but what do I know?  The organic yogurt was not on sale - and the kind she really likes was $1.30 per serving. Yikes!

 I decided to experiment and use homemade yogurt to make my own version of fruit on the bottom yogurt because that's what everyone loves best. When I saw the managers special sticker on a gallon of organic whole milk, it sealed the deal. $2.60! I actually only made 1/2 the gallon into yogurt because Storyteller loves loves loves whole milk and wanted the rest of the gallon for a 'treat'. 

Spring training you know.

To each 4 cup jar of thickened yogurt made with organic whole milk I added 3 tablespoons of raw liquid honey and 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract.  I stirred and stirred until the honey dissolved and the vanilla was evenly distributed. It got a nice vanilla-y color which made me strangely happy.

For the fruit on the bottom layer I made my Saturday Morning Compote (the recipe is at the end of this post).  It was still steaming hot when I spooned it into the 1/2 cup jelly jars.

 At first I didn't think about letting it cool before adding the yogurt, but I soon realized that it would not be fruit on the bottom if I wasn't just a smidgen more patient!

This would be 'fruit floating to the top' yogurt.

Certainly not the end of the world, but not what I was going for, so I waited a bit before proceeding.

Still a bit of floating fruit, but better overall, I think.

After all, I am a Mama, not a machine!

By this time Storyteller was in the kitchen 

asking when it will be ready.  

He's already asked for an early wake up call so that he can be the first to taste test.

The bottom is the hot fruit mixture, the top is what it looks like when the 

Mama is patient enough to wait for it to cool! 

I was mostly impatient ...

I have 20 1/2 cup almost all organic fruit on the bottom vanilla yogurts waiting patiently in the fridge for hungry children to consume. It cost about $6.15 to make the whole batch and I still have 4 cups of plain vanilla yogurt left.  If we hate it, I'll throw it in the blender with ice and more frozen fruit and honey and call it a smoothie. It will not go to waste!  I suppose I could have gone lighter on the fruit and made 30 fruit on the bottom yogurt cups, but I was getting tired - and the fruit is the best part, right?

Costs:

organic whole milk $2.60 per gallon (manager's special) - I used 1/2, but still have 4 cups of plain yogurt

plain yogurt starter $1.30

organic sugar $.20

frozen fruit $3

honey $1

Each yogurt serving $.30

Did I really just save $20 with 30 minutes of  'work'?

Yeah!

Saturday Morning Compote

 1 cup organic sugar

2 tablespoons corn starch

3/4 cup water

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

4 cup mixed frozen fruit

Mix sugar and corn starch in saucepan until combined. Whisk in water and lemon juice. Bring to a simmer over medium heat whisking gently as the mixture heats. Add frozen fruit and bring to a boil. Boil 1 minute stirring constantly until the juices are thickened and are no longer cloudy.

Serve over pancakes, waffles or french toast.

Enjoy! 

P.S. If you like the idea of using mason jars to make individual servings neat and attractive like I do, you'll love all of the great ideas Robin Sue has at Big Red Kitchen!  Follow this link to find all of her great inspiring posts on Mason Jar Meals.

Enjoy!

Edited: We love this yogurt recipe!  
If I were going to change anything, I would reduce the compote to yogurt ratio from 1:1 to 1:2, but other than that it is delish! In fact, it may be a bit too yummy since there are only 12 left!

Quick Soda Crackers

I have a great old recipe for light crisp old-fashioned yeast raised soda crackers that I love, but it requires 24 hours in the fridge before rolling out for baking.  Yesterday I needed something quicker - our Storyteller was in a bad way with a stomach bug and wanted some soda crackers to settle his tummy. These were not as light and tender as my old recipe, but they were certainly enjoyed, and they did their job.

Quick Soda Crackers

• 4 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (more for flouring the counter)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1/2 cup cold butter, cubed
• 1 1/2 cups cold water
• sea salt to sprinkle on tops

Directions:

1. In large bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt.
2. Cut in butter with a pastry blender until crumbly.
3. Add water and honey, stir just until mixed.
4. Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface and knead til thoroughly mixed.
5. Roll out dough on well-floured surface to 1/8" thickness. Fold this in fourths and roll again to 1/8".
6. Cut into 2" squares.
7. Place 1/2" apart on parchment lined cookie sheets.
8. Prick each cracker 3 or 4 times with a fork, then sprinkle lightly with sea salt.
9. Bake in preheated 350º oven for 25 minutes until crisp and lightly browned.

I'm wearing a sweater

Oh the joy! 

We are experiencing our first 'true' fall coolness and it is wonderful!

Yesterday I made a batch of Mr. Good Barley Soup (recipe HERE) and a batch of Whole Wheat dinner rolls (recipe HERE) and today I made Cheesy Potato Soup - which you know means fall is really here! 

Dreamer came into the kitchen with her sparkling blue eyes and said,

'Oh!  I LOVE soup season!'

Fall is such a special time of year and I am ready to enjoy every minute of it!

On Saturday we took down the summer mantle 'beach theme' and I didn't have the heart to ask the guys to get up in the hot hot attic to dig out the fall boxes, but we'll get to it this week. There is nothing wrong with an 'edited' mantle for a few days ... as long as you dust it!

I'll get to that later.

I'm dreaming about soup right now!

So ... in thinking about all things soup related, I thought I would share my simple Chicken Stock recipe, because I don't know about you, but the $3 carton of organic stock is getting on my nerves.  I didn't mind when it was $2 so much, but  when they INCREASE the price at the same time they DECREASE the quantity, it's time to re-think the quick and easy carton of soup stock. 

When I see them on sale I will buy for the pantry, but for now I am making my own.

It's easy - it helps keep your veggie drawer in good shape, and it is so much more economical!

So let's get to it.

Chicken Stock

(You're going to love how simple this is!)

Chicken bones & skin

celery, carrots, an onion or two, garlic, ginger

sea salt, pepper, parsley, bay leaf, oregano, turmeric (for color)

water 

Time: 10 minutes to put together - 4 hours to simmer - overnight to cool - 

10 minutes to skim off fat and repackage for the freezer.

Tonight I oven roasted 6 large chicken breasts for meals this week and deboned them when they were cool.  I have plans for two suppers and a lunch with that chicken, and I had the oven on anyway, so it is win-win!

A rotisserie or oven roasted chicken carcass works just fine too.

I threw those bones, the skin and the juices from de-glazing the chicken pan into a 16 cup heavy duty pot.  

By de-glazing, I simply mean pouring some boiling water into the pan

and loosening all the yummy bits of stuck on chicken goodness. It's good stuff!

I cleaned out the crisper ( which my Dad says should be called the 'wilter') and tossed a limp celery heart (about 6 ribs and the leaves), 3 large rubbery carrots, one large onion and 4 cloves of garlic in the pot. 

I love the richness of ginger in my stock so I grabbed a chunk and put it in the pot too.

All the veggies were washed and then just coarsely cut up - no pealing or dicing is necessary. 

 I guess the carrots sunk - they are in there!

I filled the pot almost to the brim with water and added some fresh and dried herbs from the garden, 

but dried herbs alone work just fine too. Most of my herbs are from my bountiful garden - everything else did poorly, but the herbs flourished and I've been drying them frequently.

Tonight I used rosemary, parsley, oregano and fresh black pepper.

For every 2 cups of broth I use 1/4 tsp. sea salt - so for this batch I used 2 tsp.total. I'll taste it and add more as needed, but we avoid salt around here as much a possible, so adjust this to your tastes!

I don't know why, but the bay leaf is really a necessary ingredient.  I have varied the other herbs and spices according to what we had on hand, but whenever I've left out the bay leaf, 

the flavor of the stock has not been a full and rich. 

Flat and boring.

That little leaf leaves a lot of flavor behind. I put three in my big stock pot tonight.

I don't have a bay in my herb garden yet ... maybe someday I will, 

but the plants are expensive and I've heard they are tricky to grow.

My stock is simmering away and leaving a wonderful aroma in the kitchen.  In about 4 hours I will strain the stock and discard the contents then put the stock in a large bowl in the fridge to cool.  In the morning there will be a layer of fat on the top that I will remove before freezing in 2 cup portions. 

What did it cost me? I don't know, but I do expect to get 12 cups of broth - so about 3 four cup cartons (they are smaller now) worth and I am quite sure that the electricity and ingredients were way less than $10.

The onions were in good shape, but the rest of the organic veggies were a bit past their prime and might not otherwise have been used - perfect for soup stock in my opinion.

Do you make soup stock?  

What is your 'secret' ingredient?  I'd love to know!

School has started - I'm planning on publishing a list of our curriculum choices for this year soon.

We are LOVING science!  We are getting into a good routine, but I've been very tired lately, so not much else is going on! We start the regular weekly activities this week so I am praying for more energy.  Most days we drag our books out the the back patio table and enjoy the fresh air while we work, but some days have been just hot or wet for outdoor school.  I'll encourage 'school on the patio' until the colder weather requires too many hot chocolate breaks, though it might not be a problem since the new grill has a side burner ... 

Blessings,

Baseball Ice Cream Cake

Summer birthdays call for ice cream cake! 

We've often made an ice cream cake for Storyteller because he loves it and it's so

much better than baking a cake when it's so very hot!
So cool and refreshing!

I made the same style cake two years ago for our baseball crazy boy but made it in a much larger
bowl since we had the family here to help us celebrate.
I also got a bit fancy with some colored whipped cream - you can see it HERE.

So, would you like the directions to make your own half baseball ice cream cake?

Baseball Ice Cream Cake

Ingredients: 

one (or more) carton of good quality ice cream - your choice of flavor (he chose vanilla bean)

sundae sauce (he chose homemade caramel)

candy and or nuts (he chose chopped Rolos)

whipping cream
sugar

1 piece of pull apart red licorice or shoe string licorice

Equipment:

a bowl lined with several layers of plastic wrap

a sharp knife

cake plate

icing spatula

waxed paper

Method:

There is no need to soften the ice cream if you are making this on a hot day - even with A/C it will soften very quickly when sliced unless your freezer is crazy cold.

Take the ice cream out of the cartons in one piece - I usually cut the carton open. 

Slice the ice cream in 2" thick slices with a sharp knife. 

Lay one slice in your plastic wrap lined bowl and using your hands or a large spoon, push the ice cream into the contours of the bowl. Cut more ice cream to line the sides of the bowl.
Layer a small amount of sundae sauce and candy or nuts
with alternate layers of ice cream slices until the bowl is full.  Work very quickly!!!

Finish with an ice cream layer.  
Really pack it in well and then cover tightly with more plastic wrap and 

freeze for at least 4-6 hours.

Prepare the lacing by separating the licorice and laying them out on waxed paper. Cut three strings into 1/2" pieces and place on longer strings to form laces.  I like to push them down a bit so that they stick and don't fall off when I transfer them to the cake.

When the cake is frozen, whip the cream with a little superfine sugar until stiff. Line the cake plate with strips of waxed paper around the edges and un-mold the ice cream mound unto the plate. Peel of the plastic wrap and 'ice' with whip cream.  If you have lots of whip cream and want to color some to pipe on that's fun too!

It's best to have a helper to transfer the licorice lacing unto the cake, but it cane be done singlehandedly if you're adept. Return the cake to the freezer until it is time to serve.

We used good quality ice cream that was on sale, Rolos that were on sale B1G1 and whipping cream that was on too. The licorice was not on sale, but we only used one strip. I made the caramel sundae sauce, but I should have just bought a jar because it was so hot and my first two batches didn't turn out. One batch curdled and the other got way too thick so we'll use it for apple dip.

This cake cost about $6 to make and would serve 8 generously.

We've tried lots of other flavor combinations and they were all good.

 Some favorite simple combinations :

*vanilla ice cream*chocolate ice cream* hot fudge sauce* crushed Oreos*

 *strawberry ice cream*strawberry sauce*shaved chocolate*crushed vanilla wafer cookies*

*vanilla ice cream*hot fudge sauce* Spanish peanuts*

*chocolate ice cream*peanut butter cups*peanuts*chocolate sauce*

What do you like in your Ice Cream Cake?

Cookbook: The Farm Chicks In The Kitchen

 We've been so blessed by all of the care and concern you've shown while our Historian has been unwell.  Thank you for praying for our little family. I'm happy to report that he is doing well and recovering from surgery.  He is still not able to drive and is sore and tender, but he is healing up nicely. He is home from work and just today has felt well enough to tidy and sort papers and books in his office - no heavy lifting of course (10# limit right now). We were able to attend church yesterday - not for the whole morning, but for the worship service, and that was our first family outing since coming home from the hospital Thursday.  He was very tired after and slept for 3 hours, but it was good to just get out and see our church family again.

 

For my special day, the Historian perused my Amazon wishlist

and ordered a few books for me! He knows me well!

So far my favorite one is The Farm Chicks in the Kitchen: Live Well, Laugh Often, Cook Much! I was on the waiting list at the library for this book for months so I know it is popular - I was so happy to receive it! I love the old time items used everyday 

- it's close to home for me!  I love surrounding myself with simple old kitchen utensils and cookbooks from yesteryear - they remind me of quieter times and my Nanny's kitchen.

The recipes I've used so far are great - comfort foods made with easily obtained everyday ingredients and a little something 'extra' to bring it up a notch. Today I made 'Cheesy Potato Soup' and it was a real hit.  I reduced the fat by using less butter and skim milk cheese and it was still creamy and good. Everyone commented on the nice basil accent. My old recipe uses bacon, sour cream and heavy cream, so this was a good alternative for a family

trying to watch those fat grams!

I also made the 'Maple Oat Scones' and they were quite popular - and amazingly filling. The kids loved the glaze and it really kept them moist. I plan to cut them smaller next time. I made the 'Crunchy Granola' for snacking and 'Nancy's Nutmeg Coffee Cake' to share - all very good!  I love it when I can look through a cookbook and find 5 or more recipes to try right away!  I think I could cook through this whole book and my family would love every  bite!  

Today was the kind of day where I just really wanted to crawl back into bed and start the week tomorrow, but of course, we had schoolwork to do!  We got through everything, got to piano lessons and ballet and I even ran a few errands despite the nasty icy roads.  I guess I'm glad I didn't go back to bed! I have a feeling that the public school kids will have the day off tomorrow since the ice/sleet /hail and freezing rain is still coming down! With all of last week's interruptions and the the week of sickness that the kids had, we need to push on and get caught up in our schedule a bit!  Maybe if it's still nasty tomorrow I'll bake one of the great looking pies in 'The Farm Chicks' and we'll celebrate - spring is just around the corner!

Comfort Food

 Our Storyteller is suffering with a cold and requested this simple but tasty 'comfort food' for supper. As I was putting it in the oven, I realized that I have not shared this easy recipe with you - so here it is! I  think this is a great casserole for 'veggie haters', picky eaters or those who require a non-spicy diet.  It's popular at pot-luck dinners too.  It doesn't freeze well - presumably because of the dairy  content - but that is easy to work around if you keep cooked chicken in the freezer.  When chicken is on sale I often bake 5 pounds with a sprinkling of herbs and when it is cool I cut it up and divide it into 2 cup containers before freezing it. It's handy for many different recipes, and works especially well in this one. You could also use a deli chicken or those frozen grilled breasts. 

Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole

8 ounces of fine or medium egg noodles, cooked and drained
3-4 cups chopped cooked chicken
2 cans cream of chicken soup  (my recipe is below)
16 ounces  reduced fat sour cream
1 1/2 -2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
3 tablespoons  poppy seeds
1 sleeve of crackers, crushed
1/4 cup butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine first 6 ingredients and stir well. Spoon into a lightly greased 2 quart casserole or 7"x12" baking dish.  Top with the crushed crackers and drizzle with melted butter.  Bake uncovered for 35-40 minutes or until bubbly and brown. Serves 8.

Quick 'Cream of Chicken Soup' Substitute
We're always trying to avoid excess salt and this is more economical than Campbells.

3 tablespoons of butter
3 tablespoons of flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. poultry seasoning
1/2 cup milk (room temperature)
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup shredded chicken (if available)

Melt butter in heavy saucepan over low heat.  Blend in flour and seasonings while cooking and stirring until bubbling.  Slowly add the chicken broth and blend until smooth using a whisk.  Add the milk slowly and continue to blend until thickened.  If it gets too thick add a bit more chicken broth. This makes about 10 ounces  and is a good substitute for one can of Cream of Chicken Soup. Double for Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole.

Enjoy!

Summer Suppers

I think that with all the hot weather we've been having lately, cool and refreshing salads are just on my mind. It's either that or because I bought a gigantic bag of yummy romaine lettuce at Sam's just a day before Poppa and Grammy spirited our Dreamer away and it needs to be eaten and we have cucumbers galore in the garden  ... either way, I'm thinking SALAD! Are you thinking salad? We just got a coupon in the paper for Ruby Tuesday, and while I do enjoy their fresh salad bar, I'm happy to save the $$$ and make something yummy at home. I can never eat their 'prepared' mixed salads anyway because of the preservatives that are so hard on my liver and give me migraines, so it's a lot to pay for simple greens and fresh veggies. 

  I'm not the only one thinking salads today - Family Fun just sent me a link to 20 wonderful looking salads that would make delicious entrees - here's the link for you: Favorite Salads Photo Gallery  Yummy looking salads for sure!

This isn't the first time I've blogged about salad for supper either, so I'll make it easy for you to go back in time to Salad Supper from the summer of 2007!  

Tonight's supper featured - you guessed it - salad!  This one is a bed of icy cold romaine and spinach, sliced cukes from the garden, blueberries, strawberries, Feta crumbles (on sale with a coupon - still a treat!), toasted almonds and some stale artisan bread made into crunchy croutons - mmmmm! We also had Sticky Honey Chicken Tenders over brown rice - Storyteller is requesting rice often since Dreamer hates it and he loves it. Sticky Honey Chicken is quick and doesn't heat up the kitchen too much -  a four ingredient recipe that works for us.

Sticky Honey Chicken Tenders

2 Tablespoons salted butter

3 Tablespoons pure honey - the runny kind works best

1 1/2 pounds fresh chicken tenders - remove tendon

 1/2 cup unsweetened orange juice

Melt butter and honey over medium heat in a large skillet and add the tenders.  Brown slowly on both sides, and then add the orange juice.  Cover and turn down the heat to low.  Simmer for 10 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and juices have thickened. There will be a small amount of deliciously golden honey orange glaze, but if your family loves it, you can double the glaze amounts and that way there will be no fighting!  This is so golden and pretty - perfect to serve on a bed of rice or with a side of steamed veggies. Makes great leftovers too.

Do you plan for leftovers?

I'm all about planned leftovers these day.  Jen from Balancing Beauty and Bedlam calls it C.O.S.T. cooking - as in Cook Once, Serve Twice.  She is so smart! It just makes sense doesn't it?  I've done this for years and years, but without a fancy name for it - when I'm on the ball! There have been seasons when I forgot the blessings of second suppers and failed to plan ahead.  Lately it's been a blessing to think ahead because we still have freezers full of wonderful locally grown meat.  I hate to pay $7-9 per pound for nitrate free cold meat for lunch when, with just a bit of planning, we can enjoy our drug free, hormone free $1.30 per pound pork or $1.70 per pound beef, so planning for leftovers makes economic sense too!

 We have unplanned leftovers too - those dribs and drabs that often get forgotten at the back of the fridge.  I've actually designated a top shelf in the fridge to them now so that we will use them up before they expire! Our of sight, out of mind happens all too often.

It's been a while since I blogged about The Luscious Leftover Buffet, so for the benefit of newer readers I'll share the secret of getting those leftovers out of their Tupperware Graves and into your regular family menu! Here's the link my The Luscious Leftover Buffet ideas and tips .  Many families live on leftovers and are great with that, but there are quite a few who don't see leftovers for the blessing they are - we were that family until we started The Luscious Leftover Buffet.

As you can probably tell, I am enjoying working on our regular desktop computer once again.  It is a blessing to have it fixed and working well, and even more of a blessing that it didn't cost as much as a new computer like we feared it might! I hope it lasts, but we have some reasonable options if it doesn't, so that's a good thing too.

Sleep is a blessing too, and I'd better get some now.  I am doing physical therapy for this tendinitis and I find the pain level very tiring, but hopefully, prayerfully, it will improve day by day.  I really look forward to enjoying using my right arm without thinking about it.

Thanks for dropping by!

Teacher Treats

Last week the children and I made little thank -you's for their Home School Co-op teachers, and today at our year end party, a few moms requested the recipe. It is an old favorite - and lately I've been really liking the chocolate and almond combination - it's just yummy!

So, for those of you asked, here is my recipe, adapted once again from an old Robin Hood Flour 1998 Festival of Baking booklet. I get the best recipes from those little freebie grocery store hand outs! Enjoy - but be warned, I had one dear friend utterly addicted to these simple bars. We had to do an intervention and take away her jelly roll pan!

Chocolate Almond Crunch

1 3/4 unbleached all purpose flour

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar (not packed)

1 cup soft butter

2 egg yolks

1 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1 package milk chocolate chips (340 grams)

1 cup sliced almonds, lightly toasted

Combine flour and sugars; cut in butter until crumbly. Add yolks and vanilla. Combine. Dough will be sticky and look like there isn't enough, but keep going! Be fearless and press the dough (with floured fingers) into a 10"x15"x1/2" jelly roll pan or cookie sheet with sides. I promise it will cover - thinly, but it will cover! Bake at 350 degrees F for 15 minutes or until it is light golden brown. It will 'puff up' a bit. Remove from oven and sprinkle those milk chocolate chips over evenly. Wait 4 minutes until they are well melted and spread the chocolate over the entire top with a knife. Sprinkle with almonds and press in lightly. Cool and cut into triangles or squares - no matter how you slice it, it's a simply sweet treat!

Mama's Mystery Muffins

 These don't look like much, but they are yummy - the 'mystery' is that you never know just what kinds of jam will make their way into the middles - usually I use up those dribs and drabs of homemade jam that linger in their jars on the fridge door.  Enjoy!

 Mama's Mystery Muffins

 Preheat oven to 375 degree F.  Grease muffin tin - this make 9 muffins.

 1 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour 

1/3 cup white sugar

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. sea salt

Combine dry ingredients.

1/4 cup melted butter - cooled

1 cup vanilla yogurt - we love Stonyfield Organic ( sour cream works well too)

1 beaten egg - room temperature

1/3 cup milk - room temperature

1 tsp. vanilla

Combine wet ingredients thoroughly. 

Jam assortment for the middles - about 9 teaspoons

Make a 'well' in the dry ingredients and pour in yogurt mixture. Stir just until all dry ingredients are moistened - do not over stir. Spoon half the batter into 9 greased muffin cups.  Place 1 tsp. of jam in the center of each muffin and top with the remaining batter covering jam completely so it doesn't ooze out.  Bake for 18 -20 minutes. Remove from muffin tin carefully and allow to cool. Serve mid-morning with tea and sliced fruit!

Certain children have burned their tongues on the hot jam in the middle of these light and tasty muffins because they were too impatient to wait for them to cool! Storyteller dubbed them 'Mama's Mystery Muffins' because he loves discovering which flavor of jam is hidden inside.

Similar to 'Muffins That Taste Like Donuts', but with a nicer texture and less fuss!!

 

Strawberry Cream Mold

 .... or a bowl full of yummy!  Whatever you call it, it was a huge hit at our lovely Easter Dinner yesterday, so I thought I'd share the secrets of my Mum's sweet gelled salad. I have to admit that I have often had trouble 'molding' this salad, as in putting it in an 8 cup ring mold and getting it to 'unmold' prettily. We've enjoyed many many 'flops' as  I have about a 50/50 success rate!  My 'stand by' now is to make it in a big glass bowl.  Yesterday, I doubled it and 14 people almost cleaned it up - and there were a lot of other delicious things to eat too!

Strawberry Cream Mold
1 3oz. package strawberry jello
1 cup boiling water
1/2 cup ice water
1 1 oz. envelope of plain unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup ice cold water
1 quart strawberries
1 3/4 cups whipping cream divided
3/4 cup sour cream or whipped soft cream cheese (our preference)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup good strawberry jam, room temperature - puree if chunky variety

 Dissolve strawberry jello in boiling water. Stir well.  Add 1/2 cup ice water and stir until ice has melted.  Refrigerate until softly set.
 Sprinkle unflavored gelatin over 1/4 cup cold water in a glass measuring cup and let sit for 5 minutes until softened. Place measuring cup of gelatin in a small pot with about an inch of boiling water (as for a double boiler) and allow gelatin in measuring cup to dissolve - it will become clear.  Remove cup from boiling water and let cool to room temperature.
 Whip 3/4 cup of whipping cream with 1/2 cup sugar until stiff.  Fold in sour cream or cream cheese and cooled gelatin. Mix well. Refrigerate.

Wash and remove strawberry stems.  Slice strawberries and fold into softly set jello.  Pour 1/2 of the berry mixture into large glass bowl or if you are using an 8 cup jello mold, place 1/2 in the mold.  Refrigerate if too soft to 'hold' cream mixture.

Layer berry mixture, cream mixture, berry mixture in bowl or mold. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours if  you are planning to be brave and unmold!  Unmold and garnish with fresh berries or piped whip cream.  I like to make a batch of 'strawberry whip cream' by whipping 1 cup of whip cream until stiff and folding in good strawberry preserves.  I smooth this over the last berry mixture layer in my bowl and than garnish.  I have often doubled this for my big 14 cup glass bowl and taken it to potlucks!  Enjoy!

Company Girl Coffee - March 26

Welcome Company Girls!   I have some Berry Treat Tea and Cranberry Orange Scones all ready for your visit!  It's been a difficult week here - lots of prayer and worry going on for my dear Mum. Many answers to prayer as well though - she is doing very well and is actually going to be released from hospital later today.  Considering that she broke her hip Sunday, had repair surgery Monday night and this is only Friday - I think that's amazing! The physiotherapist had her doing stairs yesterday - with a cane.  Unbelievable.

My Mum is sweet as can be, but she is quite determined.  I know that she will have hard days of healing ahead, but I have no doubt she will be just fine.

We awakened to a horrible abberation this morning - snow!  My poor flowers are quite frozen!

Our lettuce plants are shivering under their canopy of cheesecloth.  The cheesecloth was my attempt to keep out the bunnies this year - just using what I had on hand.  It's likely that batch of lettuce is doomed - they like cool weather, but not snow! All is not lost - I have more coming up under the grow lights and maybe this will give me chance to think of a better cover for them.

I transplanted the cucumbers this week into larger peat pots - they are doing great! Just a tip here - I buy peat pots when they are clearing them out in June - they usually have them in the clearance isle just before the school supplies come out.

The zinnias are doing really well too - I can't wait to see their saucy green color!

I just started these tomato plants - Beefsteak and Yellow Pear. Everyone is looking forward to fresh garden tomatoes. The Historian is missing 'real' tomatoes!

These giant white Moonflowers destined for my lamppost garden have me scratching my head - I planted them at the same time, but they are not coming up at the same time. Go figure!

Of course, all of this rain and snow means the ground is very very soggy - our Storyteller is so very sad!  Baseball practice was canceled Monday and will likely be canceled today as well. 

Are you ready for a scone?  We were recently at Panara Breads for a treat - their food is so good, but pricey, if you ask me. I saw some scones and they looked wonderful - until I saw the price!  I decided that I would try to make my own this week and they turned out quite well.  Would you like the recipe so that you can make them too?

Cranberry Orange Scones

2 cups of unbleached all purpose flour

2 teaspoons of baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup white sugar

the zest of one orange

1/2 cup cold butter, cubed

3/4 cup dried cranberries

1 egg - beaten

the juice of one orange plus enough milk to make 1/2 cup liquid

Combine  flour, baking powder, salt, sugars and orange zest.  Add butter and using a pastry blender, combine until the butter flour mixture resembles coarse meal.  Add cranberries. Make a well in the center and pour in beaten egg and milk/orange juice mixture.  Stir just to moisten all flour.  Dump out onto a floured counter or board and knead gently for about 1 minute or until a smooth dough forms. Using your lightly floured hands, gently form a 9" flat disk.  Use a floured knife to cut as for a pie into 8 or 10 nice wedges.  Transfer to baking sheet and bake at 375 degrees for 14 minutes or until golden.  If you like slightly  'crunchy' edges, separate the wedges before baking, but if you like a softer scone, bake as a round - it may take longer - 20 minutes or so. Make a glaze with 1/2 cup powdered sugar and 1 tablespoon of orange juice.  Glaze baked scones while still warm.  Enjoy!

Well, thanks for stopping by for a visit!  I've been missing in action this week, but there has been a lot going on! Today is a full school day, and later we need to start some cleaning and get the bathrooms and floors taken care of.  I did 1/3 of my ironing last night and feel great about getting so much done - mostly shirts for the Historian.  Today I hope to do more - but first, to schoolwork!  Dreamer is learning some new songs on the piano and I am just loving that she is at the point in piano where she is enjoying it and trying new things on her own!  At last - all those lessons and tears are paying off!

Have a great day and a lovely weekend!