Pumpkin Bisque and Cracked Wheat Bread

Today was cold and rainy. I liked today! Fall has officially settled in and with it the leaves are starting to turn all those beautiful jeweled colors. On cold days like today I think soup is one of the most warming foods, it nourishes body and soul.

I chose to make Pumpkin Bisque, don't you just love the sound of it? Bisque instead of SOUP, much more lovely of a sound! In truth I still have not made it to Green Bluff so I settled for the canned type, and while its not my favorite it did oh so well in this divine bisque!

Of course I got the recipe off the internet and I would give it to you save for the fact that I didn't follow it~~well I did but then I added more to it because it tasted bland. I will tell you of this delightful spice that not many know of, its called Fennugreek and it looks like this. It has a wonderful flavor. I find it in the bulk section at WINCO.

So along with my Bisque I made a home made Cracked Wheat Bread. Cracked wheat is a traditional favorite food in my family since I was a little girl. Today I boiled up some and put it in my bread along with flax seed and then I topped it off with sesame seeds. It was a very sticky bread but turned out wonderfully!




Then a friend stopped by with a huge bowl full of Plums! I just love these little bits of goodness! They are green and before you go thinking that they were not quite ripe let me just tell you that yes they were, they are green plums. I had never heard of them before a few years ago! My friends brother had a tree FULL of green plums so we made jam out of them and it was the best jam I have ever had! Chris calls it liquid gold! Alas back to my story...SO I thought I would make a dessert for our dinner and came up with this!
Plum Cobbler....it was so tasty!!!

Grandma's Tapioca

I know. I know...I go ON and ON about pumpkin time and then my next post is about TAPIOCA??? Well I have a confession to make. I don't have a pumpkin yet.
THERE I said it. I weep now as there are SO many yummy foods I long to make. Ok really I am not weeping BUT I feel like it. I will go to Green Bluff soon and get me one! I just cant stomach the thought of using canned pumpkin but if it gets to be too long I will!


Ok NOW for the good stuff! Tapioca Pudding. I grew up going to Gma's every week and she ALWAYS made this jellied delight that was so light and fluffy.  I have not yet mastered her trick and alas she has passed before I became nostalgic about it so I cant ask her about how she made it! Therefore I do what I do best and googled it. I came accross this recipe http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/tapioca-pudding-recipe.html and found heaven. Now you know me I tend to tweak recipes as I love to do. WARNING: DO NOT attempt to save egg whites by putting them into this recipe. It calls for 2 large egg yolks and THAT'S what you should put in there. NOT the whole egg as it turns out a bit gritty and while I don't mind that while its fresh, its not a fun texture cold!

I made the first batch and while it was good, the second batch disappeared before I could snap off a picture so you will just have to do with the website photo for now!

ENJOY!!!

Its PUMPKIN time!!!!

Alright, I admit I didn't grow a garden this year. A fact that has me a bit more than sad, but alas I will live on! I have never even planted pumpkin anyway~I get mine on beautiful Green Bluff. We are going this weekend, and then I will bake it and freeze it to make MANY pumpkiny delights! One of my most favorite things to make are those Starbucks Pumpkin Cream Cheese muffins! Here is the recipe and I challenge you to only eat one....I myself could eat the whole PAN! They are a bit more work than a normal muffin but OH so worth it!!

http://www.food.com/recipe/pumpkin-cream-cheese-muffins-like-starbucks-189156

Unleavened Bread

I grew up using this recipe for communion bread and today I made it. It is VERY easy and quite tasty. The only problem is there isn't enough :)

1 Cup Flour
1/4 Cup Sesame Seeds
1/4 Cup Quick Oats
1/2 teaspoon Salt
2 Tablespoons Oil
1/3 Cup Water
1 Tablespoon Honey

Mix dry ingredients together and add rest of wet ones. Roll thinly out on baking stone score and bake 10-15 min. at 400 degrees!

Catching up...

This summer was quite a summer, marked by pain, suffering, and deep grieving. My best friends husband lost his 3 1/2 month battle with an undiagnosed cancer on August 21, 2011. I cant even begin to tell you all the wonderful memories and stories I have from 20 years ago til this summer. This isn't quite the place.
I will say that it has taken a lot out of me and my zeal for baking~just hasn't been what it was.

Today I felt life coming back into me though baking in my kitchen again. I began to bake again and feel somewhat normal. In fact I have an excitement for fall and all the fun baking that comes along with those cold dark days......

Life will go on....painful at times but I cant wallow in the pain for I know Peter is in such a better place. I must carry on, like his sweet children who are marked by his death yet, are able to find true happiness in the day to day life.

Therefor I bake....


The Apple and Pumpkin are here!

Here is a hint

Canola oil.......

Its the BEST. period. end of sentence. DO NOT attempt to use any other for baking.

OH and dont accidentally go buy vegetable oil instead. I did...the BIG guy from Costco too....YUCK!

Need a quick recipe for a lazy day????

http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/chicken_curry_in_a_hurry/



TASTY!

Its been a LONG time...

I need to explain why I am not cooking/blogging like I used to.

1. We decided to put our home on the market and see if we could sell it. My sweet husband is FINALLY done with his masters and we are getting ready for the next stage in our life. Not sure where that will be and it may even be here but we feeling the need to become more mobile, or at least be available to be mobile!

2. I had some health issues this past January and chose to change my eating habits in order to have a more healthy life. I no longer bake like I used to which breaks my heart but I was my own best customer and it needed to change.

3. About a month ago my best friend from childhood called and told me her husband has cancer. Its a very rare form of cancer, in fact he is the only case ever reported to have it. I flew down to CA to be with them for a weekend when he came home from the hospital. Life is so wild these days~I keep awaiting texts to hear how he is doing and how they are coping with life. Not much into celebrating with food right now.

4. I am planning a wedding for close friends. Its in 2 weeks and we are all very busy with the wonders of weddings. Lots of fun stuff going on. Its a bright spot right now and I am so very thankful to be doing it! This couple is ROCK SOLID! I must say I had the great pleasure of introducing them :) It has been so fun to watch the development of the relationship~what a blessing!


THEREFORE it may be a long while before I feel like posting food again. Will pick it up when life is a little less chaotic!

Thanks~Kyrsi

Ham Pot Pie

http://mykentuckyhome-kim.blogspot.com/2010/01/ham-pot-pie.html


Found this recipe today for all the leftovers we have! So looking forward to it!!!

Bagels

You may be intimidated by the words HOME MADE BAGEL. Until you try them that is. I will admit it's a bit daunting at first till you get the hang of it but let me tell you, YOU HAVE to try!!! There is simply nothing in the world like a home made bagel! I use this recipe http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/homemade-bagels-recipe/index.html  its simple and easy. BE SURE to grease the pans before you set the bagels on to raise....otherwise you will run into trouble!

Take your time and enjoy this delight!

Recipe of a different kind

I am a naturalist. I believe that the more natural things are the better. I am not a whacko but I do try my best to make less of an impact on our world environmentally speaking. So today I wanted to share with you about glass cleaner. I make my own laundry detergent, fabric softener, my own glass cleaner, and my own dishwasher detergent! Someday I will try other things as well but for now I have started with these. 

Glass cleaner is easy to make and really inexpensive to buy the ingredients.

1 cup rubbing alcohol
1 cup water
2 drops of dish soap and
1 tablespoon of vinegar

That's it. You could add blue food coloring if you feel the need but really this is easy simple and very inexpensive!

Meat Ball Subs!

 

My dear friend Cathy gave me this recipe for Meat Balls and I am telling you~WOWZA! They are simply amazing! I would like to give it out but shhhh its secret! 

Easy Bread!

Have you ever had a recipe that you just love to make but forget how easy it is? I do! Its Colonial Brown Bread! SUPER easy and really tasty! The only problem is I forget how simple it is to whip up so I don't make this bread often enough! For you novices who are scared to make bread, this is a quick bread that you basically can do no wrong with!

Here is the recipe!!

http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/colonial-brown-bread/Detail.aspx

My favorite muffins

These muffins are my all time favorite. They are easy to whip up! The orange peel and flaxseed make them healthy as well.

Possibly one of the BEST Pizza's EVER!

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/bobby-flay/grilled-flatbread-with-ricotta-cheese-fresh-tomatoes-oregano-and-roasted-garlic-oil-recipe3/index.html

I make this dough recipe all the time, its my favorite...I am anxiously awaiting warmer weather so I can BBQ again! This picture is a cheat from last year, but couldn't resist! Spring is on it's way soon.

Orange Chocolate Chip Scones

This past Saturday my sweet amazing husband finished his Masters!!!! I began the day by making some Orange Chocolate Chip Scones and I must say, they were delightful. My friend Ellen gave me this recipe. Here it is! 



4 C. flour
1 C. sugar
3/4 tps salt
4 tsp. baking powder
1 C. butter
1 egg
zest of 1 orange
3/4 C. buttermilk

Mix the dry ingredients together and cut in the butter. Add the buttermilk, orange zest, and egg. Make into 2 disks cut wedges and bake them at 425 for 20 min. For glaze add 2 C powder sugar and 2 T butter with 1/2 tsp. orange liqueur. Spread on scones and enjoy!

SOUP 3/2/11

I am a huge fan of SOUP! Mostly because it is SO easy to make. You can make some very gourmet soups really quick! This nights soup was Sausage Bean soup. I also made salad and bread to go with it. I always put cheese on my soups....mmmmmm cheese.

off the band wagon!

I am BACK and I must apologize for my lack of posting. I fell off the band wagon! I went on vacation and just haven't gotten back in the mode of taking pictures!

OUT of town....

I need this break and hoping the weather will allow it! See ya on the flip side!

2/21/11

Biscuits and Gravy!! Like I said I just LOVE breakfast. We have it often when I lack creativity! Being such a busy weekend, and with Presidents Day we all skipped out for the day to Cour d' lene! I did manage to take out some organic beef sausage that I was SO excited to use. I bought it from a local farmer here in town. http://www.localharvest.org/its-the-lords-farm-M41224

When I opened my package of sausage I was a little shocked! The meat was so bright red! I couldn't believe how it tasted as well! So fresh! Highly recommend this farm!! GREAT meat!