Bikes. bread and being a bitch...

On Sat we had a tight schedule with bike pick-ups; drop offs at Green Lee's (repair shop) chores, Hannah Rose's band practice, lunch, laundry and hopes to make it to the fair. I ran at 11 to Kroger’s and said "I'll be about half an hour can you help bring in the groceries?" Sure, great plan. "While I put them away and fix lunch you can pick up Hannah Rose" etc. etc. etc. ending with going to the fair about 1:30.

So promptly at 11:30 I return. No Ken no Josiah. Keys in the car door. Back door open, lights on. In the yard no Ken. Neighbors? Nope no Ken or Josiah. So I call no answer. I bring in the groceries, put them away fix lunch. Now it's 12:15 and I figure he went to get HR. At 1 still no Ken, no Josiah and now no HR. 1:15 she calls from the school, she's still there and the band director needs to leave. So I turn off the stove, run and get her. Come home still NO KEN....I call again.

Hannah Rose said something about him saying that he was fixing the fence when she called and SPOKE to him about being picked up. I run the sides of the fence. Nope still NO KEN....so about 2 hours later I realize the bike shop is going to close with Josiah's bike in it so I run off to Green Lees. As I speed around the corner I nearly run over a man dragging a half of a tree down the street.

You guessed it. Ken. So I pull over, wind down the window to really scream at him and after a few choice things are said I see Josiah and a 78 year old sweaty horrified Mrs. Wallace. Mrs. Wallace says "I'm so sorry I kept him too long; don't be mad since my husband died I have such a hard time keeping up with the place."

Great, I might as well be riding a broom. So Sunday I take over some homemade Sour Dough bread, peppers and tomatoes from our garden and ring the bell on Mrs. Wallace’s house. She is cowering as she answers the door. I hand her the bag and cheerfully apologize for chewing out The Husband in front of her. She launches into a speech about what a good man he is and how much he's helped her and how she misses Her Henry and how you don't know what you have until the man you love is gone. Then she tells me how dear the days are how you never know how much time you'll have and to make the most of it because you'll never get those Golden Days back.

By the time I left I was ready to cry and really needed a nice piece of homemade bread maybe topped with a home grown tomato. And a glass of wine.

Getting Started with Homemade sour dough bread:

Some of the best starters have been specifically developed to provide predictable results. Buying a tried-and-true starter is your best bet, although you can begin your own with very little trouble. Yeast and bacillus are everywhere in our environment, including the water and milled grains used to make most starters. It is possible to mix together just these two ingredients, and create a new starter in a number of days.

Recipes for Success

Regardless of the source of the yeast, there are a few things to keep in mind when making a starter from scratch.

·         Use non-chlorinated water: adding chlorine to your starter will almost certainly destroy the very organisms you are hoping to nurture. Use distilled or filtered water, or simply leave tap water open to the air for 24 hours to evaporate the chlorine.

·         Choose unprocessed grains such as whole wheat or rye flour for the best results when beginning a starter. You can switch to bread flour or all-purpose flour after the first few feedings.

·         Don't starve the yeast. This is a common mistake. Even if you do not see any activity, the starter must be fed every 24 hours in the beginning. Stop feeding the yeast, and you'll end up with a stinky gooey mess, as mold and "bad" bacteria take over your starter.

·         Store in a glass or ceramic container at room temperature, and cover with a loose-fitting lid or a piece of damp cheesecloth.

Maintaining Your Starter

Usually a feeding consists of stirring in amounts of flour and water equal to the amount of starter you have. For instance, if you have 2 cups of starter, stir in 2 cups flour and 2 cups water. This may have to be adjusted slightly to maintain the consistency.

Tips for Refrigerated Starters

Most home bakers store starter in the refrigerator. This slows down the growth of both the yeast and the bacillus. A refrigerator will keep your starter at temperatures between 36 and 38 degrees F (2 to 3 degrees C). Growth will slow quite a bit, but not completely.

·         Feed the starter right before placing in the refrigerator, and whip with a wire whisk to incorporate oxygen.

·         The starter will need to be fed once a week. If you will not be using it, discard half, measure, and feed accordingly.

The starter should be fed at least once, and allowed to reach peak activity before incorporating into a recipe. (This will take about 6 to 8 hours.) For the best flavor, some bakers recommend building the starter up with several feedings in order to bring the yeast and bacillus to the highest possible level of activity. Since there are many thousands of organisms per gram of starter, you can use very small amounts of starter in this process.

·         Remove 2 tablespoons from your starter, and mix with 1/2 cup flour and 1/2 cup water. Continue feeding at 6 hour intervals until you have made enough starter for your recipe.

·         After the first feeding, maintain a ratio of 1 part starter: 1 part flour:1 part water per feeding, effectively doubling the starter each time you feed it.

Whole Wheat Band Bake Sale Brownies

I ran into a fellow band booster at the high school Saturday and her question to me as I headed home with a very tired Josiah in tow cracked me up:  “Why are you leaving? Don’t you live here?”  Yeah, that about sums it up.

I try not to whine too much (or too loudly). Forgive me if it seems like I complain about band season.  I truly love band seeing the band at games and practices and watching the birds begin to fly south while I’m at the band field and running back and forth from the band fields to drop off bake sale goods and coming home from games to scarf down a quick meal so that we can head back to the band field again or packing food so we can eat during half time…

I’m serious.  Supporting Fulton sports teams and participating in the games with Hannah Rose is so stinking much fun!  I can’t stay away and if Fulton has away games, I try as hard as I can to watch the games on the TV sports hoping to catch a glimpse of her on the field. I’m so proud of her and her devotion to her fellow band members. Even if their new uniforms look like something from Star Trek.  

But yes, August through the end of October is just a little bit hectic for us.  I was actually trying to finish the Clean Office project I’m working on by November.  I’m pretty sure that is not going to happen.

So today, I’d like to give a little shout out to God.  We’re heading toward the end of September - and I’m still standing.  How about that?!  Through umpteen jars of apple butter, dozens of band games, countless bake sales and missing band socks - I am surviving. Better than that, I’m loving’ it. 

In honor of the Bake Sale I’m sharing my favorite brownie recipe:

Whole Wheat Brownie Recipe

Ingredients
3/4 cup cocoa
3/4 cup butter
2 cups sugar
2 to 4 eggs
1/2 t. cinnamon
2 t. vanilla
1 cup whole wheat flour 

Directions  Preheat oven to 350F  Melt butter and stir in cocoa. In a bowl mix together sugar salt flour. Add butter/cocoa. Stir in eggs and vanilla. Mix until all ingredients are blended. Pour into greased 9 inch cake pan. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until the sides of the brownie just start to pull away from the sides of the pan. Cool, then cut.

Cottage cheese lasagna

If like me you are a bit of a cheese fan then there is an alternative to the full fat hard cheese as a snack. Cottage cheese is not only delicious but also low fat so can be eaten without all the guilt of eating the full fat cheese. Cottage cheese can be mixed with sweet corn or chopped tomatoes, peas or any other chopped vegetables to bulk it out. My hubby likes his with pineapple. Cottage cheese is a cheap snacks option as you can buy quite large tubs for a fraction of the cost of normal cheese. I love mine in lasagna so much the time I made it with ricotta I didn’t like it!

3 Cheese Lasagna

Ingredients

• 1 (32 ounce) jar Spaghetti  Sauce (or make your own)
• 32 ounces cottage cheese
• 3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley
• salt to taste (if using)
• ground black pepper to taste
• 9 whole wheat lasagna noodles
• 1/2 cup water

Directions

1.    In a large skillet over medium heat  pasta sauce and simmer for 5 minutes.

2.    In a large bowl, mix together the cottage cheese, 2 cups of the mozzarella cheese, half of the grated Parmesan cheese, dried parsley, salt and ground black pepper.

3.    To assemble, in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish evenly spread 3/4 cup of the sauce mixture. Cover with 3 lasagna noodles, 1 3/4 cup of the cheese mixture, and 1/4 cup sauce. Repeat layers twice. Top with 3 noodles, remaining sauce, remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Add 1/2 cup water to the edges of the pan. Cover with aluminum foil.

4.    Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 10 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Will the real Vegetarian please stand up?

We eat too much meat for our own health, never mind our purse or the planet and many vegetarian recipes will taste just as good as any meat or fish meal. It helps to learn how to stretch the meat you eat with vegetable protein and to cook with low cost cuts of meat. Frugal cooking is all about making more with less, saving energy and reducing carbon emissions whilst enjoying a good wholesome diet. My mother is a complete vagan and on and off we’re tried that but come back to poultry, dairy and fish. Currently we’re trying new recipes and foods to introduce to our family. Partly to have simply more veggies and fiber on the table we’re including more meatless meals. Sometimes it’s confusing as to who eats what…or who eats who I guess. So here’s some guidelines to review:

Types of Vegetarian Diets

Most vegetarian diets will fall into one of the following categories:

·         Semi-vegetarian (sometimes called “flexitarian”) is the least restrictive. Semi-vegetarians eat mostly a plant-based diet, along with milk, milk products, eggs, and occasionally small amounts of chicken and/or fish.

·         Lacto-ovo-vegetarians eat a plant-based diet, along with milk, milk products, and eggs. Legumes (dry beans, peas, and lentils), soy products, nuts, and seeds are eaten for protein instead of animal sources.

·         Lacto-vegetarians include milk and milk products in their diet, as well as all plant-based foods.

·         Ovo-vegetarians include eggs in their diet, as well as all plant-based foods.

·         Vegan is the most restrictive of all vegetarian diets and includes only plant-based foods.

So what do you do with 2 picky kids who don’t really even LIKE veggies? You start with snack. It’s small, it’s fun and you don’t fear them starving since you know that they’ve already had 3 squares a day. At my house snack is optional before bedtime and since we’ve never offered sugary gunk it’s an easy opportunity to add some more healthy stuff. You can see we’ve opted to keep the dairy in our diet.

Here’s what we have for the next 2 weeks for snack on our Menu Plan:

½ oz. cheddar cheese served with:

Any type of grain/bread, such as ½ toasted mini bagel; or ½ oz. whole wheat crackers (4 crackers); or melted on ½ whole wheat pita pocket

Any type of vegetable, such as ½ cup lightly steamed carrots and broccoli or ½ cup carrot and celery sticks

Any type of fruit, such as ½ cup apple slices or ½ cup pear slices

½ oz. mozzarella cheese served with:

Any type or grain bread, such as melted onto ½ toasted English muffin with 2 Tablespoons of tomato sauce for a mini-pizza

1 oz. low-fat cottage cheese served with:

Any type of grain/bread, such as ½ oz. graham crackers (2 crackers) or ½ oz. whole wheat crackers (4 crackers)

Any type of fruit, such as ½ cup pineapple tidbits or ½ cup of diced peaches

1 Tbsp. peanut butter served with:

Any type of grain/bread, such as ½ slice whole wheat bread or ½ oz. pretzels for dipping

Any type of fruit/vegetable, such as ½ cup apple slices; or ½ cup celery sticks; or spread on a banana half and sprinkled with 1 Tablespoon of granola ½ hard-boiled egg served with:

Any type of grain/bread, such as ½ slice toasted whole wheat bread or ½ toasted bagel

Any type of fruit, such as ½ cup fresh orange sections or ½ cup Carrot-Raisin Salad ¼ cup pureed black beans served with:

Any type of grain/bread, such as ½ oz. toasted whole wheat pita bread or spread on ½ oz. toasted tortilla triangles with 2 Tablespoons salsa

Pumpkin Muffins

Serving dinner rolls to help stretch your food budget is smart, but putting muffins on your table is even better.  I know many people who will pass up a regular dinner roll but will help themselves to a couple flavorful muffins when they are passed around the table.  These are easy and inexpensive to make and will stretch your food budget without anyone noticing – or caring! It’s beginning to feel like fall here in Knoxville, in the mornings when it’s cool at least. Personally I will buy a pumpkin and roast it but it’s not quite the season yet and I purged the freezer so I’m using canned pumpkin here this time.

So here’s one to try-

Pumpkin Muffins

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups raisins
• 4 3/4 cups (all-purpose) whole wheat or white wheat flour
• 4 cups white sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons nutmeg
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves
• 6 eggs
• 1 (29 ounce) can pumpkin
• 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions

1.    Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease three 12 cup muffin pans, or line with paper muffin liners. Soak raisins in hot water for ten minutes to plump, then drain.

2.    In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, and ground cloves. In a separate bowl, mix the eggs, pumpkin, and applesauce, until smooth. Add this mixture to the dry ingredients and stir thoroughly to make a smooth batter. Stir the raisins and walnuts into the batter. Spoon batter into the prepared muffin cups.

3.    Bake for 30 to 35 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Veggie "chicken" broth

We're not red meat eaters at my house. I was raised by a vegan but married a man that probably would have eaten the family pet if hungry enough. So we do eat dairy, chicken, fish etc. But these days we're trying to reduce out the amount of meat we eat for a lot of reasons, moral and carbon foot print being two of them.

Let me share my final secret ingredient here for a successful vegetable broth that looks like chicken broth and tastes rich and wonderful.  Olive oil! Yes, with olive oil in your vegetable broth and you won’t miss the chicken!

Roasted vegetable broth

Ingredients

• 1 pound celery
• 1 1/2 pounds sweet onions
• 1 pound carrots, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 pound tomatoes, cored
• 1 pound green bell pepper, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 bay leaf
• 6 whole black peppercorns
• 1 bunch fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 gallon water

Directions

1.    Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

2.    Remove leaves and tender inner parts of celery and set aside.

3.    Toss onions, carrots, tomatoes, bell peppers with olive oil. Place vegetables in a roasting pan and place them in the hot oven. Stir the vegetables every 15-20 minutes. Cook until all of the vegetables have browned and the onions start to caramelize, this will take about one hour.

4.    Put the browned vegetables, celery, garlic, cloves, bay leaf, pepper corns, Italian parsley and water into a large stock pot. Bring to a full boil. Reduce heat to simmer. Cook uncovered until liquid is reduced by half.

5.    Pour the broth through a colander, catching the broth in a large bowl or pot. The liquid caught in the bowl or pot is your vegetable broth it can be used immediately or stored for later use.

An awful experience at Aldi's

I had heard from friends that an Aldi grocery store was a little different from the typical grocery store. I knew ahead of time that I would need my own grocery bags or would have to purchase Aldi grocery bags. One negative to shopping at ALDI is that they do not provide bags for the customers. This is one way that they keep their costs down. There are bags for sale at the cash register if you must use them. You are welcome to bring your own bags, boxes, baskets or crates to put your groceries in. This is no big deal we’ve been using cloth shopping bags for years and even spoke with the Save A Lot manager when we stared since the staff had no idea what I was doing when we started. Once your groceries have been scanned by the cashier and paid for, simply go to the bagging area and put your groceries in the proper holding spaces.

I also knew they kept the grocery shopping carts locked together outside. A quarter would be needed to unlock the shopping carts. Okay, I was ready for my first Aldi grocery shopping experience. Sadly however I didn’t find the store to offer anything Save A Lot didn’t and then they lost 100 points in my eyes, the staff were rude to me. There was no bagging area at the store I went to and when I tried to move my cart aside for the next person to check out the cashier put her foot out to stop the cart. So there I was attempting to put my change in my purse, bag up my groceries and the lady behind me nudging me with her cart. When I questioned why I was being held back. The cashier was downright nasty. I doubt the store telephone numbers are unlisted ONLY to avoid needing an employee to answer the phone.

So in honor of the sweet friendly staff at the 2 Save A Lots’ I shop at frequently I give you:

Fruit Cobbler

21 ounce can of fruit pie filling

1 ¼ cups Ginger Evans baking mix

1 Tbsp. sugar

¼ cup sAVE a Lot milk

¼ cup sour cream

With oven at 425 F, grease 1 ½ quart casserole. Heat pie filling to boiling in saucepan. Pour into casserole.  Mix remaining ingredients until moistened, stir vigorously for 30 seconds. Drop spoonfuls to cover over most of the fruit. Bake for 20 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown. Makes six servings.