Hamburgers

4 cups of lean ground beef
1 medium onion chopped fine
1 Tbsp dried parsely
4 tsp salt
4 tsp garlic powder

2 tsp oregano

1 tsp pepper

1 tsp basil

1 1/2- 2 cups oatmeal
4 eggs
few drops of liquid smoke

Mix together all ingrediants throughly.
Be sure to wash your hands before and after because of handling raw meat.
Shape into pattys 1/3 -1/2 cup patties work nicely.

Seasonings are all optional depending on what flavor you prefer.
Our family really enjoyed this particular mix.
We grilled them for supper, but you can pan fry them on medium heat until cooked in the center.
It tooks us 5-7 minutes.  A few minutes on both sides until they turn grayish brown. I cook them just until  there is no more pink in the middle.

Refreshing Lemonade

As the hot summer weather approaches, it is the time of year to gather up those key ingrediants for refreshing drinks!
You want to be able to stir up something cold to drink at a moments notice!
You know,  those days after you've been working in the flowerbeds or garden and you are ready to sit on the porch!
The kids have been playing outside and now they are hot and thirsty!

First of all, let me say our #1 drink is  WATER!!!!

We drink lots of water!  Over the years I've learned the benefits of water.
Our bodies need water to function properly!
I make sure to choose water as my main thirst quencher,  but sometimes I get in the mood for something with a little flavor!
That's when I turn to some of my old favorites.

Homemade Lemonade:

1 Cup Lemon juice (Fresh squeezed lemons are the best, if you have a juicer,  I just use ReaLemon)
2 Cups white sugar
1 Gallon Cold Water

Measure lemon juice and sugar directly into a Gallon Pitcher.
Add water and stir.

Simple and refreshing!
This recipe is a great one for kids to make!
Here are our little Lemonade makers tonight!

Alabama and her friend Katelyn

Fiddleheads

 Check out youtube for videos on how to wash and prepare Fiddleheads.
We tried it this weekend. They taste similar to asparagus.  I really enjoyed them with fresh Walleye!
Make sure you don't get the ones with white fuzzys on them. They are not edible.
The kind with the "brown paper bag"  look are the ones that you want.

Coffee Creamer

Coffee Creamer

I think I might try this!

Edible Playdough!

Playdough and edible playdough were a must last year having both boys home! It helped to keep their little hands busy! If you want I can post the recipes for playdough. Let me know if you can read this one.

Top Notch DInner Rolls

Top Notch Dinner Rolls

1 c. warm water

2 tbsp dry yeast

1 tbsp sugar

Stir together until dissolved.  Let set until foamy.

1 1/2 cups hot water (as hot as you can get it and still be able to touch it)

1/2 cup oil

1/2 cup sugar

2 1/2 tsp salt

Combine with the yeast mixture and stir.

Add 5 cups flour (I used all spelt flour for these, but have made it with all white, or all wheat, or a combination of flours).  Stir well.  At this point the batter will still be very sticky.

From here on, you will add at least 3 more cups of flour.  Stir it in until you need to start working the dough with your hands.  Push the dough down, fold it in half, push it down, fold it in half, continue working the dough.  Add more flour until it is smooth and not sticky.  If it feels wet or sticks to your hands, you need more flour.  Slowly add it, a 1/2 cup at a time until you get a soft dough.

Shape it into a ball.  Pour about 2 tbsp oil into the bottom of a large mixing bowl.  Turn your dough ball upsidedown into the oil to coat the top of the dough ball and then turn it over with the top side up.  Make a clean dishtowel wet with warm water, squeeze out excess moisture and cover the bowl of dough.  Allow the dough to rise until double in size. 

I like to turn my oven on for about 2-3 minutes, long enough to heat the oven a bit to provide a warm environment for my dough to rise. Put the dough into the oven after you turn it off!  Make sure you turn your oven off before it is too hot as it will start to prematurely bake the bread!  If the kitchen is too cool, it will not rise properly.  Maybe you have a nice cozy spot in your house, near a fire or something.  A warm summer day is also  perfect for rising bread dough!  But if the weather doesn't cooperate, the oven trick works every time!

When the dough has double in size, usually 1 hour later, punch it down and let it rest for 10 minutes.  Shape the dough into rolls, a little larger than a golf ball.  Line them into baking pans.  I gently grease the pans and allow the doughballs to touch slightly.  Allow to rise until double.  Bake at 350 degrees about 25 minutes or until lightly browned.  I brush a little butter on the tops to soften the crust!

Enjoy!

Spelt Berry Muffins

Spelt Berry Muffins

1 1/3 c. spelt flour

3/4 c. oats

2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 c. honey (or agave nectar)

1 egg

3/4 c. milk

1/3 c. butter, melted

1 c. craisins, (or fresh/frozen blueberries, or raspberries)

Cinnamon and sugar to sprinkle on top of the muffins.

Combine dry ingredients well.  Add liquid ingredients and stir gently. Do not overmix.

Add craisins or berries.

Bake at 400 degrees for 16 minutes.

Grandma's Apron

My grandmother worked for a local meat market - Heagys.
I have a lot to contemplate as I think of the rich heritage I have when it comes to food and learning about cooking and baking according to Pennsylvania Dutch/German tradition.

I will have to post some of Grandma Sadie's recipes when I get a chance.  For now, I'm just thinking, and thankful.

Bounty!

Now, I need to experiment cooking with sage and rosemary!  I also saw I have some cilantro growing from last year!  Yeah!  Do you all cook with these herbs?  I am curious for ideas!

Rosemary

Sugar peas and redbeets

Sage

Is it safe?

It is not safe to can chicken using a hot water bath canner because as  you can see below, boiling water does not get hot enough to kill all  bacteria.  Although they do not refer to "Oven Canning"  I feel comfortable using this method because the temp  reaches 250 degrees. General Canning Information Temperatures for Food Preservation Temperature(s) Effect 240 to 250°F Canning temperatures for low acid vegetables, meat, and poultry in a pressure canner. 212°F Temperature water boils at sea level. Canning temperature for acid fruits, tomatoes, pickles, and jellied products in a boiling-water canner. 180 to 250°F Canning temperatures are used to destroy most bacteria, yeasts, and molds in acid foods. Time required to kill these decreases as temperatures increase. 140 to 165°F Warming temperatures prevent growth, but may allow survival of some microorganisms. 40 to 140°F DANGER ZONE. Temperatures between 40°F - 140°F allow rapid growth of bacteria, yeast, and molds. 95°F Maximum storage temperature for canned foods. 50 to 70°F Best storage temperatures for canned and dried foods. 32°F Temperature water freezes. 32 to 40°F Cold temperatures permit slow growth of some bacteria, yeasts, and molds. -10 to 32°F Freezing temperatures stop growth of microorganisms, but may allow some to survive. 0 to -10°F Best storage temperatures for frozen foods. This document was extracted from  the "Complete Guide to Home Canning, " Agriculture Information Bulletin No. 539, USDA (Revised 2009). Foodborne botulism is a rare illness caused by eating foods contaminated with botulinum toxin. Spores of C. botulinum are ubiquitous in the environment (3), but growth and elaboration of toxin occur only under particular conditions that include an anaerobic, low-salt, low-acid environment. Bacterial growth is inhibited by refrigeration below 4°C, heating above 121°C, high water activity,or acidity (pH <4.5) (4). Toxin is destroyed by heating to 85°C for at least 5 minutes, and spores are inactivated by heating to 121°C under pressure of 15–20 lb/in2 for at least 20 minutes (5). Foodborne Botulism in the United States, 1990–2000 Jeremy Sobel,* Nicole Tucker,* Alana Sulka,*  Joseph McLaughlin,*†1 and Susan Maslanka*

"Canning" Chicken Breast

All I did to "can" this was take boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into chunks/pieces (not that small), stuffed them into jars, leaving at least 1 inch of head space (it will cook over if you make them too full and if the oven is too hot)

Added salt, pepper and dried onions - you season as you desire.  Put lids on and into the oven.

250 degrees for 8 hours

Turn off oven and let set for 8 hours.

Wal-lah!

20lbs of chicken gave me 20 pints!

2 jars ready to 'can'

Chicken cooling in oven

My pantry shelf - love the idea of having this chicken in here!

Crockpot Oats

Crockpot Oatmeal

2 cups Steel Cut Oats (Irish Oats)

8 cups water

Little salt

Chopped Dried Apricots

Craisins

Put all together into your crockpot on low before you go to bed.

Wake up to a large pot full of delicious oats!

Store the leftovers in the fridge for a quick breakfast each morning!

Since I am the only one that eats oatmeal regularly in my family, I have a full week of breakfast I don't have to cook - just heat up!

Jalepeno Poppers

Want a simple, tasty snack for camping?
I found this recipe and we love it.
This one is not Healthy!

Jalepeno Poppers Filling:

1 (8 oz ) cream cheese, softened
1 small jar of bacon bits (real ones taste best)
1 cup or so of sliced pickled jaleponos in a jar (Drain the juice)

Mix it all together and add a handful of grated cheddar  or  mozerella cheese.
The mixture is very flexible.  Add more bacon or less Jaleponos depends on you tastebuds!

Now for the outside, you can be very creative!

Jeff's favorite is pita pockets.
Rip one of them in half and smear as much filling in it to you are happy!
It doesn't have to be thick because the flavor is so strong.
These make a nice snack for camping or hunting.

My favorite is to make them in a Pie Iron, or Mountian Pie maker.
You could use thin bread, wraps, or a dough.
Just make sure you butter the bread on the outside.
Make them like grilled cheese sandwiches!  Yummy!


Have fun,
Wendy

Healthy Chocolate Banana Pecan Muffins

Spelt Chocolate Banana Pecan Muffins

3 ripe bananas
1/3 cup  Melted butter
1  Egg
1 1/2 cups Flour  ( I use 1 3/4 - 2 cups fresh ground Spelt flour)
1/2 cup sugar (can use splenda or stevia)
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup cocoa
1-2 cups chocolate chips (optional)

Mix wet ingrediants first, than add dry.
Mix together til just blended, batter will be lumpy.
Spray Pam spray generously on muffin tins.
I like to use the mini muffin tins.
The kids love them, just their size!
Makes 2 mini muffins tins full. Or 12 large muffins.
Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

Dylan helping mommy bake muffins.

the dough ready to go into the pans.....

My little helper!  Start them young, that is when they want to help!

My newest favorite muffins! 

Blueberry "Juice"

2 cups blueberries
2 cups plain yogurt
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup strawberry jam (or use what ever you desire to sweeten)

Whirl in the blender.  I used frozen blueberries, which allowed the mixture to be chilled and thick - but you have to work at blending the berries-add some yogurt to the bottom first, or the berries freeze together making it difficult to blend!

Delicious! 
Wanda

Weekend Fun

We made Gingerbread houses with the kids... Erica helped Alabama
Mommy helping Tia, the artist!
The Yutzy's celebrated
Christmas early.
Matthew and Rhonda and family
are home on a break from Madagascar.
We also took family pictures.
I'm looking forward to seeing them!!