Help for a Fellow Blogger...

I've been a fan of Dawn Meehan's for several years. She has made me laugh so hard tears were streaming down my face! She is going through a very difficult time right now and I want to help spread the word- we can help her. Her website manager hijacked her blog and gave some excellent suggestions on how to help.

You can also donate:




Or support her work and help open doors for new writing contracts by buying her book:

Saturday Scones

I sat down the other day thinking about scones. I like scones. I guess it started when I was a teenager and started collecting teacups and then continued when I got married and had my own home, where I would try all kinds of recipes. I made scones and had friends over for afternoon tea. I don't remember any of the scones being incredible, but I enjoyed them all.
A few years ago when our daughter was born, a friend came by with a gift and scones. They were the best scones I had ever had! They come from a bakery here in town and I've tried hard to recreate them, but I haven't gotten there yet. I did find a recipe that is excellent, so I will share that on our first Saturday, and I will adjust the recipe as I try different types of scones.
I have almost 50 scone varieties on my list of ones to try. Which means, I should be able to do a year of "Saturday Scones". How delicious!! So, come on back every Saturday and see what's cooking! (Er... baking.)

Soaked Wheat Pancakes

I have been learning more about soaking grains making them easier to digest and have more nutritional value. So we can get more vitamins and minerals out of the grains!

Soaked Wheat Pancakes
2 c. Milk
2 TB kefir, whey, lemon juice, or vinegar
---mix together than add:
2 c. soft wheat flour (if using lemon juice or vinegar, add another 1/2 c. flour)
Mix well and allow to sit overnight in a warm place. I set mine in the oven and leave the oven light on, since our house cools down to 60˚ at night.
The next morning mix in:
2 eggs
1/3 c. melted coconut oil or butter
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda

Fry on hot griddle, they come out thinner than typical pancakes and I allow all the bubbles to rise to the surface and pop before I flip them, otherwise they are a bit doughy in the middle.

The kids like theirs with peanut butter and honey!

Cinnamon Raisin Muffins

I love Muffins for breakfast with scrambled eggs and a glass of milk, or for lunch with fruit and cheese. They don't last too long at our house though if they are made in the middle of the day... too many people like to snack on them (ok, mainly Brian...) lol!

Cinnamon Raisin Muffins
2 1/2 c. soft wheat flour
1/4 c. honey
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 c. milk
1/4 c. melted butter or ghee
1 egg
1/2 c raisins

Mix thoroughly and pour into greased or papered muffin tins. Bake 15 to 20 minutes at 400 degrees. Makes 12 muffins

I Must be Doing Something Right...

This is how I found the kids watching morning cartoons:

Now, who could be mad about them raiding the food???

Stuffed Mushrooms

I love mushrooms. I just love them. Brian doesn't, but he supports my indulging. :-) These are the best stuffed mushrooms I have ever had. Absolutely wonderful!

Stuffed Mushrooms
1 1/2 lbs mushrooms
1/3 c. butter, softened
2 TB flour
1/4 c. finely chopped onions
2 TB freshly chopped parsley
1 TB yellow mustard
3/4 tsp. salt
5 "shakes" cayenne pepper
1 c. heavy whipping cream (approximately)

Stem the mushrooms, saving the stems. Set the caps aside and dice the stems, putting them into a bowl. To the stems add all the ingredients except whipping cream. Mix well. Fill the mushroom caps and place them into a 9" x 13", stuffed side up.
Drizzle the whipping cream over the mushrooms.
Bake at 375˚ for 30 minutes. Serve warm.
Enjoy!!

Gingerbread Houses

I love family traditions!! Each year we have been getting together with some friends and decorating gingerbread houses. They are a bit of work to make, cut out, glue together, etc. But oh so worth it!!
I use my gingerbread men recipe- because it's awesome.





Gingerbread Men
1/4 c. boiling water
1/2 c. butter
1 tsp. Baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ginger
1/2 c. molasses
3 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1 egg
1/2 c. sugar
*Red Hots* (for buttons)
Frosting (for gingerbread men- not the houses)
Melt butter in boiling water. Add all the other ingredients. Then chill the dough for 2 hours. Roll out and cut into shapes. Push red hots (buttons) into the men before baking. Bake at 350 degree for 8-10 minutes. Cool and decorate with frosting. Makes 24 cookies.

I had to make 2 double batches for 2 gingerbread houses- My houses were pretty big though.

Make a pattern out of paper- so cut out 4 walls, 2 roof parts, 4 chimney parts, tape it all together to make sure it fits well. Cut or remove the tape and use the paper pieces to cut out all the pieces.
I used Jolly Ranchers for the windows- breaking them to pieces in the food processor. Put the walls on a parchment or wax paper lined baking sheet and pile some broken clear candy pieces in the windows. Bake as directed.

The gingerbread house pieces need to sit out and "cure" for at least a day- I find that several days work best. They need to be hard and stiff.

"Gluing" takes another day or so.

Glue Frosting
3 Egg whites
1 1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
3 1/2- 4 c. powdered sugar

Beat egg whites till they are stiff, continue beating and sprinkle in the cream of tartar, then mix in the powdered sugar slowly until it reaches the consistency that you need.

Put the frosting in a piping bag. "Glue" the walls to a foil covered cardboard and to each other. You can see how I did it step-by-step here.

You will need to do the floors/walls first, use jars or glasses to hold them while they dry and then do to roof/chimney after a few hours. After the glue is dry and the house feels sturdy it is ready to decorate! It's all edible... but we've never wanted to eat it, we let it sit out on display for the month of December.





Other Gingerbread we've done:
Gingerbread Hobbit Hole
Pictures of gingerbread men