Snippets ~ March comes to an end

Bedding dried on the clothesline smells the absolute best!

Birds chirping make you smile.

Sunshine is medicine for the soul.   Enjoying it as much as I can.  Rain returns this weekend.

The chicken coop was spring cleaned.  Man it needed it.   I was hoping we'd have them moved by now, but nope.  Anyway, they are happy ladies.

Although a pine tree fell and slightly damaged the lilac bush, it has spring buds. 

There is a lot of debris that needs cleaned up before the first mowing.  The main trees were cleaned up, but limbs and twigs remain.

New recipe tried.  Einkorn banana muffins (recipe is from A modern Homestead online).  These muffins are basically a one bowl recipe if you sift your pre-measured flour (I used einkorn all-purpose flour) over the mashed bananas.  They use 1/4 cup honey or maple syrup.  They bake up very nicely and are very good.  I will be trying these with some added cinnamon/nutmeg maybe, and there is a possibility of making them with date syrup (to replace honey/maple syrup).  Either way, these are delicious.

 

I was winding leftover yarn into a ball, and about to cut up a rutabaga for dinner, when the doorbell rang.  Confused at who would come out for a visit, but happily surprised at the delivery.  My husband sent me these, along with a box of locally made chocolates (like about 3 hours away local), and I'm sure it cost him a pretty penny.  I tell you what.  It made my day.

Did you know that local chocolate makers are having a difficult time right now?  We found out the florist is having trouble obtaining the boxes of delight.  Why?  We are told that cocoa is up 129% in cost right now.  It's true.  I read a few articles about it.  Then again, what isn't up in cost right now?

Dinner turned out fantastic this time around. I decided to use my crockpot vs. the oven this time.  I wanted the oven to roast the rutabaga, so here is what I did....

The above photo was my husband's plate.  He mixed a bit of sauce into his rutabagas.  Roasted rutabagas are so good, if you haven't tried it yet.  Anyway.

I thawed 2 cups of frozen garden grown spaghetti squash, and layered it in the bottom of a crock pot. I then added half of my home canned herbed tomato sauce (I can Ball's recipe), and then layered in one cooked (cooked them frozen from the freezer) dinner serving (about 15) homemade meatballs (made with organic oats vs. bread crumbs), then topped it with the remaining sauce.  I put the crock pot on low all day, and the squash made the sauce so thick and delicious.  I will be doing it this way from now on.  Three ingredients and that was it.  I got some fresh parmesan out and we sprinkled a bit on top, but we really didn't need it.  

We both had high ambitions to put the "done" stamp on the hallway project by the end of March, but life happens.  However, we are giddy happy, that we are very close to being done.  We just have to make a trip for a few supplies to finish the floor trim and the second step.

I have put the official "done" stamp on this crocheted blanket.  I took the photo yesterday, but the ends are sewn in, and it is completely finished.  My goal was met for this project.  Done before the end/by the end of March.

The last bit of gray yarn from this blanket.  In fact, the last of all of the gray in my entire yarn stash.  It's enough scrap yarn to use in a scrap yarn ripple lap afghan.  

Have a fantastic Easter weekend!  Cheers to all of your end of March goals!  

Snippets ~ March comes to an end  © Mar 2024 by Kristina at Pioneer Woman at Heart

Spiced Nuts - Recipe ~ Buttermilk Pumpkin Einkorn Flour Pancakes ~ Cheesy Baked Pumpkin Pasta with a Twist

 

Just when we think we will have more free time, we don't.  It's been super busy around here.  Most of my recent days have been busy in the kitchen.

I tried a new roasted recipe (see below), but didn't feel it was worth the flavor. 

We prefer this recipe for Spiced Nuts (more variety of flavors):

1 egg white

1 tsp. water

1 Tbsp. maple syrup

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 to 1 tsp cayenne pepper, ground

1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ground coriander

3 Cups almonds, peanuts, pecans, etc.

(we like almonds, cashews, walnuts and some raw pumpkin seeds)

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F.  I use my rimmed pampered chef stoneware, but you can line a rimmed pan with parchment paper (possibly foil) too.  Coat with non-stick cooking spray.

In a med. bowl beat egg white and sugar until it is frothy.  Add sugar, cinnamon, salt, cayenne pepper, cumin, and coriander.  Beat the mixture until combined.  Add nuts and stir to coat..

Spread the mixture onto your prepared pan.  Bake 20-25 minutes, stirring once or twice.  Once the nuts appear dry, remove from pan and cool.  Store in an airtight container.

The recipe we tired was Chili and Rosemary Roasted Nuts (found online - The Real Food Dietitians).  It calls for fresh rosemary.

The recipe for the pumpkin pancakes are online with Jovial.  Delicious.

The recipe for the pumpkin pasta dish is online with Skinnytaste.  The original recipe calls for bacon.  I didn't want to do that, as I had chicken sausages that needed eaten up.  I cooked the shallot with butter/olive oil, and added the chicken sausages.  We loved this dish. I will be trying it with the bacon next time.  I used green lentil pasta with ours.   The recipe called for 15 oz. of pumpkin puree.  I used my scale to measure my pumpkin puree and it came out about 1 3/4 cups.  The recipe also calls for fresh rosemary, and it tasted delicious in this dish.

I thought about adding some broccoli to the dish as well, but was worried it would make the dish too watery.  Recipe is a keeper.

Buttermilk Biscuits ~ The Biscuit Experiment ~ Einkorn Flour Biscuits

 I apologize in advance.  I printed this recipe from a blog I follow, but failed to write down which blog.  It was a while ago too.   You know me, I'm a sucker to try a new recipe.

I gave the recipe a try, and here is how mine turned out. These baked pretty well, considering my baking powder was expired (gulp).  I haven't been doing much baking around here lately.

These were delicious freshly baked, but next day very dense.  Good, but the white flour is not good on our meal plan. 

So....

I played around with einkorn flour the other day.   Einkorn will not spike my husband's blood sugar levels. I see that Jovial has a drop biscuit recipe, but it calls for a full TBSP of baking powder (?) and maple syrup.

If you make einkorn biscuits without any sugar, please tell me how you make yours and if I need to change anything.

I prefer to use recipes directly from Jovial, but they only have two biscuit recipes on their site.

Here is what I did:

Einkorn Biscuit Trial #1

2 1/2 cups all-purpose einkorn flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

8 Tbsp butter (see note below), cold (organic)

3/4 cup milk, cold (I used organic whole milk)

I did my typically biscuit mixing, but with einkorn I like to sift it, so I sifted it with the baking powder and salt.  I cut in the butter with a pastry blender, then added the milk.  I only knead until it's all together, then I cut with a biscuit cutter.  I did these with a 2 inch.

Baked at 400°F for about 17-18 minutes.

They came out crispy on the bottom and a teensy crispy on the sides/top, but the center was soft.

Should I make any changes?  Add more milk, cut back on flour, change the baking powder amount?  The Jovial recipe for their drop biscuits calls  for 2 cups flour and 1 Tbsp baking powder and some cream of tartar.

Also, is there a way to still get a nice biscuit without baking powder?  Another healthier way to get that rise in the biscuit?

Baking soda and cream of tartar?

Buttermilk and baking soda?

Any ideas?

Note:  I either cube my butter and put in the fridge to keep cold, or put the butter in the freezer, then grate it for biscuits.  I have also grated it first (which does make a greasy mess on your hands, but works too), then froze the grated bits.

Results:  My husband said, "well, their biscuits" ha ha!  Not the best tasting, but a healthy alternative for when we have biscuits and sausage gravy (which is not very often).

Einkorn Waffles ~ Purge/Extreme Clean Update ~ Spring Flowers

 

There is so much going on here right now.  Crazy busy with purging and re-organizing a lot of "stuff" in our closet.  I decided to take a slower morning, and tried Jovial's Einkorn (recipe is on their website) waffle recipe that uses yogurt in the recipe.  I had to use more dishes than I would like in the morning, but they were good.  They turned out nice and fluffy, but need cooked about 1 minute longer than traditional recipes (or they will be doughy in the center).  Delicious!

We are going through every single tote that was in the closet.  Together we emptied 5 totes (so far).  I am washing them out and putting them aside for now (I may be able to use some for yarn).  We will not get rid of them for sure.  They are too expensive to buy right now (like about everything else).

We are once again having wonderful weather, and the spring flowers are blooming on the homestead.

Update on the chickens and barley grass.  They don't seem interested in it.  They like the lentil sprouts the best, but all chickens are different.

Random Tidbits

A rainy day didn't keep me down.  I had lots of indoor chores to do.  I was a bit sore from outdoor work too, so a break was a bit nice.  I puttered around, refilled the chili pepper, refilled homemade foaming hand soap, etc.  

I made Einkorn chocolate chip cookies.  Although I only had their "all-purpose" flour, and not the Whole Grain whole wheat flour, they turned out delicious.  Just not as thick, but so good.

Here's what our menu has been for the week so far:
Sweet potato chili
Tacos
Breakfast for dinner - blueberry pancakes, eggs, sausage
Lima bean soup
Leftovers

The weather forecast for the weekend changed.  We were so pumped to have a 60-70° day, but that has now lowered to a high of 53° and cloudy.  Time will tell if we get our ride or not.

The bathroom remodel is still on hold until next week or later.  The truck shopping continues.  Hubby joked that he'd have a massaging seat installed for me, after giving me a shoulder rub after two days in the herb garden.

A friend has told me about a local shop that rents out space for consignment.  I am a bit hesitant.  The cost is a bit high, plus they take 10% commission, and 2% for credit card sales.  The garden work has started, so I have less time to do handiwork, so this is on the back table for now.

Our Youngest was the MC for the school's talent show, so we went and watched that in the evening.  She was hilarious too.  She announced one student like a boxing match announcer would announce the boxer entering, so funny!

My Best ~ Grand Pup ~ Peaches

I've never been one to eat oranges.  I'm not sure why, or maybe it was not introduced to me on a regular basis growing up?  Anyway, I am doing my best to be vigilant with all good foods this winter (on account of sickness on the rise too).  Clementines have made their way into my diet for the first time in a long time.  Regularly.  It's hard to find organic citrus this time of year too.  The store even cut back the size of bagged organic apples (so no canning applesauce yet).

I have also realized, with my scale not moving for weeks, that I am not getting enough protein (or I'm building muscle right now).  I've been adding more to my breakfast and lunch now.  Black beans mashed with onion (cooked in the crock pot all day), topped with home canned yellow squash relish has been my favorite to eat with eggs lately. 

Blueberries

I was directed to another blog, by a blog follower, which has a different type of blueberry oatmeal muffin recipe.  Thank you by the way.  

I have to admit, I did not follow the recipe entirely.  I switched

The Good ~ The Bad

The Good:  we are still being provided with frozen, mashed garden grown sweet potatoes (and they taste great when reheated).  

The Bad:  I didn't can applesauce this past fall.  Organic apples are too expensive yet, and our trees have not produced.

Einkorn Pizza Dough ~ Winner Recipe!

I've been wanting to try the Einkorn pizza dough recipe the entire summer now.  With the canner pot back in the kitchen, I was leary about trying such a recipe on such a busy work day, but I did.  I actually made these the same night of canning the carrot cake jam. I worked on the dough in between freezing the carrots too. 

I had a few garden green bell peppers, some onions,  and of course home canned pizza sauce.  Wa-la!

A homesteader's pizza for dinner.

Baking up a little love ~ Einkorn Snickerdoodles

I felt so awful that Hubby had no breakfast to take to work yesterday, and no lunch.  Literally.  We haven't been home but one day I think. 

So, as soon as I could, I baked up a swiss chard/zucchini frittata topped with chives.

Einkorn Hamburger Buns

I found this book through our library's inter-loan system.  I borrowed the book thinking it was all about just milling your own flour, but it was way more than that.

It's a cookbook with recipes for grains, legumes, nuts and seeds.

It contains a recipe for einkorn flour hamburger buns too.

The author has a blog, but the recipe is not on there.  The blog is Naturally Ella in case you are interested.  I found some goodies on there too. 

I made my first hamburger buns!   I didn't use the egg wash and sesame seeds, but may do that the next time for additional nutrition.   I was just focused on getting them to turn out nicely. 

I thawed an organic pork tenderloin, and made Rhubarb pulled pork in the crock pot.   Mmm.  And on homemade buns this time.  Recipe is in the book, "The New Slow Cooker Cookbook."  Those are oven rosemary roasted "fries" with home canned ketchup.  I would have made homemade Rhubarb BBQ sauce, but we didn't have any more rhubarb ready and zero in the freezer.

Two new "from pile to file" recipes.  I'm just thrilled the buns baked up nicely.  Oh, the recipe for the buns states to use einkorn flour, but not what type.  I emailed the author and she mills her own flour, saying the whole wheat would be best.

Oh my, I am soooooooooooo tired today.  Last night we had 2 proms for the younger two.  One had a ride, the other did not, who had a half hour ride to her date, and then needed picked up at midnight.  Oh my.  Hubby and I took a nap.  Literally, and set the alarm for 11:30pm.  We were up until 2am, because the other child arrived home from after prom with girl drama.  Oye.  Talk, talk, talk.....I'm too old for this ha ha ha ha!    He said to me "now I really know you love me" on the way over to pick her up.  He thought I would send him over to a city known for gang killings (and many people shot in bars etc.) all by himself?  Yeah, not  happening.

I have downed one cup of coffee, but need a ton more today.  We managed two motorcycle rides in yesterday's crazy-ness (along with two birthday party stops), so we both got therapy, but we'll need naps again today.  And I would like a day of "nothing" and a motorcycle ride. 

However, work called Hubby already, and he's on his way in.  He said, "don't worry Honey it should be a half hour job."  Right.  I am pretty sure I'll get my own nap while waiting. Which I greatly need anyway.

Enjoy your Sunday.   The sun is shining and it's all good here.

What's Cookin? ~ From Stash to Trash ~ Peach Bourbon Jam

I was fresh out of white and red potatoes, so this beauty donned the breakfast plate this week - cauliflower/pea and dandelion frittata.

Einkorn Flour Tortillas

In the past, I have made homemade tortillas using white organic flour.  

First, I made flour tortillas with organic/non-gmo canola oil.  You can read about it here.

Downside of making them with the canola?  You use a lot more oil than in the einkorn tortillas I'm about to tell you about, and the smell of the oil stinks up the kitchen.

Second, I made them with real lard.  You can read that post here.  

A huge bonus in making these?  You make them on a griddle, and they use no oil on the griddle itself.  Just the lard in the tortilla.  Very easy to make and less mess (and no smell).

Einkorn Flour ~ Baking and English Muffins

Upon learning from a few blogger friends about einkorn flour, and the health benefits (and less gluten), I had to try some.

I first checked the library system for the recipe book, but could only borrow this one:

I wasn't able to borrow the other cookbook einkorn has.  In fact, there was only one copy of this particular book to borrow from our inter-loan system (from other area libraries).