Cooking Outside

 

Cooking outside is something I really like today. With our weather we could probably do it year round but spring and fall are my favorite times of year and so my favorite time to do it.

Another thing I really like is the magazine Mary Janes Farm and in one of my past editions I found this wonderful recipe. We loved it.

Campfire Succotash (changed by me some)

Start cooking 1/2 lb bacon cooking till its crispy add onion and garlic till the onions are cooked about 2-3 minutes.

 

Then add 1 diced zucchini and 1 red bell pepper diced cook 2-3 minutes.

 

add 2 cups corn I used frozen organic corn that I thawed in water. Add salt pepper and cook until heated through.

 

The original recipe had lima beans in it I didn't have those so I just did what I had and it was so good with a hamburger and another salad made with cabbage. 

Goings on...

Compost, sour dough bread rising, a newly painted kitchen.

 

 

It's spring around here which I am very happy to see. We still have cooler temps in the evenings, but during the day has been nice not hot yet.

All the babes are growing with more arriving this summer.  See the pretty green grass that is starting to come up.

 

Wisteria is getting ready to bloom and send out it's delightful aroma.

Catnaps are being taken of....

 

Our neighbors sold their timber on their 25 acres and it has opened up our view. Cows are growing and getting ready to be taken to the butcher.

And the boys are just boy goats now instead of spraying, smelly, obnoxious, boy goats. At least till about August.

 

To clean and Oven...

OK I love my gas stove and oven but I dislike the aqua clean option on it. I use my oven a lot and I guess they designed this option for people who don't. Now I loved the auto clean on my electric oven it took forever but it worked great! I didn't have to use a toxic chemical and that was a big bonus to me. And I love a clean oven.

Now I am embarrassed to admit this when we redid our kitchen last Jan, a year ago, we had the stove for a month or so and I used the cleaning option on it once and I haven't cleaned it since. I usually clean it every other month or so, I use my over a LOT. I dislike the aqua part and it didn't clean it like I like it to be.

Well now that the kiddos are in college I have been going through the house a room at a time slowly mind you but I have been planning as I go. The kitchen is getting painted this week ceiling and walls but anyway I wiped all the walls and I thought that oven is getting cleaned!

I looked on the Internet and found a wonderful recipe that I had all the stuff for and it did great.
at yumuniverse.com Heather Crosby had this recipe.

Non Toxic Oven Cleaner

this is the recipe she wrote with my notes.

 

Paintbrush

2 medium bowls

scrubber sponge

spoon

 

Ingredients:

1/2 homemade liquid soap she used soap nuts liquid (I used Dr Bronner's liquid tea tree soap we use a lot of Dr Bronner's I love it)

1 1/2 cup baking soda aluminum free ( all baking soda is aluminum free it's the baking powder that has aluminum in it.)

2-4 drops lavender essential oil or a scent you like or none.

1/2 c organic white vinegar or apple cider would work too.

water to add to make the paste paintable.

 

This is how I did it.

put soap in a bowl and add soda, essential oil, mix those up and then add vinegar a little at a time since it will foam up mix to a paste. I didn't have to add the water. Now paint the paste on all over your oven and let it sit for 6-8 hours I also used it on my stove top which worked great.

 

Now I don't buy aluminum foil except for putting on the bottom of the oven which I didn't do when we bought the oven. But now a year later I finally did! This catches drips and spills.

 

I hope this helps anyone who would like a better option for cleaning that oven without asphyxiating yourself or your family.

 

 

Sugar Free Banana Bread

  This weekend I had a small pile of bananas I needed, well wanted to do something with but I didn't want to use sugar since the recipe I usually make is so sugary. Though I did add mini chocolate chips to it so some sugar but not as much.

  It is pretty good not sugary at all my other recipes you can definately taste the sugar it is a little over powering actually. This one is sweetened with prunes and bananas and is mild very good.

  I bought this book, above, a few years ago when I was in a little shop I loved but it closed....bummer. And have learned a lot from it for cooking and tried some of the recipes.

  Banana Bread

In a blender add

4 eggs and a 1/2 cup of prunes

 

Pour this into a bowl after its blended

 

Add...

1 stick butter, melted

4 c whole wheat flour

1 tsp salt

2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp vanilla

6 large bananas, mashed

1 c walnuts, chopped I did not add these but 1 cup mini chocolate chips.

 

Mix it up and put into 2 greased loaf pans. Bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes.

 

 

You'll have 2 yummy loafs of banana bread made with yummy goodness without the all that sugar. It will be a bread not a cake. My other recipe is like a cake to me full of sugar.

 

Sprouting Grains cont.

Ok, I don't have any pictures of this and it is 4am I've been up since 2 this whole can't sleep thing is a little bit of a pain. :0) But while I can't sleep I at least can update you on this little experiment.

As I posted not long ago we sprout grains for us to eat and now are doing it for the animals. For us I have sprouting jars and I sprout seeds like alfalfa to eat but also our wheat I will sprout and then dehydrate and grind for our flour. Usually I will sprout it for a couple of days this depends on the temps etc. I don't let them get as big as our alfalfa because I don't want long sprouts just enough to change the nutrition. Sometimes I will let them get sunlight the last day to build up the chlorophyll like I do the alfalfa.

 

This is the jar I use I have three of them and I like them, click on the picture to read more about the jar. There are several other ways you can do it and what works for me might not work for you. I like the ease of use on this with the wire mesh in the lid.

 

I will start in the the morning or at night fill the jar with the desired amount of grain with wheat usually 3 cups of grain is good this way the grain is loose still once it expands and none of it gets compacted. Alfalfa usually 1 tablespoon and that, once they sprout, will fill the jar.

 

I then fill the jar with water just over the grain swirl it around make sure all the wheat is loose and moving freely and then fill the jar the rest of the way, a few inches above the grain. Or just fill the jar up depending on how full it is and the grain. I let this sit for 8 to 12 hours, longer is better I have found.

 

At the end of the time I drain all the water and make all the grain is loose again. Then I set this on the counter for 8 to 12 hours sometimes like in the heat of the summer I will let the jar set upside down in the sink to let as much as possible grain out to prevent mold. At that time I fill the jar up with water to rinse the grains, drain the water off, and let sit on the counter again. I keep the jar out of direct sunlight at this point. You do this twice a day for however long you want depending again on the grain and what your using it for.

 

Wheat usually I will let it go till you barely see a sprout and then I do a final rinse and drain and put it in my dehydrator. I don't want to kill the goodness in the grain so I only set the temp at 145 and since we have so much humidty this time it takes depends on the season etc. But sometimes it takes 12 to 24 hours but no longer.

 

I prefer this over sour doughing it for things since I haven't figured out sour dough bread and my family only likes sour dough pancakes or crackers. Though my sour dough starter Herman is a very happy camper when he is awake, right now he's sleeping the fridge. the sprouted grain flour makes wonderful breads, biscuits, pizza dough, etc I use it just like any other flour.

 

Come back tomorrow for the sprouting for animals portion.

 

 

Pancakes

I love them and always have blueberry, chocolate chip, banana, plain, wheat, buckwheat, white flour, oat flour, sour dough, the list goes on. I love them with maple syrup, honey, butter, agave, peanut butter not so much, but strawberry syrup, elderberry, blueberry...You get the picture.

 

If you never tried buckwheat then your missing a treat. Since I do love them I like to try different ones and even though I do love them I don't eat them every single day....I know you thought that didn't you?

Buckwheat is a tasty grain that I have come to love, its not wheat like the name suggests and so it your gluten intolerant you can eat it. It makes a thick dough that makes fluffy pancakes I made then plain the first time but I'm thinking blueberrys or something next time.

 

Try some you will be glad you did.

 

BuckWheat Pancakes

 

• 1 cup buckwheat flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 2 Tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 cup milk
• 2 Tbsp melted butter or margarine

 

Mix dry ingredients together; add egg, milk and butter or margarine, beating well after each addition.Pour 1/4 cup batter for each pancake onto hot griddle. Cook 1 to 1½ minutes, turning when edges look cooked and bubbles begin to break on the surface. Continue to cook 1 to 1½ minutes or until golden brown. 

Pinto Beans

 

Why is it this time of year we crave thick hearty stews comfort foods? The foods we eat this time of year don't go well any other time of the year they just don't taste as good. Well I have been craving beans lately meatless stuff or at least small amounts of meat.

 

Hubby isn't the happiest with this but oh well I am doing to cooking and I make sure there is some meat.

 

I looked for something to do with pinto beans besides refried beans and I came across this recipe

 

And since I had soaked beans the night before with a little apple cider vinegar to help us digest all the goodness in them I decided this sounded good and easy. I through it all inthe crockpot and went to work.

Seasonings for the kids to add before I came home.

 

Cornbread I made before I left.

 

And it was yummy with a green salad very yummy indeed and warm on the tummy.

In the Kitchen

Last week were in the kitchen whipping up some rich chocolate cupcakes and buttercream frosting.

 

They made monster cupcakes for a fall harvest we went to. It was yummy but way to sweet since I don't buy white sugar it was a treat for them to make.

 

Buttercream Frosting

From Wilton site

 

• 1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine softened
• 1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract......we used regular vanilla
• 4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar (approximately 1 lb.)   
• 2 tablespoons milk

Step 1

In large bowl, cream shortening and butter with electric mixer. Add vanilla. Gradually add sugar, one cup at a time, beating well on medium speed. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl often. When all sugar has been mixed in, icing will appear dry. Add milk and beat at medium speed until light and fluffy. Keep bowl covered with a damp cloth until ready to use.

Step 2

For best results, keep icing bowl in refrigerator when not in use. Refrigerated in an airtight container, this icing can be stored 2 weeks. Rewhip before using.

Step 3

For thin (spreading) consistency icing, add 2 tablespoons light corn syrup, water or milk.

Step 4

For Pure White Icing (stiff consistency), omit butter; substitute an additional 1/2 cup shortening for butter and add 1/2 teaspoon No-Color Butter Flavor. Add up to 4 tablespoons light corn syrup, water or milk to thin for icing cakes.

Whole Wheat Carrot Rolls

Sprouted Wheat

Ground sprouted wheat

 

Yummy recipe from a inexpensive bread book hubby bought me last year. So far this is my favorite recipe out of this book. So I thought I'd share it with you today.

 

What I love about them most is they have no sugar.

 

Ingredients

1 3/4 c white bread flour plus extra for dusting

1 3/4 whole-wheat bread flour plus extra for sprinkling.

(I used all sprouted whole wheat flour for the both flours)

1 envelope or 2 T of active dry yeast

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 1/4 lukewarm water

2 T olive oil

3 carrots shredded about 1 1/2 c

oil for brushing.

 

I also add chia seeds, flax, and hemp heart combo I get from NOW. I have added chopped pecans, pumpkin seeds, or walnuts.

 

1. sift white flour in a bowl, add whole wheat flour sift in the yeast and salt. Make a well in the center and add the water, olive oil, and carrots mixing to a soft dough.

 

2. Invert the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes, until smooth. Place the dough in a bowl, cover, and let resst for 5 minutes.

 

3. brush a baking sheet with oil. Invert the dough and lightly knead again until smooth. Divide into eight pieces, shape each piece into a ball, and arrange on the prepared baking sheet, allowing room for spreading.

 

4. Cover and let rest in a warm place for about 1 hour, or until doubled in size. Meanwhile, preheat the over to 425.

 

5. Sprinkle the rolls with a little while-wheat flour and bake in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

 

Enjoy

 

Sour Dough

 

I like to make sour dough foods, bread I have not mastered but biscuits, crackers, even a chocolate cake are all things that I make. I haven't been able to really cook in awhile with being so busy but now things are slowing down and I have been able to make sour dough pancakes and the other day I made a batch of crackers and biscuits.

I used my smallest biscuit cutter to make the crackers usually I roll the dough out flat and cut into squares with a pizza cutter but I wanted round ones this time. I added a triple seed combo from NOW that we sell at work it has chia seeds, flax seeds, and hemp hearts. I love putting it in smoothies but it worked just as good in the crackers.

 

And biscuits they were yummy toasted with butter. Eating homemade food is always a treat so many people have forgotten what real food is and opt for the boxed stuff and cooking is an art that is being lost by the average person.