'tis the season...

...for strawberries!

We had a little left of this jam in our freezer from last year until very recently... it was actually still good after getting under the icy top

we choose to go the "reduced sugar" route this time after trying both last year

strawberry freezer jam

dehydrated strawberries

yummy!

Homemade Yogurt & Chocolate Sheet Cake

Some of this Jack's kitchen adventures/experiments have been low on the to-do-list (along with many other things...) but hopefully the kitchen is back to being inhabited a little more often

Yogurt
Normal store-bought yogurt, if you don't buy plain, is often:
1. full of slightly, if not highly, disturbing ingredients
2. way to sweet to choke down
3. more expensive than I'd like (free would be preferable)

As we happened to be fortunate enough to have a yogurt maker passed down to us, we made yogurt. Actually, Pete made the first batch while I was feeling sick and my mom and I made the second while Pete was working. The pictures are mostly products of the second batch

2

pretty much all you need ingredient-wise is milk (we used skim) and 2 T. yogurt (used as a starter)
We also added some non-fat powdered milk.
Here's the directions we used:
http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Yogurt

I have heard there are ways of using a crockpot to make yogurt although we haven't tried that, yet.

For eating purposes, it is rather bland by itself but delicious with honey.
I like berries on top too.

Cake

Secondly I made this for our church community group

those bumps on top are powdered sugar clumps (I hope!) that didn't quite make it. that was a sad misfortune and only so many could be picked out by a non-perfectionist youngest child (they probably taste real good that way anyways)

OK, honestly, I didn't even try this cake. I am not big on chocolate on chocolate with more chocolate, but some people are. I heard many good "reviews" and am inclined to believe them because I got the recipe from this super fun site which has a lot of yummy recipes on it. Maybe they also liked it because it has a lot of butter, sugar, and chocolate - also a possibility

Not the "healthiest" choice of baking but one should probably not bring whole wheat bran muffins when signed up for snacks - it just might not go over well

beans, refried

OK, the sad part about this little bean story is that out of all the times I have made these the time I take pictures of the process they turn out to be my least favorite so far. Thankfully I believe I know why and can share that with you as well... alas.

Here's the Recipe

Starting off with "overnight" soaked pinto beans, add them to boiling water
with onions and garlic

A low effort way to peel garlic is to cut off the hard end, put them in a dishcloth and smash them against the counter.It works surprisingly well.
My thought is that a little older garlic works better than brand spanking fresh, but that is just a guess

simmer, simmer, simmer... the onions look different now

cook some onions in butter, add some seasonings...
(I use the same "big" pot for everything, I just transfer the cooked beans to
a bowl and then the vitamix to mash them)


And voila! You have yourself some homemade refried beans!


Now for the sad part. I used my vitamix too much, if that is possible... which apparently it is.
I "chopped" the onions in the said machine which, I believe, made them too runny and made the beans a little more oniony than I like. So the moral of the story is, chop, don't puree your onions! I think by cooking some more plain pinto beans (with salt) and adding them to my now frozen beans would solve the problem.

Notable Changes I made of the real recipe...
I used more beans than 1.25 cups because I think that is just too few!!
I didn't put cilantro in this batch, I didn't have any.
I have never used feta for garnish but that sounds interesting!

I like to use these refried beans (when they turn out less oniony!) for bean bowls:
layered- brown rice, beans, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, and usually some salsa for good measure.
They really are good!

A Greek Easter

There were many a photo to be a had in many a home to document the preparation for this Easter Meal. Few were taken. Thankfully, I have a faithful photographer mom who saved this food from being neglected entirely as well as perhaps saving our camera from death by spurts of sizzling lamb grease. I am thankful for both.

On the Menu: Lamb, Chicken, Pitas, Tabouli, Tzatziki, Hummus, Lemon Rice, Greek Salad, Roasted Potatoes, and Squash
(Tasty Non-Greek Dessert Followed)

I was impressed with this picture

I did not make all the food seen in the pictures. The recipes for the food I made... I got the lamb recipe... here. The lemony greek rice... here. The greek potatoes... here. The Tabouli... here. Okay now, putting in links is fun.

just in case you ever think about making these...

the lamb went over well and seemed to be cooked as much as it should have been - this, I was happy about. I would advise, when making these, you make the patties small (we had them like gyros in a pita) because lamb is rich and one can get too much of it pretty quickly. I made them in a skillet (hence the spurts and sizzles from the grease). The Bashas by us seems to often have ground lamb on managers special... I'd advise to look for specials because full price, at least at Fry's, was mighty pricey.

the greek rice I put way more oregano in it than called for and way less garlic. The former because I thought it said tablespoons when in fact it said teaspoons (classic) and the latter because I thought there was going to be plenty of garlic going around in other dishes. That's probably what the author of the recipe meant anyhow. Anyways, I think the rice was one of my favorites. I might add more feta next time (I did not measure it when I put it in) because it was awfully nice to get a little chunk of feta with a bite of rice every once and while.
I didn't even use brown rice (shocker) and next time, if I make it again, I would be very tempted to do so.

Potatoes didn't seem to brown too well although they weren't unappetizing, (were they?), they just kind of tasted like potatoes.

The tabouli I think turned out well although I was lighter on the mint than I should have been. I'm not a huge tabouli fan in general so it's hard for me to say if it was really great. Let's just say we ate the leftover rice in a day or two but are still housing the tabouli in the fridge.

the bottom of the food pyramid

We've been eating homemade bread lately

Homemade, by the breadmaker

The aforesaid breadmaker bakes a pretty great looking loaf, sometimes.
This particular time it baked a pretty great looking ball.
The sometimes globular structure produced by the breadmaker is readily pardoned for the ease of baking bread it supplies.
Looks aren't everything anyways.

here's is the recipe:
(from http://www.tammysrecipes.com/homemade_wheat_bread)

100% Whole Wheat Bread

Yield: 1 loaf(1.5lbs.)

Ingredients:

1/2 teaspoon soy lecithin (if using granules, add to the water at the beginning)

1 cup warm water (110-115 degrees F)
1 tablespoon milk
2 tablespoons oil
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons vital wheat gluten (replace 3 tablespoons of the flour)

3 cups (minus 3 tablespoons) whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons instant active dry yeast

a pinch of citric acid (use sparingly)

a sprinkling of ginger

Instructions:

1. *Combine first 6 ingredients in a large mixing bowl; stir.

2. Add flours and yeast, and knead until dough is smooth and elastic, about 10-15 minutes. Place dough in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover with a clean towel and let rise until doubled, about 40 minutes.

3. Punch dough down; knead for a few minutes until smooth and then form into a loaf. Place in greased loaf pan and cover. Let rise in a warm place until almost doubled in size, about 30 minutes.

4. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. If loaf starts browning too soon, lightly lay a piece of foil on top of the loaf to prevent too much darkening.

5. Remove bread from oven and allow to rest in pan for a few minutes. Remove to a wire rack and cover with a cloth. Slice and enjoy while still warm! Leftover bread can be stored in an airtight bag or frozen until needed.

*If you have a bread maker, you can use the dough setting to knead it for you. Just put ingredients in according to order listed.

(i) heart cookies and crackers

While waiting for my honey to come home this Valentine's Morn, I baked these

Browned Butter Rolled Cookies

1 1/2 cup AP flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Adjust the oven rack to the upper third of the oven. Preheat to 350°F.

In a medium bowl whisk the flours, baking powder and salt.

Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Cook about 1 minutes, swirling the pan, until the butter turns a nutty brown. Transfer to a medium bowl. Add the sugar and oil. Beat with an electric mixer 1 minute on medium speed. Add the egg and vanilla; beat 2 minutes on medium-high speed. Add the flour mixture and mix on low speed until just combined. Divide the dough in half and press each piece into a disk.

Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper. Working with one disk at a time, roll dough on a lightly floured surface to a thickness of 1/8 inch. Cut out cookies with small (about 2- to 2 1/2-inch) cookie cutters. Place the cookies about 1/2 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets.

Bake the cookies in the upper third of the oven, 1 sheet at a time, 5-7 minutes until slightly golden on the edges (do not overbake). Let rest on cookies sheets 1 minute, then transfer with spatula to wire racks. Cool completely.

For a non-heart shaped project of late are two types of crackers: Multi-grain and Graham

Multi-grains in the works

finished product

I'd make these again!

Grahams in the works

finished product

This is my second time making these and I would make them yet again

Recipes:

Multi-Seed Crackerbread

2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup whole rye flour
1/2 cup whole yellow cornmeal
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup water - may not use all of it
3 tablespoons sesame seeds
2 tablespoons poppy seeds
2 tablespoon flax seeds
1 tablespoon caraway seeds
2 teaspoons dried rosemary
2 teaspoons dried tarragon
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 1/2 teaspoons very coarse salt
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 450

In a medium bowl, whisk together flours, cornmeal and salt. Drizzle in olive oil and mix to combine - it will be pretty lumpy looking. Add about 3/4 cup of the water and mix together until the dough comes together. You want it to be stiff, but not crumbly - if it is too dry, add a bit more water. Scoop out dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead a few times until the dough becomes smooth and supple. Don't knead for 10 minutes like you would bread - you just want the dough to hold together well and be smooth. Divide into 8 equal portions and cover with saran wrap.

In a small bowl, mix together sesame seeds, poppy seeds, flax seeds, caraway seeds, rosemary, tarragon, thyme, salt and pepper.

Scatter about 1 tablespoon of the seed mixture onto your work surface - press one piece of dough into the seed mixture and begin to roll it with a rolling pin. Keep turning the dough as you roll it into the seed mixture - flip it over and add a bit more of the seed mixture if it begins to be too sticky. Roll the dough into whatever shape you can - you want to get the dough as thin as you can and have the seeds dispersed throughout the dough. Repeat with the remaining seed mixture and dough.

Place the dough on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake until the top is golden brown - about 7 to 10 minutes. Start watching very close at the 7 minute mark as it can go from golden to too dark in a snap. Remove and set on a wire rack to cool completely.

(Changes I made to this recipe: added Pumpkin seeds because I had them and I think they are yummy, I didn't have whole cornmeal on hand so I used regular old non-whole cornmeal, and I skipped the taragon and thyme on account of not having them)

Homemade Graham Cracker Recipe

makes 36 2 1/2 inch squares.

4 T (1/2 stick) butter, softened

1 egg

6 T sugar

4 T honey (Some graham crackers use half honey and half molasses. You might consider trying that as a variation.)

1/2 t baking soda

2 t water

3/4 t salt

1 1/2 C graham flour

3/4 C all-purpose flour

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Combine the butter, egg and sugar in a bowl and beat until smooth and creamy.

Stir in the honey and blend.

Dissolve the baking soda in the water and add to the butter mixture.

Add the salt, graham flour, and all-purpose flour to the mixture and blend thoroughly. The dough should hold together and be manageable. If it is too "tacky" add a little more graham flour.

Liberally dust a surface with graham flour and roll the dough to a thickness of about 1/8 inch. For convenience in handling, cut the rolled dough into three or four sections that will fit on your cookie sheet.

With a knife, score the dough, without cutting through, into 2 1/2 inch squares. Or shape them with a cookie cutter!

Prick each square a few times with the tines of a fork.

Using a spatula, place the sections of scored cracker dough on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake on the first side for about 15 minutes, then turn the cracker over and bake for another 6 or 7 minutes.

Remove from the oven and cool on racks.

(Changes I made to this recipe: I ground some whole wheat flour and used that alone instead of white/graham flour, the first time I made them I used regular whole wheat flour alone)

new kitchen help

his name is remington
here is what was cooking that day

Cranberry Orange Muffins (adapted from King Arthur Flour)

Makes 12 muffins

1½ cups white whole wheat flour
¾ cup quick-cooking rolled oats
¼ cup buttermilk powder or nonfat dry milk
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon orange zest (finely grated orange peel)
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries, chopped
½ cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)
2 large eggs
⅔ cup (4.67 ounces) sugar
¾ cup milk
⅓ cup sour cream

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray standard muffin tin with nonstick vegetable cooking spray.

2. Whisk flour, oats, milk powder, baking powder, and orange zest in a large mixing bowl. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk egg until broken up. Add sugar and whisk until combined. Whisk in sour cream and milk.

3. Add cranberries and nuts, if using, to dry ingredients and stir to combine. Add milk mixture and fold with rubber spatula until batter comes together. Do not overmix.

4. Divide batter among 12 muffin cups. Bake until toothpick inserted into center of muffin comes out clean, 18-20 minutes. Cool in pan 5 minutes, then transfer them to a rack.

Looking over this recipe, I am not remembering adding dry milk... O well.

Were they good? Eh. If you like cranberry-orange muffins, then I would say, yes (pretty enthusiastically too)! If you prefer a good banana nut or pumpkin muffin, like me, these aren't going to be top on your baking list. Anyway, if you want some, I have a dozen or two in my freezer.