Monique's Salsa

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

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!

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

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

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

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

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

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...!

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!