Make Ahead Breakfast Cake

1 1/4 c flour                                    1 egg

1/3 - 1/2 c sugar                              topping: 4 TB flour

1 tsp baking powder                                      4 TB butter

pinch salt                                                       6 TB sugar (brown or white)

1/4 c shortening                                             1/2 tsp cinnamon

2/3 c milk                                                       1/2 c oatmeal

opt: 1/2 c vanilla yogurt                          opt: 1/4 tsp each: clovers, ginger

single- 8" square pan

double - 8 x 11 pan

4x - jelly roll pan

Sift dry ingredients, cut in shortening, then add milk and egg. Pour into pan. Sprinkle topping over batter. Cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight. bake 25-30 min at 400 F.

Pancake / Waffle Mix

I've gone thru a few different pancake mixes over the years and while some may taste better, this is the one that fits just right - in the middle of ease and cost efficiency.

I make double or triple of the base mix and then store it in the pantry - using 2 c of the mix at a time for our meals which include pancakes or waffles. I usually use powdered milk that I've mixed up for the milk, but if I don't want to take the time, I use 1/2 water and 1/2 whole milk.

I'll often add wheat germ or bran flakes to the mix, but not always. It's very forgiving as far as mixes go. If I want it a little thinner one day to do more pancakes than waffles, I'll just add a little water.

Base Mix:
3 c white flour (or 2 c white, 1 c wheat)                          2 tsp. baking powder
1 T brown sugar                                                               1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 c rolled oats                                                                   1/2 tsp. salt
opt: 1/4 - 1/2 c wheat bran or wheat germ

Pancake or Waffles:
2 c mix
2 eggs
2 c buttermilk
1/2 c oil
Mix well so there's no lumps. Spray pans and cook. Makes abt 4 waffles and 20 pancakes.
Note: Buttermilk can be made by adding 1 T vinegar to each c of regular milk.

Homemade Grape Juice

After washing the grapes, place them in the strained pot at the top.
Here are the grapes when taken off the stems.


There is some discussion still in our family about whether or not
keeping the stems on the grapes matters when it comes to taste.
Whether or not it is a factor, the white grape juice turned out MUCH
better than the purple/red this time around.


This is what they look like all together.


This is the middle of the stacked pans - it's where the juice collects


This is the base pan - you must keep it at least 1/2 - 3/4ths full of water.


Here we go... Get all of the glass jars clean and ready.
You'll want them to be hot at the time the juice is placed in them so they don't crack.
I just usually keep them in the dishwasher as we are processing.


Use a small pan like this one to heat the rubber side of the lids.
About 5 minutes per lid. This makes for a nice seal. All you have to do is fill the jars,
place this on a clean top, screw on the ring and let the jars cool down overnight.
They will seal without further processing.

Set up a raised area that you can work on to fill jars.
We place a cheesecloth and a small strainer in place to
avoid a lot of settlement or debri in the jars.

Once there is enough juice, start filling the jars.
Sometimes it helps to use pliers so the clamp doesn't slip.


Be sure to use hot pads to move the hot jar from the stool to the counter.

Keep going, checking the water on the bottom level
and the grapes. You may need to add more or replace the entire
load of grapes. They'll look like watery plump raisins.




The jars will be very hot. Let them sit in one place and cool all night long.
Don't let them touch each other and try to keep things as clean as possible.
The jars can be washed once cooled if there's any extra stickiness
you need to clean before storing.


Many hours and dishes later, you've got wonderful grape juice.

Pie Recipes by Jenna McKinney: Pumpkin, Pecan, Apple

Wow. I can't believe I don't have my favorite pie recipes on here yet. I may be a little late for Thanksgiving this year, but they'll be here for whenever I want them in the future.

Pumpkin Pie 
2 eggs
1/2 tsp each: ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt
3/4 c sugar (brown or granulated)
1 3/4 c canned pumpkin
1/2 c water
1 c evaporated milk
1 unbaked pastry shell (see my recipe)

Mix eggs, sugar, spices, salt and pumpkin well. Add milk (see tip for homemade evaporated powdered milk) and water. Stir until mixture is smooth. Pour into shell(s).
I usually double this and split it between a large 9" pie pan and a smaller Marie Calendar sized one (those seem smaller than normal); placing more of the filling into the 9" one.
Bake at 400 F for 45-55 min (until crust is brown and middle isn't giggly).

Tip - mix up your own powdered evaporated milk:
1 c water + 2/3 c powdered milk

Pecan Pie

Pecan Pie
1 c granulated sugar
1/2 c lite corn syrup
3/4 c melted margarine
3 beaten eggs
1 1/2 c pecans
Blend all ingredients, stirring in pecans last. Pour into unbaked pie shell.
Bake at 350 F for 35-45 min.

Apple Pie - Round One

Apple Pie Round Two.... Apple filling

Apple Crumb Topping

Fresh Apple Pie with Crumb Topping

Fresh Apple Pie
1/2 c brown sugar + 1/4 c granulated sugar
2 T each: quick tapioca or flour (or 4 T flour)
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
7 thinly sliced apples
1 T butter

Apple Pie Crumb Topping: 1/2 c brown sugar, 3/4 c flour, 1/3 c margarine
Place apples, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg into pie crust.
In a small bowl, mix flour and tapioca together. Cut in butter until crumbly. Sprinkle mixture on top of apples and other ingredients already in pie crust. Bake for 50 min at 400 F.

Alma's first homemade pie crust

Oat flour

I've found that making oat flour isn't too bad if I do it in two steps.
First, I blend the flour in my small blender attachment.



Then I grind those smaller oat pieces in my wheat grinder. This tends to be easier on my grinder.

Planning meals

This is the way I have planned meals for awhile. I have cards with menus and place them on the calendar, based on ingredients and who is making the meal. If there's a recipe to refer to, the name of the book and the page it's on is also listed on the front. Main ingredients are on the back.



I've gotten lazy lately and put all of the optional cards on the bottom two rows - based on ingredients we have. Then we just plan for two weeks out based on who is cooking and what they want to make.

Oct 2015 Stocking up - food, garden and storage

In October of 2015 when I decided to do a shopping free month, I put together a few things to help out as the month progressed. I was worried about milk and fresh fruits and veggies. I made up this veggie stock, froze some milk, and got some fresh apples. That helped a lot.


Continuing a garden as long as possible was a blessing too. Herbs in a pot were nice to use.
Then I didn't have to worry about the frost getting to them. The strawberries were still producing just a little - enjoying the cooler weather.

 . 



Yes - even the candy and snacks... Gotta have a few of those around, right?

Other storage areas were stocked and ready to go.....



This is not your usual situation when you realize you have to live on food storage for awhile, but it helped us get our minds around the fact that we could go without shopping.

Things my GF guy can eat

Here is a photo of the basic things I grabbed for Dave when we found out he had to go Gluten Free. It's not as hard as it used to be to find things. It may get boring to eat the same things everyday, but he's not complaining.

Gluten Free Pancakes

I only took time to make one recipe for pancakes this week, but it was so good, I don't think I need to look elsewhere for now. If it turns out we're doing this for more than 6 weeks, then we'll have to get a variety.
We did a half of a batch to try them out. This made 10.  I put all of the dry ingredients in a container and stored that int he pantry overnight. Then I put all of the wet ingredients in my blender attachment in the fridge overnight. So much easier in the morning. I got them out, blended the wet, then added it to the dry in my 4 c. pyrex (it has an easy spout for cleaning) and cooked them up on a griddle.
The shapes (gingerbread man and cat) were made by using metal cookie cutters. After spraying them so the batter doesn't stick, pour pancake mix into each - filling about 1/6th full. You want these to be about the same thickness as the other pancakes. Flip over and gently loosen with a knife. The pancake will fall onto the griddle and you can take the cookie cutter away or make more.

Gluten Free Deep Dish Cookie Pie - with Garbanzo beans

I am trying this one next.....

Deep Dish Cookie Pie

·         2 cans white beans or garbanzos (drained and rinsed) (500g total, once drained)

·         1 cup quick oats (or certified-gf quick oats)

·         1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

·         3 tbsp oil (canola, veg, or coconut)

·         2 tsp pure vanilla extract

·         1/2 tsp baking soda

·         2 tsp baking powder

·         1/2 tsp salt

·         1 and 1/2 cups brown sugar (click for a Sugar-Free Deep Dish Cookie Pie)

·         1 cup chocolate chips

Blend everything (except the chips) very well in a good food processor (not a blender). Mix in chips, and pour into an oiled pan (I used a 10-inch springform pan, but you can use a smaller pan if you want a really deep-dish pie.) Cook at 350F for around 35-40 minutes. Let stand at least 10 minutes before removing from the pan. (Some commenters have had success with a blender, but I did not. Try that at your own risk, and know the results will be better in a high-quality food processor such as a Cuisinart.)

I haven’t calculated the calories for this recipe, but a few of the commenters did. According to their calculations, the pie will have around 200 calories per slice, as opposed to 700 in a slice of traditional deep-dish cookie pie.

Read more at http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2011/05/31/deep-dish-cookie-pie/#JARmGx4Zf6qh8AWs.99

Going Gluten Free - for one

My husband has been told by his doctor to go gluten and dairy free for 6 weeks. AAACK!
Then we were told to just do gluten. Everything has gluten in it. Everything good that is. I went from feeling very overwhelmed to just being overwhelmed. At least there's a chance now with the dairy back in the picture to help him gain back some of the 15 pounds he's lost since May.

I did what I usually do... talk to friends and family, then look online for some simple recipes and then get some cookbooks from the library. I've found that the online recipes are good, but since the authors want your money, they post the best recipes in their cookbooks - hence the library.

One of the things I've learned is that it's a mixture of flours that helps the taste and texture of the new breads I need to make. I went to Winco's bulk food section and got a little of almost every kind of flour that is gluten free. I didn't grab almond. Time to experiment.

Here are some keepers I've found in the last little bit (date noted):

My favorite online resource..... Yum Universe  see  http://yumuniverse.com/

BREAD
http://www.cottercrunch.com/  I like this site because you can filter by diet and type

I made this one first (8/23).... http://www.cottercrunch.com/paleo-chocolate-hazelnut-bread-molasses/ and found it to be a bit dry and not sweet enough. (even though I doubled the sugar it asked for). But it was okay considering all of the ingredients I'd usually put in were missing. It took a lot longer than I thought it would. In a glass pan at 325F it took 55 minutes, not 35. If I do this over, I'll make muffins - less surface area. And I'd bake it for 15-20 min. We had a little and then ended up sticking it in the freezer to try later. I wasn't going to let it go to waste.

I then made (8/25) this bread http://lexiscleankitchen.com/2014/08/24/the-ultimate-paleo-sandwich-rolls/
Since I didn't have her bread molds, I used my muffin tins for this. It was better than I thought and reminded us of cornbread muffins. This is a keeper. I didn't have the exact flours, so I used 1/3 c. Tapioca flour, 1/3 all purpose flour (Bob's Red Mill), and 1/3 c, Brown Rice flour. The original recipe calls for 1/2 c, blanched almond flour and 1/2 c. tapioca flour. I also used regular shortening, not palm shortening.

And this one - also a keeper (8/30)
https://blog.nuts.com/gluten-free-banana-bread-recipe/
I made it exactly as it said to, and did it in my glass bread pan. At 325F for 50 min, then at 300F for another 15. It is soft and moist. We like it and  there's still a little in the fridge - not dried out at all.



SNACKS
Chocolate (8/25) 3 ingredients - so wonderful! I ate most of it, not him.
http://mywholefoodlife.com/2014/02/13/3-ingredient-chocolate-bars/
Again, I added more sweetening (even triple the maple syrup works).

Rice Pudding (8/29)
http://greatist.com/eat/recipes/healthier-rice-pudding
Very good and rich.

I then went to two standards - Fudge (9/6) and Granola by SS (9/5). This gave us more breakfast and snack stuff. These are posted already.

OTHER MEALS
We've found that a lot of things can be tweaked just a little and without much extra work. For example - we used some potato water. chicken stock instead of milk (with dill, salt and pepper, and garlic) for mashed potatoes.

Using corn tortillas, corn tortilla chips, rice, potatoes, and quinoa for starches works well. We haven't done rice noodles, but that is a great substitute too.

KEEPING IT SIMPLE
Putting out a simple meat (no breading or sauces) with a fresh fruit and veggie platter keeps everyone eating pretty much the same thing.

WARNING
There is gluten hiding everywhere. Or so it seems. Three common items we have had to avoid so far are Nalley chili, licorice and soy sauce.

Tomorrow, I'm trying two kinds of pancake recipes... I'll let you know how that goes.

Best donuts; bisquick mix, etc.

Go here for the best yeast donuts.....
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/yeast-doughnuts-recipe.html

note: the flour measure is 5.1 cups



Okinawa Donuts
1 1/2 c sugar
2 c Bisquick
3 c flour
1 tsp baking pwd
2 eggs
1 pinch salt 2 1/2 c milk
opt: nuts or grated orange peel

Mix dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients; stir until smooth. Use tsp to drop into warm oil. Fry 5 min. Turn occasionally and remove when light brown. Place on platter with paper towels to soak up some of the oil. Roll in granulated sugar while still warm.


Bisquick
6 c flour
3 T sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 T slat
1 c veg shortening
Sift or mix all but shortening. Cut in shortening until resembles fine crumbs. Store in airtight container in fridge up to 4 months. Use whenever  Bisquick is called for.


Some other good recipes to use up this mix:

Sour Cream Biscuits
2 c Bisquick
1/2 c melted butter
1 c sour cream
Mix well and place in muffin cups
Bake in 350 F oven Put 2/3 full in muffin cups. Bake for 15-20 min.

Dumplings
2 c Bisquick
2/3 milk
Mix and drop into boiling stew. Reduce heat. Cook 10 min.

More muffins and quick sweet breads

Ella's Coconut Muffins
2 1/4 c flour
1 TB baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 ts salt
3/4 c brown sugar
3 eggs
2 sticks butter (melted)
1/2 c shortening or coconut oil
2 1/2 c shredded carrot
2 c shredded coconut
2 tsp vanilla

Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. In second bowl, mix sugar, brown sugar, eggs, melted butter. Add dry mixture to the wet, along with shortening (or oil), carrot, coconut and vanilla.
Fill 18 muffin cups and bake at 350 F for 15 min.

Emily's Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins
2 c flour
1 tsp each: salt, baking pwd, baking soda
1 1/3 c sugar
1/2 c butter
2 eggs 1 tsp vanilla
2 mashed bananas
1 c sour cream (or Greek Yogurt)
2 handfuls of choc chips (or sub 1 handful with coconut flakes)
Cream sugar, butter and eggs with s,cream/yogurt, vanilla and bananas. Add dry ingredients. Mix well. Spoon in chips by hand. Pour into 2 glass bread pans. Bake at 325 F for 45 min.
Or to make 24 muffins: bake at 375 for 18-20.

Keri's Zucchini Nut Bread
2 c shredded zucchini
3 eggs
1 1/2 c brown sugar
1/2 c veg oil
3 c flour (1 c. whole wheat, 2 c white)
3 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp each: baking soda, baking powder
1 c chopped nuts
1/4 c wheat bran or wheat germ
opt.: add 1 c coconut
Mix together thoroughly and bake 1 hour at 350 F in 2 greased bread pans. Makes 2 loaves.

Doris' Coconut Bread
4 eggs
2 c sugar
1 c oil
2 tsp coconut extract
3 c flour
1 tsp baking pwd
1/2 tsp each: salt & baking soda
1 c sour milk (add 1 T vinegar to 1 cup milk)
1 c coconut

glaze: 1 c sugar, 2 TB butter, 1.2 c water, 1 tsp coconut extract

Beat eggs and sugar well, Add oil and coconut flavoring. In separate bowl, combine rest of dry ingredients. Mix flour mixture and milk into egg mixture, alternating between flour and milk. Beat well. Add coconut. Grease and flour large bread pans (or 6 small loaf pans). Bake at 350 for 1 hour (or abt 20 min for small pans).

While baking, make glaze. Boil sugar, water and butter for 5 min. Turn off burner and add extract. When bread is done baking, pour glaze over hot loaves and leave them in pans for 4 hours.
Doubling is fine.

Doris' Brown Sugar Muffins
1/2 c melted butter (or 1/4 c applesauce + 1/4 c olive oil)
1 c milk
1 beaten egg
1 tsp vanilla
2 c flour (1 c white, 1 c wheat)
1 tsp soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 c brown sugar
Combine butter, milk, egg and vanilla. In other bowl combine remaining ingredients. Gently add dry to wet. Batter will be lumpy. Put immediately into tins and bake at 350 F for 20 min. Makes 12.

Fat Free Granola

Here's another recipe promised but not yet posted...

Nonfat Granola
(from Miserly Moms, p. 106-107)
5 c oats
3/4 c brown sugar
1/3 c concentrated apple juice
1/2 c nonfat dry milk
1/3 c honey
2 T cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c dried fruit
other options to add: peanuts, sunflower seeds, coconut, sesame seeds

Mix sugar, juice, dry milk and honey in saucepan and heat over medium heat only until sugar dissolves. Combine dry ingredients (including other options) and fruit in mixing bowl. Pour sugar mixture slowly over dry mixture and blend well. Place on cookie sheet and back at 375 F for 10-20 min stirring every 10 min.

Poppy seed Muffins (or bars)

I've been a little lazy lately and instead of making muffins, I made muffin bars - still good for breakfast, but also handy to send in lunches. I realized this is a menu item I posted last October but have not share the recipe for. Here you go...

Poppy Seed Muffins
2 c brown sugar
2 c wheat flour
2 c white flour
4 tsp baking pwd
1/3 c poppy seeds
2 c evaporated milk
1/2 tsp salt
4 eggs
2 1/2 c vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla
2 T lemon juice
(opt: 6 crushed lemon drops or 2 T lemon rind - grated)

Blend liquid items, add dry ingredients, then poppy seeds and rind last. Bake at 350 F for 30-35 min in a jelly roll pan. Makes 45.

Cut recipe in half for muffins. Bake at 350 for 20 min. Makes 2 dozen.

Evaporated milk substitute: 2 c store brand milk + 2/3 c pwd milk or 2 c water + 1 1/3 c pwd milk

If you want to substitute eggs use this:
Mix 1 tsp unflavored gelatin w/ 3T cold water. Add  2 T + 1 tsp boiling water. Whisk until frothy.