December Gift-Making...Hot Cocoa Mix (organic style!)

Assembling ingredients: the best quality cocoa powder, dry milk, sugar, and salt we could find.

Four hands are better than two!


Blending all the ingredients (we added some crushed peppermint candies to make fancy Minted Cocoa)

Taste test...yum

Wrap it up in pretty jars with ribbons for a lucky friend this Yule!

Recipe for this simple, organic version of Hot Cocoa Mix found here.

November Baking....Doughnuts

So, let me come clean right way...this is actually deep fat frying, not baking at all, but we made the doughnuts on baking day...and, um, they are made from dough. I'm sure my logic is obvious and totally justified :)

Recently, during one of Toucie's visits to the hospital for a chemotherapy treatment, she saw a glossy photo on a magazine cover ...of homemade doughnuts. I flipped through the pages, scribbled down the recipe, and the very next day we were in the kitchen with our pot full of bubbling oil. After all, doughnuts are traditionally an autumn treat, and we are almost out of autumn!

(thanks for the pretty pictures, Mado!)

Here is the recipe we used from Better Homes and Gardens magazine (September 2010):

Ingredients

3 -1/2  cups  all-purpose flour

1  Tbsp.  baking powder

1  tsp.  ground cinnamon

3/4  tsp.  salt

1/2  tsp.  ground nutmeg

1/3  cup  milk

1/2  cup  butter, melted

4    eggs, beaten

2/3  cup  sugar

Vegetable oil for deep-fat frying

Cinnamon-Sugar or sifted powdered sugar

 

Directions

1. In a bowl combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg; set aside. In another bowl combine milk and melted butter. In a large mixing bowl combine eggs, and sugar; beat with electric mixer until thick (about 5 minutes). Add milk mixture; stir with a wooden spoon to combine. Add flour mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until smooth. Cover dough; chill at least 2 hours (dough will remain slightly sticky).

2. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll dough to 1/2-inch thickness. Cut dough with a floured 2-1/2-inch round cutter. Use a 1-1/4-inch cutter to cut the hole for the doughnut. (You can also use a standard doughnut cutter.)

3. Fry 2 or 3 doughnuts at a time in deep hot fat (375 degrees F) for 2 to 2-1/2 minutes or until brown, turning halfway through cooking with a slotted spoon. Drain on paper towels. Repeat with remaining doughnuts and doughnut holes. Makes about 15 doughnuts and doughnut holes

4. Shake warm doughnuts in a bag with Cinnamon-Sugar or powdered sugar. Serve warm (or reheat each doughnut 8 to 10 seconds in microwave on high).

Cinnamon-Sugar: Stir together 1/2 cup granulated sugar and 1 tsp. ground cinnamon.

November Baking....Pumpkin Muffins

Even though Halloween is tucked away until the earth turns 'round once more, pumpkins are still featuring large around here! We are still making Pumpkin Pies...they don't last long around here. And a few days ago, we cut a pumpkin in half and used one part to make Pumpkin Soup...the other half, we baked and saved for Pumpkin Muffins - one of our very favorite things to eat!

Pumpkin Muffins

1/2 of a pumpkin, baked and scooped from its shell ( about 2 cups)
1/3 c coconut oil (or melted butter)
2 eggs
1/3 c applesauce
2/3 c raw sugar

1 1/2 c white wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1 tsp cinnamon

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a muffin tin.
-Stir first 5 ingredients together in a bowl, mixing well and making sure the pumpkin is beaten quite smooth.
-In a separate bowl, blend the last 8 ingredients together.
-Add wet ingredients to dry ones and very gently mix...just enough to bring the ingredients together.
-Spoon into prepared muffin tin and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.
-Makes 1 dozen

These are also good with a handful of pumpkin seeds (or sunflower seeds, slivered almonds, chopped pecans, etc) thrown in with the dry ingredients...a sneaky dose of protein to go with all that secret vitamin A :)

Pumpkin Soup...for eating and reading

This is an autumn favorite of mine...I'll be so sad when Toucie outgrows this book! Pumpkin Soup is written and illustrated by Helen Cooper. It is the story of a cat, a squirrel, and a duck - three friends who live together, make music together, and cook pumpkin soup together, each contributing their special talents to the work.

Cat always peels and chops the pumpkin, squirrel always stirs in the water, and Duck always adds a pipkin of salt...what happens when their peaceful rhythm gets shaken up?

The magical illustrations plus the recipe at the end of the story make us want to run into the kitchen and stir up some soup!

Mado did the all the chopping.

Toucie found a tiny doll's teacup (it held a scant teaspoon) to use as a "pipkin" for our salt.

We all took turns stirring :)

Here is our own recipe for Pumpkin Soup:

1 medium onion chopped
3 Tbs. butter
1/2 of a jack-o-lantern pumpkin (because that's what we had), peeled and chopped (about 6 cups)
6 cups of water or broth
1 scant tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
milk or cream to taste

-In a stockpot, saute onion in the butter until soft
-Add pumpkin and water or broth and salt
-Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer gently until pumpkin is soft (about 30 minutes)
-In a blender, puree soup in batches, adding milk or cream to get desired consistancy, and returning soup to the pot when all is smooth
-Stir in black pepper to taste and adjust salt
-Serve immediately (serves 6-8)

(PS) we baked the other half of the pumpkin and refrigerated it to use next week for Pumpkin Muffins...it is much easier to scoop baked pumpkin out of the shell than it is to peel and chop a raw pumpkin!)

October baking....creme scones

Oh so delicious....I can't say enough about these simple-but-rich scones. Our recipe is a variation of one from the Joy of Baking site, here. This is a recipe that deserves to be framed and hung permanently in the kitchen. Naya and Sodie have called from college requesting it.  I love the way it showcases our lovely, farm-fresh, raw cream. It is absolutely a keeper.

Ingredients:
2 c unbleached flour
1/4 c demerera sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
5 or 6 TBS cold butter
1/2 c heavy cream
1 egg
1tsp vanilla

In a mixing bowl, sift together flour, salt, sugar, and baking powder. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter (or a fork) until the mixture looks like coarse cornmeal or sand.
In a separate small bowl, blend together egg, cream, and vanilla. Add wet ingredients all at once to dry ingredients. Blend VERY gently just until mixture hangs together.

Turn this crumbly "dough" out onto a work surface and pat it into a rough square. Cut into 16 triangles. (See...this gets filed under math...fractions, geometry....)

Transfer to a baking sheet and bake at 375 for about 16-17 minutes.
Enjoy plain or with jam...they are a great accompaniment to tea. Also, they make an excellent base for strawberry shortcake! Yum!

Early Autumn Baking.....crackers

Crunchy Crackers

In a bowl mix:
1 1/2 c white whole wheat flour (you can also substitute semolina flour for half the flour)
1/2 tsp sea salt

In a measuring cup mix:
scant 1/4 c olive oil
scant 1/2 c warm water

-Blend wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Knead for about 5 minutes (dough will be just barely workable...a tiny bit tacky) and form into a ball.
-Divide into 6 equal pieces. Rub each with olive oil, form into a small ball, and allow to rest 40 minutes (covered with clean cloth)

-Preheat oven to 450 degrees
-Roll each dough piece thin (about 1/8 inch ) and cut into desired cracker shapes

-Lay crackers on floured baking sheet...you can pull the dough out a bit thinner as you transfer them to the pan.

-Poke the crackers with a fork to keep them from puffing up (you could also add toppings here, like parmesan or sesame seeds or cracked pepper)
-Bake for about 10 minutes or so...until golden. (We were able to fit 2 balls-worth of crackers on a baking sheet, so we had to bake in 3 batches.)

-You can enjoy them while they are warm, but they'll be crisper when they are cool. Allow them to cool completely before storing in an airtight container.

First week of school!

We'll be spending a couple of weeks celebrating Early Autumn in our homeschool. Our "circletime" is really just a time for singing, movement and observing the seasons/festivals of the year as they roll by.
 
Here are the rhymes and songs from our Early Autumn Circle (the bits in italic parenthesis are notes to myself about movement or how to link one song/verse to the next) :

(standing and with wide, expansive hand gestures:)

Good morning, dear Earth! Good morning, dear Sun!

Good morning, dear stones, and flowers, every one!

Good morning to the bees, and the birds in the trees!

Good morning to you, and good morning to me!

 -from our parent/tot group

(counting on fingers :)

1,2,3, nous avons un grand chat.

4,5,6, il a des longues griffes!

7,8,9, il a mange un oeuf !

10,11,12 il est jaune et rouge.

-adapted from "Receuil de poemes..."

(let's take a walk among the trees of the forest...)

(walking quietly around circle on tip-toe: )

Quietly I step step step

In the woods so dark

Carefully I tip tip tip

Making not a mark.

My feet are silent like a cat

They do not make a sound

The birds they do not hear me pass

I hardly touch the ground.

-from Marsha Johnson

(some leaves are beginning to turn colors)

(pass a beanbag around front and back of body/ balance beanbag on head/ let drop into hands: )

Front and back, front and back

Around me the leaves do swirl

Up on top, up on top

From the sky a leaf does drop!

-adapted from Marsha Johnson

(some old apple trees are growing here)

(skipping around circle/ repeat skipping opposite direction: )

Come along my dear one, come along with me

Come into the orchard and shake the apple tree

I will pick the high ones, you will pick the low

When we’ve filled our baskets, home with them we’ll go.

-adapted from "Sing Through the Year"

(repeat several times, catch beanbags/ toss into basket to the rhythm of:)

Reddish-yellow-golden-green,

Prettiest apples ever seen!

Pick them high and pick them low

Wonder how many in will go!

1,2,3…

Pommes rouges sur le pommier,

Moi je viens avec mon panier.

Pommes, sur le gazon tombez!

Moi je veux bien vous manger!

-adapted from  "Receuil de poemes..."

(now we have so many apples…look, a squirrel!)

(sing: )

Squirrel Nutkin with his coat of brown,

Quite the loveliest in Woodland Town.

Two bright eyes look 'round to see

Where the sweetest of the nuts might be.

 -from parent/tot circle

(strew nuts and return them to basket using toes while repeating )

Grey squirrel, grey squirrel, swish your bushy tail

“             “         “        “             “      “       “         “

Wrinkle up your little nose

Pick a nut up with your toes

Grey squirrel, grey squirrel, swish your bushy tail!

-from Wynstones Autumn book

(now we have basketfuls of apples and nuts...time to return home for a story)

(walking quietly around circle on tip-toe: ) 

Quietly I step step step

In the woods so dark

Carefully I tip tip tip

Making not a mark.

My feet are silent like a cat

They do not make a sound

The birds they do not hear me pass

I hardly touch the ground.

-from Marsha Johnson

(sit)

(Ah, we’re home…let child settle, light candle and sing song for storytime)

*********************************************************

Baking for this week was a scrumptious banana bread using this recipe (but substituting coconut oil for the canola).

Handwork was making a few more beanbags to use in our circle verses above. We needed 16 in order to play the game of tossing "apples" into a basket to the rhythm of  the "Reddish-yellow-golden-green" poem (we tossed a beanbag on every other beat in the poem...so, 4 tosses for each line : REDdish YELlow GOLden GREEN, etc). I stitched up the bags and Toucie had the challenging job of filling them. We normally use sand or rice in our beanbags, but this time we had dry chickpeas on hand, so....

 

For Painting Day we used a poem to inspire a wet-on-wet watercolor using only the color red. You can see our work in progress at the top of this page :)

Lemonade

Its hard to be a "locavore" when such summery essentials as lemons are not at the community farmstand. I try, but I make lots and lots of exceptions (life without avocados? no way!). Lemonade = summertime, as far as I'm concerned, so lemons are one of those exceptions. Here is what we did with ours today:

3 large lemons, juiced
1 scant cup of sugar
2 qts. water
a few drops of our secret ingredient:

Orange Blossom Water ( Zharr in arabic...available at Middle Eastern groceries...like Rose Water)

Saved one of these for sipping from :)

Delightful! We froze some in popsicle molds, too.

When we have more time (patience?), I'd like to try some other variations, like Herbal Lemonade, Ginger Lemonade, or Lavender Lemonade ....mmmmmm!

Teenagers and Margheritas

Mado's boyfriend came over to hang out with us today. He's a strapping, tough lad with an array of piercings and a streetwise attitude. He also happens to love to cook. He brought a cookbook with him. "Let's make pizzas", he said. Awesome.

Toucie ("Hi, I'm four and five fifths years old!") naturally placed herself in the center of the action. And that is how I came to have two 16 year olds and one kindergartener messing around with Margheritas this afternoon in my kitchen.

(prep work)

(that basil smelled so good...)
Look at Toucie's "doughn-izza"...pizza crust with a big hole in the middle - doughnut style.

YES!!! (this is why I had children)


Our adaptation of Williams Sonoma's Pizza Margherita:

Use your favorite pizza dough recipe (we made enough dough for four 12 inch pizzas).
Assemble the following toppings:
-12 roma tomatoes -diced (remove seeds, just use the firm flesh)
-1 lb. mozzerella -grated
-1 cup (or more!!) of fresh basil leaves-torn
- olive oil to drizzle
-salt and freshly ground pepper
Shape your dough into 12 inch rounds - as thin as you can make it - and place on pizza pans
Cover with toppings in this order:
-cheese
-tomatoes
-basil
-salt and pepper
-generous drizzle of olive oil
Bake at 450 degrees F for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 400 and continue baking for 10 more minutes
Hug and kiss the children that made you the pizza and enjoy it together.
(Thanks Mado, C, and Toucie !)

The sweet reward...

 

  

 

12 pails of sap, 2 crockpots , 56 hours = 24 ounces of syrup...worth every minute of it.

PS) Dawn over at By Sun and by Candlelight has a very nice list of picture books about maple season on her sidebar right now.

Spontaneous butter

This morning as Toucie and I were creeping around the kitchen still in our nightgowns, she asked, "Why does butter taste so good?". Ah, yes! I thought to myself...an easy question to answer (you may know that 4 year olds are notorious for asking some of the most difficult questions in the world). The easy answer is that butter is delicious because its made out of delicious things: cream and sometimes salt (2 of my personal faves).

We happened to have on hand some good cream from our Valentine's Day fondue-making, so I took advantage of the educational opportunity and set Toucie up to make a wee batch of butter for herself.

 

all you need is to put some cream into a clean jar with a clean marble

then you seal it up tightly and shake it for all you're worth!

after 10 minutes of taking turns with the shaking we had this

it is soft, fluffy butter...not solid. I've heard people call it fairy butter or angel butter.

we stirred in a bit of salt and  had it on toasted rosemary rolls for breakfast

here is my prized, but dusty Daisy churn...if ever again I have access to fresh raw milk and cream...