Chipotle Sweet Potato Salad

When asked to bring an "alternative salad" to a party, I quickly scanned the contents of my kitchen and googled: sweet potato & salad.  I was inspired by this recipe and came up with the following. Basically that disclaimer is to say that there are multiple ways to make a salad. Have fun, look through your kitchen and create something new!  :)

-3 large sweet potatoes (cubed) seasoned with Smoked Paprika, oven roasted and cooled
*oven roasting:  oil a pan, cube sweet potatoes, toss in the oil, sprinkle generously with smoked paprika and cook at 400* for about 30 minutes, turn and continue to cook till edges are crispy but not burned
-2 c. Corn
-2 cans Black Beans, rinsed and drained
-1 green pepper, diced
- multi colored sweet peppers (Red, Yellow, Orange mini peppers) about 10, diced
-1 bunch Cilantro, chopped
-1/4 Red Onion, minced
- Kale, a couple leaves, minced (very optional, but will make the salad go further)
-2 Avocados, diced

Dressing:
** This is an approximation!! I have never measured this part!!  Make to taste, and please taste before you pour over the salad!
-1/2 c. Mayo
- 1 T. Chipotle Tabasco

Before serving pour the juice of 1 lime over the salad and toss.

Note: The sweet potatoes could be made a day in advance and keep well in the fridge.

Flax Muffins

Going gluten-light has been interesting, to say the least. There are times that I just want to sink my teeth into something soft, moist, sweet and chewy (ok, so sometimes I do :)).  But, these muffins are the best, and I mean BEST bread-like gluten free alternative we have found!  And they are simple and quick, did I fail to mention that?  1 minute in the microwave and you can have "bread" in a bowl. Amazing! I hope you give it a try, because I'm certain you will enjoy it!

Combine all ingredients in a cereal bowl. (you can use a smaller bowl like a custard cup, you will just get a smaller muffin)

1/4 c. Ground Flax
1/4 t. Baking Powder
1 Egg
Dash of:
Vanilla (1/2 t)
Cinnamon (1/4 t.)
Oil (coconut, olive, etc) (1 t. - 1 1/2 t.)
Honey/Agave (1/2t. - 1t.)

Stir all ingredients till well combined and microwave for about 1 minute. My microwave is a smaller/lighter type, so I need to cook for 1 min and 30 seconds. Adjust the time for your power/speed of microwave.

We love our topped with Peanut Butter, Yogurt, Apple Sauce, Jam....the sky's the limit!
Additions are also fun. We have added mashed banana, coco powder, blueberries...experiment and enjoy!

I have not tried this, but my mom has 6x the recipe and cooked it in a 8x8 pan at 375* for about 30 minutes (check at 20 minutes). 

Wild Rice Cashew Salad

Delicious. Colorful. Easy. Light. Good anytime of year (not just a summer salad). My Husband loves it!

1 1/2 C. Wild Rice, cooked per package directions (add a little chicken bullion for extra flavor)
-Let wild rice cook before assembling the rest of the salad

Half of each color of pepper, diced
Green Pepper
Yellow Pepper
Red Pepper

3/4 c. Cashews, chopped (I think I use more, I just eyeball it)
3 Green Onions, chopped

Dressing:  (I double)
3 T. Rice Vinegar
2 T. Olive Oil
1 T. Sesame Oil
1-2 Garlic Cloves, minced
1/4 t. salt
Dash of Red Pepper (I use a squirt of Sriracha or black pepper)

Combine dressing in a small jar with lid. Shake well to combine. Pour over salad just before serving.

The Marriage of Two Soups

Vegetable Taco & Southwest Corn & Potato Chowder  Aka: Vegetable Taco Corn Chowder

A friend and I had each made one of the soups and they were sitting next to each other at a party. Neither was bad, but both had some room for improvement - the blending of the two!

Warning: because this soup is the combination of two recipes, it makes a TON of soup (which really is a good thing!)

Combined Recipe:
Oil - for pan
2 Onions, chopped
5 cloves Garlic, minced
2 stalks Celery, minced
1 Green Pepper
*saute above ingredients till soft, then add the following
2 cans of Black Beans, drained and rinsed
1 large Sweet Potato (or 2 normal sized/smaller ones), cubed  [can use butternut squash instead]
1 can Rotel
1 can Fire Roasted Tomatoes
1 can Chicken Broth (add up to 3 more cans to thin to your preferred stew/soup likeness)
1 Red Pepper, diced (I used fire-roasted from a jar, otherwise you can saute with green pepper)
2 small/normal Potatoes, diced
3 c. Corn
1/2 can Black Olives, sliced
1/4 C. Cilantro, chopped
juice of 1 Lime
1 T. Cumin
1 1/2 t. Oregano
2 t. Chili Powder
Salt & Pepper to taste (I only used pepper)



Let it all cook till it blends and becomes soft and soup-like.
Prior to serving, add 1 can Coconut Milk
Serve with additional Cilantro

Parmesan Spinach Balls

If I needed another reason to love my food processor, this would be it! I love throwing all the ingredients into the bowl, turning it on, and thirty seconds later having all the chopping and mixing work done for me! If you don't have a food processor, consider buying one if you see it go on sale...for real!

This recipe is originally not gluten free, but with some minor adjustments I have made it GF friendly.  We thought the gluten (original) version might hold together firmer in a more meatball-like form, but ours were more like soft drop cookies in shape. But still just as delicious, I'm sure!

If you would like to refer to the original recipe, here it is. My adaptations, aka the new recipe is below.

10 oz mixture of frozen spinach and kale, and didn't measure amounts really, just threw in handfuls
1 small onion
1 c. Stuffing. GF Version:  Oat flour, Quinoa flour (make both flours in a blender or with an immersion blender), GF crackers, cooked quinoa and flax. I used a combination of all of these options the two times I've made them. If you are using the flours, you should let the mixture sit for a while to let the flours absorb some of the moisture.
3 eggs
1/4 c. Parmesan Cheese
1-3 Garlic, cloves
1/2 t. Pepper, fresh course ground
1/4 -1/2 t. salt
To taste:  Sage, Parsley, Rosemary, Thyme, Bourbon smoked Paprika

Combine all ingredients together in your food processor (or blender??) till well mixed. Let mixture sit for a few minutes for flours to absorb some of the liquid. Mixture should hold it's form on a spoon and not be runny. Since you can't taste the mixture before cooking (with the raw egg) smell it and see if it smells appealing to you. Add more spices to your liking.

Drop Tablespoon size onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350* for 12-20 minutes (depending on how large of "meatballs" you make).  The bottoms get slightly browned and the tops dry out. My test of readiness is when I can smell the food cooking it usually means its done...sometimes I smell burning though and I miss the "done" window, oops.

We found these especially delightful with Red Pepper Cashew Cream Sauce (recipe in previous post).

Christmas Food

This was the first year in our marriage that we were going to celebrate Christmas in Hayward, just as the dbBrown family. What did that look like?  We weren't really sure. We talked about what makes it feel like Christmas to us, what foods did we grow up eating, how do we want to celebrate and what do we want our girlies growing up thinking is our normal family celebration?

We knew that presents are not the most important. We know that we wanted our focus to be on celebrating Jesus, his birth, his gift of salvation to each of us, and the promise and hope of eternal life when we die.  ...but how do we do that?!?

Food is often what our culture turns to when we get together and celebrate. Cookies, family traditional foods (even when Grandma doesn't make them anymore, someone else takes over the recipe), candy, punch. The familiar foods evoke the smiles and sweetness of memories shared over past years eating the same food or participating in the same tradition, playing the same games, listening to the same music.

Knowing we are just starting our family traditions we want to make decisions carefully and purposefully. I love celebratory food, but don't want to compromise my family's health or standard of what makes something fun and tasty just because it's a holiday. Our overall philosophy on food is to make healthy food taste delicious: high fruits and vegetables, high nuts, low dairy, meat, sugars, wheat and corn (and overall limiting processed foods as much as possible).

I thought for quite a while about what to make for our family Christmas Eve meals to make it celebratory, but still keep in integrity with our family's goals on healthy clean eating. Here's what I came up with. Our meal was delicious, plentiful, beautiful, fragrant and ....celebratory!

So here was the projected menu for our Christmas Eve meals:
-Christmas Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing
-Parmesan Spinach Balls
-Roasted Garlic Herb Mushroom Medley
-Cranberry Orange Roasted Brussels Sprouts

No, I didn't get around to making it all. Delightfully, Denver got home early and my meal-prep time was shortened, so I made an abbreviated version of what I was planning. We had roasted veggies (broccoli, beets and sweet potatoes), Parmesan Spinach Balls, and Garlic Herb Quinoa. I look forward to sharing the recipes in upcoming posts.

Peanut Butter Cake (flourless and dairy free!)

I don't think that this cake needs much for an introduction or selling speech - it pretty much sells itself being dairy and gluten free (naturally). It takes only about 5-10 minutes to whip up and then only 20-30 to cook! So, pretty much it's a cinch :)

Try making it and see for yourself!

1 c. Peanut Butter (I used creamy, but I'm sure any type will work)
1/2 c. Honey
1 Egg
1 Banana (mashed)
1/2 t. Baking Soda
1 t. Vanilla
1/4-1/2 t. Almond Extract (or use more vanilla and omit the almond) 

Blend together thoroughly (I use my immersion blender). Pour into a greased 7x7 pan. Bake at 350* for 20-30 minutes.

Enjoy! It's delightful!

Variations:
Dash of cinnamon (1/2 t.)
Sprinkle chocolate chips on top or into the batter

I can not take credit for this recipe, it was passed to me from one of my sisters - to her we are ever grateful!

Mushrooms, glorious Mushrooms!

I'm not sure if it's a pregnancy craving or just a renewed love of mushrooms, but I can't seem to get enough of them these days!!  I'm thankful that the other tongues in my house can tolerate and even enjoy them, wheew that's a relief!

My newest and most favorite way to add the delicious, savory, buttery, earthy, goodness to my meal is with Garlic Herb Mushroom Quinoa! It's amazing (I want to put an exclamation point here, but know I've already used too many).

My version is a combination of two different recipes and just some of the typical "what's on hand" adaptations.
Here is one of the original recipes and here is the other.

Or...here is my version.

1-2 cups of quinoa, cooked to the package directions (slightly under versus over cook)

This isn't a recipe that needs specific proportions to turn out, so make as much quinoa as you would want to eat and season with as many or as few of the herbs that smell good to you..make it your own :)

In a skillet with medium heat melt
-1-2 T. Butter
-4-5 cloves of minced Garlic. You don't want to brown the garlic, just cook for a minute to get rid of some of the pungent raw garlic-ness. It will continue to cook with the mushrooms, but I wanted to make sure there were no raw pieces.
-1 8oz package Mushrooms, washed and cut to your size preference
-pinch (1/8 -1/4 t.) of Rosemary.  PLEASE crush the rosemary sprigs in the palm of your hand with your opposite thumb before adding to the mushrooms as they will not cook long enough and in not enough moisture to soften the springs and it will feel like you are eating a dried out Christmas tree :(
-1/2-1 t. Thyme
-1/2 t. Parsley
-1/8-1/4 t. ground Sage (optional)
-1/4 t. Fresh Ground Black Pepper

Let it cook until the mushrooms have browned and become soft. Add more butter if needed to keep everything from sticking to the bottom of the pan. You can use a lid to help it cook quicker and not need to stir as often.

When mushrooms are soft add:
3-5 T (drizzle over the top of all the mushrooms) Balsamic Vinegar
Let this cook without a lid to reduce (cook off or evaporate) the balsamic vinegar until it is just a glaze over the mushrooms and the bottom of the pan - stir continuously.

Add more butter (1-2 T.) to pan, once melted, stir in the cooked quinoa. Stir to coat quinoa in herbs and butter/vinegar glaze and distribute mushrooms throughout quinoa.

-Salt to taste. I find that when I cook with butter I don't usually need to add butter, so try it first before adding any.

Squash Crisp or Pumpkin Custard Crisp

It's that time of year again: orange vegetables, cinnamon, ginger and steamy mugs all calling out to us. Whether you pair this dessert with ice cream, Greek yogurt; coffee or tea, it's bound to be a winner. It is similar to pumpkin pie, but easier (as there is no crust or rolling) and it has a richer more custard like flavor and consistency. I hope you try it and enjoy it!

3-3 1/2 c. Squash/Pumpkin/Sweet Potato/Yam, cooked till soft 
  *you can use only of the above listed vegetables, but my favorite is to combine many for a more interesting well rounded flavor, ie: squash and yams
3/4 c. Milk (dairy or almond milk)
4 Eggs
2 t. Vanilla
1/3 c.  Butter or coconut oil, melted

1/2 c. Brown sugar

3 T. Flour (wheat or a gluten free option)

1 t. Baking powder

1/4 t. Salt

1 T. Cinnamon

1/4 t. Cloves

1/8 t. Nutmeg

1/2 t. Ginger

Combine all ingredients and blend (with immersion blender) until smooth and velvety (similar to the consistency of a pumpkin pie before baking)

Pour into a greased 9x9 - 9x13 (3 quart) pan. Top with your favorite crisp topping or crushed gingersnaps (1/2 c.) and butter (2 T. melted).
Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes, or until knife comes out of center clean.

My favorite crisp topping:

2 c. Old Fashioned Oats

1/4 c. brown sugar

1/3 c. butter or coconut oil

1 shy T. cinnamon

1/2 t. ginger

1/4 c. walnuts or pecans, chopped

pinch of salt

Enchiladas

An Old Family Favorite.
When we were little this was the most requested birthday meal, which is as good as saying it was our all time favorite meal! The recipe is vegetarian, but can easily be adapted with hamburger or taco meat to meet your family's needs. Actually most of this meal can be adapted once you know the base.

Enchilada Filling:
2 - 15 oz can Refried Beans
1-2c. Cottage Cheese

Basically that is what I think is "necessary" and everything else is optional.

Black Beans about a 1/2-1 c. (or one can, drained and rinsed)
1/2 c. Green Pepper, chopped (1/2 a pepper)
Flax or Wheat Germ 1/8c.
Black Olives, sliced (about a 1/2 can)
Cooked Quinoa (about 1/4 c. - this is for Denver, to give the meal more heft)
Taco Seasoned Ground Beef (1/2 lb??) for the meat lovers in your family!
Shredded Cheese, depending on how much you like cheese anywhere from 1/2c. - 2c.

Mix all ingredients together thoroughly in a large bowl. Fill Corn or Flour Tortillas with the bean mixture and roll up tortilla. Place seam side down in a greased 9x13. (I don't know that the pan NEEDS to be greased - I just always have.)

Enchilada Sauce:
2 c. Water
2 T. Flour or Corn Starch  - whisk the flour or corn starch in as you add it to the water to prevent lumps
3 T. Oil
1-2 T. Chili Powder
1 T. White Vinegar
1/2 t. Garlic Powder
1/2 t. Oregano
1/2 t. Salt (or less)

Mix all ingredients of the sauce together in a sauce pan. Heat on medium-high heat until boiling. Let boil for 5 minutes (reduce the heat slightly if it is boiling out of control).  Stir periodically to prevent sticking to the bottom of your pan.  Pour (hot!! be careful) sauce evenly over the enchiladas that are in the pan, seam down. Top with grated cheese.
Bake for 20 minutes at 350* uncovered.  The sauce will be boiling when they are heated all the way through.
Caution!! These stay hot for a very long time! I'm pretty sure all of my siblings and I burned the roof of our mouths, in impatient haste of consuming our favorite meal. So, consider yourself warned :)

Eat Mo' Veggies

Roasted Veggies or Confetti Veggie Bowl

If you like a party, you are bound to enjoy eating your veggies this way. The colors are so bright and cheerful. There are no rules, your imagination and tongue can dictate how this side turns out.

Veggies we have used:
  Broccoli, Cauliflower, Beet, Sweet Potato/Yam, Zucchini, Carrot, Potato, Rutabaga, Radish
Veggies I want to use:
  Sweet Peas, Asparagus, Brussle Sprouts, Red Pepper
Edited Entry:  The asparagus was not the best choice. It did not cook in time with the other hard vegetables and the flavor did not blend well.

Start with washed and peeled vegetables.
Chop into uniform size pieces.
To get even cooking, cut the soft vegetables larger than the hard vegetables.  Ex. Zucchini is cut into larger pieces than sweet potato or beets.
Put everything in a large bowl.
Pour enough olive oil over cut up veggies to coat. Stir to make sure they are all evenly coated with oil.
Mince garlic into the bowl (1 garlic clove for 1 bunch of broccoli, and add a total of 3-4 garlic...depending on how much garlic you like). Stir again.

Pour veggies onto a low pan (jelly roll pan, prepared with tin foil) to cover the bottom of the pan, but only enough for a single layer of veggies. If you pile the pan full the cooking will not be uniform.
When your pans are filled with veggies, sprinkle lightly with fresh cracked pepper and sea salt.

Cook at 375-385* for 15-25 minutes. Check the "hard" veggies around 15 minutes to see how firm they still are and add time accordingly.

We enjoy these veggies drizzled with balsamic vinegar. They are a lovely side to almost any meal. You can vary the veggie combinations and have a different dish (from the same recipe) every night of the week.

Recently I added a large scoop of basil pesto and generous dusting of Parmesan cheese and stirred it up with the olive oil - and it was amazing! The Parmesan cheese makes a bit of a crusty coating which perfectly contrasts the soft inside of the sweet potato. I omit the garlic, salt, pepper and balsamic when I use the pesto and Parmesan. 

Cashew Red Pepper Cream

This is the delicious cream sauce that tops the Quinoa Cakes

Here again is the original recipe & following is how we made it.

• 3/4 c. cashews
• 1 (sm) roasted red bell pepper, from a jar
• 1/3 cup water (or less)
• 1/2 small clove of garlic
• 1/8 (very small amount) cup red onion
• 1/2 T lemon juice
• pinch of salt, add more to taste

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend on High for about 30 seconds, or until everything is well blended and smooth. Make sure to have the cover on tightly as this splatters when blending (don't ask me how I know).
 
You should have a smooth creamy-pink cream sauce when you are done. We found a half batch perfect for the two of us (that's what I have listed above). We then made a second half batch for our leftovers and we (accidentally) left out the onion, which was a nice omission.  So, I would recommend making a full batch with half the onion (or less).

Leftovers would make a great chip or veggie dip.

Quinoa Cakes

The flavors of restaurant meals are usually spectacular. Sometimes I wish my meals made at home could be just as fun and flavorful. Something different, but tested so I'm not wading through many ok or bad meals to find that one amazing meal. Well, let me sift out this gem for you!  Last night we feasted on deliciousness and now you can too! And it gets better, this recipe is gluten-free, vegetarian and I'm trying to think of how it could become dairy-free.

Quinoa Cakes topped with Cashew Red Pepper Cream

mmm...I just had leftovers for lunch. Not quite as delicious, not as popping of flavors as last night, but still an exceptional leftover.  They reminded us something like a mix between latkes and falafel, mostly in the style of the meal: a fried patty with cream topping.

Here is where I got the recipe from. I will write how I modified the recipe.

• 2 1/2 cups cooked quinoa
• 4 large eggs, beaten
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 large scoop (a little less than 1/4 c.) basil pesto
• 1/4 c. finely minced red onion (less than 1/2 the onion)
• 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese (we didn't have fresh, but used the dry stuff in the bottle)
• 1 1/2 cloves garlic, minced
• Olive oil for pan frying

It should be a bit sticky so it holds together when fried

Mix all together and place on a med-hot pan (with oil) in about 1/4 c. amount. I spooned it onto the pan then used the back of a spoon to flatten into a patty. [I tried to make a patty with my hands and much of it stuck to my hands = bad idea.] Let the first side brown up before flipping. It should be a couple minutes at least on each side. We liked the patties thinner so they got crispy, but then found we preferred them cooked at a lower temp so the onions cooked more.  Play with the temp and thickness to get the results that you like. Or I suppose you could also pre-cook your onions & garlic.

Top with Cashew Roasted Red Pepper Cream sauce (recipe in next post) & enjoy hot! We talked about how good they were all evening, wishing we were hungry enough for a second dinner.  I wonder what we will have for dinner tonight :)

Banana Pancakes

These couldn't be simpler!

1 banana
2 eggs
Optional additions: cinnamon & vanilla  (a dash of each)

Place everything in the blender at the same time. An immersion blender works well also.

Blend in the blender until smooth and frothy (the eggs get bubbly)

Pour onto a greased hot griddle. Flip and cook both sides until brown. (They are bubbly when you first pour them onto the griddle- so the trick of watching for bubbles with normal pancakes does not work with these.)

I pour straight from my blender

If the pancakes fall apart when you flip them, just move the broken part close to the rest of the pancake and nudge it together. Eggs have an uncanny ability to re-connect with themselves.

Serve with peanut butter or normal pancaking toppings. This morning we topped them with peanut butter, ground flax and pecans. Normally I would also add coconut, but we were out.

I have had success with doubling the recipe, but not tripling.
Enjoy!

One handed cooking & Thanksgiving Rolls

In writing the title "One Handed Cooking," I think of the saying "single-handedly" which is quite the opposite of how I feel most days. It's not that the tasks I'm trying to do in the kitchen are intended for only one hand, but rather that my left hand is usually holding the most precious cargo! My sweet Elle girl is my side-kick now.

Here is a picture that an auntie snapped of us at Thanksgiving...working in the kitchen together. She naps and I work. We make a good team.

Elle helps Mommy

Speaking of Thanksgiving, I tried a new roll recipe that is worth posting. I would make them again in a heart-beat. Here is a link to the recipe. I hope you try them and enjoy them! The day before we left for Thanksgiving, Elle slept in, and I made two different batches of rolls, and apple crisp and washed all my dishes!! I was so thankful for her long nap that morning!

Happy baking!

Banana Oatmeal Muffins

Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Oil Free, No Added Sugar...lets see, what else is amazing about these muffins? They have only a few ingredients and one batch fit between both my muffin tins (so I didn't have to do a second batch and wait for the pans to cool in between batches).

On a whim I tried these and I'm so glad that I did. They are "healthy" tasting, so if you want them a little sweeter just add a 1/4-1/2 c. of brown sugar (or any sweetener of your choice).

3 Bananas, mashed - very ripe
1 cup Vanilla Almond Milk
2 eggs
3 cups Oats
1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
1 teaspoon vanilla (I added a bit extra)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
1/4 cup walnuts chopped (optional)
1/8- 1/4 cup shredded coconut (optional)
1/4 cup chocolate chips or blueberries (optional)

375* F for 20 minutes in a greased muffin tin.



Enjoy!  They are very good with peanut butter. Mmmm.. I think I might go have another.

Cliantro-Lime Rice

Do you ever crave Chipotle?....but live hours away from one!!

Quite by accident I recently made a version of cilantro-lime rice that tasted satisfyingly like Chipotle's. One of the reasons, Denver & I assumed, was that the meal was nothing like Chipotle and I wasn't even trying to replicate the flavors. I have found that a "faint likeness" to something can satisfy a mental flavor/craving easier than when flavors are actually close and in the runnings to be like the real thing...but still off.

We were having a meal of fajitas and I didn't want to use tortillas, so instead, I planned on serving the meal over brown rice. Denver heard about the rice and asked for cilantro-lime rice. I prepared one cup of Trader Joe's Basmati Brown Rice according to package directions. After cooking (but careful to not overcook) I added fresh squeezed lime juice from 1 & 1/2 -2 limes and a good clump of cilantro finely chopped (probably about 1/8 c. when chopped, or about 20 stems  - very loose estimation!). This was the most flavorful rice and the most like Chipotle's we have had.

We loved the rice and fajita meal. The next day we used the leftover rice with black beans (instead of the fajita mixture) for a "nacho" (cheesy chip) topping. It was delicious! Layer chips and cheese (pepper jack) then rice and beans and top with a little more cheese! Microwave for a minute and enjoy the deliciousness!  The beans tasted amazingly (and surprisingly) like chicken. Even Denver with his non-pregnant taste buds said so. It was seriously SO Good! 

A new house and a new kitchen

There are many "news" in our lives that we are both looking forward to and currently living. We moved to a house - we love it!  The back yard has blackberries and raspberries!

Down the road there are chokecherries and blueberries. Needless to say, we are taking advantage of all this available fruit and it has been a productive harvest.

Our freezer is packed with jams ready for winter indulgences & reminders of summer. Come over and have a bowl of ice cream with chokecherry syrup on it, I think you will agree its delicious.

Chokecherry Syrup

Boil your washed and stemmed berries in a couple inches of water (I think one recipe recommended 1 cup of water for every 3-4 cups of whole berries).  I let them simmer on the stove for hours just to be sure they were good and soft. You can mash them through the colander them immediately or let them cool (which is what I did so I wasn't working with boiling liquid). Toss the large seeds and skins, saving only the juice and any pulp that comes out. Measure and return liquid to a cooking pot. I used less sugar than it called for and we found the tartness a perfect complement for ice cream :)
4 cups chokecherry juice
3 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla (I wonder what almond extract would taste like??)
1/2 - 1 t cinnamon 
1-2 T pectin (low sugar version)

Stir over low heat uncovered until it thickens slightly (or to whatever consistency you desire). More pectin, sugar and cooking time will result in a thicker more jam-like substance. I think you might need to add 1-2 T. Lemon Juice for it to properly thicken. Let cool again (if it is syrup) and pour into a freezer container  (or you could can the syrup/jam while it is still hot). Enjoy months later over ice cream or hot baked oatmeal. We have also used this syrup in our crepes - delicious when paired with the tangy crepe cream sauce & fresh fruit! 

So with a new house comes a new kitchen. I tried to get a good picture of it the other night and they all turned out blurry, so I will post a blurry picture because that's all I have.

Other new things - our daughter is just about here. Monday we passed our 39 week mark. This means she could come any day or in another 3 weeks :)

 

We are excited to meet her and see who she looks like and become a family of three.
I think there may be some other "new" things, but that's what I can think of off the top of my head. Enjoying life and my new kitchen, Sarah

A wonderful find

Tonight I was looking for a fast hamburger bun recipe to finish my meal of sloppy joes. I looked online and tried the "40 minute Hamburger Bun" recipe, hoping it would be good. I am so glad I tried it, because now I have a new favorite!

40 minute Hamburger Buns  (or Quick Dinner Rolls)

Prep: 20 minutes + Rest: 10 min +  Cook: 8-12 minutes

Ingredients:
2 T. Active Dry Yeast
1C. + 2T. Warm Water (110-115*)
1/3 C. Oil (I used Olive Oil - any should work)
1/4 C. Sugar (I used Brown Sugar)
1 egg
1 t. salt
3- 3 1/3 C. All Purpose Flour (I used Whole Wheat Flour)

Directions:

• In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add oil and sugar; let stand for 5 minutes. Add the egg, salt and enough flour to form a soft dough.
• Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 3-5 minutes. Do not let rise. Divide into 12 pieces; shape each into a ball. Place 3 in. apart on greased baking sheets. 
• To make dinner rolls - I would make more than 12 pieces, maybe 15
• Cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Bake at 425° for 8-12 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool. Yield: 1 dozen.

Nutritional Facts 1 serving (1 each) equals 195 calories, 7 g fat (1 g saturated fat), 18 mg cholesterol, 204 mg sodium, 29 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 5 g protein.

These nutritional facts are not for the alterations I made (olive oil, w.w. flour, etc), but just what came with the recipe. Kind of fun and interesting, so I'm including it.

I hope you make these, because I'm positive you will enjoy them!

 

Possibly a kitchen helper??

We are having a baby!  

We are so excited! This little baby is expected to come join our family around Labor Day - how fitting :)

From the ultrasound our baby looked active and healthy. It was fun to see them moving all around and then stopping for breaks to nap. So darling; already we love this little one so much!