Soaked Apple Cinnamon Muffins

We enjoyed these Soaked Apple Cinnamon Muffins for breakfast this morning. I prepared the soak last night, mixed the other dry ingredients in a separate container and had everything ready to mix in the morning. It was a nice change from our normal breakfast.

I found this recipe over at Craving Fresh. Thank you!

Muffin Base
1 C rolled oats
1/2 C whole-wheat flour
1C whey or buttermilk, or milk with 1T vinegar or lemon juice added
Combine the above 3 ingredients, cover and let soak overnight

The next day cream together:
1 egg
1/4 C unrefined sugar, or honey
1/2 C butter, melted

In another bowl combine additional dry ingredients:
1/2 C plain all-purpose flour
1/4 t salt
1 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1 t ground cinnamon

Combine wet ingredients with the soaked wheat and oats. Stir in the dry ingredients.

Lastly, fold in 1 chopped apple.

Cinnamon topping
1 T brown sugar
1/2 t ground cinnamon

Scoop batter into prepared muffin tins. One recipe yields 12. Sprinkle topping on each muffin and bake in a 375 degree oven for about 16 minutes. Leave in pans to cool for 10 minutes before removing, unless using muffin liners.

Marbled Loaf

Marbled Loaf


3 to 3 1/2 Cups all-purpose flour
1 pkg active dry yeast
1 1/2 Cups milk
2 TB Sugar
2 TB Cooking Oil
11/2 tsp Salt
2 TB dark-flavored molasses
1 1/4 Cups rye flour or whole wheat flour

1. In a large mixing bowl combine 2 cups all-purpose flour and yeast. Heat milk, sugar, oil and salt just until warm in a microwave or on the stovetop. Add milk mixture to flour mixture. Beat well. Scraping the bowl often. Beat on high speed (in an electric mixer) for 3 minutes.

2. Divide batter in half (take out approximately 1 Cup of batter). To the 1st portion of batter add remaining all-purpose flour (1 to 1 1/2 Cups). Turn dough onto floured surface and knead for 6-8 minutes. The dough should be moderately stiff and elastic. Shape into a ball and place in a greased bowl, turning the dough once to grease the top of the ball. Cover and place in a warm spot to rise.

3. To the other portion of batter add molasses and rye flour (or whole wheat flour). Knead dough again for about 6-8 minutes. Let rise in a greased bowl in a warm spot.

4. After 1st rise (approximately 1 hour, or until doubled), turn each ball out onto a floured surface and roll into two rectangles about 12x8 inches. Place dark rectangle on top of white one and roll into a log. Place in a greased or parchment lined loaf pan (8x4x2inch). Cover and let rise for about 40 minutes to an hour.

5. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 30 to 35 minutes. If the loaf is browning too much on top part way through the cooking time, cover with tin foil to keep the loaf from over-browning.

6. Immediately remove from pan and allow to cool completely before slicing.

We love this loaf! The sweetness of the molasses is a nice treat, and the swirl in the middle of the bread surprised my kids!

Happy Baking.

Could Making Yogurt Get Any Easier?

Back in Canada, I often made my own yogurt, but it was quite the process. First you have to bring the milk to a temperature of 180 degrees, then let it cool to 110, add the yogurt starter and incubate for 6-12 hours.

Well here, in Madagascar, where milk as I know it is basically unavailable, there is UHT milk. Or heat-treated milk. After doing a little research online, I discovered that when making yogurt with UHT milk, there is no need to preheat the milk and let it cool (which is the most tedious part of making homemade yogurt)! It has been thrilling to just add a little bit of yogurt to a litre of UHT milk, set it out in the sun, or keep it warm in a pan of hot water, and voila, yogurt!

If your yogurt is still too runny, try adding some milk powder to the milk before adding your culture. You will add calories, but the yogurt stiffens up a bit more in the end.

Easy Chicken Curry

New Recipe! Chicken Curry (A new family favorite)

4 skinless boneless chicken breasts (cut up into small chunks)
1 Lg Onion chopped
1 Lg Potato cut into bite-sized chunks
1 Lg Carrot cut into bite-sized chunks
4 Garlic Cloves minced
4 TB Ginger Root minced
1 Apple chopped
4 TB Flour
4 TB Curry Powder (or less if you prefer less spice)
1 TB Salt
1 TB Brown Sugar
2 Cups Chicken Broth
1 14oz Can Coconut Milk

Prepare all of the above ingredients and dump into a soup pot. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer, stirring about every 15 minutes. Let simmer for an hour. Serve over rice. You might thicken with a little more flour and milk at the end if you want.

I prepared everything in the afternoon during a quieter moment, and then I was ready to dump everything in the pot about an hour before I wanted to serve dinner. This recipe could easily feed 6 adults over a large portion of rice.


This awesome Chicken Curry was adapted by a wonderful blog I often read: Passionate Homemaking.

Dutch Baby

These are so yummy and super easy! A great alternative to traditional pancakes or waffles, without having to babysit the fry pan.

These are known by a few different names: German pancake, puff pancake, Dutch baby...
In my mind, it is simply and GIANT yorkshire pudding! Yum!

1/3 cup Butter/Margarine
5 Eggs
1 1/4 cups Milk
1 tsp Vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups All-purpose Flour

Preheat oven to 425.
While oven is heating, melt butter in a cast iron skilled on the stovetop. (You may also use a glass baking dish and melt your butter in the dish in the oven.)

In a blender, blend together eggs, milk, flour and vanilla extract. Once butter is melted and oven has preheated, pour batter into the cast iron skillet.

Bake in oven for 20-25 minutes, or until center is cooked.
Serve with sliced apples or fresh blueberries and maple syrup.



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Whole Wheat Thins Please

Another yummy cracker recipe and my kids and I gobbled up the other day!

2 cups whole wheat flour
1/4 cup wheat germ
1/2 tsp ea of salt, and any other seasoning blend (like Mrs. Dash or garlic and herbs), baking powder, yeast
3 Tb Extra virgin olive oil
3/4 cup warm water

Preheat oven to 400

Dissolve yeast in warm water with oil. Combine dry ingredients and then mix wet with dry to form a soft dough.

Roll out super thin, as thin as you can! Place on parchment lined baking sheet and then use a pizza cutter or other small cutter to cut squares into dough. Squares about 2" x 2". No need to separate, they will break apart after you bake them.

Bake for about 20 minutes. You may check on them at 18 minutes and remove any outside crackers that are getting too dark to allow the middle ones to brown up more.
They will have some bend to them when they come out of the oven, but will crisp up more and more as they cool.



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Homemade Rye Animal Crackers

I found this recipe on another blog; it was adapted from King Arthur Flour's recipe for rye crackers. And I have adapted it again.

1 cup whole rye flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
1 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons cold butter
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon molasses


Preheat oven to 325


In a large bowl sift or whisk together flours, cocoa powder, and salt. Cut in butter until it resembles course crumbs.


In a small bowl or measuring cup, blend water and molasses. Gradually stir water mixture with the dry ingredients and knead to form a soft dough. You may need to add a couple drops more of water.


Divide ball into 3 even pieces - working with one piece at a time. Keep other pieces covered. Roll out each piece of dough on a well floured surface. Turn often to keep from sticking. Roll to 1/16" thick; about the thickness of a quarter.


Cut dough with small cookie cutters, (2" x 2") or into small squares. Transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet. 


Bake until crackers begin to turn crisp, about 18-25 minutes. They will crisp up further as they cool. Move crackers to a wire rack to cool completely. 






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Pakistani Kima

Saute in skillet or pot: (one with a lid)
3 T Butter/Margarine
1 Cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
Add:
1 lb ground beef
Brown well. Stir in:
1 T Curry Powder
1 1/2 t salt
dash pepper
dash each of cinnamon, ginger, and tumeric
2 Cups tomatoes chopped
2 Potatoes, diced
2 Cups frozen peas or green beans
Cover and simmer for 25 minutes. Serve with rice.
Garnish with shredded coconut!
I made this for my family last night, and I was pleased that it was a hit! We all love rice (brown basmati), which is terrific because it’s so easy! This Indian curry dish isn’t too overpowering, and it isn’t spicy at all. The shredded coconut is my favorite part! This bit of added sweetness makes me feel as though I’m having some dessert with my supper.
Recipe was taken from “More-With-Less”

Homemade Rice Milk

This is a super easy rice milk recipe! If you are trying to stay away from dairy products, I wouldn’t recommend substituting it for cow’s milk completely since there’s no added protein, and it isn’t fortified with vitamins. However, Faith enjoys drinking it every now and then, and I have been spoon-feeding a little rice milk to Joyanne twice a day. It can be used as a dairy substitute in smoothies or on your cereal or porridge in the morning.  I haven’t tried it in tea or coffee, but hey, if you’re adventurous… why not?
 
1/2 C cooked Brown Rice
2 C Water
2 T Sweetener (sugar/agave/honey optional)
Vanilla to taste (optional)
Makes approx. 3 Cups
Blend in the VitaMix for 2 to 3 minutes, until completely smooth. Store in the refrigerator. Shake well before using.
If you don’t have a VitaMix, you can use a normal blender, but you may want to strain the milk through cheesecloth or a fine sieve so it isn’t pulpy. The VitaMix is a master at literally pulverizing the grains so the texture is similar to milk.
None of my family is lactose intolerant. That is not why I experimented with this recipe. I was going to make baby rice cereal because the past couple of weeks Joyanne has gone from sleeping nearly 12 hours through the night, to waking up a couple of times! So, rather than introducing rice cereal, I thought I would try her on this rice milk with a spoon. She is excited to see the spoon and smiles like crazy as I try to spoon the liquid into her mouth!

Easy Satisfying Biscotti

This is a super easy biscotti recipe that my mom has always makes that I love making as well!! It is really easy too.

Easy Almond Chocolate Chip Biscotti

1 Cup Butter/Margarine
4 Eggs
2 Cups Sugar
2 tsp Vanilla
2 tsp Almond Extract

5 1/2 Cups All-purpose Flour
2 tsp Salt
1 TB Baking Powder
1 Cup mini Chocolate Chips

Cream: eggs with sugar. Add vanilla and almond extract. Slowly add melted butter/margarine (not hot though, you don’t want to cook your eggs!) Beat well.

Combine dry ingredients  (flour, salt, and baking powder), and add to your egg mixture. Add 1 cup of mini chocolate chips to your dough. It should be fairly stiff. Refrigerate dough for a few hours or overnight to make it easier to form logs.

Form dough into 3 short logs across baking sheet (width-wise) on parchment paper.

Cut each log into 12 pieces; don’t separate. (Each slice will be about the width of your index finger)

Bake at 325 degrees for 15 minutes. Turn sheet around and bake for another 15 minutes.
Cool for 20 minutes on the sheet.

Slice and separate pieces by laying them on their sides. Bake at 225 degrees for 20 minutes. Flip each biscotti over and bake for another 20 minutes. Turn off oven and leave baking sheet in oven for at least an hour.

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Friday's Archive Visit - a Yummy one!

This mix is especially yummy! And if you've ever enjoyed a chai latte at Starbucks and turned around and bought those boxes of chai tea concentrate at the store, you'll enjoy this homemade mixture!

(Original Post: October 22, 2008)

In the last while I have taken a liking to chai lattes or frappes before bed during my son's final nighttime feeding. I find chai tea so comforting!

I'm really into making 'homemade mixes.' Having muffin mix on hand, or homemade seasoning blends in my pantry that I know I'd pay much more for at the store, is so exciting to me! ;) There's that frugal side to me coming out again.

Instead of buying those expensive tetra packs of chai concentrate from the store, I decided to try and make my own version today! To my delight, it worked out great! And was SUPER EASY! I will definitely keep this one on hand. :)

Karina's Chai Tea Concentrate

1 1/2 C Water

1 1/2 C Milk (I use skim milk)

10 "Stash" Chai Tea bags

1/2 C Honey

Bring milk and water to a boil on the stove, while heating add honey. Once boiling, remove from heat and add tea bags. Steep for 5 minutes.

Remove tea bags and pour concentrate into an icecube tray and FREEZE, or store in your refrigerator without freezing.

To make, use 3 cubes per 8oz drink and add 1 cup of hot milk. Sweeten if you wish.

Karina's Chai Frappe Recipe

Banana

6 iced chai tea cubes

1 Cup Milk

1 TB Honey

1/8 tsp Cinnamon

Add ingredients to blender and blend to a smoothie consistency.

Makes about 2 servings.

I do not have cardamom spice on hand right now, so I haven't tried to make my own chai from scratch. That will be my next venture. For now, I favour "Stash" chai tea blend. It is spicy, and delicious!

What are your comfort teas? Do you make your own tea from scratch? I'd love to hear your recipes. Leave a comment.

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My Mom's Bun Recipe

This bun recipe really is amazing. This is not a dinner roll size bun though. These are large enough to be burger buns! They rise better than any other bun recipe I have tried!

4 Cups Warm Water
1 TB Yeast
1/2 Cup Sugar
1/2 Cup softened butter/margarine
1 TB White Vinegar
1 TB Salt
9-10 Cups All-purpose Flour

Combine water with sugar and yeast and allow yeast to proof.
In a mixing bowl combine salt, vinegar, softened butter.

Add proofed yeast and water to mixing bowl and add 9 cups of flour. Knead in another cup if required. Form an elastic dough by kneading for approximately 15 minutes, or 7 with a Kitchen Aid mixer or equivalent.

Allow to rise in a warm spot for an hour or until doubled.

Punch down and form into 36 to 40 buns. Place on a greased sheet and allow to rise for another hour.
(If making cinnamon buns, make into three large rectangles, roll and cut each roll into 12 pieces.)

Bake at 325C for 20 to 25 minutes.

Remove from pans immediately and allow to cool.

(For cinnamon bun filling I spread melted margarine on each rectangle and then sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon.) See Cinnamon Buns here.

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Hot Fresh Muffin Anyone?

I enjoy having a muffin with my tea every now and then, and one of mine and the children's favorite lunches is muffins with cheese and grapes.

I found this homemade muffin mix here along with tons of variations and other homemade mixes.

A-B-C Muffin Base Mix
18 cups flour
5 cups sugar
2 1/4 cups buttermilk blend or non fat dry milk
6 Tb baking powder
2 Tb baking soda
2 Tb salt
3 Tbsp ground cinnamon
3 tsp ground nutmeg

Measure all ingredients into a large bowl, blend well and the transfer to a sealable storage container.

TO MAKE 24 REGULAR SIZED MUFFINS:

Preheat oven to 400° and combine the following

4 eggs

3 tsp. vanilla

2 cups water

1 cup oil

5-1/2 cups muffin mix

The batter should be slightly lumpy.

Fill greased/buttered muffin tins 3/4 full. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until muffins are golden brown.

Allow muffins to cool in the tins for 10 minutes before removing.

Another mix that I have enjoyed over the cooler months is this hot cocoa mix.

Green Smoothies, Revisited

Being late autumn, it has been difficult to feel in the mood for a smoothie. But I found a new green smoothie recipe and was determined to try it on my family today! Mwahahaha. :) Their dad continues to refuse to even give a green smoothie a thought, nevermind a taste, but my children sure inhaled theirs this morning! (And so did I.)

1/2 Banana

1/2 Cup Grapes

1 C Fresh Spinach

1/2 Apple (with seeds)

1/4 C Yogurt

1 C Pineapple (Canned or fresh)

1 C Ice Cubes

a dash of Vanilla extract

1 TB Wheat Germ

Process in the Vita-Mix until smooth (about 1 minute), use the tamper to push all ingredients into the blades.

Following is an old post I thought I'd share again.

(Originally Posted October 14, 2008)

I have taken a liking to green smoothies recently. Besides the health benefits of eating more greens, they're actually tasty!

My DD doesn't always eat salad or veggies at dinner and lunch, but getting one of these yummy colorful drinks into her isn't a problem.

2 Cups Fresh Spinach leaves

2 Celery Stalks

1 Apple (seeds and all)
1/2 Cup Apple Juice

1/2 Cup Water

1 Cup Ice Cubes

or another favourite:

1 Cup Kale

1 Cup Peaches

1 Cup Mangos

1/2 Cup Plain Yogurt

1/2 Cup Water

1 Cup Ice Cubes

The Perfect Whole Wheat Loaf

I have been trying to perfect my whole wheat loaf for a while now, and I think I have finally discovered the recipe AND the techniques to make this loaf more enjoyable to eat than ever! Pulling these fluffy light 100% whole wheat loaves out of my oven couldn't have been more exciting... as exciting as homemade bread-baking gets!

This recipe makes 2 loaves (1.5lbs ea)

2 cups warm water
1 TB Traditional Yeast
1/2 cup brown sugar (I haven't had honey in my kitchen lately, but you can definitely use 1/3 C honey instead)
1/3 cup Canola Oil (Or Olive Oil, again I don't have this in my kitchen right now)
2 t. salt
1/4 cup gluten
5 to 6 cups whole wheat flour

Now the major difference with the ingredient list that I am newly accustomed to, is adding gluten to my bread. I have shyed away from it during my years of bread baking, mostly because of the added cost, but when I worked it out, it should only add about $0.30 to each loaf, AND once experiencing the results, completely worth it!

As well, the techniques with this recipe are a little different than what I have done in the past, and I am certain they have also added to the success. I have always skimped on my first knead, but this time I have set my timer for a full 8 minutes and let my Kitchen Aid knead away. The dough is so elastic and amazing; I am partially tempted to try this technique alone and forget the gluten.

So as usual, combine ingredients after allowing the yeast to proof in the water and sugar.

Add flour and knead for 8 minutes in your machine, or perhaps 15 minutes by hand. Set the timer.

Rise in a warm spot, covered until doubled (about 1 hour)

Knead out air bubbles (about 30 seconds to 1 minute in the machine)

Divide and shape into 2 loaves and allow to rise in greased or oiled pans for an hour

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes

Turn out and allow to cool

My Favorite Way To Drink Kefir

My daughter and I love to drink Kefir this way:

3/4 Cup Kefir

1/2 Banana

4 Ice Cubes

Blended until smooth.

Serves 2 small cups.

Simple, plain, and oh so good.

Kefir Chai Frappe

Interesting blend of Chai Tea and Kefir - just another creative use for this healthful beverage!

Kefir Chai Frappe

Brew 1/2 cup Chai tea (2 tea bags in 1/2 cup boiling water for 7 minutes)

Sweeten as desired (I use 1 tsp sugar/honey)

Blend with 5-7 ice cubes until almost smooth

Add 1/2 cup of Kefir and lightly blend

European Peasant Bread in 5 Minutes a Day!

The only problem with this bread, is trying to stop yourself from eating the whole loaf!

With this recipe and method, you won't be able to say you can't make homemade bread anymore, or you don't have time. It is so yummy, and so worth it. :))

This recipe will make four 1-pound loaves. The recipe is easily doubled or halved if you prefer. Preparing the dough for the first time is the most time consuming part.

3 C lukewarm water (not hot! that will kill your yeast)
1 1/2 TB Yeast (instant or traditional)
1 1/2 TB Salt or coarse salt
1/2 C Rye Flour (subsititute for all purpose if you want)
1/2 C Whole Wheat Flour (again substitute if you wish)
5 1/2 C unbleached all-purpose flour
Cornmeal for the pizza peel or cookie sheet

1) Mix yeast and salt with the water in a 5 litre bowl, or a lidded container (but not an airtight lid).

2) Mix remaining dry ingredients without kneading. Just stir using a wooden spoon until there are no more dry spots.

3) Cover (not airtight), and allow to rest at room temp. until dough rises and collapses (or flattens on top), approximately 2 hours, but may take longer if your water was cold. You won't ruin it if you let it rise for hours.

This is what the dough looks like after it's risen and collapsed. Pretty wet. There's no way you could knead this with your hands, it's way too sticky.

4) The dough can be used immediately after the initial rise, but it is a lot easier to work with if it has been refrigerated for at least 3 hours or overnight.

The "5 Minutes a Day" part:
5) On baking day, dust the surface of the refrigerated dough with flour and cut off a 1-pound (grapefruit-size) portion. Use a serrated knife. Dust with more flour and quickly shape it into a ball by stretching the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all four sides. You should only have to handle it for 30-60 seconds. Allow to rest and rise on a cornmeal-covered pizza peel, or an upside down cookie sheet, for about 40 minutes.

6) Twenty minutes before baking time, preheat the oven to 450, with a baking stone placed in the middle rack, and a broiler tray on a lower rack.

7) Sprinkle loaf liberally with flour and slash a cross or scallop pattern into the top using a serrated bread knife.

8) Slide loaf directly onto stone, and pour 1 cup of hot tap water into the broiler tray to create steam in your oven. Bake for 35 minutes or until the top crust is deeply browned and very firm.

9) Allow to cool before slicing or eating.

10) Try not to eat the whole loaf yourself :)

The dough will keep in your refrigerator for the next 14 days. And as it ages it will take on sourdough-like characteristics. Your last loaf will taste even more flavourful than your first!

Check out Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day for more recipes and variations on this simple technique.

Another Frigid a.m.

Yes, it's 8:00 am and -8 degrees outside. Did I mention it's March 10th and I thought Spring was just around the corner?

Since the time change over the weekend we haven't changed the timer on our thermostat inside our house. Which means, it's just begun to heat up when we get up, instead of being warmed already. I guess I should adjust it one of these days.

My children are playing together on the floor. DS is giggling and laughing at DD's antics. I love hearing them giggle at each other. It must be the most wonderful sound to a mother's ears! Of course, playing together usually follows with mommy saying, "Be Careful! Don't pull his arms like that. Don't stick your feet in his face! He doesn't like that!"

Today's agenda is looking basically similar to most days. Except the children and I will venture out into this sunny COLD weather in search of a wedding shower gift for a lady at our church. Hubby took a sick day from work. He has caught the latest cold that has been circulating. Not surprising, since many of the men at his work have been off sick over the past month or two.

Another slow cooker recipe and tip! We enjoy steel cut oats just about every morning! I cook them in my slow cooker overnight so my hubby can grab a bowl full on his way to work and it's still nice and warm for us when we emerge from our rooms. I don't think I'd eat porrige as often if it wasn't warm and waiting for me like this. Warm and satisfying :)

Slow Cooked Steel Cut Oats

1 C Steel Cut Oats

2 C water

Set on "Warm" before bed.

You may have to experiment with your slow cooker. I find if I set it on Low, the oats go crusty by the morning. It's just too hot. Every slow cooker is different though.

Soft Chewy Homemade Tortillas

In my frugality and, let's not forget, my delight in making things from scratch, I have been searching for the perfect flour tortilla recipe. The first one I tried called for a whopping half cup of lard for a mere 8 tortillas! Discouraged at how unhealthy this yummy comfort food is, even when homemade, I began searching for a more healthful version of this recipe.

My search took a mere 5 minutes of surfing the web. I stumbled upon a delightful blog about food and this blogger was nice enough to post their take on these tortillas. This version called for a scant amount of vegetable oil instead of the fattening half cup!

This photograph was taken shortly after these came off the skillet. You can almost see the steam dancing above them. Imagine fresh fluffy tortillas melting in your mouth. They were tucked away in a warm tea towel, and my family couldn't keep their mits away from them. Tiny rips and tears were noticed in a few of these this afternoon.

This recipe's a keeper!