Apple & Pear Brownies

Posted on October 11, 2012 by simply0637
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Needed yet another recipe to use up the apples and pears that we picked at the orchard.  This is another recipe that was sent to me and with a few alterations – we made it our own!  The aroma in the house was intoxicating and it added to the warmth needed on a rainy, chilly day.  I asked the kids if they wanted to help and I never got an answer until about an hour later – when I heard so can we make the brownies now, boy it smells good in here!  They were a little disappointed that they were not able to help, but I said you never answered so I went ahead and made.

The original recipe came from The Apple Lover’s Cookbook.

Apple & Pear Brownies

Ingredients

1 stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled (use the wrapper to grease the pan)
3/4 cup flour (wheat, white, sprouted, gluten free)
1/4 cup flax seed meal
1 Tbl cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt (if using salted butter, omit this salt)
1/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup raw honey
1 large egg
1/2 cup crushed pistachio nuts
2 3/4 cups apples and pears ( I used 2 pears and 3 apples, but any combo would work)

1. Melt the butter and set aside to cool slightly.

2. Crush the pistachios by placing in a plastic bag and using a rolling pin – set aside

3. Peel and cut the apples and pears into about 1/2 cubes.

4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

5. Grease a 8 x 11 inch pan using the butter wrapper.

6. Combine the flour, flax seed meal, cinnamon, baking powder, salt and baking soda in a small glass bowl.

7. In a medium sized glass bowl, using a mixer combine the butter, honey and egg.

8. Add the pistachios, apples and pears and mix by hand.

9. Add the flour mixture and mix well (I also did by hand).

10. Spread the batter into the pan – making sure you spread it to all sides.

11. Bake about 35 minutes, checking at 25 minutes.  You want it brown, firm to the touch and a tooth pick coming out clean.

12. Take out and cool in the pan on a wire rack.

13. Wait at least 30 minutes before cutting into 12 bars.  They set when they cool.  I had to wait about an hour before I could get out of the pan in one piece.

These make a great dessert or afternoon snack. The chunks of fruit really add to the enjoyment of eating it!

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Kids Craft Corner – Specimen Jars

Posted on October 10, 2012 by simply0637
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Well – the kids had another 3 day weekend!!!  I don’t think they have been in school a full week since school started at the beginning of September!  It was a fun filled weekend – Bella stayed with us – we were suppose to go away to the beach, but the weather prediction was not good (and the weather never did come) so we decided to hang out at home.  We had homemade pizza and movie night, we went apple picking, another movie night (Hunger Games), craft time, went to the movies (Hotel Transylvania -very good), playing outside (slight head trauma), many games of Pounce, barbies, reading, fort building, cuddling, homework, guitar practice, acting goofy, having fun and lots and lots of laughter!!!!

With all the holidays it seems that the mass marketing of them starts earlier and earlier!! To me it also seems that there is more and more stuff that we are suppose to buy for each of the holidays – so that we can decorate more and more and more!!  These specimens jars cost about $3.00 each to make – and we have more for next year!!  The kids had so much fun making them, can’t wait to take them home and display – and the best part is that they made them!!!!  Building some self-esteem and I can do it smiles!

Specimen Jars

Items Needed

Unflavored gelatin (I package for each specimen jar – $1.49 per package)
Specimen jars – we used quart size mason jars
Water
Glass measuring cups of bowls
Metal spoon
Food coloring (optional)
Specimens (I purchased skeleton hands, skulls and eyes – total costs for all $5.96)

1. Set up a work area for each kid.  I placed one of the artist place mats for each kid, easy to wipe up.  Each had a glass measuring cup, package of gelatin, metal spoon, mason jar and specimens.

2. Empty all of the gelatin package into the measuring cup.

3. Mix 1 cup of cold water into the gelatin – stirring until it starts to gel.

4. Add food coloring, if using.  The kids decided they wanted their solution to look a little like blood – so each added 1 drop of red food coloring and mixed.

5. Boil some water and then pour 1 cup of hot water into the gelatin mixture.

6. Place your specimen into the specimen jar.  Since we were using plastic items – they tended to float and the kids wanted their items to look they like they were floating.  So we had to do in stages.  Place specimen in jar, pour some gelatin on, place in freezer, allow to set and then do again.

7. Once it is all done it takes about 3 hours for it to really set.  We then place plastic wrap on top and used the screw top – this was so you can see inside the jar along with seeing from the sides.

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Roasted Pumpkin – Fall Is Here!

Posted on October 9, 2012 by simply0637
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I love the fall!  My favorite time of year!  I recently made this and there were several people there who had never had roasted pumpkin and they loved it – so of course, I thought I would share.  To Stella and me there is nothing like fresh cooked pumpkin.  This is easy to make, flavorful and goes well with some quinoa.

Roasted Pumpkin

Ingredients

1 sugar pumpkin, winter squash, butternut squash, acorn squash (get the picture)
Olive oil
Sea salt and pepper

Items Needed

Sharp knife
Baking dish

1. Wash the squash and dry.  I do this to get any dirt, etc off – so it does not mix with the “meat”.

2. Cut the pumpkin in half and scoop out the seeds and stringy center.  You can either discard or save the seeds for roasting later.

3. Peel/cut the skin off with the large knife.

4. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

5. Cut the pumpkin “meat” into cubes.  Place cubes in baking dish.

6. Drizzle some olive oil on the pumpkin cubes, toss and then add salt and pepper – toss.

7. Place the baking dish in the oven.  Toss the pumpkin every 20 minutes or so.  They are done when a fork goes into easily – depending on size of cubes 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Serve as a side dish, over quinoa or with a drizzle of maple syrup – they will go fast, but if by chance you do have leftovers – you can re-heat them in a steamer.

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WOW Breakfast Bar

Posted on October 8, 2012 by simply0637
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My cooking classes are starting back up again and the first one is Breakfasts for Healthy Minds (check out the class tab to see them all).  I have been experimenting and baking – hoping to come up with a good breakfast bar for those mornings when you are in the negative time warp!!  I think I have hit the jackpot.  I have to thank Anja’s Food 4 Thought, since her bar was the basis of this hit in our house!

WOW Breakfast Bar

Ingredients


1 1/4 cup rolled oats
1 1/4 cup whole milk (preferably raw) OR you could use a nut milk
3/4 cup dried fruit (blueberries, apples, cherries, apricots)
1/2 cup chopped nuts (pistachio, almonds, walnuts)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp vanilla
2 Tbl chia seeds
2 Tbl hemp seeds
2 Tbl flax seed meal

 

1. Mix the milk and oats in a glass bowl and set aside.

2.  Measure out your dried fruit.  All the fruit I used I had picked and dried myself.  Some needed to by cut smaller, using scissors works so much better than a knife.

3. Measure out 1/2 cups of nuts, place in a plastic bag and using a rolling pin – crush the nuts.  Again, I think this is so much easier than chopping with a knife.

4. Mix all the remaining ingredients into the milk/oats mixture – let sit for 10 minutes or more.

5. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Line a 9×9 pan with parchment paper.

6. Pour (or better yet, push it in – it is not runny) the batter into the pan and spread and flatten evenly.

7. Baked for 30 45 minutes – check after 30 minutes.  It will start to brown on top and when touched will spring back.  Take out of the oven, cool for about 5 minutes and then cut into 16 bars.

Allow to cool completely then store.  After cutting I lifted the parchment paper out and placed on a rack to cool faster.  Yummy!!

These are also making great lunch snacks!!

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What You Need To Know About Almonds

Posted on October 5, 2012 by simply0637
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For many years I did not eat almonds, even though everyone told me I had to – “they are so good for you” – I was told over and over again.  I did not really like the taste and I eat a pretty good diet already, why did I have to add something else?  That all changed when I had some tamari roasted almonds at a friend’s house – I was hooked!  I figured out how to make my own, which is way less expensive and I started adding them to other recipes.  Almonds were now a part of my diet.  I thought I was doing the right thing by buying raw, organic almonds, but then I was sent an email and things changed and not for the better!!

The email I received had a link to an article, which I clicked on and read, but then thought well that does not pertain to organic, raw almonds…  This is directly from the link:

“Due to an outbreak of salmonella in 2001 and 2004 from almonds, the federal government has mandated that all almonds grown in the United States must be pasteurized to kill any bacteria. The problem lies in the fact that many companies are using the inexpensive process of applying a chemical called propylene oxide (PPO) in order to pasteurize the almonds. PPO is so nasty that it was banned by both the Hot Rod and Motorcycle Racing Associations, where it had been used as racing fuel before being deemed too dangerous. PPO is also used in manufacturing polyurethane foam, antifreeze and hydraulic fluid and is classified as a probably human carcinogen.”

Starting September 1, 2007, due to a mandate that was passed by the USDA, FDA and the California Almond Board, all almonds and that DOES include organic must be pasteurized.  There are 4 ways to pasteurize almonds, but all change the nutritional makeup of the almond, itself. The 4 methods are: steam processing, high heat treatment or roasting, blanching and highly toxic fumigation treatment with propylene oxide (PPO).  The two most used are steam processing and PPO fumigation.

If the almonds you are buying are labeled organic, than they have been steam processed.  This process was delineated to the organic sector.  This method has been shown to devalue the nutrients, enzyme activity and antioxidants properties of the almond.

If you are buying almonds that are not label organic STOP!  These are processed using the PPO fumigation.  PPOs, remember were considered so nasty that they were banned by  both the American Motorcycle and the National Hot Rod Associations and were also banned by the following countries: Mexico, Canada and the entire European Union. The reason these countries banned it was because of its known carcinogenic risks to human beings!  You then need to ask yourself, then why is the US allowing its use on our almonds and not telling us!!!!

Remember I stated above that pasteurization was passed by the USDA, FDA and the California Almond Board to protect the health of the US citizens.  If that is truly the case than why does the EPA declare PPO a carcinogenic chemical that is responsible for  neurological, gastrointestinal, respiratory, immune system dysfunctions and liver disease, to name a few.  Here is what the EPA says:

“Propylene oxide is used in the production of polyethers (the primary component of polyurethane foams) and propylene glycol.  Acute (short-term) exposure of humans and animals to propylene oxide has caused eye and respiratory tract irritation. Dermal contact, even with dilute solutions, has caused skin irritation and necrosis in humans. Propylene oxide is also a mild central nervous system (CNS) depressant in humans.  Inflammatory lesions of the nasal cavity, trachea, and lungs and neurological effects have been observed in animals chronically (long-term) exposed to propylene oxide by inhalation.  Propylene oxide has been observed to cause tumors at or near the site of administration in rodents, causing fore stomach tumors following ingestion via gavage (experimentally placing the chemical in the stomach) and nasal tumors after inhalation exposure.  EPA has classified propylene oxide as a Group B2, probable human carcinogen.”

In order to have truly organic, raw almonds they need to come from outside the US.  This is just another reason why we all need to demand that our food is labeled and we are aware of what we are putting into our bodies, our families and our children!!  The worst part of what I have found is that there was no reason for organic nuts to go through this process – the outbreak was with non-organic nuts (sounds a little like what they are doing with the raw milk industry- but I won’t go there, for now!).

So what can you do if you love almonds and want to continue using them in your diet and your cooking?  Here are some options for you:

If you are buying at your local grocery, natural food store, Trader Joe’s and/or Whole Foods – you need to buy organic, you will then know that they were steam processed.

For truly raw, organic you can order from the following companies:

http://shop.livingnutz.com/category.sc?categoryId=3

http://nuts.com/nuts/almonds/organic.html  I called them to get some more information.  Yes, you can order raw, organic almonds from them which are imported from Spain.  If you purchase their almond meal/flour – needs to be organic and it is made from American almonds that have been steam processed.  They are so friendly at this company, the customer service is great and they don’t mind answering all your questions!!

I have US, organic almonds that I will be using up and then I will be ordering from nuts.com.  For my almond meal/flour – well I am even more thrilled that I saved my money and purchased a Vitamix – I will be making my own – look for that blog in the next couple of months!!

Question everything, know what you are putting into your body – you only have the one and it needs the nourishment from the best possible foods!!! Happy and healthy eating to you!!

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Kids Craft Corner – Shrunken Heads

Posted on October 4, 2012 by simply0637
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Have you ever gone to a haunted house and stuck your hand into an bowl of eye balls?  Come across a table of shrunken heads, a plate of brains, specimen jars?  I have wondered how to make shrunken heads and now have found directions on how to.  They seemed really fun and not too hard.  We went to the grocery and picked out our Granny Smith apples – as we were doing so, Stella asked if they were organic and I said no and she said I didn’t think so they didn’t look organic.  I am not sure why – maybe because they were so shiny and “perfect” looking.

This was a really fun project and the best part of the fun is waiting to see how our “faces” are going to shrink!

Shrunken Heads

Items Needed

Firm, unbruised apples – Granny Smith’s work great – pick round ones
Knife (for an adult to use)
Marker or pencil – we found that markers did not work well
1 cup lemon juice
1 Tbl salt
Stick, branch or skewers

1. Mix the lemon juice and salt in a glass bowl and set aside.

2. Core and peel the apples. (best done by an adult)

3. Using a pencil draw your face.  We used a mechanical pencil and it really did not leave marks – but cut into the apple and left an outline.  Make the face features large, so that when they shrink you can still see them.

4. Carve out the drawn face, best done by an adult.

5. Place the apples in the lemon juice, turning so that each part of the apple is getting covered by lemon juice for about 30 seconds per section.  Pat dry.

6. Set the apples in a warm, dry spot.  We put them on skewers inside a mason jar and set them on the table in front of a window.

7. Watch your apples change over the course of several days. The apples will gradually shrink and distort.

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

8. How you display is up to you.  You could place them on a plate with some grass/straw, place on a stick or branch and place in a vase or plant – use your imagination.

They took about a week to shrink!  One of them is already starting to mold inside, so we are not sure how long these “keep” – will get back to you on that one.  I am thinking we will get maybe one more week.

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Buttermilk Soaked, No Knead Bread

Posted on October 3, 2012 by simply0637
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It has been almost a year since I last made this bread and in that post I said I would be experimenting….  Well, soup time is here and what goes better with some homemade soup, but homemade bread.  This is the first experimenting that I have done and there will be more. I was not overly happy with this loaf and am not sure if it was the buttermilk or the dusting with grape seed flour – so of course I will have two more experiments from this one.

Buttermilk Soaked, No Knead Bread

Ingredients

3 cups flour
Grape seed flour for dusting
1/4 tsp yeast
1 1/4 tsp sea salt
1 1/2 cup cultured, whole buttermilk

1. I a large glass bowl, preferably one with a lid, mix together the flour, yeast, salt and buttermilk.  With a wooden spoon, mix the ingredients together.  You want to make sure that it is well mixed.

 

 

 

 

2. Cover with lid or plastic wrap and let sit for at least 12 hours, but up to 24 hours in warm location (70 degrees).

3. Twelve – 24 hours of time passing (hope you did something enjoyable!)…..

4.  Place a dish towel on the counter and sprinkle with grape seed flour.

5. Turn the dough out onto the dish rag, must be cotton.  Sprinkle the dough with grape seed flour and flatten the dough.  Fold all the sides in.

 

 

 

 

6. Place the ball seam side down on the towel, may have to dust with grape seed flour again.  Dust the top of the dough with grape seed flour and cover with another cotton dish towel.  Let rise again for about 2 hours.

7. About 30 minutes before you are ready to bake the bread, turn the oven to 500 degrees and place a dutch oven in the oven, with the lid on.  You want the dutch oven to be hot when you place the dough inside.

8. When the dutch oven is good and hot, carefully take the top off and  take the dough and place inside the dutch oven, seam side up.  Shake the pan a couple of times to evenly distribute the dough. Cover and bake for about 30 minutes – I check after 20 minutes (my oven tends to cook hotter).

9.  Remove the lid and bake another 10 – 15 minutes, until golden brown (which is hard to determine with the grape seed flour).

10. Cool on a rack.  The crust will be hard and the inside so soft – yummy!! (Yes, I know it is not on a rack – I did move to one – just forgot to take a photo.)

I have to say this bread was still very yummy and Stella enjoyed it (not the soup that went with it). So this loaf of bread was not as airy inside as the no knead recipe I posted about before (link above) – but I am not sure if it was due to the buttermilk or not.  Using the grape seed flour made the bread look burnt – which is not overly appetizing.  I also found that is did not rise as much and was flatter.  The bottom burned and was quite hard, but again not sure if that was the oven, buttermilk or the grape seed flour.  Back to the experimenting, next batch will be using buttermilk, but dusting with flour.

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Make An Autumn Wreath

Posted on October 2, 2012 by simply0637
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As I walked in the house this week, I noticed how bare our front door looked.  Our last wreath was spring time and then we had our flag on our door and now nothing.  We took the flag down when we hung up the ghosts – but it needed something.  I didn’t want to make one that was specific to Halloween since I wanted it to last until after Thanksgiving, when we will then put up our holiday one – so what to make.  I do have another one that I want to make, but not sure if we will get to that one this year – hoping we will – so cool.  I decided on something simple and vibrant – a ribbon wreath!

Autumn Wreath

Items Needed

Wire wreath (I used the smaller size)
Fall colored wire ribbon (about 5 – 6 spools, each spool I used was 10ft)
Scissors
Ruler
Twine for hanging

1. Cut your ribbon in lengths of 20″ – 22″.

2. Thread your ribbon into the wire wreath.  Make two loops, tie a bow.  Pull the bow to even out and make “pretty”.

3. Repeat step 2 until the wreath is full of bows.

4. Take a piece of twine or ribbon and tie onto back of wreath – making a loop for hanging.

Hang on your door!

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Slow Cooker Minestrone

Posted on October 1, 2012 by simply0637
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Fall is my favorite season of the year.  I love the fact that it is cool in the morning, heats up and then cools off at night.  I love sleeping with the windows open and an extra quilt on the bed.  I love layering my clothes.  I love the crispness in the air, the blue hue of the sky and the colors of the leaves.  I also love the fall harvest of foods.  What I love almost most of all is that I am able to really get back into the kitchen and start making soups, breads and experimenting with new recipes!!

In times gone by – we used to gain weight in the winter – makes sense – helps us stay warmer, etc.  Winter foods are a little heavier and if you think about what is your comfort food- most likely it is probably a food associated with the colder months. We all have our comfort foods – two of mine are soup and bread – to me one of the perfect food combinations!

Slow Cooker Minestrone

Ingredients

1 Tbl Olive oil
1 Medium sized Nnion, minced
1 Celery rib, chopped
2 Medium sized Carrots, chopped
2 Garlic cloves, minced
$ oz Green Beans, ends trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 1/2 cups garbanzo beans or (1) 15.5 oz. can – drained and rinsed
One 14.5 oz. can diced Tomatoes, left undrained
1 medium sized Zucchini or Yellow squash, diced
6 cups vegetable stock
Salt and freshly ground Pepper
1/2 cup raw or 1 cup cooked small soup pasta (optional)

1. Pour the oil in the bottom of a 4 – 6 quart slow cooker. Add the onion, celery, carrot, garlic – cover and cook on high while you prep the other ingredients.

2. Wash, trim and cut the green beans, drain the chickpeas, cut the zucchini – when all are done – add to the crock pot, along with the tomatoes, salt and pepper.  Cover and cook on low for 7 – 8 hours.

3. If using the raw pasta (we used little letters), about an hour before you are ready to serve, add it to the slow cooker and cover.

Serve with some homemade bread and be nourished and comforted!  Happy and healthy eating to you…

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Kids Craft Corner – Sock Skeletons

Posted on September 28, 2012 by simply0637
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The kids lately have been using socks on their hands as puppets.  These socks are nothing more than the socks off their feet, placed over their hands – they then run around chasing each other with their sock puppets.  We have a sock puppet book – but as of yet have not made any.  With Halloween around the corner, I remembered last winter that I had bookmarked a sock skeleton “how-to” from Martha Stewart’s website.

Sock Skeleton (Thanks to Martha Stewart)

Items Needed

One pair of white crew or athletic socks (or other socks of your choice)
Ruler and fabric pencil
Sewing machine
White thread
Scissors
Stuffing
Sewing needle and embroidery needle
Black embroidery floss
Straight pins
Pencil or knitting needle for stuffing arms and legs
2 black four-hole coat buttons approximately 3/4 and 5/8 inch
2 white four-hole shirt buttons approximately 7/16 and 1/2 inch

Template for cutting out skeleton

1. Turn both socks inside out and follow the template for marking, using your ruler and fabric pencil.

2.  Sew the legs on both sock #1 & #2, following the lines drawn (to make even curves use a spool of thread to outline while drawing).  After sewing, cut along the cut lines.

3. Cut out the other part of the sock #2.

4. Sew the 4 arm pieces.

5. Turn sock #1 right side out – this is done through the opening between the legs.

6. Stuff the body and then the legs.  A great way to stuff the legs and arms – start to turn the right side out, but not all the way, using a chop stick or pencil – wrap some stuffing around the pencil – stick pencil in the arm/leg, along with the stuffing and fill as you turn right side out.  (Not sure if that made sense, but if you go to the Martha Stewart link and click on the video they show it nicely.)

7. With a needle and thread sew the hole closed on sock #1.

8. Stuff and sew closed the other leg sections and arm sections.

9. Sew the bottom part of the legs on and then do the same for the arms.  The kids had to take a break from sewing here.

10.  Taking some black embroidery thread – tie the head or  choke your skeleton.  Pull it tight and tie in a knot or two.

11. Now it is time for the ribs and mouth.  Take black embroidery thread, make it long and knot the end.  Starting just under the arm – go in through the back and out the front, wrap the thread around side of body, back in through the same point in the back and out the same spot in the front – pull the thread – do this 2 – 3 times per rib.  On the last time for one rib – go in through the back and then out through the next front spot.  I marked the three rib spots in the front, making the ribs a little bigger each one down.  When done, knot in the back. Repeat on the other side.

12. The mouth is done the same way.  Go in one side of the mouth out the other side, pull and repeat 2 – 3 times, knot off.

12. For the eyes – double up the buttons – black on bottom, white on top.  Sew on face.  I chose to do them a little uneven.

The girls decided that the white socks we had weren’t big enough, so we went to the clothing store down the street so they could pick out their own knee socks to use.  Once they started stuffing they thought, out loud, that they should have used the white socks – since it was a lot more work for the larger one!

This project took longer than I thought it would – mainly because of all the hand sewing.  I did all the machine sewing and helped with some of the attaching hand sewing.  They were a fun project, Bella learned how to hand sew and Stella got to practice.  They of course wanted them “perfect” like the picture, which they never are!  The best part was when they thought they had messed up or made a mistake – showing them how most “mis-takes” can be “re-taken” or fixed where only you know that there is a small imperfection – which makes it even more unique!

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