Homemade Applesauce

My mom motivated me to try making homemade applesauce, and it was a huge hit. Mom brought me some apples, and my very nice neighbor had given me some apples they'd picked at the orchard last week, so I started with about 2 dozen apples. Here is the very easy recipe.

Homemade Cinnamon Applesauce

1 dozen apples

3/4 cup water

Cinnamon to taste (I used about 1 tsp)

1. Core and peel your apples. We also cut ours in half even after using the apple corer, thinner slices = less cooking time.
2. Put apples in a large pot and pour in the water. The water should definitely *not* cover the apples, just add enough to cover the bottom of your pot. Your apples will cook down and add more water after simmering.
   
3. Simmer on medium low for approx. 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
   
4. Once apples are mashable (check with a fork), put them in a blender or food processor. I blended about a cup at a time. I used the ice crusher/pulse button on my blender, then used the liquefy button after they were sufficiently chopped up. Mom just mashes hers with a potato masher, but I wanted mine less chunky. (Add more of the water from the pot to make your sauce runnier, less to make it thicker.)
   
5. Cool and eat.

I made two batches - one last night and one this morning. We froze the batch we made last night. We shared half of this morning's batch with our Monday Fun-day buddies (thanks for the name, Jesse!) and gave the other half to a friend who helped me with a huge sewing project. Each batch probably made 12-16 cups of applesauce. The boys LOVED it; Kieran had 3 servings after we painted this morning.

Helping Grandma start the applesauce

What made it even better is that Kieran helped us make it. He put the apple slices in the pot and then helped me push the buttons on the blender. It was a fun family activity. What a yummy way to usher in the fall!

Easy Vegetable Stew

In my perfect world it would be 75 degrees all year round, but cold weather does have a few advantages:

1) Fires in the fireplace: While we do have a chimney on the roof of our house, appearances in this case are deceiving - we have no fireplace. No crackles and pops to break up the quiet of a sleepy, snow-covered evening, no marshmallows roasting on skewers, no red glow coloring chubby little baby cheeks . . . it's very sad.

2) Long sleeves and sweaters: I've always loved the look of fall and winter clothes. I'm not sure why, it's just a personal preference.

3) Burrowing underneath the covers: I love piling blankets on and snuggling up to Tom to keep warm. Kieran, on the other hand, has an internal furnace that has him kicking off the covers and sleeping spread-eagle in between us. We have to struggle, shivering, to pull the covers up underneath his leaden body so we won't freeze. Tom claims that I have the same furnace, but I have the courtesy to keep it under the blankets.

4) Stews, chili, and soups in the crockpot: there is nothing like throwing a few ingredients into the crockpot in the morning and coming home to a finished meal that evening. Plus, the smell of whatever is cooking fills the whole house - yum! Another great thing about many crockpot meals is that they can be frozen and stored for later. Every time I make any kind of stew, chili, or soup, half of it goes into a container for one of those days I don't want to cook.

I had some vegetables in the fridge that I needed to use, so I decided to make vegetable stew. I also had bean stock (made from cooking a bag of black beans) in the deep freeze just waiting for a good recipe - I was happy to thaw it out. Here is what I did to make our stew, but the nice thing about vegetable stew is that you can easily improvise with whatever you have in the fridge or in the pantry.

Easy Crockpot Vegetable Stew

Water or stock (use enough to cover all of your veggies plus a little more, depending on how soupy you want it)

3 carrots, sliced

2 potatoes, diced

Tomatoes (I used one can of organic diced tomatoes, undrained; I also had about 12 cherry tomatoes leftover that I diced and added)

2 yellow squash, diced

1 onion, diced

1 can corn, undrained

Garbanzo beans (approx. 1 cup; I had cooked and frozen them previously, you could also use canned)

Cabbage

Spinach, shredded (mine was frozen from the garden, I thawed & shredded it)

Lentils (I actually have a Bob's Red Mill soup mix that has lentils, peas, etc.)

Spices (I used cilantro, garlic, a seasoning salt blend, and a few spoonfuls of fresh salsa)

Cornstarch (optional)

Boil carrots and potatoes for a few minutes in a separate pot to soften them.** Put the carrots/potatoes/water, stock, garbanzo beans, spices, and all veggies except for cabbage and spinach into the crockpot. Add at least enough stock or water to completely cover the veggies. Cook for 6 hours on high or up to 12 hours on low. Approximately one hour before serving, add cabbage, spinach, and lentils. If you want your soup to be thicker, you can slowly add cornstarch while stirring briskly about 10 minutes before serving.

Serve with some shredded cheese and a side of bread (cornbread would be good, we had garlic bread though).

Delicious!

**Ok, I have a change to the recipe since posting this. When it was time to add the cabbage and lentils, I realized that my carrots and potatoes were not anywhere near soft enough. I transferred everything to a big soup pot and boiled it for 10 or 15 minutes, then let it simmer for the next hour. In the future, I will probably give the carrots and potatoes a quick boil in a separate pot before adding them to the crockpot.
I did add cornstarch - probably 2 to 2 1/2 teaspoons. It made the broth thicker, just what I was in the mood for.

Banana Nut Muffins

I love banana nut bread, but when I make it in a loaf pan, I can never get it to cook through correctly. Either the outside is too done, or the middle isn't done enough. I decided to give it a try in muffin form, and I also changed my mom's tried and true recipe to make it healthier. Below is my modified version; these measurements make a double batch (it made 4 dozen regular muffins and 2 dozen mini muffins). I rarely bake anything in a single batch, it's so much easier to make more and feed the freezer.

I will probably try them next time without the muffin cups - they really stick to the paper. If anyone has tips on how to avoid that, please share them! I will also try them next time with a cup of honey and no brown sugar. Finally, no mini-muffins next time; the big ones are SO much better.

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup raw honey

2 Tbsp butter (softened)

8 bananas (mashed)

1 cup milk

6 cups flour (half wheat, half unbleached white)

7 tsp baking powder

1-2 tsp cinnamon

4 Tbsp flaxseed meal

1 1/2 tsp salt

Nuts (I used about 1 3/4 cups chopped pecans)

Dried cranberries (I probably used about 1 3/4 - 2 cups)

Mix together brown sugar, honey, and butter. Add bananas and milk (I mixed the bananas in with an electric hand mixer). Slowly add the dry mixture, stirring it in by hand. Add nuts and berries. I gave everything a good mix with the electric hand mixer before putting it in the muffin cups (fill about 2/3 – 3/4 full). Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.

 

My taste tester approves.

Have a banana nutty day,

~d

This Is How Our Cookie Crumbles

I have searched for some time for the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe. To date, I haven't found my ideal cookie - at least one that is just plain ole' chocolate chips. I did, however, stumble upon a really close second best. The recipe I found was for pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, but I've added a few things to make them loaded with ooey gooey goodness.

There's oatmeal, which means they are great for breastfeeding moms to eat to help boost milk supply (if you need an excuse). I added cranberries, which contain antioxidants and phytonutrients that combat against certain diseases, and coconut, which is classified as a "functional food" because of its many health benefits. Additionally, pumpkin is a great source of fiber and carotenoids, and did you know that chocolate can actually be good for you? It's true! Especially chocolate of the dark variety.

Another benefit of these cookies? You can make a double batch and freeze half. The dough I used today was out of the freezer, and the cookies are just as tasty. I pulled it out because we had a new mama friend and her 2 year old daughter come over for a play date this afternoon, so I baked to impress. (They loved them!)

Kieran loves to help me cook, and baking cookies is a great way to let him work on measuring, pouring, and stirring skills. Baking is also a mini-science lesson for kids - it's so interesting to see what the cookies look like before and after they are baked. I do have to hide the cookies after they are baked though, because Kieran will melt into a sobbing heap if he sees them and can't have one. They really are that good.

Yum!

Yay, cookies! Mama rocks!

I think I'll take this one.

Here he is saying "mmmmm!"

I could eat these all day!

One tip - the cookies are very cake-like due to the pumpkin, so I never completely close the lid on their container; otherwise, they get kind of soggy. And without further ado, here is the recipe:

Pumpkin (Oatmeal, Cranberry, & Coconut) Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 cups flour (I use half wheat, half white; I slightly overmeasure the flour, oats, baking soda, and cinnamon)

1 1/2 cups oats (quick or regular, either works)

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 cup sugar (I tend to use 1/2 to 3/4 cup though)

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1 15 oz can of pumpkin

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 cup cranberries (raisins would work too)

3/4 cup shredded coconut

(You could also add flaxseed meal, nutmeg, and/or nuts.)

Combine flour, oats, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. In a separate bowl, cream butter then gradually add sugars, beating until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla to the wet mixture, mix well. Alternate additions of dry ingredients and pumpkin, mixing well with a spoon after each addition (if you over-beat with a hand mixer, your cookies will not rise as well - that's true for any cookie!). Stir in chocolate chips, cranberries, coconut. I use a cookie dough scoop to drop heaping spoonfuls onto an ungreased baking sheet. Bake 12-15 minutes at 350 degrees until firm and lightly browned.


If you have the perfect CCC recipe, please share it!

~d

That's How We Roll

As a stay at home mama to a busy toddler, I’m constantly searching online for new ideas in several areas: 

*fun/educational activities for my son;

*information on attachment parenting, gentle discipline, and other techniques that model responsive/sensitive parenting;

*creative ways to be frugal on our one income budget;

*information on living more consciously (i.e., eating healthy, whole foods; doing our part to leave the Earth a nice place to live by reducing our ecological footprint); and

*promoting causes I believe in such as increased/extended breastfeeding; an overhaul of our broken vaccination system/schedule; the case against circumcision; and others that I’ll write about here from time to time.

On those rare occasions I have time to be crafty, I also like finding ideas on relatively simple crafts to make (and perhaps sell).

It is my hope that this blog will compile some useful information on the above topics for others who are searching.

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For this first post, I thought I’d share one of Kieran’s recent firsts – his first homemade biscuit-making experience. I am guilty of giving in to the simplicity of store-bought biscuits. It’s so easy to peel the can open and slide the pre-made dough into the oven. (On that note, am I the only person who always jumps as the can bursts open at the seam when pressed with a spoon? I know it's coming, yet I still gasp and jump like it was surprising.) But in my quest to make more things from scratch and do new things with Kieran, I decided to give from-scratch biscuits a try. 

I remember making biscuits with my mom when I was younger. Kneading and rolling the dough was always intensely relaxing, and I can still hear the sound of each biscuit falling out of the mouth of the glass we used to cut them out – a small, satisfying “pop.” As you can see from the pictures below, Kieran shares my fondness for the process. 

He knew he was in for a treat when I cleared the table and let him throw flour everywhere. A mess? He was in! He helped me with every step – he measured, poured, stirred, cut, kneaded, and rolled like a pro. And true to his mama’s side of the family, he took several pinches of dough to nibble on (sampling for quality is a requirement in our house).

Being a complete biscuit novice, I was surprised when my biscuits stayed as flat as we’d rolled them. Doh (or dough, as the case may be *wink wink*) – that’s what happens when you don’t use a recipe that calls for yeast! Regardless of their thinness, the biscuits were little round hunks of heaven. We doubled the recipe that follows below and made about 20 biscuits and 15 cinnamon kisses. We froze half for later consumption (I’ll let you know if they thaw and reheat well).

Making biscuits from scratch is a money saver. Even if you had to buy every ingredient listed I doubt you'd spend more than $10.00, and you could make hundreds of biscuits if you so chose. Cans of pre-made biscuits sell for $1-$2 at Walmart and Aldi, 8-10 biscuits per can. 

Enjoy the pictures of our precious mini-baker, and let me know if you have a favorite biscuit recipe. Maybe we can have a bake-off!

 

Rolling with the miniature rolling pin I used to play with as a little girl.

 

I think he liked rolling with mama's big rolling pin even more!

 Cutting out the biscuits using a glass I filched from my grandma's cupboard.

 

Spooning on cinnamon sugar to make kisses. 

This, by the way, was the dough he most enjoyed sampling.

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My Mom's Buttermilk Biscuit Recipe

  

1/2 cup shortening (I used butter flavored Crisco)

2 c all purpose/unbleached flour

(*the reviews I read or whole wheat flour were less than stellar, so I didn't try it this time)

1 Tbsp Sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

3/4 c buttermilk (more or less; it needs to be enough to mix 

all of the dry ingredients into the ball of dough.)

Sift all of the dry ingredients into a large bowl.

Cut the Crisco into the dry ingredients until it is about the consistency of cornmeal.

Stir in buttermilk until the dough forms a "ball" and doesn't stick to the sides of the bowl.

Flour your table (use wax paper if you'd like); roll your rolling pin and what you are going to cut the biscuits out with in the flour so they don't stick to the dough.

Put the dough in the middle of the flour and knead it at least 20 times. Handle lightly and don't overknead it or it will get too tough.  Pat the dough out a bit with your hands and then finish with the rolling pin. The biscuits will not rise in the oven, so leave your dough at least 3/4 of an inch thick. 

Cut out biscuits and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Put them side by side if you want them to have soft sides or about an inch apart if you want them to have crispier sides.  

Bake at 450 degrees until golden brown; about 10-12 minutes. 

For cinnamon kisses, conserve part of the batch (or make a double batch like I did!), and roll it out thinner than you did for the biscuits (about 1/4 inch thick).

Spread butter on the layer of dough, then sprinkle with a cinnamon sugar mix (like you would use to make cinnamon toast) generously all over the butter. 

Roll it up about 3 rolls, then cut it and start a fresh roll. 

Slice into pieces about 1 inch wide. Place them on the cookie sheet with the biscuits. (My mom's recipe said to cook at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes, but I just tossed them in with the biscuits and they turned out fine.)

I cut out all of my biscuits and made the kisses, flash froze them on a cookie sheet, then tossed them in a freezer safe Ziploc bag.

Unfortunately I don't have a picture of our biscuits to share with you right now, I'll try to remember to snap one next time. 

Thanks for stopping by! 


~d