Pioneer Woman at Heart

Yesterday morning I piddle-dinked away on the procrastination station (computer). I picked out some new recipes to try, printed out a crochet pattern, and after 15 attempts to get the wood stove fired back up, I finally went out to the barn to retrieve cut barn wood boards for kindling. Although I said yesterday that I'd take the day slow, I decided to wash bedding, remake the bed.  Boy oh boy, was Tiger mad at me - kept meowing until the bed was remade (ha ha ha!). It'll be the first year my husband and I won't exchange gifts.  We would like to buy ourselves a new TV (if the price is right).  We are gifting the girls that are living here, and one has a birthday just before Christmas.  No gift card buying either.  I'm afraid I'd get them for each, and the business could close from another shutdown (local winery, brewery, gift shops etc). My dehydrated onions came in handy yesterday for dinner prep.  I didn't want to cut a fresh onion for only 3 Tbsp.  ...

I took the advice of so many thoughtful folks, and took the day off from the garden Thursday.  Totally felt guilty after seeing the weather forecast too.  Winter will roll in quick and I am far from ready.  I still took the day off.  I donned the apron instead.  And I did a little handiwork. And downed a tincture while I baked (for my swollen glands, slight sore throat).  I had my tea afterwards. I finished a project and I never thought I would.  Especially this time of season. I started this back before the 4th of July, and well, it's done! I'll link up with Jill for "Friday Finish" once she has posted. As for the cookie experiment. . . Calling all of those who love a crispy, crunchy molasses cookies!  Do you have a tried and true recipe? I do not.    So I tried one (Sally's Baking Addition online - Crisp Molasses Cookies).  Only I used 1 cup Einkorn flour, and 1 cup regular (organic) all-purpose, and local sorgh...

Youngest asked for me (for her 13th birthday dinner) to make a few new recipes - Pumpkin and Sage Baked Macaroni , and Italian Oven Roasted Cauliflower.  (Cauliflower dish) (Pumpkin Macaroni Dish) Both were super easy to make,

Now that the kids have associated summer gatherings and cookouts with baked beans, I think I have come up with a nice homemade version.  In fact, I think I'll take pre-soaked beans to our next camp-out.  I would love to try cooking these over the campfire all day long. (They were steaming in the photo.  I had just taken some out of the crock pot)

The weekend brought more rain and more cold weather.  We brought the tomato and pepper plants inside Saturday night (still in their flats).   And because the news forecaster mentioned temperatures as low as "freezing" we brought in my few porch pots.

I had some extra dark chocolate melting wafers leftover from the holidays.  And with the snowy weather, and slippery roads we are getting, I decided to stay inside.  I decided to make these delicious candy pieces that are made with sorghum. Sorghum, if you haven't heard of it, is sometimes called "poor man's sugar." 

Remember those 25 library books I had out?  Well, one of them was Stop the Clock Cooking , by Cheryl Forberg, R.D.  This cookbook has many healthy recipes, which are full of age-defying ingredients.  I had to try a few.  There is even a grape jelly recipe that uses sorghum in it.  So what did I try?

I have been looking through some of the recipes I collected over last summer.  Recipes that I had not yet tried.  I found one that uses sorghum, and I just had to bake it!  I buy locally produced sorghum and honey, so I had the ingredients.  I just adapted it with organic ingredients and our fresh farm eggs. Sorghum is still a form of sugar, so it is not recommended for diabetics.  However, from the articles I have read, most forms of sorghum do not contain gluten.  And like Molasses, it is a good source for iron, potassium, and calcium.  In one article, I read that it contains more antioxidants than blueberries.  I find this interesting.