Welcome and Good Morning! I hope you are having a swell Friday...
My dear friend Lindsey adapted it from a recipe for a savory focaccia bread from a magazine we both get through email, it is such a lovely magazine. Beautiful pictures, great recipes and crafty ideas. It is called Seasonal Delights... go check it out!
Anyhow back to the reason you came... the Brown Sugar and Cinnamon Focaccia Bread... the name is a mouthful in itself. Ha Brown Sugar and Cinnamon Focaccia Bread
Ingredients:
1 cup warm water (110°F)
1 teaspoon sugar
2 1/2 tsp active dry yeast (I used a tablespoon)
2 1/2 cups flour (I used soft white wheat)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 tsp cinnamon
3-4 T sugar (I used sucanat)
4 T butter, melted, divided
1/3 cup brown sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon for topping
1/4 powdered sugar, milk, vanilla for icing
Stir together warm water and sugar in a small bowl. Add the yeast slowly, stirring constantly to dissolve. Let stand until bubbly, about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl combine the flour, additional sugar, salt and cinnamon. Make a well in the center and add the yeast mixture and 2 tablespoons of the butter. Stir to combine thoroughly but try not to knead at this point. I had to mix it together with my hands just a bit to make sure it was all mixed up.
Cover and rest for 30 minutes. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees after 15 minutes of the resting time.
Remove dough to a lightly floured surface and knead for 30-60 seconds. The dough should still be fairly soft but also smooth. Roll out about 1/2 inch thick and place on a baking sheet or stone. Push your fingertips down into the dough, making dimples, not holes, all over the dough. Spread the remaining 2 T butter over the top.
Combine topping ingredients and spread all over the buttered dough. Bake for about 15 minutes. Remove from oven.
Place powdered sugar in a bowl and add *maybe* 3 t milk, a little bit at a time, until the consistency of icing. Add the tiniest splash of vanilla extract and stir. Drizzle over warm bread (I like to cut into strips and then drizzle) and serve.
Oh yum, these were so good. Thankfully Shannon and the kids finished them off so it freed me of the temptation.
I hope you all have a fantastic weekend! Love to each of you!
xoxo
Blessings,
Chasity L. Burrell
Senior Editor Homesteadblogger Heritage Acres Farm
It's Spring and you may be getting more eggs than you can use. If you don't not sell your eggs and need a way to preserve them here is some good ideas. Be sure and follow the link to the website where there are lots of good recipies and more.
Freezing Eggs
Eggs can be frozen, but not in the shell. It's best to freeze eggs in small quantities so you can thaw only what you need. An easy way to do this is to put them in an ice cube tray. Once frozen, transfer them to a freezer container and label.
As with any frozen food, it is best to thaw eggs in the refrigerator and use them as soon as they are thawed. Only use thawed eggs in dishes that will be thoroughly cooked.
Following are some easy instructions for freezing eggs:
Shelley, Head Tomato of One Roast Vegetable has just opened registration for her Back to Basics Cooking Class. Last time around her class filled up in 4.5 hours! So if you are interested in this exceptional cooking class, jog on over and sign up right now!
What I can tell you is that I learned about the class from my friend Malia over at Home Making 911. I thought about enrolling the first time around, but then thought, “I can teach those things on my own.” Guess what? I haven’t! With Shelley’s class I now KNOW I will get aorund to it!
After viewing the sample lessons, I now know that I will even my 5 year old aspiring chef will be able to follow along with these informative lessons. Even more impressive, my 17 yo son will finally be able to put together an entire meal, instead of all the little random dishes I have taught him how to make.
So get over there quickly if you want to get in on this fabulous and inexpensive opportunity! All four of my children will be taking the class for less than $8 for each child to take the 14 week class!!! Now THAT is a simple and frugal bargain!!!
Registration is Right Now, So Don't Miss Out!
See You in Class!
Leslie Valeska
~Contributing Writer~
Leslie Valeska is the lucky wife of Thomas. With children ranging in ages from 4-16, she has had a lot of time to learn and experience much of the fine art of homemaking. She is a writer, speaker, and vintage seamstress. For FREE daily tips and a FREE E-zine on simple and frugal living visit her blog Journey to Simplicity. Need a source of encouragement, inspiration, and support on your journey to Godly womanhood? Visit Simple Journey Ministries (she has a FREE E-zine too!)
Healthy, Simple and Good.
I have decided to try and put together a collection of recipes. Ones that don't take a lot of fancy ingredients. But ones that are healthy.
I made up something on New Years Eve that went over extremely well with my family...
In a Pinch Pizza
Leftover bread (we had about 3/4 a loaf of homemade bread that was getting crumbly)
Pizza Sauce (I took canned tomatoes from my garden and added oregano, basil, salt, minced onion, minced garlic and heated it slightly)
Cheese
Take your bread and cut it into slices or cubes, place in a 9x13 pan
Pour over your sauce
Add cheese and bake at 375* for about 20 minutes.
It was a huge success and has been requested that I add it to our rotating menu.
So, do you have a healthy, simple and good recipe?
Please leave it in my comment section along with your name and I will compile a post after I have given everyone a chance to reply. If you want to link to it, that is fine also.
Have a great day friends!
My Cup Runneth Over...
From My Homestead to Yours,
~Chas~
Chasity L. Burrell
Senior Editor Homesteadblogger Heritage Acres Farm
One day last week I remembered that I had bought some heavy cream over the holidays for Moma's Favorite Cookie, which I am GOING to post the recipe for! REALLY! :) Well, I thought with this much cream, it would be a good time to show the children how to make butter... well the easy way to make butter.
We pulled out the ole food processor. Poured in all that cream and turned it on... There were a few different stages that I told them we would see...
First of all we saw it just as a liquid, as it is as cream.
We would start seeing the cream slowly becoming thicker, until we had it at the whipped cream stage.
They all tried it at this point and sneered... sadly they thought it would taste like cool whip. Pitiful, huh? I told them at the enormous amounts of 'stuff' added to cool whip and this was so much better, and that we could add a little sweetner if we wanted whipped cream, but we want butter! Keep it moving, keep it moving...
FINALLY!
BUTTER! :) HURRAH! Please forgive the skunk stripes down my child's hair... our New Years Party got a bit crazy! :) haha Mmm... this butter is good, Mom!
We even took the buttermilk and put it in a jar to use later and washed the curds with ice water to help get all the milk off so the butter would last longer.
Now a solid. How crazy are we? Doing school when we are supposed to be on holiday? haha... so is the life of a homeschooler.
I hope you have a great day friends.
From My Homestead to Yours,
~Chas~
Chasity L. Burrell Heritage Acres Farm
I got this idea from a lady online and tried it recently. It was delicious. I do have a kitchen scale to weigh out the candy bars, but you should be able to chop up the candy bars to get 2 cups. The recipe calls for 12oz and I used a 12.8 oz bag of Snickers Bar mini candy bars and ended up removing about 2 or 3 of the bars to get the 12 oz. This recipe is just basically a marshmallow fudge recipe that I have converted into a candy bar fudge recipe.
I am giving this fudge away as gifts. My plan was to cut the fudge up into squares and put them in round gift tins that you can purchase just about anywhere. Then my daughter Emily had a great idea. She suggested lining the gift tins with saran wrap and just pouring the fudge into these instead of the 9x9 pan. How easy is that! Then we both had the idea that you could probably do two layers.. just put wax paper and maybe another layer of saran wrap over the first batch and pour the second batch on top after the first batch has chilled.. that way the recipients has more than one type of fudge to enjoy.
Candy Bar Fudge
4 Cups mini marshmallows
2/3 cup milk (I used half n half but evaporated milk would work and regular milk would probably work too)
1/4 cup butter
1-1/2 cups sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
2 cups (12 oz.) chocolate semi-sweet morsels – I used chopped up candy bars in place of the chips as stated above
1 tsp. vanilla
Combine marshmallows, milk, butter, sugar and salt in a large cooking pot. While stirring bring to a full boil. Reduce heat to medium and continue stirring and boiling for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add vanilla and candy bar pieces (which ever you are using). Stir very well until candy bar pieces are melted. Pour into a 9x9 pan that has been buttered. Chill.
I am sure a lot of you reading this already know how to cook a turkey. But I also know that many ladies have never done it before. I was in my late 20’s before I cooked my first turkey. My grandma or mom or mother in law had always done that part. When I went to cook my first turkey I was reading lots of cookbooks and talking with my mother to learn. It is not like we have the opportunity to practice turkey roasting too often!
I thought I would just share from my own turkey roasting experience how I have done it. There are lots of ways to do this and tips, etc.. and I am sure I won’t cover them all but will share what has worked for me.
First is the actual buying of the turkey. I typically have purchased frozen turkeys. The week before Thanksgiving you can find turkeys at the best price of the year. In fact I usually take advantage of these great prices and buy another turkey or two for the freezer. A mini Thanksgiving dinner at another time of the year is actually kind of fun. A couple of years ago I bought a fresh turkey from Costco and it was good too.
If you buy your turkey frozen you will need a few days to let it defrost. Do not sit it on the counter to defrost. The outside of the turkey will start to spoil before the center has completely defrosted. This is especially true for bigger birds. I put my turkey in the refrigerator to defrost. Two days ahead of time for a small turkey (say 12lbs or under) and three to four days for a bigger turkey.
The night before Thanksgiving I open the turkey up and wash him and remove the giblets. I put those in a bowl and put them back in the fridge. The next day I boil those with some salt and use the broth for my gravy as well as cutting up the giblets to add to the gravy. I rinse the turkey off in cool water making sure he has defrosted completely. I put him in a large roaster pan, cover him up with plastic wrap and put him back in the fridge until the next day.
I also make up my stuffing the night before. Don’t put the stuffing in the bird the night before to save time. This can once again cause spoilage. After I make the stuffing I store it in the fridge.
On Thanksgiving morning I pull the turkey out, preheat the oven, remove the plastic and stuff my turkey. I find the easiest way to do this is to set the turkey in my clean sink and use a big spoon (or my clean hands) to spoon in the stuffing. Then I set the stuffed turkey on my roasting pan. I melt a cube (we call them cubes here in my parts.. some call them sticks) of butter and if it is a big turkey I melt 2 cubes. I take a brush and brush the top of my turkey with this melted butter. Cover the bird with foil and put him in the oven to start baking.
After he has baked for about an hour I use my trusty turkey baster and baste him with the melted butter that has drizzled to the bottom of my pan along with any other juices that have also accumulated.
I continue to cook and baste for the required amount of time. The closer I get to the finish time the more frequently I baste. I also take the foil off for the last couple of hours so the turkey can brown nicely.
Now for some specifics:
Temperature to Bake a Turkey:
325 is what I have always done
How Long to Cook:
If your turkey is stuffed:
8 to 12lbs about 3 hours
12 to 15lbs about 4 hours
15 to 18lbs about 4 ½ hours
18 to 24lbs about 4 1/2 to 5 hours
If you don’t stuff your turkey you can subtract about anywhere from 15 minutes to a half hour off the above times.
However my experience has been that this is a rough estimate. I have had it take longer or shorter.. Your very, very best guide will be your thermometer.
The temperature of the whole turkey, no matter where you put the thermometer (but not touching bone) should read a minimum of 165 (and that includes taking the temp of the stuffing). I actually like it when the temps are a bit higher than that say.. 180.
I also wiggle the drumstick and it should move very easily. When the turkey has finished cooking, take it out of the oven and let is sit for 15 to 20 minutes. This will give you time to make the gravy and mash the potatoes.
I hope you all have a wonderful day of good food, family and much thankfulness.
I love the liquid coffee creamers that come in all kinds of yummy flavors, but… I don’t like the unhealthy ingredients they contain. So every now and again I try my hand at making my own with better quality ingredients. I made this one today and I hope you enjoy it too!
.
.
Pumpkin Pie Coffee Creamer
Crystal Miller
1 cup half-n-half
½ cup cane juice crystals (can use white sugar instead)
3T canned pumpkin
½ t vanilla
½ t cinnamon
¼ t ginger
1/8 t nutmeg
1/8 t cloves
Combine all ingredients in a small sauce pan. Heat until cane juice crystals dissolved and ingredients are well combined. Enjoy in a hot cup of coffee. Store in refrigerator.
Want to do a little fall baking? Try these delicious pumpkin cinnamon rolls. They go great with a hot cup of coffee or tea on a cool autumn day.
Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
Crystal Miller
2/3 cup milk
¼ cup butter (half of a stick or cube)
1 cup pumpkin puree
¼ cup honey
1 t salt
2 eggs
1 T yeast
5 to 6 cups whole wheat flour**
¼ cup gluten flour**
Butter
Sucanat or brown sugar
Cinnamon
**Options: you can use half white flour and half whole wheat flour in place of all whole wheat and gluten flour
In a sauce pan combine milk and butter. Heat until the milk is hot and the butter almost melted. Pour the milk/butter combination in the bowl of a Kitchen Aid or Bosch mixer. Let this cool to lukewarm. Add the pumpkin pure, honey, salt, eggs and yeast. Stir until well mixed. Add flour and mix until the dough is no longer sticking to the sides of your bowl but is still soft and pliable. Let this sit and rise for 30 to 45 minutes.
Turn the mixer back on to punch down the dough. Take the dough out of the bowl and divide it into 2 pieces. Roll the first piece out in a rectangle approximately 12x15 inches.
Butter the dough and sprinkle Sucanat or brown sugar all over. You can use as much or as little as you desire. Sprinkle cinnamon on top of this. Starting at the long side of the dough roll it up jelly roll style. Pinch the dough to seal. Cut the dough into one inch pieces. I like to use my kitchen scissors for this job.
Repeat this with the other half of the dough.
Lay out the cut cinnamon rolls onto a large jelly roll pan or in 2 9x13 pans. Let them rise until the have doubled in size, about 30 to 45 minutes.
Bake at 350 for 20 to 25 minutes. Glaze with a powdered sugar (or powdered Sucanat) glaze as soon as they come out of the oven, if desired.
chives, length of jar height or 1" lengths
1 lemon peel, 1" square
4 peppercorns
3 mustard seeds
white vinegar, to fill
Fill pint jar loosely with chives. Add lemon peel, peppercorns and mustard seeds.
Fill with vinegar. Cover.
Let stand in cool place for 4 weeks. Strain into pretty bottle. Two or three
lengths of chives can be left in botle for looks.
----------------------------------------
Herb Vinegar
2 cups white cider or wine vinegar
1/2 cup chopped fresh herbs, basil, rosemary or tarragon thyme or oregano
3 to 4 whole garlic cloves, optional
1 fresh herb sprig per bottle, optional
1 whole red or green chili per bottle, optional
Place the vinegar in a non-aluminum saucepan and bring to a boil. Place the
chopped herbs in a clean, hot glass jar. Add the garlic. Pour the hot vinegar
over, cover and place in a cool, dark place for 5 days, stirring once a day.
Strain. Add the sprigs of fresh herbs and chili for a zestier taste and garnish.
Store in a cool, dark place for up to 2 months. Refrigerate for longer storage.
Makes: 2 cups
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Italian Vinegar
Yep... gardening time is here again, and here in the south things are coming up daisies er, I mean zucchini's! We all know how quickly these veggies can grow, we can pick our garden before we go to bed and then the next morning we can find a big ole zucchini that seems like it came out of nowhere!
So what do you do with your zuchs?
What I would like to do is to compile a list of everything each one of you adds to this entry and then I will make an entry with all the recipes or ideas submitted! Sound good???
Here is mine,
I make zucchini and squash stir fry. A little olive oil in my cast iron skillet. Sliced zuchs and squash go in next and then I add a bit of Bragg's Amino Acids and saute until tender. YUM!
Of course being from the south I make fried squash, but I also fry zucchini sometimes. Just as yummy!
I made zucchini bread. It is my husbands grandmother's recipe and it is FABULOUS! I will share it on our big tip post.
I have made zucchini chocolate chip cookies. Great way to get in a veggie and a yummy treat!
Casseroles! Grate the zucchini up and throw it in one of your favorite casserole recipes... another great way to get in some veggies.
Relish. I have a recipe for squash relish. I have not tried this one yet, but I am sure you can add some zuch's in there as part of the squash... and the relish is good!
Grill it! Put it on your grill with a little butter and garlic...mmmm!
Chop it up with some potatoes, squash, onions and whatever you like. Lay a sheet of tin foil out, place all your veggies in the center, add a few pats of butter and some seasonings of your choice. Fold up the edges of your tin foil and make a little pocket... make sure you fold it up well, the steam will cook it up and make everything nice and tender. Put it in the oven or on the grill alongside your main dish (or make this your main dish). Perfect for a hot summer supper!
I am going to leave the rest for you! Please leave me your favorite way of preparing this lovely veggie and if you have a great recipe, please share that as well!
Have a great day on your homesteads!!
From My Homestead to Yours,
~Chas~
Chasity L. Burrell
Senior Editor Homesteadblogger My Cup Runneth Over at Heritage Acres Farm
Hello my fellow Homesteaders, if you are like me you might have some lingering hamburger or hot dog buns from your cookouts last week. Well, before they get gross and moldy, make your own bread crumbs! You can do this with your stale bread, homemade bread, homemade rolls... we were given 3 bags of buns after a cookout so we had quite a few left over!
All you need is your buns
And now grab your food processor
Pulse till crumbs
Bag and date the bags and stick them in the freezer
Now you are ready to add them to your meatloaf, or casseroles or whatever you need.
**Also, add parmesan cheese and basil to make them Italian bread crumbs. Or use your imagination and come up with your own flavors!! The possibilities are endless!
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Brown Sugar and Cinnamon Focaccia Bread
Poured in all that cream and turned it on...
There were a few different stages that I told them we would see...
Keep it moving, keep it moving...
Please forgive the skunk stripes down my child's hair... our New Years Party got a bit crazy! :) haha
Mmm... this butter is good, Mom!
We all know how quickly these veggies can grow, we can pick our garden before we go to bed and then the next morning we can find a big ole zucchini that seems like it came out of nowhere! 
