Jan. 9, 2009 - Nourishing New Year's Resolutions
Posted in Cooking and Baking
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Kimi at The Nourishing Gourmet is hosting a fun carnival in which we are posting our Nourishing Food Resolutions for this year. Here’s mine:
Learn to make sprouted flour
Make bread and tortillas with the sprouted flour
Get some new kefir grains and take care of them!
Make kefir regularly. Use in smoothies and to soak grains.
(I also have a sourdough bread recipe that uses kefir - I want to make that too).
Drink Green lemonade 3 times a week.
Green Lemonade is a vegetable juice made from Romaine lettuce, kale or spinach, lemon, and apple. I like it and think it is quite refreshing, however, it makes my husband shudder!
Ultimately I would like to drink this everyday, but I think 3 times a week is more realistic right now. If I am able to stick to 3 times a week consistently, then I’ll add more days.
The best steps to take are to make sure the juicer is put together and ready the night before, and have veggies ready to go. I am going to try using ziplock bags to store the veggies for one juice together. That means one bag will have a head of romaine lettuce, small bunch of spinach, one lemon and one apple. This way I can get the bag out and start right away. If I have to get each item out of the fridge, wash them and separate out the part I need to use...I don’t feel very motivated. I’m not sure if I will have everything washed ahead of time though. I find that greens go bad a lot quicker if they have been wet. So I’ll need to experiment with this.
Find a good combination for green smoothies that the kids will enjoy.
Once I do, I’ll post about it.
Buy local raw honey in bulk
Call and find out about pricing and ordering by next Friday!
Make a list of nourishing breakfast, lunch and snack ideas.
Post on fridge or keep in binder for easy reference.
Teach daughter to make one breakfast, lunch, snack and dinner.
Continue to experiment with natural sweeteners.
Convert 2 favorite recipes.
Prepare ahead.
In order to eat more healthfully without too much hassle, I need to improve my skills when it comes to preparing ahead. I’d like to have a set day (or two a week) in which I cut up veggies, make bread, broth, and crackers. I need to experiment with this a little until I find a good rhythm.
It would also be extremely beneficial for me to develop a good evening routine. A time in which I prepare grains for the morning, check on kefir, put meat in fridge to thaw, get out juicer, and so on.
Beg Azure Standard to deliver to my area!
I would love it if I could purchase in bulk from them. I know I can with ups shipping, but the delivery option is so much nicer - no high shipping cost and refrigerated items are available.
Visit The Nourishing Gourmet to read what others are planning for the new year (and add your resolutions too).
I'd love to hear yours.
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Jan. 9, 2009 - SugarBean's Dinner
Posted in Cooking and Baking
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On Monday I mentioned that my daughter would be making dinner this week. Well, she did it! And it turned out great.
She wrote a shopping list for the things we needed and helped look for them at the store:
Bocconcini are bite size mozzarella balls. We couldn’t find those so just substituted fresh mozzarella instead and cut it into bite sized pieces.
Tuesday was the big day as SugarBean was very excited (she's 7 years old). After I showed her everything she would be using her response was, “But I’m not allowed to touch raw meat.” I think she felt very grown up being allowed to do that.
First (after putting hair back and washing hands) we placed the Italian sausage in a bowl and I showed her how to wrap the meat around a square of cheese. Then I let her go. She made about 25 meat balls.
The meatballs were placed on a rimmed baking sheet and then into the oven (I let her do that). She also set the timer.
The fact that these meatballs are baked is a great plus and makes this something that young ones can do.
While the meatballs were cooking she washed the broccoli, chopped it and placed it in a big pot. Then little brother jumped in a put the water in the pot (big sister was not pleased - this was HER dinner!) SugarBean carried the pot to the stove and turned on the burner. I stayed close by - don’t worry!
Next she opened the can of tomatoes and poured it into another pot than added the pesto sauce. She also carried this to the stove and stirred it over low heat.
It’s funny to realize just how many things I know take for granted in the kitchen. Like knowing to stir a hot sauce slowly so it doesn’t splash, wash my hands after touching raw meat, and how to hold a knife! These are all the things I needed to remind her of. But I take great pleasure in knowing that she is learning all this now. Much earlier than I did. Perhaps she will leave home knowing how to make more than scrambled eggs and shortbread (Not together! But that’s all I knew how to cook when I left home).
After everything was ready (I took the meatballs out of the oven), she prepared everyone’s plate with baby carrots, broccoli, meatballs and sauce.
Here is a picture:
I am so pleased with how everything turned out. It was tasty and we had a great time doing it. It was easier to be patient with her helping because this was a planned thing, it was her dinner! A noted side effect was a great sense of accomplishment. She behaved in a much more mature fashion for most of the evening (most).
A friend of mine chooses one meal for each child to learn. She works with them for a while and gradually lets them do more and more of it alone, until they can prepare the whole dinner without help. She writes up very detailed instructions so the child knows exactly what to do. AS far a I know, her 9 year old can make a spaghetti dinner all the way from defrosting the meat to setting the table. I think this is such a great idea and one I want to implement.
The meal mentioned here is very easy and one a young person can prepare.
If you want to make it, here is what you will need:
2 lbs Italian sausage
Mozzarella cheese
28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
½ cup pesto sauce
Cut mozzarella into bite size pieces
Wrap sausage around cheese to make a meatball. Place on cookie sheet.
Bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes (check for doneness)
For sauce: Place tomatoes and pesto in saucepan and heat over medium/low until warm.
To serve: Place meatballs on plate and spoon sauce over top.
This recipe is adapted for Rachael Ray’s Mozzarella Stuffed Chicken Sausage Balls
For more Show and Tell visit Canadagirl
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Dec. 24, 2008 - Cute Cookies
Posted in Cooking and Baking
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I thought these little Reindeer cookies were so cute! My kids had a lot of fun making them thanks to this tutorial from Laura at Heavenly Homemakers. We used her recipe, although I'm sure they could be made using other cookie recipes you may have on hand. I think we found a new Christmas tradition!
I especially liked this funny little one my 4 year old made:
Merry Christmas! |
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Oct. 10, 2008 - Polka Dot Cupcakes
Posted in Cooking and Baking
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Last Saturday we had a baby shower for a sweet friend. This baby is her first and she does not know if it will be a boy or girl. Somewhere along the line I got the bright idea to do a polka dot theme. And also decided to make gourmet cupcakes instead of a cake. I was worried right up to the last minute, but it all turned out quite nicely.
I spent many nights googling “baby shower cupcakes” and “polka dot decorations.” My greatest concern was getting polka dots on the cupcakes. I am not a master cake decorator, so this was a little daunting.
Eventually I came across a fun idea to roll our starburst and cut them into shapes. That worked well. Here is a picture:
All you need to do is warm them in the microwave for about 5 seconds, roll them out and cut. I didn’t have little cookie cutters, so I just used a few odd things from the kitchen drawer (a lid and the end of a frosting tip). This Starburst idea came from Angry Chicken.
The kids had fun making people with the starburst scraps:
(4 year olds' starburst person)
(7 year olds' starburst person)
For the lemon poppyseed cupcakes, I put a strawberry milkshake whopper on top:
I used Jamie Oliver's Lemon poppyseed cake recipe with a cream cheese frosting. I love this cake recipe - it uses ground almonds in it - Delicious!
I couldn’t work fast enough to decorate them with polka dots, but I think the pink frosting was enough!
These are vanilla cupcakes with strawberry and mascarpone filling
Other Items I purchased for possible polka dots decorations were:
Spree candy
Necco wafers
You could also use m & m’s
One other thing I tried, which didn't turn out, was candy clay. It is quite easy to make. However, I put it in the fridge over night and it was hard as a rock the next day. Thankfully I didn’t need it.
Fondant would work too, but I have no experience with that, and I've heard the taste is not pleasing.
Please visit Canadagirl for more show and tell.
And be sure to stop by Tammy's Recipes for more Kitchen tips.
Have a happy day! |
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Sep. 17, 2008 - Stretching Frosting
Posted in Cooking and Baking
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 Warning: Health Nuts look away NOW! (I’d describe myself as somewhat of a health nut - but we all have our weak moments)
This morning my 4 year old and I decided to make a cake. It was a rushed, last minute sort of thing, so I left my usual from-scratch recipes in the dust and reached for a box of Betty Crocker cake mix and frosting.
Once the cake was baked we realized that there was not going to be enough frosting. We had one container of it and that is not sufficient for filling and frosting a double layer cake. Luckily we had some whipping cream in the fridge. We poured some of the cream into our mixer and let it get nice and fluffy. Then we mixed the remainder of the frosting (I’d say we had already used half the container) into the whipped cream.
I suspected it would be good, and it was. The frosting had a nice, thick consistency and spread very easily. It also gave the cake a more homemade look and taste.
So, next time you don’t have enough frosting, or you just want to make your box cake a little more “special,” add some whipped cream. I can’t give you specific measurement, but I venture to say that it would be hard to mess this up. If you are not sure of the amount, put the frosting in a bowl and gradually add the whipped cream until you reach the amount or consistency you desire.
It worked for me and I’m sure it will work for you too.
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Sep. 16, 2008 - Kitchen Tip - Roasting Tomatoes
Posted in Cooking and Baking
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Last year I made roasted tomatoes for the first time. I could not believe how delicious they were.
I've been making them ever since and wanted to remind my readers just how easy they are to make and how yummy they are to eat.
This is a wonderful way to use up extra tomatoes that may be starting to get a little too soft.
This is how to do it:
Rub some olive oil on a rimmed baking sheet (or casserole dish). Place small tomatoes on the baking sheet whole or large ones can be cut in half. Fill up the baking sheet with tomatoes if possible.
Next, randomly place a few cloves of garlic between tomatoes.
Drizzle olive oil on top. Shake a little salt and pepper over and sprinkle on some fresh rosemary.
Place in a hot oven (about 400 degrees) for about an hour.
After they have cooled, putt them in ziplock bags and store in the freezer. They are wonderful added to soups, pasta sauce, chili, etc.
The best way to eat them is straight off the pan. If there is any juice at the bottom of the pan, dip some bread in it and take a taste...it is such a great flavor (can you tell I like these?) You can also smoosh a roasted garlic clove on some bread for a tasty treat.
They may not look yummy, but I can assure you they are.
You’ll never have to worry about over buying tomatoes again. It certainly works for me!
I first learned to make these by following a tutorial found here
For more kitchen tips visit Tammy's Recipes. |
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Aug. 23, 2008 - Cookbook ALERT!
Posted in Cooking and Baking
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I was hoping to write an 'I’m home' post ....but came across a super deal and had to share it!
While on vacation we stopped in at the Earthbound Organic Farm. I was really excited to visit them because I have purchased Earthbound Farm products many times.
I decided to purchase their cookbook, Food to Live By , for full price...which is not typical for me (hey, it is signed by the author). Every recipe looked SO good. It is full of beautiful pictures and wonderful information. With each page I thought, “Yum.” I usually like to make a list of recipes to try from a new cookbook, except with this one it would be almost the whole book!
Today I checked it out on amazon.com and found that it is on sale for the bargain price of $5.99 (Full price is $21.95).
I’m buying a couple to give to friends.
Unlike some other organic cookbooks, this one is not full of strange ingredients that are hard to find. Just good, hearty, meals.
If you have any interest in natural, healthy, nutritious food, this book should be on your bookshelf. Just check out the reviews on Amazon....30 readers gave it 5 stars and one gave it 4. It has already become one of my favorites.
Tomorrow I’ll share a recipe for a delicious salad from this book. Here is a sneak peek:
This week I'll be making Maple Almond Granola, Sweet Corn Chowder, and Farm Stand Spinach Cannelloni.
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Jul. 4, 2008 - Happy 4th of July!
Posted in Cooking and Baking
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Above is a picture of the Fruited Cheesecake Flag we made for today.
The kids helped with the crust and the blue part of the flag.
It would look so much prettier if it was on something other than a cookie sheet,
but I don't have any 13" x 18" serving platters. It still tastes good 
Have a happy day!
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Jul. 1, 2008 - Kitchen Tip - Keep the lead out!
Posted in Cooking and Baking
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Many of you may already know of this possibility. I learned of it only a few years ago, so I am supposing someone may stumbled across this that has not heard of it before....
Excessive lead consumption can cause major damage to the kidneys, brain, blood, and nervous system. Children that are exposed to too much lead can have their development severely impaired.
Using hot tap water in baking and cooking could lead to higher levels of lead consumption. Hot water dissolves contaminants in the pipes much quicker than cold water. So use the cold water to fill your tea pot and saucepan.
Also, it is a good idea to let the water run for a minute or two first thing in the morning. Water that has been sitting in the pipes for 6 hours or more, may contain higher levels of lead.
If this is of concern to you, you may want to have your water tested. Do-it-yourself kits are available at many hardware stores.
If you would like to know more, here are a few articles to read:
Hot Water Hazards?
Actions You Can Take To Reduce Lead in Drinking Water
Never Drink Hot Water From the Tap
For more kitchen tips, visit Tammy's Recipes |
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Mar. 29, 2008 - A little cooking post...
Posted in Cooking and Baking
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This has been a very exciting day for me....
I made English Muffins!!
I have always loved English muffins. They are so nice toasted with a little butter. Delicious.
My mother blessed me with the Sue Gregg Cookbook set for my birthday (thanks mum). In the Breakfast Cookbook there was an English Muffin recipe (page 154.) It uses the two stage process which involves soaking the flour overnight. I thought It would be difficult, but it wasn't.
Here is a picture:
And one toasted with peanut butter and jam (my daughter's request):
I used my cast iron skillet on a very low heat. They turned out great. It was a little time consuming, but it was fun (and I do like knowing what is I my food.)
This is a silly thing, but I really do find so much joy in cooking!
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Feb. 1, 2008 - Frugal Friday - Stove top Savings
Posted in Cooking and Baking
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Saving money in the kitchen is always nice. The following ideas are little steps that save a few cents here and there. It may not seem like much, but in the long run they add up.
For the stove top:
- Cook with the right size pot on the right size burner.
If the pan is smaller than the burner, energy is lost. Obviously extra energy is used to heat up a larger burner. So if the pan is small, use a small burner.
- Use pans with flat bottoms. Warped pans let heat escape, causing the food to take longer to cook.
- Cooking time can be reduced by using a lid on your pot; it keeps the heat in.
- If using an electric stove, turn off burners a little before you need to, since they stay hot.
For the oven:
- Don’t pre-heat the oven.
It is usually unnecessary and uses a lot of extra energy. Turn it on and stick that casserole in!
(I guess you do need to pre-heat when cooking pastries)
- Cook back to back. Instead of heating the oven all the way up for a tray of muffins, plan ahead and bake your bread and dinner too. When possible, turn off oven before done, it stays hot for quite a while.
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See what other appliances can do the job; a crock pot may use less energy than an electric oven.
Click here to see the cost of cooking a casserole using different appliances (this link also has some great tips for saving in the kitchen).
Lastly, if you have a wood burning stove - use it!
Soups, stews and beans all cook very well on top of a wood burning stove. Cast iron pots and pans are great for this job.
If you are already using a stove for heat, then this would really save you money. Since it is already in use, why not make it do double duty.
(Of course, if you have small children you must be very careful and take proper precautions).
Here is a link with some tips (and recipes) for cooking on a wood burning stove: Tasty Tips for Cooking on Your Woodburning Stoves
Th above picture was from this morning. Inside the pot....
Rice! It turned out great.
Happy Cooking! |
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Jan. 21, 2008 - Dessert Anyone?
Posted in Cooking and Baking
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My company had to cancel because of sick kiddies.
So I'm left with a little dessert.....
Caramel Slice and Cherry Mash Bars.
It's too dangerous to have that much dessert on my counter top;
so I'll be making some deliveries!
My friend and I decided we will have to do last minute get togethers.
Everytime we plan, someone gets sick!
Next time everyone is well, we will just have a quick dinner.
It won't be as fancy. But at least it will happen
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Dec. 12, 2007 - Cooking up a storm
Posted in Cooking and Baking
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I wanted to share some pictures of two desserts we made yesterday. My sister and I always love to cook when we get together. And this time is no different!
First we made mini cheesecakes. Yum!
They were quite easy....especialy the toppings: We used blueberry pie filling for one and cherry pie filling for the other. The third cheesecake is topped with melted chocolate.
The next dessert is a rather dangerous combination as far as I'm concerned:
They may not look like much, but let me tell you, they are delicious! Homemade Shortbread cookies sandwiched together with Nutella (a Chocolate hazelnut spread). My daughter helped put them together - can you see the chocolately finger prints all over them?
Both these ideas came from Seasonal Delights, a quarterly magazine which is packed with ideas for enjoying each season.
I subscribed when there was a free special and have enjoyed it very much. I’m not sure of the price to subscribe at this time, but I can assure you that it is a beautiful publication.
To read more about Seasonal Delights click here
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Nov. 10, 2007 - Best Fall Desserts
Posted in Cooking and Baking
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I want to make a fancy fall dessert this friday. I can't decide what to make!
So far it is between the following:
(Click to view recipe)
Marbled Pumpkin Cheescake
Pumpkin Cheesecake
Autumn Harvest Pie
Spiced Pumpkin Layer Cake
Chocolate Pecan Pie
Caramel Apple Cake
What do you think?
I could make two different ones....
This is a very special occasion.
A dear friend of mine (who is also a homeschooling mom) will be coming for dinner with her husband and four kiddies. Joining us will be the preacher and his wife, who lived in the house where we now reside for 11 years.
The first time my friend came over she realized that she had been here before. Come to find out, the preacher and his wife would pick her up and bring her to church when she was a young teenager (she lived in a children's home at the time). They even tried to adopt her! Isn't that amazing!? They haven't seen each other in many years.
Needless to say, this is a special occasion and I want a good dessert!
Feel free to point me in the direction of any good recipes you have seen online.
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Jul. 6, 2007 - More-with-Less
Posted in Cooking and Baking
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The More-With-Less Cookbook came in the mail today. It looks wonderful!
Most of the recipes appear to be simple and healthy.
You can be sure my next menu plan will have lots of meals from this book 
If you own it, let me know what your favorites are. |
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Jun. 14, 2007 - Catering Job - COMPLETE!
Posted in Cooking and Baking
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Here is just a quick note for my dear friends....
I am SO tired ....but also very excited!! The desserts were a hit and everything went very well. Many people asked what catering company provided the desserts and even requested my phone number! I certainly could not do this on a regular basis...but maybe every now and then.
Thanks so much for your encouraging words and support. I appreciate it.
There will be more details tomorrow...for now here a few pictures:
Black Forest Cakes
Almond Berry Bars
Good night...and thanks again to all of you who said, "You can do it". |
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Jun. 11, 2007 - Running out of room!
Posted in Cooking and Baking
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Look at my freezer:
I had to put everything I could in the door and bottom shelf. The rest is cake!! And I still have 4 cake rounds on the counter!
This morning between breaking up a fight over the blocks, getting breakfast and second breakfast, dealing with a bug in my daughter's bedroom and numerous other interruptions....I baked 6 cakes.
Here is one cooling:
We live at a high altitude so I have been tweaking the recipe a little.
It looks cracked but it is nice and moist and didn't sink...so that is very good.
My new best friend:
This stuff works really well. The box says, "The simple secret to better baking."
I was certainly skeptical but have become a believer.
Look at this round of parchment paper AFTER the Black Forest Cake was baked, cooled and then removed:
The cake came out so easily! No sticking!
Last of all I wanted to share this picture:
At one point I was so tired that I just cracked the egg right into the egg carton instead of the bowl.
I also almost left out the baking soda once - thankfully I noticed before it was too late!
So far I have 5 Strawberry Rolls and 9 chocolate cakes made.
I plan to do the frosting on Wednesday evening.
Tomorrow I will be grinding the almonds for the Almond Berry Bars and also making a Berry Drizzle to go with it. Wednesday and Thursday will be very busy.
I will try to post the Strawberry Roll recipe and a picture in the next few days.
It is a great one to have on hand for unexpected company - it keeps in the freezer very well.
I am feeling rather nervous - pray for me!
( I think I need a new category for all these food posts - what should it be called?
Food? Cooking and Baking? Yummy Stuff?) |
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About Me
I am an Australian married to an American, currently living in the U.S.A.
Join me as I strive to delight in the moments that make up our days and aim to have a happy family that loves God and serves others.
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