simplesparrow

puffer-roos

Had to share this with you...an experiment that worked!

Me: I want some muffins.
Me: Do I want to look up a recipe? No.
Me: Lazy
Me: Look in the pantry, what do I have?
Me: Not much.
Me: Out of applesauce, darn. But I do have pumpkin, yay!
Me: Do I want to look up a recipe now? Nope.
Me: Still lazy.
Me: So you're going to make one up?
Me: Yep.

Pumpkin Puffs (cause they look all puffy in the oven)

Mix first:
1 C. pumpkin (organic)
2 eggs
1/3 C. oil
1/2 C. sugar (natural)
1 tsp. vanilla

Then add:
2 C. unbleached flour (or a combo of whole wheat)
1/4 C. sprouted flax seed meal (super high in omega 3's)
you could substitute wheat germ for this.
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg (I grate mine fresh, try it, it's so easy.)
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
Cinnamon sugar

Mix all together only until incorporated, don't over mix. Spoon into buttered muffin tins, almost filling to the top, sprinkle each muffin with cinnamon sugar. Bake at 375 for 25 min. Put the kettle on and have a cup of tea waiting for when they get out of the oven :)

twas the night before christmas and the village was on fire

I know you must be so dang curious about the title of this post, no? Well, the story goes like this...
The kids and I made Martha's winter village together a couple of weeks ago. These always look so much better with lights at night but where we have it set up there is not a plug, not even remotely close (it was really the best spot for it or I would have moved it) After thinking it over I came up with a genius idea!! (so I thought) Have you seen those little faux candle lights that run on a battery?  Problem solved! I'll put one under each house then we'll have lights! I'll beat this electrical challenge yet... Yeah, yeah, what a smarty pants I was---I didn't take in to account that those lights are supposed to simulate candle light, so they flicker. duh. Which means when we lit up our little village that we were so proud of, all of the houses look like they are on fire from the flickering. Not the warm homey glow we were after. I should just keep Noah's firetruck parked there and put a little person on the balcony yelling for help.

I'm filling a couple of jars with peppermint bark to give out as gifts, that and homemade granola. We are heading back up to the northwest for Christmas in the next few days and that's when we'll be doing lots more baking and homey holiday stuff. We didn't get a tree because we were leaving and I didn't decorate either--it doesn't quite feel like Christmas yet for me. Right now the tummy flu is picking us off one by one. blah. We're waiting for that to pass because that is ONE Christmas gift I'm not going to bring my family. I think my next post will be from Washington--hoping for a white Christmas!

for garlic lovers only

I wanted to share this recipe with you because one--it is *SO* good, and two--it could be very beneficial during the flu and cold season. If you're like me, you like to treat ailments as naturally as possible and garlic is one potent remedy. I made a batch of this last night, and oh boy! LOVED IT--as well as the rest of the family. The recipe does not make much, so I will for sure be doubling it next time. I'll just put it down here like it is on the page:

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Garlic Soup--serves 4

"Stuffy head? Plugged nose? Turn to garlic soup for relief. Science shows that garlic can fight the strongest infections, even pneumonia. It has been used successfully to treat antibiotic-resistant bacterial illnesses, and its expectorant properties help move infection out of the lungs and bronchial tubes."

1 Tbl. olive oil
12 cloves fresh garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
2 large, sweet yellow onions, such as Vidalia or Walla Walla, peeled and thinly sliced
1 tsp. fresh thyme, or 1/4 tsp. dried
2 cups chicken broth or vegetable bouillon
1 pinch cayenne pepper, or more to taste
1 Tbl. fresh basil, chopped
salt

Put the olive oil in an 8-cup saucepan. On low heat saute garlic and onions covered, for about 25 min. until cooked through--they'll appear to be nearly translucent. Transfer the garlic and onions to a food processor or blender and puree with the thyme and 1/2 c. of the broth. (my note: I just kept it all in the same pot and pureed it with my hand-held blender. Watch for splatters though!) Pour puree back into pan and add remaining broth. Simmer for 20 minutes. Stir in the cayenne, basil and salt to taste, heat 2 more min.
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In case any one was curious, this came from Herbs for Health magazine--Sept./Oct. 1998, of which I do not have a copy of the original publication. My sister-in-law sent me this long ago and I just rediscovered it. What a gem!