Homemade Granola/Cereal Bars

  So I needed a treat for my toddler's nursery group at church.  I wanted to make something tasty yet semi-healthy and didn't want to go to the store.  I found a super easy crispy treat recipe using corn syrup (no marshmallows on hand), peanut butter, and sugar.  I had all the ingredients and had some nasty WowButter (soy butter) that needed using up and it would be safe for anyone with nut allergies at church.
  This has been life changing... so much so I actually hopped online to make a blog post :o)... so I can share it more easily with friends.

This is a half batch in a 7x11" pan.  The full batch makes much more squares.

Now I'm making these regularly and I'm playing around with different ingredients.  I just follow the same basic formula and it's so easy I don't even have to look up the recipe (which I'm terrible with numbers).

• 1 cup corn syrup (or honey works too. Going to try pure maple syrup next time and cook a little longer)
• 1 cup sugar (or granulated/dry sweetener I used powdered honey last time)
• 1 cup peanut butter (WowButter works and I bet almond or Nutella or anything similar consistency)
• 6 cups cereal (all one kind or a combo. I've used all of these in different batches: quick oats, rice crispies, cheerios, wheat puffs, (these are just the boring cereals I buy (I don't buy sugary cereals for my kiddos... they are content with the boring stuff).
• optional stir-ins: (maybe just 2 cups or less of these things... so they hold together) peanuts, sunflower seeds, craisins, raisins, mini choc. chips, or any flavor baking chips*, gummies, mini-Reese's pieces, 

Butter a 9x13 pan.  Combine corn syrup and sugar in a bigger pot (so you can stir all the cereal in later). Stir and melt the sugar in the syrup and bring to a simmer (cooking longer will make a stiffer bar, less will make them soft and gooier-but fall apart easier) .  Stir in the peanut butter.  Add cereal(s).  Stir in any add ins*.  If too gooey add a little more cereal or oats (they seem to be more absorbent) Press into baking pan.  Cool 20 min or so. Cut into squares.

I like to wrap them in plastic wrap once completely cool and hide them in the pantry with other kids snacks to put into lunches (if made without peanuts).  It is also good to free up my baking pan and to keep me from snitching on them all day.

*For melty chips I press a layer of 1/2 the cereal goo in the pan, sprinkle a layer of chips and then press the rest of the cereal on top so it sandwiches the melty, messy chips in the middle.

My kids love these.  All the kids at church loved them.  Let me know what you think.  Let me know what combinations of ingredients you try. 

 Happy Snacking!

Apple Skin Apple Butter.... sooo good.

When processing apples into Apple Pie Filling  you may find that you end up with a huge pile of apple skins.  These are not garbage... Go ahead and dispose of the cores (or dump them in the alley for the resident deer population to munch on).  While you're peeling apples keep a large crockpot nearby.  Toss the skins in the pot as you go (have it turned on low heat) and toss a cinnamon stick in there too.  If the pot is left open as you work, be sure it doesn't boil dry (add a little water) and keep it going all day.

What exactly is Apple Butter?

I'm sure once you're done processing pie filling you'll have tons of energy to do apple butter.... I DON'T (we do 2-4 batches of filling and I'm beat). So I leave that baby cooking all night.  Before bed I cram it full (because the skins cook down a lot) by using a simple corer/wedger and stuffing as many apples in there as I can.  I fill a 2.5 qt and a 3.5 qt crockpot (so 6 qts.) and leave them bubbling all night.

Then in the morning we wake up to a heavenly apple smell.  I turn off the crock pots to cool while we get our morning routine out of the way.  A couple hours later I get going on it.

Apple Skin Apple Butter

20 Cups apple skins chunks and wedges slow cooked ~18hrs
1 1/2 cups Honey
1 1/2 tsp salt (w/out iodine)
 
I scoop the apple mush (removing cinnamon sticks!) into my blender until it's filled to the 5 cup line.  Then I blend until smooth and pour into my large pasta pot.  Repeat until all of the apples are pureed.  Adjust your recipe according to the amount of apple mush you measured (ex: 3/4 cup Honey for 10 cups of mush). Measure before blending since it adds air and makes it seem like more volume.  Heat until simmering and add honey and salt.

I can mine in pints or 1/2 pints, processing 15 min + my 10 min extra for altitude (don't forget to adjust for altitude).  I've been using a Victorio Steam canner (which is awesome) but a water bath method also works.

Feel free to adjust the recipe!  If you only have sugar you can use sugar. I am trying to consume less sweets so this recipe is not super sweet... you could double the amount of sweetener in the recipe (if you want it sugary like jam).  I have also added pectin before to make it thicker just following the jam directions (it is expensive so I usually leave it out since I make so much).

I use apple butter as a spread on toast or English muffins (I smear a little normal butter on and then the apple butter (like I do with jam).  We eat a lot of oatmeal (microwave 1/3 cup oats with 1/2 cup whole milk for 1 min).  One of my kids favorite stir ins is a big scoop of apple butter (I also like to add some flax seeds and a spoon of plain yogurt to mine.)

Peanut Butter Apple Fluff: To make sandwiches I make a goober mix (half creamy peanut butter half apple butter) and spread it generously between two slices of bread.  The kids call it Peanut Butter Apple Fluff.  You can use crunchy peanut butter (but the moisture from the apple butter can make the chunks soft). So I only use crunchy on sandwiches that will be eaten right away.  Peanut butter Apple Fluff is like frosting.... it is also good to sandwich between graham crackers before putting them in an airtight container in the fridge... You get soft and cakey graham bars after a few hours... such a yummy treat.  I think I will use it to frost a cake sometime in the near future... when the baby is okay-ed to eat peanuts.

Let me know if you try this... or if you made any excellent alterations.  Share your favorite ways to use apple butter.  I love comments.

Canned Apple Pie Filling II & Honey Sweetened Recipe

I've improved my recipe from last year: see how many more apples are crammed in the jar! and the 'sauce' is thicker.

2013

Supplies:

7 quart jars/batch

a crank apple peeler/corer

canning supplies (pot, jar lifter, lids, rings, funnel)

lemon juice

water

apples enough to fill 7quart jars 5-8 apples/jar depending on size

Process:

http://www.amazon.com/Victorio-VKP1011-Apple-Potato-Peeler/dp/B001DLP4EM/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1381779354&sr=8-5&keywords=apple+slicer+corer+peeler

Peel and core apples on a peeler/corer/slicer as seen above.  If you'd rather you can do any other preferred method but this is much faster.

Using a very large bowl pour lemon juice and water (maybe a half cup of lemon juice/quart of water). about 1/3 full (you can add more water/lemon as needed).

As each apple comes off the end of the corer, cut it in half and remove any pieces with skin, flaws, etc.  Then you will have smile shaped slices.  Save the skins in one container (puree cook them down sweeten and make them into apple butter...mmm).  Place the slices in the lemon water to wait until you process to prevent browning.

If you have someone helping (which I recommend because this is a pretty time consuming project)  Have the other person prepare the filling sauce:

Filling Recipe:

USING HONEY:

4 cups honey (I will likely use 1 cup less next time + a little extra water)

5 1/2 cups water

1 1/4 cups flour

3 tsp cinnamon (I used more spice to balance w/ the honey flavor)

2 tsp. salt (non-iodized)

In a large pot dissolve honey in the water.  Measure flour and stir in the cinnamon and salt.  Whisk flour mix into the water until smooth.  Heat until bubbling.  Reduce heat to keep warm.

USING SUGAR:

5 cups sugar

1 cup thickener (I prefer flour for a hearty apple pie--some like cornstarch for a clear jell--looks store-bought to me)

2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

2 tsp. salt (non-iodized)

5 cups water *

Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl making sure to break up any flour or starch lumps.  Measure cool water in a large sauce pot, whisk the dry ingredients into the water until smooth.  Place on stove top and bring to a boil (watch closely and stir)  I do this on high so I don't have to stand around all day waiting for it to boil.  You don't want to leave it to boil or it can boil over and make a big mess of the stove (I know).

Fill the Jars:

 When you've filled a large bowl of apple slices, take a minute and prepare your jars by rinsing in very hot water or have them waiting in a hot dishwasher and fill your canner maybe 1/3 full with hot tap water.  Prep your lids by letting them sit in hot simmering or near simmering water. 

Using a funnel fill each warm jar with 1 cup of hot filling *.  The best way to measure is by following measuring marks on the jar-if they have them.  Then pack apples into the jar and push down into the filling until you get the jar filled up to just beneath the neck of the jar (1 inch head space).  It is just right when you push the apples down and the filling rises up to that level flush with the apples.  It's okay if the apples rise up a little higher after you pull your hand away. 

This is the method for filling jars I came up with because you have a consistent amount of filling and apples in each jar and very few bubbles in the jar. You will have some leftover apple filling/sauce.  You will have more or less depending on how long your pot sat there warming/evaporating while waiting for the apples.

Canning:

Wipe the rims of each jar with a clean damp cloth, top with a lid, and secure with a ring nice and tight.  Lower the jars into your canner filled with quite hot water (not boiling or even simmering).  Add cool water if you warmed it too hot.  Your filling is not very hot because of the cold raw apples, so be sure the water isn't too hot or you might break some jars.  Make sure their is 1-2 inches of water above the tops of the jars.  Bring the water to a boil and time it (process it) for 25 min. at sea level.

Be sure to adjust processing according to your altitude. I do mine for 30 min.

Altitude Adjustments for Boiling Water Bath Canner
Altitude in Feet	Increase processing time
1001-3000	5 minutes
3001-6000	10 minutes
6001-8000	15 minutes
8001-10,000	20 minutes

 (chart from http://www.simplycanning.com/canning-apple-pie-filling.html -- I adapted the recipe and made up my own method after trying out the recipe/process from this site).

Carefully remove your jars with a lifter from the hot water and place on a towel to cool and seal.  Don't mess with them until completely cool or you could hamper the sealing process.

When ready to bake a pie follow the directions for your crust recipe for a filled pie.  Each jar will fill an 8" covered pie.  I always make sure to cover my edges with foil to prevent them from burning.  Because I'm lazy I often use 1-1/2 to 2 jars of filling in a 9x13" pan  to make an apple crisp (plus it's got whole grain oats instead of pastry).  We serve it warm with vanilla ice-cream.

Enjoy!

Stay tuned:.....MY APPLE SKIN APPLE BUTTER Post is going up on Sat. Nov. 1, 2014.

*changed from original recipe

Fall is in the Air.

First day of kindergarten last year: walking to the bus stop.

Today I'm going to make some of my favorite cookies (because it's cool and wet: a great day to bake).  Plus with my six year old going back to school next week I'll need healthy treats to pack in her lunches.

Best Ever Cookies

(I've also simplified the recipe)

Grilling Obsession: My hubby bought us a new (used but new to us :o) grill this summer and I've been doing a lot of grilling.  I thought it was a ploy to get me to cook large amounts of meat (my meat philosophy).  I've actually been doing more veggies than anything. Loving grilled kebabs especially with yellow squash, mushrooms, tomatoes, and sweet onion chunks (tossed in bacon grease w/ salt and pepper before skewering).  Grilled Broccoli is also Amazing (I just marinade in Italian herbs & spices a little oil and vinegar-instead of buying a bottle of dressing).  And something new I've tried is Grilled Cabbage. It is so tasty. I usually struggle to find ways to use a whole cabbage (I'm the only one who eats coleslaw around here) but this makes it go really fast.  We had it with brats... It was really good on the brats and it would be good to top burgers too.  The grill is a great way to cook veggies.  I challenge you to try something new on the grill while you still have the chance (unless you live in a land of eternal summer).


I'm also getting prepared for my apple harvest and to do some serious canning... I love having pie filling in the cupboard so I can quickly throw together a tasty apple crisp.  I'll also be making a whole lot of apple sauce and apple butter.

Canning Apple Pie Filling

Move Over McDonald's: My New Favorite Breakfast

(Not that my favorite breakfast was ever from McDonalds this dish just reminds me of the McGriddle--although it's so much better.)

Okay so recently I discovered this ingenious idea of putting precooked crumbled sausage (which I keep in a ziploc bag in my freezer) in my pancake batter. They are so much tastier and better than chocolate chips...plus I love syrup on my breakfast meats.  Today I took it to the next level... Adding cheese.

SAUSAGE CAKES WITH CHEESE

The process goes like so... take a bowl of your favorite pancake batter (like my new favorite: Whole Wheat Pancakes).  Add a few handfuls of crumbled breakfast sausage (I've used venison and turkey and they are both tasty).  Fold in.  Spoon onto hot griddle (300-350 degrees F). 

Turn with a spatula once bubbles start popping on the surface of the pancakes.

Add some cheese to half of the pancakes (I used Colby Jack because I have it and it's super gooey).

When cheese is all melty and pancakes are fully cooked stack a non-cheesed sausage cake on top of the cheesy one and drizzle with syrup.  If you want a less messy version (for the kiddos or for on the go) add the cheese right after removing from griddle and dip into syrup on the side. This is how Caleb prefers to eat his pancakes, although he was a little wary of the cheese concept.  You can also just let the hot gooey sandwich set for a minute and eat it by hand when the cheese sets up.

I first tried my maple/molasses syrup but decided that chokecherry syrup was much tastier.  I live in the chokecherry capital of the world, so I have my own but a friend of mine sells it.  Check out her FB business page Vintage Delights.  Her Chokecherry Chocolate syrup is also amazing on almost anything you can think to put it on.

The variations are endless... you could use any breakfast meat (like cubed ham or bacon pieces)  any cheese (like medium cheddar or even feta) and top it with anything you like (any flavor of syrup or even a chile sauce or salsa for a southwest kick).

ENJOY! 


Tips on making the Pancakes:  I whisk the egg, add the milk and vinegar, and then whisk in the warm melted butter (don't add the hot butter straight to the egg or else it will cook it).  I've made these enough that I have the batter ready by the time the griddle is hot. The recipe makes enough to feed 2 hungry adults.  I usually double the batch and have some for me and my kiddos with quite a few extras to keep in the fridge.  My husband is not a big breakfast or pancake fan but he snitches them (since I've been making them with sausage) out of the fridge and eats them cold.  If he doesn't devour them for lunch or a late night snack we zap them in the microwave (about 10 seconds/pancake) and have them for breakfast another day.

You could also cook up like 3 batches and freeze them (wait til they're cooled or the steam will cause them to freeze together.)  Then you can have a super tasty easy breakfast in a flash any day of the week (no need to buy those pre-packaged over-priced breakfast sandwiches).

Leftover Turkey?

My all time favorite leftover turkey recipe is this excellent Curried Turkey Salad

Curry, Craisins, and Turkey.... so tasty.  I'm going to chop up some turkey and freeze it until I get some craisins (plus I've been eating a lot of turkey lately).  For the chutney (which is hard to come by in the west) I've used a generous measurement of whole cranberry sauce, mincemeat, or apricot jam.  I'll likely use some tart chokecherry jam that I made this year.
Here's also a link on making your own curry.

I recently made some  

Black Bean 'n' Pumpkin Chili 

It is some excellent chili but it doesn't taste super pumpkin-y but the pumpkin gives it a nice thick and smooth texture.  The second time I made it I used a large double can of pumpkin and I left out 1/2  of the chili and cumin (because it was a little spicy for the kids).  Made it for about 10 people (8 adults 2 kids) and they certainly polished it off.  Served with shredded cheddar cheese and tortilla chips.

 What are your favorite ways to eat leftover turkey? (besides with leftover stuffing and cranberry sauce...mmm).  Please share your recipes in the comments below.

Tips for Baking the Perfect Idaho Potato

I did most of my growing up in SE Idaho.  I know this post is a little late in the season... all the potato harvesting is done by now but this fall weather is perfect time for baking potatoes (especially to go with a meatloaf...).  I am kind of a potato nazi;  I can't stand a poorly baked potato, and I always eat my potato skins!  That's where all the fiber and protein is.

Tips for Baking the Perfect Potato: (much of this info I gleaned from a random un-cited handout but some of it I know is from the Idaho Potato Commission)
Never bake Idaho potatoes in aluminum foil.  Foil seals in the moisture and steams the potato, making the texture pasty instead of dry and fluffy.  Aluminum foil can be applied after baking, however, to hold the serving temperature longer. 
Scrub the potatoes well, and dry them thoroughly.  Prick with a fork in a few well placed spots (or try rubbing the potato with oil before baking, instead of pricking the skins).  This allows the steam to escape.  Medium sized potatoes should be baked in a 425 degree oven for 55 to 65 minutes or baked in a 350 degree oven for one hour and 25 to 35 minutes.  Higher heat gives darker, crisper, skins with fluffier interiors.  Potatoes are done when a fork slips easily in and out.
 Becoming a connoisseur: You can tell an Idaho potato connoisseur because he or she will never open a baked potato with a knife.  Instead, the connoisseur will poke a zigzag pattern into the top of the potato with a fork, then will press the ends of the potato together to open or "blossom" the potato.  The connoisseur recognizes that the blade of the knife flattens the surface and alters the fluffy texture of the properly prepared Idaho potato.

Celebrate Spud harvest by making delicious perfectly baked potatoes!

PS-If you ever get the chance visit Shelley, ID about the 3rd Saturday in September for the Annual Spud Day!  They serve free baked potatoes with a milk box, and you can watch people do a tug of war over a giant pit of mashed potatoes (plus all sorts of entertainment, a parade, contests, good food and vendors).

Excellent Pumpkin Cake with Light and Creamy Frosting

I made this cake and took it to church for a potluck dinner. I got rave reviews. The recipe was easy so I wanted to be sure to share it.


I started with a Pumpkin Cake I found on Allrecipes  I altered it a little, so here's my version.

Pumpkin Cake III

2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup applesauce
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups canned pumpkin (or a 15oz. can) or cooked & pureed pie pumpkin
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup white whole wheat flour
3 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/3 tsp ground ginger 

Directions (from Allrecipes)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 12x18 inch pan. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves, and ginger. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl combine sugar, oil, and applesauce. Blend in vanilla and pumpkin, then beat in eggs one at a time. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Spread batter into prepared 12x18 inch pan.
3. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool.

FROSTING 

Found in a Facebook share from this gal: https://www.facebook.com/melody.mclaughlin1 ---she has lots of good looking recipes on her wall...) 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

EASY HOMEMADE WHIPPED CREAM FROSTING

This is SOO delicious. It WONT melt at room temperature like regular whipped cream!
It's VERY stable. Its wonderful used for frosting a cake or even dipping fruit in it! Not TOO sweet.
Very versatile!

**This recipe makes 5 cups**

1 (8 ounce) package reduced-fat cream cheese, softened [I used neufchatel)
1/2 cup white sugar [yes regular granulated sugar]
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract [I used orange extract because I didn't have almond on hand]
2 cups of heavy cream

Directions:

Combine the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla extract and almond extract in a large mixing bowl or the bowl of your mixer.

Once all in the bowl, mix on medium speed until smooth.

While the mixture is still whipping, slowly pour in the heavy cream.

Stop and scrape the bottom of the bowl a few times while you continue whipping until the cream can hold a stiff peak.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I slathered this over the sheet cake and then using a star frosting tip did a zigzag border around the outside edge.  Simple yet so tasty.  I'm not sure if this frosting is sturdy enough to hold up a multi-layer cake, but if you try it out let me know.

ENJOY!

Canned Apple Pie Filling

I have scoured the internet and tried several different methods.  Between me and my neighbor, we find this to be the best recipe and method.  TRY MY IMPROVED RECIPE

There are bubbles in the top because I shook them up for the photo (not because it's runny).

Supplies:

7 quart jars/batch

a crank apple peeler/corer

canning supplies (pot, jar lifter, lids, rings, funnel)

lemon juice

water

apples enough to fill 7quart jars 4-7 apples/jar depending on size

Process:

http://www.amazon.com/Victorio-VKP1011-Apple-Potato-Peeler/dp/B001DLP4EM/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1381779354&sr=8-5&keywords=apple+slicer+corer+peeler

Peel and core apples on a peeler/corer/slicer as seen above.  If you'd rather you can do any other preferred method but this is much faster.

Using a very large bowl pour lemon juice and water (maybe a half cup of lemon juice/quart of water). about 1/3 full (you can add more water/lemon as needed).

As each apple comes off the end of the corer, cut it in half and remove any pieces with skin, flaws, etc.  Then you will have smile shaped slices.  Save the skins in one container (puree cook them down sweeten and make them into apple butter...mmm).  Place the slices in the lemon water to wait until you process to prevent browning.

If you have someone helping (which I recommend because this is a pretty time consuming project)  Have the other person prepare the filling sauce:

Filling Recipe:

5 cups sugar

1 cup thickener (I prefer flour for a hearty apple pie--some like cornstarch for a clear jell--looks store-bought to me)

2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

2 tsp. salt

7 cups water

Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl making sure to break up any flour or starch lumps.  Measure cool water in a large sauce pot, whisk the dry ingredients into the water until smooth.  Place on stove top and bring to a boil (watch closely and stir)  I do this on high so I don't have to stand around all day waiting for it to boil.  You don't want to leave it to boil or it can boil over and make a big mess of the stove (I know).

Fill the Jars:

 When you've got a large bowl of apples filled take a minute and prepare your jars by rinsing in very hot water or have them waiting in a hot dishwasher and fill your canner maybe 1/3 full with hot tap water.  Prep your lids by letting them sit in hot simmering or near simmering water. 

Using a funnel fill each warm jar with 1 1/3 cup of hot filling (I use a 2/3 cup twice).  Then pack apples into the jar and push down into the filling until you get the jar filled up to just beneath the neck of the jar (1 inch head space).  It is just right when you push the apples down and the filling rises up to that level flush with the apples.  It's okay if the apples rise up a little higher after you pull your hand away. 

This is the method for filling jars I came up with because you have a consistent amount of filling and apples in each jar and very few bubbles in the jar. You will have some leftover apple filling/sauce.  You will have more or less depending on how long your pot sat their warming/evaporating while waiting for the apples.

Canning:

Wipe the rims of each jar with a clean damp cloth, top with a lid, and secure with a ring nice and tight.  Lower the jars into your canner filled with quite hot water (not boiling or even simmering).  Add cool water if you warmed it too hot.  Your filling is not very hot because of the cold raw apples, so be sure the water isn't too hot or you might break some jars.  Make sure their is 1-2 inches of water above the tops of the jars.  Bring the water to a boil and time it (process it) for 25 min. at sea level.

Be sure to adjust processing according to your altitude. I do mine for 30 min.

Altitude Adjustments for Boiling Water Bath Canner
Altitude in Feet	Increase processing time
1001-3000	5 minutes
3001-6000	10 minutes
6001-8000	15 minutes
8001-10,000	20 minutes

 (chart from http://www.simplycanning.com/canning-apple-pie-filling.html -- I adapted the recipe and made up my own method after trying out the recipe/process from this site).

Carefully remove your jars with a lifter from the hot water and place on a towel to cool and seal.  Don't mess with them until completely cool or you could hamper the sealing process.

When ready to bake a pie follow the directions for your crust recipe for a filled pie.  Each jar will fill an 8" covered pie.  I always make sure to cover my edges with foil to prevent them from burning.  Because I'm lazy I often use 1-1/2 to 2 jars of filling in a 9x13" pan  to make an apple crisp (plus it's got whole grain oats instead of pastry).  We serve it warm with vanilla ice-cream.

Enjoy!

Cheesy Cauliflower Soup Recipe Review

This soup is right up my alley.  Tasty, simple ingredients, quite healthy, and crowd pleasing.  I'm adding it to my meal repertoire.

 http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/cauliflower-soup

I was looking for something for dinner tonight and I have a whole cauliflower from my Bountiful Basket that needed to be eaten.  I searched cauliflower soup and this was the first recipe that I had all of the ingredients and it just sounded tasty and simple.  It was.  I was very excited because it also called for carrots and celery (which I also have an abundance of).  The best part was that everyone at it up and some asked for more.

      

I made it without the hot sauce (because I only have smoky flavored Tabasco) plus DIY-dad and I usually add the spice to our own servings.

Served with tuna salad and a choice of bread or crackers.

Unrelated BLOG NEWS: There is only one week left to use my promotional code  on Halftee.com. 

 

Recipe for Leftover Turkey/ Make your own Curry

Mmmmm leftover turkey anyone?  Try my favorite post T-day recipe.

Curried Turkey Salad :if you don't have chutney use mince meat or apricot jam or apple sauce. Substitute whatever you have to... it's a salad and it's leftovers.

I've also decided I'd start making my own curry since I love the Mccormick kind but it's expensive (can't buy it in bulk) and the bulk curry I've been buying is a little too spicy (plus I'm at my in-laws and she doesn't have curry).

Here is the recipe I came up with (from what's in the cupboard and referencing 3 different websites).

SWEET CURRY SPICE MIX (combine all of these ground spices)
2 Tbsp cumin
1 Tbsp turmeric
1/2 Tbsp cardamom
1/2 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp mustard
dash of pepper.
(if I had coriander I would have added 1 Tbsp...maybe next time)

Making Thanksgiving a little more Wholesome

This was our feast last year, I know my rolls were white (cheated and used Rhodes and they didn't have w.w. at the store)

I know that Thanksgiving is a feast and I'm all about pigging out on occasion.  I'm trying to focus on the quality of the food versus the quantity this year.  Here are some of my suggestions for a more wholesome feast.

Leave the skins on in your mashed spuds.  Generally I dice the spuds nice and small so the skins are not long and stringy.  Boil the potatoes until tender and then I drain (saving the liquid).  I use my hand-held mixer to mash them up in a big bowl without adding liquid first. Then I add some of the hot liquid back and some warm milk.  Don't really need to add butter especially if you are having gravy.

Healthier Pies. Make pumpkin pie or open top pies with my Hybrid Pie Crust to add some whole grains to your desserts (this also makes them more filling :o).  I'm also leaving out 1/4 of the sugar from my pumpkin pie recipe so it is less sweet and more pumpkin- nee.  I'm also making a blackberry (berries have so much wholesome fiber and anti-oxidants) pie that I'm going to use white whole wheat flour (extra-fine ground whole wheat) for the crust and add a minimum amount of sugar.

Whole-Grain Rolls or multi-grain.  A nice warm roll doesn't really need extra butter on it either...

A Veggie/Relish tray.  My mom always has one of these sitting out for us to snack on while we wait for the big feast.  Pickles, carrots, olives, celery, broccoli, cauliflower... all good.  This is also a good way to give your digestive track a jump start for what's to come.

Drink water.  No need to add extra calories with beverages.  Drinking water helps clear your palate to taste all of the wonderful foods and drinking periodically will help you feel fuller faster and help everything go down smoother.


Enjoy your Thanksgiving Holiday!

What healthy ideas are you involving in your Thanksgiving Feast?

Is Sugar Poison?

So I've been trying to eat healthier for a while. Last fall I started adding more complex carbohydrates (whole grains etc.) to our diet and trying to replace all of the refined foods. I also have been balancing our meals better with more fruits and vegetables (larger portions and eating more proportionately in relation to the grains and proteins in our diets.)  I worked on it throughout the holidays but when the new year began I resolved to do even better.  I find that making lifestyle changes are difficult and I try to do it gradually for my sake and for the sake of my family (don't want to put them in shock).

I Invented a new Ice Cream Topping

So we were eating ice cream the other night and I'm always looking for something interesting to add to my ice cream.  I looked through my cupboards and this is what I created... WARNING: this is very addicting!

Making Baby Food

Have you tried baby food lately?  Okay some of them are okay, like most of the fruits.  But what about the vegetables?  They are nasty.  Green beans, and peas are so gross.  Why would we feed this stuff to our kids.  No wonder so many kids hate vegetables, because their first experience is with soupy way overcooked sludge.  I know I don't like canned peas, but fresh and frozen peas are fantastic.
I started making my own baby food for my daughter because of the price of those little jars.  I actually made mine from a lot of frozen vegetables because they were available and affordable.  They taste 10 times better than the baby food in jars.  With a pot, a steamer basket, my blender, a couple ice trays, and ziploc bags I was in business.  It was so much cheaper and tastier for my kid.

Dark Chocolate No-bake Cookies

http://www.yourdictionary.com/cocoa

I just read an awesome article on prevention.com called Foods that Boost Brain Power.
I loved the article because apparently the foods I've been turning to to get healthier may be making me smarter!  I'm going to try to focus on recipes that incorporate those yummy super foods.

This has made me want to share my dark chocolate no-bake cookie recipe.  This recipe includes dark chocolate (less sugar per volume of cocoa), oatmeal, and peanuts. Plus I had a craving and whipped some up this afternoon.

Corn on the Cob

Although I'm finally in the unpacking stage this last week, I've found a little time to write a quick blog:

image:  http://ginazammit.com/2012/07/01/summer-camp-cooler-corn/

So, we've been eating a bit of corn on the cob lately.  DIY-Dad is crazy about it. I never knew how to cook it properly till a couple years ago when I consulted Betty Crocker. I was quite surprised.
We have been very happy with the results.

Bambi Cakes

 

You may be wondering... What are Bambi Cakes?  Well if you have a husband who likes to hunt like I do, then you probably have a lot of lean ground meat. Generally my husband harvests 1 deer each year or occasionally an elk.  So these are small venison meatloaves. We really like meatloaf around here but in the summer I don't like to have my oven on for very long so I decided to bake mini- meatloaves in a muffin pan and chop down that bake time significantly.  Now if you don't have venison you can substitute lean ground beef or turkey. I guess they'd be called Beef Cakes?

Best Ever Cookies

I have been debating sharing this recipe. They are so good I've been considering selling the recipe. Whatever you do, be grateful I'm sharing this recipe with you and don't make money off of them unless you give me a cut of your earnings. THIS IS MY RECIPE *. I give my deceased Grandma Calderwood some of the credit because it was from her recipe that I created this cookie masterpiece.
 It is my family favorite with less sugar, butter instead of shortening (and less of it), plus whole-wheat flour and milled flax seed for texture and wholesome goodness.

I have been making different variations of this recipe for over 10 years and it's finally perfect (until I try something new).

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Hybrid Pie Crust

Pie is my favorite desert. I love pie, especially crust. Generally I have always used Betty Crocker's recipe from her Complete Everyday Cookbook.  Lately I've been trying to eat more healthy and so I've been experimenting with pie crust especially for making Quiche (I'll be posting a recipe soon).

I've been making the normal recipe for years by using half whole wheat and half white flour. It is good. I have never had anyone say it tastes bad or much different, and I love the more brown color in the crust. I've made it with both lard and shortening (I prefer lard because it is less processed than shortening).

I've been trying to find ways to eliminate vegetable shortening from our diet. I just don't think we should eat fats that are so firm at room temperature. Just imagine what that can do in our blood stream.

For the past year or two I've been adding flax seed to our diet.  I decided to experiment with adding it to pie crust and I found that the natural oil in the seeds that is released when you blend/mill the flax made it possible to decrease the amount of added fat in the crust.


MILL YOUR OWN FLAX
This is how I "mill" my flax seed.  It's tricky because you want to pour the seeds in when the blender is running high or med-high. I put the funnel in the top of the blender to keep them from flying back out. I quickly dump my cup of seeds in and then turn  the cup over inside the funnel. Blend for just a few to maybe 15 seconds max. Sometimes I have a few rogue un-milled seeds but I don't mind. If you blend too long it gets hot and turns into a pasty cake under the blender blades.  You can still use it, it's just harder to get it out of the blender.


You can buy pre-milled flax but I hear it's less healthy. Sometimes it gets overheated and loses some of the vitamins, and I think it would be more likely to go rancid in storage.

I have used both golden and regular brown flax seeds and both work fine.  I'd say about 1/2 cup flax seeds will make 2/3 cup of milled flax.

I call this crust a Hybrid because the appearance, and texture is similar to a crumb crust but it's still salty, made from a dough, and baked like a traditional pastry crust.