Easy Homemade Pita Bread

This week Elizabeth has been experimenting with making Pita bread.  She has adapted a recipe from theKitchn.com.

So, here is a little tutorial that I would like to share:

What you need:
Mixing bowl
Rolling Pin (Yes, you'll be using it for something other than chasing the rest of the family out of the kitchen while you are working)
Baking sheet
1 C warm water
2 tsp. active dry yeast
2 tsp. salt
2 1/2 to 3 C flour (we used all whole wheat flour)
1-2 tsp. olive oil (if desired)

Mix water rand yeast together, and let sit for about 5 minutes, until yeast is dissolved.  At 2 Cups of flour, salt, and olive oil (if using... Elizabeth said in this last batch she didn't even put it in). Stir.  The dough will be "shaggy".

Turn out the dough onto a floured surface.  Knead the dough for about 5 minutes or so, until it is smooth an elastic.  Add more flour, as needed, A LITTLE BIT at a time.  This is important when making yeast doughs because when you add too much flour, it makes the dough very heavy, and harder for the yeast to do its job. Remember, it is better to use to little flour than too much.

Return the dough to the bowl, and let it rise for a couple hours, covered, or until it is doubled in bulk.  (Now you can go back to home schooling, cleaning, doing laundry, or, like some people I know *ahem* who just go and sew while waiting.)

(You can refrigerate the dough at this point until the dough is needed.  You can also do one or two pitas at a time and keep the dough in the fridge for several days.  If you have a big family, feel free to laugh that suggestion to scorn, because you know as well as I do, doing "one or two" pitas is a joke in a family our size.)

Gently punch down the dough, and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface.  Divide the dough into 8 parts (or 24, if you tripled the batch like we always have to do, really, I don't even remember what it is like to make a single batch of ANYTHING anymore!) and flatten each piece out into little discs by hand.  Sprinkle the pieces with a little more flour, then cover them with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap until they are ready to be rolled and baked.

To shape the pitas, use a floured rolling pin, and roll each of the discs into a 8-9 inch circle, about a quarter inch thick.  Lift and turn frequently to prevent sticking to the counter. If it seems to be sticking, sprinkle A LITTLE more flour on the counter.

To bake the pitas in the oven, heat the oven to 450.  Yes, that's right.  You want it wicked HOT!  If you have a baking stone, put it in the oven to heat.  If you don't (we don't.  I don't know why.  We make our own pizzas and whatnot all the time, so you'd think I'd get one, but I never think of it until I read a recipe like this and I slap myself in the forehead and have all the intentions in the world of putting it on a list but always forget before I get to it because of constant distractions... oh, look!  something shiny!.....)

Where was I?

Oh yeah, 450 degree oven, stone in the oven if you have it (don't worry, I won't go into all that again), place a large baking sheet on the rack to heat.

Yeah, the baking sheet... nothing on it.  The sheet has to be wicked HOT too.  :)

Place the rolled out pitas directly on the baking sheets (as many as will fit reasonably) and bake for about 3 minutes.  ( I know ... all that kneading, raising and rolling out for a mere three minutes???? Seriously?? It's like cooking for Thanksgiving... 3 days of preparation, and a half hour for the locusts to scarf it all down. But I've digressed again.  This is what happens when I blog at night!)

Oh, Elizabeth says to carry the pita by hand and flip it onto the baking sheet.

The pita should start to puff up after a minute or two, and is done when it is fully ballooned.  Cover baked pitas with a clean dishtowel while cooking remaining pitas.

Note... while the pitas are cooling, they will "deflate" but the pocket formed by the ballooning will still be there.

Pitas are best when eaten immediately but can be stored in an airtight bag for several days and can be eaten as they are warmed in a toaster oven.  Baked pitas can also be frozen with wax paper between each one for up to three months.

 This has nothing to do with making pita bread, but I spent and hour one evening doing this to her hair.  She loves it. It started with me trying to play with her hair, making a regular braid.  I offered to make two braids and she just "Harumphed" at me.  I said, " How about Twenty?" never dreaming she'd take me up on it.  Well, she said "Sure!" and this was the result.  (FYI... I only did 18 braids.  I owe her two more, I guess!)

I'm very glad to report that after a couple of days of torrential rains and 50 degree weather, winter has come back today.  A couple of inches of snow, and cold temperatures.... ahhhhhhh, does it get any better than this?

Have a wonderful evening everyone!

Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies

This recipe was brought to my attention by my friend Amy, from The View From Hidden Valley. She posted it on Facebook, and Esther, my resident baker, baked them yesterday afternoon.

They are GONE. Just like that.

They were delicious (I managed to score a small one before they completely disappeared) and moist and soft and fragrant.

You can find the recipe at TastyKitchen.com. The page even has printing options.

No excuses! These are easy to make, delicious cookies that NEED to be made and tested in your family.

(Oh, I substituted raisins for the dried cranberries, and it was still delish.)


(Benjamin swiping the last cookie. )

Healthy Pumpkin and Cream Bread - 46 calories a slice!

You could even reduce calories further by substituting the sugar for stevia/splenda

Pumpkin and Cream Bread

Yield: 2 loaves (14 slices each) (46 CALORIES PER SLICE!!!!)

Batter:
1-1/2 c. pureed pumpkin
1/2 c. unsweetened applesauce
1 whole egg
3 egg whites
1 c. all-purpose flour
2/3 c. whole wheat flour
1/2 c. Stevia Cup For Cup sweetener
1/2 c. granulated sugar
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. ground cinnamon
1/2 t. ground nutmeg

Cream filling
8 oz. reduced fat cream cheese
1/4 c. granulated sugar
1 T. all-purpose flour
2 egg whites
1 t. vanilla extract

1. For the Batter: With an electric mixer, beat the pumpkin, applesauce, egg, and egg whites on medium speed until smooth. In a separate bowl, combine the flours, Stevia, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg. Slowly mix the flour mixture into the pumpkin mixture.

2. For the cream cheese filling: Beat the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, egg whites and flour until creamy and smooth.

3. Grease 2 8x4x2" loaf pans. Divide half of the batter between the two pans. Pour half of the filling in one pan and the other half in the second pan and smooth with the back of a spoon. Top with the remaining batter.

4. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Don't overbake or your bread will be dry on the edges. Cool and remove from pans. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

One serving (2 slices) = about 100 calories


Found here: http://www.sundaybaker.net/2011/09/pumpkin-cream-bread-low-calorie.html

(Yet another disclaimer: I haven't tried this recipe yet, but am going to very soon. It looks sooooo good! If you try it, let me know what you think!)

Low Fat Vegetable Lasagna

You'll Love This Lasagna

Pasta doesn't have to be unhealthy — this low-fat lasagna recipe brings a whole lot of flavor for very little calorie count. Don't worry, it's still cheesy, delicious, and filled with onions, spinach, and mushrooms. Think of it as restaurant style, without all of the fat! If you can, use whole-wheat pasta to make this healthy recipe even healthier!

Low-Fat Vegetable Lasagna

Ingredients

9 lasagna noodles, uncooked
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced thin (optional)
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1/4 tablespoon salt
1 (10 oz.) package frozen spinach, thawed, drained thoroughly
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
2 cups meatless tomato sauce
15 ounces low-fat ricotta cheese
3/4 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
2 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
Preparation
Prepare pasta according to package directions; drain and cover with cool water until ready to use.

While pasta is cooking, combine onions and oil in a skillet over medium heat until golden, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook about 1 minute. Spoon out half the onions and reserve for later. Add the mushrooms (if using) to the onions in the skillet. Cook, stirring over medium heat, until the mushrooms are tender and slightly browned, about 7 minutes. Add the parsley and a pinch of salt; transfer to a bowl.

Add the reserved cooked onion and the spinach to the skillet. Cover and cook over medium heat until the spinach is wilted, about 3 minutes. Uncover and cook over medium heat to evaporate any excess moisture, about 1 minute. Season with a pinch of salt.

Heat oven to 350° F. Drain the lasagna and pat dry with paper towels. Mix the oregano and basil with the tomato sauce. Spread 1 cup tomato sauce in the bottom of a 13 x 9 x 3-inch pan. Arrange 3 lasagna pieces, slightly overlapping, in the pan. Spoon the spinach mixture on top in an even layer. Spread with half of the ricotta. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup of the shredded mozzarella cheese.

Arrange a layer of 3 more lasagna pieces. Spread with the mushrooms, the remaining ricotta mixture, and 1/4 cup of the mozzarella. Top with the remaining 3 pieces of lasagna, 1 cup of tomato sauce and 1/2 cup of the mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake until brown and bubbly, about 45 minutes.

Makes 8 servings

Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 1 hr
Total Time: 1 hr 15 mins

Nutrition Facts
Number of Servings: 8
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 243
Total Fat: 7.7 g
Cholesterol: 23.7 mg
Sodium: 228 mg
Total Carbohydrate: 29.9 g
Protein: 15.1 g

Recipes Source: National Pasta Association

(Disclaimer: I haven't tried this recipe yet, but it looks almost exactly like what I normally do for healthy lasagne. I love lots of veggies! I do put in some browned sausage to appease the meat lovers in the family, so that would up the calories and fat a bit. I serve this with a hearty salad, normally. Bon Apetit!)

Couscous Vegetable Salad

Here is another great hot weather dish. I LOVED it... my kids... ehhhh, not so much. Too bad, so sad, for them. I'm definitely making this again. I tripled this recipe, and got a lot of the veggies from the garden. Yummy!

Couscous Vegetable Salad

2 cups cooked couscous
1 Cup sliced yellow summer squash
1/2 cup sliced zucchini
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 chopped red onion
1 (15 oz.) can garbanzo beans, drained.
1 cup plain yogurt (I used Greek and it was very good!)
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. curry powder (you want this... adds a nice zip to the dish and leaves your tongue interested at the finish.)

Mix couscous, summer squash, zucchini, bell pepper, red onion, and garbanzo beans in a large bowl. Combine yogurt, salt and curry powder in a small bowl, then stir into the couscous mixture. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour to blend flavors.

Bon apetit!

Baby it's HOT outside!

We have had some record high temps this week, one day reaching 105 degrees. That was the actual temperature. What the "feels like" temperature was... I don't want to know, and neither do you.

I planned some cold suppers and one of them was a Fruit and Cheese salad with orange-basil vinaigrette. It was delicious! The kids even loved it. Ha!

Now before you ask, here is the recipe. I made it in the morning, and when we were ready for supper, no problem!

Fruit and Cheese Salad

2 cups sliced strawberries (or 2 quarts like some people I know)
2 cups cubed cantaloupe (yeah right... try 2 whole cantaloupes)
1 cup blueberries (who only uses ONE cup of blueberries? Are you kidding?)
1 cup raspberries (ditto to the above)
2 cups cubed Havarti cheese (Rule #1: you can never have too much cheese. We used two blocks of the stuff. Delish!)
1/3 Cup orange juice (we used 1 whole cup, or whatever was left in the pitcher from breakfast.)
2 Tbsp. oil ( I tripled that)
2 Tbsp. Honey (tripled it )
2 Tbsp. freshly chopped basil ( I HIGHLY recommend using fresh basil for this. Awesome zing!)

Combine fruit and cheese in a large bowl. Mix together orange juice, oil, honey and basil in a jar with a tight fitting lid. Shake like crazy to combine. Pour over fruit and cheese and toss.

Note: I made this ahead and added the dressing just before serving.

Yummy Breakfast Egg Bake

Breakfast Egg Bake

2 dozen eggs n (seriously folks... welcome to the world of a large family)
half an onion (more or less)
Cut up spinach (whatever was left in the bag)
Sliced fresh mushrooms (well, maybe not so fresh as I was using up a previously opened package)
milk (about "so much" ... like in scrambled eggs)
A handful of flour
a healthy sprinkle of baking powder
a dimple of salt
sprinkling of pepper
1 lb. turkey bacon cooked ( gross.. gag me... we have the real REAL deal in our freezer but I wanted to use up the disgusting store bought stuff first.)
and LOTS of cheddar cheese. Rule #1: You can never have too much cheese.

Mix it all up, spray a huge lasangna pan with Pam, pour it in.

Bake at 425 for 15 minutes, then turn down to 350. Bake for about a half an hour, or until knife inserted into the middle comes out clean.

You can serve this with fruit, or bagels with REAL butter, or toast, or nothing. It is delicious by itself. My favorite way is a nice piece with a cup of coffee.

Enjoy!

A Yummy Summer Dish!

Chili-Rubbed Tilapia With Asparagus and Lemon

Ingredients

2 pounds organic asparagus, tough ends trimmed, cut into 1" pieces
2 tablespoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1 pound fish, tilapia, Pacific sole, or other firm white-fish fillet
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons lemon juice

Preparation
1.Bring an inch of water to a boil in a large saucepan. Put asparagus in a steamer basket, place in the pan, cover, and steam until tender-crisp, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a large plate, spreading out to cool.

2.Combine chili powder, garlic powder, and 1/4 teaspoon salt on a plate. Dredge fillets in the spice mixture to coat. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the fish and cook until just opaque in the center, gently turning halfway, 5 to 7 minutes total.

3.Divide among 4 plates. Immediately add lemon juice, the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, and asparagus to the pan and cook, stirring constantly, until the asparagus is coated and heated through, about 2 minutes. Serve the asparagus with the fish.
Makes 4 servings.

Prep Time: 3 mins
Cook Time: 13 mins
Total Time: 16 mins

Nutrition Facts
Number of Servings: 4
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 210
Total Fat: 10 g
Saturated Fat: 1 g
Cholesterol: 48 mg
Sodium: 418 mg
Total Carbohydrate: 8 g
Dietary Fiber: 4 g
Protein: 24 g

(From EatingWell.com)

Tilapia is an inexpesive, plentiful fish. It is also a little bland. I usually prepare it with lemon and a little garlic, maybe some chives... whatever I have. This looks delicious, and I'll be trying it as soon as possible. Bon apetit!

A Refreshing Salad

I recieved this recipe in the email, originating from Eating Well, I think. Anyway, it looks delish! I have been on the lookout for something different than just the usual veggie salad. Can't wait to try it.

Raspberry, Avocado, and Mango Salad

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups organic raspberries, divided
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 clove fresh garlic, coarsely chopped
1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon black ground pepper
8 cups organic mixed salad greens
1 ripe organic mango, diced
1 small ripe avocado, diced
1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
1/4 cup hazelnuts, toasted and chopped, or sliced almonds (optional)
Preparation
Puree 1/2 cup raspberries, oil, vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper in a blender until combined.

Combine greens, mango, avocado and onion in a large bowl. Pour the dressing on top and gently toss to coat.

Divide the salad among 5 salad plates. Top each with the remaining raspberries and sprinkle with nuts, if using.

Prep Time: 15 mins
Total Time: 15 mins

Nutrition Facts
Number of Servings: 5
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 215
Total Fat: 16 g
Saturated Fat: 2 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Sodium: 122 mg
Total Carbohydrate: 18 g
Dietary Fiber: 7 g
Protein: 3 g

No Fry Donut Recipe

I got this recipe from my Amish Cooking book. Seriously, that is what it is called. It is compiled by a group of Amish ladies into one edition.

2 Packages active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water
1 1/2 cups lukewarm milk (scalded, then cooled)
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2 eggs
1/3 cup shortening
4 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
Cinnamon sugar or sugar or glaze

In a large mixing bowl, dissolve the yeast in warm water. Add milk, sugar, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, eggs, shortening, and 2 cups of the flour. Blend these ingredients for 1/2 minute with an egg beater, scraping the bowl constantly (I used an electric hand beater). Then beat the mixture hard for 2 more minutes, scraping the bowl only occasionally.

Stir in remaining flour until the batter is smooth, scraping the side of the bowl.

Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size ( 50 to 60 minutes).

Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface and roll it around lightly to coat it with flour. The dough should be soft to handle.

With flour-covered rolling pin, roll out dough to 1/2 inch thick. With a 2 1/2 inch donut cutter, cut out doughnuts and place on greased baking sheet, 2 inches apart.

Brush them with melted butter, then let them rise until about doubled in size, 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 425, then bake the doughnuts 8 to 10 minutes or until they are golden in color.

Immediately brush them with melted butter and shake on cinnamon sugar or sugar. If you are glazing them, let them cool before glazing.

This recipe makes about 1 1/2 to 2 dozen doughnuts.

Enjoy!

Health, Fitness, and Homeschooling

When we first started home schooling, I bought every book recommended for the 1st grade, from Abeka no less. Over time there have been lots of changes. For one thing, I don't use Abeka at all anymore. It is too spendy! And I found they have way too much "busy work". In one of his books there was a list of things to do everyday, and one them was... "smile at your teacher." I wasn't amused because he was already spending too much time just sitting and copying or doing work he didn't need to do. It was like they were just trying to eat up time for no reason. I love smiles from my children, don't get me wrong. But this just didn't strike me as sincere.

Fast forward to now....

With 6 out of 7 children now doing schoolwork, I have learned to streamline and continue to learn to use hands on type of strategy. Over the last 10 years I have found that for our family, using creativity while learning is wise.

What does all of this have to do with the title?

As I said I have streamlined. There are many books I don't buy. Basically for social studies, geography, history, science... text book learning is non-existent. Benjamin is working from a high school level science book for part of the year, but most of it is learning by doing experiments and keeping a journal or lap book. Pretty much what I do with the rest of the gang. For this year, I gave him the choice of working with us for a unit study, or doing a module (a unit) from his science book. I told him he can go from one to the other, but not in the middle of a unit. He has to finish what he starts.

Our first unit study... actually, a mini-unit study, is on dragonflies. I have the cadaver of one that drowned in our pool a couple weeks ago. So, a simple google search later, we are involved in drawing and writing about dragonflies in our newly decorated nature journals. This will last for the rest of this week, and next week we'll start something new. I figured this was an easy way to start out science for this year.

We do much of the same process with the other subjects. Some unit studies take a week, some a month, some more. We go with our interests at the time. When we had our missions conference last year we studied Morocco, for example. We did a very large lap book study on that country. It was fun! We even tried making a couple of Moroccan dishes for our international dinner.

There are a couple subjects I don't even do that much with because they are worked into our everyday life: Health and Fitness.

Once upon a time I bought a "heath" book, with worksheets and everything, for my oldest. It was the biggest waste of money. It talked about everything we already told him to do... teeth brushing, bathing, eating good food, etc. Oh puh-leeze.

To be honest, having "health and fitness" learned from a book seems downright boring. Also, it gives it the stigma of being something just to learn for a time during school, when in reality, it needs to be a lifestyle.

This is one of those things I incorporate into everyday life. For example, yesterday, we made "healthy" cookies. Those in the pic at the top of this post. Now, I didn't sit down and say what each nutrient does, but I did point out what we were substituting for certain usual baking ingredients, and why. I didn't make a "lesson" out of it, per se, but mentioned it in regular conversation. I'm not worried if they understood it all. Why? Because, we'll be doing it again. And again. It isn't a quick lesson from a textbook, it is part of our lifestyle. As I learn more and more about nutrition and health, I use it, and pass it on to my family in a gentle, everyday life type of learning.

Another subject I laugh at is gym. Oh give me a break. I have never scheduled "gym class" in our ten years of home schooling. My kids are "outdoor" kids. They love to be outside. They are always swimming, or bike riding, or playing baseball, or kickball, or just tearing around like wild Indians. Lately the twins (and sometimes Jerusha for a short time) will do the WATP dvd's with me. We usually do about 4 miles, or 5 miles. On days when we are more pressed for time, we do 3 miles, with weights. They do that at least 4 times a week with me... by choice. I don't force them too. In my opinion... "gym class" is a waste of time. Let's use that time to get done the academics that we need to, then you can go out and ride bikes or play kick ball, or tag, or swim, for a long time!

I guess some would call that "unschooling". I don't know what to call it. All I know is that I want health and fitness to be a lifestyle for my children, not a subject they have to study in school.

Okay, as promised, here is my version of:

Whole Wheat, Honey sweetened Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies (How's that for a title?)

1 Cup honey ( I think you could get away with 3/4 of a cup)
1/2 Cup applesauce
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 TBSP non-fat plain yogurt
1 Cup Whole Wheat flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt (kosher is recommended, but we just used regular)
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/4 nutmeg (this was a little strong.. I would do about 1/8 tsp next time)
1 GENEROUS cup oats ( we used quick oats, but you can use any kind)
The zest of one orange (optional... we didn't do this... but I will next time)
Chocolate chips (1 cup is recommended, but we used a whole bag. Ahem.)

Mix together, in a large bowl, applesauce and honey. Add the egg, vanilla, and yogurt, and stir until it's all creamy.

In a small bowl, whisk all the dry ingredients together and then add them to the wet batter. Stir to incorporate.

Add oats, orange zest, and chocolate chips. Mix.

I added more oats here as I like the dough a bit stiffer than what I was getting.

Spoon out the batter in whatever size you like onto greased cookie sheets, or use parchment paper. We did our cookies pretty large, and due to the stiffer batter, they baked into soft little balls (see above pic). Next time, I would smoosh them down a bit since they didn't spread at all.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes until the cookies are nicely browned.

I have no clue how many calories these are. I looked on MyFitnessPal.com for something compatible, and my best guess at this point is that they are around 85 calories each, depending on the size you make.

You can really fool around with this recipe... add nuts, use peanut butter, or pumpkin puree, or use raisins instead of chocolate chips (you're kidding, right?), or white chocolate chips and dried cranberries.... etc, etc... use your imagination.

The exchanges I made were:
Yogurt instead of milk
applesauce instead of butter
whole wheat flour instead of white flour
honey instead of sugar.

The eggs I used were farm fresh. You could use steel cut oats instead of quick oats for an even healthier version.

Enjoy, guilt free!

How Many Calories Do You Think This Has?

Cheeseburger Soup

Hamburger Stroganoff

I made this last night using Crytal Miller's recipe from her website, The Family Homestead. It was very, very, very good, and super easy to make!

I served buttered baby carrots and a spinach salad on the side. For dessert the family had wonderful chocolate chip cookies Benjamin and Esther had made on Monday.

Eggless Banana Bread

I'm probably the last person to figure this out, but this week we tried making banana bread without eggs. It wasn't a planned experiment, but we had about a bunch and a half of medium sized bananas that needed to be put into some muffins or bread or something. We decided on banana bread since we were in a time crunch of sorts, and it was less hands on time than muffins.

Benjamin and Esther were getting the batter mixed up when they realized that we were out of eggs. So I hopped on the computer to google any good substitutes for using eggs in baking. I found out you can use a flax seed and water mixture. Also, I read that bananas do basically the same thing eggs do in baking. How convenient, since we were making banana bread. We used the following recipe from my Betty Crocker cookbook, and substituted the flax seed and water mixture.

Note: 1 TABLESPOON flax seed plus 3 TABLESPOONS water = 1 egg

Preheat oven to 350.
4 C. sugar
1 1/3 C. margarine or butter, softened
8 TBSP. flax seed + 12 TBSP water, combined in a separate small bowl
Almost two bunches of medium sized bananas, mushed
1 1/3 C. water
6 2/3 C. high gluten flour
1 TBSP + 1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
You can add nuts or raisins but we just did it plain.

Mix everything together, including the flax seed mixture. Cut out wax paper to fit the bottom of 4 bread pans. Fill pans evenly with batter. Bake for about an hour, until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool for about 10 minutes. Loosen sides of loaf from pan, remove from pan, peel off wax paper from bottom of loaf.

Makes 4 loaves. Enjoy!

Between the weather and our crazy busy schedule right now... the garden, the bedroom renovations, life in general.... my walking time has been very sporadic. When I do go, I like to pick wild flowers. Here is a sample of the latest bouquet:



Isaac is has been showing off his flexibility. I wish I was so flexible. I think I could do this, but I would never be able to walk again. LOL


>

Excellent new crock pot recipe!

This dish was called "Crockpot King Ranch Chicken". It was delicious! It is very decidedly Tex-mex style, but not too much. I got the recipe from www.anniesrecipes.com.

Here is what it looked like in the crock pot:



Here it is dished up with some green beans picked fresh from our garden:


The recipe is simple.

3-4C. cooked, diced chicken
1 pkg. (10 - 12) flour tortillas
1 med. onion, chopped
2 (10 oz) cream of chicken soup
1 can (1 C.) tomatoes & chilies
4 TBSP. quick acting tapioca
4 C. grated cheddar cheese

Instructions:
In a large bowl mix chicken, soup, tomatoes, chilies and tapioca. Rip 2-3 tortillas into pieces and line the bottom of a 5 quart crockpot. Add 1/3 of the chicken mixture; top with 1/3 of onion and cheese. Repeat layers or tortillas, chicken mixture, onion and cheese two more times. Cover; cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 3 hours. For a smaller 3 quart crockpot, make half the recipe. This a good take in dish or potluck.

Dried Bean Salad

We tried this last night and it was a hit. Fair warning, it is quite filling! We had a ton left over.

You can use lentils, kidney, navy, lima, or miniature edible soybeans, cooked or canned. We used white beans, cooked, and well drained. And I about doubled the recipe.

2 1/2 C. canned or cooked beans

Combine with:
about 1/4 C. French or Thousand Island dressing
A pinch of curry powder or 1/4 C. chopped gherkins or pearl onions.

(I also added some chopped green pepper and tomatoes.)

Serve on lettuce leaves, or plain.
Garnish top with chopped parsley, or chopped chives or grated onions. (I skipped that part.)

Stuffed Pepper Soup

Oooh, this is gooooood! My mom discovered this recipe by Rachel Ray.

2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
salt and black pepper
1/2 tsp. allspice (eyeball it)
4 cloves garlic chopped
1 large onion, cut into bite sized dice
3 green bell peppers, seeded and cut into bite sized dice
1 bay leaf
1 quart chicken stock
1 can crushed tomatoes (28 oz.)
1 cup Orzo pasta
12-15 basil leaves, shredded OR torn
Grated Parmigiano Reggiano, to pass at table

Heat a medium soup pot over medium-high heat with the EVOO. When the EVOO is hot, add beef and season with salt, black pepper, and allspice. Brown the meat for 5 minutes then add garlic, onion, peppers and bay leaf. Cook for 7-8 minutes, until tender.

Stir in stock and tomatoes, and bring to a boil. Add pasta and cook to al dente, 7 to 8 minutes. Turn off heat. Fold in basil.

Serve in bowls with grated cheese.

(We doubled this recipe and it made enough for two meals. We served fresh homemade whole wheat bread with butter with it. Bon apetit!)

Spicy Cheeseburger Soup

We had this last night and LOVED it! It was a huge hit with my family. I got the recipe online from www.recipezaar.com. I would change some of the steps next time to make it a bit easier, but will type out pretty much how they have it on their site. I doubled the recipe, btw, and we ate off of it for two night, plus a little bit left over for Dale's lunch. :)

SPICY CHEESEBURGER SOUP:
Makes 12 -16 servings
30 to 45 minute prep (depending on how many littles need your attention)

16-24 oz. of ground beef (I used 3lbs for a double batch)
1 1/2 C. choppped onions (adjust to your own preference)
1 1/2 C. Shredded carrots ( I chopped up baby carrots)
1 1/2 C. Diced celery ( I just sliced it up and included the leafy tops)
2 tsp. dried basil
2 tsp. dried parsely flakes
1/2 C butter or margarine divided
6 C. chicken broth (beef broth would work too)
8 C. diced, peeled potatoes (almost 2lbs )
1/2 C. all purpose flour
16 oz. processed American cheese (ptoooey.. use real cheddar. 2C or more.)
3 C. milk
salt and pepper to taste
2 (10 oz) cans of crushed or diced tomatoes (it can add up to more than 20oz)
1/2 C. sour cream ( I forgot this and it still turned out yumola)

1. In a 3 quart saucepan, brown beef; drain and set aside.
2. In the same saucepan, saute onion, carrots, celery, basil and parsely in 1 TBSP. butter until vegetables are tender- about 10 min.
3. Add broth, tomatoes, potatoes, and beef; bring to a boil.
4. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10 -12 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
5. Meanwhile, ina small skillet, melt remaining butter.
6. Add flour; cook and stir 3 -5 minutes or until bubbly.
7. Add to soup; bring to a boil.
8. Cook and stir for 2 minutes.
9. Reduce heat to low.
10. Add cheese, milk, salt and pepper; cook and stir until cheese melts.
11. Remove from heat, blend in sour cream.
(I served this with homemade whole wheat bread and real butter. Very good!)

Changes in prep I would do next time:... Brown the beef, drain, put into stock pot. Add the veggies and spices, tomatoes, and broth. Bring to a boil. While that is heating up make up the butter and flour mixture. Add that and the milk to the boiling soup and cook for a couple minutes, stirring constantly. Add in shredded cheese and sour cream and stir. Reduce heat and let cook on low to medium until veggies are done.

Enjoy!