As I prepare for the holidays, I can't forget Bob's favorite gingersnaps! I like to make a batch and freeze it when I happen to have a jar of molasses in the cupboard. I will take them with me to Bob's for Christmas Eve. Bob got this recipe from a local chef named John, and they really are the best ginger snaps I have ever tasted. As you can see, I baked up a batch just to be sure I got the recipe right! ;) The rest will go into the freezer to have on hand for quick holiday gifts and gatherings. This recipe makes about 100 cookies or so!
As I prepare for the holidays, I can't forget Bob's favorite gingersnaps! I like to make a batch and freeze it when I happen to have a jar of molasses in the cupboard. I will take them with me to Bob's for Christmas Eve. Bob got this recipe from a local chef named John, and they really are the best ginger snaps I have ever tasted. As you can see, I baked up a batch just to be sure I got the recipe right! ;) The rest will go into the freezer to have on hand for quick holiday gifts and gatherings. This recipe makes about 100 cookies or so!
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Every year I would create a new kind of chutney and send it to Little Honey for Christmas. She would always rave to me about it later. (Except for last year, when I added too much chipotle pepper for an extra spicy variety!) Even though she won’t be celebrating the holidays this year, I just can’t bring myself to break this tradition of my chutney being on my foster family’s table. There is something deeply relaxing about creating food for people I love. I like to have music on while preparing food, so I put on a Stan Getz album with extra Brazilian flair and did a little dancing while I cooked. I peeled the apples in continuous, satisfying, unbroken ribbons. Bonsai waited anxiously for me to drop little pieces of apple for him to enjoy. It’s gray and gloomy outside, but in here it smells like apples, cinnamon and spices. To me, it’s the smell of love. M’s Merry Chutney 2 large oriental pears, peeled and diced 3 small green apples, peeled and diced 1/3 small yellow onion, diced 2 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated (approximately 1 TBSP) ¼ cup sugar ¼ cup brown sugar ½ tsp cinnamon ¼ tsp white pepper ¼ tsp ground cardamom ¼ tsp ground nutmeg grate 1/2 of one organic lemon juice from 1/2 of one organic lemon 1/3 cup vinegar All ingredients together in a pan to mingle happily and fill the house with magical smells! Bring to boil, then cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Stir occasionally and add more water if needed, to keep ingredients moist. Things to do with chutney: -Little Honey always just served it with meat or turkey -Add chutney tuna or egg salad for a unique twist -Put chutney inside a cheese omelet: YUM! -Mix into cream cheese and spread onto crackers or into celery. Today I made spiced berry jam. I used marionberries from my yard, but any berry will work. Here is the recipe I used: This blackberry jam is prepared without using the commercially available pectin. A good friend of mine, found a way to make this jam, making use of the natural pectin found in apple and lemon. And here goes the recipe for that ..... Ingredients 1 cup - Mashed berries1/2 of an apple, finely grated1 tbsp - Lemon juice1/2 to 3/4 cup - Sugar Method 1 ) To a saucepan add all the ingredients listed. On a medium high heat, stir and cook for 1o minutes. As seen in the picture below, the ingredients will cook up and a foaming layer comes up. Now lower the heat to medium and continue cooking for 20 minutes. All the water will start evaporating by 15 -20 minutes of cooking. Cook till thick bubbles start forming. As seen in the second picture. The jam will thicken up and will be semi-liquid. Turn off the stove. 2 ) After the jam cools down a bit and when still warm pour the jam into sterilized glass jars. In the glass jar the jam will settle down and thicken up even more, when it has completely cooled down. 3 ) Store in the refrigerator after completely cooling down. Spread some on your bread or on your roti and taste this jam. Note : If you do not like the seeds of the blackberry in the jam, you can strain it using a Foley food mill. I know, I know! Who the heck would want to eat a pickled watermelon rind? Nevertheless, I have always wondered about this old fashioned concoction. Sometimes it's just fun to satisfy your curiosity, ya know? I had a wonderful organic watermelon this summer and saved the rinds in the freezer. I sliced the ginger thick, so these turned out really hot and spicy. I am definitely a fan. I also love the way they look in the sun, don't you? I used this recipe from Martha Stewart Living: I have a friend who has a lot of trouble with sleeping, so I'm stuffing her stocking this year with lots of relaxing things like an eye mask, lavender tea, lavender pillow spray, and some of this sleepy time tincture. All it is is lavender from my garden and vodka. Alcohol should not come into contact with metal, so I put some waxed paper between the lid and the can. Just let it sit in a sunny window and shake it once a day. It should be ready in 6-8 weeks, then strain it and put it into a dropper bottle. One dropper-full should be enough to get a good night of sleep. Tinctures provide a more concentrated way of taking advantage of the herbal compounds. As you can see by the color of this, the alcohol begins extracting the herb immediately.
I also like to make echinacea tincture at this time of year for the coming cold and flu season. Making it is just as easy as this sleepy time tincture. With most tinctures, it's a ratio of 1 part dried ground herbs to 3 parts vodka steeped for 6-8 weeks. I used to grow my own echinacea and used the dried leaves, stems and flowers, but now I buy it at the herb store. It's nice to be able to take something like this to a friend when they are sick, because I made it myself and it really works! I use it myself too, and I never have to go to the doctor! (I also eat an apple a day!) I'm convinced that natural healing is the way to go. Last year I got off of all prescription meds and it's made a huge difference in my life, health and energy level. PS: Bill I would love to send you some Sleepy Time tincture One of the things I really love about Christmas is creating homemade gifts for people. Around this time every year, I start canning and creating goodies for holiday gifts. I am very blessed to have fruit trees on my property, so every year I make different jams, chutneys and sometimes even wines!
My dad used to can and make liquors and wines, and even gifted me with the recipe book he always used. I started doing these old-fashioned hobbies as a way to keep my dad's spirit alive in my life. It brings sweet memories to mind, and sweet smells to my nose! Who wouldn't feel special receiving something made by hand with love? It's a gift to me and to them, because I have fun doing it! For the next several days, I intend to create some homemade stocking stuffers for my friends, and I will share the recipes here. I know it's early, but the holidays are so much more enjoyable without all that rushing around! ;) Here’s the first recipe: Homemade Kahlua: 1 qt water 2 1/2 cups sugar 3 TBSP instant coffee 1 TBSP vanilla 2 1/2 cups vodka Boil water, coffee and sugar. Reduce to a low simmer for 3 hours, stirring occasionally. Let the coffee syrup cool, then add vanilla and vodka. *You can create unique blends by adding things like vanilla bean, cinnamon sticks, or maple syrup. Pour kahlua into a sterilized bottle and cap tightly. (I sterilize bottles by pouring boiling water into them) *It's also nice to include a cocktail recipe with your kahlua when giving it as a gift! Here's a recipe I came up with: M's Almond Joy 1/4 cup kahlua 1 cup almond milk 1 ice cube with a swirl of chocolate syrup on top That's right, I'm already thinking of Christmas! I thoroughly dislike the mad rush of the holidays. Getting my gifts done ahead-of-time allows me to be less Grinchy when December comes, which is a gift to the world. Haha! Also, my birthday is in December, so I like to have all of my gifts done by Dec. 16th! (Mark your calenders now! haha!) I have a friend named Bob who is a total bachelor. We've known each other for about 10 years after working at the local food bank together. Neither one of us has much in the way of family, so for the past few years we seem to get together and hang out on Christmas Eve. Stockings have always been my favorite part about Christmas, so I decided to make Bob a stocking out of an old pair of overalls I had. I think it made a fairly manly-looking stocking, don't you? The flower is for "flower power." Bob is an old hippie full of many tales of adventure from his young and crazy days in the 60's. I got these overalls back when I was having wild and crazy times of my own, living in a place called "Hippie Holler" in Tennessee. He is also a cat lover, but doesn't have a cat of his own anymore. My cat sat next to me the entire time I made this stocking just a'purring so loud and contented, adding his own sweet kitty blessing for Bob. For the next several days I will be sharing recipes for a homemade Christmas. I like to do a lot of canning at this time of year, and then give them as gifts for the holidays. Even if you aren't into Christmas, these are good old fashioned recipes that are fun and interesting to prepare. Enjoy! It's a gray and brisk October 1st here: the perfect day for pancakes! Some of my best childhood memories are of Saturday morning pancakes with my dad. My dad made the best pancakes! He came up with all of these really cool combos, like pancakes with bananas and salted sunflower seed kernels cooked in. YUM! In fact, he took his love of pancakes to a whole other level: he even made his own maple syrup from the sugar maples at our woodlot! My dad's birthday was in October, and he loved autumn, so he is on my mind today. I made pancakes for breakfast in his memory, and I thought I would gift you with my recipe for oatmeal pancakes! I originally got the recipe from Vanessa Valencia here: http://afancifultwist.typepad.com/ (Her blog is infinitely inspiring and one of my favs!) I made a few slight changes to the recipe, and now I have what I think is the best dang pancake recipe ever! Try it and tell me what you think! I hope you love it! (If you have a family, double or triple the recipe because this only makes 6 pancakes. I usually eat 3 and then freeze 3 for later.) M's Oat Pancakes 1/2 cup old-fashioned oats 3/4 cup buttermilk or yogurt 1/8 cup + 1 TBSP flour 1/2 tsp vanilla 1/2 TBSP brown sugar 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp nutmeg 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1 egg Blend all ingredients in a blender. Cook over medium heat in a bit of oil. Flip pancakes when bubbles appear. |
AuthorHi! I'm Marguerite Bryant, but most folks just call me "M." This blog will be a place to share my musings and inspirational ideas. Categories
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