Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Pumpkin Pie

Pumpkin pie is not just for Thanksgiving.  That's why the grocery stores sell canned pumpkin and evaporated milk all year long!  My family sometimes just gets a yen for some pumpkin pie...in June or April or September.  The time of year doesn't matter.  As long as I have a couple of cans on the shelf, I can whip up a couple pies in no time.  This recipe makes two pies.  We make quick work of them here.  However, if I didn't have whipped cream on hand, I would have two entire pies left.  Whipped cream is an essential accompaniment in my family's opinion.
 Unlike some recipes floating around on pumpkin cans, this one doesn't take nutmeg, but with ginger, cinnamon and allspice, you won't miss it.  This is a very flavorful pie.  I really like it made with fresh pumpkin, but that isn't always possible and the canned stuff is almost just as good.
 One year, my second oldest son requested this for his birthday instead of cake.  Long time readers may have noticed that we don't stick to traditional birthday cakes very often in my house.  Between cheesecakes, pies, giant cookies and specialty cakes like St. Louis Gooey Butter cake, we probably average only one real cake a year.
You can wait for Thanksgiving if you want, but if you think pumpkin pie might taste good right now, give this a shot.  You won't be disappointed.


Pumpkin Pie:
1 1/2 cups sugar (or 1 cup honey or real maple syrup + 1/2 cup sugar)
1 can evaporated milk
4 eggs
3 cups pumpkin
3 Tbls flour
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp ginger
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl with a whisk or spoon. Pour into 2 pieshells. Cover your pie edges if you don't want them dark (I have 3 Mrs. Anderson's pie shields and I love them). Bake 400 degrees 40 minutes.

Sunday, June 26, 2011

Wheat Berry Spinach Salad: Your Recipe, My Kitchen


This week, I am taking a recipe from Joseph's Grainery and changing it up a bit to fit into the "diet" I am on (in hope of not embarrassing myself on the Florida beaches) and what I had in the refrigerator.  Have you been to Joseph's Granery?  You will find so many wonderful recipes using whole grains and the photographs are gorgeous!

For my version, I used goat cheese because my feta was spoken for.  I eliminated the Craisins and added some walnuts, grilled summer squash and a strawberry vinaigrette that is out of this world.  I have been on a pseudo-Sonoma style diet for the last three weeks.  I have lost a healthy 2 pounds per week and have loved eating so many fresh vegetables.  Usually, my salads include grilled meat from the night before, but using wheat berries was a nice change.

Wheat Berry Spinach Salad (adapted from Joseph's Grainery)
For 1 serving (adjust for more)
1/4 cup cooked wheat berries
1 1/2 cups torn spinach leaves
1/2 grilled zucchini (cut lengthwise in quarters and then sliced)
1/2 grilled yellow squash (cut lengthwise in quarters and then sliced)
8 walnut halves, crumbled slightly
1 ounce goat cheese, crumbled
1 Tbsp strawberry vinaigrette (recipe below)
Layer ingredients in a bowl, ending with cheese and vinaigrette.

Strawberry Vinaigrette (from the Sonoma Diet book)
1 cup strawberries
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
sugar substitute of your choice to equal 1/2 tsp sugar
Combine ingredients in a blender and mix until smooth.  Chill and store up to 1 week in the fridge.

Okay.  Your turn.  What's cooking in your kitchen?

Saturday, June 25, 2011

Saturday Stories: My Home Run

I was never athletic. Actually, I was born with my big toes turned in and had to wear braces on my legs when I was a toddler and then heavy orthopedic shoes until I was ten. That may have accounted for my lack of athletic prowess. But maybe not.

My parents encouraged me to try sports occasionally. In third grade, I played softball. My father was even one of the coaches. I was the catcher. When I was up to bat, I usually popped out or was tagged out on first base. It happened week in and week out. No one was enthusiastic when it was my turn at bat; including me.

One day, near the end of the season, all of that changed for a few moments. I hit the ball to the second baseman who over-threw first just as I was nearing it. The coach told me to run to second. I followed orders and started for the next base. The first baseman finally got the ball and threw it to second. The ball and I got to second at about the same time but so did the second baseman AND the shortstop. There was a mad scramble which, no lie, enabled me to crawl between the infielders and run to third base. When the second baseman realized I was gone, she over-threw third base. The third base coach was yelling loudly, "RUN HOME!!!"

Despite my lack of sport talent, I can say I hit a home run. Once. It may not have been a spectacular, out of the ballpark kind of event, but it was one never to be forgotten.

Friday, June 24, 2011

Project Fill in those Photos: A good week

It's hard to believe that in two weeks we will begin the trip that will change our lives. (That sounds so dramatic).  This Saturday, my three younger sons go to Boy Scout camp for a week.  On Tuesday, we start packing up the truck and by Wednesday, our stuff will be on its way to Florida.  There are things that have to be done here in Arizona yet, so the family won't leave until the 8th of July.  I am getting nervous butterflies just thinking about it.  So is my cat.  He knows something is going on and He. Doesn't. Like. It. One. Bit.

This week, I actually made three things from recipes that needed photos.  My family was glad to have something besides Popsicles.

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

***CLOSED***Fiber One 90 Calorie Brownie Giveaway

The winner of this giveaway was #33, Cheryl F.


I haven't hosted a giveaway in ages.  So, when the good folks at My Blog Spark, Fiber One and General Mills offered me the opportunity to give away some treats, I thought I would take them up on it.   One of you lucky readers will have the chance to win. Along with a box of each of the new flavors of brownies, you will receive a duffel bag, a jump rope, a water bottle, a bracelet, a headband and a nifty snack case.

I received the same bundle. I immediately opened the box of chocolate peanut butter brownies and called my test tasters into the kitchen. My daughter thought they were yummy and wanted another pronto.  The boys thought they tasted "different."  Yup boys, diet food isn't full of butter and sugar.  Well, at 5 grams of fiber and only 90 calories, these make pretty good snacks for those who are watching their weight.

If you would like to enter to win this Fiber One pack, leave a comment below.

The contest will end on Saturday, June 25 at 9pm PDT.  I will pick a winner through a random number generator.    US residents only.

(other than the gift bundle, I received no other remuneration for this post and all opinions are mine)

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Aussie Bites: Your Recipe, My Kitchen

Because I am not on my laptop, I don't have the regular title photo to add to the weekly Your Recipe, My Kitchen.  That has not stopped me, though, from making a wonderful new-to-me recipe: Aussie Bites, from The Bad Girl's Kitchen.  These little mini muffins are a homemade version of a treat that Costco used to sell years ago. (if they still sell them, they don't sell them in Arizona!).  They are filled with coconut, dried fruit and sunflower seeds.
I substituted spelt and dark rye flours for the all-purpose flour.  Other than making the muffins browner and more fiber-y, I don't think there was any flavor change.  Rye flour tastes much like wheat flour.  Rye bread, however, with all of those strong tasting caraway seeds, is a different kettle of fish.  Please don't discount all rye products if you hate rye bread.
I also used agave instead of sugar, cutting the amount down a bit, too.  For the dried fruit, I used cherries.  I used the last of my Kelapo coconut oil in place of the butter.  These muffins are so moist.  It was hard to eat just one or four or ten.

If you want to make these into regular muffins, just bake them longer...maybe 18-20 minutes.  Watch them to make sure they are done or not too done!!

Aussie Bites (adapted from the Bad Girls Kitchen ) (makes at least 48 mini muffins)
2 cups instant oats
1 cup spelt flour
1 cup dark rye flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 + 1/3 cup agave nectar
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup applesauce
3 eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup flaked coconut
1/2 cup sunflower kernels
1 cup chopped dried cherries
1 tsp baking soda
2 Tbsp warm water
Combine the agave, oil, applesauce and eggs in a large bowl.  Mix in the oats, flours and salt.  Combine the baking soda and warm water and add.  Fold in the coconut, sunflower kernels and cherries.  Spoon into greased mini muffin pans.  Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 10 minutes.  Let cool for 2-3 minutes in the pan and then dump out onto a wire rack or counter to cool.  

Your turn!  What great stuff have you cooked or baked this week?


Saturday, June 18, 2011

Saturday Stories: Moving Again


I am getting my household ready to move again this summer, so I have moving on my mind. When I was little and my dad got "orders" to a new military base, we didn't usually worry about how much stuff we had. Mom was and still is an avid antique lover. Each time we moved she scoured the countryside for antique shops. If you were to go through her house today, she could tell you where she found all of her "finds." She had a table with two drawers that didn't have any knobs. She found a beautiful sandwich glass pull at a shop and purchased it. She found two more identical ones through the years in other places. That table still has only 3 knobs because she never found the fourth.

In Ohio, she found what we refer to as "the red cupboard." It is about 6 feet tall and 4 feet wide. The top is about a foot deep with two doors. The bottom part is thicker with two drawers next to each other and then two doors at the very bottom. When Mom found it, the owner had cut a hole in one bottom door for his cats. Mom had it repaired and then refinished it. It has been in the family kitchen ever since.

The only move my parents had to do on their own was into their present home. All of the others were done professionally and paid for by the military. I remember the Mayflower trucks, the Atlas trucks and the United trucks pulling up. The packers would come the day before and in a whirlwind of activity get everything into boxes. The next day the Big truck would show up early and the loading would begin. Mom hovered over some of the more delicate antiques. In every move, we would either lose something or something would break. Our worst move was between Missouri and Michigan. We lost only certain valuable items than should have been randomly packed in boxes. It was suspicious, as if the packers had cased the stuff. Sometimes we still sit around the table talking and reminisce about items we miss..."remember that old yellow glass bottle? or my little red table?"

When we would arrive at our new home, we'd try to get all of the moving stickers off, but it seemed like we were always finding some we missed. I have that same problem in my home now. As I have been getting things in order, I am finding moving stickers from our last move. I think it's funny that no matter how hard we try, there is always one illusive sticker on the bottom of some piece of furniture or box.

If I hadn't been shuffled all around the country as a kid, it would probably be a lot harder to move today. My kids, who have only moved twice in their lives, fear moving a lot more. For me, it's just part of life. In our homes in Washington, I would rearrange the furniture every two or three years (or more often) because I had the itch to move. It's crazy how things like that stay with you. I would be nomadic all of my life if I could. I love to travel, I love to be in new (to me) homes. However, I hate to pack and I really hate deciding what can stay and what has to go.

Friday, June 17, 2011

A Dismal Offering for Project Fill in the Photos

If it weren't for the fact that I decided at the twelfth hour that I needed to loose ten pounds before I moved to Florida, I wouldn't have any problem making all of the foods I need photographed for this project.  However, goulash, cheese filled vegetable dishes and fudge just don't cut it as diet foods.  On top of that, I am also trying to clean out my freezer by next week, so desserts have mostly consisted of ice cream and Popsicles.  I did manage to squeak in one cake this week and, yippee, it was from a post with no photo.
Our meals have consisted of whole grain, vegetable laden, lean meat filled dishes.  And I haven't photographed a single one.  Part of the problem is that I have been forced to borrow a computer for the last few weeks of my Arizona residency.  It's killing me to have no bookmarks, no photos, no nothing that I am used to, an no right to install anything.  I hardly have the motivation to even turn on the computer.  Ugh.




Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Chocolate Coconut Torte and Kelapo Coconut Oil Review

The good folks at Kelapo Coconut Oil offered an opportunity to review some of their wonderful product.  I  love Virgin Coconut Oil.  It smells so good and has such a nice flavor.  I have used the processed stuff made by other companies and frankly, if I am going to use coconut oil, I want the flavor and aroma to go with it.  They also included two capsules of their oil.  I broke them open and used them as a lip balm for a week.  What a great way to soften chapped lips!! You can find all sorts of recipes on their blog.
I, however, went with a recipe of my own.  I decided to make a refreshing cold dessert with the oil.  Coconut just screams for chocolate, so the idea for a mounds candy bar like dish was the direction I took.  This dessert has a fudgy brownie layer on the bottom and a cream cheese/whipped cream combo for the top.  Add a little chocolate syrup and toasted coconut and Voila!  An amazing dessert was born.
 Of course, it didn't cut as pretty as I'd have liked.
Chocolate Coconut Torte
brownie layer:
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup flour
cream cheese layer:
1 8 ounce brick cream cheese
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 8 ounce tub whipped topping
1/2 tsp coconut extract
chocolate syrup (for garnish)
toasted coconut (for garnish)
In a bowl, stir the cocoa and coconut oil together.  Add the sugar and stir, add the eggs and vanilla.  Pour into a greased 9 inch springform pan.  Bake for 18-20 minutes in a preheated 325 degree oven.  Remove from oven and let cool on the counter for at least 30 minutes.  Beat the cream cheese and powdered sugar with a mixer.  add the extract and whipped topping and mix well.  Spread over brownie layer and refrigerate for an hour or more.  When serving, remove the outer rim of the springform.  Drizzle with syrup and sprinkle with coconut.  (For a prettier presentation, cut first, then drizzle each piece individually).

Tasty Tuesday

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Maple Pecan Granola: Secret Recipe Club

This month for the Secret Recipe Club, I was given Fallon's Cucina.  I was so excited because I have been a follower of her blog for a while.  What fun it was to look through all of her delicious recipes.  I couldn't decide if I wanted to make a dessert or a breakfast or what.  I finally chose her Maple Pecan Granola because I was having a hankering for some granola and hers sounded so delicious.  And it was.
I served it with some vanilla Greek yogurt.  It was amazing.  I had to change a few ingredients due to what was in my cupboard/fridge.  I used all coconut oil for the fat instead of half butter.  I substituted lemon zest for the orange and was pleasantly surprised by what the lemon flavor added.  I had no oat bran, so I used wheat germ. I had never heard of vanilla bean maple syrup, so I just used regular pure maple syrup.  
The Secret Recipe Club is already up to 100 members. If you would like to join, and you have at least 60 recipes on your blog, go here to fill out a form.  You will be assigned a blog from the list of members from which you must find and make a recipe.  We post on the same day and get to see many wonderful, creative things that might otherwise go unnoticed.

Maple Pecan Granola (adapted from Fallon's Cucina)
2 cups rolled oats
1/4 cup wheat germ
2 Tbsp virgin coconut oil
2 Tbsp pure maple syrup
1/2 cup chopped pecans
zest of 1 large lemon
dash of salt
Mix  all of the ingredients in a bowl.  Spread out on a large baking sheet.  Bake in a preheated 300 degree oven for 20 minutes.  Take out the pan and stir, then bake for 5 minutes more.  Let cool and then store in an air tight container. 



Your Recipe, My Kitchen

This is The Secret Recipe Club week, so my contribution to this feature will be included among the links on Monday.  This month, I was assigned Fallon's Cucina and I made her maple pecan granola.  What a great granola recipe! Eat it with yogurt or as a cold cereal.

What did you make this week?



Saturday, June 11, 2011

Saturday Stories: Just Kidding

My great grandfather was a great kidder.  He loved a joke, whether he played it or was the victim.  He had a nice nature that didn't get upset often.  Those that knew him also knew to be on guard against his pranks.

He worked in the onion fields in upstate New York.  The wet, black dirt was a favorite place for snakes.  The snakes were harmless; usually garter or bull snakes.  Bunk, as we knew my great grandfather, worked with a man that was absolutely terrified of snakes.  One day, as Bunk went down his row, he found a nice big one.  He put it into his shirt and finished his row.  When it was lunch time, the men gathered around to eat.  Slowly, the snake started to crawl out of Bunk's shirt.  The fellow who hated snakes just happened to be right next to him.  That poor man jumped a mile and let out a scream that could be heard all over.  Bunk and his other work companions roared with laughter.

That delight in pranks was passed on to my grandmother.  She pulled a similar prank on her sister, Lucille, who also hated snakes.  Mamie and her sisters had to do their share of work in the onion fields.  When Mamie saw a snake, she wouldn't tell her sister.  She'd just wait for Lucille to find it for herself.  Her shrieks were loud and made everyone else giggle. 

I am mighty glad that no one has seen fit to pull pranks like that on me.  I am deathly afraid of snakes. 

Thursday, June 9, 2011

New Photos for Old Posts Week 4

Well, with almost exactly 3 weeks to go before we load up a moving truck, we signed a rental contract on a house this week.  Yeah, we like to keep a little suspense in our lives.  In fact, I have only seen a picture of the outside of the house and am COMPLETELY trusting that my husband has done a good thing here.  I don't even know if there is good lighting in the kitchen for photos.  Yup.  In four weeks I will know what the next few years has in store for me.  In the mean time, here are this week's new photos.  I cannot promise that I will be able to keep up my 5 a week as the move approaches, but I will try.  I think I will have to continue the project well into Florida, too.





Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Old Fashioned Lemon Pudding


(my computer laptop is dying a slow and painful death...it won't work plugged in - over heats in 2 minutes and hangs -  and my battery only lasts 20 minutes...so I am VERY slow at replying to comments right now.  don't think I am being rude if I don't make it over to your site quickly...I will get there!)


Have you noticed that bottled lemon juice is okay in a pinch but that it doesn't hold a candle to fresh lemon juice?  Then, have you ever compared store bought lemons to lemons right off of a tree?  Fresher really is better.  Last winter, my husband brought me a big bag of lemons from a tree on one of his properties in Florida.  I had so much fun baking with them.  We also consumed a lot of fresh lemonade.  It brought a little bit of sunshine to the dreariness of winter.  During my lemon fest, I introduced my family to old fashioned Lemon Pudding.  It goes into the pan all liquidy and by the time it's done baking, there is a nice cake layer on top and a gooey under layer that keeps you going back for "just a little bit more."  I am looking forward to trying it out with oranges next winter.
Lemon Pudding (from 1980 edition of The Fannie Farmer Cookbook)
4 tablespoons butter
1 3/4 cups sugar
6 eggs
2 cups milk
3 Tbsp flour
2/3 cup fresh lemon juice
Beat the butter and sugar. Separate the eggs and add the egg yolks. Beat in the flour and then add the milk and lemon juice. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs until they form stiff peaks. Fold the egg whites into the lemon mixture. Pour into a 3 quart baking dish. Put that dish into a bigger dish and fill it halfway up with water. Bake 350 degrees for 1 hour. Serve chilled.

Sunday, June 5, 2011

Sugar Cookie Bars: Your Recipe, My Kitchen



This is one of those recipes that has made its way all across the blog world and back again.  I first saw it on Munchkin Munchies, one of my favorite places to visit.  Sue, the author, is one of the most talented and creative bakers I know.  She found the recipe on Real Mom Kitchen who in turn got it from Tastebuds.              
Cut out sugar cookies are one of my family's all time favorite cookies.  They are one of my least favorites to make, though, because of the time and work they involve.  This recipe manages to make a large batch with little effort.  Bar cookies are, after all, a baker's dream when it comes to fast and easy.
I had a little trouble getting the baking time right.  The bars didn't look done at the prescribed time limit, so I left them in an extra few minutes...mistake.  They were too dry.  Next time, I am going to take them out and let them sit in the pan to cool, assuming that the heat from the pan will continue to cook them.  There will definitely be a next time.  The taste, with 3/4 pound of butter in the cookie and frosting, was spot on for a sugar cookie.  
 Sugar Cookie Bars (lately taken from Munchkin Munchies)
2 sticks butter, soften
2 cups sugar 
2 tsp vanilla
4 eggs
5 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
Cream sugar and butter.  Add vanilla and eggs and mix until smooth.  Combine dry ingredients and then add.  Spread into a rimmed jelly roll pan (18X13).  Bake 375 for 10-15 minutes.  Remove to counter and let cool.  Frost, cut and serve.
Frosting:
1 stick butter
4 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
4-5 Tbsp milk
With a mixer, combine butter and powdered sugar.  Add vanilla and milk.  Color if desired.  Spread over cooled cookie bars.

Now what about you?  What have you been up to in Your Kitchen?


Saturday, June 4, 2011

Saturday Stories: The Family Gag Reflex

There are some inherited traits that run in families that end up being almost legendary.  One such is the gag reflex that many of us inherited from my paternal grandmother.

When I was about six, my parents hosted a reunion of Dad's immediate family.  His two sisters came with their families along with my grandmother.  We had a large yard.  Badminton was set up in one area, a barbecue was going in the back and most of the adults gathered under the shade to tell stories and laugh.  My grandmother, ever the helper, started to gather up used paper products to throw out.  Granny was a short woman who suffered from arthritis and osteoporosis.  She was naturally stooped as she walked.  After filling a sack with garbage, she asked my mom where the garbage can was kept.  Mom directed her to the garage.  At this time, we had a German Shepherd.  Mom had a smaller garbage can for the dog doo right next to the large one.  Mom saw that Granny was making for the shorter can and poked my Dad, pointed and said, "Watch this!"  My dad, in turn, whispered to his two sisters, "Hey, watch this!"  Sure enough, within  seconds, loud sounds of gagging proceeded Granny from the garage as she came hurrying away from the offensive can.

Interestingly enough, Granny loved Limburger cheese.  It has to be the stinkiest, strongest flavored cheese around.  One time, when my parents were dating, my dad asked to try some.  He couldn't get it to his mouth, the smell was so strong.  Instead, he threw it off the porch, onto the ground.  Pretty soon, one of the family cats found it, sniffed it and started to cover it up.

My youngest brother inherited that gag reflex.  He was constantly tormented by the rest of the family.  If anyone passed gas at the table, he would have to leave the room gagging.  One time, the family was traveling through Kansas.  The oldest brother saw the feeder lots coming up and rolled down the window so the smell would waft back to my youngest brother.  It's a good thing they are best friends as adults!

The next generation is already showing signs of another gagger.  My youngest brother's first son, who is less than two, gags at anything that smells bad.  It makes us smile as we foresee many more stories that we can pass along as time goes on.

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Week 3: Filling in the Blank Photos

Summer vacation is in full swing already.  My two oldest sons are off on an adventure with our church youth, my younger two are trying to play with friends as much as possible and my little girl is asking everyday if it's time to put the cat in the cat carrier for our move.  Amidst all of that, I am still plodding through my never ending list of recipes to photograph.  I sure wish I had known that it is quality not quantity that counts when I started this blog!





(Is a bad picture worse than no picture at all?)
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