Dutch Potatoes -ie Stamppot

Ingredients:

• 3 lbs potatoes
• 2 onions chopped or diced
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 lb kale or spinach roughly chopped 
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 pinch ground pepper
• 1 lb smoked sausage or ring balogna
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons butter
• brown gravy

Directions:

1. Peel and dice potatoes and onions.
2. Clean, trim and slice kale. (omit if using spinach)
3. Add the potatoes, onion, kale, a bay leaf, a pinch of salt and just enough water to cover all in a 3 qrt pan.
4. Cover and boil gently for about 25 minutes. (Add the spinach for the last 5 minutes.)
5. Meanwhile steam the smoked sausage for the same amount of time and slice or skin and add to the potato mixture.
6. Remove the bay leaf, drain the vegetables, (and meat), and mash them.
7. Add milk and butter.
8. Stir in the hot, sliced smoked sausage, add salt and pepper to taste and serve.
9. Serve with brown gravy.

Never- fail biscuits (aluminum free too)

 My DH and I love biscuits, especially with sausage gravy. However, I refuse to buy him poison-in-a-tube often know as Pillsbury (or store brand knock-offs). At first, my biscuits were hardly passable, particularly when made with whole wheat. Then I discovered this recipe. I modified it to fit my standards. It is WONDERFUL! Never-fail.


• 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour - or any flour combo you have.
• 3/4 teaspoons cream of tartar - this and extra baking soda eliminates the need for baking powder
• 3/ 4 teaspoon baking soda
• pinch of salt
• 3 oz. cold butter, diced (6 tablespoons)
• 1 c kefir or buttermilk- This is vital!

Combine and sift the dry ingredients. Cut in the butter.  Add the kefir 3/4 cup first and the rest as needed (not dry but not too wet to spread out either) and mix until the mixture just comes together. If needed, dump it onto a well- floured counter and kneed gently and knead on a floured board just enough to bring the dough together.

It is vital that you mix/knead gently and no more than is necessary or you will develop the gluten in the flour and make the biscuits tough. Good biscuits are as much a function of technique as ingredients.

Form a flat mass with the dough and cut out biscuits with a biscuit cutter. Press straight down, down spin the cutter.  Don't make them too high or the outside could become over browned by the time the inside is cooked.

Place them on parchment paper lined or oiled sheet tray and then into a preheated 400-degree oven.

Take them out when golden brown.


* Last night I made Bubble-up Pizza (casserole) I made these biscuits (they were a bit wet), poured them into my 9x13 pan and pre-baked them. Then I added my sauce, beef and cheese and finished baking it. it turned out better than I remember Bubble-up Pizza!

Little J

Warm Chocolate soother

This morning was pretty chilly. it didn't help that we left one of our windows open. It wasn't too chilly, just enough that you wanted to snuggle up in a blanket with a warm beverage.

Today, as most days, my breakfast was in shifts. of course, some of you consider a piece of toast with peanut butter and jam to be breakfast. I don't. I think of it as part of a breakfast. As forementioned, this mornign was a perfect morning for hot chocolate. But, that is not a decent breakfast. First of all becauseof the sugar. Second because of the other ingredients and third because it lacks the protein and fat that I need to make it to lunch.
I was pondering what to do when I remembered the warm vanilla soother from Laura at Heavenly Homemakers and that she had mentioned that she had a chocolate version too.
As claimed, it tastes like what you would imagine to be a warm liquid brownie.

Warm Chocolate Soother
3 cups whole milk
4 egg yolks
1/4 cup real maple syrup
3 T. sucanat
1/4 cup cocoa powder
2 T. arrowroot powder or corn starch
1 Tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
In a medium saucepan, whisk together milk, egg yolks, maple syrup, sucanat, cocoa and arrowroot powder.  Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly (I use a whisk) until mixture begins to thicken.  Remove from heat and add butter and vanilla.  Stir until creamy.  Pour into mugs and serve warm.

Banana cake

I modified this a bit to make it more of a snack or breakfast cake but will include the original instructions in parenthesis so you know how it was intended for a dessert cake.

2 1/2 c flour - i always use whole wheat - white whole wheat worked really well. -none knew
1 c sugar (1 2/3 c)
1 1/4 t baking soda
1 1/4 t baking powder [1t soda + 2t cream of tarter = 1 T baking  powder]
1 t salt

2/3 c butter or coconut oil - NEVER USE MARGARINE OR SHORTENING!!
1/3 c butter milk or kefir
3 mashed over ripe bananas or 1 1/4 c

1/3 c buttermilk or kefir- yes another
1/2 c or 2 large unbeaten eggs or 3 medium
Optional 2/3 c copped nuts or chocolate chips

*Preheat oven to 350
1. Mix first 5 ingredients.
2. Add next e and beat vigorously for 2 minutes in mixer
3. Add remander or milk and eggs. Beat for 2 more minutes.
4. Fold in add-ins if you choose
5. Bake for 18-20 minutes using 2 9" rounds, 11x16 or cupcakes/ muffins.

Dessert cake may be frosted with icing (suggested in my book) or chocolate frosting (my idea).

Zucchini bread

Zucchini bread
3 c flour
2 c sugar
1 c oil
4 large eggs
1 t cinnamon
1 t nutmeg
1/2 t cloves
1 t baking soda
1/2 t baking poweder (1 sprinkle soda and 2 sprinkes of cream of tarter)
2T vanilla
2 C finely grated Zucchini

Mix in order and bake at 325 for an hour or less time if you do it in muffin tins or bars. Then use the tooth pick test and good sense.

Busy Busy

Tasty bread. Don't they look beautiful!

Shredded zucchini- only one. I have about 10-15 cups left that I need to freeze.

Dehydrated bananas since they were on sale. 29c/lb. Making chips for snacks.

Baked a spaghetti squash. 

Made this lasagna with it using our normal but replacing lasagna noodles with squash.

Home made hasbrowns. Grated rinsed and boiled these nest time I'll try bake and grate.

 These were tasty! We have baked taters in the fridge waiting to make more hashbrowns.

Dehydrated cherry tomatoes. They worked well in my tomato soup to absorb extra liquid.

Learned that crumbling cheese is less labor intensive than shredding.

I also learned that you use a bit more this way and it is LOUD.

Dried tomatoes ready to store.

Basket of snacks- zucchini bread and granola- ready to freeze.

Frozen banana read to thaw for banana bread. Got too ripe before I could dry it.

Banana pancakes. Great with peanut butter!

Breakfast pockets for on the go Hubby.

 I'll try to update with recipes tomorrow.

Hat for my little J to keep his ears warm. Going to try one with ear flaps.