Random Kitchen Information

Rather than buy brown sugar I buy molasses.  Add it to crystalized sugar, and you have brown sugar.  It is true - just read the bag of brown sugar you just purchased.

Cumin is the key ingredient in taco seasoning.  I never buy packaged taco seasoning instead I use this approximate recipe (I rarely measure, just guess).  As long as I have cumin it tastes like tacos!  1t salt, 2T Chili powder, 1t cumin, 1t garlic powder/clove garlic, 2T paprika.  Sometimes I add oregano.

Teriyaki sauce can be replaced with 2T soysauce, 2T apple cider vinegar, 2T honey.

Baking is my favorite way to prepare bacon.  It stays flat so it stacks in sandwiches nicely, plus I love the finished taste and texture.  Lay it on a  metal cooling rack in a pan (single layer), or if you have a crisping pizza pan that just happens to fit perfectly on top of your deep dish pizza pan you can lay your bacon on it.  It sometimes helps to coat the pan before placing the bacon to avoid sticking.  Put it in a cold oven, turn on your temperature to 400 and bake for about 20 minutes.  I have tried it with a warm oven and it does not work as well.

I like to make a large batch of bread dough in a 5 gallon covered pail and pop it into the fridge.  Similar to the 5 minute artisan bread books.  The 5-minute doughs tend to be wetter doughs so you do not have to knead them... however, for my basic bread recipe, I make it the same way whether I am baking that day, or prepping the dough for use throughout the week.  Make your dough per the usual directions, only rather than letting it rise in a warm place for 1 hour or so (first rise), put it in your bucket and put it in the fridge.  Want fresh baked bread, reach into the bucket and pull out a hand-full.  My loaves usually start with 20oz of dough.

That is all for today!

Pumpkin Waffles or Pancakes

This recipe first came to my attention on pinterest.  It is such an amazing place to browse food, and craft ideas.

It linked to the recipe here: http://pumpkinwaffles.wordpress.com/ultimate-pumpkin-waffle-recipe/

I made these for the first time in the evening after everyone was in bed, pre-made breakfast for the next morning (hubby does not like running the waffle irons).  As usual, I did not follow the recipe exactly, nor did I take the time to complete all the steps as thoroughly as the author.  After taste testing most of the first batch, I made a second batch that same night so the kids would have breakfast.  I do not have a belgian waffle maker, but I do have 2 antique irons.  In my irons it takes 3 - 5 minutes per waffle.  The second time, I made them as pancakes.  I should have used lower heat so they cooked through or thinned the batter, instead I just flattened them down after flipping.  They were loved both ways.

INGREDIENTS My alterations are in red
makes 4 round “Belgian” style pumpkin waffles
Click here for the metric version of the recipe.

• 1/4 cup light brown sugar 1/4 cup white sugar with about 1t molasses
• 3 Tbsp. cornstarch
• 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 50-100% Whole Wheat Flour
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 3/4 tsp. cinnamon
• 2 tsp. ginger  We did not have ginger - I threw in a mystery spice (long story - it was cloves or nutmeg or allspice or?)
• 1/4 tsp. cloves
• 1/2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg dried powdered
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup whole milk   whey - the first time it was vanilla whey, so the second time I added 2t vanilla
• 1 cup canned solid-pack pumpkin  1C fresh pumpkin or squash
• 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and warm  Olive oil

*Grated and lightly packed into the spoon, use 1/2 tsp. Grated and loosely scooped, this is about 1 tsp. of nutmeg. If you have to use pre-grated, dried nutmeg, use 1/4 tsp.

DIRECTIONS

1. Lightly oil the waffle iron with vegetable oil  I always melt butter and brush it on, and set it to the desired temperature.

 The first time I did the extra work of 2 - 8, the second time I just threw everything in the food processor and mixed.  My blender is super weak or I would have use it instead.  I would have mixed it all with a hand whisk, but my pumpkin was a little frozen still so I ran it through the processor first.

2. Combine brown sugar and cornstarch in a large bowl. Whisk together to break apart the cornstarch. Add the remaining dry ingredients, and whisk to blend. 

3. Separate eggs: yolks go in a medium sized bowl and whites get set aside in a smaller bowl.

4. Add pumpkin and milk to the egg yolks. Whisk to blend and set aside.

5. Whip egg whites with a hand mixer on high until stiff peaks form – about 1 1/2 – 2 minutes. Set aside  the author must have a supper powered hand mixer, because after 5 minutes mine weren't peaked so I just dumped them in - impatience runs great in my blood.

6. Pour melted butter into the yolk/milk/pumpkin mixture. As you pour, whisk to combine.

7. Add the pumpkin mixture to the dry ingredients, and mix them together until just combined. A little lumpiness is fine. That will smooth out when the egg whites are added.

8. Slide the whipped egg whites out of the bowl and onto the mixture you just prepared. Gently fold them in until no white bits are obvious.

9. Once the waffle iron is heated, you’re ready to pour the batter! In my Presto FlipSide waffle maker, cook time is exactly 2 minutes 30 seconds.  My thin/crunchy waffle iron cooks in 3 minutes, my thicker puffier iron cooks in 5.

Japanese Chilcken & Egg on Rice

Made this recipe last night.  It was super yummy!  I of course did not follow the recipe to the letter, mostly because I did not have some of the ingredients.  My modifications are in red.

Found the recipe here: http://spoonful.com/recipes/japanese-chicken-and-egg-rice-bowl

• 2 cups white rice 2 C brown rice
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil Olive oil
• 4 chopped scallions a small amount of green onions
• 1 cup chicken broth 1 C water plus a bullion cube
• 1/2 cup shredded carrots skipped
• 2 cups baby spinach chopped collard greens
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 4 chicken cutlets, cut into strips 2 C of chicken thigh pieces
• 5 large beaten eggs

How to make it

1. Cook the rice (for a total of 4 cups of cooked rice).
2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Add the chopped scallions green onions and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the chicken broth, and simmer for 2 minutes. Add the shredded carrots and baby spinach collard greens and stir until the spinach has completely wilted. Actually I put the collards in with the green onions and sauteed then added the broth.
3. Stir in the sugar and soy sauce. Add the chicken and simmer for 3 more minutes.
4. Pour the eggs over the chicken mixture and simmer until the eggs are cooked through, stirring occasionally, 8 to 10 minutes. I think I actually had it cooking in this last phase longer.  Maybe more like 20 minutes. Serve the mixture over the cooked rice.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Blue House Garden

I would like to build Blue House Garden into something amazing. A business that fully carries our family. A venture that serves as an example to others.

I watched a video recently about building a business. I will sum up the main point as: Find your passion, package it perfectly, and find a give-away to get them interested. This is a great concept, even if I have over-simplified its core. I am trying to sort out what that means to me and Blue House Garden, to figure out what Blue House Garden is, which direction to take it, where it wants to go, or where I want it to go.

First I need to revisit our family mission:
We wish to live well on God's land, being good stewards of his creatures, plants, and soil. We wish to raise our children healthy and strong - physically, mentally, and emotionally. We wish to be independent of the economic tide. Work well, play hard, create beauty.

Then I need to address the question of which passion, which packaging, which give-away.

Among my list of passions is Wholesome Foods: Growing, creating, baking, and selling of wholesome foods make me happy. I love being in the kitchen and attacking a recipe mad-scientist style.

Side questions:

When does a recipe become your own? The writer in me wants to attribute recipes to their source. Where do all the "new" recipes come from published in the new cookbooks (even ghost cookbook writers must get it somewhere)? Are they just slight modifications from the original? Do they change one ingredient, or even just relabel it and call it their own?
I was given a newspaper clipping of a cracker recipe this week. I was missing one ingredient, and contrary to my usual methods, actually went and purchased the one ingredient instead of substituting. I also did not make the other usual modifications I like to make to recipes. Had I made these modifications, would it then have been my recipe, and not needed a reference? I did use a different method for one step. Does that make it mine? If I explain in a different way, does that make it mine?

These questions swirl in my mind as I consider what Blue House Garden is going to be. What direction I will take. I can imagine myself one day having a book. Perhaps a guide on how to be a homesteader. Perhaps a cook book with the tips, tricks, and twists I use in most of my cooking and baking. Maybe a combination of both. Maybe a story, with the recipes, tips, and guide rolled in unexpectedly?

What can I give for free to encourage my customers to want more? We usually have samples at our farmer's market stand. Most of the time that works well. What else can we do?

An article I read this week spoke of a family that had an open door policy one night per week, everyone was welcome to "Taco Tuesdays". It helped them get to know the neighbors and their kids friends.

What if Blue House Garden instituted Tasting Tuesdays. Every Tuesday at dinner, the doors are open to everyone, and anyone. Come try out the latest recipes, tour the farm, meet the goats. It might help with word of mouth advertising. It might show people a little more about who we are. It might encourage people to buy the product because they were getting a small taste.

Things to ponder...

Happy Cooking Accidents

Goat's Milk Vanilla Cheese

Occasionally I follow a recipe, but omit a critical step. For example, I was following a recipe for vanilla ice cream I had found on the Rennet bottle.

The missed step would have produced a yummy custard type dessert that I could freeze. However, I did not notice this step until after I had created this: Vanilla Cheese. The taste of vanilla ice cream, but the texture of cheese curds - squeaky vanilla cheese.

I have since this accident made the ice cream, and it is yummy in its frozen form (someday I need to get an ice cream maker so we can have nicer textured ice cream - but we love the frozen chunky stuff in the mean-time.

We will see this week if I can duplicate the Vanilla Cheese. I want to try it on this chocolate bread my M-I-L brought over!

Healthy Baked Doughnut

We have been picking up doughnuts at church on Sunday, and the kids eat them for breakfast during the week. I do not approve of doughnuts for breakfast before school even though I keep bringing them home.

I became determined to fix the problem. I was going to create a healthy doughnut!

While surveying the basement food storage I was struck by an epiphany.

Squash Doughnuts! For those of you who do not know, recipes that call for pumpkin can be substituted with squash without a problem.

I did find a few recipes of pumpkin doughnuts. For some reason I decided to experiment instead. Must have been the late hour!

The first time I made them, the texture great but was more like a muffin than doughnut, and the flavor was good. They were all gone within 24 hours - all 2.5 dozen of them. I wanted more spice/pumpkin flavor. I tried doubling the squash and spice, then increasing the honey to 3/4 cup. It made the batter too thin so I had to add more flour. It was a little more flavorful - especially with the honey, but the texture was more bread like.

I will try more experiments - and leave a comment on how you would improve it.

This is the original recipe from cooks.com My substitutions are in red.

2 pkgs. quick acting yeast
1/4 c. water (105-115 degrees) - I used whey in place of the water and milk.
1 1/2 c. lukewarm milk, scalded and then cooled
1/2 c. sugar - honey
1 tsp. salt - I think I only used 1/2 tsp.
1 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
2 eggs
1/3 c. shortening - squash!
4 1/2 c. flour - I used white whole wheat
1/4 c. butter, melted
Cinnamon sugar or sugar

In large mixer bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add milk, sugar, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, eggs, shortening and 2 cups of flour. Blend 1/2 minute on low speed, scraping bowl occasionally. Stir in remaining flour until smooth, scraping side of bowl.

Cover; let rise in warm place until double (50-60 minutes). Turn dough onto well floured cloth-covered board. Roll around lightly to coat with flour (dough will be soft to handle). With floured stockinet-covered rolling pin, gently roll dough about 1/2 inch thick. Cut with floured 2 1/2 inch doughnut cutter.

Lift doughnuts carefully with spatula and place 2 inches apart on greased baking sheet. Brush doughnuts with melted butter. Cover: let rise until double, about 20 minutes.

In preheated 425 degree oven, bake 8-10 minutes or until golden in color. Immediately after removing from oven brush with melted butter and shake in cinnamon, sugar, or sugar. Makes 1 1/2 to 2 dozen doughnuts.

Being a reformed night owl

When I was young and carefree I would go out dancing at night. Most of the time I would get the urge between 9:00 and 10:00 pm, head out, and arrive back home after 12:00 am. I always found myself energized the following day despite my lack of sleep. I loved dancing. I loved the late nights.

Husband, kids, and a long early-morning commute have changed my options for dancing and late nights. Most evenings will find me winding down and climbing into bed between 9:00 and 10:00 pm.

Sometimes I still feel that longing. The 9:00 craving. The 9:30 restlessness. The 10:00 urge. There must be somewhere I need to be. Something that must be done. Dancing!?

I have found my replacement.

Food.

Sometimes it just means I get the munchies.

Quite a few evenings it means recipe research and experimentation. This month alone has included the following late night recipes: Fresh goat's milk mozzarella, baked healthy doughnuts, homemade yogurt and ice cream (without an ice cream machine).

We will see if this trend continues and I will post recipes soon!