Cranberry Sauce

Quick recipe post today. I've been wanting real cranberry sauce for a while now (Thanksgiving only had the canned stuff), so I decided to make some for dinner. I'll be serving it with a pork roast, if you're wondering. Anyhoo, here it is:

1 bag fresh cranberries
3 cups water
3 tablespoons of orange juice concentrate
1 cup applesauce

Simmer on very low heat for 3-4 hours, adding water as needed to keep it from burning. When it is ALMOST desired thickness, remove from heat and allow to cool. If you like a sweeter sauce, add a few tablespoons of sugar. Enjoy.

Spawn

Ugh, I haven't posted in forever. Wanna know why? It's this! Look at it!

Isn't she cute?

She was born 19th Aug, 2013, and she's super sweet. The labor was short and fierce, but then again, so is she. I was due the 18th of August but that came and went without so much as a cramp, so my OB decided to schedule an ultrasound the next day, just to make sure she was doing alright. The US didn't look good at all, so he sent me to the hospital for an emergency c-section. After arriving at the hospital and getting hooked up to all the monitors, the L&D nurse noticed that everything seemed perfectly fine for a woman in labor. They checked all they needed to check (I'll spare those details),  and sure enough, it was time to rock and roll! Just before midnight Penny was born. It was a good day.

Gluten Free Chicken Strips

Just a quick post to share a recipe I'm working on. London wanted chicken strips for dinner, so I had to gluten free my usual fried chicken recipe.

1 c. gluten free flour (I use a premade all- purpose blend from the store)
1 clove garlic (finely minced)
1/8 c. dried onion
1/2 c. mashed potato flakes
1/2 tsp basil
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cumin
salt to taste
pepper to taste

Mix flour, spices, garlic, onion, and potato flakes in a gallon size bag.

Slice 1 lb chicken cutlets into one inch strips and set aside.

Crack two eggs into a bowl and whisk until well blended.

Coat chicken strips four at a time in egg.

Drop coated chicken into flour mixture and shake until well coated.

Carefully place coated chicken into hot oil (I used bacon grease) about one inch deep.

Fry about five minutes on each side in medium high heat.

Repeat with the rest of the chicken until it is all cooked.

Place fried chicken onto oven sheet and bake at 400* for about ten minutes. (You can skip this step if the strips are cooked all the way through, but I'm really paranoid about under-cooked chicken)

As always, feel free to let me know how it turned out for you or if the directions aren't clear. I welcome suggestions and variations as well!

Home Sweet Home

We just got back from a horrible* vacation only to find the entire garden had been eaten by a band of roving chickens. It took all day and $20 in 'cheater plants', but we got the garden back together. The only things that survived was the onion patch (though one of the hens did manage to trample it pretty hard) and we found two small pea plants that I re-potted in a better location. We decided to give up on spinach for now because the cutworm problem is, well, a problem. In all, I think we might manage to pull a decent amount of food out of the garden this year.

Basil

Peas

Bell Pepper

Cherry Tomatoes

The Onion Nest

*The vacation was horrible because we had some major car trouble that took our entire budget to pay for the repair. We ended up sitting around at Jeremy's mom's house unable to spend a dime. The girls were really disappointed that we didn't make it to Disneyland and the Zoo. We'll try again next year.

Brownies!

This morning I needed chocolate. BADLY. So I made some brownies.

  This is a gluten free recipe that I am still developing based on the SACO brand cocoa recipe, so let me know if you made successful changes.

1/2 c. butter
1/2 cocoa
1 cup cane sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 all purpose gluten free flour
1/4 tsp. xanthan gum
1/4 tsp salt
1 small handful of chocolate chips (I like ENJOY LIFE brand)

Preheat oven to 350*. Melt butter in small saucepan. Remove melted butter from heat, add cocoa, and stir until well blended. Add sugar. Mix well. Add eggs and beat well. Stir in vanilla, flour, salt, and xanthan gum. Spread into greased pan (mixture will be thick). Bake for 25 minutes or until fork comes out clean.

Do not cut until entirely cool, or they will be super crumbly!

Spring!

In spite of the windy weather it is beginning to feel like spring. We finally got around to using the greenhouse and have started our seeds in there. Unfortunately the wind has given the greenhouse a few too many good shakes and we already lost all of our starts (except the spinach).
  The lettuce has sprouted in the beds, and the onions are doing really well. I think I saw some carrot sprouts this afternoon, but I couldn't tell them apart from the little weeds mixed in there.
  I'm hoping to get the clothesline set up next weekend because it is finally warm enough to start hanging clothes outside.

Lettuce

Yellow Onion

Spinach

Dave's Killer Bread Fake-Alike Recipe

   One of my favorite breads in the whole world is Dave's Killer Bread Good Seed. I've been missing it lately, but the cost (sometimes up to $6 a loaf!) has been stopping me from buying it. Using the nutrition information on their website, I've been able to come up with something almost the same.

1 1/2 c. warm water
1 T. yeast
2 T. cane sugar
1 T. gluten
2 T. powdered milk
3 c. whole wheat flour
1/4 c. old fashioned oats
1/4 c. shelled pumpkin seeds
1/4 c. shelled sunflower seeds
2 T. black sesame seeds
2 T. white sesame seeds
2 T. flax seed
1 egg
1 tsp. salt

Add in order to bread machine on regular/light crust cycle.

Enjoy!

Kitchen Antics

  I have a confession to make. I hate my crock-pot. So many women I know worship that stinking appliance, but I just can't. A friend of mine forced me to take one of hers a couple months ago because it "would save my life at dinner time". I've tried several different recipes, and while the turn it on and leave it angle appealed to me, I can't get behind the mushy quality of the food. Nothing is overcooked, it's just too soft. The meats fall apart too much and the veggies are goo. It's just not a great meal. There is no reason to have to eat like this when I can monitor a pot on the stove for half the time and twice the texture. Am I alone with my anti-crock feelings?

Expansion!

     Jeremy and I have been discussing how we can improve and expand our homestead. We have so many great ideas for the house.Our plans include building a proper chicken run, building several raised beds in the front yard, FINALLY making use of the greenhouse, and putting a sandbox in for the girls.
     Currently, the chicken coop is shoved in an old dog kennel about 7x12 feet. The hens have taken over the entire yard and left such a mess that the kids can't play outside anymore. By installing an enclosed run, it will keep the mess contained and off our boots.
     Our vegetable garden is currently two large raised beds we've fenced off from the chickens. Last year we only were able to grow a couple of tomato and bell pepper plants back there. By moving the garden to the (much larger) front yard, we can triple the growing space and the amount of food we produce. I'm hoping to raise lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, broccoli, kale, collards, peas, beans, onions, and carrots. Yay!
     The greenhouse is a cheap PVC frame with a thick plastic cover and zipper doors. We were too preoccupied (lazy) to build planter boxes for it last year, so it was never used. This year, I plan on using it, no matter what. If I can't get around to building the planters, I'll buy flowerpots. Lots of them. Jeremy wouldn't want me to spend a lot on them, but that what happens if we don't get around to finishing what we started.
     Zoë got a sandbox for her first birthday. She's turning three next month. I think it's time for us to put toys in the yard for the kids. I'd like to get them a swing set as well. All kids need a swing set.
   Stay tuned to watch our projects unfold. It should be a busy year!