classic cream puffs

This is a great recipe for classic cream puffs. At one point in time I quit making these because they did not fit into the "healthy" view I had.  Full of fat, eggs, and dairy, they were on the "taboo list".  Today they fit into my life just fine. I know that real dairy fat and eggs are not the trouble, but the kind that you buy in the store full of hydrogenated oils, egg substitutes and artificially flavored "whipped cream substitute" are troublesome. You have to make them yourself or buy them from a reputable shop that makes them with real ingredients. These are really simple and easy to make. Plus, they are a bit sweet yet not loaded with sugar.  My kids love to watch the magic happen as they puff up in the oven.

Classic cream puffs.
Makes 24 medium size puffs


Preheat oven to  400 F

puffs
1 cup water
1/2 cup butter
1 cup all purpose flour
4 large eggs

filling
3 cups whip cream , pudding, or ice cream. 
powdered sugar (optional)

For the puffs
1. In a medium saucepan bring the water and butter to a boil
2. Add the flour all at once. Cook and stir with a wooden spoon until the mixture forms a ball
3. Remove from the heat and let cool for ten minutes
4. Add the eggs one at a time, beating with a wooden spoon after each egg
5. Continue until all eggs are incorporated
6. Drop rounded Tablespoons of dough onto greased baking sheets placing them about 2 inches apart
7. Bake in preheated oven for about 20-25 minutes until puffed and golden brown
8. Cool completely
9. To fill, cut the tops off the puffs with  a serrated knife
10. Remove any soft dough from the inside
11. Fill with desired pudding, whip cream or ice cream.
12. Replace tops, and sprinkle with powdered sugar as desired.
13. Once filled; chill, then serve within 2 hours.

 

Lemon squares

This a wonderful recipe that I have had on hand for many years. We recently made some to say thank you to the gals in the neighborhood who have helped us out with babysitting.

Lemon squares

Preheat the oven to 350

 

 for the crust,

 

 in a mixing bowl combine

1 cup butter  softened

2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup powdered or confectioners sugar

Combine into a crumbly dough

press this into a 9x13 pan and bake at 350 for 15 minutes

While the crust bakes make the filling.

 

4 large eggs

2 cups granulated sugar

6 Tablespoons lemon juice

6 Tablespoons all purpose flour

grated rind from 1 lemon

Mix these ingredients well and pour over the hot crust as it comes out of the oven

Bake the entire thing for another 25 minutes  

Dust with powdered sugar after baking.

 

 

quick and easy cake mix cobbler

So.... this is no healthy recipe, but it is a yummy recipe that comes together quick. It is one that we make only a couple times of year. We often make it over the fire in the dutch oven during the summer months on camping trips. It requires very little work and just a few ingredients.


Cake mix cobbler

To make the cobbler you will need

1 quart fruit, juice drained reserving about 1/4 cup juice  (we use our home canned peaches or apples)
1 cake mix
12 ounces (1 1/2 cups) liquid. The original recipe calls for a can of soda pop. We quite often use the liquid from the fruit instead.
1 cube (8 Tablespoons) butter


1. Place the drained fruit and the reserved 1/4 cup juice in the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish  or in the bottom of a 12 inch dutch oven.

2. Mix the cake mix and liquid together just until moistened. It is good to leave some lumps. When camping we often will use a large gallon size zip top bag to mix the batter, it makes clean up a breeze.

3. spread batter over fruit

4. cut the butter into pieces and dot the top of the cobbler with the butter (see photo below)

5. bake in a 350 oven for about 20-25 minutes until browned and set.

6. If cooking in the dutch oven cook with about 24 charcoal briquettes. 8 on bottom and 16 on top.

An easy way to figure heat for a dutch oven.  For a 350 degree temperature you want to take your dutch oven size and double that. This gives you about the number of briquettes needed. You then divide this into thirds one third for the bottom and two thirds for the top.

 This is great served warm or at room temperature. When camping we make a cobbler in the evening, whatever is left over makes for breakfast the next morning.
 

ready to go in the oven

all done and ready to eat

rediscovering the flavor of popcorn

Again this week we heard about the danger of butter flavored microwave popcorn. Popcorn is a wonderful food; It is full of fiber and satisfying yet is has had a bad rap because of the butter flavor used commercial preparations. 

It is crazy we have come to expect that a microwave is how popcorn is made, and this is how it is supposed to taste. I am reminded of a time that the neighbor came over to borrow our microwave to cook his popcorn because his microwave did not have a popcorn button.
© Romanna | Dreamstime Stock Photos & Stock Free Images

Do your kids even know that you can make popcorn without a microwave?  Do you remember having popcorn cooked without the microwave? 

Dust off the old hot air popcorn popper! Make popcorn with real butter on it! taste the difference that real flavors make. You and your family may not be a able to get enough. Fall in love with popcorn all over again.  

                                                            © Lauria | Dreamstime Stock Photos & Stock Free Images

If you are in the mood for some real great popcorn try popping it on the stove. I have included instructions for stove top cooking with coconut oil, and  for making simple kettle corn YUM!

To cook popcorn on the stove top

you will need
1/2 cup popcorn
2 Tablespoons of oil  I use coconut oil. It adds a really nice flavor.
a large pot  (four quart or larger) with a lid
salt
large spoon for stirring

1. Heat 2 Tablespoons oil over high/ medium high heat  for about 30 seconds until it starts to shimmer.

2. Pour in 1/2 cup of popcorn kernels and shake the pan about to coat them in oil. Let them settle in a single layer on the bottom of the pan

3. Cover and listen for that first pop

4. When you hear the first pop, shake the pan back and forth gently over the heat until the popping stops.

5. When the popping stops, dump out the popcorn into a large bowl and sprinkle with salt stirring with a large spoon to distribute the salt. 

That is all there is to making wonderful tasting popcorn.






To make kettle corn at home


You will need

1/2 cup popcorn
2 Tablespoons of oil
2-3 Tablespoons white granulated sugar (using something other than this will not get the same results) 
a large pot  (four quart or larger) with a lid
1/2 teaspoon salt




1. Heat 2 Tablespoons oil over high/ medium high heat  for about 30 seconds until it starts to shimmer.

2. Pour in 1/2 cup of popcorn kernels and shake the pan about to coat them in oil. Let them settle in a single layer on the bottom of the pan

3. Cover and listen for that first pop

4. When you hear that first pop, carefully open the lid away from your face so the steam and any popping kernels will not come out at you. Quickly add the sugar and salt. Replace the cover and  shake to distribute evenly.

5. Continue to shake the pan back and forth gently over the heat until the popping corn slows

6. When the popping slows, working quickly so it will not burn; dump out the popcorn  into a large bowl and sprinkle with a few more sprinkles of salt on the top.

Dream bars

This is one of those little gems that I have in my recipe collection.

Dream bars

Preheat oven to 325

In a medium bowl blend  together
1 cup light brown sugar
1 cup butter
2 cups flour  (This last time I made the crust with part whole wheat and part oat flour rather than all purpose flour. They turned out great. I liked the oat flavor.)

Press this crust mix into a cookie sheet and bake in a 325 oven for 20 minutes. While the crust is baking; beat together the remaining ingredients (I used the same bowl to avoid more dishes)

4 large eggs
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups coconut
2 cups brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 Tablespoons flour
1 cup chopped walnuts or other nuts
Pour this mix over the hot bottom crust and bake another 25 minutes
cool and cut into squares
makes 36 squares

Below is the finished product as it came out of the oven 

So easy and very yummy. I love the brown sugar flavor and the coconut and nuts together. Who could ask for anything more.

Nun's puffs

Nobody knows just how these got their name; but they are heavenly. Fluffy,buttery, and just slightly sweet; they are a real treat. 

 To make these sweet little treats you will need only a few basic ingredients

Nun's Puffs
1/2 cup butter
1 cup milk
3/4 cup flour
4 large eggs
1 Tablespoon sugar
Honey or jam  for serving

Preheat the oven to 375

1. In a medium saucepan melt the butter, then add the milk. Bring to a boil
2.. Add the flour all at once stirring with a wooden spoon until it comes together in a ball. Set this aside to cool for 5 minutes.
3. While this is cooling, generously grease 12 standard size muffin cups.

4. Add the eggs one at a time stirring after each addition until incorporated into the mix.
5. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups
6. Sprinkle the sugar over the tops of the batter
7. Bake in a 375 oven for about 30 minutes until golden brown and puffy
8. serve while still warm with honey or jam.

This is the dough as it formed in the saucepan, before the eggs were added.

 My daughter was helping.  You can see that she got a little too much sugar on the tops of the puffs before they went into the oven.






The finished puffs as they came out of the oven.






Happy baking.

orange gumdrop bars

The holiday season would not be complete at our house without gumdrop bars.

This is one of those recipes that is handed down through the family. They are my Father's favorite. Grandma always made them with the orange gumdrop slices and pecans, the original recipe calls for fruit flavored gumdrops and does not specify any kind of nut.



Orange gumdrop bars

Preheat the oven to 325
Grease a pan measuring about 10x15 inches

1 cup gumdrops cut into small peices
1/2 cup nuts finely chopped
1 Tablespoon all purpose flour
Mix together and set aside for later use

into a mixing bowl combine
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 cups brown sugar
3 large eggs
1/4 cup evaporated (canned) milk

beat these together well with a mixer on medium speed (about 2 minutes)
stir in the gumdrop mixture
spread the batter in the greased pan.
bake on a rack slightly below center of the oven for  about 35 minutes.
when done the cake should be slightly pulled from the sides of the pan.
cool completely before cutting into squares
makes 48 squares

Master cookie dough

Make several variations from one master cookie dough recipe.

I used to be quite adept at making cookies. It was one of the first things I learned to cook. I worked at an establishment where cookies were to be available every afternoon.  Instead of creating two or three seperate batches of cookies, I made a basic cookie recipe. With the basic cookie batter/dough in hand, I could create several different kinds of cookies in and instant.

                                                              © Didden | Stock Free Images & Dreamstime Stock Photos

BASIC COOKIE DOUGH
I really like this recipe because it is easy to handle. You roll the dough into balls. This is great to help in getting nice round beautiful cookies.


To make the basic cookie dough you will need

1/2 pound margarine (or you can use butter and 1 Tablespoon water)
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
2 cups granulated sugar
Cream these ingredients together until light and fluffy (about 2 minutes) then add
3 eggs
1 Tablespoon vanilla
5 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
mix all this together into quite a stiff batter

roll the dough into balls about 1 inch in diameter
place about 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets
bake in a 350 oven for 8-10 minutes on a middle rack
 remove just as bottom and edges start to turn brown (You want them to still be chewey in the center).
Let the cookied cool on the pan for about 5 minutes to finish cooking and firm up, then remove from pan to finish cooling.


Once you have the basic dough creating many flavors is easy;  divide the dough, then mix in extra ingredients, roll, and bake as in the basic recipe.
COOKIE DOUGH VARIATIONS (mix ins)


Chocolate chip
to half the master dough add
 1/2-3/4 cup chocolate chips
1 teaspoon vanilla

buttersotch chip
to half the master dough add
1/2 cup butterscotch chips

maccadamia white chocolate
to half the master dough add
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
2-3 Tablespoons chopped  maccadamia nuts

M&M
to half the master dough add
1/4 cup quick cooking oats
1/2-3/4 cup M&M candy coated chocolate peices

candycane /white chocolate chip
to half the master dough add
 2 Tablespoon crushed candycane peices
1/2 cup white chocolate peices

Coconut
to half of the master cookie dough recipe add
1/2 cup coconut


Granola crunch
to half the master cookie dough recipe add
add 1/2 cup crushed granola clusters


cornflake
to half the master cookie dough add
1/2 Tablespoon milk
3/4 cup crushed cornflakes cereal

Oatmeal raisin graham
to half the master cookie dough recipe add
1 Tablespoon milk
1/4 cup quick cooking oats
1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup raisins

peanut butter
to half of the master cookie dough recipe add
1/2 cup peanut butter
2 Tablespoons chopped peanuts (optional)
roll into 1 inch balls, toss balls in sugar to coat. place on baking sheet and flatten with a fork, turn the pan halfway, and press with a fork again to create a crosshatch pattern.


cranberry orange (my favorite and most requested cookie recipe)
to half the master cookie dough recipe add
1/2 Tablespoon orange juice concentrate (can use straight from the freezer)
1 teaspoon grated orange rind
1/2-3/4 cup dried cranberries


cinnamon sugar  (Similar to snickerdoodles) Not quite as good as the classic recipe I still use a classic recipe when I want real good snickerdoodles.
roll the dough into one inch balls then roll in a mix of
2 Tablespoons sugar
1/2 Tablespoons cinnamon

caramel filled cookies
wrap the dough around a rolo (chocolate caramel candy)
you can also use other small miniature size chocoate candy bars
(snickers, milkyway etc.)


I love being able to divide the dough into parts quickly making several flavors. It makes it real easy to set up a holiday cookie tray this time of year. These recipes are for half the dough, It would be really easy to divide the dough in thirds and make three kinds of cookies. All you have to do is adjust the mix-ins a little, or leave it. (who cares if you have extra chocolate chips in the mix, some will add extra anyways).

HAPPY BAKING

Shan's yams

With Thanksgiving right around the corner, I thought that I would share some of my favorite holiday recipes. This is a super yummy recipe for yams. I have made it numerous times with rave reviews.

                                                                        © Dip2000 | Stock Free Images & Dreamstime Stock Photos





SHAN'S YAMS

preheat oven to 350  and grease a 9x13 baking dish

6 cups mashed yams
1 cup sugar
1 cup melted butter
2 teaspoons vanilla
3/4 cup milk
4 eggs
Mix these ingredients together and then spoon into a 9x13 baking dish

Topping

2/3 cup melted butter
1 cup all purpose flour
2 cups brown sugar
1-2 cups nuts

stir topping ingredients together and sprinkle over the top of the yam mix.
Bake for 25 minutes at 350

Ultimate pecan pie

This is a recipe that I have had in my collection for a long time. It is one that I gathered from my Grandmother before she passed on. It was a prize winning recipe that she found. It is different from many other recipes I have seen. The butter is creamed into the mix making it more like a batter which is very unusual. The pecans are also put on the top and not mixed in or placed in the bottom. Whatever the reason for it all, the results are delightful. It is a keeper

                                                                  


Ultimate Pecan pie

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
4 Tablespoons soft margarine (I substituted butter here)
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 beaten eggs
Beat ingredients together until light and fluffy
pour ingredients into a 9 inch pie shell that has been  partially baked for about 10 minutes
top with 1 1/2 cups large pecan peices

Bake in a 425 oven for 30-40 minutes.  A knife inserted near the center will come out clean. Cool completly before serving.

ABC bread

                                              This recipe is as easy as 123 and super yummy too.




A couple of bananas and an apple along with cholate chips make for a lovely treat.

ABC bread (apple banana chocolate chip)


Preheat the oven to 350
Grease and flour a large loaf pan (or spray with cooking spray)

In a bowl mix the dry ingredients
1 3/4 cup flour ( I use 1/2 cup whole wheat, 1/2 cup oat flour 3/4 all purpose flour)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda


In another bowl
2-3 mashed bananas
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup melted butter
2 large eggs
1 large apple peeled and grated

Mix wet and dry ingredients together until just moistened and no flour streaks remain, then add
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Pour batter into the prepared loaf pan, bake in a 350 oven for about 1 hour until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. cool 10 minutes in the pan and then turn out to finish cooling.




as an added note:
To make oat flour is really easy. Process rolled oats in the food processor or blender until finely ground into flour.





shared at keep it real thursday

pumpkin pie squares

With fall in the air it is a great time to share pumpkin recipes.

This is a recipe that I have had for years. We do not make it very often anymore because we have chosen to get away from pre packaged items. That aside, it is still yummy and very easy to make.


easy pumpkin pie squares

preheat oven to 350

crust
1 box yellow cake mix (reserve 1 cup for the topping)
1/2 cup soft butter or margarine
1 egg
Mix together until moistened and then spread in the bottom of a 9x13 pan

filling
1 large can pumpkin (2 cups)
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 large eggs
1/2 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup milk
beat together until smooth and pour over the crust

topping
1 cup reserved cake mix
1/4 cup melted butter
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup chopped nuts (optional)
mix together and sprinkle over the filling

bake in preheated 350 oven for 1 hour

homemade granola clusters

 This recipe I have had for a long time. It is an easy recipe for beginers that are starting a healthier lifestyle. All the ingredients are easily accessible in your local grocery store, or you may have in your pantry.

Homemade granola clusters

preheat an oven to 350

in a very large mixing bowl  toss together the dry mix
8 cups rolled oats (or other rolled grains)
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups of nuts, seeds, and or coconut
1/2 teaspoon salt

wet mix
1/2 cup oil
2 cups water
2 Tablespoons vanilla
1 Tablespoon maple flavoring

Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until blended
pour out onto two cookie sheets breaking the mix up into small clusters
bake in a 350 oven  for about 30 minutes stirring halfway through and breaking up any big bunches
This makes soft baked clusters. for a more crunchy cluster, bake about 15 more minutes.


This is a great starter recipe for those trying to go a little healthier. When we began we would add some granola clusters to our regular breakfast cereal. It is good mixed in with a flake cereal. It helps the children feel full longer. It is also really good mixed with fruit and yogurt.
I have included a link to our homemade yogurt adventures below

homemade yogurt

no wonder we have a sugar addiction/crisis

                                                            © Andrzej5003 | Stock Free Images & Dreamstime Stock Photos





I have been steadily preserving the harvest for the last several years. I find pride in seeing my full jars lined up like little soldiers. There is nothing better than home canned fruits.

One thing that disturbs me is the amount of sugar in the jams and jellies. I made some raspberry jam a few years ago that was so over-the top sweet. I couldn't eat it. This comes from a woman who five years ago, could not get enough sugar, and nothing was too sweet. I was suprised to find something too sweet. It blew me away.  When you have sugar amounts that are more than double, sometimes nearly triple the amount of fruit, something is wrong. When I made jam this year, I was also shocked to see corn syrup in the recipe. I also noticed that my pectin has dextrose as the second ingredient. Dextrose is yet another sugar, and one that my body does not tolerate well.

I have been under the impression that to make safe jam and jelly you have to use the pectin and the recipes included with the little box of pectin.  My eyes have been opened.  My friend Caleb Warnock wrote about making very low sugar blackberry jam. 91/2 cups of berries and only 1 1/4 cup sugar. I was surprised, then I realized this is how jam used to be made. Take fruit at peak season and cook it down with a bit of sugar until the natural pectin comes out. What has happened to that? We got in a hurry!

I am ready to slow down and create real fruit jams. I have discovered that people are really busy and do not want to spend the time nor energy to make "real" jam and jelly. It is process that does take a bit of time and skill. It also can easily scortch and burn. I found that out the hard way when I wanted to make orange marmalade. The pectin box had no recipe. I got online and found several recipes that did not require pectin. I ended up burning the batch. I think I will take Caleb's advice and cook the jam in a slow oven, or in the crockpot. I look forward to creating and eating food the way it was meant to be.


I have included a link to that post by Caleb below (Oh how I wish I could have attended his class where he was teaching about the jams and jellies)

Caleb Warnock low sugar blackberry jam

also a link to a previous post about the cornsyrup in my jam

http://mkeckblog.blogspot.com/2012/05/strawberry-saturday.html

peach dessert

It is peach season around these parts. My Grandmother would always bottle peaches. Then while the peaches were at the peak she would make her peach dessert. It was a creamy, peachy, grahm cracker delight.  She would only make it once a year when the peaches were on. It was a real treat worth waiting for. I miss her so much. I am grateful for her patience to teach me the art of canning and preserving. I hope that I can pass that on to my own children. Below is the link to an older post I have written about learning to cook with her.

Cooking with Grandma


Now on to the recipe

Peach Dessert

2 cups water
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup sugar
1 small package peach  flavored Jello
4 cups sliced ripe peaches
2 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
6 Tablespoons powdered sugar
1 cube (4oz) margarine melted
1 8 ounce package cream cheese softened
1 8 ounce tub whipped topping thawed
1/2 cup powdered sugar

step 1. Bing the water, constarch and sugar to a boil
step 2. Stir the jello powder into the hot mix
step 3. Let this mix sit about an hour until cool
step 4. Stir in sliced peaches and chill well in the fridge
step 5 Mix the grahm cracker crumbs, melted margarine, and 6 Tablespoons powdered sugar
step 6. Press about half of the cracker mix in the bottom of a 9x13 pan
step 7. Blend the softened cream cheese, whip topping, and powdered sugar together until light and fluffy
step 8. Spread the chilled fruit mix over the grahm crust
step 9. Spread the cream cheese mix over the fruit
step 10. top with the remaining crumb mix

Chill for an additional 30 minutes or so before serving
 use within 24 hours  When left longer the peaches and crumbs get too soggy.

This is a great dish to bring to a late summer potluck meal

Zucchini pound cake

This is such a wonderful recipe! It is a true winner!



This recipe is really good. It is one that I only make like once a year or so (when the zucchini is plentiful). Although it is made with Zucchini, it is still a sweet treat and should be treated as such.

To make zucchini pound cake you will need

1 cup grated zucchini tossed with 1 Tablespoon flour

2 cups all purpose flour

1 cup butter, softened

1 2/3 cup sugar

1 Tablespoon vanilla

2 Tablespoons fresh orange juice

1 Tablespoon finely grated orange peel

5 large egg yolks

5 large egg whites

Preheat the oven to 350

prepare a tube/bundt  pan by greasing and flouring it

1. Beat the butter  and sugar  in a large bowl until light and fluffy ( about 2 minutes)

2. Beat in the vanilla, orange peel,  and orange juice.

3. Beat in the eggs one at a time. mixing well between additions.

4. Stir in the zucchini

5. Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form

6.Gently fold about 1/3 the flour and 1/2 the egg whites into the batter

7. repeat

8. Fold in the remaining flour

9. Spoon the mix into the prepared  pan

10. Bake in 350 oven for about an hour until firm and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean

11. cool ten minutes

12. unmold 

Very important to let it cool 10 minutes before unmolding. Do not cool completly in the pan or it may not come out in one peice.

Oh how I wish my camera was working so that I could show you a picture of the finished product!  I suppose you will have to use your immagination, or make some yourself.

The best ever waffles! homemade with natural yeast

If you missed my first post about baking with a natural sweet yeast, click the link below.
baking with natural yeast

I have to admit baking with the natural yeast  really isn't as bad as I made it seem in that last post. I was just frustrated with learning how to make bread using a sponge method. I am really enjoying the flavors and textures. The bread is getting progressively better. We made a pizza and the whole family loved it. Our favorite is still the waffles. They come out with a nice nutty flavor, so crisp on the outside and nice and tender in the middle. YUM! 


To make natural yeast waffles

It begins with growing out a starter with 3/4 cup warm water and 1 cup whole wheat flour. The night before I want waffles I feed the starter by adding another 3/4 cup warm water and 1 cup flour and let that sit and grow overnight. In the morning, making waffles is a snap.

Preheat the waffle iron. While it is heating make the batter.

I take the whole mass of starter and scoop it into a bowl.
adding
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup milk
1 egg
2 Tablespoons oil or melted butter
1 teaspoon baking soda

stir it all together with a wooden spoon until smooth. (The starter tends to be a bit stringy, and it takes a bit of patience to get it all stired together). When it is all mixed and starting to bubble, pour into the  hot waffle iron and cook.  It makes about 6 waffles. These are some of the best waffles I have ever tasted!  We eat them with buttermilk syrup.  A link to the buttermilk syrup recipe is below.

buttermilk syrup link


Take your residue from the begining starter and create a new one, by adding 3/4 cup warm water and 1 cup flour.


FYI
Here is a link to Caleb Warnock's blog where he talks about the value of natural yeast, and the health benefits of using such. You can also get your own start from him, so that you can create your own healthy homemade waffles.
Caleb Warnock blog history of natural yeast

Grilled pineapple

Grilled pineapple, so easy and soooo yummy! 

First, pick the pineapple.There are several ways to test for ripeness. Color is not a good indicator of ripeness. Sniffing the root end is a good indicator. If it smells sweet and like pineapple, it a good choice. Press the pineapple near the base, when it is ripe it yeilds to gentle pressure. Tug at one of the center leaves on the top of a pineapple. If a pineapple is ripe it will be easy to pull out a center leaf, an unripe one will not give up the leaf without a fight. 

Step two;  prepare the pineapple for grilling. Lay the pineapple on a cutting board and cut off the top and root ends

Peel the pineapple with a large knife. Then cut the pineapple in half. (My pictures of peeling did not work out so well)

Rub the pineapple halves on all sides with a brown sugar spice mix. 

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon allspice

Cook the spiced pineapple on a hot grill using an indirect grilling method. This means that you cook food on the grill area where there are no flames. (next to the flames, but not over the flames) Too many flames will burn the sugar instead of caramelizing it. This can be done by lighting only some of the burners on a gas grill. For a charcoal grill place the coals on either side of a grill, leaving the middle portion coal free and grilling the pineapple in the middle. I used the top grill rack (the one that is sometimes used for keeping food warm). I put the pineapple up on that rack letting it cook while I grilled burgers down low. Another method is spit cooking. In this case spice the pineapple whole and cook it on a spit.

It took about 15 minutes for my pineapple to get golden brown hot and bubbly. Turn the pineapple often to ensure even cooking.

Let sit for a a few minutes. Slice and serve warm.  It is wonderful served with a good vanilla ice cream.

Super easy cinnamon rolls.

From the first time I made these cinnamon rolls I knew the recipe was a keeper. The dough is so easy to work with, and  turns out nice cinnamon rolls everytime. This recipe is easy to half for making a small batch of 12 rolls. The full recipe makes 2 dozen.

Super easy cinnamon rolls

For the dough

1 1/2 tablespoons active dry yeast

1/2 cup warm water

1 1/4 cups warm buttermilk

2 eggs

5 1/2 - 6 cups of all purpose flour

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons salt

Mix the yeast in the warm water and let sit about five minutes

Add the remaining ingredients and stir until it forms a dough. Knead the dough until nice and smooth. (about 10 minutes). cover the dough and let rise in a warm spot for about an hour.

After an hour, punch down and divide the dough in half.

Roll each half into a rectangle about 12x18 inches

For the filling
1/2 cup butter softened, 1 cup sugar and 1/3 cup of cinnamon. mix all the filling ingredients together and spread  half on each of the dough rectangles

Roll up the dough starting with the long end.

Using a serrated knife, slice each roll into 12 peices about 1 1/2 inches wide.

Place the rolls about 2 inches apart on a baking sheet. Flatten each roll slightly with your  palm.  

Cover the rolls and let them raise in a warm place for about 20 minutes while the oven preheats. Bake the rolls for 15 minutes at 375 

When cooled you can top with cream cheese icing or a powdered sugar glaze.

shared at homestead barn hop, and make a move monday,  monday mania, melt in your mouth monday

also at hearth and soul hop, and scratch cooking tuesday

Sweet cornbread

This recipe is sweet and buttery. It is good eaten on it's own. No need for butter or honey.
NOTE: This is not a southern cornbread recipe it is more cake like.



Sweet cornbread

Preheat oven to 375

In a medium size bowl
2 cubes (1 cup)  melted butter  margarine may be substituted
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 cups buttermilk
4 beaten eggs
1 1/4 cups cornmeal
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 3/4 cups all purpose flour

Stir all ingredients together just until moistened
pour into a  greased 9x13 pan
bake for  35 minutes at 375


linked at pennywise platter
shared also with miz helen's full plate thursays