The Secret life of a Milk-brain Mama

Hands-free blogging

2011-10-26T20:10:00.000-04:00

Does it exist? 'Cause mine are full!

Monique's Salsa

2010-09-06T22:40:00.000-04:00

This recipe seems to have made the rounds - I copied it down from Leslie's fridge, then Sandy and I made it (she had it too). It sure is yummy!

Salsa

10 c. diced Roma tomatoes, skin on (3l basket)

2 lg onions, diced
2 green peppers, diced (I used red)
1 jalapeno, diced (seeded for less spicy salsa) (We kept the seeds from 1/2 - 1 pepper for Medium-hot.)
1 banana pepper, diced (same - remove seeds for less heat)
4 cloves garlic, diced
1 Tb coarse salt
13 oz can tomato paste
1 cup fresh chopped cilantro
1/4 cup chopped fresh oregano
2 Tb sugar
1 cup vinegar
1 Tb lime juice

Mix all except tomatoes in a pot.
Simmer on low 20 minutes.
Add tomatoes, mix and remove from heat.
Fill sterilized jars and put on lids.
Can 20 minutes. (Can also freeze instead of canning.)
Makes about 12 cups.

Dill Pickles

2010-08-10T23:04:00.000-04:00

Mom & Dad are here. Went to St. Jacob's mkt today. Picked up a 1/2 bushel of pickling dills (the size I like - 3-4"). It made 20 qts. I think it was 3 batches of brine (1 c salt, 3 c vinegar and 12 c water). Dill, a clove of garlic and cucumbers in ea. jar. Lids are popping now!

Mama's taking us to the zoo tommorrow!

2010-02-11T15:24:00.004-05:00

The Toronto Zoo is having a Family Day Contest. Here's our cheesy entry:

"Mom, do wolves swim?"
"What's your favourite raptor?"
"Which do you like better, caimans or alligators?"

It's questions like these,
and many beside,
that lead me to wonder
if we shouldn't reside
IN THE ZOO!

It's Lego creations
of foxes and birds,
of beavers and moose
that we've seen, smelled and heard
IN THE ZOO

It's playmobil worlds
of penguins and seals,
otters and caimans,
lizards and eels
(just like)
IN THE ZOO

It's drawings and sketches
of stingrays and sharks,
colourful barbets,
eagles and larks
IN THE ZOO

Perhaps complete habitation
is a bit much to ask
so with membership in hand
we'll continue to bask
IN THE ZOO!

With friendly volunteers
and helpful zoo keepers
we learn more of the animals;
our friendships grow deeper
IN THE ZOO

p.s.

But Mommy!

Don't forget the -

cichlids, macaws, bats and ardvarks,
the octopus, tamarin, camels, and sharks.
The turtles, racoons, elk, and sea horses;
the hippos, the leopards and rhinoceroses.

And the great horned owl! And the giraffes! And tigers and zebras and all the laughs...

As you can see
It's time that we
get back
IN THE ZOO!

Mix a pancake, Stir a pancake, Pop it in the pan

2010-02-10T18:21:00.003-05:00

I got this recipe for whole grain waffles from my friend Christine. They are delicious, and taste like they're made with white flour! I like waffles better than pancakes, but since my waffle iron's non-stick coating started peeling we threw it out and I have yet to find a replacement. In the meantime, it's pancakes!

Blender Batter Pancakes or Waffles

2 c. Buttermilk or Milk with 1T yogurt
1/2 c. Whole Millet
1/2 c. Whole Brown Rice
1/2 c. whole Oats
1/2 c. Soft Wheat Berries or other grain
3 Tbsp. Oil or butter
1-2 Eggs
1 t. Baking Powder
1/2 t. Salt
1/4 t. Baking Soda

Place milk, oil/butter and grains in blender. Blend at highest speed for 4 minutes. If the mixture does not hold a vortex, add a bit more milk. Cover this and let soak overnight or proceed to next step Add eggs and blend 1 minute. Add baking powder, salt and baking soda and blend briefly to mix in leavenings. Prepare pancakes or waffles from batter.

Yummy with canned peaches, frozen blueberries (warmed :) or (and!) maple syrup.

When the Pie was Opened, the Birds Began to Sing

2010-02-09T21:45:00.002-05:00

I don't know about you, but singing birds in a pie sounds like a KITCHEN DISASTER to me.

(OK, ok, I know it was probably planned that way - tres gourmet.) While not quite disasters I've had a few kitchen experiments that will not be repeated.

Like tonight. Tried this Coconut sweet potato pie that sounded quite yummy. General consensus was that the whip cream was good. (And that part wasn't even in the recipe!) Mind you, I had tinkered w/ it slightly as I'm not a huge coconut fan. I used whole goats milk in place of the coconut milk, didn't sprinkle any coconut on top, and used butter instead of the coconut oil. And I even added extra maple syrup (1/4 cup instead of 3 Tbsp). Maybe it'll taste good for breakfast...

[Also tonight I let the bread rise too long and followed the broccoli soup recipe more accurately than usual - people complained that it wasn't "as good as it usually is". I suppose that could be taken as a complement...]

Other recent disappointments include crackers made from yogurt dough and almond energy bars. (Mind you, I sprouted the almonds first. Maybe that wasn't such a great idea.)

My "Flaky Cookies" were not bad (they actually received some positive comments - not from the kids though - but I thought they were a bit crumbly. Likely the rice flour.

Flaky Cookies

Cream:
1 cup butter, softened
scant 1 c. brown sugar

Stir in:
1/4-1/2 c. maple syrup
2 eggs

Mill:
1/3 c. brown sweet rice
1/3 c. millet
scant 1/3 c. wheat

Stir into flour:
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

Add:
1 1/4 c. quick oats
3/4 c. quinoa flakes
(and 1/4 cup of all purpose flour as things seemed too wet!)

Stir in:
3/4-1 cup m&ms
3/4 c chocolate chips
1/2-3/4 c. chopped pecans

Bake 350F for about 10 min.

What has turned out recently? A double batch of Marie's Yummy Pumpkin Muffins disappeared in 2 days!

Pat-A-Cake, Pat-A-Cake

2010-01-23T18:21:00.002-05:00

Baker's man, bake me a biscuit as fast as you can!

Tonight with our soup (potato, made with the left-over mashed potatoes from Christmas - they had been frozen - and turkey stock - also from the freezer) I attempted biscuits once again. Now, I like making bread, but sometimes you need something a little quicker. And despite some rather unsuccessful attempts at making biscuits in the past (with a variety of recipes) I thought I'd try once more.
[I bought some new baking powder over Christmas (Magic) as I was beginning to suspect that my baking powder was making everything taste horrible. I think that might indeed have been the case.]
This time Ann's Granny's Biscuit Recipe was my inspiration. After modifications (cut sugar in 1/2, omit raisins as my kids would complain, and use 1/2 whole grains) the biscuits that resulted...were DELICIOUS! I think I will make these again.

Multigrain biscuits

1 cup grain: 1/3 wheat, 1/3 brown rice, 1/3 millet

1.5 cups flour

1/4 cup sugar

2 1/2 tbsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup butter

1 egg

1 cup milk

1. Grind grain (1 o'clock on Nutrimill)

2.Combine flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Cut butter in until mixture has a fine crumb texture.

3. Beat 1 egg in 1 cup (+ 1 Tb?) of milk. Stir in milk with a fork to make a soft dough. Knead a few times.

4. Roll out on floured surface to a thickness of at least 1/2 inch to 1 inch.

5. Cut into rounds with a cookie cutter or glass.

6. Place on stone baking pan, and bake at 350 F for 18 to 20 minutes.

Enjoy!

Here Comes a Cabbage

2010-01-18T22:57:00.003-05:00

Tried this creamy coleslaw recipe for a family event. Must've been alright, as we didn't bring any home!

Creamy Coleslaw

Using food processor, grate:
2 T onion,
2 large carrots, and
1 head cabbage

For dressing, whisk together:
3/4 cup mayo
2 T plain yogurt (or a bit more)
2 T sugar
2 T vinegar
1 T dry mustard (or a bit less, 2-2.5 tsp?)
1/2 t salt

In a large bowl, combine grated ingredients, then add dressing and mix well.
Voila!

Great A, little a, bouncing B

2010-01-03T14:46:00.000-05:00

Ev (4.5 yrs) received a new doll for Christmas. Commenting on the doll's hair style (a smooth bun) she said, "I think the author did it like that, right?"

You Can't Catch Me...!

2010-01-01T22:17:00.000-05:00

I had limited time for Christmas baking this year, so after polling my family to find out which treats were 'must-haves' decided on Gingerbread people, and sugar cookies. (The kids like decorating the sugar cookies.) For the sugar cookies we used the 'Rich sugar cookie' recipe in the Joy of Cooking (actually, Abi made those) - with the butter they're almost like a cross between a sugar cookie and a shortbread, which was fine since I didn't get to the shortbread! For the gingerbread, I used this recipe, and really liked it.

Gingerbread Cookies

3 c. flour
3/4 tsp baking soda

2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves

1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 cup white sugar

1 large egg
2/3 cup molasses

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, salt, baking soda and spices. Set aside.

Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and molasses and beat until well combined. Gradually add the flour mixture beating until incorporated.

Divide the dough in half, and wrap each half in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least two hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 F and place rack in center of oven. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside while you roll out the dough.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a thickness of about 1/4 inch. Use a gingerbread cutter to cut out the cookies. With an offset spatula lift the cut out cookies onto the baking sheet, placing the cookies about 1 inch (2.54 cm) apart. If you are hanging the cookies or using as gift tags, make a hole at the top of the cookies with a straw or end of a wooden skewer.

Bake for about 6-10 minutes depending on the size of the cookies. Small ones will take about 6 minutes, larger cookies will take about 10 (-12) minutes. They are done when they are firm and the edges are just beginning to brown.

Remove the cookies from the oven and cool on the baking sheet for about 1 minute. When they are firm enough to move, transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. When cool, pipe icing eyes, mouth and buttons. Enjoy!

Tibbitts and Bibbitts and Solomon Sly

2009-09-24T22:30:00.000-04:00

I figured if I kept a record here of the canning I did this year, next year I won't have to go rifling through my recipe cupboard looking for the old envelope with the recipe I want on it! This is the first time I've made Mom's relish, but here it is:

Mom's Cucumber Relish

(1) 8 large cucumbers (12 cups chopped??)
12 onions (mom uses less; I think I used 11 this time, 'cause that's what I had)
2 green peppers
2 red peppers (I used 2 yellow, an orange and a red pepper)

1/2 c. salt

(3) 5 c. vinegar
6 c. sugar (I scooped about 3/4 of a cup for ea. 'cup')
1 Tbsp mustard seed
1 Tbsp celery seed (didn't have!)

(2) 1 Tbsp turmeric
3 Tbsp dry mustard
3/4 c. flour

- Cut off ends of cucs.
- Put (1) through chopper (I used the chopper blade on my food processor. If I didn't overfill the bowl it worked best.)
- Sprinkle with salt. Add 5 cups of water.
Let stand 1 hour. Drain well.

Mix (2) with a little vinegar.
Heat (3). Add (2) and cook until smooth.
Add veggies and cook 20 min. Put in hot sterilized jars and process.

Makes about 10 pints.

Each Peach Pear Plum

2009-09-24T22:13:00.000-04:00

OK, so I just made a batch of "Summer Salsa" from the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving. It said I'd get six 500mL jars (pints) but I ONLY GOT 4! I feel cheated, somehow, although it is very tasty. I even carefully followed quantities (much more carefully than usual, anyway). Instead of 3-4 jalapeno peppers I used one chinese five pepper (it was purple), and I don't think I used a full 1/2 cup of honey, but that's not 2 pints worth of salsa! Anyway, here's the recipe:

Summer Salsa

4 cups chopped cored peeled tomatoes (drained)
2 cups chopped pitted peeled peaches
2 cups chopped cored peeled pears
1 red bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped (I used 3 from our CSA b/c they were small)
1 cup chopped red onion (I used white)
3-4 jalapeno peppers, seeded and finely chopped (as mentioned above, I used one pepper, but b/c it was rather small - approx 1/2 the size of a jalapeno - I used the whole thing, seeds and all.)
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 cup liquid honey (I used 2 soup-spoonfuls)
Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon (didn't have - used zest from one orange and a squirt of lemon juice)
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp finely chopped fresh mint

1. Prep canner, jars and lids.
2. In lg pot, combine tomatoes, peaches, pears, red pepper, onion and hot peppers. Bring to a boil over med-high heat, stirring constantly (or frequently ;) Add cilantro, honey, lemon zest and juice, vinegar and mint. Reduce heat and boil gently, stirring often, until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.
3. Ladle hot salsa into hot jars, leaving 1 cm (1/2 in) headspace. ...
Process for 20 min (pint size); 15 min for 250mL jars.

Pat-a-cake, Pat-a-cake

2009-09-05T18:58:00.000-04:00

So the peach galette was delicious! I wanted to take a picture, but dh had the camera on their canoe trip. I also made a batch of spiced peach preserves which are quite yummy. The kids like a tsp mixed into some plain yogurt. I think it will be good on waffles too (or toast!)

A Dainty Dish

2009-09-05T18:17:00.000-04:00

To continue the food theme (since I've done nothing but eat ever since May ;)
this is what I've been up to in the kitchen lately:

First, or rather, most recently, is the "meal" that Ev & I just enjoyed together (Dh has the eldest 2 camping this weekend). It was a case of wanting something good to eat, but quickly and without much effort. (I realize that that could describe most nights, but somehow it's different when there are only 2 of you instead of 5-6). Looking for inspiration I ventured down to the basement to mine our deep freeze. Thus, our "dinner" consisted of: asian steam buns (left over from when the girls from Taiwan were staying with us earlier this summer), swiss chard from our CSA (frozen a couple of weeks ago), and (drum roll, please!) cheese-ball omelette, made with some left-over cheese ball sent home with us from my cousin's wedding. (I really wasn't sure what we were going to do with half a large cheese ball, but this was quite tasty.)

And, still to come, fresh peach galette. (OK, I realize that to some this might not qualify as "fast and easy", but you need to understand that I came home from the market today with 7 litres of seconds (peaches) today - because the 1/2 bushel that I received from a friend yesterday is obviously not enough - and there was a ball of leftover pastry sitting in the fridge from when dh baked me a pie. So, it was pretty quick and easy.)

Over the moon

2009-07-17T21:25:00.000-04:00

I'm tired, but content.
I've got great kids, a wonderful husband, good food to eat and a book to keep me up late at night. What more could a gal want?

Recent reads include:
Evelina, by Fanny Burney (I think this is one of my favourite novels.)
Cecelia, also by F. Burney (You know how sometimes you get to the end of a great book and wish it would continue? Well this is what it would be like if it did. It continues. And continues. For almost 1000 pages. Took me almost a week to get through!)
The Paradox of Choice, by Barry Schwartz. Interesting. I'm still only 1/2 way through, but already I can see the wisdom of being satisfied with "good enough" for things that really don't matter.
My Family and Other Animals, by Gerald Durrell. I picked this up at Value Village and found myself laughing out loud at several of his stories. Grabbed another of his from the library and was disappointed to find it contained more 'adult content'. Oh well.

Home again, home again, jiggety jig

2009-05-06T12:49:00.000-04:00

Our family has just returned from an absolutely wonderful vacation. Dh is on parental leave, so we were able to take just over 3 weeks for a trek out west. First we flew to Saskatoon and spent a week with my parents over Easter. 2 of my brothers and their families were able to come out for the weekend and we had a fabulous time together. It was the first time my Mom had all of her grandkids in one place. Fun!

For stage 2 of our journey dh's parents flew out to join us and we all took the train from Saskatoon to Vancouver. The kids loved the train; anything that lets you walk around instead of being strapped into a car seat is a great way to travel.

We spent two nights in Vancouver (at the Cascadia - with a pool and a delicious buffet breakfast we quite enjoyed our stay) where the Vancouver Aquarium was a definite highlight. Then it was on to the ferry and over to Vancouver Island. Five fabulous nights were spent in Ucluelet. The weather was perfect, and the kids had a blast exploring tidal pools and collecting sea stars, hermit crabs, clams etc. for their own "touch tank" - a bucket which we carried back to our cabin and changed the sea water in daily.

Dh rented a surfboard and wetsuit to taste the waves while A, her grandma and I headed out on "a three hour tour" (you have to sing that part) to see a humpback whale enjoying some spring krill.

We spent a night in Victoria, and one just up the coast in Sooke before heading back to the mainland to visit friends in Abbotsford and Vancouver before flying back home. What a wonderful vacation! Thank you, God, for your many blessings.

(If you'd like to see more pictures of our trip, contact me and I'll send you the link to our web album :)

Snowdrop sighting!

2009-03-18T21:35:00.000-04:00

OK, I don't know about you, but those first flowers of spring are worth celebrating. Yesterday as I helped the eldest with her paper route I noticed some small white flowers growing beside a doorway one street over from ours. Today, we grabbed our nature notebooks (first time since last fall, I think), some pencils, and headed over. I loved the drawings all three of them did (no bias here ;) and when we came home and looked up the name of the flower, sure enough, they're snowdrops. I'll have to scan in the kids' sketches soon.
Thank you, God, for Spring!

Mom, why do some wolves swim?

2009-03-04T09:35:00.000-05:00

I dunno.

We can't always know everything. No, the truth is that I was busy doing something else, and that was my automatic response in an attempt to maintain my train of thought. Worth it? Probably not. But he'll survive.

Down the drain??

2009-02-21T10:09:00.000-05:00

Okay, so I attempted a slightly longer post last week (or was it a couple of weeks ago?)...but, of course, the effort was an interrupted one (like everything in my life these days). So I clicked on the 'save now' button. And now I want to know...where did it go?!

And bring us a loaf in the morn

2009-02-07T14:39:00.000-05:00

Hey! Here it is - I found it! (the lost post)

Dh bought me a grain mill for Christmas! It was something that I had been wanting for years, but a couple of things were stopping me:
a) the price tag
b) I liked the idea of milling my own flour, but would I actually stick with it?
c) I didn't really want another kitchen appliance that needed cleaning (I hate cleaning).

So I kept putting it off. And then, in December, our automatic bread maker started making funny noises. In hindsight I think it was just that I was trying to make a loaf of 'rapid french' bread that was too dry and the machine was working too hard.

Anyway, dh (wonderful man that he is) suggested that maybe he should get me a new mixer for Christmas. I think he was thinking one of those flashy kitchenaid that are advertised everywhere these days. (If it's in Canadian Tire, it must be good, eh? ;) After much research on my part I discovered the Electrolux DLX (I had been trying to make heads and tails of the kitchenaid vs. Bosch debate, but that's another post.) In the end, I decided that what I really wanted was a grain mill. For now, I use my bread maker to mix the dough, and then bake it in the oven.

After much experimenting, this is now my "regular" bread recipe. (For excellent instructions, and the original source of the recipe, see the real life home.)

Bread Recipe (for 2 lb breadmaker)

Grind 2 cups of hard wheat.

Meanwhile, place in bread machine pan:
1 1/2 cups water
2 Tbsp honey or sugar
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 tsp salt

By this time the mill will be long done. Dump the flour on top of the wet ingredients and top with:

2 Tbsp gluten
1 1/2 tsp yeast

Place bread pan in machine, set to 'dough mode' and press start. As the machine starts blending the ingredients, add:

approx. 1 c unbleached all-purpose flour
(recently I've been using a.p. spelt as we had run out of wheat flour)

Check the dough a few times during the first few minutes of mixing to see if you need to add a bit more flour. Basically you want it to form a nice smooth ball, and clean the sides of the pan. If it is too dry your machine will have a hard time kneading it (and may make funny noises!) and the dough won't rise very well. If it is too wet it will be all sticky (when you are trying to shape the loaf) and could over-rise. [I once tried a loaf that was obviously TOO wet - I thought it would just be nice and moist. Well, I forgot it when it was rising and the thing ROSE all over the edges of the pan and all over the bottom of the oven. BIG MESS.] Better to err on the slightly-wet side.

When the dough cycle is complete, dump in lightly greased pan (or shape nicely, if you prefer :) and bake in 350 F oven for 30 min.

Yum.

Upstairs, downstairs and in my lady's chamber

2009-02-04T16:34:00.000-05:00

Today is one of those days. The baby is sick, mama's running short on sleep, and yet somehow I still maintain the delusion that things should be "on schedule".

Earlier this afternoon I was thinking, "It's like pulling teeth trying to get "school work" done around here. And where is my eldest? Why, she's lying on the couch READING SHAKESPEARE! (OK, so it's a 'stories from', not the Bard's original English, but STILL.) Doesn't she realize she should be "doing" history? Or math? What kind of homeschool is this, anyway?!"
And now she's building a house out of math manipulative blocks, ds is at a friend's house playing lego, and 3yo is wandering around (mumbling, "upstairs and downstairs and in my lady's chamber") looking for something to get into. Time to go get her making dinner!

Milestones

2009-01-31T19:48:00.000-05:00

Do something long enough and it can almost seem like you've been doing it, well, for a long time. (That's rather redundant now, isn't it?) This past December I passed the 10 year mark for being either pregnant or breastfeeding*. Now, you may be aghast at the thought, but I am rather proud of this "accomplishment". It's tough to stick with something for that long, and 10 years (a decade!) is no mean feat. Having said that, it's not like it's really been much work for the most part. Yes, there have definitely been days (and weeks, and months!) when I didn't think I'd make it, but overall, it's almost the lazy girl's approach to mothering.

*spread over 4 children. And, yes, there was some slight overlap between the two (nursing and pregnant**) but I never made it as far as tandem nursing.

**I love how the "milk-brain" thinks tangentally rather than completing...yeah. I was remembering the time (between #2 & #3) I was shopping for a nursing bra. The sales clerk asked, "Is this for when you're pregnant, or nursing?" I replied, "Both!" She totally missed the point of my answer (I was, at that time, both pregnant and nursing) and started going on and on about how my size was going to be fluctuating and I should wait to buy a nursing bra until a certain point in my pregnancy, blah, blah ... I just ignored her and kept trying on bras.

The problem with reading classics to your children

2009-01-30T22:00:00.000-05:00

The problem with reading classics to your children is that when you overhear them talking to their friends about the latest great book you are all reading the response is invariably, "Oh, I saw that movie! It was good!" (You think the movie was good? Try reading the book!)

At what point do my kids come to question why it seems to be that everyone else pops in the DVD instead of cracking open a tome? Thankfully, not yet anyway.

Sign on the dotted line

2009-01-30T21:57:00.000-05:00

Well, here we go. I'm still not too sure about this whole blogging thing, but I'm ready to give in and join the blogolution. (Resistance is futile!) Actually, I think the sleep-deprivation can be blamed for a lot of it.

A lot of people I respect blog, so maybe it's not so bad. (Just - don't be like me - the silent lurker. If you happen to stop by to have a gander, you have too much time on your hands, I mean, feel free to say 'hi'!)