A New Cookie

I wanted to share this cookie recipe because it was just too awesome to not share! 101 Cookbooks is a great blog! I would love to try most of the recipes that she shares! These Carrot Oatmeal cookies were just incredible! I will say that I didn't follow the recipe exactly. I'm beginning to wonder if I ever do!

Maple syrup has become so out of my price reach that I substituted my own homemade brown sugar syrup, which is simply:
1 part water:2 parts brown sugar, plus any flavoring you want to add, probably vanilla but I have used almond, too.

Oh, and another substitution that I had to make~I didn't have fresh ginger on hand. Powdered ginger worked just fine.

Here are the ingredients used. I won't post the whole recipe as I'm not sure how much is considered o.k. to share when it comes to recipes. But go on over to 101 Cookbooks and you can have fun browsing for hours if you have the time!

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
scant 1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1 cup rolled oats
2/3 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup shredded carrots
1/2 cup real maple syrup
1/2 cup unrefined (fragrant) coconut oil, warmed until just melted
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

Raw Food Week

I enjoy experimenting with raw food. I've eaten completely raw a few times over the past few years, sometimes for a couple months, usually not that long. I always feel pulled in that direction, especially when Spring rolls around. I also turn to raw food when I'm concerned for my health. I know how great I feel when I'm consuming huge amounts of raw food.

For a week now I've been enjoying the raw food way of eating. This time around I'm determined to keep track of the foods that I really love. I'm always trying new recipes but am awful about keeping track of them! I figure if I post them here, I'll have a record. Plus, maybe someone else will see a recipe or idea that they would want to try. I realize this if quite different than main stream food thinking, but that's o.k.! I certainly wouldn't want to be "normal", whatever that is! :)
I've used recipes from and enjoyed perusing the following sites:
Ani's Raw Food Kitchen I happened upon this blog right after preparing a recipe of Ani's that I found in the Tribest catalog. Kiersten and I made Strawberry Parfaits and they were awesome!
I wasn't able to follow the recipe (again) and so I'll just post what I did below:

Strawberry syrup:
1 cup strawberries
1/4 cup raw honey (We have great local honey! ~ Ani called for Agave Nectar.)

Cream sauce:
1 cup soaked walnuts (Ani calls for cashews which I do think would probably work better but not a must!)
1/4 cup coconut oil, liquid
1/4 cup filtered water, as needed (I used more than this and my cream was still quite thick.)
(1 Tbsp. vanilla extract ~ the recipe calls for this but I didn't have any.)

Topping
1/2 cup sliced strawberries or more

1. Buzz the syrup in your blender.

2. Buzz the cream in your blender.

3. Assemble. Cream on bottom. Syrup on top with strawberries topping it all off. Ami garnished her parfaits with mint. Not sure why I didn't. I have tons of it growing right out my back door. Next time.....

Navita's Naturals I've never ordered from this company but they appear to have a lot to offer.

Raw Royalty Just a new-to-me raw food blog.

Today, I had the most wonderfully refreshing lunch!~~~Vegi Wraps
The wrap itself was a romaine lettuce leaf. I spread this with some Raw Cheddar Cheese Spread I'd made earlier in the week. Next I put a hand full of shredded carrot and zucchini down the middle of the wrap and then topped it off with homemade fresh salsa. My salsa was ultra simple. I chopped up lots of cilantro (from my garden) sweet onion, and a Roma tomato. Oh, yum!

I've enjoyed raw fruit shakes of all kinds, many wonderful salads with incredibly tasty home made salad dressings, and I've enjoyed nuts, raisins and dark chocolate for my snacks. It's been a great week!

I almost forgot! For Easter lunch I made a Raw Strawberry Pie. I've enjoyed every last bite!

Toddler Reading and Play

Here are a few library books that Zeke and I have enjoyed this week.
Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson
All of my children have enjoyed the Harold books, especially my oldest. Simple, fun, and sweet.


I Like it When.... by Mary Murphy
Zeke really like this book. He's begging to keep it at his house. "We really have to keep it at our house." The first page says, "I like it when you hold my hand." I would read this and then he'd respond, "I like it when you hold my hand, too!" We took a long walk on Friday and did just that!
I'll probably try to get this book from Paperback Swap.



Hugs and Kisses by Christophe Loupy and Eve Tharlet
Sweet and innocent with pretty illustrations.




We also recently made this great play dough from Simplicity Soup! By the way, play dough isn't just for toddlers!!!

Play Dough

2 c flour
1 c salt
4 T cream of tartar
2 T oil
2 c water

Stir until smooth. Cook over low heat, stirring rapidly (to avoid lumps) until it forms.

Scrape out of pan onto flat surface. Knead a few times, cause it’s fun when it’s all warm and it helps get the sticky out.

Black-eyed Peas with Ham

This recipe is so simple that it's almost embarrassing to post but it was also so yummy that I'd hate for someone to miss out on it if they've never tried it.

Since yesterday we had two music lessons and basketball practice, along with lots of errands to fit in around them, I knew I needed something in the crock pot ready for us when we arrived home in the evening. I had the bread baked and ready but what to throw in the crock pot? Here you go. It can't be any simpler than this! Takeout would take longer! And everyone thought it tasted great!

3 cans of Black-eyed Peas (could be more than this)
1 pound of ham, chopped however you like

That's it!

The bread is a new recipe I tried, Multi-Grain Seeded Bread, from the new Eating Well magazine.

I also wanted to include a link to an article that is a good reminder to all parents.
Top 10 Brain Foods for Kids

You can find more frugal recipes at The Grocery Cart Challenge.

Pumpkin Days

Every fall I use pumpkin in new ways. Over the years we've made frozen pumpkin pie, pumpkin cheesecake, pumpkin yeast rolls, pumpkin butter and pumpkin pancakes.

Last Saturday we enjoyed Susan's Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins ~ a big YUM! I doubled the chocolate chips, like she suggested, and we didn't regret it! My family declared them a "keeper".

Last night was a rare occasion at our house. Tim and I were ALONE! I decided to make pumpkin biscuits, and a big salad. I made a bed of chopped romaine. In the center I put a rounded scoop of tuna salad, and then I sprinkled chopped red peppers, black olives and farmer's cheese all over the top. It was pretty and tasty! Everything was simple, yummy, and peaceful. :) Tonight we were back to normal with all the kids around the table!

I found the recipe for the Pumpkin Biscuits at About. com:Home Cooking.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour (and maybe a little more, see instructions)
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 Tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/3 cup cold butter, cut into cubes
• 3/4 cup pumpkin puree (canned or homemade)
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup melted butter

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 450 F. Lightly grease a baking sheet.

Whisk together flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice. Place flour mixture in a food processor, fitted with the metal blade. Add cold butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse bread crumbs.

Remove to a bowl and stir in pumpkin and milk. Mix just until moistened and a soft dough forms. If the dough is too wet to handle, stir in additional flour, just enough so you can handle it.

Roll out dough to 1/2-inch thick on a lightly floured board. Using a floured biscuit cutter, cut into 2-inch circles. Place on prepared pan 1 inch apart and brush with melted butter. Bake for 8 to 12 minutes, until golden brown.

Serve pumpkin biscuits right out of the oven with butter, honey, or honey butter.

Yield: about 12 biscuits

note: I changed the amount of baking powder from 3 Tbsp. to 1 Tbsp. When I prepared these I couldn't imagine that they would need 3 Tbsp. Using 1 Tbsp. worked out just fine.

Oatmeal Cherry Scones

These are wonderful little scones that are quite easy to make.

Position a rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 450*F. Have ready a large ungreased baking sheet.

Whisk together thoroughly in a large bowl:
1 1/2 cups unbleached flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

Stir in, using your fingers if necessary to separate the fruit:
1 1/4 cups old fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup dried cherries, cut into small pieces

Whisk together, then add all at once:
1 large egg
10 Tbsp. warm melted unsalted butter
1/3 cup milk

Mix with a wooden spoon just until dry ingredients are moistened. The batter will be quite sticky. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface. With floured fingers, pat the dough into an 8 inch round about 3/4 inch thick. Cut into 8 or 12 wedges. Using a spatula, place the wedges at least 1/2 inch apart on the baking sheet. Bake until lightly browned, 10-12 minutes. Let cool on a rack or serve warm.

We enjoyed ours warm with fried eggs. YUM!

Pancake Mix

At Kitchen Tip Tuesday, Tammy tells about assebling her mom's corn bread recipe into mixes to keep on hand for busy times. I've done this with my pancake recipe (also handed down to me from my mother). This is our favorite basic buttermilk pancake. It makes enough to feed our family of 6, but we have young children and I can tell it won't be long before I'll need to double this recipe.

Mix the dry ingredients together:
2 c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. soda
1 tsp. salt

(If you are wanting to make up dry mixes to have on hand just put the above ingredients in small bags and seal.)

Mix and add to the above:
2 eggs
2 c. buttermilk (I add 1 Tbsp. of vinegar to milk)
1/4 c. plus 2 Tbsp. oil (I like canola)

Beat with electric mixer until well mixed. Fry as you would any other pancake. This recipe can also be used for waffles.

We eat these with peanut butter and maple syrup. Anyone else enjoy peanut butter on their pancakes?

Simple Bean Dip

Layer the following in a casserole dish.
refried beans
guacamole with the juice of one lime added
cheese of choice
sour cream
Over the top of this sprinkle:
chopped tomatoes
sliced green onions
black olives
Add a dusting of cheese over the top of all the above.

Serve with tortilla chips as a side dish or as a light meal.

We recently enjoyed this as a picnic lunch along with apple wedges.

Simple Yeast Rolls

About six years ago, our 4-H group made these simple yeast rolls as a project for the children. They are that easy! My kids love them, especially when they are smothered with butter and honey!

You will need:
5 cups flour
4 1/2 tsp. yeast
2 tsp. salt
4 tsp. baking powder
3/4 cup sugar
2 cups milk
1 stick butter (I have substituted oil when in a pinch)
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup water

Mix dry ingredients together in large bowl. (I use the crock to my crock pot.) Mix butter, milk, oil, and water in small bowl and heat to 115*-120*. Add butter mixture to dry ingredients, stir and keep adding flour until it pulls away from edges of bowl easily. Cover with towel and let sit at least one hour but not over 5 hours. Dump out on floured surface and roll to desired thickness. Cut with 2 inch cutter (or glass). Put on non-stick baking sheet or glass pan. Bake for 20 minutes at 350*. This recipe will yield 40 smalls rolls.

These look much more like biscuits than rolls. But they are easy and taste yummy. It's very nice to be able to leave the dough covered in the crock, and then be able to bake them right before you are ready to serve them. I especially enjoy doing this on a Sunday morning. Sometimes I even mix my ingredients Saturday evening (wet and dry separately) and then combine before church. As soon as I get home from church, I can roll them out and while they are baking finish up the rest or our lunch.