Foggy Wednesday

I've had two of these today. 

London Fog

1/2 mug Earl Grey tea
1/2 mug milk 
1/4 t. vanilla extract
1/4 vanilla bean
1-1 1/2 t. maple syrup

While the tea is brewing, warm up milk in a saucepan on stove top. Add vanilla extract, vanilla bean, and maple syrup. Froth with a whisk, then add to tea when finished brewing. 

Grain-free biscuit...dinner roll...things

I'm not sure what to call these. They're not flaky enough to be biscuits, but they're not soft and mounded enough to be rolls. They make excellent breakfast sandwiches, though, so I guess I'll call them biscuits.

Grain Free Biscuits

Makes about 6-7 biscuits--adapted from The Preppy Paleo

3/4 c. arrowroot flour (tapioca should work too)

1/4 c. ground flax seed

6 T. coconut flour

2 t. baking powder

1 t. salt

1/2 c. water

1/2 c. olive oil

1 egg

1 t. apple cider vinegar

Preheat oven to 350 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Mix together dry ingredients. Stir in wet ingredients. Let the batter sit for a while so the coconut flour can soak up some of the liquid. After a few minutes, scoop out the batter in quarter cup amounts and plop onto parchment paper. Bake for 35 minutes and let cool completely before storing in an air tight container.

Muesli

Muesli (/ˈmjuːzli/ or /ˈmuːzli/; Swiss German: Müesli [ˈmyəsli], Standard German: Müsli [ˈmyːsliː]) is a breakfast dish based on raw rolled oats and other ingredients including grains, fresh or dried fruits, seeds and nuts, and may be mixed with cow's milk, soy milk, almond milk, yogurt or fruit juice.  (from Wikipedia)

My Mom used to make muesli from time to time. And I'm not talking about dry muesli, I mean fresh, overnight-oats muesli. I didn't like it then.

And then, six or seven years later, I've been craving more comforting breakfasts. That's kind of hard to do when you don't eat grains. Oatmeal, fresh bread, and dutch babies are out the window. However, necessity(ish) is the mother of invention and there are many grainless versions of all those things cluttering up the web. I remembered the funny-smelling, porridge-like thing Mom used to make, and decided to give it a go. Behold, a muesli recipe to add to the collection!

Grain-free Muesli:

Serves roughly 3 people...odd number, I know

2 c. yogurt

1 apple, grated 

1 small carrot (or half a large one), grated

1/3 c. shredded coconut

1 t. cinnamon

Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl and cover tightly. Place in fridge overnight. In the morning, serve in priceless china and top with nuts, raisins, and whatever else takes your fancy.

---

oh, and yes, I am eating dairy now! I can't handle a glass of milk (raw or pasteurized), but I'm eating more than my fair share of yogurt and cheese...and the occasional scoop of ice cream. :) Thanks to BB's, we have boatloads of all the grass-fed, organic, snooty yogurts at a cheap-o price. 

Just like Mom's!

Finally, I got myself a good grain-free meatball recipe. I experimented with a couple recipes, but they've always come out dry. Then I tried this one using half ground turkey, and that was much better. People didn't like the flavor as much however (and the gravy was pretty much a disaster. Don't ask.), so today I tried to recreate the flavors of my Mom's recipe. Sans breadcrumbs of course. 

It worked!* 
 
I'd say that using a half beef and half turkey mix is the key to getting the best "normal" consistency.

Grain-free Meatballs
Makes about six dozen
 
1 lb. ground beef
1 lb. ground turkey
2 eggs
2 T. coconut flour
1/2 c. chopped onion
2 t. dried parsley
1 1/2 t. salt

Set oven to 350. Combine all ingredients in large bowl. Using a cookie dough scoop (or your hands), shape meatballs and place in two 9x13 pans. Bake for 20 minutes, and continue with next batch.
 
*well, the meatballs did. The gravy failed again...it turned into a meatball soup, which was still tasty.

A side for dinner and some news

source

Dressed-up Cauliflower

1 head of cauliflower
1-2 T. oil, butter, or bacon fat
2 T. dried chives
1/2 t. turmeric
1 t. salt
a pinch mace OR nutmeg*
4 cloves garlic, minced

Wash cauliflower and cut into florets. Place in food processor and process until it is the size of rice or a little smaller. Melt oil in frying pan and add processed cauliflower. Stir occasionally and add the rest of the ingredients. Continue to saute until soft and serve hot.

*Mace has a stronger flavor than nutmeg, so if using nutmeg adjust accordingly.

----

Some sad news. :( One of the chickens (Anne) is missing. She was one of the four that jumps the fence every evening before I let the others out, so I'm guessing an animal got her. It is sad, but--unfortunately--it's part of "homestead" life. 

Coming up for air

Christmas Break...is...here!

After weeks and weeks of school, due dates, projects, stress, and fun, I have a breather (sorta. Exam studying will happen somehow). I think I shall be ensconced in the kitchen most of the time, testing out two recipes. I'll tell you how that goes. ;) I also want to read something, but need some suggestions. Anyone? 

This school year's been super busy, but super great too. I (thankfully) enjoy all my classes and am learning things that don't even involve school directly. Number one is that I can easily be sucked into the vortex of blogs or Pinterest or instagram and then I remember I should probably be working on a paper or something. It is very easy to just keep going from blog to blog to blog, and then twenty minutes have past and I've got nothing productive done. Number two is connected to number one, and it's that school comes first. It's okay if I don't get around to working out or replying to those letters. As long as I get my school done and get it done well, it's all fine. It gets rid of a lot of stress and makes school more enjoyable.

Unfortunately, with all the busyness, I haven't had time to get into the "Christmas spirit", let alone think about it's true meaning. We have Advent devotions on Sundays, but sometimes my mind wonders, so I don't really have an excuse besides being busy. :) I want to squish a lot of things into the next two weeks, but I need to make some time to sit and remember. 

Anyways, on to yummy stuff. Today I made these, but replaced the sunflower butter with tahini (weird, I know, but delicious!) and used coconut sugar instead of maple syrup. They don't have really strange or unusual ingredients, so anyone could make them. I also made this chocolate a few days ago. I want to make all sorts of other sweet stuff, but I'll probably stick with these and just eat a bunch to make up for variety. ;)

Merry Christmas one and all! Enjoy your time with loved ones and celebrating the birth of our Savior!

 "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth." --John 1:14

"And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom He is pleased.'" --Luke 2:13-14

A salad for fall

What? Salad and fall? That's practically an oxymoron. Salads go with summer, girl. Get with the picture.

Cold-season Salad
1 1/2 c. chopped cabbage
1/4 c. chopped onion
1 small apple, chopped
1/2 c. chopped yellow squash*
1/2 c. roasted beets* 

Balsamic Vinaigrette
1/3-1/2 c. olive oil
2 t. balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 T. lemon juice
1/4 t. salt
Pinch of black pepper
1/2 t. each thyme and basil

Oil, grease, or butter a frying pan. Saute cabbage and onion on medium to medium-high heat until cabbage cooks through (some of the leaves may turn golden and crispy). Add the apple, beets, and squash. Continue to saute until everything is warmed through to your liking.

For the vinaigrette, combine all the ingredients in a small bowl or pitcher. Drizzle as much as you like over the salad. Enjoy!  

*I threw this salad together yesterday. I looked in the fridge and there was yellow squash and beets. Into the frying pan they flew! Feel free to sub butternut squash or whatever other goodies you may have.

Greenie beanies

Green beans. Fat. Salt. An oven.

source

Yum.

Roasted Green Beans

originally from The Paleo Mom*

1 1/2 lbs. green beans

3 T. fat of choice (I used avocado oil)

1 t. salt (or half pepper and salt. Either way is scrumptious)

Preheat oven to 450. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Wash and trim green beans. Snap in half if desired. Place in bowl and toss with other ingredients until well coated. Spread on cookie sheet, place in oven, and roast for about 20 minutes. Enjoy!

Random Happy Stuff:

One of my brothers (who shall remain unnamed): "Do you think I am a good brother? I think I am a good brother. Do you think I am a good brother?"**

The above said Brother and I are kinda tired after watching How to Train Your Dragon. We were also...um...rather hyper this afternoon while playing Scattegories Categories. Good times.

Chickens will start laying in three weeks! I'll try to post a picture of the first egg, if I don't fry it first.

School starts in two weeks! I love school things (schedules, books, sharp pencils, knowledge). Then, around November, the novelty wears off and it's just school. 

Apples, kale, bananas, and grapes. nomnom.

*so apparently I could call these "Rachel's Roasted Green Beans" if I wanted, just because I left out the lemon juice?

**well, he did accidentally delete this post while I was writing it. So...maybe? ;) (just kidding, I do love you, -------)

Suggestions (books and a smoothie)

I'm still plowing my way through "Confessions" and, now, "The Church History". I've set a certain number of sections I have to read each day and I think hope I'll be done at the end of the month. 

With all that to work on, I haven't had much time for the fun stuff that I really want to read. So for all of you fortunate people who do have time, here are two of the best books I've ever read.

1): "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen.

Love, love, love. This is definitely worth while. Funny (it actually got me to laugh out loud), serious, romantic, and delicious. You read right: delicious. I just couldn't put it down!

2): "Persuasion" also by Jane Austen.

I think I may have liked this even better than P+P. It was an equally scrumptious read. I absolutely love the romance. The two characters care deeply for one another and develop well. This isn't mushy, ya'll. The book is a little mysterious at first (why is Captain Wentworth acting this way? Ahhh!), but its resolve is lovely.

Also, you should watch the movies too. Not just any old version though. This one for "Pride and Prejudice" and this one for "Persuasion".

Now, on to the recipe!

The Chocolate Covered Blueberry

From A Mad Tea Party

1/3 c. canned full fat coconut milk

1 c. blueberries

1/2 a frozen banana

2 t. cocoa powder

2 t. raw honey

a splash of vanilla

Combine all in blender. Mmmm!

(Of course, I couldn't just follow the recipe, I'm too much of a rebel (yeah right). I added coconut oil, two egg yolks (leftover from coconut macaroons), used kefir and yogurt instead of coconut milk, and not as much banana and honey.) 

~photos courtesy of Barnes and Noble~

Kitchen adventures

There's been a lot of fermenting going on in the kitchen. What's fermenting, you ask? Basically it's putting some ingredients together and letting it sit around for a while. For grains, fermenting helps make them more easily digestible and makes more of the nutrients available. The fermented-ness keeps your gut flora happy and healthy. Same with the dairy and vegetables you'll see later in this post.*

Least ways, that's what I understand. Go do your own research and find our what I haven't mentioned. Feel free to reprimand any inconsistent information. I'm ready to learn! :)

Exhibit a): Sourdough Blueberry Muffins.

These are based off a Kitchen Stewardship recipe. I just added blueberries, sour cream, various spices, and sprinkled some almonds on top. They're very fall-y apart-y (as we like to say) and apparently eaten better in a bowl with milk, as a sort of cobbler.

Exhibit b): Sourdough Bread.

This is what's left of the loaf I made yesterday. A delicious recipe from the Cultures for Health blog. Mostly. I added two tablespoons of butter and decreased the water a little bit. Because butter.

Needless to say, I made more today. :)

Exhibit c): Yogurt. 

Simple (we make it in the crock pot like this), delicious, nutritious, and it saves money!

Exhibit d): I told you there was a lot of fermenting! This time it's milk kefir. 

Even simpler and nutritious than the yogurt, but, alas, not as delicious. That's why you hide it in a smoothie. Or ice cream, which I'm going to try this weekend. 

Exhibit e): Pickles. Two different kinds actually.

Number one is from The Food Journal of Lewis and Clark (classic homeschooling material), which we've made several times.

Number two is from The Nourishing Cook. This one uses whey (leftover from the yogurt) and doesn't use sugar. We'll see how it tastes.

What strange things have you been experimenting with?

*does this mean I'm an amateur zymologist? Now that would be something cool to put on an about page.

St. Augustine and kale chips

I have to do some summer reading for the school year, and one of the books happens to be Saint Augustine's Confessions.

I have surprised myself by not being bored out of my gourd and how easily I'm able to explain what Augustine is saying. If you've never read Confessions, it is basically a memoir written like a pray to God. At the end there is something like an interpretation of the first chapter of Genesis, but I haven't got there yet.

In Book I (I'm reading the version translated by R. S. Pine-Coffin), page 22, Augustine is says this, 

"Do heaven and earth, then, contain the whole of you, since you fill them? Or, when you have once filled them, is some part of you left over because they are too small to hold you? If this is so, when you have filled heaven and earth, does that part of you which remains flow over into some other place? Or is it that you have no need to be contained in anything, because you contain all things in yourself and fill them by reason of the very fact that you contain them? For the things which you fill by containing them do not sustain and support you as a water-vessel supports the liquid which fills it. Even if they were broken into pieces, you would not flow out of them and away. And when you pour yourself out over us, you are not drawn down to us but draw us up to yourself: you are not scattered away, but you gather us together."

Wow. That was what I was thinking as I read this. Wow. What an amazing, incomprehensible God we serve. Augustine is just asking questions, yet these can fill us with awe. I am enjoying the way Confessions makes me marvel at my Creator and think about Things. 

Now, on to a recipe!

Mom made this delicious kale chips yesterday. They take two hours in all to dehydrate, but the kale retains its green color pretty well.

Dehydrated Kale Chips

Tweaked from Modern Girl Nutrition

1 (very) large bunch kale

1 1/2 T. olive oil

1 T. lemon juice

1 T. Braggs Liquid Aminos (or soy sauce)

Salt

Preheat oven to 170 and line two baking sheets with tin foil. Wash kale and tear out spines. Mix all other ingredients, except salt, in a small bowl. Transfer kale to large bowl, pour dressing over it, and toss everything together. Spread on baking sheets in a single layer. Sprinkle with salt. Place sheets oven and dehydrate for 30 minutes. Let sit in oven 30 minutes. Then dehydrate for 35 minutes. Let sit for another 30 minutes and then transfer to cooling rack. Try not to eat it all.

A new blog (sort of) and another recipe

When I started this blog, I imagined it to be full of recipes, encouraging and interesting posts, some chicken stuff, and maybe some family tidbits. In other words I imagined it to be like my sister's blog, which I (and I know other people) enjoy reading. It didn't really work the way I hoped, because (shocker!), I'm fourteen and she is twenty-six! That means I can't write like I've experienced all the stuff a college-graduated, husband-caring, baby-toting, adult has. Hey, Rebekah, don't you love my description? :)

So after a talk with Mom, I decided to stop trying to be more mature than I am or imagine my life as something different. I wanted to share about things I've experienced, and so I shall, but it'll be from who I actually am, a fourteen year-old, not what I might have wished I was. Now expect to see chickens, recipes, gardening, and a thoughtful post now and then. Because I can be serious. :)

To start off with a bang, here's a recipe for--bum ba da bum ba daaa--pesto! Of course, there are hundreds upon hundreds of pesto recipes out there. Like this. And this. And this. Feel free to check them out, I'm sticking with ours (which we had before the internet-blog stuff happened, as Mom has just informed me. So there.)

source

Pesto Recipe #six hundred eleventy five                                                          

2 c. basil, packed
1/4 c. olive oil
2-3 T. pine nuts (I usually just do two)
2 garlic cloves
2 T. Parmesan cheese
1/2 r. salt

Combine all but cheese and salt in blender. Add cheese and salt. Process until smooth. Makes for one pound of pasta

You can easily freeze this and it only takes a few hours to defrost. Delicious on top of pasta, steak, eggs, sourdough bread (tee hee), and salad.

"What's taters, precious, eh, what's taters?"

Samwise Gamgee can serve 'em up fried with fish, but we like potatoes baked...twice! (with lots of butter and cheese.)

These may seem like extra work, but they really aren't that much, and the end result is creamy, fluffy, and delicious. 

Twice-Baked Potatoes

Four potatoes
4 T. salted butter, softened
4 T. sour cream or plain yogurt
1/2 c. cheddar cheese
1/4-1/2 c. milk

Preheat oven to 425. Wash potatoes, wrap in foil, and place in 9x13 pan. Bake for an hour and 15 minutes. Remove foil and let cool. When cooled, cut in half lengthwise and scoop insides into a bowl (we use a cookie dough scooper). Line up potato skins in the pan. Add the other ingredients to the bowl and mix everything with a pastry blender (you could also use a food processor). Scoop the mixture back into potato skins. Sprinkle with chives, sweet paprika, and a grind of salt. Bake at 350 for half an hour or until golden on top. Enjoy!

We had this for Mother's Day lunch, along with grilled lamb, a salad bar, and berry crumb bars. Ah, food. 

Simple and Delicious

This recipe is absolutely scrumptious and something easy to make when you're in charge of Sunday lunch (guess what I did today...). Serves about five.

Roasted Roots

Four potatoes (I'm sure yams or sweet potatoes would work just as well)
One and a half carrots
1/2 c. oil (I used avocado)
Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 425. Wash carrots and potatoes. There's no need to peel them unless you prefer them that way. Chop them up and place in bowl. Toss in oil, transfer to pan, add a few turns of salt and pepper on top, and roast for 40 minutes or so. My carrots were still firm after 40 minutes, so you may want to roast 'em longer. Enjoy!

Yumliciousness.

Besides "Deep Thoughts From Rachel" (wink, wink), I'll be sharing some recipes. This one is based off of a Colorful Eats recipe, here. It's completely fruit sweetened and makes a little less than six cups.

Fig Crunch*
4 c. of nuts (I used 3 1/2 cups almonds and pecans and 1/2 a cup walnuts)
1/2 c. shredded coconut (unsweetened)
4 T. applesauce**
1/2 c. coconut oil (melted)
1 t. cinnamon
1 T. vanilla extract
1 c. chopped dried figs (chop them fairly small)

Preheat oven to 300. Place all ingredients except figs in food processor. Give it a whiz until everything's combined and the nuts are the size you want (mine were pretty small). Stir in figs and spread onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake for 25 minutes. It wasn't quite crunchy enough for me, so I just let sit in the oven for a while. Take it out, let it cool, and then transfer to container. Store if refrigerator. 

*I call it crunch because it wasn't clumpy enough for what you call granola.
**if you're like me and don't check if you have everything before baking, here is a quick applesauce recipe, courtesy of my mom:

Take a few apples, peel and chop them into small pieces, and place in small pot. Put pot on medium heat and wait around for the apples to soften, stirring occaionally. If they are dry like mine were, add a little bit of water. When they are soft enough, mash with fork, and--ta da! You have your own homemade applesauce. 

Also, follow up on my last post. I said that I found peace in God because He knows my troubles. I realize it may have sounded odd after I wrote that I couldn't "just say, "Everything's all right, so stop moping and straighten up!" It may have sounded like that is what I meant by talking about this peace, but it's not. The truth of God's love gives comfort, peace, and hope as I--with God's help--resolve any troubles I may have. I can stop moping because I know that God hasn't abandoned me and it gives me strength and courage to go on, instead of feel sorry for myself, so my problem can be solved. End of explanation. :)