Today I finally finished writing out some plans for school for next week. WOW! It really took a lot longer than I remember. I am seeing a challenge because I am working with VOLUME 2 of WEAVER and the Supplement for H. We also went to the library to find books on Royalty, Egypt and just for fun. We've been working at Heart's Desire since about 10:30 this morning. BOY are we tired!
Yesterday we made MORE muffins- 80 of them!! HOORAY for muffins for a snack.
We made Blender Banana Muffins and Blueberry Buttermilk Muffins. I will post the recipe here for the Blender Banana Muffins. I doubled the recipe but I also used the food processor instead of the blender. I love using the Buttermilk powder for the buttermilk. It really makes the muffins moist and tasty!
Blender Banana Muffins- From Sue Gregg's Breakfasts book.
Place in blender. Start at low speed and increase to highest speed for 3 minutes (keep batter churning):
3/4 cup buttermilk or non-dairy alternative
2 Tbl. Olive oil (extra virgin)
2 Tbl. melted butter or more olive oil
1/3 cup hone
1 1/2 very ripe bananas, broken pieces (or 2/3 cup mashed)
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 1/3 cups whole wheat pastry grain (not flour) or 2 cups whole wheat flour
Cover blender; let stand at room temperature overnight.
Grease or spray muffin pans.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Just before baking, add and reblend on highest speed for 1 minute:
1 egg (or egg alternative)
Mix into blender batter briefly, using blender and / or rubber spatula as needed:
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder (Rumford's is aluminum free)
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
Fold in with rubber spatula:
1/2 -3/4 cup chopped walnuts
Evenly fill muffin cups almost full. Fill any empty cups half full of water (to protect the pan).
Bake 20minutes at 350 degrees.
Cool muffins in pan for 3-5 minutes for easy removal.
I am getting inspired to be prepared for our school days ahead. Today we are making some Sausage Muffins to freeze ahead and have for quick breakfasts/ snacks. My kids totally love these muffins. These muffins work very well baked and then placed in gallon freezer bags and frozen for a couple of months.
I thought I would post the recipe here so that I could find it again quickly.
Sausage Muffins
Recipe by BH+G All Time Favorite Bread Recipes
Yield: 12 servings (can be doubled or tripled)
8 oz.Sausage; cooked and crumbled
1 cup flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1/2 cup parmesan cheese; grated
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons baking powder
2 lg. eggs; beaten
1 cup milk
1/4 cup oil
Stir together flour, cornmeal, cheese, sugar, baking powder, and 3/4 teaspoon salt; make well in center. Combine eggs, milk, and oil; add all at once to dry ingredients, stirring until moist and lumpy. Fold in sausage.
Fill greased muffin cups 2/3 full and bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes.
Go to the Muffin Madness website for more YUMMY muffin recipes!
This morning we attended the funeral service for our friend Mrs. Whitman. The service was very moving and peaceful. J sang "Mansion Builder". Mrs. Whitman's grand-daughters sang a medley of songs including "One Day at a time" , "Amazing Grace" and "I'll fly away." Frances and I played preludes and postludes. My favorite song was "On Jordan's stormy Banks." Our pastor spoke about Lorene's servant heart and willingness to give to to everyone. There were so many flowers and so many friends.
Honestly, I feel a little bit worn out emotionally. We learned last night of the death of my parent's neighbor- a 26 year old mother of a 5 year old boy. She was killed in a car wreck. I do believe she was a Christian but she leaves behind a husband, son, and her family who loved her. It made me think about how I spend my days. Am I prepared if I were to go that suddenly? I wonder what I would leave undone.
We came home and E offered to make biscuits for us to have with lunch. I was very grateful. I whipped up some scrambled eggs too. The biscuit recipe that we love I have used since I've been married. A friend of mine gave it to me in the book Etechette Tech at our wedding shower. It is such a great AMAZING recipe and makes such fluffy, yummy biscuits, I thought I would post it on the blog so maybe someone else could try it out. Also, I guess today just seemed the right day for some "comfort food."
I cook my biscuits on a cooking stone. They never burn that way!
Here is my favorite biscuit recipe of all time:
Rachel's favorite Southern Biscuits
2 c. flour
1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 egg, unbeaten
4 tsp. baking powder
2 TBS. sugar
1/2 c shortening
2/3 cup milk
Sift together flour, baking powder, cream of tartar, sugar and salt, and cut in shortening. Mix the egg and milk together and add last. Knead lightly about 5 minute. Pat out to 1/2 inch thinkness and cut. Bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes.
I am thinking that I will make these cakes for our Valentine's Day party.
I wanted to be sure I did not lose the recipe so I am posting it here.
Madeleines
3 eggs
1/3 cup sugar
grated zest of 1 lemon (optional)
1/2 cup self-rising flour, sifted twice
5 1/2 Tbls. unsalted butter melted and cooled
confectioners' sugar, for dusting
Preheat ovent to 375 degrees
Put the eggs, sugar, and lemon zest, if using, in a large bowl. Using an electric hand-mixer, whisk until pale, thick, and creamy. The mixture should leave a ribbonlike trail on the surface when lifted.
Using a metal spoon, fold in the flour. Drizzle the melted butter over the surface, then fold it in carefully. (The mixture will lose some volume.)
Spoon the mixture into the prepared madeleine mold, filling each to about two-thirds full. Bake for about 10- 12 minutes until lightly golden and just firm. Let cool for 1 minute, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Lightly dust with confectioners' sugar, then serve.
This was an amazingly great tasting but VERY spicy chili that I made for our family on Saturday evening. We are having a cold spell in our area so the chili warmed us! 1 jalepeno chile
1 serrano chile
1 poblano chile
1 small red bell pepper, stemmed and seeded
2 lb. well-marbled boneless beef chuck , fat trimmed, cut into 1/3- 1/2 inch cubes and patted dry (I used stew meat)
2 tsp. Kosher salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper
2 Tbls. Canola oil ( I used olive oil.)
8 cloves garlic, minced
4 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. ground corriander
1 can (28 oz) Plum (Roma) tomatoes, with their juices, finely chopped in a food processor
1 tsp. dried oregano
2 cups Beef Stock or water
1 cup sour cream, optional
12 sprigs fresh cilantro
*Serves* 4-6
Step 1-
Prepare the chiles and pepper.
If you prefer a mild chili, remove the seeds and ribs from the chiles, as they carry most of the heat, and then chop the chiles finely. measure out 1/2 cup of the mixed chiles and set aside.
Step 2-
Brown the beef.
Sprinkle the meat cubes evenly with 1 tsp. of the salt and 1/8 tsp of the pepper. Place a large, heavy frying pan over medium heat and add 1 Tbls. of oil. When the surface of the oil appears to shimmer, add the beef cubes in batches and brown them on all sides, about 5 minutes for each batch. Do not crowd the pan, or the meat will steam instead of brown, and adjust the heat as necessary to sear the meat. As each batch is browned, use a slotted spoon to transfer it to a small Dutch oven or other heavy-bottomed pan.
Step 3-
Cook the Vegetables.
Add the remaining 1 Tbls. of oil to the frying pan over medium heat. When the surface of the oil appears to shimmer, add the chiles, bell pepper, and garlic and cook, stirring, until the vegetables have softened and are beginning to turn golden, about 5 minutes. Stir in the chili powder, cumin, and coriander and cook for about 1 minute to develop the flavor of the spices. Add the tomatoes, oregano, and the remaining 1 tsp. salt and 1/8 tsp. pepper, stirring well to scrape up the browned bits from the pan bottom.
Step 4-
Simmer the Chili.
Add the vegetable mixture to the Dutch oven with the beef. Place the Dutch oven over medium heat, add the stock, and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. As soon as you see large bubbles begin to form, reduce the heat until only small bubbles occasionally break the surface. Cover the pot and cook until the meat is very tender and the liquid is slightly thickened, about 2 1/2 hours. If the chili seems too soupy, uncover it for the last 30 minutes to evaporate some of the liquid.
Step 5
Adjust the seasonings and serve the chili!
Taste the chili; it should be quite boldly spiced, but if you feel the flavors are a little dull, stir in a bit more salt or pepper. Spoon the chili into bowls and top with sour cream and cilantro sprigs.
Today, I want to post this recipe before I blog about our school time. I actually made this recipe for the first time yesterday. H and I LOVED it! I had never roasted a butternut squash before but it was not hard. It smelled really cool while baking too. I saved the seeds to plant in our garden.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F, and pour 1 1/2 cups water into a baking pan. Cut a 2 1/2 lb. butternut squash in half lengthwise, discard the seeds, and rub the cut sides with 2 tsp. olive oil. Place the squash, cut side down, in the pan and bake until the tip of a knife pierces the skin easily, 45-50 minutes. When cool enough to handle, scoop out the pulp; you should have about 3 cups.
Next, in 3-quart saucepan over medium heat, melt 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter. Add 1 chopped onion1 peeled, cored, and chopped granny smith apple and saute until softened, 10-12 minutes. Add 2 chopped garlic cloves and saute for 1 minute. Add 2 cups chicken stock, the squash pulp, 1 tsp kosher salt, and 1/4 tsp white pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes.
Puree the soup, then stir in 1/4 tsp ground coriander and 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg. Adjust the seasoning and serve right away, garnishing each serving with 1 tablespoon sour cream and sprinkle of ground cinnamon.
We had quite a time at our house on New Years Eve and New Years Day. The kids had some friends over to spend the night. The older girls went to a youth party at our youth ministers house from 9:00 P.M. until 12:00 A.M. J went along also and said he had a nice time visiting with some of the other youth parents. Unfortunately, things were about the same with C and the person that has been the source of quite a bit of unhappiness for her. I am praying that God will heal our hearts.
Meanwhile, the younger kids had fun here playing hide and seek (in the house), legos, Star Wars, and watching a movie while drinking Sprite and eating buttered popcorn. They got sleepy around 10:30 P.M. but stayed up talking past midnight! We had some tired kids on our hands yesterday but they had fun.
We finally took down the Christmas tree and garlands. I have to say it was a relief. We really enjoyed having it up but it is nice to have our living room back. C and I have been doing quite a bit of work on our scrapbooks. Last week we went to G and Gs house for a scrapbooking afternoon. C really does amazing work on her pages. She just seems to have a good eye for it. I love how she mixes different patterns and colors but still comes up with a balanced look. I take too long making decisions but I have enjoyed working with the pictures.
I am really glad we will start to get back into our routine again this week. Today~~ morning school. YAY!
We had this yummy soup last night for supper. I wanted to post the recipe here so that I would not lose the recipe. For those of you who like the taste of curry, this is an AMAZING soup. Even JR liked it!
MULLIGATAWNSKI
from CRAZY PLATES
by Greta and Janet Podleski
Southern Indian soup with curried chicken, apples, and rice
1 Tbsp butter
1 cup each chopped celery, chopped onions, and chopped carrots
1 clove garlic, minced
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut into one-inch cube ( I used chicken tenders from Kendall's)
2 tsp. curry powder
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. cumin
3 whole cloves
6 cups low-fat chicken broth
1 can (14-1/2 0z) plum tomatoes, drained, cut up
1/2 cup uncooked, long-grain brown rice
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
2 cups peeled, cored, and diced Granny Smith apples
1/4 cup chopped, fresh parsley
3/4 cup low-fat sour cream or yogurt ( I used E's homemade yogurt)
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
*Melt butter in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add celery, onions, carrots, and garlic. Cook and stir for 3 to 4 minutes, until vegetables begin to soften.
*Add chicken. Cook until chicken is o longer pink. Add curry powder, chili powder, cumin, and cloves. Cook and stir a few more minutes. Add broth, tomatoes, rice, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer for 15-20 more minutes.
*Add apples and parsley. Simmer for 10 more minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in yogurt/ sour cream and lemon juice. Serve hot.
Makes 8 servings
Per serving: 202 calories, 3.5 g fat, 1.1 g sat fat, 19.4 g protein, 22.3 g carbs, 2.4 g fiber, 42.9 mg cholesterol, 605 mg sodium
% calories from fat- 16
The life and times of the McCullochs WEAVING in NM.
"How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving, and tolerant of the weak and the strong. Because someday in life, you will have been all of these." George Washington
