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Green Tea Blender Soap

20 May

Green Tea Blender Soap from Rural Spin

This blender soap is wonderful for the home soap maker who wants to make soap for home use and to share with family and friends. This recipe makes almost half a pound of soap, or about 8 bars. It is a mild soap that has skin conditioning qualities and a nice bubbly lather that feels pleasant against the skin. This soap can be used in the shower and at the sink–it is mild enough for daily use. And, because you’re making it yourself, you can make it smell like whatever you wish!

Note: If you like the idea of green tea soap but don’t want to make it yourself, I sell this bar (with enhanced skin-conditioning ingredients like shea butter) at my Etsy shop with free shipping. You can find the green tea soap for sale here.

SOAP MAKING PRIMER

Just to get this out of the way, there is no way you can make soap without lye. Soap is basically defined as the chemical reaction between lye (a base) and fats (an acid) called saponification. This chemical reaction can’t take place without lye, which means no soap.

There is no way you can make soap without lye, shown here along with tea made from distilled water.

There is no way you can make soap without lye, shown here along with tea made from distilled water.

That said, after this chemical reaction is complete, there is no longer any lye left in the soap–it has all been made into soap along with your fats! This soap recipe is mild on the skin, and when properly aged for six weeks before use, no lye remains.

SAFETY

Lye is a caustic base, which means it will burn you if you get it on your skin. Safety glasses should be worn; a pair of safety gloves and a long-sleeved shirt wouldn’t hurt, either. As another safety precaution, an open bottle of vinegar should always be at your side when making soap. Vinegar is a mild acid, and it will neutralize the lye if you get some on you. If you do, just pour the vinegar straight onto your skin.

Using a blender for soap making is very fast and easy, but extra caution should be practiced when doing so. As you may have experienced, sometimes blenders can “burp” after mixing liquid ingredients, releasing trapped air bubbles that exist in the mix. You must be very cautious of this, and make sure you do not allow any splashing or “burpage” to be released into your face! Always shake or tap the blender to release these potential large air bubbles before removing the lid from blended soap.

Your ingredients include olive and coconut oils, lye, salt, sugar, distilled water, and a tea bag.

Your ingredients include olive and coconut oils, lye, salt, sugar, distilled water, and a tea bag.

Here are safety precautions to follow:

  • ALWAYS pour your lye into the water and NEVER pour water into lye. Doing so will cause an explosion that will definitely ruin your day, and potentially send you to the hospital
  • Wear eye protection
  • Protect your skin from splatter and splashing
  • Keep pets and children away from your lye at all times
  • Always keep the lid on the blender when it is in motion
  • After your soap has traced, tap the blender (still with the lid on) on your kitchen counter to release any air bubbles before removing the lid.

INGREDIENTS

When you pour your tea/lye solution in with your oil, you will see it settle. After blending for about 15 to 30 seconds, it will trace.

When you pour your tea/lye solution in with your oil, you will see it settle. After blending for about 15 to 30 seconds, it will trace.

Note: All ingredients for soap making are measured by weight, not volume. Since you are working with a chemical reaction, weights provide a more accurate measure than volume. If you plan on making small batch soaps at home often, invest in a digital postal scale, which is available from any office supply store. They vary widely in price, so just get the cheapest one available; it will be accurate enough for your soap making.

  • Green Tea: Studies have documented the anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits of green tea when applied topically . Green tea applied to the skin can can reduce sun damage and help skin problems like papulopustular rosacea. However, in this recipe the benefits will be limited as exposure to air decreases the effectiveness of green tea for these purposes. For this reason, consider the green tea in this recipe to be more for color, and is an optional ingredient. You can also substitute black tea if you’d like.
  • Distilled Water: Using distilled water is not mandatory, but undistilled water will incorporate the minerals and chemicals in the water to your soap, which can cause discoloration and other issues. You can buy gallons of distilled water at any grocery store.
  • Olive oil: Olive oil is a wonderful moisturizer for the skin because it attracts external moisture to the skin and holds it there, while at the same time providing a barrier against your internal moisture from escaping. And it does not block natural skin functions. When it comes to soap making, the cheaper the olive oil, the better. Olive pomace oil (very low grade) is wonderful if you can find it. Otherwise, just purchase a cheap brand of olive oil. But beware! Many manufacturers are diluting their olive oils with other oils to decrease costs. Make sure the oil you are buying is 100% pure olive oil. 

    Empty drink containers make excellent molds for soap making. One container will hold one batch of blender soap.

    Empty drink containers from coconut water or nut milks make excellent molds for soap making. One container will hold one batch of blender soap.

  • Coconut oil: This is very popular in soap making and with good reason. Coconut oil has wonderful lathering and moisturizing properties, and makes a good hard bar of soap.
  • Sugar: Increases the bubbly lather
  • Salt: Increases a soap’s hardness
  • Essential Oils: Feel free to use your favorite scent in this soap. I like to use lemongrass or lemon because it fits the “tea time” theme, but use whatever you like best. It is highly recommended, however, that you only use pure essential oils for soap making; synthetic scents do not always react well in the soap making process, and could cause your batch to fail (you’d know it if you saw it).
  • Molds: I find that the best molds for home soap making are empty nut milk, coconut water, or similar containers. Just rinse them out thoroughly before use, and cut the tops off so you can easily pour your soap into them. After the soap is hard, simply tear the box away and recycle.

RECIPE

This recipe will fill a standard-sized blender about half way full. You really don’t want to make any more than this because you want enough room in the blender for the liquid to move and mix after you turn the blender on. Because there is lye here, oozing soap out of the blender is not something to encourage.

  • 1 green tea bag (you can use black tea)
  • Olive oil: 14 ounces
  • Coconut oil: 6 ounces
  • Distilled water: 7.6 ounces
  • Lye: 2.8 ounces
  • Salt: 2 tsp
  • Sugar: 2 tsp
  • Essential oils: 2 tsp
  • 1 empty box from, say, coconut water or nut milk (at least 32 ounces in size)
When the soap traces, it will change color and become opaque. A bit of soap drizzled from a spoon will remain on the surface for a few seconds before sinking back into the soap.

When the soap traces, it will change color and become opaque. A bit of soap drizzled from a spoon will remain on the surface of the soap for a few seconds before sinking back into the soap. It will leave a trace!

Measure your lye into a small bowl and set aside.

Get your essential oil bottle ready with the lid open and the dropper popped out. Have your teaspoon at the ready, too.

Measure your distilled water into a container, then heat it until it is warm (if you wish you can heat it in a microwave). Pop the tea bag into the water and let it steep until the tea is brewed. When cool, transfer the tea into a jar with a lid. Make sure you remove the tea bag, squeezing it thoroughly to extract all of the liquid.

Wearing your protective gear, slowly pour your premeasured lye into your tea. The addition of the lye will cause a few things: 1) your solution will get cloudy and 2) it will get very hot. This is normal.

Pour your soap into a prepared mold such as this.

Pour your soap into a prepared mold such as this.

Leave your lye solution sit until it reaches about 90F (this may take a few hours) and when the lye is completely dissolved in the tea.

Measure your oils into a saucepan and heat over low heat until your coconut oil melts.

You want the temperature of your lye/tea solution and your oils to be the same, about 90F.

Pour your oil into your blender, then add your lye/tea solution. Using the blender on the lowest, slowest setting possible, blend for about 15 seconds.

Stop the blender, shake it to remove any air bubbles then remove the lid. Add in your salt and sugar, and your essential oils. Place the lid back on your container.

Blend for an addition 15 to 30 seconds, or until your soap traces fully (to check for tracing, dip a spoon into your soap and drizzle it over your soap; if your soap leaves a mark (“trace”) behind that takes a few seconds to sink back in, trace has been reached.

Pour your soap into your mold and carefully tap your mold on the counter to release tiny air bubbles. Because blender soaps trap a lot of air in the mix, some air bubbles are inevitable  in your final bar and tapping the mold, as you would a cake pan, will help minimize this. Leave your soap sit undisturbed overnight or for about 8 hours.

After it is hard, tear off your mold and slice your soap into bars using a knife.

Soap should age 6 weeks before use. Frequently people leave soap sit for only three weeks but this aging process is important because the chemical reaction between the lye and fats is not yet complete at three weeks. Leaving the soap sit until the chemical reaction is complete will:

  • Make the bar harder, which means it will last longer
  • Make the soap more mild for your skin
The bar on the right was made using green tea, and the bar on the left was made using black tea. Notice the color difference and the different shapes two types of molds made. Otherwise, the soaps are the same.

The bar on the right was made using green tea, and the bar on the left was made using black tea. Notice the color difference and the different shapes two types of molds made. Besides shape and color, the soaps are the same.

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Rural Spin

 
4 Comments

Posted by on May 20, 2013 in Hobbies and Arts, Home and Living, Homesteading, Recipes, Saving Money

 

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Dandelion Sunshine Jelly

09 May

Dandelion Sunshine Jelly by Rural Spin - www.ruralspin.com.

Making jelly using dandelion flowers is a commitment, no doubt about it. But if you enjoy tedium and working with lovely flowers, this is the jelly for you! And there is a real feeling of satisfaction you get from making a delicious food from what some call a weed.

My recipe is not straight-up dandelion jelly. To me, dandelion jelly deserves to be elevated a bit to reflect what I think of as its sunshine status. I wanted to layer flavors with dandelion’s honey-like flavor so the jelly tastes more like dandelion than just jellied flower parts. Because of this, I use honey as the sweetener to accentuate the natural dandelion flavor, lemon juice and zest for brightness, and cinnamon for warmth. This is a lovely, light, tasty  jelly to serve on toasts, with cheese and crackers, or as a glaze to a baked ham.

Dandelion Sunshine Jelly ingredients: dandelion flowers, honey, cinnamon, and lemon zest.

Dandelion Sunshine Jelly ingredients: dandelion flowers, honey, cinnamon, and lemon.

INGREDIENTS

Makes 2 pints

3 to 4 cups dandelion petals

3 to 4 cups water

2 cups honey

1 tsp cinnamon

Zest from 1 lemon

1 tbls lemon juice

4 tbls low-sugar pectin

PETAL PICKING

The hardest and most time-consuming part of the process is collecting enough dandelions and plucking the petals off of them. I suggest collecting a good gallon of flowers, but make sure those flowers are from an area that has been chemical-free for several years. I’m lucky enough to live in a neighborhood where very few residents use chemicals on their lawns, and they happily gave me dandelion-picking rights.

Pick more dandelions than you think you'll need so you can pick-and-choose the best for your jelly.

Pick more dandelions than you think you’ll need so you can pick-and-choose the best for your jelly.

The petals need to be removed from the flowers as quickly as possible after picking them; the flowers close up quickly after harvest and after that happens, collecting the petals becomes much more difficult.

It is very important not to get any green parts (sepals) mixed in with the petals. The sepals will not only affect the color of your jelly, they also affect the taste, and not in a good way. Dandelions contain a milky sap, and you don’t want any of that bitterness to contaminate your jelly. It takes a long time to get just the petals off of the flowers, but if you’re going to make this jelly that is what you have to do. Make yourself a nice relaxing beverage and enjoy the peace and quiet.

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Cut the flowers in half to make it easier to remove the petals and prevent the green sepals from making their way into your jelly.

Cut the flowers in half to make it easier to remove the petals and prevent the green sepals from making their way into your jelly, which will result in a bitter taste.

Most bloggers making dandelion jelly use scissors to remove the petals. I personally find it easier to use my finger nail. It not only greatly reduces the amount of sepals that make their way into your petal pile, I find that it is quicker than clipping carefully.

To remove the petals, I first cut the entire flower in half. Then I use my thumb nail to pull only the petals off the flower. It’s pretty easy to avoid the sepals with this method, and in two or three pulls, you’re ready to move on to the next flower. And, your petal harvest quotient per flower is much higher than multiple clips. I find this to be important unless you have quadruple the amount of dandelion flowers you need, and have the luxury of only clipping the very top of each flower once.

Make sure you only remove the petals from the flower; including the green sepals into your jelly will result in a bitter taste.

Use your thumb nail to pull the petals from the flower, avoiding the green sepals.

You can stop this tedious process when you have between 3 and 4 cups of petals.

JUICE GETTIN’

There are two ways to get your dandelion juice from the petals: simmer ‘em or steep ‘em.

Simmer ‘em

To simmer them, combine your petals with an equal amount of water and simmer for 10 minutes. Strain through a jelly bag or dish towel to remove all of the dandelion liquid. Measure out 3 cups of liquid for making the jelly. If you don’t have quite enough for 3 cups, add a bit of plain water to top it off. (Make sure you squeeze the juice from the petals, too.)

At this point I like to filter the juice through a coffee filter to remove any bits and pollen that sneak through. This also makes a clearer jelly. Once you’ve done this, proceed to Jelly Makin’!

Dandelion tea oxidizes from yellow to a lovely russet color with time. This does not affect the taste of the jelly.

Dandelion tea oxidizes from yellow to this lovely russet brown color with time. This does not affect the taste of the jelly in any way, and the final product will be a lovely dark gold color.

Steep ‘em

You can also get the liquid by making a tea out of the petals. To do this, place your petals in a bowl and cover them with boiling water (use the same amount of water as you have petals). Let them steep overnight, then strain in the morning through a jelly bag or dish towel into a bowl.

As with the “Simmer ‘em” method, I suggest running your dandelion tea through a coffee filter to fully remove any petal bits and pollen. It makes for a nicer looking jelly product. And, again, if you don’t have a full 3 cups of dandelion juice, just top off with water.

A note on color: Dandelion juice will oxidize with time. Fresh juice will be yellow in color, but the longer you wait to make your jelly the color will darken to the russet color shown at left. I don’t mind this as I am adding cinnamon and honey, which darken the color.

JELLY MAKIN’

Wash your lemon and zest it. Cut the lemon in half and juice half, which will end up being about 1 tablespoon of juice. Set the zest and lemon juice aside.

Take your 3 cups of dandelion juice and pour it into a sauce pan. Bring to a simmer and add your lemon zest and lemon juice. Add the cinnamon. Continue to simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring.

Slowly add your pectin. But watch it…if you add it too fast it won’t mix in well with your juice and will be clumpy. I use a whisky to stir briskly after I put a bit of the pectin into the mixture.

After all of the pectin is incorporated  bring the mixture to a full rolling boil that can’t be stirred down. Make sure you stir constantly.

Add your honey and return the mixture to a full rolling boil. Boil hard for one minute, again stirring constantly.

Remove from heat and skim off any foam.

Immediately pour your jelly into clean, prepared pint jars. If you are canning the jelly, process the jars

in a hot water bath for 10 minutes at normal elevation, and 15 minutes at high elevation, following normal canning protocols as outlined at the National Center for Home Food Preservation.

Dandelion jelly can be eaten with cheese and crackers, on toast, or added as a glaze to meats.

Dandelion jelly can be eaten with cheese and crackers, on toast, or added as a glaze to meats, such as ham. It also makes a lovely addition to pastries and baked goods.

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12 Comments

Posted by on May 9, 2013 in Edible Plants, Food Preservation, Homesteading, Recipes

 

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10 Reasons to Ditch Morning Coffee for Morning Cocoa

17 Apr
Cocoa powder has amazing health benefits, and as a morning beverage can easily replace coffee.

Cocoa powder has amazing health benefits, and as a morning beverage can easily replace coffee.

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Know what my beverage of choice is in the morning? A hot cup of cocoa. But it’s not the calorie-laden version you might be thinking of…it’s the healthy version that does the same job (for me) as coffee but with more health benefits. Plus, I think hot cocoa has a superior taste to coffee. And, yes, cocoa powder does contain caffeine, but not as much as coffee.

And while a Starbucks 16oz hot chocolate has 370 calories, 16 grams of fat, and 50 grams of carbs, this recipe for 16 ounces of sweetened hot cocoa is only 54 calories, 2 grams of fat, and 15 grams of carbohydrates. It’s only when people add fat to cocoa that it becomes, well, fattening.

HEALTH BENEFITS OF COCOA

We have known about the health benefits of cocoa for centuries. And now we have dozens of scientific studies to back up this historic knowledge. We can thank the high concentration of polyphenols (especially flavanols) in cocoa for these health benefits, even when compared to levels found in other sources like red wine and tea. Here is a list of some of the many health benefits of regular cocoa consumption:

  1. Cocoa and chocolate can cut your rate of heart disease, and cut the death rate of heart-attack survivors.
  2. Cocoa can help decrease the risk of stroke.
  3. Cocoa can decrease blood pressure, including in pregnant women.
  4. Cocoa has the potential to improve kidney function.
  5. The caffeine in cocoa can protect your skin against sun damage and skin cancer.
  6. Older folks who eat chocolate (and wine or tea) have higher cognitive abilities than those who don’t.
  7. Consuming cocoa powder can increase cognitive function and may help prevent Alzheimer’s disease.
  8. Chocolate can relieve stress.
  9. Eating cocoa or chocolate can increase feelings of satiety, which can help with weight loss.
  10. If you’re sick, cocoa can relieve coughs almost as well as codeine.

HEALTHY HOT COCOA

Cocoa powder and hot water are all that is needed for a tasty morning beverage, but you can add sweetener and milk to taste!
Cocoa powder and hot water are all that is needed for a tasty morning beverage, but you can add sweetener and milk to taste!
  • 16 ounces of hot water
  • 2 tablespoons real unsweetened cocoa powder (or to taste)
  • 1 teaspoon honey (or more to taste)
  • 1/4 cup milk (optional…I use coconut milk)

While your hot water is boiling, place your dry cocoa powder in the bottom of your cup. After your water boils, pour about 2 tablespoons of the hot water into the cup (if you use more or less cocoa powder, just use an equal amount of hot water here).

Using a spoon, stir the cocoa and water until smooth, to eliminate any lumps. Then fill your cup the rest of the way with hot water.

Add sweetener and milk to taste. For an extra treat, add a bit of vanilla, almond, or hazelnut extract per cup. That’s it! Drink away! What a way to start the morning!

RESOURCES

I used these sources (and others) for my research on the health benefits of cocoa. Click on each study title to be sent to the original article:

Chocolate consumption and mortality following a first acute myocardial infarction: the Stockholm Heart Epidemiology Program

Blood pressure and endothelial function in healthy, pregnant women after acute and daily consumption of flavanol-rich chocolate: a pilot, randomized controlled trial

Effect of dark chocolate on renal tissue oxygenation as measure by BOLD-MRI in healthy volunteers

Effects of chocolate, cocoa, and flavan-3-ols on cardivascular health: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials

Flavonoid-rich cocoa consumption affects multiple cardiovascular risk factors in a meta-analysis of short-term studies

Increased caffeine intake is associated with reduced risk of basal cell carcinoma of the skin

Chemopreventive effects of cocoa polyphenols on chronic diseases

The neuroprotective effects of cocoa flavanol and its influence on cognitive performance

A reduced-calorie dietary pattern including a daily sweet snack promotes body weight reduction and body composition improvements in premenopausal women who are overweight and obese: a pilot study

Theobromine inhibits sensory nerve activation and cough

10 important health reasons to replace morning coffee with morning hot cocoa from Rural Spin

 
7 Comments

Posted by on April 17, 2013 in Home Remedies & Apothecary, Recipes

 

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Sprouted Wheat Berries: Whole Grain Goodness

03 Feb
Sprouting wheat berries provides whole grain, enhanced nutrition to your diet.

Sprouting wheat berries provides whole grain, enhanced nutrition to your diet.

Wheat berries (or wheatberries) are completely unprocessed wheat that contains all parts of the seed: the germ, the bran, and the endosperm. This means the complete nutrition from all of the whole grain’s minerals, phytochemicals, and vitamins is retained. While wheat that has been highly processed into flour and used in junk food byproducts can harm your health, studies show that whole grains such as wheat berries have positive health benefits, such as lower cholesterol, and reduced risk of Type 2 diabetes and heart disease, among other benefits. And keep in mind that wheat seeds can remain viable for up to 30 years, if stored correctly of course. This means you can buy in bulk and have whole-grain, sprouted green goodness for many years.

HEALTH BENEFITS

Overall sprouting wheat berries increases their nutrition, and since sprouted grains are a “living food” their nutrients are more readily accessible (yes, you can sprout many kinds of seeds and beans besides wheat, but we’ll cover those in another post):

  • By sprouting the grain you enhance some benefits such as increased calcium and some vitamins, like vitamin C (though other vitamins are decreased, like some B vitamins).
  • Sprouting grains helps to decrease the amount of antinutrients (like tannins) that interfere with nutrient absorption. The result is that many nutrients in wheat that would otherwise not be available for absorption become available with sprouting.
  • Sprouting grains increases enzymatic activity, which makes them easier to digest. 
  • The glycemic index of sprouted grains is lower, which is better for heart health and helps you feel full longer. Diabetics also benefit from a lower glycemic index.
  • Sprouted whole grains are easier to use in a wider variety of dishes and increasing your intake of whole grains is a huge benefit to health.
Cover one cup of wheat berries with some warm water and let sit overnight or up to 24 hours.

Cover one cup of wheat berries with some warm water and let sit overnight or up to 24 hours.

BEFORE YOU START

When you sprout any grain, it will double or  triple in volume so be sure you use a container that is large enough to contain it as it expands. You can buy a designated grain-sprouter for about $5 from your local health food store or food co-op; it is simply a jar with a lid that has a screen on top. You can also make your own from a half-gallon canning jar. Use the ring of the jar lid to hold into place cheese cloth, muslin, an old nylon, or a piece of screen. You could use a piece of decorative cotton, too, if the weave is not too tight. If you’re upcycling a jar from a food you bought at the store (free!), use a rubber band or string to hold your cloth or screening onto the jar  instead of using the solid lid.

SPROUT YOUR GRAINS

One cup of wheat berries triples in volume when sprouted, so make sure your jar is large enough to accommodate.

One cup of wheat berries triples in volume when sprouted, so make sure your jar is large enough to accommodate.

Place about a cup of wheat berries in your jar and rinse with warm water. Then, add fresh warm water to the jar, making sure your seed is covered with water about an inch over the grains. Soak the seeds overnight or up to 24 hours.

The next day, rinse your seed in warm water once, and then drain well (this is where your screen or cloth come in). After the seed is drained well, tilt your jar on its side and spread the seed out a bit. All you’re doing here is making your layer of seed thinner so seeds at the bottom aren’t too crowded. Place your jar in its side on a counter and wait for the seeds to sprout (a day or two…). You want the jar in a place where it will get some light (but not direct sunlight). Some sources say to place the seed in a dark place, but I find that this slows down the germination significantly.

Make sure to rinse and drain your seed at least once a day, or twice if you live in a drier environment (here in semi-arid Colorado, I rinse in the morning and evening). Just lightly rinse the seed in room-temperature water, drain thoroughly, spread on its side again, and let sit. In two to four days your grain will begin to sprout (depending upon air temperature).

After a day or two, you'll see the grains have sprouted. I like to continue growing mine with daily rinsing until the tail is about 1/4 inch long and just starting to green up.

After a day or two, you’ll see the grains have sprouted. I like to continue growing mine with daily rinsing until the tail is about 1/4 inch long and just starting to green up, about an additional day.

How long you leave your sprouts to mature and green is a matter of choice–I like to leave them until they get about 1/4″ of growth on them, although they are “officially sprouted” with just 1/8″ of growth. After they reach the stage you like, you can feel free to add them liberally to stews and soups, spreads, salads, or serve alone as a breakfast cereal. I have also served them warm with olive oil, garlic, and Parmesan cheese, or with olive oil and herbs. I even make a kind of luscious “bread” (don’t think it’s a regular loaf, because it’s not!) with the berries, so stay tuned for a special blog post on that, coming up next week!







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12 Comments

Posted by on February 3, 2013 in Food Preservation, Great for Kids, Homesteading, Recipes, Saving Money

 

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Slow Cooker Fruit and Oat Breakfast

27 Jan
Overnight cooking in a crock caramelize apples, honey, cinnamon, lemon juice, and coconut oil into a tasty, healthy breakfast.

Overnight cooking in a slow cooker caramelizes ingredients into a tasty, healthy breakfast.

The beauty of this recipe is that it is very adaptable; you can substitute different ingredients depending upon what you have on hand and make the most of personal taste preferences. This is also very easy and allows you to have a healthy, hot, hearty, and delicious breakfast ready for you when you wake up in the morning. Kids can even serve themselves.

I love the caramelization that occurs with this method — it creates a very deep and satisfying flavor. A slow cooker (Crock-Pot) is needed to create the depth of flavor, and of course the convenience of having a hot breakfast ready for you before your eyes have even adjusted to the morning light.

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INGREDIENTS AND HOW-TO

(This recipe makes two large servings, or four smaller servings as part of a larger breakfast menu)

Into a slow cooker unceremoniously toss and stir well:

My dog, River, supervising food photography.

My dog, River, supervising food photography.

  • 3 apples, which you have washed, cored, and chopped into bite-sized chunks (no need to skin)
  • 1 cup rolled oats
  • 1 to 3 tablespoon honey (I don’t like things very sweet, so I only use 1 tablespoon)
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • Juice of half a lemon
  • 1 tablespoon coconut oil
  • 1 tablespoon water (you may want to add more water depending upon how moist you want it; I like mine on the dry side so add another tablespoon of water if you want something more moist)

Set your crock pot to low, put the lid on, and let it cook overnight. In the morning, place into bowls and top with a healthy dollop of pureed sweet potatoes — I use organic canned sweet potatoes, you can use organic canned pumpkin, too, which is very tasty, or of course make your own! It is also tasty with yogurt or a bit of milk.

Don’t feel limited to apples; I frequently make it with mixed berries, bananas, or nuts depending upon what I have on hand. It is also very tasty with a healthy tablespoon of peanut butter added!

 

 
5 Comments

Posted by on January 27, 2013 in Great for Kids, Recipes

 

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Quick and Tasty Pancake Cups

10 Nov

About 25 minutes (including baking time) is all you need for these tasty and impressive pancake cups

I whipped up these individual cups this morning and in about 25 minutes (including cooking time) I had a breakfast Martha would be envious of. These are sort of a cross between a popover and a pancake, and they are quick, easy, and look very impressive for guests and yourself! You can even eat them with your fingers, which makes them great for brunches, parties, and more. Fill them with anything you want, from fresh fruit to jams to chocolate. Get creative with your fillings. A ham and cheese filling would be great, too!

Your batter should be smooth and run easily, but not be too thin. When you pour the batter, a drizzle should be very briefly visible on the top before melding with the rest of the batter.

INGREDIENTS:

(Makes 6 pancake cups. Adapted from this Basic Popover recipe)

  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 3 eggs
  • 3 tbls butter, melted
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 tsp extract of your choice (vanilla, orange, or almond are nice)
  • 1 tsp lemon or orange zest (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat your oven to 400 F (425 for higher altitude cooking). Take a muffin tin and butter each cup well. Place all of your ingredients (make sure the melted butter is cooled a tad so it doesn’t cook the eggs) in a blender. Be sure the flour goes in last and is on top of the other ingredients; if you put the flour in first much of it will clump in the bottom of the blender. Whiz for 30 seconds or so or until all of the lumps are gone and the batter is smooth  Divide your batter by pouring into your muffin tin in equal amounts.

The batter will puff up quite a bit in the oven, then fall when cooled.

Pop into the oven for 15 minutes, or until the tops are just starting to brown. You will see these puff up quite a bit in the oven — this is good! When they are done, remove them from the oven and they will immediately start to fall. This is good, too! They will fall until cups are formed in each pancake.

Take a knife and run around the inside of each muffin cup to loosen the pancake cups. Take a fork and release them from the bottom–they may stick a tad so be careful.

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Place them on plates and fill the cups with whatever filling you wish! Here are some suggestions:

The resulting cups can be filled with all manner of sweet or savory fillings.

  • Jam
  • Fresh fruit
  • Apple or fruit butter
  • Carmelized nuts
  • Jam mixed with an equal amount of plain, Greek-style yogurt
  • Sweeten plain, Greek-style yogurt to taste, and add nuts
  • A simple topping of melted butter and confectioners sugar
  • A simple drizzle of chocolate sauce or maple syrup
  • Diced ham with a slice of Swiss cheese, popped under the broiler for a few moments until the cheese melts
 
6 Comments

Posted by on November 10, 2012 in Holidays, Recipes

 

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Basic Hearty Stew, Frugal and Tasty

29 Oct

Stew is the quintessential frugal meal for cool weather, for meat eaters and vegetarians alike.

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Nothing says “satisfying meal” like a flavorful stew on a cold evening. And since stew is geared towards less tender cuts of meat, the dish is also frugal. From Hungarian goulash to the Nigerian vegetable stew called ewedu, all cultures have a basic stew specialty all their own.

Paired with homemade bread, cornbread, rice, or noodles, you can stretch your dollars even further with zero expense of flavor. Here’s a recent elk stew I made that turned out delicious, but you can use beef or even just focus on hearty mushrooms if you’re a vegetarian.

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 lb elk stewing meat cut into bite-sized chunks (you can use beef or even lamb stew meat)
  • 2 lbs soup bones (I used beef soup bones, but use what you can get readily and cheaply)
  • 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1 cup chopped sweet peppers (I used mini sweet peppers, but you can use whatever kind you’d like)
  • 1 lb mushrooms, sliced coarsly
  • 1/2 cup red wine (optional)
  • 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
  • 4 cups stock (you can use vegetable, beef, or chicken stock. Basically, whatever stock you have on hand to give the stew a deeper flavor)
  • 2 tbls olive oil
  • 2 whole cloves
  • 1 tbl paprika
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 tbl ground sundried tomatoes (just take sundried tomatoes and grind them fine, either in a coffee grinder or using your blender as a grinder. See my post on making mushroom powder for the how-to on this: Homemade Mushroom Powder)
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Additional water as needed through cooking
  • Serve with cooked rice or noodles to taste (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

Place your olive oil in a dutch oven and heat on a medium flame. Saute your onion and garlic until soft and just starting to brown around the edges. Add your mushrooms and peppers, and saute until soft.

Remove the vegetables to a bowl, add more oil if necessary, and brown your stew meat on all sides.

Deglaze the pot with the wine (or a bit of stock if you’re leaving the wine out). Put your vegetables back in the pot along with the meat. Add your Worcestershire sauce, paprika, cloves, and bay leaf. Add your soup bones and your stock. Add additional water if needed to cover the bones completely.

Simmer gently for the first hour with the lid on. Then remove the lid and simmer to continue cooking. Add water as necessary to make sure the meat cooks long enough to soften, and to allow the soup bones to give up whatever meat was on them. This can take several hours.

When the meat is tender, allow the stew to continue to simmer uncovered until the liquid is reduced by about half. The broth will have a wonderful flavor and color at this point. Taste to correct the seasoning, by adding salt and pepper if desired.

If you’re using a slow cooker for the actual cooking of the stew, you will need to finish the stew on the stove top to allow the broth to reduce sufficiently. Just boil the stew until reduced; perhaps 30 minutes.

You can serve in a bowl alongside a plate of bread, or place a serving of noddles or rice in a bowl, and serve the stew on top. This option would really help you stretch your dollar.

This is a tasty stew, and it really is worth having ground sun-dried tomatoes on hand to add to various dishes. You can can this using a pressure canner; follow the various canning instructions given at the National Center for Home Food Preservation.

 
3 Comments

Posted by on October 29, 2012 in Recipes, Saving Money

 

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5 Easy Homemade Holiday Liqueurs

26 Oct

Seckel pears are small and make for a wonderful presentation in a glass when used to flavor brandy. But you can use any pears that you like.

Making homemade liqueurs is a fast and easy way to bring a special touch to holiday gatherings. It only takes moments to prepare and no special gear is necessary; the hard part is waiting the two to four weeks necessary to allow your liqueur to steep and age.

For many liqueurs you’ll use a vodka base, which basically lacks taste and color and will take on whatever flavor you want. But you can also use spirits like bourbon, brandy, rum or even tequila, which all do their part to enhance the flavor of the fruits and spices you use. The resulting liqueur can be served on its own, or added to other cocktails such as martinis, or eggnog. Here are some recipes:

BASIC HOW-TO

Marinate fruits and spices with sugar in vodka, brandy, bourbon, or rum for simple liqueurs that whip up in 15 minutes.

For all of the recipes, the process is the same; you take your flavorings and sugar, and place them in an earthen crock or a glass jar with a lid. (Make sure the mouth of the container is large enough to remove the flavorings later.) Cover completely with your alcohol, put on the lid, and shake. Store your concoction in a dark place, shaking every day for the first week or so, then leaving it sit for two to four weeks until the flavors are fully incorporated into your alcohol. When the liqueur is done, strain out your flavorings and either place the liqueur back into its original alcohol bottle, or transfer them to pretty glass bottles for holiday display.

Your flavorings can include fruits, nuts, herbs and spices, and as much sugar as you’d like. The amount of sugar you use is a matter of preference depending upon how sweet you’d like your liqueur. I generally start out with about 1/3 cup of sugar for a basic 750 ml bottle of liquor, and add more after the first week if I find the liqueur I’m making isn’t sweet enough for me.

What do you do with those fruits? I reserve the marinated fruits and use them in holiday desserts. Depending upon the fruit, you can chop them up and add them to holiday baking, or make a tasty topping from them. To do this, take your fruit and place in a saucepan. Mash roughly, and add additional sugar and  some water if there doesn’t seem to be enough liquid with the fruit. Simmer until the additional sugar is dissolved and a syrup forms around the fruits. Serve over ice cream or holiday cakes.

Seckel pears are only about 2″ to 3″ long with a sweet flavor and snappy skin.

SECKEL PEAR BRANDY

Seckel pears are small pears about 2″ long. They are very sweet with a nice skin that has a bit of a “snap” to it. They are not common to see (though marinated seckel pears are wonderful heated through and served whole over ice cream or next to cakes), so you can substitute regular pears for this liqueur. For seckel pears, just slice the top and bottom off and place them in your jar or crock. If you’re using regular pears, slice them into sections or chop roughly and add to your container. Some recipes call for peeling the pears first, but I don’t see the need for this since I am lazy. Add your sugar (I start with 1/2 cup and increase later if needed), fill your container with whatever brandy you’d like, and shake. Shake daily for the first week, and at the end of the week taste to see if it is sweet enough for you. If it’s not, you can add more sugar, making sure you shake regularly to dissolve. Store in a dark place while the liqueur is marinating.

VANILLA AND CINNAMON LIQUEUR

Bourbon lends itself to the taste of vanilla and cinnamon. It produces a wonderful sweet liqueur that can be served on its own, and makes a wonderful addition to eggnog. Simply take a bottle of bourbon and pour it into a jar or crock (you can just use the bottle as your marinating vessel, but realize that it might be difficult to remove the expanded cinnamon sticks later). Add a vanilla bean that has been split open and two to three sticks of whole cinnamon. Add your sugar, shake, and wait. Don’t forget to shake daily during that first week to dissolve all of the sugar.

I like Italian-style plums for plum liqueur, but you can use any kind. Just slit with a knife and marinate with sugar and vodka.

PLUM LIQUEUR

This is a simple but sweet and tasty liqueur that makes a WONDERFUL plum martini for the holidays. For a martini, dilute the liqueur with plain vodka to your taste, and serve with lime zest. To make this liqueur, take plums, slice a sizeable slit or two in each one, place the plums in your container, add sugar, and top with your vodka. Shake and wait. I like to use Italian-style plums for this for their more intense flavor, but you can also use regular plums.

ALMOND AND COFFEE LIQUEUR

This also makes a wonderful addition to a martini, especially a chocolate martini if this is something you want to impress guests with over the holidays. I like this to have a lot of almond flavor, so I roughly grind about 1 cup of almonds in my blender and add about 1/2 cup of whole coffee beans. Top with sugar and a bottle of vodka and shake well. You’ll need to strain this after your month is up to remove all of the almond bits.

This berry liqueur was made with blueberries and blackberries, but you can use any combination you’d like.

BERRY LIQUEUR

This is great because you can use just about any kind of berry for this, or a mix of berries. I like to mix blueberries and blackberries, but you can use whatever kind you want (use about a quart total of berries)! Just slice each fruit in half and put them in your jar or crock. Cover with your sugar and 750 ml bottle of vodka, and shake. Remember to shake daily for the first week to make sure your sugar is dissolved, and intermittently the few weeks following. I like to use a cup of sugar with this recipe, and serve it in cordial glasses with desserts or on its own. Very tasty!

 
5 Comments

Posted by on October 26, 2012 in Holidays, Recipes, Uncategorized

 

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Serious Blue Corn Cornbread

21 Oct

A pan of blue corn cornbread. It jumped into tummies before I had a chance to take a photo out of the oven.

This is cornbread with the taste of full-on corn, and I like to use blue cornmeal because it has a higher protein content than yellow cornmeal, but you can use yellow for this recipe if you’d prefer. This recipe is also very quick and easy for everyday meals. The bread is very basic and rustic (but still moist), and is meant to be so (and since there is no wheat flour, it’s gluten-free). As an accompaniment to stews or hardy winter meals, this cornbread makes a great addition. But I’ve also eaten it for breakfast with eggs, or just a side of jam and butter.

INGREDIENTS 

  • 2 cups blue cornmeal (finely ground)
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 3 medium to large eggs
  • 1 1/2 cups buttermilk or sour milk (or take your milk and add 1 tablespoon white vinegar and let sit for 5 minutes)
  • 1 to 2 tbls maple syrup, honey, or molasses
  • 3 tbls bacon fat or coconut oil

Blue corn has a wonderful, deep corn flavor and a higher protein value than yellow corn. But you can use yellow cornmeal just the same.

INSTRUCTIONS

It is better to use a cast iron skillet for this recipe; you’ll notice the difference in the taste! But you can use a rectangular baking dish of appropriate size, too.

Take your skillet (or rectangular baking dish) and place the bacon fat or coconut oil in it. Place in the oven, and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

While the pan is heating, sift together your dry ingredients. In another bowl, mix your eggs and buttermilk/sour milk well.

Add your wet mixture into your flour mixture and combine.

By this time your oven should be pre-heated. Remove the pan from the oven and swirl the melted fat/oil well to make sure the pan is covered. Then pour the remaining fat into your batter and blend until combined.

Pour your batter into your skillet and return to the oven, baking until a tester inserted into the bread comes out clean, about 30 minutes (depending upon your oven).

 
9 Comments

Posted by on October 21, 2012 in Recipes

 

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Before Pumpkin Pie, There was Pie in a Pumpkin

30 Sep

This impressive and easy dessert is wonderful for the fall and winter holiday season.

The pumpkin used to get more respect. That’s because the pumpkin and its squash cousins were crucial to the survival of Native Americans and early colonists in the Americas as an important food source during long winter months. Native Americans, in fact, ate all parts of the pumpkin: leaves, flowers, seeds, and flesh. Nothing is wasted when your survival depends upon it.

The first known recipe for pumpkin pie as we know it today dates back to 1651 in a French cookbook, published in English as “The French Cook” in 1653. But the art of taking a whole pumpkin, filling it with a custard and baking it whole in hot ashes dates back to the early 1600s; early American colonists didn’t have ovens in which to bake pie and made due with what they had.

Baking a pie pumpkin whole is a lot easier than making a pumpkin pie, and it can be a great addition to a fall meal. I will say that anyone who is really looking forward to the traditional pumpkin pie after Thanksgiving dinner will probably have a fit if served a whole pumpkin, but that has more to do with respecting tradition than taste. But in the fall I’ve served this dessert to guests and it’s a tasty hit! And it’s easy.

The filling for this is sort of a cross between a custard and a souffle. It will rise a ton in the oven, but will fall as it is cooled, so serving it fresh is more impressive to guests. But even if it’s cooled it still looks and tastes great. I like to serve it hot with butter pecan ice cream. YUMS!

INGREDIENTS

A custard and a pat of butter are all that’s needed; the pumpkin does the rest.

Serves 4 to 6

  • 1 medium pie or sugar pumpkin (no, you can’t use a carving pumpkin…you need to find one of these small pie pumpkins)
  • 4 eggs (I used 6 small eggs from my hens, but if you’re using larger store-bought eggs, use 4)
  • 1 cup cream or raw, whole milk
  • 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon molasses
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp nutmeg
  • 1 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/4 tsp ground cloves
  • 1 tbls butter

INSTRUCTIONS

Heat your oven to 350F (375F if you’re at high altitude)

Cut the lid off your pumpkin and scrape the inside clean (don’t forget to save the seeds to roast)! Place it in a baking dish.

Combine all of your ingredients except the butter in a bowl, and mix with an electric mixer until well combined. Pour into your pumpkin and float the butter on top.

Bake for about 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until the custard is set (slide a knife into it to see if it’s set all the way through).

Remove from the oven and serve! To serve, use a large spoon to scoop out both the custard and the baked pumpkin flesh, making sure each person has plenty of pumpkin flesh. You can serve with whipped cream, but I find that butter pecan or butter brickle ice cream are wonderful accompaniments.

 
6 Comments

Posted by on September 30, 2012 in Holidays, Recipes

 

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