Kathi's Blog

2012-01-22T20:03:00.000-08:00

Honey & Pecans

2011-12-28T14:53:00.000-08:00

We went to our first farmers market here. This was our favorite find.

Next time we're going earlier.

Great on oatmeal or plain yogurt.

2011-12-27T13:15:00.001-08:00

We had a lot of fun making treats for Christmas. These were our favorites.

Hermit Cookies

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup light brown sugar

2 large eggs

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1 cup dark or golden raisins

1 cup dates, pitted and coarsely chopped

1 cup pecans or walnuts, coarsely chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and place rack in center of oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In the bowl of your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.

In a separate bowl sift or whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and spices. Add to the butter and egg mixture and beat until combined. Fold in the raisins, chopped dates, and chopped pecans.

Drop the batter by tablespoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing the cookies about two inches apart. Bake for about10 minutes or until the cookies or until lightly browned. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack for about 5 minutes before removing from pan. Cool completely before frosting.

Glaze(optional):In a small bowl stir together the sugar, vanilla extract, and enough milk (cream) to make a smooth, thick, yet pourable glaze. Once the cookies are completely cool, use a small spoon to drizzle several thin lines of the glaze over each cookie. Let the cookies sit at room temperature until the glaze has completely dried.

The cookies can be stored at room temperature for about five days.

Makes about 36 cookies.

S'More Granola Bars

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1/4 cup light brown sugar

1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup or golden syrup

1/2 cup all purpose flour

2 cups old fashioned rolled oats

1 cup graham cracker crumbs

1/4 cup sweetened or unsweetened coconut (optional)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Filling:

1 cup semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips

1 1/2 cups mini marshmallows

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and place the rack in the center of the oven. Butter (or use a non stick vegetable cooking spray) a 9 x 9 inch square baking pan.

Melt the butter, brown sugar, and maple syrup in a medium sized saucepan, placed over medium heat. Once the sugar has dissolved remove the saucepan from the heat and transfer the mixture to a large heatproof bowl. Stir in the flour, oats, graham cracker crumbs, coconut, salt and ground cinnamon, making sure all the dry ingredients are coated with the butter mixture. Press about half of this mixture onto the bottom of the prepared pan and leave to cool (about 5-10 minutes). Once the mixture has cooled sufficiently, evenly sprinkle with the chocolate chips and marshmallows. Top with the remaining crust mixture. Bake in the preheated oven for about15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for about 20 minutes. Cut into squares while they are still warm. Can be stored at room temperature for about 7-10 days.

Makes about 16 - 2 inch squares.

Sugar Cookies

1 lb. butter at room temperature

3 eggs

2 cups sugar

2 tsp. vanilla

2 tsp. lemon extract

6 cups flour

1 tsp. baking soda

¼ tsp. salt

Cream first five ingredients. Combine dry ingredients. Add a cup at a time to butter mixture. Roll out to ¼ inch thick. Bake at 375 for 8 minutes or until barely brown around the edges.

Frosting:
¼ cup butter

4 cups powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

Add cream till you get the right consistency.

See's Fudge

12 oz milk chocolate chips (Guittard)

12 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips (Guittard)

7 oz jar marshmallow cream

1/2 cup butter

12 oz can evaporated milk

4 1/2 cups sugar

1/8 tsp salt

2 tsp vanilla

2 cups chopped walnuts

Put chips, marshmallow cream and butter in large mixing bowl (glass)

Over medium heat, cook milk, sugar and salt. Bring to boil and stir constantly. Boil for 6 minutes, stirring.

Pour hot mixture over chips, marshmallow cream and butter. Stir until all is incorporated. Add vanilla and nuts. Pour into a 9 x 13 pan lined with parchment paper for easy removal.

The first two recipes I got from www.joyofbaking.com. Kathleen gave me the second two a couple of years ago. Best sugar cookies and fudge I've ever had.

we moved....

2011-12-17T13:32:00.000-08:00

to TEXAS!!

my absolute favorite!!

2011-10-14T20:55:00.000-07:00

Egg-a-licious

2011-09-24T13:34:00.000-07:00

We got new chickens back in July and they're going crazy. Since they all look alike we gave them one name. Sunshine.

2011-08-30T10:02:00.000-07:00

GOATS - Are they really worth it? They have creepy eyes!

2011-08-14T19:07:00.000-07:00

This is a favorite treat around here. Sometimes we add cinnamon.

I hold the lid on with a towel so I don't burn my fingers.

2011-08-08T18:55:00.000-07:00

This was super easy. Why didn't I think of this before?

Ice Cream Sandwich Cake

ice cream sandwiches
cool whip
candy bar (we used a Heath bar)

Line a bread pan with parchment paper. Layer ice cream sandwiches and cool whip. Top with crushed candy bar. Freeze over night. Remove from pan and throw away parchment paper. Slice and serve.

2011-07-31T17:15:00.000-07:00

This was delicious! A good friend brought me this a couple of weeks ago. I couldn't wait to eat it again. We took it to a potluck last night.

Greek Salad

Ingredients:
4 persian cucumbers, unpeeled, seeded, and sliced 1/4-inch thick
2 red bell pepper, large-diced
2 yellow bell pepper, large-diced
3 cups cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1 cup red onion, sliced in half-rounds
1 pound feta cheese, 1/2-inch diced (not crumbled)
1 cup calamata olives, pitted

For the vinaigrette:
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 cup good red wine vinegar
2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup good olive oil

Directions
Place the cucumber, peppers, tomatoes and red onion in a large bowl.

For the vinaigrette, place garlic, oregano, mustard, vinegar, salt and pepper in blender. Blend together then slowly add oil. Pour the vinaigrette over the vegetables. Add the feta and olives and toss lightly. Set aside for 30 minutes to allow the flavors to blend. Serve at room temperature.

adapted from Ina Garten

2011-06-08T10:10:00.000-07:00

2011-03-13T22:20:00.000-07:00

This was my favorite summer salad. The left overs were even better.

As far as the recipe. It's more like guidelines. If you feel like adding more of something go for it. I doubled the blueberries and the honey.

Corn and Blueberry Salad

6 ears fresh sweet corn, husked
1 cup fresh blueberries
1 small cucumber, sliced
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 Tbsp. lime juice
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. honey
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
Directions
1. Bring salted water to boiling. Add corn. Cook, covered, 5 minutes, or until tender. When cool enough to handle, cut corn from cobs.

2. In a serving bowl combine corn, blueberries, cucumber, red onion, and cilantro. For dressing, in screw-top jar combine lime juice, oil, honey, cumin, and 1/2 tsp. salt. Cover; shake well to combine. Add to salad; toss. Cover and refrigerate overnight (up to 24 hours). Makes 6 to 8 servings.

The broiler is my friend

2011-03-10T16:07:00.000-08:00

French bread. Sliced. Spread with butter or laughing cow cheese. A bit of meat. Veggies. All covered with mozzarella and toasted. Delicious!

Breakfast

2011-03-07T09:07:00.000-08:00

We were in heaven. Breakfast was delicious and super simple.

eggs
goat cheese
a little salt

scrambled together

french bread with butter toasted under the broiler

sliced avocado
bruschetta from Trader Joe's (by the pesto under the vinegar)

layer:
bread
eggs
avocado
bruschetta

It was a party in my mouth! Talia sat next to me just as excited. With her mouth full mumbling "I love this!"

2011-02-26T13:53:00.000-08:00

For real?

2011-02-23T07:12:00.000-08:00

Be still my beating heart....

2011-02-21T05:19:00.000-08:00

Now for that bread pudding. We tried this in Carmel and quizzed the waitress. I think what made it so good was the caramel and applesauce. The second one I tried making I added chopped up apples. Instead of tasting like sweet cooked apples it was more like chewy cooked apple chips.

Spread a thin layer of caramel in the bottom of the pan.

2011-02-20T08:34:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I find the kids dressing up the chickens. Lemon is the most calm. I looked out the kitchen window the other day and there Lemon was - swinging on the trapeze bar in the middle of the swing set. The kids were cracking up. I couldn't believe I was looking at a chicken swinging on a trapeze bar. I think Lemon was surpised too.

2011-02-18T18:56:00.000-08:00

We planted purple potatoes last week. Super excited to see if they grow.

2011-02-17T11:10:00.000-08:00

I made this. But I think I've blocked it out.
I recall the butter and the condensed milk.
The sugar and corn syrup are a little fuzzy.
Honestly I don't remember adding that much sugar and I had completely forgotten about the corn syrup.
All four ingredients together make magic but really. We all know sometimes it's better if we don't know what's in it.
So. Make the caramel. Cover it. Leave it in the frig and block it out.
Then in a couple of days use a small amount to make the most scrumptious dessert in the world! THE WORLD - I tell you! (except that meringue cake that one of my sisters won't let me tell you about or maybe that lemon cake with strawberries from the Cheesecake Factory. Or anything lemon for that matter. Or this one time I had fried ice cream. Have you ever? When I was a kid my parents took me (just me - not me and my six sisters - just me) to dinner for my birthday at a great Mexican restaurant. That's where I had the fried ice cream.)
But back to the caramel. My first boyfriends mom made caramels. She put walnuts in them and those were delicious. I think the trick is the temperature. Don't go too high. You'll end up cracking a tooth. I'm really glad I had no idea what was in those caramels.

p.s. you can defrost this a little in the microwave to make it easier to spread.

2011-02-14T05:13:00.000-08:00

2011-02-11T11:06:00.000-08:00

2011-02-08T08:30:00.000-08:00

These are a favorite around here. You better get to dinner on time or you'll miss out.
Sometimes I set a few aside for lunch. They're great warmed up.

I can remember listening for the Yakimo Man song on my mission. It was always a cute wrinkled little man with sweet potatoes roasted in hot stones. Delicious! At the end of my mission I heard all these little trucks were run by the mafia. It was probably just a ploy by my companion. Tired of me riding around on my bike with a potato in my hand.

Just read they were farmers working in their off season. I'm really not sure who runs them. Because most of them look like farmers except this one time....

There was a truck by the train station. Finally stopped and bought a potato. Started talking to the man. We told him we were sharing a message of joy. He was so excited he scheduled an appointment and told us he had people he wanted us to meet. I can still see the small cement street in my head. We walked in to a small empty room. The man was there and so were two girls sitting behind him. I don't think they knew why they were there. We introduced ourselves and told them we were missionaries. We talked about where we came from before we were born, why we are here and where we can go. Talked about Jesus Christ and how He made it possible for us to repent.

I learned a lot of new words that day. The girls explained they were prostitutes and they didn't want to change. But the man did. I wish I could tell you it was a happy ending. There were a lot of phone calls in the middle of the night. He wanted to get out of his situation but didn't know how. The last phone call was about him officially joining the mafia and getting his fingers cut off. Sometimes I think when people are surrounded by sin and haven't had the opportunity to know what it feels like to be surrounded by love or joy it's hard to change. They might not know the latter even exists.

So. Back to the Yakimo Man. Farmer or Mafia... I really don't know. Either way. Those stoned roasted potatoes are memories that make me smile and make my tummy grumble.

2011-02-04T12:53:00.000-08:00

The first time I had this cookie was in the orthodonist office. Call me for his name. He has warm cookies and hot chocolate in the waiting room.

The receptionist told me they were Otis Spunkmeyer. I looked for months and finally the neighbor kid came to my door selling Otis Spunkmeyer. Load me up and pass the frozen cookie dough.

The best part. In 15-20 minutes you can take warm cookies to your friends.

Then. Let them think what they want....

Pumpkin cookies

2010-11-05T20:31:00.000-07:00

Old-fashioned Soft Pumpkin Cookies

2 1/2 cups white wheat flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup pumpkin
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla

Blend the butter and sugar together. Beat in pumpkin, egg, and vanilla until smooth. Add dry ingredients. Drop onto parchment paper lined baking sheets.
Heat oven to 350. Bake for 12-15 minutes. Cool on baking sheet for two minutes.

While the cookies are baking make a glaze.
A friend who heard it from a friend told me about the glaze.
Then - this is my favorite part.
Before the cookies have cooled dip them in the glaze. Then let them cool on a wire rack.

Glaze

3 Tbsp. butter
3 Tbsp. milk
1/2 cup brown sugar
powdered sugar

Boil butter, milk, and brown sugar for 2 minutes. Pour into bowl and add powdered sugar. Blend together until you get the consistency you like. I like it thin.

So good!!

shocking

2010-10-15T05:37:00.000-07:00

Really. I was shocked. They cooked. The eggs really cooked. Cracking the eggs was scary. I was amazed there wasn't a mess everywhere. I left them plain but Parmesan cheese would be yummy.

It makes me laugh...a really nutty snack

2010-10-13T05:16:00.000-07:00

You'd think I could come up with something better. Like, "energy mix" or "organic trail mix" or "Omega 3 in a handful".
You know something to make you think it's okay to eat all of it.

Even though I love salt I get unsalted nuts. Salt makes me crave diet coke and combination pizza. Thus. No salt.
The chocolate and cranberries make up for it though.

Next time I want to add 1 more cup of almonds and a cup of cashews.

1/4 cup of it is a great snack. The kids love it.

How did I not know this?

2010-10-12T23:13:00.001-07:00

Look what today was...
International Moment of Frustration Scream Day -- To share any or all of our frustrations, all citizens of the world will go outdoors at twelve hundred hours Greenwich time and scream for thirty seconds. We will all feel better, or Earth will go off its orbit. Co-sponsored by Low Thresholders of the Earth League.

That would have been fun. My neighbors would have loved it.

I LOVE figs!

2010-10-12T09:07:00.000-07:00

I was surprised how flaky this crust was. I was nervous about the wheat flour but knew with that much butter it had to be good.

2010-10-04T16:11:00.000-07:00

We went to the apple farm last week. It was beautiful. The trees were just the right height for the kids to pick.
So we left with a lot more than I planned on.

My baby sister

2010-09-30T20:16:00.000-07:00

had her first baby. Weird, huh? I left home when she was seven and for some reason can't imagine her past twelve. Where have the years gone? Check out this adorable picture my 25 year-old sister with FOUR kids under the age of five took. I can't believe she even had the time to take them or edit them in between nursing, changing diapers, dropping off a kid at kindergarten,(which BTW (i'm so hip) where she lives kindergarten is only 2 1/2 WHOPPING hours, (how does she even have time to clean a toilet - ridiculous - take that back she doesn't have time - her toilets are dirty but her kitchen is clean)

Really. Check out this picture. Love the texture.

2010-09-25T07:10:00.001-07:00

Orchards did it to me again. Good thing I love surprises. I bought a six pack of cantelope and I think I grew a casaba? It was good and fun to watch grow. I'll be careful next time to make sure the melons are tucked away in the leaves. The sun burned them and they rotted.

I'm going to wait a couple more days to pick this one. They taste good when they are really yellow. I think? I never buy casaba melons.

Maybe I'll grow spaghetti squash next year. I spent $5.62 on 2 small squash. Seemed expensive but is that normal?

2010-09-24T23:31:00.001-07:00

2010-09-23T20:52:00.000-07:00

2010-09-22T20:03:00.000-07:00

more zucchini

2010-09-13T20:12:00.000-07:00

One of my neighbors brought over this recipe for me to try out. I really like it.
Warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream in the middle....dreamy!

Happy Birthday

2010-09-09T12:56:00.000-07:00

The chickens turned ONE a couple of weeks ago.

List Lovin'

2010-09-03T18:22:00.000-07:00

I don't use these all the time but in an attempt to make my life easier/more organized I made these. I saw something like the chore one on a blog. Changed them up a little bit to make it work for me. They make me smile.
Then I got a cute folder. Like these. To hold my lists.
Click on the pictures to download.

try this with goat cheese....

2010-08-31T18:57:00.000-07:00

You'll LOVE it!!

summer is my favorite

2010-08-17T20:45:00.000-07:00

It's been a cool summer but the tomatoes finally came to the party a couple of weeks ago. And I was so happy they did. We planted about 19 plants. A few different kinds. Had a few problems with diseased plants this year but enough survived. Thought it would be cute to plant yellow, green, and red tomato plants together. Only problem is - I can't really tell when the green tomato is ripe.

Dear Home Grown Tomato,

I love you.

Yours,

Kathi

Garden experiments

2010-08-04T18:40:00.000-07:00

can be a hit with the kids if some of the vegetables are disquised. The figured out the bottom layer was zucchini and squash too quickly. They probably went to bed hungry (doubtful - considering the snacks consumed during the day) and I went to be sick because I ate theirs.
I cut the squash really thin and drizzled it with olive oil and squirted it with balsamic vinegar. Then broiled it for a few minutes. Topped it with grilled chicken, tomatoes, basil, and cheese. One of those french cheeses. Tomme de Savoie. Broiled it for one more minute.
It met the three requirements - 1. tasted okay 2. fast and easy 3. used up a lot of garden vegetables.

why not...

2010-08-03T15:28:00.000-07:00

it's so worth it.

Let's make it with wheat - all wheat

2010-07-28T10:36:00.000-07:00

Then we can really call it 100% whole wheat and know we're telling the truth.

Zucchini Relish

2010-07-27T13:44:00.000-07:00

Zucchini Relish

5 cups chopped zucchini
2 cups chopped onion
1 cup chopped sweet green pepper
1 cup chopped sweet red pepper
4 Tbsp. salt
2 cups sugar
4 tsp. celery seed
2 tsp. mustard seed
2 cups cider vinegar

Combine zucchini, onion, green and red peppers; sprinkle with salt; cover with cold water. Let stand 2 hours. Drain; rinse and drain thoroughly.
Combine remaining ingredients in a large saucepot. Bring to a boil. Add vegetables; simmer 10 minutes. Pack hot relish into hot jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Adjust two-piece caps.

Process 10 minutes in a boiling-water canner.

Makes about 6 half-pints and 2 pints.

A friend told me she was planning on making zucchini relish. So excited I looked it up. I changed the recipe a little - mostly so I could use up more zucchini. I thought it was good. We tried it on some french bread with some cheese. By the spoon is good too!
And I saw that red and green peppers are on sale this week at safeway. Call me if you need zucchini.

white bread

2010-06-23T23:28:00.000-07:00

You know I'm not a big fan of white bread. Mostly because of Dr. Oz.
But I really do like the texture of wheat bread and that earthy taste.

Well. There are times when it is okay to use white flour and eat it too.
This would be one of those times.

love a little summer treat

2010-06-21T06:43:00.000-07:00

The kids made them and ate them. They were really excited. Found those cute little popsicle molds in the dollar section at Target. I was happy they worked. I had my doubts. It made a lot. Maybe make it for breakfast and freeze the left overs.

it's zucchini season!

2010-06-16T11:02:00.000-07:00

The zucchini are going crazy! Love these meals because they only take one pan and they are super fast.

the kids love pancakes

2010-06-15T13:35:00.000-07:00

it's summer time

2010-06-12T06:42:00.000-07:00

and I'm so excited! I'm not really sure why just that I feel excited. Like big things are going to happen. Fun things.
Being together always creates a little more mess. The kids and I put a couple of these together. They are excited to start using them.
They know how it works:
clean house = happy mom. happy mom = field trips and parties and treats and dance parties and movie nights and bike rides and picnics.

It kind of looks like granola

2010-06-08T13:03:00.000-07:00

but it's not crunchy. You might be able to even have it for breakfast.
Why not? It's summer. The kids would love it.

I'm in salad heaven...

2010-06-03T07:22:00.000-07:00

hit with the kids

2010-06-01T19:04:00.000-07:00

dream big

2010-05-31T00:25:00.000-07:00

If I were to dream. Really dream.

I would buy really good insurance and build a house next to that tree.

muffins

2010-05-31T00:04:00.000-07:00

We gave these to the teachers with a basket of strawberries during Teacher Appreciation week. The kids had fun taking things in. On the first day they wrote a note that said "I'm glad you're my teacher because...." with a bag full of snacks. On the third day I wrote a note that said "I'm glad you're their teacher because...." with the muffins. On another day we did bread and strawberry jam. (the good kind with a ton of sugar) It was the first time we did something like that. Personal. We'll see if it happens next year. I hope it does. It was fun.

I saw the parchment paper idea in a magazine and thought it would be perfect for big muffins.

more eggs than we know what to do with

2010-05-30T23:05:00.000-07:00

Taylor is selling eggs if anybody wants some. He thinks he's going to make a million dollars this summer. He's mowing lawns too. He wants to earn money but he ends up telling everyone he'll do it for free.
We got our first double yolk the other day. The egg was HUGE! Wouldn't even fit in the carton. We've been eating a lot of these for breakfast. It's really good with homemade wheat bread. Actually it's the only way they should be eaten. I found the big kids making them after school the other day for a snack.

I feel so green...

2010-05-27T06:29:00.000-07:00

Can you believe I really made that granola? What is it about granola that makes me feel like I should be walking through the woods with a bowl? I know. It's those grapenut commercials. Which by the way were very convincing. I can still remember the first and only time I had grapenut cereal. I think I broke a tooth. It's the crunch that's familiar. But it's not so bad that you'll brake a tooth and it tastes a lot better. Even though Dan would tell you that it smells a lot better than it tastes. I thought it was delicious! We had it for breakfast with milk. I would love to try it with yogurt and fruit. I felt so self reliant. Making cereal for breakfast. Almost like milking a cow or making my own honey. Speaking of honey. Would anyone like to sign my petition for buying a beehive? Think of all the cool things I could do with bees. Don't think about the scary things. It ruins it. aaawww....honey.

Honey?

how does your garden grow?

2010-05-25T20:35:00.000-07:00

Feels like a good garden year.
Still a little cold - odd.
But that makes me even more hopeful.
Maybe it will be a longer summer.
Instead of lemonade the kids want
to sell vegetables on the corner.
We're all hoping for lots of veggies.

Added this to the backyard garden
this year and I'm really excited
to see what it will look like.
I picture a wall of green vines
with cute little cucumbers and
green beans.

screaming summer - salad

2010-05-25T06:05:00.000-07:00

mirror, mirror on the wall...

2010-05-24T21:54:00.000-07:00

who has the coolest parents of them all?
(I hope you all answer your own - but since it's my blog...)

ME! I do! I do!

My parents came into town for a few days. They are like energizer bunnies. (until the sun goes down. power down. refuel.) Because they are up again bright and early and ready to work. Oh, it's my favorite. My very favorite. When people come to visit I love to put them to work. Seriously. We can get so much done. It's amazing! Sitting and talking. You won't know it but I'm going crazy in my head.Working and talking...I can feel the love.
What we did in one day would have taken me at least 4-5 days plus a bunch of crying sunburned kids. We (mostly my dad) made tomato cages for the garden. We (mostly my dad) weeded and cleaned up every weed on that plot. I don't know if it has ever looked this good. I am so excited! Really really excited!

2010-05-23T06:54:00.000-07:00

Spaghetti Carbonara
(one serving)

2oz. whole wheat pasta
3 slices turkey bacon
1 tsp. olive oil
1/2 cup onion
1 zucchini
2 baby eggplant
1 egg

Cook pasta. Meanwhile cook bacon till done. Set aside. Add oil to pan. Saute onion for a minute. Then add zucchini and eggplant. When vegetables are done add chopped bacon and drained pasta. Heat through and add egg. Stir around till egg is cooked.

It's Dinner Time

2010-05-20T06:32:00.000-07:00

As a kid we had something called Granpa's Stew. I loved it. Fast and easy.

This is a take on that. It's not that pretty but it tastes really good.

Mom's Stew

1 package ground turkey
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, shredded
2 zucchini, shredded
1 can diced tomatoes
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried oregeno
1 tsp. rubbed sage

Pam bottom of pan. When the pan is hot add turkey. Cook for about 3 minutes. Don't cook all the way through. Add onion, carrots, and zucchini. Cook a little longer. Add spices and tomatoes. Cook longer to reduce liquid. Serve over brown rice.

wish I had the patience to grow it

2010-05-19T06:10:00.000-07:00

Asparagus is one of those things that I love. When I eat it I pretend I'm in a fancy restaurant. Because if I went to a fancy restaurant I would order it. They always cook it just right. And it's still that pretty green. Not brown and flimsy.
Here's what I've decided. No more boiling.

Asparagus

Asparagus
olive oil
garlic salt

Heat over to 400.
Line a pan with foil.
Have extra hanging off so you can fold it over the asparagus.
Wash and trim asparagus.
Place on foil.
Drizzle with a little olive oil and sprinkle with garlic salt.
Cover asparagus.
Cook for 15-20 minutes.

Hey Mom - how do you boil an egg?

2010-05-18T06:17:00.000-07:00

Seems like a simple question and something you think I could remember but I call my mom every time.
I'm committing this to memory.

Soft Boiled Eggs

Step 1 Place your eggs in a pan and add enough COLD water to cover up the eggs.

Step 2 Turn the stove on High and get the eggs boiling. As soon as they begin to boil, reduce the heat to simmering.

Step 3 Cook your eggs for 4 minutes and then drain all of the water out of the pan.

Step 4 Then, fill the pan with the eggs full of cold water just until they are cool enough where you won't burn your hands holding them.

Step 5 Cut the egg in half and use a spoon to scoop the egg out.

I remember having this as a kid. It was one of my favorites.

I love my chickens...

2010-05-17T07:22:00.000-07:00

This was REALLY good!

2010-05-16T06:52:00.000-07:00

And you can put it on anything. Breakfast with your eggs. Lunch with turkey and tomato. Dinner with grilled chicken salad.

memories

2010-05-13T21:47:00.000-07:00

When I was on my mission in Japan I tried to find a normal banana for my oatmeal. These were the only ones I could find. They were sweet - a little starchy - but still sweet. I found them at the produce store a few weeks ago. Had to buy the whole bunch because buying half a bunch would be like seperating twins or something. Plus, they are beautiful. I want to hang them on my wall.

Gardeners...start your seeds

2010-05-12T21:56:00.000-07:00

There are a few seeds I like to start in the ground. It's a little cheaper but mostly because I don't have to be at the mercy of whoever decides what kind of vegetables the American Gardener gets to plant.

Wait for a week when it's not raining and start them in your garden.
If you want to start them inside you have to start in January or February.

3 Simple Steps

1. Water where you are going to plant.
2. The next day plant your seeds. Cover with dirt and then manure.
3. Water when you see the baby plants.

My favorite are those persian cucumbers.

more strawberries

2010-05-11T13:01:00.000-07:00

What should we put on our pancakes? Syrup is too sticky.
We know I have issues with this because of my school days.
Strawberries. There great on pancakes. I decided to blend the extra strawberries instead of cutting.
For two reasons. 1. It was faster. 2. My kids expect a can of whip cream
next to the strawberries. It was good and there was no whining for the whip cream.

Strawberry Syrup - minus the sugar

2 cups strawberries
1 banana
1/2 cup applesauce
2 Tbsp. fruit preserve (optional)

(all measurements are approximate. nothing is ever measured.)

Blend it for 2 minutes. Pour over pancakes or freeze for later.

Strawberries....come to mama

2010-05-08T13:55:00.000-07:00

more bread

2010-04-29T21:19:00.000-07:00

I thought this seemed like a good breakfast bread. It was good. Not sweet but perfect when you get a bite of banana or walnut.

Banana Muesli Bread

1 1/2 cup warm water
1 Tbsp. yeast, heaping
1/8 cup applesauce
1/8 cup olive oil

Mix for two minutes.

2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. gluten
1 Tbsp. dough enhancer
4-5 cups wheat flour

Mix/knead for about 5 minutes. Keep adding flour till the sides of the bowl are clean. Divide dough in half.

*this is going to get messy*

Roll out on a floured surface.

1 banana, chopped
1 cup muesli

Put banana and muesli on top of dough and roll up. Knead dough until banana and muesli are mixed in. You'll need lots of extra flour. Form into loaves. Slice top of loaf.

Place on parchment lined cookie sheet. Cover with light towel. Rise for 1-2 hours.
Bake at 400 for 25-30 minutes.

Red Lentils

2010-04-26T22:23:00.000-07:00

They're so pretty.
Why do they have to turn into mush?

Lentil Stew

1 cups lentils
3 cups water
cut up vegies
salt

Put it all in a big pot. Bring to boil. Then reduce heat. Cook for 30 minutes.

It's okay but good luck getting anyone under 9 to eat it.

Your chickens will eat it.

chayote

2010-04-26T12:16:00.000-07:00

The chayote (Sechium edule), also known as chuchu, sayote, tayota, choko, chocho, chow-chow, christophene, mirliton, vegetable pear, and pear squash is an edible plant that belongs to the gourd family Cucurbitaceae along with melons, cucumbers and squash.

The chayote fruit is used in both raw and cooked forms. When cooked, chayote is usually handled like summer squash, it is generally lightly cooked to retain the crisp flavor. Raw chayote may be added to salads or salsas, and it is often marinated with lemon or lime juice.

That's what wikipedia says.

We made this. It was good. I had to boil it first so I could take all that poky stuff off.

Chayote Squash

1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 chayote squash, cut into strips
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. white sugar
1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar

Heat oil in skillet. Add everything but the vinegar to the skillet. Cook 2 to 3 minutes. Add vinegar and cook for 2 minutes longer.

Banana Bread

2010-04-25T08:48:00.000-07:00

I wanted to try no white flour or white sugar. See if it was even possible. Well. It's possible but that doesn't mean everyone will like it.
I liked it. Maybe without the raisins more would have liked it. Maybe I liked that not everyone liked it. It lasted longer.

Any guesses?

2010-04-24T06:03:00.000-07:00

this could be

2010-04-23T06:25:00.000-07:00

my favorite lettuce. I grew some in the back yard but I found some at the produce store too - without the slugs. It's butter lettuce. I wonder if somehow knowing the name I can fake myself into thinking I'm eating the top of a fruit crisp with all that butter and sugar. I don't know. I doubt it. But it was good anyway. Not like the fruit crisp I'm now dreaming of. Topped it off with my friend - white balsamic vinegar - and it was great. It really does add that tangy kick you're looking for when you're eating lettuce. Favorite lunch.
My favorite part about lettuce is you can grow it anywhere. No bees required.

my new friend

2010-04-22T07:21:00.000-07:00

part two

2010-04-21T08:36:00.000-07:00

Bacon & Cheddar Ebelskiver

Ingredients:

Ebelskiver batter recipe
8 oz. turkey bacon slices
1 1/2 oz. cheddar cheese, grated
2 1/2 oz. cheddar cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
Directions:
Heat oven to 400 or 450. Line cookie sheet with foil and bacon. Cook until crispy. Let the bacon cool, then coarsely chop.

After making the batter gently fold in the bacon and the grated cheese.

Spray pan with Pam each time. Pour 1 Tbsp. batter into each well. Place 1 cheese cube in the center of each pancake and top with 1 Tbsp. batter. Cook until the bottoms are golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Using 2 wooden skewers, flip the pancakes over and cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes more. Transfer the pancakes to a plate. Repeat with the remaining batter and cheese cubes.

I thought these were good - even with nothing on them and I'm sure they would have been divine covered in maple syrup but somebody broke the bottle and crazy amounts of syrup went everywhere and I'm never buying it again.

Traumatized.

Got the recipe from this website. Changed it a little only because I don't have the fancy ebelskiver mix. Which still sounds a little creepy. But that's okay because it's better than the "pancake puff" that someone decided to call it.

Ebelskivers

2010-04-19T14:10:00.000-07:00

It kind of sounds like something you might get sent home from school for.

Basic Ebelskiver Batter

2 cups buttermilk or milk
2 cups white or wheat flour
3 eggs, separated
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. soda
2 tsp. sugar (white, brown, or raw)

Beat egg yolks. Add sugar, salt and buttermilk. Then add soda, baking powder, and flour. (we use wheat - only because I think it takes longer to cook. Then I have a better chance of not burning them.) Beat egg whites to stiff peek. Fold in egg whites. Grease Ebelskiver iron and fill cups half full (1/2 teaspoon of fruit spread can be put on top and then that needs to be covered with a little more batter). Cook and turn.

So yummy. The kids love them. They feel like it's a party.

This was delicious!

2010-04-14T22:14:00.000-07:00

This is good with anything or alone. You don't even need butter or jam.

Date, Prune, & Pecan Bread

1 Tbsp yeast, heaping
1 cup warm water
1/4 cup olive oil
3 cups wheat flour
2 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp dough enhancer, heaping
1 tsp. gluten
3/4 cup pecans, chopped
1 cup dates, chopped
1/4 cup dried prunes, chopped

Makes 2 loaves

Combine water, yeast, & olive oil. Mix for two minutes. Add flour, salt, dough enhancer, & gluten. Mix together. It will be sticky but close to a playdough texture. Tip out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead in pecans, dates, and prunes. Add more flour if needed. Shape into two loaves. Place onto parchment lined cookie sheet. Let rise till doubled. Maybe an hour or more. Bake at 400 for 25 minutes. Let cool on wire rack.

So good. Promise.

beautiful

2010-04-12T09:50:00.000-07:00

Fertilizer is my friend. Especially when it comes out of the bag looking like this! So beautiful.

2010-04-10T10:49:00.000-07:00

baby eggplant

2010-04-09T13:36:00.000-07:00

Loved finding these. They're cute. And so were the grandpa's that were filling their bags with them. They told me how to cook them. We've had them twice since and loved it.

Chicken & Eggplant

chicken, cut in cubes
eggplant, halfed & diced
olive oil, 1 Tbsp.
salt, a pinch
lemon

Saute chicken in olive oil. Add the salt. When chicken is almost done. (just a few minutes) Add eggplant and cover. Let it simmer a few more minutes. Squeeze the lemon juice over it. Serve it with a salad or over rice. It's tasty. The eggplant really holds onto the lemon taste. Tangy.

more like a biscuit

2010-04-06T09:36:00.000-07:00

A really big biscuit. It was a sticky dough. I added more flour. More wheat flour. Especially considering it says it's a whole-wheat bread. I don't get how it can be called whole-wheat bread when there is more white flour in it. Maybe it's so you feel better when you eat it.

Whole-wheat Soda Bread

1 2/3 cups white bread flour
1 1/2 cups whole-wheat flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 stick butter, softened
1 1/4 cups milk
2 Tbsp. buttermilk

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
Put all ingredients into a large bowl and work together to form a soft dough. Shape into a ball and flatten slightly and cut a cross into the top, then dust the top with a little flour.
Put onto the baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool on wire rack.

2010-04-05T16:28:00.000-07:00

lime jello bars

1/2 cup crushed graham crackers
2 Tbsp. butter, melted
1 tsp. sugar
1 small box lime jello (sugar free)
3/4 cup boiling water
1 16oz. cottage cheese
1 8oz. cream cheese, softened
1 8oz. cool whip

Combine graham crackers with butter and sugar. Press into 8x8 pan. Refrigerate.
Combine jello and water. Stir till dissolved.
Combine cottage cheese and cream cheese in a food processor. Blend until smooth. Whisk 1/2 cup into the jello. Whisk in remaining cottage cheese mixture. Then fold in cool whip. Pour over chilled graham cracker crust.
Cover and refrigerate 8-24 hours.

I found these in some celebrate spring email. They were good.

Surprised

2010-04-04T20:57:00.000-07:00

We found these in our front lawn early this morning along with other goodies. I think they're hillarious! To the secret bunny - thank you!!

2010-04-03T16:01:00.000-07:00

Blueberry Banana Pancakes

2 cups white wheat flour
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 eggs
2 cups milk
4 Tbsp. canola oil

3 bananas, mushed
1-2 cups blueberries

Combine dry ingredients. Add eggs, milk, and oil. Whisk together. Add more milk if batter is too thick. Pam the griddle once. These take longer to cook. Wait till you can get your spatula under them. Flip once.
The kids like strawberry jam but they are good plain.

Cinnamon Rolls from Heaven....

2010-03-27T10:00:00.000-07:00

Really. The person who invented white flour has a special place in heaven...or...hell depending on how you look at the world. I lean more towards the whole wheat kinda side. And it is possible to make whole wheat cinnamon rolls and get a class full of 20 kids to eat them. Trust me. I've seen it happen and they have no idea what kind of nutritious booty has entered their body. It's great.
But then there's that moment when you sink your teeth into that light gooey white flour cinnamon roll and nothing - nothing in the world matters for that moment.

So. For those special occasions when you can give them away and not lose yourself in that moment - here is a wonderful recipe.

Cinnamon Rolls

2 Tbsp. yeast
1 cup sugar
2 tsp. salt
3/8 powdered milk
1 cup mashed potatoes
2 1/4 cup warm water
1/2 cup melted butter
2 eggs, slightly beaten
7 cups (give or take) all-purpose flour or bread flour

brown sugar
cinnamon/sugar mixture
raisins
walnuts

Glaze
powdered sugar
hot water
vanilla

This is very runny. Not like frosting.

Combine first 4 ingredients. Mix for 30 seconds. Add water, mashed potatoes, butter, and eggs. Mix just a little. Add 3 cups of flour and mix. Then keep adding flour a cup at a time. Add flour till the sides of the bowl are clean. Remove dough from bowl onto a floured surface. Knead for 8-10 minutes until dough is smooth. Lightly spray Pam into a big bowl. Let rise for about 2 hours. Covered. Punch down and divide into 4 sections. Cover the sections you aren't working with. Roll into a rectangle. Spread a little butter or butter like spread. About 1/2 a cup brown sugar. Some cinnamon sugar mixture. Spread evenly over rectangle leaving a 1/2 inch space at the top. You can add raisins and nuts also. Roll it up tight. With your thumb put some water on that 1/2 inch space. Pull it over and seal the cinnamon rolls. Cut into 2 inch pieces and place on greased or parchment paper pans.

Spray a little more Pam on some tin foil and cover cinnamon rolls. This is my favorite part. Refrigerate over night! The next morning let them rise in a warm spot for about an hour.Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

Remove and brush glaze over hot cinnamon rolls.

*If you have a mixer use the bread hook. If you have electric beaters use them until there is too much flour. Then knead with your hands as you add more flour. It's messy but totally possible.

favorite salsa

2010-03-23T21:17:00.000-07:00

Salsa

2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups frozen corn, thawed
3 large tomatoes, diced
1 large avocado, peeled and diced
1 bunch of cilantro, chopped
1 or 2 limes, juiced
1/4 cup orange muscat champagne vinegar (trader joes)
salt

Mix all together in a large bowl. Cover and chill overnight.

We love it over a plate of lettuce.
Grilled chicken is good with it too.

Really. I am so excited!

2010-03-22T13:50:00.000-07:00

Was just thinking about my kids. The food we eat. Makes me so excited for the summer garden.

I am SO excited!!

2010-03-20T14:03:00.000-07:00

This is my favorite time of year. Very favorite!

Love to do lists...

2010-03-17T22:31:00.000-07:00

click here and print it.

eggs

2010-03-16T10:55:00.000-07:00

The kids love it. We all love it. I don't know if the chickens love it. A little uncomfortable I would think.
But look how pretty they are. Maybe they do love it even though it's not easy. They get to make something beautiful every day.

check

2010-03-14T08:50:00.000-07:00

We tried something new this week. It had a fruity kind of name.
Bittermelon. Just take off the melon part because there was nothing fruity about it.
Kind of had that swiss chard taste. Sliced it and baked it on top of salmon with a big lemon.
It needed vinegar. Check that off the list of things to try once in my life.

oranges

2010-03-12T14:59:00.000-08:00

Breakfast makes me happy. Oranges makes me smile. They make me feel like I'm home. Or maybe it's like they are at home. My home. I grew up in California with a back yard full of any kind of orange tree you could think of. I came from oranges. At least that is how I grew up feeling. Like the orange was made for me. To cure my colds and clean my cupboards. I supported the orange and it supported me.
I live on the west coast but my history with the orange began on the east coast. Florida. Back in the 30's and 40's my grandpa and his uncle bought up a bunch of land. About 2000 acres. They raised cattle (and probably chickens). Then in 1958 they sold all but 80 acres. In 1959 my grandpa filled that 80 acres with orange trees. I felt famous. Like I was in a club. The farmer club. Every time that farmer would come on TV and poke the straw into the orange I thought he was picking that orange from my grandpa's farm. I can remember the first time I saw a Florida orange. It didn't look like the one on the commercial. It was monstrous and ugly but when you cut it open it was like sunshine. Sweetest orange I've ever had.

You know what they say - "Breakfast without orange juice is like a day without sunshine."

More Birthdays

2010-03-09T06:25:00.000-08:00

Tried a new cupcake last month and we threw them all away. For the next birthday we chose the box because we know it turns out.
The girls wanted lemon. My favorite!

Frosting
whipped whip cream (about 1/2 pint)+ 1/8 cup powdered sugar
half a bucket of store bought white frosting
more powdered sugar to get the consistency you want

whip it up with your electric beaters

ranger cookies re-visited

2010-03-04T09:02:00.000-08:00

same recipe with one little change. Left out the raisins and added pink m&m's. Each cookie is a 1/4 cup. How's that for a cookie?

my chicken farmers

2010-02-27T06:50:00.000-08:00

Two things that make me smile. Chickens and kids herding chickens.
We put them on the side yard during the day so they can eat the weeds.
I think I need more chickens.
Then this week. Some of them looked like they had pink eye and sounded like they had a cough.
Now you can call me the chicken doctor. What is up with that?

Today was the day...

2010-02-24T21:19:00.000-08:00

The day we ate the eggs from our chickens. I smiled after every bite.
It was a happy way to start the day.

yummy muffins

2010-02-12T12:41:00.000-08:00

Kind of like carrot cake for breakfast.

Fruit & Nut Muffins

1 3/4 cups whole grain flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup vanilla yogurt
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
2 Tbsp. canola oil
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cups walnuts, chopped
1/2 cup crushed pineapple
1/3 cup raisins
1/4 cup grated carrots

Mix it all together. Divide among 12 muffin cups coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400 degrees for 18 minutes.

chicken and potatoes

2010-02-08T20:48:00.000-08:00

I don't know if this works. But it's what we had. We had cleaned up the backyard earlier in the day and remembered that we had planted potatoes but didn't know if they were ready. We dug up enough to have dinner. I think potatoes from your garden are creamier. A little olive oil and sea salt and you're done. I buy the marinated chicken. The one at the corner mercado is the best. [i'm spelling this out for my girls - cut up your potatoes and cook them in the microwave for about 5 minutes or till almost done. meanwhile cook the chicken in a little olive oil. just before the chicken is done cut it into pieces and put it back in the pan. add your potatoes and a little salt. cook till browned.] We put it over spinach. Different but good.