Rosemary Biscuits with Lavender and Honey Butter

My family doesn't eat as much "regular-type" bread as we used to. These days, we eat more of my homemade Ezekiel Bread and THE Man eats my homemade Paleo Bread. 

BUT . . . on those days (Sundays ~ our "grace" day ~ or holidays) we like really make the yummy treat of a wheat flour bread rock! :-) 

One of my favorites is rosemary bread, biscuits or scones (which you can make with this recipe) and lavender and honey butter.

For the biscuits~

You Will Need:

~2 c. bread flour (for a light, fluffy rise)
~2 c. whole wheat OR coconut flour
~4 ts. turbiano (Suger in the Raw) OR coconut sugar
~1/2 ts. sea salt
~2 TB. baking powder
~1 ts. cream of tartar
~1-1/3 c. milk (rice milk OR almond milk works well, too)
~3/4 c. extra virgin olive oil
~1 TB chopped fresh rosemary OR slightly crunched dried rosemary
~whisk
~spatula
~med-large mixing bowl
~medium mixing bowl
~cookie sheet (OR loaf pan for bread OR cast iron skillet for scones)

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 400* (f)
2) Using the whisk, in the med-large bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients
3) In the smaller bowl, combine all the other ingredients EXCEPT the rosemary
4) In small amounts, add the wet ingredients to the dry
5) Stir in the rosemary
6) Pinch off chunks of the dough and roll to about 2" in diameter
7) Place onto cookie sheet
8) Bake 10-12 minutes 

**NOTE** You can make a small loaf of bread OR scones from this recipe, just use an 8"x3" loaf pan OR a cast iron skillet for the scones.

Lavender and Honey Butter~

You will need:

~homemade butter (roughly 1 lb.)
~1 TB. honey (local is best, especially if you have allergies)
~1 TB. slightly crunched/ground-up dried lavender flowers
~wooden spoon
~small mixing bowl
~air-tight container

Directions:

1) blend butter, honey and lavender flowers together
2) store in an air-tight container . . . OR . . . roll into a cylender and wrap in waxed paper, chill and then cut into slices onto a pretty plate to serve . . . OR . . . put into butter molds for pretty shapes

Enjoy!

Blessings from Ohio . . . Kim<><

Veggie and Pasta One Pot Meal

I'm a busy person. Aren't you? I'll bet you are. And as a busy person who is also trying to take care of my family and myself, trying to be a good example to our girls, trying to be pro-active in keeping ourselves healthy, trying to keep up with all the things that STILL need to get accomplished on top of my work schedule . . . there's nothing more rewarding than an easy, healthy, easy, yummy, easy, satisfying, easy meal. Oh . . . and it's easy! :-D 

I was recently given this recipe and I tried it last night. WOW, it was so good. Of course, I tweaked it a little to accommodate my family (as always ~ lol) and it is yummy. This would be such a great campfire meal, too.

You Will Need:

~1 large cooking pot/Dutch oven
~4 1/2 c. water
~1 lb pkg spaghetti (ziti would probably work well; I use gluten free pasta)
~2 small OR 1 large zucchini, thinly sliced and cut into quarters
~2/3 c. fresh OR frozen peas
~2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
~2 sprigs of fresh thyme OR 1 1/2 ts. dried thyme
~Kosher salt and pepper to taste
~1/3 c. grated Parmesan OR Asiago cheese
~1/4 c. heavy cream (**I use rice milk because of DD#2's daily allergy and it works just fine)

Directions:

1) In the large cooking pot, combine everything EXCEPT the Parmesan cheese and heavy cream (milk).
2) Bring to boil, stirring to separate the spaghetti.
3) Once it boils, reduce heat and simmer, UNcovered, for 10 minutes (or directions on pasta package), stirring occasionally.
4) Once pasta is cooked through and tender, stir in the Parmesan cheese and heavy cream (milk). **No draining necessary.
5) Serve hot
6) ENJOY!

You have GOT to leave me a comment and let me know how much you LOVE this meal.

**NOTE** Next time I make this, I'm going to include cut up boneless, skinless chicken breast.

Blessings from Ohio . . . Kim<><

Chicken Fried Rice ~ Yes, It's THAT Good!

If you enjoy Chinese food, you probably have your favorite place to go. Seems that some of the best places are not the big chains, but are the little hole-in-the-wall places that, lo and behold, are actually run by Oriental people. 

However, one of the drawbacks is that many of these restaurants use MSG to season and add flavor to their foods. Not good. Fortunately, our little local place doesn't use it and, if your favorite restaurant does, you CAN ask that they leave it out. 

One of our family's favorite dish is Chicken Fried Rice. When you have that "taste" for Oriental food but just don't want the breading of Sweet and Sour Chicken, or don't want a slurpy noodle dish like Beef Lo Mien, Chicken Fried Rice seems to always be the go-to dish. And NOW you can make it at home.

I just made some last night and I have to admit here that I tried something a little different that I liked, but wasn't a favorite for the family (sigh), so I'll probably go back to my original way of making it. Either way, to me, it is SO good!

You will need:

~skillet OR wok
~3 c. prepared brown rice (1 c. uncooked brown rice, 2 c. water, 1/4 ts. sea salt. Bring to boil, stir, lower heat to low, cover, let cook for 50 minutes)
~1/2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts; cooked & diced into bite-sized pieces
~1 c. frozen peas and carrots (here is where I tried to switch things up last night - as you can see in the photos - I used a frozen mix with peas, carrots, snap peas and whole baby corn)
~1/4 c. chopped green onions
~2 minced garlic cloves OR 1 ts. garlic granules
~2 eggs
~3 TB. sesame oil OR grapeseed oil
~1/4 c. Bragg's Aminos (a healthy substitute for soy sauce, ESPECIALLY for men)

Directions:

1) Prepare rice according to the above directions ~ should be approximately 3 c. when cooked
2) Heat oil in skillet OR wok on med-high heat
3) Add onions, peas and carrots, and garlic and stir fry until veggies are tender
4) Crack eggs over the veggies and let them cook/scramble as your stir them throughout the veggie mix
5) Once eggs are fully cooked and blended, add the rice and chicken, gently stir until it is all evenly blended throughout
6) Add the Bragg's Aminos and stir through
7) Enjoy!

Be sure to leave your comment and let me know how much you love this dish.

Blessings from Ohio . . . Kim<>< 

Sweet Almond and Flax Bread

Well, as a dear co-worker of mine would say, "I'm a bread-head." I LOVE bread and have baked our own for years. Our family's favorite is my flax bread and over the last year we have changed our eating habits and I am making more Ezekiel bread. But I modified my original bread and have come up with another yummy version ~ Sweet Almond and Flax Bread. My family loves it and since I average 2 loaves of bread a week, I've been making this one every-other-time.
 
You will love this sweet taste and soft texture. Almost melts in your mouth.

You will need:

~2 ts. butter
~1-1/4 c. hot water
~3 c. unbleached bread flour
~1 c. almond flour/meal
~1/4 c. flax meal
~5 ts. turbinado sugar (Sugar in the Raw)
~1-1/2 ts. sea salt
~1 heaping TB. Saff yeast
~grape seed oil (spray, if possible)
~loaf pan

**Hint** the best breads with the best rise comes from HOT water and COLD yeast. Let your water run until it is hot enough to start melting the butter, but not boiling and always keep your yeast in the refrigerator. 

Directions:

1) Add ingredients to your bread maker IN ORDER as listed; make a "well" in the center of the ingredients and pour the yeast in last
2) Set bread maker on "dough" setting; let your machine do all the mixing and the first rise
3) About 10-15 minutes before dough is ready, set your oven on "warm" and let it be warming
4) When machine is finished, TURN OVEN OFF, spray loaf pan with grape seed oil, remove dough from machine and transfer into bread pan
5) Gently and with quick pats, pat your dough into shape and round out any edges
6) Set dough, in pan, in the warmed oven and let it rise for 30 minutes
7) At end of last rise, set oven at 375 degrees and bake for 27 minutes; I know that's a weird amount of time, but trust me :-)
8) Remove delicious bread from oven and pop out onto cooling rack
9) DO NOT slice until it is cool, you will crush your beautiful loaf
10) Enjoy!

Let me know how much you LOVE this bread!

Blessings from Ohio . . . Kim<><

Homemade Soft Flatbread

Hello, my name is Kim and I'm a bread-head. 

If it's bread, you know that I will probably LOVE it. Are you the same way? I've made our own family bread for years and I have recently started making my own Ezekiel Bread, but I also enjoy that lovely, soft flat bread (some call it Naan). 

Soft yummy flat bread makes wonderful quick sandwiches with spreads, chicken salad, thin-sliced turkey or chicken, a twist on tacos or burritos ~  with sprouts, guacamole . . . put it apart and dip pieces in hummus or guacamole . . . mmmm . . . the list can just go on and on. 

Flat bread is very easy, although just a little time consuming, to make ~ 

You will need: 

~1-1/2 c. warm milk
~1/2 ts. yeast
~1 ts. sugar (I use Turbinado Sugar a.k.a. Sugar in the Raw)
~1 ts sea salt
~3-1/2 to 4 c. flour
~4-5 TB melted butter
~olive oil
~1/4 ts garlic powder or granules (optional)
~sea salt for sprinkling (optional)
~herb blend (optional)
~medium-to-large bowl, for mixing
~large glass OR ceramic mixing bowl, for rising in warm oven
~baking stone OR cookie sheet (stone is best)
~rolling pin

Directions:

1) pre-heat oven to 200* (F) or set on "warm"

2) gently warm milk; no warmer than you would give a baby

3) add yeast and sugar to milk and let stand for about 5 minutes

4) in a bowl, mix salt and flour; work through to blend with your fingers

5) gently pour in the yeast mixture into a bigger bowl and add the flour mixture ~ a little at a time ~ to form the dough 

6) sprinkle some flour onto your counter or large cutting board and dust your hands with a little flour, knead dough for about 8 to 10 minutes. As you're adding the flour to your dough, I don't recommend using more than 4 c. The bread will end up flaky instead of smooth

7) pour JUST ENOUGH olive oil in a large glass OR ceramic bowl to rub on the bottom and sides of the bowl

8) form dough into a ball and put in oiled bowl; TURN OVER OFF and let rise in warm oven for 2 hours

9) when dough has risen, punch it down and divide it up into 10-12 pieces and roll into balls and place on cutting board, counter or other smooth, clean surface

10) WHILE YOU ARE MAKING THE DOUGH BALLS, put your baking stone(s) in the oven and heat up to 500* (F)

11) cover dough balls with a clean kitchen towel and leave them for 30 minutes

12) with your rolling pin, roll EACH dough ball out to about the size of a small tortilla

13) carefully place the dough onto the baking stone ~ you can get 3 . . . maybe 4 . . . on a large stone 

***IF you want to sprinkle a little garlic or herbs on your flatbread, now is the time to do it

14) bake for 3-5 minutes ~ watch them ~ they will bubble-up :-) 

15) when you remove them, stack them on a plate on top of each other so that they flatten out; spread just a little butter on each side

16) ENJOY!

Blessings from Ohio . . . Kim<><

Scottish Stoved Taties

In case you didn't know, potatoes are a staple of many Scottish, Irish and British dishes. Because of their land is so rocky, herbs and potatoes are the most dependable eatables to grow. Potatoes are also cost effective, usually abundant and can be fixed in many delicious ways.

In Scotland, potatoes are usually called "taties," so . . . taties cooked on the stove-top are traditionally called . . . wait for it . . . stoved taties. :-) They can be fixed in a different ways, but the most traditional is the most simple and also the way that anyone of you with a drop of Southern blood have probably made them, yourselves.

You will need:

~10-12 medium-to-large potatoes [my family always called "regular" potatoes "Irish potatoes" :-D]; peeled and sliced thin

• You can also use red potatoes for a bit of variety, best to leave their peels on

~butter (preferred ~ here's my homemade butter recipe) OR Earth Balance non-hydrogenated margarine OR olive oil 
~sea salt and ground pepper to taste
~sour cream (nice and thick)

~herbed butter (recipe coming next time!!!)

~large, deep cast iron skillet OR a heavy saucepan
~1 heaping TB of my Absolute Favorite Herb Mix **Optional**

Directions:

1) pour enough olive oil into your skillet/pan to coat bottom, put sliced potatoes into the skillet/pan and pour just a little more oil over the top
2) if you like (and I do), sprinkle my herb mix over potatoes
3) sprinkle sea salt and ground pepper, to taste, over potatoes
4) give potatoes a good stir and make sure they are well coated with the oil and seasonings
5) Cover and cook over low heat for 30 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked through and soft; stirring once or twice
6) Serve and a generous dollop of herbed butter and thick sour cream
7) Enjoy

Blessings from Ohio . . . Kim<><   

Sweet Scottish Scones

I so enjoy exploring my Scottish heritage. Although MUCH time has passed since my Scottish ancestors crossed The Pond, there is an old saying that says: "A Scot is a Scot, even unto an hundred generations."

I'm counting on it. ;-)

Every culture and country has it's own favorite foods ~ one of the most fun ~ & fearsome ~ things to try!

I don't make these as much as I used to, but a real favorite of mine are Sweet Scones.

You will need:

SCONES
~8 c. flour (I use bread flour for a higher, flakier rise)
~a pinch of sea salt; to taste
~1/3 c. sugar
~4 ts baking powder
~1-1/2 sticks of butter
~3 eggs
~1-1/2 c. milk (if you have dairy problems, vanilla-flavored rice milk works well)

GLAZE (if desired):
~1 egg, beaten with a pinch of salt blended in
~Sugar
~Butter, jam, jelly, honey, whipped cream for your desired topping

Directions:

1) In a large bowl, with a whisk, combine flour, salt, sugar and baking powder.
2) Make a "well" in the center and pinch in the butter.
3) Beat the eggs with the milk and pour into the the flour mixture. ~IF you add berries, currants or nuts of any sort, this is where you would fold them in.
4) Mix to form a soft dough and turn out onto a floured bread board; knead light, just until you can shape the dough into a ball.
5) Place dough ball either into a lightly sprayed 10" cast iron skillet OR onto a baking stone; take a knife and "cut" across the dough ball to make 6-8 wedges. 
6) IF you use the glaze, this is the time to brush the tops with the egg mixture & sprinkle with sugar.
7) Bake at 475* for 10 minutes or until golden brown.
8) After you take it out of the oven, break apart at the "cut" and serve with your favorite topping.

There are so many variations of this, feel free to try your own. I have to admit that more often than not, I will skip the glaze and add blueberries to mine. "Yum" only BEGINS to describe it.

Blessings from Ohio . . . Kim<><

Chicken Parmesan Soup with Cheesy Garlic Bread . . . Oh, Yeah!

Spring is here . . . they say . . . but since it has remained so cold for so long it is still "soup season" around here. This is a recipe that's new to my family, but I have a feeling it will rank right of there with our other favorites.

And, of course, you know we are bread lovers, here, and you HAVE to have this wonderful cheesy garlic bread to top-off this delicious soup.

As our girls used to say when they were little ~ it's yummy in your tummy. 

 Google photo

You will need:

For Soup:
~olive oil
~2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts; trimmed of all fat and gristle
~1 28oz can of diced tomatoes; seasoned or unseasoned, use what your family likes best
~1 qt chicken broth
~sea salt OR Real Salt
~pepper
~1 c fresh, chopped basil OR 1/2 c dried basil (fresh is best)
~1 ts red pepper flakes
~1 medium-to-large sweet onion
~frying pan
~soup pot or dutch oven

For Bread:
~8 slices of crusty Artisan bread OR bake my yummy rosemary and flax artisan bread 

 My rosemary & flax artisan bread

~3 chopped-up cloves of garlic OR 3 TB garlic granules
~1/2 to 1c freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1) if your chicken breasts are nice & plump, pound them out to flatten a little; cut into "soup sized" pieces
 
2) in your frying pan, pour enough olive oil to JUST cover bottom of pan, turn heat on to Medium, place chicken in the pan, sea salt & pepper to taste & cook until chicken is JUST cooked through. Set aside. **You may want to pre-heat your oven to 350* for your bread now.

3) heat soup pot/dutch oven to med-high; add onion, chopped garlic & pepper flakes; saute' until onions start to soften

4) add tomatoes & chicken broth; once they heat up, reduce heat & let simmer for 5 minutes

5) add chicken & simmer another 5 minutes

6) add basil & stir to completely mix ingredients, let simmer

7) put bread slices on a cookie sheet or large baking stone; drizzle with olive oil (do not soak bread in oil), sprinkle a little sea salt, pepper, garlic granules on your bread slices. Top off with yummy grated Parmesan cheese

8) bake at 350* for 5 minutes or until cheese has melted to gooey goodness

9) Ladle soup into deep bowls, sprinkle a little grated Parmesan cheese onto soup & then lay a beautiful slice of cheesy garlic bread on top of the soup

10) ENJOY

Let me know how you LOVE this soup.

Blessings from Ohio . . . Kim<><              

Rosemary & Flax Cast Iron Artisan Bread

As many of you know, I bake our family bread, basically a flaxseed meal bread. I use that basic recipe to make all sorts of variations of my bread: basic family bread, rolls, and various herb breads.

Today, I want to give you another variation that I just love . . . rosemary & flax artisan bread baked in my Bigmom's cast iron skillet! You will LOVE this.

You will need:
 
~1-1/3 c. hot water (the hotter, the better, but not boiling)
~2 ts. butter (or margarine ~ I recommend Earth Balance, it is non-hydrogenated)
~4 c. unbleached bread flour (I also enjoy 2 c bread flour & 2 c whole wheat)
~1/4 c. flaxseed meal
~5 ts. sugar OR Sucanat (depends on your sweet-tooth)
~1-1/2 ts. sea salt (OR Real Salt ~ remember that Real Salt is "saltier" than sea salt)
~the leaves of 3 long, dried sprigs of rosemary OR 1 TB dried rosemary
1 TB. (heaping) yeast (cold - kept in frig)

Directions:

1) Add ingredients into your bread machine in order as listed above.

2) Use your finger or a measuring spoon to form a well (hole) in the mixture to pour the yeast into. NEVER let your yeast come into contact w/a liquid before mixing. NOTE ~ hot water & cold yeast will make your bread rise higher & more successfully; however, if it is raining on the day you bake your bread the rise will not be quite so high.

3) Set machine on "Dough." Mine will knead and rise for about 1-1/2 hours.

4) About 10 minutes before cycle is complete, set oven on "warm" to pre-heat. While oven is warming, spray or grease your 10" cast iron skillet ~ I like to use grape seed oil. After about 10 minutes, turn oven OFF. 
 

Take bread out of machine, punch down, shape into a round loaf and set in skillet, 

take a knife and cut a cross on the top of the bread, set bread in oven and let rise for 45 minutes. 

5) After bread rises, set oven at 375* & bake for 27 minutes.

6) Cool on wire rack.

7) Pour about 3 TB of olive oil into a saucer & sprinkle in 1 TB of grated Parmesan cheese into the oil.

8) Cut bread into slices, dip pieces of the bread into the oil & cheese mixture and ENJOY!

Blessings from Ohio . . . Kim<><

Kim's Homemade Chili

Yesterday was one of those lovely, crisp, cool, early fall days. And once the temperature starts to drop I start thinking of comfort foods ~ namely: chili, taco soup, stews and the like. So, on my Facebook, I wrote "Feels like a chili cookin' kinda day. :-P Hmmm...I might have to blog my recipe tomorrow."

Soooo . . . as promised . . . here's my chili recipe.

Just a little background before we begin: This recipe came from an assignment in my 10th grade Home-Ec class. The assignment was to make up a recipe for a common entrée & "tweak" it. Here is my recipe with a few little changes that fit how I cook today (like sea salt/Read Salt, my own seasonings, etc.) My family loves this chili.

This recipe can easily be adapted for crock pot cooking.

 You will need:

~1 lb. ground beef or chuck (I use chuck)
~1/2 c. diced sweet onion
~1/4 c. diced green pepper
~1/4 or 1/2 diced garlic clove OR 2 ts. garlic granules
~1 can seasoned crushed tomatoes
~2 TB cilantro (*optional* ~ I'm a cilantro hog, I put it in anything I can :-P )
~1 can red kidney beans
~1/2 or 1 ts. chili powder OR 1 TB Kim's Taco Seasoning (works just as well in chili)
~1 ts. sea salt OR Real Salt
~1 ts. oregano
~1 bottle of Heinz Chili Sauce 
~Grated Colby-Jack Cheese

** and here's the "tweak"**

~1 can Del Monte Seasoned Zucchini

Directions:

1) In a Dutch Oven or deep cooking pot, brown ground beef/chuck, onion, pepper & garlic. When it is browned all the way through, add the chili powder OR my taco seasoning. 
2) Do not drain.
3) Add all other ingredients (EXCEPT cheese). **NOTE** This is a thicker, "stewier" chili, if you like a "soupier" chili then add another cup of water.
4) Cover & simmer for 45 minutes; stirring occasionally.
5) Serve a hearty portion in a bowl, sprinkle grated cheese on top & serve with my sweet cornbread.

**This is a great recipe for the camp fire**

Blessings from Ohio . . . Kim<><