Christmas Cookies

by Kathie of Two Frog Home

I love to bake and for the most part I don’t need an excuse to do any baking.  However, it seems that I do more baking this time of year than any other and I love every minute of it.  I try to keep it simple, by choosing simple recipes that freeze well so that I can do a little at a time and just assemble boxes and baskets of cookies when its time to mail or give.  Here’s a simple, yummy cookie that freezes well.  You know, just in case you need an excuse to bake or a new cookie recipe…

Truffle Cookies

• 2 oz unsweetened chocolate
• 1/2 Cup butter
• 1 C brown sugar, packed
• 3/4 C sugar
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2 C flour
• 1/3 C cocoa
• 1/2 tsp baking powder

  Preheat oven to 350.

  Melt the chocolate and butter in a double boiler, set aside to cool.

  Combine the sugars, eggs, and vanilla. Add the melted chocolate mixture and stir well.

  Add the flour, cocoa, and baking powder, mix until combined.

  Drop by teaspoons full onto greased baking sheets.  I use a #60 cookie scoop for these and leave them rounded up, don’t flatten so that they do look a bit like a truffle candy.  Bake for 10 minutes or until set.

A Warm Breakfast

by Kathie of Two Frog Home

On these chilly mornings of fall and downright cold mornings of winter, I like a warm breakfast.  I particularly like one that I can make in a big batch and simply reheat quickly before work.  Here’s a favorite around here – it easily doubles and just needs a quick warm up in a saucepan or the microwave each morning:

Millet Pudding

1 Cup raw millet (soaked in water minimum 30 minutes – up to 12 hours)
4 Cups water
pinch salt
1 Cup soymilk powder
2 Tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 cup chopped dried fruit or raisins
1/2 cup shredded coconut (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Drain millet from soaking water.
In an oven safe saucepan, combine water and soymilk.
Add millet and salt, bring to a boil.
Remove from heat, add remaining ingredients, stir well.
Cover and bake for 1 hour.

We like to eat ours with a little extra soymilk on top.

It’s not quite Calgon…….

Not many of us have time to take a soak in a bath.  One of the best ways I relax is to steal away for a while into the bathroom.  Sometimes this involves me making an announcement to the household that I will be usurping it for an extended period of time.  I have a tea light oil diffuser that I put on about 10 minutes before I start the tub.  I like to use calming smells like lavender, chamomile or rosemary.  If you don’t have a burner/diffuser you can always add a couple drops to your bath water before you get in.

Sometimes I add bath salts to my bath that I’ve bought from various places but I also know a couple recipies to do my own.  I use Epsom salts and sea salts in my blends adding different essential oil blends to them.  However, like I said, sometimes you just dont have time for a bath.  What I do in those times is a little bit of cheating.  I simply find a bath/shower gel that I really like and I add some of it to the salt mix.  I mix the wet to the dry or otherwise you can end up with too much gel, a little gel goes a long way. Get it to the consistency where it is still gritty.

When I jump in the shower I allow enough water to get wet, not dripping then I shut the water off.  I grab handfuls of the mix and get to scrubbing.  Its dual purpose, getting clean and getting exfoliated all at the same time.  I spend extra time on my elbows, knees and heels and then I rinse.  It rinses pretty clean and isn’t oily like traditional salt scrubs.  If you have cuts that you dont want salt in then you can substitute sugar.  I worried about it being sticky but I used my husband as a guinea pig (he can’t stand sticky) and it passed with flying colors.

It’s a very popular concoction in the household and with my friends now.  I make quite a bit of it for friends, half of the fun is sitting around the table with them mixing up.  There is soo much variety at your fingertips.  They package up nicely for gifts.  I like to use mason jars and have even made a sampler set out of recycled babyfood jars in a basket. Time well spent both in the making and the using.

The best Granola EVER!

By Maria Muscarella of dirtundermynails

I have a hard time cooking for my family.  I enjoy it, definitely, but there is a genetic ‘picky eater’ gene in my family that makes it hard to cook anything that everyone will eat.  We also have a ’snacky’ gene in the family that makes it hard to sit down to a meal because we are all constantly snacking.  Granola is one healthy snack that everyone in the family will eat.  We like to cram in as many ingredients as possible!

Here’s our recipe for granola.  It’s actually very fast to put together, it’s just the cooking time that takes a while.

Makes about 9 cups (and I usually double it!)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a high sided baking pan (I use a casserole dish).

In a small bowl mix the following ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp. water
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/3 cup oil (I use olive)
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp. salt

In a large bowl mix:

• 4 cups oats
• 1 cup millet
• 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
• 1/4 cup sesame seeds
• 1 cup chopped nuts (almond, pecan, walnut… whatever you like)
• 1 cup shredded coconut (unsweetened is best)
• 1/4 cup chopped crystallized ginger

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix well. Pour this into your prepared pan.  You will bake it for 30-60 minutes (depending on how deep your granola is) checking and stirring it ever ten minutes.  You want it to be a light, toasty brown color.  Once it is done cooking, add 2 cups of dried fruit (raisins, cranberries, cherries, blueberries, apricots… mix it up if you are feeling sassy!)  Stir it well and keep it in a airtight container.  Eat it plain, in yogurt, with milk, over oatmeal….

Yum, Yum!!

Clean-out-the-pantry granola

By Judy at My Freezer is Full

Does anyone else have children that don’t finish things?  Well, projects sometimes, but food?  My children love to snack on dried fruit but for some reason, they almost never eat the last little bit.  As a result, I have multiple packages with little bits of dried fruits and nuts.  I finally got fed up with all the little bits and decided to find a use for them.  Since I’m also trying to clear some oatmeal out of my freezer, I decided to make granola.  I haven’t made any for a long time and this seemed like the perfect opportunity.

Here it goes, feel free to improvise on a great thing.

2 cups rolled oats (NOT quick oats)

1 cup peanuts or almonds (I don’t like peanuts in my granola and used a combination of almonds and walnuts)

1/4 cup sesame seeds (amazingly, I had some of these in my freezer)

1/2 cup sunflower seeds

1/2 cup coconut (sweetened or unsweetened, depending on your preference)

1/4 cup toasted wheat germ (I was also surprised that I had some of this tucked away in the back of the fridge)

1/2 cup raisins (I had just enough golden raisins left)

1/2 cup mixed dried fruit (I had little bits left of craisins, tart cherries and a few dates.  I love dried apricots but THOSE they finish!)

scant 1/4 cup oil (NOT olive oil)

1/2 cup honey (I used a combination of honey and maple syrup)

Mix oats, seeds, nuts and grains in a large bowl.

Measure the oil into your cup and swirl it around a bit before adding it into the bowl, this coats the measuring cup and makes it easier to get all the honey out when you measure it.  Measure your honey into the oiled cup and add it in.

Toss everything together until evenly coated.  Pour into baking pan.  Lightly toast in a 300*F oven, turning and stirring every 5-10 minutes until the mix is as toasted as you would like- about 30 minutes.

Return all this to the mixing bowl and add in the fruits, stirring to mix.  The granola will clump together as it cools so you can break it up into whatever sized pieces you like. I like bigger pieces for cereal and smaller bits for toppings for yogurt.

Mmmm, toasty!

Use your imagination add what you like.  This is one of those things that you really can’t go wrong with and is great for using up those little left over bits.

Making it Easy

by Paulette of Smith Funny Farm

I love my job.  I also love baking, gardening, preserving food and many other things that so many working women think are only possible if you are a stay-at-home homemaker.

Since I am determined to not sacrifice all the things I love to do at home, I’m always looking for shortcuts, easy recipes, things that will allow me to still do those things I love to do.

I’ve discovered this summer that I’m in love with canning.  I’m not very experienced, but so far everything I’ve attempted has turned out well.  I’ve only canned using the water bath this year, I think that’s a good way to ease in to it.

Loving Fall and loving canning and loving my grandmother’s apple butter, it was a natural move for me to try my hand at apple butter this year.  I’ve been waiting for the apples, anticipating the smell of cinnamon and cloves cooking on the stove, the deep rich red color of the butter when it’s cooked down and that luscious rich taste that you are never going to get from a jar on the supermarket shelf.  And of course I had to find an easy way to do it, with my at home time being so limited and precious.  I think I found a winning recipe.  I just can’t stop making this stuff.

Apple Butter

10 large apples, about 5 lbs
4-5 cups sugar
3/4 tsp ground cloves
2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Core and peel apples, cut into slices.  Mix all ingredients and cook in crock pot on low for 10-12 hours or overnight.  Uncover and cook an additional 2-4 hours on high until apple butter is thick. Ladle into sterile jars, leaving .  Process in boiling-water-bath for 10 minutes.  You can also freeze this. 

  

Isn’t that easy?? And doesn’t it look delicious?  Trust me, it is!

The perfect cup of tea

Congratulations to One Acre Homestead.  You are the winner of the Tea Time contest and will be receiving your Tea Care Package from me shortly!

Now, for a mini-class in “tea” making.

Supplies you will need:

¨     Teapot or other means of heating water (glass or stainless steel are preferable as other metals can react with the herbs)

¨     Strainer, mesh tea bag, tea ball, cheesecloth or other means of straining out the herbs

¨     Tea cup (you can also use a mason jar which can be easily closed during the steeping process)

¨     Mason jars or other storage containers

¨     Honey or other sweetener (if desired)

Tea:

A tea is made by steeping a small amount of herbs (1-2 tsp.) in hot water for a few minutes.  This is commonly how commercial teas are made, and most commonly what we make at home.  If you want a little more bang from your herbal teas, leave it in the water for 10 minutes instead of 2, and cover it up while it’s steeping to keep the good stuff from evaporating off.

For medicinal benefits from our water preparations, we generally look to Infusions and Decoctions.  These are both basically teas that are left to steep longer, extracting more of the medicinal properties of the herbs.

Infusion:

Infusions are generally made from the aerial parts of plants (leaves, flowers, fruits) and those parts with volatile oils (fennel seed and valerian root are examples). An infusion can be made hot or cold (called a maceration).

A hot infusion:

• Bring water to a boil.
• Measure out 1 Tablespoon of dried herb, or 2 Tbsp. fresh herbs.
• Pour one cup of boiling water over your herbs and steep, covered.
• For aromatic plants steep for 10-15 minutes’ for non-aromatic leaves and flowers steep for 30-60 minutes; for woody plants and soft roots steep 1-4 hours.
• Strain and squeeze out the plant parts, sweeten if you like, and enjoy your herbal infusion!

A cold infusion or Maceration:

• Measure out 1 Tablespoon of dried herb, or 2 Tbsp. fresh herbs.
• Pour one cup of cold water over your herbs and steep, covered for 1-4 hours, or even over night.
• Strain and squeeze out the plant parts, sweeten if you like, and enjoy your herbal infusion!

Decoction:

Decoctions are made from roots, barks and non-aromatic seeds.

• Place one ounce of herb in a pot and cover with 1 quart of cold water.
• Cover the pot and bring the water to a boil.
• Lower the heat and simmer the herbs for 20-30 minutes (longer if you are working with a lot of hard, woody herbs).
• Take off the heat and allow the decoction to cool a temperature tolerable to touch.
• Strain and squeeze out the plant parts, sweeten if you like, and enjoy your herbal decoction!

Teas, Infusions and Decoctions are for immediate use and should be kept for no longer than 24 hours (in the refrigerator) before discarding.

Mixing up your own perfect blend of herbal teas takes time and experience.  It’s not that it’s hard to do, it’s just that you need to get to know your herbs, their flavors, smells, and how they affect you.  If you are new to herbs, there are lots of herbalists out there who are creating fun herbal tea blends that you can start experimenting with.  Blessed Botanicals and  Summit and Spice Tea Company are a nice place to start looking for your perfect tea (no, I don’t get any kick backs from them.  I just like their stuff)

Have fun!

One Good Burger

Written by Heather of Heather’s Eden

Everyone likes a good burger every now and then, whether it’s a beef burger, turkey burger or veggie burger. The trick is finding one that is good and good for you.

I saw this recipe on the Today show, as presented by Martha Stewart. I thought that it looked good, and Matt Lauer gave his approval. So I decided to give it a try. And am I glad that I did! My boyfriend gave this burger two thumbs up, and I think he would probably choose it over most beef burgers.

So here is the recipe for one good burger, made a little better for you by substituting ground turkey or chicken for the usual ground beef.

Chicken Burger with Roasted Poblano and Onion

1 poblano chile pepper

4 tsp vegetable oil

1 large white onion, halved and thinly sliced lengthwise

Coarse salt and ground pepper

1 1/4 pounds ground chicken breast (I used ground turkey instead, since I couldn’t find ground chicken)

4 slices sharp yellow cheddar

2 tsp butter, room temperature

4 whole-wheat burger buns, split

Directions:

1. Over low heat or under the broiler, roast chile until charred, about 6 minutes, turning frequently. (I grilled mine on my George Foreman grill.) Place in a bowl and cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap. Let chile steam 20 minutes, then rub with a paper towel to remove skin. Remove stem and seeds. Slice chile into 2-inch strips and return to bowl.


Poblano pepper

2. In a large skillet, heat 2 tsp oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and season with salt and pepper. Cook until onion is soft and translucent, about 10 minutes.


Sauteed onions

Add onion to bowl with chile and stir to combine.



Onion and Pepper

3. Form ground chicken/turkey into four 4-inch wide patties and season with salt and pepper. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high. Add 2 tsp oil and swirl to coat. Working in batches, cook burgers 2 minutes. Flip, top each with cheese, and cook until cooked through, about 4 minutes more.
4. Meanwhile, heat broiler. Butter inside of buns and place on a baking sheet, buttered side up. Toast under broiler. Place burgers on buns and top with onion and chile mixture.

Turkey Burger and Slaw

Very good and flavorful burger! Juicy burger– not dry like you might expect turkey. Perhaps this is because I chose ground turkey (including dark meat) instead of ground turkey breast. Or maybe it was the addition of a little oil to the pan. The poblano pepper is the key here, and adds a great flavor. My boyfriend loved this burger, so I think this is a healthier option to prepare for the man in your life. I would expect kids to like the burger as well, and if your child doesn’t like peppers or any spice, just hold the peppers, although they only have a mild heat.


Poblano burger

So do you have a secret ingredient that makes your burgers extra special?

It must be Fall…

by Paulette of Smith Funny Farm

As the days grow short, some faces grow long.  But not mine. 
Every autumn, when the wind turns cold and darkness comes early, I am suddenly happy. 
It’s time to start making soup again.
~Leslie Newman

…because my mind is constantly on soup.  Happens every year at this time, I can’t wait to make my favorite warm, comforting favorites.  Add the season to the fact that I’ve been sick for a couple of weeks, and it’s no wonder I can’t get it off my brain.  

My absolute favorite soup is my home made potato soup. I make this a lot during the Fall and Winter, and it’s such a favorite of our family.  We always have it Christmas day, along with another soup or chili, and home made bread.  We love the tradition. 

One reason I love this so much is that after a long day at work I can come in and throw this together in no time at all.  After the potatoes cook, it’s just a matter of putting the other ingredients in and simmering while I unwind from my day.   A great recipe for a homemaker who works.

This soup can be made as ‘bad’ or ‘good’ as you would like for it to be, depending on the lightness of the ingredients you use. When I make it for just Mike and I, I make the ‘good’ version.  OK, ‘semi-good’.

Paulette’s Potato Soup
10 medium potatoes
1 stick of margarine (less for the good version, as much as 1/2 less)
1 small onion, chopped
1 pkg bacon, crumbled (this doesn’t go in the ‘good’ version)
½ to ¾ cup sour cream (light for ‘good’ version)
2 cups shredded cheddar (2% for ‘good’ version)
1 can cream of chicken soup and 1 cup of sliced mushrooms (or 1 can cream of mushroom soup instread of the mushroons…not for the ‘good’ version though) 
Salt and pepper
Parsley flakes

Peel and cube potatoes and cook until tender.
In separate pan, melt margarine and sauté onion until tender. Combine other ingredients and simmer until cheese melts. Don’t leave too much water in the potatoes unless you prefer a thinner soup. With potato masher, slightly mash some of the potatoes. Add salt and pepper to taste, top with parsley flakes and bacon.

This soup is guaranteed to hit the spot on any day. It is so quick to make and so delicious.

If you don’t have a favorite potato soup, I hope you will try this one.  If you do have one, please share!

Tea Time

By Maria of Dirtundermynails.com

I’ve been trying to set up little rituals or rhythms to our day or week that we know we can count on… reading time in the evening, library day on Mondays, pizza on Fridays.  One that Kaia and I have started lately is having tea time.  It’s really nice, even in hot weather, to wake up and have a cup of tea.  It seems to take the ‘rush, rush, rush’ out of the mornings, especially school mornings!

I have hundreds (literally) of herbs in my office, so we can chose from boxed teas, or go out to the office (which is on the land) and pick our own flavor of the day!  Sometimes I feel fruity (orange or lemon peal, hibiscus, peach leaf, maybe a touch of cinnamon…), sometimes I feel a little minty (spearmint, lemon balm, maybe a little ginger…), maybe I start the morning feeling a little frisky (cocoa nibs, jasmine, rose petals, damiana, cardamon…), or I need a little nourishment (milky oats, nettles, rose hips, alfalfa…).  Kaia always seems to go for the same flower fairy blend (hibiscus, red clover, lavender,  elderberries and flowers, cinnamon…), but my absolute favorite is one I never tire of: Rooibos, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, orange and ginger… steeped until dark red/brown with a splash of cream!!!  MMmmm, Mmmmm, good!!!  I could drink a gallon of it!

I think there is an art to creating a good herbal tea!  If you are sad, it should comfort you and pick you up.  If you are stressed, it should help soothe your frayed nerves.  I love having so many herbs at my fingertips.  I feel like a detective as I sift through the herbs trying to decipher which herbal mixture will break the code and start my day off with a gentle exhale and an “Aaaaaahhhhhhh!’

So, today, I’m offering to you my specialty tea services!   How do you get them?  Just let me know what your favorite teas are.  What does your tea need to do for you in the mornings to make you say ‘ahhhhhh’?  If you leave your comment by Sept 28th I will have my daughter draw the winning name out of a hat and announce the winner with my next posting (end of Sept) and send you a personalized tea bled, and maybe a taste of my favorite tea too.  Make sure to leave contact information.  Yay!  This will be fun!!

Bulk herbs in the office, A though N

O through Z

Tea basket and drawer in the kitchen