Animal Crackers

For these wonderful, wholesome little animal crackers I use the same recipe as the graham cracker recipe, and  they are delicious.  They are a healthy cookie for the little ones, but don't loose any part of "delicious" by their being healthy... it is hard to eat only a few.  Be sure to try both the original graham flavor, and the chocolate, which I think is my favorite (but I'm not completely sure... and don't want to commit myself to that statement yet... because..... what if I change my mind?).

 Enjoy the recipe, and Click here for the Animal Cracker Tea Party

Ingredients

2 1/4 whole wheat flour

1/2 cup dehydrated cane juice (also known as Rapadura or Sucanat found in health food store)

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

4 Tablespoons honey

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 stick butter

1/4 cup water

For Chocolate Grahams, add 1/3 cup cocoa

Instructions

1.  Preheat oven to 350*.

2.  Melt butter in a saucepan.

3.  Stir in water, vanilla and honey. Set aside

4.  In a mixing bowl stir together dry ingredients.

5.  Add liquid ingredients to dry ingredients and stir until you form a ball.

6.  Roll out to about 1/4 of an inch on parchment paper or lightly floured surface.

7.  Cut animal shapes with cookie cutters.  Place on parchment lined cookie sheet.

8.   Bake for 10 - 12 minutes.

9.  Turn off oven and leave crackers in oven 3-5 minutes longer if you like to crisp

     them up. 

10.  Ice them, or serve them as is.

Icing

1      cup organic powdered sugar

2 -3 Tablespoons milk

1     teaspoon Vanilla

Stir together until blended if the frosting is too thick, add a little more milk.  I like it to be able to be dripped and drizzled over the cookie.  

Chocolate Animal Crackers.... with a few airplanes :)

Mary Moments

Sometimes you can get overwhelmed with good things.  At least,  I know  I can.  There are things that "have" to be done, and things I am "wanting" to get done, and things  "others are wanting" me to do, and all of them can be good.  But when I start feeling, frustrated and annoyed,  I realize that too many "good things are overwhelming and I am becoming just like Martha.  I understand  Martha.  I mean,  think about it; there she was, serving the Lord, and trying to do what needed to be done, she was preparing food for  Jesus and the disciples.... what better thing  could someone be doing?   Well, apparently there was something better, and Mary had chosen it.  Martha's tasks brought her into the state where she was overwhelmed, frustrated and annoyed.  Jesus used the words "...worried and bothered (or upset) about many things." to describe her.   I realize how easy it is to become that way.  We think it is right, even righteous to "be busy"... involved in this, taking care of that,  serving here, cleaning there... it is all very important isn't it?   "Who am I anyway, if not the sum of all these things". When those thoughts want to pop into my head, or I find myself saying "I have to", "I need to", "I ought to" or "I wish I had...", and start feeling that pressure, guilt,  failure  and annoyance rising up, I realize I am in a "Martha Rut".

As homemakers, sometimes, we can find our identity in conflict.  The enemy can assail us with Proverbs 31 and Titus 2 and we get stuck between the desire to live according to Titus 2 ..."be busy at home", and Luke 10:38   "... only a few things are needed and indeed only one,  Mary has chosen it and it will not be taken away from her."  So,  in as much as I understand Martha, and as much as I agree with Paul saying "be busy at home",  my greatest desire,  is to hear Jesus affirm me like He did Mary.  In my heart I am Mary... I love to sit at His feet, be with Him, listen to Him, realize who He is, realize that He loves me very much (more than I can really comprehend), realize that He loves all people, realize that He enjoys my company, realize that He even sticks up for me when someone speaks unjustly of me.  He is awesome.

So I shake it off.  I shake off the "push, push, push" to do so many things with the wrong motivation.  I stop.  I find rest and peace with Jesus.  A real relationship of love and friendship with my own precious Savior.  What is it that He is saying to me?  What is the next step He wants me to take?  Clear all those other things away and listen.  Listen to Him. Let His love well up inside, let it overflow.  Move in His Spirit and none other.  His answer is always love.  To love and be loved by Him, first, and then to love others... everything else flows from that.  He said it Himself didn't He?  The greatest commandments are summed up in two. Love the Father, Love others.  If we don't have that... it is all meaningless.  Perhaps Martha's motivation in this instance wasn't love, perhaps it was duty, pride, a need to be important,  a need to be affirmed by people's praise, I'm sure there may even have been jealousy at work; perhaps she could see Mary enjoying  the Lord's presence, and here she was doing all this work and getting no credit for it;  then came self pity because she couldn't  get anyone to pay attention to her sacrifice and she is overwhelmed.

Families must be fed, dishes and laundry must be washed.   I don't believe that Jesus  meant that we were to refrain from taking care of our families, or doing tasks, of creating cozy homes and "doing" all that must be done.  But when I choose those things over being in His presence, and I find that I am doing those things in a spirit other than His, when I find that my work is not motivated by love, then I need to stop; pull the plug, regroup, have a Mary Moment with Him.

Today after I started feeling that "overwhelmed" feeling with a dozen things I needed to do, and a dozen things I wanted to do, and an imagination bursting with ideas of a dozen thing I could possibly do later, I decided  to stop, put the tea kettle on and get quiet with Him.  Oh such peace.  I felt order restore.  I felt peace take over.  I have had a hard time all week getting things done.  I think because I hadn't been well, and was a little slow to get my energy back.  But I have felt restful and peaceful in it until today;  today I felt strong, so I was going to catch up and then some.   I think the Lord is teaching me to go about things differently.  What in the world is all the rush for any way?  Am I in a race with someone?  I don't need to affirm myself with good works, I want to affirm myself by loving Him.  All the rest will work itself out, because "....only a few things are necessary, and really only one..."

Afterwards, I  put together a couple of lists;  A " To Do"  List, and a "Get to do List".  I can tackle them in a Spirit of peace; one by one or two by two... however He gives me the strength, the delight, the instruction or the provision to do it.   I  can brain storm, write down ideas, and tuck them away for the right time, and I can carry on.  No need to wrestle, no need to struggle, He will take me where I need to go if I just stop to take a hold of His hand.  He gave me gifts.  I get to use them.  He gave me blessings, I get to enjoy them; Even in my work,
I can take pleasure;
but I don't want any of it without Him.  I want to be like Mary.

Luke 10:38

³⁸ As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. ³⁹ She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. ⁴⁰ But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”

⁴¹ “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, ⁴² but few things are needed—or indeed only one.^[a] Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”  

Better "Better Butter"

Quite a few years back, I was introduced to "Better Butter".  Have you ever heard of it?   Better Butter  is a combination of Butter and Olive Oil.  It is blended together to make a delicious and more healthful  butter type spread .  Because the Olive Oil doesn't become hard in the refrigerator,  Better Butter is also a way to keep your butter in the refrigerator and keep it spreadable.  Its a great way to have your butter and olive oil too;  if you know what I mean.  Well, just lately I have come up with a Better "Better Butter".   How can "Better Butter" get any better?  You might ask.  Well, you better get ready to butter your biscuits because.... you're gonna want a bite of this Better Butter.  You use "Red Palm" Oil in the "Better Butter", and now you have Better "Better Butter".

Did you know that Red Palm has 15 times more provitamin A Carotene than  carrots .....15 times more... wow.... and 300 times more than tomatoes do?   It is also one of the richest natural sources of  Vitamin E, and that is only a part of the benefits of Red Palm Oil.   Here  is more information about it.  These important tidbits of information have gotten me  hooked.  Red Palm Oil is very stable, and doesn't go rancid when used to fry.  It is also wonderful in Salad dressings, or in any place you might use oil.  So try out this Better "Better Butter", and tell me what you think.  This is not a product promotion by the way... just wanted to share this stuff with you.  You can order it on line or get it at the health food store.  There are a few really good brands; try Nutiva or Tropical Traditions as a suggestion.

 Mix Equal Parts of Butter (be sure to soften it at room temperature first), Olive Oil, and Red Palm Oil

Blend all of the ingredients together in a blender, hand held blender or food processor.

Put it in a crock and put into the refrigerator.  

It comes out a wonderfully bright "buttery" yellow color.  The bright "orange" that it starts out with is the color from the Red Palm Fruit and is why it is called Red Palm Oil..well, I guess that doesn't make sense, that seems like it should be called Yellow Palm Oil... but no the fruit is red, and the oil that comes from it is yellow; there, now I've clarified for you.  It is also where all that wonderful Carotene is.

It spreads so nicely after refrigeration.  If you prefer a stronger flavor or health benefit of any of the oils or butter, you can change the proportions to your liking. I'm even thinking why not try half butter and half Red Palm oil.  Just as a note, the butter is the one that becomes the hardest in the refrigerator, so the more butter, the firmer the spread... but there is still leeway to add more butter to this if you are wanting a more "buttery" taste.... while still keeping it spreadable.  Anyhow, have fun... and butter those biscuits baby.

Look at that jam and "Better Butter" in the early morning sunlight... isn't it pretty?

Have a great weekend everyone.

Green Chili

It is Green Chili time around here again.  Every year about this time, we are out getting our chilies, and I am usually writing a post about it.  On Saturday,  they held the annual Green Chili Festival in Pueblo.  It was also the day we went out to the farms to get our Chilies.  We thought everyone would be at the Chili Festival and it wouldn't be so crowded at the farms, but we were wrong... everyone seemed to have the same idea as we did.  So, we got our Chilies along with quite a few other people this weekend, and  came home and made up a  batch of Green Chili as well as  Quesadilla's loaded with Green Chili.

What I call Green Chili is a dish that has many names.  It is called "Green Chili Stew", "Pork Green Chili", " Green Chili",  "Chili Verde", even "White Chili" falls in this category.   Around here we call it "Green Chili", or "Pueblo Green Chili".  It is a favorite Colorado Dish.  No doubt other States have a claim to a similar dish, and I must say,  even though I like "Pueblo Green Chili" the best,  I have rarely ever eaten a bowl of it in any format  or in any State, that I didn't like.

I posted this dish once before, back in the day when I had a little digital camera and no photography skills at all.  So, since it is Green Chili season around here again, I thought I would repost it with a few updated pictures  and tips... I even went back and updated my older post,  which was in great need of some help (better camera, better skills? hopefully).  It tells how the chilies are roasted and how we store them, you might want to check out. I have a few other Green Chili recipes to share also, so stay tuned for more to come in the next couple of weeks, and you can always look up  the recipes on my "Home Cooking" tab.

Ingredients for Green Chili

3 Tablespoons Oil or Shortening

About 2 lbs or 3-4 Cups chopped Pork or Beef.

2 Cups Chopped Onion

2 Cups Diced Petite Tomatoes

2 Cups Chopped Green Chilies

5-6 Cups Chicken Broth

I often have homemade ready to go in the freezer; 

or you can buy it, or use water.

Saute the meat in the oil in batches; frying in the small batches allows a good browning to develop on the bottom of the pan.  If you cook it all at once, the meat doesn't really brown, it sweats.   I like the browning to help make a good soup base or gravy with.   Just transfer each batch into a stock pot once browned and add the next batch.

Once the last batch begins to brown, add butter and onion.  Brown a little more then add the flour, and stir well.  Slowly pour in 2 to 3 cups of the broth or water, thinning the flour and meat mixture, and scraping up the browning and drippings as you stir. Simmer this for about ten minutes and then transfer to stock pot with the rest of the meat.  Add the rest of your ingredients and simmer for about one hour.  It also tastes wonderful if it cooks slowly in a crock pot, or is rewarmed the next day.  

Serve in bowls topped with cheese and warmed tortillas on the side; or over burritos, enchiladas,  tortilla chips, rice or beans.

Grated Pepper Jack Cheese

The most common way to make Green Chili, is  to use pork for the meat thus some people call the dish "Pork Green Chili".   But any meat works wonderfully.  We often use some nice "Grass Fed Beef", since we have more of that in our house than any other meat.  But use pork, chicken, beef, elk or venison whatever you like; it will all be great.  Also, as always, I am not a stickler on "exacts"  I have measured it out to publish this recipe, but I always cook with flexibility especially with stews and soups.

Green Chili

Ingredients:

3 Tablespoons oil 

2 lbs pork or beef, chopped,  or ground large and chunky

2 cups chopped onions (about 1 medium)

2 Tablespoons butter

3/4 cup flour

5-6 cups chicken broth 

2 cups petite chopped tomatoes 

2 cups chopped green chilis

5-6 cups water

salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Brown meat in oil in 2-3 batches.  I do it in batches to get a better brown, and thus better drippings for the broth.  As each batch browns, remove it into a large stock pot.  When the last batch of meat is lightly browned, add onions and brown a little more.  Add butter, stir until melted, then add flour to meat and onions, stirring thoroughly.  Slowly add chicken broth to mixture, stirring as you add, and mixing well with flour.  Allow to simmer in the broth until the drippings have come off the bottom and into the broth, and it is slightly thickening.  Pour into the large stock pot and add remaining ingredients including water.  Simmer approximately one hour.  This is also nice in the crockpot and can cook on low 7-8 hours.  Eat in a bowl topped with cheese, like a soup, or over burritos, enchiladas, rice or beans.... it is wonderful.

San Marzano Tomato Sauce: From Garden to Table

Because of our  battle with the grasshopper and drought, I can only claim a few small successes in my garden this year.  There are 4 tomato plants, 4 beet plants, a few rows of onions and garlic and a container of potatoes still alive and well.  The fact that anything survived at all is a wonderful thing to me, and the fact that I actually got a bumper crop from my 2 San Marzano Tomato plants is joy.  I have tried for the last 2 years to grow  San Marzano Tomatoes from the seeds my Mom sent me, and haven't had very good success, but this year,  in spite of all my other failures, here they are growing and healthy.  If I get around to figuring out what I did "right" in this instance I will be sure to let you know.     Was it the drought and grasshopper pruning at the beginning of summer, or the extra extremes I went to to protect and coddle them, or the huge abundance of rain we got at the end of summer that did the trick...I don't know, but something went well with them.  So I'm celebrating.  I want to share my Tomato Sauce with you.  In our family we have a "thing" for the perfect Spaghetti Sauce, and the way we talk about it and enjoy it makes me think we have  Italian  somewhere in our blood line.  I don't always get to start with garden fresh tomatoes,  but when I do, well, its an extra bonus.

To us  the best spaghetti sauce is a simple sauce with only a few ingredients; Tomatoes, Olive oil, onions, garlic, basil, salt and pepper, and I love it best when all the ingredients are fresh from the garden or farmers maker.

 1.  Pick your tomatoes.

2.  Look at them a little, admire them, enjoy their delightful shape, their color and

     their musty smell. This is an essential part of enjoying them don't you think?

3.  Bring a large pan or stock pot  of water to boil.

4.  Place a large bowl of ice within reach of the boiling water.

5.  Put your tomatoes into the boiling water  for 30 seconds to 2 minutes.

6.  Remove them with  a strainer and put right into the ice.

7.  With a sharp knife take a hold of the skin and just pull right off.

8. Once you have all of your skinless tomatoes, take each one in hand and squeeze it over

    another bowl, to squeeze out the seeds. It seems a little funny just squeezing it; but it works, so       squeeze away.  You will not get them all, but you will get the majority of them.

 9.   Pour the seeds into a a strainer and strain the juice from the seeds.

10.  Now add the strained juice back in with the tomatoes.

11.  Put olive oil, minced garlic and chopped onion into a large skillet. Saute until tender.

12.  Add tomatoes and juice.

13.  Simmer for 10 minutes.

14.  Mash tomatoes with a potato masher (for a crushed tomatoe sauce), or use your hand

       held blender to blend until smooth. 

15.   Add basil and simmer another 30 to 40 minutes or until the color goes from bright red to a more orange red.

  And now you have a wonderful Marinara Sauce for spaghetti or pizza or any other Italian

  dish you might like.

    This makes the best sauce as is, but is also great with  ground meat or meatballs.

 "Mangia, Mangia"


San Marzano Marinara Sauce

You, can of course use any tomatoes for this recipe.  I have used all kinds.  The San Marzano is a wonderful, meaty, Plum tomato with a delicious flavor and makes a great marinara sauce.  It is a gourmet favorite these days, and is often called for  in good Italian recipes.

Ingredients
3 - 4 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1/2 a medium onion finely chopped
3 - 4 cloves garlic minced
1 small handful fresh basil chopped/ or 1 - 1 1/2  Tablespoons dried basil
5 -6 cups skinned San Marzano Tomatoes with juice
Salt and pepper to taste

In a large skillet,  heat oil and lightly sauté onion and garlic until tender.  Add the tomatoes and juice and simmer for 10 minutes.  Mash tomatoes with a potato masher for a crushed tomato sauce, or use your hand held blender to blend until smooth.  Add basil and simmer for 30 -40 minutes or until tomato sauce has turned from a deep bright red to an orange color.   Add salt and pepper to taste.  At this point you can serve over pasta, or add meatballs or cooked ground meat and serve with spaghetti.

The Sounds of Fall

This morning as I sip my coffee, I am listening to the morning.  The sun is coming up.  The birds are singing;  The Meadow Lark's voice stands out from them all.  He is still making his beautiful music as if it was the first day of Spring.  Perhaps it is because it is the first time we have had a full portion of sunshine in a week. I can hear the cows "mooing" loudly from the ranch next door.  They are ready to be moved into the next pasture.    They know when its time for new grass, and "moo" impatiently as they group closely together to wait for the gate to be opened.  The crows are "cawing" this morning as well, and so we have a full symphony to wake us up.  Perhaps some of you wouldn't think of it as a symphony, but I do; I like all those sounds.  They are the sounds of country life, and the sounds of Fall.  The earth is saturated with moisture after a week of overcast and rain.  I am thinking perhaps this drought is broken.  It has come with all manner of expression, bringing upheaval and disaster up North, while here it has brought the much needed moisture.  How strange it all works.  We are feeling for our neighbors for all that has happened to them.  It is all so close to home.  We have been praying for reprieve as we did for the fires earlier in the summer. Such extremes, who can fathom it all.

I have been doing some "Fall" cleaning and rearranging.   Our "Little Cottage" is empty again.  Our friends and neighbors moved to town last week after two years out here with us.  It was a treat to have them as our renters.  I feel the usual pang of the heart when people go away...I believe I am a little like Jane Austen's  "Mr. Woodhouse" in that way.... "Why do people have to go away?"  But never the less, the opening up of the house has got me to rearranging again.  It will be somewhat like it was when Steve and I stayed up there after his accident 2 years ago.  At that time,  my art  studio was there.  It was great having the space to work in; but then it was put in storage when we rented  to our friends two months later.    This week I have been putting it back and have had great joy  settling my "old friends" back into shelves and cabinets and am getting excited about having a real workspace again.  I am also getting it ready  for any company that comes;  we have some  hopes of having the kids and grandkids back home at one time or another this  fall and winter.

In addition to all these things, we have rearranged our bedroom.   We have never rearranged our bedroom in this house, before, because there never seemed another alternative that worked.  Our window placement was the problem.  The only other wall that our bed would fit on has a window that would get in the way of the bed.  Steve gave a try, in spite of my saying "it will look hokey", and I am surprised to say that I am really liking it.  The window problem is still a little "hokey" to me, but we decided "so what" it looks good other wise, and now we have a good deal more space, giving us a little sitting area.

Everyone needs a new arrangement every few years don't you think?   It stirs up a "fresh start" feeling and reenergizes  life.  This is the "Fall inspiration" that has hit me so far... next week I think I will get the decorations out. Isn't Fall a cozy time of year.   What does your fall look like and sound like?

This is where our bed used to be... now we have room for a little sitting area.