Posts Tagged Recipes
Weekend Highlights – Noteworthy Articles by Fellow Bloggers – February 23, 2013
Posted by Granny in Nutrition & Recipes, Food Prep & Dehydration, Lifestyle, Homesteading, Weekend Highlights on 02/23/2013
Of Accomplishments - “If we all did the things we are capable of, we would astound ourselves.” – Thomas A. Edison
Of Favorite Foods - “One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.” – Virginia Woolf
Of The Land - At the same time that we are earnest to explore and learn all things, we require that all things be mysterious and unexplorable, that land and sea be indefinitely wild, unsurveyed and unfathomed by us because unfathomable. We can never have enough of nature.” – Henry David Thoreau
You can access the entire Weekend Highlights series to date by clicking on that category in the sidebar at left.
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Ha! Perfect timing once more! I love it when that happens. Rantings of an Amateur Chef celebrated 1 year of blogging bliss this week.
“The blog has received over 235,000 views, has 5170 subscribers and each post generally receives dozens of “likes” and 10-15 comments. There is more than a year’s worth of recipes and millions of calories to be had!” observes the author in a post titled, “Happy Birthday Blog!“
While he kindly offers words of thanks to his readers, pointing out the importance of being consistent and how enjoyable it is for him to return to the keyboard every day, the Amateur Chef did leave out a small detail that bears mentioning: Successful blogs with an ever-growing and loyal audience are not only consistent, but they have great personality as well. There is no doubt that Rantings of an Amateur Chef fits the bill on both counts! [Explore]
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Savoring Every Bite has the perfect solution for those times when your favorite treat is always out of reach… Make it yourself and make it your way! In this case, Pumpernickel Bagels.
“When I lived in Florida there was a small diner I would frequent on the weekends… As soon as the decision was made to go to that diner for breakfast, my thoughts turned to whether or not I’d get my bagel… Having to face the possibility of disappointment early in the morning was not a great way to start a day…”
Being resourceful often demands that we get involved in a new way. For the person who loves to concoct her own meals, the leap from purchasing an item to making it herself is a giant, glorious and delicious leap. The extra effort makes it even more enjoyable, don’t you think? [Explore]
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With spring approaching, reflections on our relationship to the land seem apropos and Sara, of Domesteading, offers a powerful analogy to test her own perspective and ours. It is titled, A Blue Egg, a Chicken Tractor, and a Watched Pot.
“Ever stare at your tea kettle or your pasta water? Even though you’re not supposed to… It’s as if the beams of expectation from your eyes are a cold fog that suppresses the bubbles of steam… Just by looking… you smother it… Sometimes homesteading can feel a little like that… Not always, of course… The hard work does produce results, but damned if it isn’t slow sometimes!”
Patience and perseverance are as essential as durable, comfortable overalls, and over time become as easy to adorn. This is true in so many (perhaps all) areas of life. [Explore]
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Thank you for reading this Weekend’s Highlights. Please take a moment to leave a few words and click the LIKE button on the Blogs you enjoy. Thanks.
Wonderful, Well-Worn Cookbooks & Pancakes on The Side
Posted by Granny in Cider & Apples, Food Prep & Dehydration, Lifestyle, Nutrition & Recipes on 02/21/2013
Why do we love cookbooks?
Because the photographs make us dream. Cookbooks also give us hope that we can produce chef-quality dishes without being an expert. They give us confidence. They help us learn. They take us by the hand and show the way long enough so that we gain assurance and eventually walk our own path, perhaps like the child who learns the way home from school on her own until she no longer needs to hold a guiding hand.
Like this child, also, as we become familiar with the road to take, we also become curious about the many paths encountered along the way. The urge to explore further is irresistible. We want to discover new territory, new fragrances. We reach for a hand again. Time for new instructions; a new cookbook. We are more advanced explorers now, able to tackle increasingly challenging terrain.
Inevitably, like explorers, even as our forefathers came to this land, arriving first on its shores and pressing forward inland, curious to know what they might find, so can we not resist further exploration once we begin the expand the map of our culinary knowledge. This expansion begins the moment we lay eyes on the first page of the first recipe book we ever own. The imagination is swept away in that instant, and the senses awakened, every one of them: sight, touch, taste, smell, even hearing, for is not the sound of softly simmering stew exquisite?
Like hiking gear that is used year after year in all sorts of weather and terrain conditions, the cookbook shows the wear of time, but never fails to provide the comfort we seek. It is reliable, always, even with ravaged page corners and stains. The well-worn cookbook tells a story of exploration; even self-discovery.
The cookbook, then, is the ultimate guide. It teaches us how to turn edibles into sustenance that feeds body, soul and imagination. The cookbook is a road map and cooking is a journey on a path that never ceases to delight. Even once we know a recipe by heart, there is immense pleasure in repeating the process over and over. Opening the cookbook, is a sacred ritual.
Since today is National Pancake Day, it is only fitting to conclude with a batch of Pancakes.
Apple Pancakes with Cider Syrup
For this easy recipe, us any pancake mix of your choice. I like the Hodgson Mill Buckwheat Pancake mix.
Ingredients for 12 pancakes
2 cups pancake mix of your choice
1 1/2 cup water
3/4 cup grated apple
1 apple, thinly sliced
Ingredients for cider syrup
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup cider
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Preparation
Combine pancake ingredients (except the sliced apple) and pour 1/4 cup of combined ingredients onto griddle or in pan (depending on your preferred method). Begin making the pancakes as the syrup cooks, or make them after it is done.
For the cider syrup: In a small saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch and cinnamon. Stir in cider until smooth. Cook over medium heat until thickened and bubbly, stirring frequently (approx. 10 min). Reduce heat to low. Continue cooking 3 to 5 more minutes, stirring a couple of times. Stir in butter and lemon juice. Ready. Serve warm over pancakes. Garnish with sliced apple.
Weekend Highlights – Noteworthy Articles by Fellow Bloggers – January 26, 2013
Posted by Granny in Homesteading, Lifestyle, Weekend Highlights on 01/26/2013
“The earth has music for those who listen.” - George Santayana
“Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts. There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature — the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after winter.” - Rachel Carson
“Don’t eat anything your great-grandmother wouldn’t recognize as food.” - Michael Pollan
You can access the entire Weekend Highlights series to date by clicking on that category in the sidebar at left.
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On Tuesday, The Garden on Townville stopped by our Facebook page to say hello. I immediately sidestepped over to investigate, and ta-da! We have a new great blog to add to our reading list.
Meet Lara, who describes her gardening venture in the following words on her Facebook profile: “The Garden on Townville is the urban ‘farm’ of Seneca, South Carolina resident Lara Awalt. It garnered much neighborhood attention in 2012, when new curbside beds boasted 10+ foot tall tomato plants! There has been so much local interest, the garden now has a Facebook page and a blog.”
In addition to gardening tips, the blog offers a rich compilation of truly unique recipes. Recent entries include: Creamy Kale and Sausage Soup, Fall Vegetable Hash and Quinoa with Poached Eggs and Broiled Broccoli and Chickpeas Over Pasta.
The Facebook page offers a wide array of inspiring and thought-provoking information, humor and thoughts about gardening. It is a great complement to the blog. Or is it the other way around? You’ll enjoy visiting both. I invite you to begin with the blog, HERE.
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South Carolina urban gardener, meet New York city gardener… Attempting Sustainability reflects on simple choices with big impacts. “ I think it’s extremely important to discuss why we should try to cook like our grandmas, why it’s critical to ask questions about where your food comes from, and why it might be easy to make simple switches, but have big impacts,’” suggests the author.
This brings up many other questions, least of which whether one has the ability to do it all from scratch. Here again, the author makes a good observation: “I’ve been through too many trials and errors, mostly errors, to believe that magic is not responsible for scones.”
Knowing one’s talents and abilities is important; as is knowing one’s interests. The author has made up her mind, it is The Year of The Goat… cheese.
I came upon this blogs sometime last year. Its author talked about life in a small New York city apartment and school… and now she is thinking more big thoughts and planning big things (some lucky guy found her). What a sweet journey! Find out more.
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I did not know where I would land next, as I sit at my desk eating a simple dinner while I browse the blogosphere. Dinner with a side of blog hopping is a guilty pleasure of mine. In spite of the occasional crumbs in the keyboard, I am hooked.
I landed exactly in the right place, of course. I love it when things fall together as if it was meant to be. What would you think if I said Joy the Baker has a recipe for Green Salad With Pink Goat Cheese Hearts? Really.
“I feel like I have some explaining to do,” begins Joy. “Everything I’ve brought to you since the beginning of the year has been savory and somewhat healthy. I don’t know what’s gotten into me. I think my sweet tooth might be broken. Temporarily broken…”
Whether you’re into Valentine’s Day customs or not, “this salad is an elaborate excuse to make pink-stained goat cheese hearts,” concludes Joy. And if you happen to be alone this season, they’re also a fun way to express a bit of self-love and make your table festive, just because.
There’s even a side of something decadent for dessert, and pink too. I am not telling you what it is. You’ll have to stop by Joy’s kitchen to find out.
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Thank you for reading this Weekend’s Highlights. Please take a moment to leave a few words and click the LIKE button on the Blogs you enjoy. Thanks.
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Your Host ~ Granny Wise
Granny Wise is All Seasons Homestead Helpers' writer and sustainability enthusiast. All Season's Homestead Helpers owns and distributes THE ORIGINAL SQUEEZO STRAINER since 2006. The Squeezo Strainer, a staple in kitchens for over 50 years, is the only all-metal sauce maker and it is entirely made in the US. We carry all Squeezo parts. We also carry a carefully selected line of kitchen, lawn and garden equipment including indoor and outdoor compost bins, rain barrels, water bath and steam canners, fruit and cider presses, greenhouses, cold frames, tool carts, kitchen and patio gardens, juicers, grain mills, weed mats and much more.
