Apple Rice Pudding

Here is an easy, healthy, frugal and delicious recipe. I make it whenever I have leftover rice and my family loves it. I found it in Wholesome Sugarfree Cooking, an Amish cookbook that uses all natural sweeteners. It is one of my favorite cookbooks.

1/4-1/3 cup pure maple syrup
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
2 apples, chopped
2 cups cooked brown rice
2 cups milk
2/3 cup raisins
1/3 cup coconut, wheat germ, or sunflower seed, optional

In a medium saucepan, heat maple syrup, butter, cinnamon, nutmeg, and apples until hot and bubbly. Add the cooked rice, milk, and raisins. Heat until mixture begins to bubble, but has not reached a full boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until pudding thickens, about 15 minutes. Sprinkle with topping and serve. This is also delicious without the toppings.

Rhubarb Season

In my family we LOVE rhubarb. Every year when it comes into season I am required to make large batches of these two recipes. If I had more I would probably make a wider array of recipes, but for now we have to buy it so it all goes into the tried and true recipes. Both of these recipes are passed down from my grandma (slightly modified by me to have less sugar, they still are extremely sweet). From my family to yours, ENJOY!


Rhubarb Jam

5 cups rhubarb, chopped and tough strings peeled off
2 cups sugar
1 3oz box of raspberry jello (strawberry good too)
In saucepan stir together rhubarb and sugar and heat to a boil. Simmer until rhubarb is soft and mushy. Stir in jello and boil 1 to 1 1/2 minutes more. Remove from heat and pour in to sterilized jars and cap with two piece lid. Let sit until sealed. Can also be put in freezer containers and frozen.Refrigerate after opening.

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Rhubarb Strawberry Pie

3/4 to 1 cup sugar
6 tablespoons unbleached white flour
2 cups chopped rhubarb (1/4 to 1/2 in. slices, tough strings removed)
2 cups sliced strawberries
2 9" pie shells

Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Stir together sugar and flour. Add fruit and toss to coat. Pour into pie shell and top with remaining pie shell. Crimp or flute edges and slit top, or do a lattice top. Bake for 40 -50 minutes or until crust is golden and filling thick (you may want to cover edges with foil when it begins to brown). Serve with vanilla ice cream.

Nourishing Traditions Book Review

Nourishing Traditions is a cookbook with a mission to educate modern man about the way we were created to eat, the way man has been eating for thousands of years. Before science started creating food in a laboratory God created food that would nourish our bodies, not just feed us. He also provided us ways to prepare it that would even further nourish us. But when man thought he could find a better way of providing food he lost his way to his own good health and the health of his progeny.

Nourishing Traditions is a guide to eating the old way. Based on the research of Dr. Weston A. Price, a dentist who traveled the world studying “primitive” tribes in search of healthy people and what they ate, Sally Fallon seeks to bring his discoveries and those of many other researchers to your dinner table. The way in which we provide our food today is radically different from our forefathers; dairy, meat, eggs, produce, bread, fats, and processed foods are all produced in new ways that are robbing us of the nourishment our bodies need to sustain ourselves. This book brings us back to food and educates us in the foundations of good nutrition. Fats, carbohydrates, proteins, dairy, vitamins, minerals, and enzymes each are explained and expounded on to equip us with the truth about nutrition so we can make wise decisions in our diet. After giving us the preliminary information for good nutrition she goes on to give many recipes for old favorites and new cuisine prepared in traditional ways that retain and release important nutrients, and aid in digestion. At the beginning of each section there is a commentary to further explain the concepts behind the recipes, then on the side margins of all the recipes there are quotes from many sources on proper nutrition.

I have put off writing this review for some time because I am still studying the book and rereading important parts. If is full of valuable information that you aren’t going to hear many other places. I am convinced that much of what taught in this book is just the way we were created to eat and prepare our food. Of course I do not agree with everything (especially the raw meat eating) but I have learned so much about how to nourish my family from this book. As I have done further research on the traditional ways of eating it has led me to realize that the main reason we are where we are in our food production is not because big corporations were greedy for our money, but because women left home (and consequently the food preparation of the family) for “higher work”. This is what has led us to seek for someone else to prepare our food and the large corporations were just all to willing to bring the industrial revolution to food preparation. Our health crisis is not the fault of big business; it is the fault of woman who thought their work could be done by anybody. Well, now we know it can’t, and that is why it has mainly been the wives and mothers returning from the workforce who are rethinking their family’s diets. Out of love they are preparing foods that don’t just keep their family from being hungry, but nourishes and strengthens them for the task that are before them.I truly hope that you will obtain your own copy of this wonderful book and start taking the steps necessary to nourishing your families. At first it may seem overwhelming to implement everything you learn, but you have to see it as a journey to good nutrition that you can begin today by taking one step at a time. In the future I hope to share more with you about what I have been doing to change our diet. In many ways we are restricted because of budgetary reason but I have been able to implement many of the principles presented in this book nonetheless. In fact I found many to be cheaper than what we have been doing. So don’t give up hope; catch the vision for better health for you and your family!



For more information and lots of online reading visit the Weston A. Price Foundation.


To purchase for $16.50 click here.

Good websites with information on eating the "Nourishing way":

Traditional Bread

Fermenting

Dairy

Finding Food

Sustainable Food

Deep Chocolate Pudding

6-7 oz dark chocolate (bar or semi-sweet chips)
2 cups milk
1 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 cup cornstarch (or arrowroot powder)
3/4 t. vanilla

Chop chocolate into very fine pieces (in a food processor or blender). In a large saucepan combine chocolate, 1 3/4 cups milk, cream, sugar, cocoa powder, and salt. Whisk vigorously over medium heat untill it simmers and is smooth and thick. Stir together remaining 1/4 cup of milk with cornstarch. Whisk into saucepan mixture. Bring to simmer and simmer two minutes, whisking and scraping sides of pan with a rubber spatula. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Cover with plastic wrap pressing plastic to the pudding. Chill to desired temperature and serve. Makes ten 1/2 cup servings.

Hot Cocoa Mix

1 c. dry milk powder
1c. powdered creamer
1c. sugar
1/2 c. cocoa powder

Blend all together and store in air tight container. To make pour 6 oz hot water over 1/4 c. mix.

Nothing like a cup of hot cocoa on a cold morning, mmmm....
You can add a little more cocoa for a more chocolately taste.

Chocolate Pumpkin Pie

Crust:
1-9" pie crust OR
1/2 c. flour
1/4 c. quick oats
1/4 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. butter or lard

Cut together with a pastry blender and press into 8-9" pie plate. Set aside.

Filling:
8 oz. cream cheese
1-14 1/2 oz. can of pumpkin
1/2 c. sugar
1/4 c. real maple syrup
1 t. vanilla
1/2 c. cocoa
1/4 t. nutmeg
1 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. ground cloves
2 T. milk
whipped topping

Preheat oven to 400F.

Blend all ingredients in blender or food processor until smooth.
Pour into pie plate and bake for 30-35 minutes. Garnish with whipped topping.
10-12 servings

I made this pie for my family last week. It received a five star rating. Best eaten in small portions, it is rich.

Apples, Apples Everywhere!

Apple season is fully here and I am taking advantage of it. Michigan has it’s many beautiful orchards and farms that supply us wonderful fresh apples this time of year. Last week we finally visited one of these orchards. Lined up in a machine shed were neat rows of different kinds of apples. It was a hard choice, but we came home with some Honeycrisp, Jonagold, and Macintosh, mostly Macintosh.

The day after our little trip to the orchard was spent in the kitchen preparing all those apples. Pies, applesauce, apple butter, apple tea and apple jelly are the results of lots of hard, but fun work. My dad especially appreciated all this as he is the apple fan of the family.

What really excited me about all this cooking though was how little waste! In the past when I did my apple cooking I would pull out my apple peeler/corer/slicer, run my apple through it and leave about as much scraps to throw away as I did apples to cook. So this year I decided to put all those peels and cores to work.

First thing they were going to make me was apple jelly. I have never made apple jelly before, I had heard about it but I am not the jelly maker so I never tried to make it. But feeling industrious and having one last box of pectin in the cabinet I took the plunge and looked up a recipe online. I found a few here and here. I used the later and found it very similar to other jelly recipes, you cook the apples down (about 30 minutes) and mash them through a sieve to make juice, then use the juice to make jelly. I’m afraid my jelly didn’t set up very firm, not that there is any fault in the recipe – I actually hope to try it again – but that my pectin was many years old. It is not going to waste though, the resulting syrup is wonderful on pancakes, in oatmeal and to sweeten apple tea.

Making apple jelly has led me to think of other ways to use apple scraps. You could make juice from the cores and peels, syrup from the juice, puree from the peels and also apple tea from dried peels. Although haven’t tried all these ways yet, except the tea, I think they would be wonderful ways of being frugal.

When we really try to be creative with the things we already have it is amazing how much we are blessed. Can you imagine, all those things I made from just six dollars worth of apples? Frugality isn’t just an idea, it is a frame of mind – creativity that can be used to bless our families.

Many Blessings

Saving On Lunches: Soups

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The average lunch menu for many people probably includes sandwiches, chips and other such food. One reason for this is sandwiches taste great and can be made in a wide range of varieties. Also they are quick and easy. But sandwiches have their down falls; they are not always nutritious and/or strain the budget (i.e. bologna is cheap but not exactly healthy). So my solution to solving both the nutrition and budget problems is soups.

Soups are packed with nutrients, and can be made with all kinds of inexpensive ingredients. Think about what can go into soups: leftovers, carrots, chicken bones, celery, beans , noodles, canned and frozen vegetables, potatoes, garden vegetables, squash, and the list goes on- all inexpensive good food.

To start making soups you need a good stock. I usually make double or triple batches of chicken stock to save time later, this lasts me a month or two. Chicken is my favorite stock because we can get chicken leg quarters from our Wal-Mart for $0.49/lb. Mom divides them into backs, legs and thighs to freeze and I use the backs for stock. There are lots of great stock recipes out there, I use the chicken stock recipe from Nourishing Traditions. Be sure to add a couple tablespoons of vinegar to extract the calcium from the bones and parsley to impart additional mineral ions to the broth.1 Other basic stocks include beef (or venison), fish, and vegetable.

Now you are ready to try all those great soup recipes hiding away in your recipe collection. You by no means need a recipe though. Some just like to keep a "soup bucket" in the freezer to collect leftover vegetables and meat, then they simmer it all in some stock or stock/water mix and add whatever spices sound good. When you make soup and have a lot of ingredients on hand, make double or triple batches to freeze for those days when you don't feel like cooking (make sure you like the recipe first).

If you haven't made many soups before you may want to stick to recipes until you get the feel for what taste good and goes together. I have posted two recipes here Bean Soup (my own creation), and Cream of Vegetable Soup (N.T. recipe) 1. Also look for recipes at Recipe Zaar. I like this recipe site because you can search by ingredient and also can adjust servings number then calculates the measurements for you. I have really enjoyed soups from Nourishing Traditions, if you have the book by all means take a look at them. You can find great recipes every where once you are looking for them. So dig in and serve your family something yummy and warm for lunch for a change.

God Bless

1. Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon was my inspiration to explore soups. If you don't own the book yet, I highly recommend it.

Bean Soup

2 c. white or pinto beans ( or 1c. each)
8 c. water
2 T. lemon juice
1 ham hock
1 med. onion
2 T. olive oil (opt.)
4 cloves garlic minced
2 to 4 T. seasoning salt (to taste)
water to cover (can be part stock)
3/4 c. chopped carrots
2 celery stalks, chopped
1/2 c. -1 c. frozen or fresh spinach
chopped ham meat (opt.)

Combine beans, 8c. water and lemon juice and soak overnight. Drain and rinse beans. In large pot combine beans, ham hock, sliced onion, olive oil, garlic, and seasoning salt. Cover with water and bring to boil. Reduce to low and simmer covered 4-6 hrs ( adding more water as necessary). Add carrots, celery, spinach,and ham meat; let simmer 20 minutes more or until beans and vegetables are tender. Serve with whole grain wheat bread. A wonderful fall soup.

Enjoy!

Free Ebooks

Here is a link to 37 free ebooks from Living on a Dime. There are books about organizing, frugality, homeschooling, and cooking.
Enjoy!

Yogurt Making

Yogurt Recipe
4 c. milk
2c dry milk powder
2-3c. warm water
4 T. yogurt (commercial or from last batch, must have live cultures)
3 t. gelatian softend in 1/4 c. cold water

Heat milk over low heat stirring occationally until it reaches 180 degrees (I use a candy thermonitor to check it).

Steralize a two quart jar in two inches of boiling water for a couple minutes.Soften gelitain in cold water.
In two quart jar pour in dry milk. Add heated milk and stir. Pour in hot water leaving room for gelatain and yogurt. Let cool until 125 degrees.

Pour 1 cup warm milk into 4 T. yogurt and stir. Wisk into jar. Stir in gelitain.
Screw lid on tightly and set on heating pad and set to low. Wrap in a old blanket and leave for 8 hours. Transfer to refridgerator and chill overnight.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

I'm afraid my blogging is going a bit slow this week, I am quite busy. The tomatoes are coming in profusely and I have made eight quarts of spaghetti sauce, four quarts of pizza sauce, and two quarts of salsa. On top of that our church is having VBS this week and I am in charge of snacks. Last night I brought these delicious muffins and they ate all four batches of them! I guess that means they were quite good. =) This is my favorite muffin recipe.


Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

Stir together:
2 c. flour
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 T. baking powder
1 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. ginger
3/4 t. salt
Pinch allspice

Add and stir until combined:
3/4 c. pumpkin (or 1/2 15.5 oz can)
1 egg (slightly beaten)
2/3 c. milk
3 T. melted butter or oil
1 t. vanilla

Fold in:
1/2 c. mini chocolate chips (or regular size)

Spoon into greased muffin tins and bake at 375F for 25 minutes or until they bounce back when touched.

Cream of Vegetable Soup

2 med. onions or leeks, peeled and chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
4 T. butter
3 med. baking potatoes or 6 red potatoes, washed and cut up
2 quarts chicken stock, or combination of water and stock
several sprigs fresh thyme, tied together (or 2 T. crushed dried)
4 zucchini, ends removed and sliced
sea salt and pepper
sour cream

Melt butter in a large pot and add onions and carrots. Cover and cook over the lowest heat possible for at least 1/2 hour. The vegetables should soften but not burn. Add potatoes and stock, bring to rapid boil and skim. Reduce heat and add thyme. Cover and cook until potatoes are soft. Add zucchini and cook until they are just tender-5 to 10 minutes. Remove the thyme sprigs. Puree the soup with a hand held blender. If soup is too thick, thin with water. Season to taste. Ladle into heated bowls and garnish with sour cream. Serve with round croutons.

I was truly surprised how good this was! It received a five star rating- the highest rating in our house. Makes a great filling lunch served with fresh bread, I had mine with sprouted wheat bread, yum!

Recipe from Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon

Enjoy!

Cut Butter Cost In Half: with your own spreadable butter

Our family has some heavy butter users in it, and with the cost of butter going up that can really cost you. A few years ago my Mom started making our own spreadable butter. By mixing half softened butter and half canola oil (other oils work too) with our hand blender, we got a firm yet spreadable butter when chilled. It is just as delicious as regular butter, but nearly half the cost. You can also blend it in a food processor, use a hand mixer, or regular blender. I typically blend 2 lbs of butter with 4 cups oil at once to save time and clean up. You may just want to do one stick with 1/2 c. oil the first time to see if you like it. You can use this blend in some baking when either oil or butter can be used. My favorite cookie recipe uses it.

The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

Sift together:
2 1/2 c. flour
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt

In separate bowl cream together:
1 c. spreadable butter (1/2 oil, 1/2 butter)
1 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. sugar

Add and blend well:
2 eggs
1 t. vanilla

Gradually stir in dry mixture.
Fold in:
1-12oz bag chocolate chips
1 c. chopped nuts

Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake at 375F for 8-10 minutes. Makes 5 dozen. Beware: doesn't last long!

Enjoy!

Blueberry Season!

It is blueberry season here in Michigan and Mom has been buying them left and right to keep in the freezer. So I tried this delicious recipe that not only used up some blueberries, but also those over ripe bananas on the counter. The bread was very soft and good. It makes two 9x5" loaves or one 13x9" pan. You may want to half it.

Sour Cream Blueberry Bread

4 c. sifted flour
2 t. baking soda
1 t. salt
2 sticks butter, at room temp.
3/4 to 1 c. sugar
4 eggs
2c. mashed ripe bananas (3 lg, 5 sm.)
1 c. sour cream
1 t. vanilla
2 c. blueberries
1c chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350.

Stir together flour, soda, and salt. In large mixing bowl cream together butter and sugar. Add lightly beaten eggs. Add bananas, sour cream and vanilla; stir until combined. Fold in blueberries and pecans. Pour into greased loaf pans and bake for 40 to 50 minutes. Enjoy!

Our Daily Bread

I baked bread today. This isn't my normal baking day, but due to the heat Monday (my normal baking day) I waited till today. Now the weather is so gourgeous it is almost like a clear fall day. I am enjoying it while it last because by Monday it is suppose to be hot again... sigh. Anyway, here is the "new" recipe I tried today. It isn't new to me because I have made it numerous times when I was a mother's helper. This is the first time I made it at home. I remember that it never lasted long among Mrs. E-'s family of seven children, five of which were boys. Enjoy!


Bread or Rolls

Mix:
3 c.flour
2 T. yeast
2 t. salt

In large bowl combine:
2 c. boiling water
1/4 c. butter (1/2 c. for rolls)
3 T. honey (6 T. for rolls)

Let sit until it is about 120 degrees. Stir in flour mixture. Continue adding flour (up to 3 c.) until stiff enough to knead. Knead 10 minutes. Let rise till doubled. Punch down, shape, and let rise again. Bake at 350 for 14 minutes (rolls) or 30 minutes (bread).