Slow-Cooker Baked Apples

This is how it all started... 3 chopped apples, 4 tbsp butter, 1/2 cup oatmeal, 1/2 cup sugar, 2 tbsp vanilla extract and some sprinkles of cinnamon and sugar all set on low in my crock-pot early this afternoon.  Now....

My house smells heavenly, and after dinner this will be topped with caramel praline ice cream.  My children are drooling as we speak...


In other news, we FINALLY got the snow we've been missing for over a month! Yesterday started out with an ice storm which turned into a huge snowstorm, and finally the world is white again!  The kids are loving it, and even the geese seem to enjoy it a bit.  I thought they might sleep in the coop for once, but they seemed quite content to sleep outside in their usual spot!

Homemade Bird Suet Cakes

For those of us who love to watch the wild birds in our yards, it is once again time to start putting out bird feeders and filling suet cages. With stories in the news lately of bird feed companies intentionally adding anti-spoilage chemicals to the seed they sell while knowing that the chemicals were harmful to the very birds the seed was marketed for, I think now is a great time to share my Homemade Bird Suet Cake recipe!

HOMEMADE SUET CAKES

1 pound of beef tallow or lard (preferably organic & pastured)

1 cup natural* peanut butter (optional)
2 cups black oil sunflower seeds or other bird seed mixture of your choice
1 cups organic whole grain flour
1 cup dried fruit (chopped)

Melt the tallow and peanut butter (if using) on medium heat in a large saucepan.

Add whole grain flour to the melted tallow mixture, whisking until well blended.

Remove from heat.

Add the seeds and chopped dried fruit, stirring until well coated.

Spread the mixture evenly into a large cake pan or baking dish, lined with wax paper.**

Chill until solid, but not frozen.

Cut mixture into 6 squares, wrapping and freezing individually to store.

*Be sure to use natural peanut butter, as the more typical versions have a lot of sugar and added preservatives

**The seeds will float to the top, but if you stir the mixture a second time, before it is completely solid, it will help to mix it more evenly

These little beauties fit perfectly into the typical baskets designed for store-bought suet cakes, and they make great Christmas gifts! It makes me feel better knowing that the food I am providing isn't full of ingredients that the birds don't need, and the birds love them!

From Scratch Chicken Noodle Soup!

My husband has been feeling under the weather for a few days now. He is always asking for chicken noodle soup with homemade noodles. I had never made noodles before, so yesterday, I decided that I would learn!

Basic Homemade Noodles:

2 cups flour
1 tsp dried herbs (such as basil, sage, or rosemary) crushed *optional*
1/2 tsp salt 
2 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup water
1 tsp olive oil
1/3 cup flour


Stir together flour, herbs, and salt. 
In a separate bowl, combine eggs, water and oil. 
Add to flour mixture and stir to combine. 
Sprinkle remaining 1/3 cup flour onto clean kneading surface. 
Turn dough onto floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic (about 10 minutes). 
Cover and let the dough rest for 10 minutes. 
Divide dough into four equal portions. 
Using a rolling pin or pasta roller, roll each portion into a 12 inch square, about 1/16 inch thick. 
Let stand, uncovered, 20 minutes. 
Cut as desired. 

You can dry it to cook later, or make it right away! Boil for 10 minutes or so, and you're good to go!

 Hanging my first ever homemade noodles! Why have I never done this before?

The soup was a hit, especially with the 3 year old, and we'll be eating the leftovers for dinner again tonight! It was made with carrots from the garden, and the chicken stock was some that I had made previously and stored in the freezer. Honestly, the noodles were so simple to make that I don't see myself buying them any more! Home cooked may take a bit longer, but what a great feeling to share this wonderful meal with my family, knowing that there are no chemicals or preservatives anywhere in the meal!

Soooo good...

This is happening in my kitchen right now...

Apple Mint, Cucumber, and water. No sweetener, no artificial colors, no artificial flavors. Just pure fresh garden goodness.

Who needs soda pop?

Roasting Garlic...

Growing garlic is something I have long wanted to do, but have yet to attempt. I put garlic in almost everything I cook, which means it is a crop that I need to be growing.

I absolutely LOVE the smell of fresh-roasted garlic cloves, so today I brought out my trusty clay garlic roaster and put it to good use.

I bought this lovely thing at a local thrift store a few years ago for a whopping $2.00.

Roasting garlic in a clay roaster is super easy...

1)  Submerge the base and lid of the clay roaster in water for 15 to 20 minutes before use.

2)  Trim the tops off of the garlic heads to expose the tips. (Leave the peel on the garlic.)

3)  Place the garlic heads into the roaster and drizzle lightly with olive oil.

4)  Set the lid on top of the roaster and place in a COLD oven.

5)  Set the oven to 350 F and leave the roaster in the oven for an hour to an hour and a half, until the heads feel soft and smell fragrant.

You can use this roasted garlic in just about anything you cook. Just break off a clove or two and squeeze the roasted garlic out of the peel. Store any unused garlic in a air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Remember to use nothing but boiling water to clean the clay roaster, as it will soak up any chemical cleaning agents you might use.

Here's the finished product...

I can almost smell the garlic just by looking at this picture!

Do you make your own roasted garlic? Do you have a different method of doing it?

Basic Quiche Recipe

Quiche with Broccoli, Onions, Squash and Squash Blossoms

I love this recipe because it is so versatile, and very easy.  You can use your favorite crust recipe, or just buy the frozen ones at your local grocery store.  The vegetables are completely interchangeable, just use whatever you have on hand... I promise it will be delicious!




Ingredients

1 pie crust
2 cups mixed diced vegetables
1 tbsp olive oil
2 eggs
3/4 cup milk
1/3 cup shredded cheese

Preheat oven to 400 F, with oven rack in center.

Saute vegetables and olive oil until cooked but not too soft.

Spread cooked vegetables evenly into bottom of pie crust.

Whisk eggs and milk until combined.

*very important secret step!!!
Open oven, pull oven rack partially out, and place pie crust with vegetables on the rack.  Pour egg/milk mixture into crust. (This keeps the filling from spilling between the counter and the oven rack!  Pretty smart, eh?)

Sprinkle shredded cheese evenly over surface of quiche.

Add squash blossoms decoratively to the top, if using.

Bake for 35 - 45 minutes
(*be sure to keep an eye on the crust for browning)

Quiche is done when an inserted knife comes out clean, or just moist.

Let cool for about 5 minutes, then serve and enjoy.  (Its delicious cold too!)

A dinner worth writing (ok, bragging) about...

First off, I just had to share this picture with you!  Playing in the rain!

Tonight's dinner just had to be shared!  

We start with the halibut, caught on my Dad's boat last week out of Seward.  This picture is of my Father-in-Law, who should be very proud of himself!

Here it is again, just thawed.

Turnip greens, Spinach and Kale, from the garden.

The halibut is seasoned with olive oil, lemon and curry powder, dried onion, and fresh green onion from the garden.

A nice cup of tea while I cooked, flavored with milk from the local dairy, and local honey I bought at the farmers market.

Sauteed the greens with some olive oil and minced garlic.

Halibut is baked until just flaky.

The finished product, and it was SO yummy!  The boy kept stealing the greens off my plate!

How's that for a sustainable, local, completely chemical-free dinner?!

In other news, I changed the front path from the driveway to the deck.  I had a flower box up against the wall before:

I moved the flower box and the bench that was on the deck:

I like the feeling of sitting in a little garden that you get now when you sit on the bench.  It also freed up a little room on the deck.  What do you think?

Homemade Zwieback Toast

I found the following recipe quite a while ago, and just now decided to try it as Lily has recently cut her first tooth...



Zwieback Toast

1 package active dried yeast
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 butter
pinch salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
3 eggs (unbeaten)
2 cups flour

Gently warm the milk until tepid and add the yeast. Set aside for 5 mins, to allow the yeast to activate.
Melt the butter and add to the mixture, along with the sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and eggs. Stir until thoroughly combined.
Add enough of the flour to form a dough, then knead well until the dough is smooth - you may need to add extra flour as you knead.
Set the dough aside and leave it to rise.
Once it has doubled in size (around 1hr later), divide it into 2 equal pieces and form into "rolls".
Place on an ungreased baking/cookie sheet and allow to rise again (around 30 mins).
Bake for 20 mins at 400 deg F, then cool.
Lower the oven temperature to 200 deg F, and slice the rolls into 1/2" slices.
Return to the oven and bake for a further 15-60 mins, until the zwieback toast is dry and hard.

Lily absolutely loves these, and they are just a hint sweet, without being a desert type bread.  I will definitely make them again!  (Boss loves them too, and hovers very close to Lily, hoping to get the dropped crumbs!)  They melt just enough that she doesn't choke on them, but they don't fall apart while she is trying to eat them.

One more thing I don't have to buy pre-packaged from the grocery store!!!

Homemade Laundry Soap

I have had many email requests for my laundry soap, so I figured I'd go ahead and post it... Let me know if you try it, and what you think! I use if for all of our laundry, from my baby's delicate things to my auto-mechanic husband's work clothes, and I love it!

Homemade Laundry Soap

1/3 bar Fels Naptha soap (in Fred Meyer in the laundry aisle next to the Borax)
1/2 cup washing soda (NOT baking soda, although Arm & Hammer does make it)
1/2 cup Borax powder
water

You will also need a small bucket (3-5 gallon) and a stirring utensil, a funnel, a grater (cheese grater works fine), a saucepan, and something for storage (gallon milk jugs work great!)

1. Grate the soap into the saucepan.
2. Add 6 cups water and heat until the soap melts, stirring occasionally.
3. Add washing soda and borax, stirring until dissolved.
4. Remove from heat.
5. Pour 4 cups hot water into the bucket.
6. Add soap mixture and stir.
7. Add 1 gallon plus 6 cups water and stir.
8. Let sit for 24 hours in the bucket, until gelled.
9. Stir vigorously, until mixture resembles "egg drop soup".
10. **Optional - Add 1/2 to 1 oz essential oil of choice - citrus works well*
11. Transfer to storage jugs.


Shake before using - 1/2 cup per load - works fine in high efficiency washers

* I use lavender essential oil, about 30 drops per batch

Homemade Spiced Apple Cider

1 gallon apple juice
1 can frozen orange juice concentrate
1 tbsp cinnamon (or to taste)
20 cloves (or to taste)

Mix all ingredients and heat to simmering... tastes great and makes the house smell awesome!

Sustainable dinner...

On the menu for tonight:

Salmon and Broccoli Alfredo
Cranberry/Rhubarb Crisp


Made an awesome dinner tonight that even the kid loved! The alfredo is simple... Bake a Salmon Fillet (Fresh caught King Salmon, which you probably guessed if you read my blog regularly,) with olive oil and fresh herbs, make your favorite basic alfredo sauce and add the baked salmon and some broccoli florets (which would have come out of my garden if it weren't only June). Mix it all together, add a little sea salt, and serve over your favorite noodles.

Now for the best part...
(I used fresh cut Rhubarb from my garden and cranberries I had stored in the freezer from last year)

Cranberry/Rhubarb Crisp

1 cup chopped rhubarb
1 cup cranberries
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt (if desired)
1/4 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup flour

Place the cut up rhubarb and cranberries in a shallow 6" x 10" baking dish.
Sprinkle with cinnamon and salt.
Melt the butter over low heat and add the sugar and flour until the mixture is the consistency of cornmeal, spread over the rhubarb/cranberry mixture.
Bake uncovered in a 350F oven until tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
If the rhubarb and cranberries are frozen, increase baking time by approximately 20 minutes.
Serve with vanilla ice cream if desired!

Pizza Time!!!

On the menu for dinner tonight... homemade pizza on from-scratch homemade sourdough pizza crust!! I have a sourdough starter in my refrigerator that I use and feed once a week, usually making bread or pancakes. Here's the pizza recipe!

1 cup sourdough starter (let me know if you need a recipe to make your own starter!)
1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup flour

Mix ingredients, working in the flour until soft dough forms.
Let dough rest for 15 minutes.
Roll out and place on oiled pizza pan (or use a cast iron skillet - preheated - like I do!)
Bake in 475F oven for 3-5 minutes, watching closely.
Remove from oven; add sauce and favorite toppings.
Bake for an additional 15 minutes.

Tonight my toppings are garlic butter sauce (melted butter mixed with chopped roasted garlic), marinated artichoke hearts, red bell pepper, sliced black olives, basil (fresh from the herb garden), and shredded cheese - whatever kind happens to be in my refrigerator.

YUMMY!!!

Popovers... and why I love having an herb garden!

To go with the spaghetti I am making for dinner tonight, I am making herbed popovers with fresh lemon basil from my herb garden. The lemon basil doesn't smell very strongly until you start to chop it, then, holy cow... this stuff is awesome! Here is the recipe I am using tonight...

Non-stick cooking spray
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup milk
1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp chopped fresh basil (or whatever your favorite herb may be)

Preheat oven to 400F

Spray 12 muffin cups with non-stick spray

In a medium bowl use a wire whisk to beat eggs, milk, and oil until combined

Add flour and salt, beat until smooth

Stir in herbs

Fill the prepared cups just under half way with batter

Bake about 35 minutes, or until firm

Immediately after removing from oven, prick each popover to let steam escape

Remove popovers from cups and serve immediately

This stuff is sooooo good, I could eat them every day!!

What's for breakfast?

Dutch Babies!!!

No, this isn't some form of regional cannibalism, just a really great meal, easy to make with wholesome ingredients (except for the powdered sugar, which is totally optional.) I absolutely love these!!!

Ingredients:
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup sifted all-purpose flour
1 pinch ground nutmeg
1 pinch salt
1 tbsp butter
lemon juice to taste
powdered sugar to taste

*Note: Use a cast iron skillet - it really does make a difference*

Place a 10 inch cast iron skillet inside oven and preheat to 475F (245C)

In a medium bowl, beat eggs with a whisk until light. Add milk and stir. Gradually whisk in flour, nutmeg and salt.

Remove skillet from oven and reduce oven heat to 425F (220C). Melt butter in hot skillet so that inside of skillet is completely coated with butter. Pour all the batter in the skillet and return skillet to oven.

Bake until puffed and lightly browned, about 12 minutes. Remove promptly and sprinkle with lemon juice and powdered sugar.

Enjoy!!!