Amazing Syrup

I made a homemade Mrs. Butterworth type syrup recently, extremely well received by everyone at the breakfast table.

Super Easy Syrup

In a saucepan combine the following:

1/2 cup salted butter
1/2 cup molasses
1/4 cup brown sugar

Stir and heat until sugar has dissolved, butter has melted, and everything melds together.  This is awesome on pancakes and waffles.  CJ and Eliza have asked me to make it twice more since the first time.  And the leftovers keep well in a jar in the fridge.  It solidifies a little so needs to be rewarmed, but we like warm syrup better anyhow.  It makes a nice alternative to the pure maple syrup we usually use, and I always have the ingredients on hand.  I think a little cinnamon and vanilla would be nice in the next batch.  Let me know if you try it!

Superbowl Snacks

I couldn't care less about who is playing, or who wins, but I really look forward to good commercials and yummy snacks every year on Superbowl.  Today was no different.

First off I want to thank my friend Diana and whoever gave her the salsa recipe, because I LOVE this salsa.  One of my favorite things in the world is cucumbers dipped in this marvelous stuff.  And it is crazy easy to make, and tastes so fresh and wonderful.

Best Fresh Salsa:
     Combine in blender:
5 fresh plum tomatoes (or so, whatever fits) I quarter them
4 slices pickled jalapeno
1 big spoonful chopped garlic
good size bunch of cilantro
some salt
      Don't you love how precise this recipe is?  Just throw the stuff in the blender and blend till all is chopped and it is getting towards being smooth, till it looks like this:

Next:  These cookies.

Oh my fudgy wonderfulness.  I tweaked this recipe from King Arthur Flour: Flourless Fudge Cookies  I skipped the espresso, and added 2 tablespoons of peanut butter powder.  I have also made them the traditional way, skipping the espresso powder and they are amazing.  I just felt like a chocolate peanut butter mix sounded yummy today.  These take 20 minutes from thought to eating if your oven heats fast.  LOVE them!


We had deviled eggs per the kiddos' request, mini hot dogs in bbq sauce, spinach artichoke dip with homemade gluten free bread, and some chicken quinoa meatballs in homemade cranberry rhubarb ketchup sauce.  They were better than they sounded :) We had veggies and tortilla chips with the salsa and homemade guacamole and the cookies.  It was a delicious Superbowl :)

Make Ahead Fruit Crisp Topping

 The other day, it was cold and snowy, and we all felt like doing some baking.  But after all the gluttonous food of the past months, we wanted something a little healthier.  Enter my favorite fruit crisp.  I make big batches of this adaptable topping and keep it in the freezer.  Use any fruit you like.  I have made it with peaches, pears, apples, berries, cherries, and others, including combinations.

 The topping starts with oats.  Then you add any type of flour you like, all purpose, whole wheat, gluten free, and nut flours all work equally well here.  Don't forget a bit of salt, and some brown sugar.  Don't skip the salt, it needs it.

 Then some fat, butter, coconut oil, shortening, even liquid oils all work.  You want to work it in so you get nice crumbles, but not a large ball of cookie dough.  If you get a big ball, make cookies and start the crisp topping over again.  Trust me.

A small batch of this is as follows, to make a large batch triple or quadruple, just keeping the proportions the same:

1 cup oats
1/3 cup flour
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt

Mix well

Mix in 4 T oil or butter till crumbly. (A friend of mine doubles this, I don't find it needed, up to you)  Sprinkle on fruit and bake.

You will notice there are no spices.  You can add them if you want, but if I am making a pear cherry crisp I don't always want cinnamon, so I add the flavorings to the fruit.  I make a huge amount of this, throw it in a container in the freezer and make a quick crisp whenever we need a nice dessert.  You can use the topping straight from the freezer, no need to thaw.

I choose the size crisp I want and fill the dish 2/3 to 3/4 full of raw or canned cut up fruit.  For apples I add pie spice or cinnamon, for berries I add vanilla and nutmeg, use whatever you like.  Also sprinkle a few tablespoons of sugar onto the fruit.  If using berries, also sprinkle a couple teaspoons of the flour into the fruit, as they will release a lot of juice and you want to thicken that lovely flavor into a sauce.  A favorite combo of mine is 8 apples peeled cored chopped with 1 cup of fresh or frozen cranberries 4 T sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp orange extract.  Mix the fruit in the dish, top with crisp topping.  Bake at 400 for 20 to 35 minutes until fruit is cooked and topping is browned and all is bubbly.  Alternatively you can do this in a small crock pot, on low 4-6 hours, or high 2-3 hours.  This recipe is very adaptable.  I have never had a bad version yet.  I hope to hear of some new fruit combinations, please comment with any changes you tried :)

Resolutions

Every year I resolve to do things better, and I usually do fairly well, at least until somewhere around October.  I am determined to make it through the whole year this year.

Last years' resolutions were as follows:
1) Practice yoga weekly
2) Spend time outside with the kiddos every day it is not dangerous to do so.  Was doing well with this until the negative wind chill today
3) Spend more active time with the kids
4) Pay closer attention to my own health
5) Be more intentional with lesson planning and lesson implementation
6) Continue to organize and simplify our home
7) Blog weekly here and in Homeschooling: The Journey!

I have done yoga weekly, for the most part, provided I wasn't too sick to move or crazy with the holidays.  So that I did pretty well.  I have spent a lot more time outside with the kids, but not everyday at all.  I lost interest in that once we started having days that were only a high of 2 degrees last winter and again when the average low hit 88.  Baby steps.  I was doing great healthwise, right up until Halloween and then put on a bit of weight (15 pounds) since then.  Now back to regular activity and healthy eating habits.  I have done great with lesson planning and implementation, though I do give myself some leeway during the crazy seasons.  I have totally sucked at weekly blogging though.  My new resolutions are these:

1. Blog biweekly here and in Homeschooling: The Journey
2. Make playing with the kids a priority
3. Seriously declutter the house, and make it easier to maintain
4. Maintain a regimen of regular exercise including yoga
5. Save enough money for a small vacation and to add in our shower and downstairs bathroom
6. Visit a spa just for me

I want to focus for a while on enjoying my kids and improving my health and well being, mentally and physically.  I love my life, and my home, and especially my family, but I need to learn to take a little time and read, exercise, unwind, and play.  Ironically I am starting the New Year with daily decluttering and cleaning activities to help me feel less overwhelmed with the house.  So far we have replaced all the mini blinds, so they are all clean!!!  We have decluttered the school and play rooms, and moved things all around.  The play room is now full of creative opportunities for the kids.  They can paint, build, and create whenever they want.  I will post pictures soon of the way the room looks now.  We have gotten rid of many holiday decorations, and knick knacks that had no purpose, and didn't make us smile.  My rule now is that if it gives me stress to find a place for it, then it shouldn't be in my home.  Today we cleaned out the kitchen closet where the pots and pans and dishes are, and scrubbed all the pots with steel wool to remove the build up ick on the bottoms.  We also seriously cleaned the stove top to prevent it from happening again.  Tomorrow I am going to tackle all the silverware and utensils.  I am going to declutter, clean and organize them all.  Then I am going to play a new video game with Rich in the evening.  All about balance :)  I have cleaned out several little spots that were making me nuts, and now it just seems easier.  I have also found that being more active and eating well has made a tremendous difference in my mood.  Things seem less overwhelming, and that helps a lot.  Later this month I will post more about our cleaning efforts, which are making a huge difference.  Decluttering the kitchen makes it easier for me to do cooking, and decluttering the kids' rooms has made it easier for them to keep them neat and clean, which makes me less stressed and more able to focus on having fun with them.  It has been joyful around here, with less yelling and more creative endeavors.  I think we all needed a little less everything around us, and now we can focus more on what is important.  :)

I LOVE Butternut Squash

One day we had salad and soup.  Salad was mixed greens, pomegranate seeds, goat cheese, apples, oranges, olive oil, salt and pepper.
Soup was carrots and butternut squash sauteed in Ethiopian ghee.  See the recipe here The Joyful Homemaker, vegetable broth, orange zest from the orange I used in the salad, salt pepper, and frozen peas at the end.

And this shows how the meal went over with the kids :)

My latest obsession is this dish from the Pioneer Woman.  Butternut squash and kale.  The only change I made was to use Penzey's Forward instead of chili powder.

 And then this lovely salad.  Spring mix, pan roasted butternut squash, cucumbers, dried cranberries, feta, quinoa, pomegranate seeds and an orange mustard vinaigrette.

 I love this season of rich colors, and deep autumnal flavors.  This type of food makes me happy.  This coming week I might try some new squash recipes.  What ways do you use this lovely vegetable?

2015, the year of the CSA

So awhile ago I posted an entry about the "greening" of my families lifestyle.  I wanted to update because we are making a pretty significant push in 2015 to offset our food eating to be as local as possible and are buying into a bunch of  CSA (community supported agriculture) shares in our area.  This will be a great experiment, a test to see how feasible it is to really eat farm to table.  I will let you know how it goes!

Here is what we are looking into:

A summer and winter vegetable share at Mountain View Farm in Easthampton.  This we have been doing this year already, and have done in the past.  Really a wonderful experience.

A year round mushroom share from Mycoterra Farm.  You get about a pound of mushrooms per week.

A summer and fall fruit share from Small Ones Farm.

A years worth (115 lbs) of unprocessed grains from Pioneer Valley Heritage grains.  This will require us to purchase a grinder and grind our own flour.

A meat share from Hettie Belle Farm.  This share an immense amount of meat for us and may not be possible until we get a chest freezer for the garage.  Still we plan on at least doing the summer share, which is only one pickup, just to try it out.

In addition to this we have already signed up for delivery of milk from Mapleline Farms in Hadley.  They deliver right to your front steps in old fashioned glass milk bottles.  You can also get local yogurt, heavy cream and buttermilk from them.

So it will be an interesting year coming up!

Pasta with Goat Cheese and Tomatoes

Today is pretty chilly, and I really wanted something warm and filling for lunch that still felt a little summery.  This dish is perfect for both.  I made it a few times over the summer, once with my friend Diana, and I accidentally put in almost a quarter of a bottle of pizza seasoning, and believe it or not it was still amazing.  But much better to measure a little less the first time!

You need:
1 pound pasta of your choice, I used gluten free penne
2 T garlic extra virgin olive oil, or oil plus some fresh garlic, but I love the garlic oil
Several tomatoes: if plum, use six or so, beefsteak 3, campari size tomatoes at least 8 or 9, or you can mix them like I did here.
A small log of garlic and herb goat cheese, you can use plain but garlic is better
Large handful spinach, chopped
2 tsp pizza seasoning, or other italian blend you like
salt and pepper

First step is to put water on to boil for pasta and salt it heavily.  Put the oil in a saute pan large enough for a pound of pasta with room to mix, and turn to medium high.  Then chop tomatoes.

 
Put the chopped tomatoes in the hot oil, stir around and season with salt, pepper, and pizza seasoning.  Let it cook while you prep the rest of stuff, just stir once in a while.  You want the tomatoes to get soft and juicy and lovely.

 
Chop the spinach and add it to the tomatoes when there are about 5 minutes left for the pasta to cook.  Stir it in and turn it down if it is getting dry.  You want this to be saucy, not pasty.

 

Add the goat cheese in the last couple of minutes and stir around until the sauce is creamy and bubbly.  Use a slotted spoon or similar utensil to transfer the pasta to the sauce, adding some of the starchy cooking liquid into it.  Stir the pasta all around and let cook a minute or two in the sauce, then serve and enjoy.

 

The kids and I enjoyed it outside on the deck while the sun is shining.  It looks like CJ isn't enjoying anything but it is just from squinting into the sun, he ate two bowls!  I love that this recipe only takes about 12 minutes start to finish, and it tastes creamy and rich, like things I am not supposed to have :)