Healthy, Soaked Artisan Bread.

Grains get a bad wrap these days and it really is unfair. I mean, they have been around since the beginning of time and have been deemed for the use of man. Why are they now on the naughty list? It isn't the grains, it's the people. 


Grains are full of wonderful vitamins and minerals. They are so good for us and people have lived off grains for years. The problem is that we have ruined our stomachs from all the junk in the world and the grains themselves have even been ruined in part by the GMO's and pesticides. Our bodies now have a hard time digesting these super grains and getting the goodness out of them. For many, they are now even harmful. We mustn't look at grains as the evil. We need to work towards healing our bodies so that we can use the goodness of grains and seek the grains that are uncorrupted by the GMO industries. 
Grains should be a part of our diet. There will be times when people need to steer clear of them while they are healing their systems, but after that, they should be included, with prudence and correct preparation.


Soaking and sprouting, as I have talked about before, help break down the proteins and phytates in the grains which make them much easier to digest. You can use my search box to find out more on that subject. This post is about an easy way to healthify your bread with as minimal amount of work as possible. We all need that. Many get overwhelmed with the whole soaking, sprouting and drying routine. I know I did.


Last month, I bought some delicious homemade Artisan bread from a friend's daughter for a fundraiser. It was soooo yummy. We devoured it. I immediately asked her for the recipe. I was delighted to learn in was one of those no knead recipes that sits overnight and takes only minutes of prep time. I dove in and made a loaf and it was good. It was white flour and not so good for you but nonetheless, delightful. I decided that I would take this method and healthify it a bit to remove the guilt of eating it. The end product was delicious. Not as fluffy as the white version on the outside but delicious on the inside. The best part is that it is 100% whole grain, soaked bread with very little yeast! It took minutes to make! No excuses now, ladies! I didn't have that bloated feeling when eating it like I do with white bread. I just felt good.

I kept this loaf as more of a flat, rectangular shape. When cut, it resembled more of a Biscotti which was perfect for soup-dipping! It was moist and chewy and spongy. Just how an Artisan bread should be. I used 100% Kamut grain which will usually not work in a bread. It has low gluten and is usually very crumbly in bread but not made this way. I love Kamut for the protein content and low gluten but I usually keep it to muffins and pancakes. I decided to try it out and it worked perfectly. It has a very mild taste so you get that white bread taste. I served it with a light summer veggie soup, see those zucchini's again? I think we have had them every night this week. I had a bowl full of fresh picked green beans to add as well and some tomatoes that needed to be used. I even threw in some tomatillos that were on the counter. Veggie soups are a great way to use up what is in the kitchen. I add some quinoa while cooking for health benefits and to thicken the soup. It only takes 3 minutes in the pressure cooker!


To make the Artisan bread, you need some sort of dutch oven or for the best effect, a clay baker. I used the deep oval baker from Pampered Chef. It creates a good steam which gives it the chewy texture. You can use any clay, enamel, cast iron or glass bakeware that goes in the oven with a lid. You start the night before.

3 cups flour (fresh ground or sin and use white)

1/4 tsp. yeast 

1 1/2 tsp sea salt

1 1/2 cups hot water

2 T. kefir or buttermilk (needed to remove phytates)

1 T. favorite seasoning (optional)

       I didn't use seasoning this time but use Herbs de Provence in the other batches. 

Mix the flour,yeast  and salt in the bowl. Add the hot water and mix a little then add the kefir. Mix until all blended. It will be sticky and shaggy looking. Leave it in the bowl and cover with a lid or plastic wrap. Let sit up to 24 hours. There will be a bubbly appearance when ready.

When the dough is ready (for me, I usually start it at around 9 at night and by 3, I am ready to form it to a loaf although it is ready earlier), turn it onto a floured mat or counter and sprinkle it with flour. Fold it about 3 or 4 times to form a rounded loaf. Make 3 diagonal cuts on the top. Put it into your clay baker or pan with parchment lining the bottom. Cover and let rise 30 min to 2 hours. I have even forgotten mine and let it go for 4 hours and it was the best loaf I had! The less time, the more dense your bread which is sometimes preferred depending on the meal. 

Preheat oven to 425. Put the pan in, covered and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the lid after 30 minutes and bake another 10-15 more or until lightly golden on top. Remove from pan and let cool. 

It is so good warm but if you are eating it after it is totally cooled, I like to toast it in the broiler with some olive oil or butter. Artisan bread isn't the best cold. I love this bread with some Bruschetta, especially the batches with the herbs in the dough. 

Because this is soaked for 24 hours with the kefir, you don't need to sprout your grains first. Soaking will do the work for you. 

Thank you, Rachel, for giving me this recipe and for your daughter for her fundraiser! I am addicted! 

If any of you need that clay baker from Pampered chef, you can check out Rachel's website here.

Some time, be a little naughty and try the recipe with the white flour. Holy moly. Just keep that to a minimum. 

Coconut Zucchini Bread.

I am overloaded with zucchini right now. It is just the season. If you are picking up supplements, chances are you have a squash of some sort in your bag. Many of my favorite zucchini recipes include cheese. That is hard for us cheese less kids. You can adapt many recipes to be dairy free but not these. Darn. I will miss you, zucchini Italienne! 

You can only make zucchini bread so often. Yesterday I decided to change it up a bit and add some coconut. It made it a little more hearty. It went well with the peaches and berries I picked in the backyard. We even had some of our fresh chicken eggs to go with it. I had to smile at my plate as I realized my dreams of being self sufficient are coming to fruition. We are getting there. 

If the neighbor is leaving zucchini on your doorstep or you too are overloaded with the green squash, here is the recipe to try:

Coconut Zucchini Bread

3 cups whole grain flour (sprouted is best)

2 cups coconut sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp sea salt

2 tsp vanilla

1 tsp cinnamon

1 cup coconut oil

3 eggs

1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut

2 cups raw grated zucchini

1/2 cup kefir or buttermilk ( I used coconut kefir)

Preheat oven to 325.  Combine all dry ingredients and stir in the wet ingredients. Batter is really thick. Pour into two loaf pans. Bake for about 1 hr 15 mn or until done. Do not over bake!

Fast Food.

When you take pictures in a dark kitchen, the photo looks less than appetizing. Sorry about that. I cook, not take pictures. Take my word for it, it was yummy.

Sunday I had a great dinner planned with Shish kabobs and roasted rosemary potatoes. However, when it came down to it, only a few of us were going to be there to eat it. Since I only cook meat once to twice a week, I decided that the absentee teenagers would prefer I do the "meat" meal the following night. The problem was that it was now 5 pm and I didn't know what to make. I needed to do something quick. 

I am trying to use up some healthy lentils so I tried out this lentil chili recipe with some corn fritters. It was a great, quick meal. It took less than 20 minutes to have it all done. Of course, I did use a pressure cooker so add on about 15 minutes if you don't own one yet. Lentils are so great for you and you can really put about anything you want in this chili. I stuck with the recipe this time, a rare thing for me. I think I would add some celery and carrots but it tasted great and completely meatless. The corn fritters were perfect with it. I loved to eat a little piece of them with every spoonful of chili. With fresh corn that will be here in the summer, these corn fritters will be a regular, I am sure. I used the Costco organic sweet white corn. Fresh corn will be even better.

Lentil Chili

8 cups vegetable or chicken broth

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

1 large red bell pepper, chopped

5 cloves garlic, finely chopped

4 teaspoons chili powder

2 1/4 cups lentils

2  15 oz cans diced tomatoes

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

salt and pepper to taste

Saute veggies in some olive oil until a little tender, about 5 minutes. Add broth, lentils and chili powder. Pressure cook for about 7 minutes on the second ring. Then add the tomatoes, cilantro, salt and pepper and simmer until soft. If you are not using a pressure cooker, after sauteing the veggies, add broth, lentils, chili powder and tomatoes and simmer after bringing to boil for about 30 minutes or until soft. Add Cilantro when lentils are tender. 

Corn Fritters

(Martha Stewart recipe)

2 cups corn, fresh or frozen (thaw first)

1/3 cup milk

1 large egg

1 tsp sugar or sweetener of choice

1/2 tsp. baking powder

celtic salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup corn meal

1/4 cup sprouted spelt flour ( or flour of choice)

coconut oil to fry

Add all ingredients together and fry on a skillet in a couple tablespoons of coconut oil. Keep them warm in the oven until ready to eat. 

Going Nuts

     Outside my very front door, I am blessed to see two rows of pecan trees that are blessing me with their offspring. I have collected a winter supply and am enjoying how good a fresh, organic nut can be. Such wonderful protein and nutrition in such a cute little package. 

     Here was breakfast with my little fresh picked bounty:

     It is definitely one of those breakfasts that will stick to your ribs and give you sustenance late into the day. It is also a great granola to use on yogurt or munch on plain. Super healthy and super yummy.

                         PECAN GRANOLA

1/2 cup raisins

1 1/4 cup pecans (best if soaked overnight and dehydrated)

1 cup unsweetened, shredded coconut

1 tsp vanilla

1 Tb. coconut oil (do not melt)

2 T. honey

1/4 cup quinoa or millet (sprouted and dried are best)

Put all in a blender or food processor and blend until just fine chunks. You can eat this raw at this point or you can put it on a cookie sheet spread into a bar about 1/2 inch thick. Bake at 300 degrees for about 10-15 minutes or until slightly golden. Allow to cool and then crumble. Serve warm over fruit or serve raw with fruit. You can store in the fridge or freezer for later use. Great with yogurt and plain as well. You can add all sorts of grains and dried fruits as desired.

Waste Not...leftover hamburger buns.

I hate to waste food. Really hate it. To me, not only is it a waste of my money, it is showing ingratitude for the food I was blessed with. I try hard to use the "scraps" in other creations when at all possible. Saturday we had some friends over for a BBQ and you are always left with the hamburger buns that you over bought. Now, there is no way I am going to use them for any other dish since they were store bought, tasteless buns except for.....

Croutons. Croutons are a great way to use up the leftover buns and french bread. It is so easy and they store great. If you have lots, you can put them in mason jars and use a food saver vacuum lid if you have one. 

To make your own, simply cut the bread into squares or be real cute and make shapes. 

Then, drizzle with olive oil or spray with an oil sprayer. Sprinkle with herbs of choice, garlic powder and sea salt. I love the Herbs de Provence myself. 

Bake in the oven on 300 , tossing now and then until they are crisp. You don't want them brown, just dried out. 

Now, if you need something to serve along side your salad topped with homemade croutons, you can try these cute little pinwheels out.....

Also super easy but oh so appetizing. It is a great way to use the leftovers in the fridge.

To make these, make your favorite pizza dough or you can borrow my recipe here:

Pizza Dough

4 cups all purpose flour, or half whole grain

1 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups warm water

2 tsp yeast in 1/4 cup warm water

1 T. Olive oil

Mix yeast in measuring cup with 1/4 cups warm water. Let yeast get foamy. Put 3 cups of flour in bowl with salt. Mix and stir in 1 1/2 cups warm water, oil and yeast mixture. Mix with spoon until sticky. Add more flour until the dough is only slightly sticky. Let rest for 8 minutes. Knead again until dough is smooth and elastic. Let rise for 4 hours. 

 I let the dough rise for about an hour for this recipe. I used half whole grain, half white flour. All whole grain would be a little heavy. 

Roll out dough to about 1/3 inch thick. Sprinkle with about 2 cups mozzarella or more if desired. Top with whatever you desire. I used thin prosciutto, chopped onions, chopped spinach and a little crumbled bacon. The total amount of meat I used was 4 oz. and this fed 6 hungry people for dinner and two of us for lunch.

After the toppings are on, roll up the dough like a cinnamon roll, long side first. Pinch seams and edges. Place seam side down on a jelly roll pan. I put mine on parchment and had to put the roll up diagonally on the pan to make it fit.

Brush the entire top with olive oil and bake at 425 for 25 minutes or until golden. The top will be crispy.

Let cool a few minutes and serve alongside some marinara sauce for dipping. Yummy. 

Molasses Peasant Bread

I love a good, hearty peasant bread with a vegetable soup anytime of year. This round loaf is thick and pleasantly sweet with a touch of molasses. It serves up best with a spread of cold butter on the still "warm from the oven bread." It doesn't rise up very high but has more of the texture of an Irish bread. Super yum.

Molasses Peasant Bread

5 cups fresh ground whole grain flour (sprouted is preferred)
1 cup corn meal
2 T. Yeast
2 tsp. sea salt
2 C. warm water
5 T. soft butter
1/2 C. molasses

Stir 2 cups flour, corn meal, yeast and salt together in mixer. Add water, butter and molasses and beat for 2 minutes. Add in enough flour to make a dough that pulls from the sides. Mix for 5 more minutes or knead by hand.

Cover and let rise for about 1 1/2 hours. Turn on board or counter and form into two round loaves. Put on greased jelly roll pan and make 3 slits in top of loaves with knife, cutting about 1/2 inch deep. Let rise about 30-45 minutes.

Bake at 375 for about 25-35 minutes or until golden on top or bread reaches about 180 degrees. Serve while warm.

Taking a little "Herb Stop"

This weekend our family took a little vacation to the family cabin in Pine. I have to admit, I was excited to go for more reasons than quality family time and cooler weather -- I wanted to stop by my recent find last fall.

There are only a few little shops in Pine and one day while strolling down the "main street" of Pine, I decided to pop into the "Herb Stop". I expected a store full of hippies and hookas but instead, I entered a shop with my name written all over it. There were a couple of moms discussing what herbs to take for increasing her milk supply and a couple more looking at the natural face creams. Then, to my wondering eyes did appear, a wall full of spices and herbs for culinary delights! Oooooh, Aaaaaaah. I was in Enlightened Homemaker heaven. How did I pass up this little gem so many times before?



It got even better. Many of the herbs and spices were organic and on top of that, the prices were amazing. There are no fillers or preservatives. There were more bottles than my eyes could take in. My favorite part is the blends that they have created. I love to buy herbs and spices in a mix that can easily be sprinkled on any genre my heart desires. I am a girl of flavor. I need spice in my life. I need variety. What better way to fulfill my culinary desires than with a little sprinkle of Chipotle Salsa seasoning or Cajun spice?

We pulled up to our cabin, unloaded the vehicles and as quick as I could get the kids settled, I headed out the door to get my fix. They have added even more.

I bought a heavenly Apple Pie dessert seasoning that I just can't wait to put on my baked apples and muffins. I bought an amazing Indian spice blend to go in some lentils and curries. An herb and garlic sprinkle for some roasted veggies and a new Cajun blend, to name a few. I left the shop with complete sensory overload but with recipe concoctions flowing through my little head.

The good news is, my little Enlightened Homemaker friends, you can buy these goodies online! Hooray! Just link to them here and shop away.

If you want to try something out that I made with their Herbs de Provence tonight, take a gander below. They are almost more than a girl can bear. They didn't help my beach bound body in any way but are the best darn breadsticks on this planet. No kidding.

Herbed Breadsticks

1 1/2 cups warm water
1 T. yeast
2 T. sugar
1 cup soft white wheat or white flour. ( I used ground kamut and sorghum)
2 1/2 C. all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
4 T. butter
Herbs of choice
Fresh grated Parmesan cheese

Mix all ingredients, except butter, in a large bowl or mixer. Mix for 6 minutes or until dough is smooth and elastic. Leave still a bit tacky, adding extra flour if needed. Let dough rest for 10 minutes. Roll into a large rectangle, about 1/4 inch thick. Use a pizza cutter and make 1/2 inch strips by about 6 inches.



Pour melted butter into a jelly roll pan. Grabbing both ends of the dough strip, twist a couple times and place in the pan. This makes about 26 breadsticks. Using a baster, spread a little butter on the breadsticks from the pan just to moisten. Sprinkle with crushed herbs of choice and fresh grated Parmesan cheese. No powdered cheese!

I have made these with half whole grain and half white flour. I wouldn't do more than that. These are a treat so go all out! I used my sprouted Kamut flour and it was perfect!


Bake at 375 for about 15 minutes. Eat while warm with a great big salad and some pasta. We had some baked spaghetti to dip our breadsticks into. I ate far too many. Oh, so worth it!

Veggie Tales

I went to the garden to pick our veggies and this little guy was just staring at me. I have something for always seeing faces in my food. But as I picked these, they just spoke to me, "I am your dinner." Since I live in AZ and it is HOT, like down under HOT, the only thing that sounds good to me to eat is veggies and crisp watermelon. I can't seem to want a dinner that doesn't have these foods as the main ingredient. Today was really hot so I needed to make something that took very little effort and was light in the belly. Hmmmmm, yes. Veggie omelets, lemon zucchini muffins and crisp, sweet watermelon. Perfect for a hot summer night. First for the muffins, a few little gadgets that you just must have:

The Juicer

This little gadget is amazing. You just put in your half lemon and squeeze. Out comes the juice and no seeds. Easy clean up and quick as can be. One of my best friends for sure.

The Scoop

I bought this guy for cookies but it is the mainstay for my mini muffins. I always make mini muffins over the larger sizes because they only take about 12 minutes and the less time I have to heat the house, the better. Plus, I swear the cute little ones just taste better and are the perfect size for little mouths.

Need to use up your garden zucs? Here is the recipe to get the job done. This makes lots.... like 48 mini muffins and one full loaf but it is great to freeze or you can just half the recipe.

Lemon Zucchini Muffins

Blend together:

3 eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar or whatever sweetener you desire. I like to mix up honey, sucanat and coconut sugar. You can also use less sugar if desired.
1 C. oil. Coconut oil works great.

Add:

3 C. whole grain flour. I used soft white and sorghum sprouted flours this day.
1 t. baking soda
1 t. baking powder
3 C. finely grated zucchini
Juice and zest of one lemon
1/2 tsp. sea salt. Celtic is my favorite.
Nuts if desired

Mix all ingredients together. Add more flour if too wet. The batter is runny, a little thicker than cake batter. Fill mini muffin pans or any size desired. Bake at 350 until middle springs back when touched; about 12-14 minutes for mini size.


Now on to the omelets. First off, you need to keep the veggies crisp. Oh how I loathe soggy, tasteless veggies. That's where most people ruin their children on veggies.

Rules:

Cook only to release their flavors and soften them slightly. You want a little texture.

Keep them in small pieces. Large chunks are easily detected by the kids. The smaller they are, they harder they are to pick out of their meal. Also, I like to taste a variety of veggies on one fork full. Not one big chunk of one veggie. When they are smaller, you can cook them less which leaves more nutrients. There are great gadgets for this and they are usually pretty cheap.

Season them up! I love flavor and veggies are the perfect medium for this. I have a cupboard full of my favorites and this one below, the mesquite flavor from The Spice Hunter is one of them. It goes perfect on veggies and is great in soups and meat dishes. It isn't hot just flavorful. I sprinkle some on when I am stir frying my veggies.

This omelet had green bell peppers, leeks, mild jalapeno peppers and a Poblano all from my garden. I then added on a little cheese and some garden fresh salsa.

A few little tips to making a great omelet:

Whisk in some milk to the eggs to help them be a little thinner. Pour on the egg batter like a crepe in a medium hot pan that has a little melted butter. Let the egg set for just a second before you put the ingredients on. Then, on one side, lay your cheese down if desired an the rest of your filling. Let is just sit right there until the egg is set. Not overdone. Just cooked. Fold it in half and plate it. Make sure your heat is low enough that the egg doesn't get browned. It should cook a little slower so that the flavors all mesh together and the egg doesn't get chewy. Eggs get slaughtered in the kitchen for some reason.

My neighbor boy had dinner with us when we had omelets one night and he told me that he didn't like omelets and that it was kinda weird to have them for dinner. But, he is always a trouper and ate it. He asked for another one. It's all in the technique. I simply love them. Why not for dinner? It was the perfect HOT summer night dinner. Light and flavorful.

Eat a Rainbow Every Day.

Sorry for the lack of posts, it was Spring Break so we did a little relaxing around here. I didn't get to leave town on the account that my oldest is not allowed to leave town for spring break because he is on the baseball team for his high school, and no break for them. How ridiculous is that? I mean, isn't he my child? Can't I decide if he can leave town for a week. Ridiculous. We managed to have some fun regardless and a break is always nice.

But back to nutrition. If you live in my house or are even a cute neighbor child who eats regularly at my house, you will know what it means when I ask if you have eaten a rainbow today. And no, fruit loops don't count. As you can see by the picture above, we are talking real food - real beautiful, bright, natural foods that feed the body and mind. You see, the Lord created a color code, if you will for food to let us know what goodness lies within each beautiful created specimen of nourishment. The color of a food will give you clues into what vitamins are contained within. By eating all different colors, you will be getting different kinds of vitamins. If you are stuck on let's say, the yellow group, you are depriving your body of important vitamins. If you live within the white group, well, you're in trouble.

Produce that are in the yellow, red and orange group are usually loaded with Vitamin A and C. They help with vision, skin health, immunity, heart health , cancer prevention,healing and pregnancy health, to name a few.

Dark Leafy greens are loaded with nutrients like Vitamin K which aide in bone health and the production of proteins in the body, Vitamin E which is a rich antioxidant, Riboflavin which helps to release energy from foods, Folate which is extremely important for the health of a baby in the womb and for the health of the mother, Calcium for our bone health and the binding of other important minerals and Iron; just to name a few.

Beside the vitamins that lie within produce, there are very important disease-fighting chemicals that help the body to fight toxins and wastes that we accumulate from being a part of this world. The orange and yellow varieties contain carotenoids and the green varieties contain carotenoids along with anthocyanins. To get the maximum benefit of phytochemicals to boost our immune systems, we need to get both of these. By eating a variety of veggies and fruit , we can make sure that we are feeding our body the nutrients it needs.

Now, I hear over and over that "my child won't eat veggies" and it makes my toes curl. We pretty much come to this world wanting sugar and all things that resemble it. Our tastes are developed. Very few children start off wanting broccoli straight from the womb, although I had a niece who would eat my broccoli straight from my garden like a grazing cow at the age of two. However, most of the time it is a forced habit. We need to offer a variety all the time and insist that they eat it. Insist, not suggest. It should not be an option. You are the mother. You make the rules. If you don't insist on it now, they may never develop the taste and never eat it as they get older. I take dinner to my grandparents and my grandpa won't even eat a salad. The habit needs to be learned while at a young age.

Try to eat produce as undercooked or raw as possible. Season like crazy. There are so many delicious spice mixes out there. The photo above was our dinner one night. Since we are for the most part meatless, fajitas are a little different now. Those beautiful veggies were stir fried leaving a still crisp texture and seasoned fully with a great fajita seasoning. I seasoned them the same way I would meat just with veggies only. I then made some homemade Spelt tortillas and then grilled them right on the BBQ with a little cheese and tossed the veggies on top. We folded them Quesadilla style and gobbled them up. You would never miss the meat. We ate our rainbows and ended it with some sweet, colorful fruit. A perfect meal served up on our picnic table outside in the perfect Arizona weather. Scrumptious.

If you are the type that cooks up a separate meal of chicken nuggets or mac and cheese for your picky little ones, stop it now. They will only eat that if you keep feeding that habit. Dinner is what you make. Period. No other options. I had a 4 year struggle with my extremely picky autistic child who would live only on chips and muffins. I had to pry his mouth open, shove in the food and make him keep it in. Four years later, he will eat everything I give him. Onions, raw peppers, raw broccoli, whatever. It was a long battle but what a pay off. He will thank me one day. It can be done. Persistence is key.

Eat your rainbow everyday. Get your vitamins naturally. Do your body a favor.



PS. Don't forget to place your BEE Box order. A rainbow in a box!

***Tortilla recipe per request:

Tortillas:
recipe swiped off Kara Bagley's blog. Check out her link to the right or take her class to learn to make these great tortillas.

1 1/2 cup white flour
1 c. whole grain flour

1/3 cup Spectrum shortening, coconut oil or whatever you have
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. chili powder or cumin (opt.)
1 cup hot water

Place flours, fat and seasoning(s) into mixing bowl. Cut in shortening with wire whips. Change to dough hook, start mixer and add water until dough pulls together. Add more white flour if dough is too wet. Let dough rest for 15 minutes. Divide into 12 equal pieces and shape into rounds. Roll out each round with plenty of flour or press in a tortilla press. Cook 45 seconds each side on high heat (450 degrees). Use a nice pan that holds heat so that you don't have to wait for it to come back up to temperature between cooking each one. Wrap in towel to keep warm and moist. Of coarse you can make any size you'd like, just make sure your pan is the right size to accommodate. Can make by hand if needed.

The Summer Garden

I have received a few emails about wanting to see my garden that I talk so much about. I do love it. It is my pride and joy along with my children, of course, of both whom I have nurtured and raised from seed. So, here is a little of my garden tour.

The dwarf peach tree, that isn't so dwarfish, deserves some mention. It is the prominate feature along side the garden. The birds love the peaches which is a good thing in a way because it keeps them out of my garden. Who wants to nibble on tomato's when you can peck at a delightful peach? Once again, we have a million peaches, unfortunately small, but nonetheless, we have eaten them for weeks now in every imaginable dish. Still not sick of them. Cobblers, muffins, glazes, granola, salads, etc. So many ways.

Can you tell what this is? Check out the little brown lump in the ground. It is a potato. Ever so cute. This is my first potato ever grown by my own little hands. There are clusters of them. Ever so cute.

The pepper plants. The question from one of my fellow EH's asked about growing peppers in AZ. Yes, it is hot. Yes, they get scorched and brown. My trick, my summer garden is in "canopy" style. That means that the plants are a bit crowded to let the leaves shade each other. This cute little plant is partially under the canopy of a zucchini plant. The big leaves help shade it so that the pepper can grow, burn free. It gets plenty of sun.
The big picture. You just can't do it justice with a picture but here it is. The summer garden is a messy one. I prefer the neat lines of the fall garden but the summer garden must be shaggy. I just planted a new zucchini plant so that when the older zucchini plant stops producing, plant #2 will take over its job. If you have a space, add a plant. I also have a couple mystery plants that have popped up from my mulch. It is either cucumber, melon or squash. We are so excited to see what kind of plant baby we have. The kids check it daily.
Last photo: Last nights side dish. Garden biscuits. Don't tell, they were made with white flour. I just had too. A good biscuit just isn't the same with wheat flour. This biscuit is a good way to use up some of your garden fresh herbs.

Garden Biscuits

2 t. yeast

2 1/2 C flour

1 T sugar

1 1/2 t. baking powder

1/2 t. baking soda

1/2 t. salt

1/2 C shortening, I use spectrum palm shortening

1/4 C finely shredded carrot

2 T snipped fresh parsley

2 T. finely chopped green onion or chives

1 C. buttermilk

In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in 2 T. warm water. In a large bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Use a pastry blender and cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in carrot, parsley and green onion. Make a well in center of lour and add in yeast and buttermilk. Use a fork, stir until just moistened. If too wet, add a little flour but keep moist and sticky. Turn onto well floured counter. Knead 8 times. Roll out 1/2 inch thick . Cut into desired biscuit size. (mini biscuits are great!) Place on ungreased cookie sheet and brush with melted butter. Bake at 450 for 10-12 minutes or until golden.

Light and Fluffy Dinner Rolls.......

Making a whole grain roll that is also light and fluffy like a white flour roll is sometimes tricky. Here is a great recipe that I made yesterday using whole wheat and millet flour. I added a few cups of white and made sure the dough was good and sticky. The saying goes...."The stickier the dough, the lighter the roll." So, when the dough is just barely pulling from the side, it is ready. It should be tacky to the touch. These were quite tasty especially when served warm with Cinnamon Honey Butter. The recipe made a huge batch which gave me 24 clover leaf rolls, 24 regular rolls and a big loaf of cinnamon swirl bread which was also delicious and rose beautifully. You can add any type of grain with this bread just make sure that the majority is wheat. I used about 1 1/2 cups of millet which I just grind right with my wheat ( to learn about millet, read my blog entry on January 31st) . Try them out.

Light and Fluffy Dinner Rolls

from the Healthy Recipes cookbook from Shar's

In Bosch or other mixer with dough hook place:

4 cups warm water

1/2 cup powdered milk

3 T. Yeast

1/2 C. Honey

2 T. dough enhancer

1/2 C. applesauce

1/3 C oil

4 C. freshly ground whole wheat flour

Mix thoroughly on speed 1 for 15 seconds. Cover and let sit for 10 min. until bubbly.

Add:

4 eggs

1 T. salt

enough flour to clean sides of bowl, 7-9 cups

Knead on speed 1 for 4 minutes. Dough should be soft and manageable, a little sticky. If too stiff, sprinkle a little water on top and mix.Oil hands and shape immediately into rolls or bread. Let rise until double. For rolls, bake at 350 for 12-18 minutes depending on shape. For bread, about 30 - 34 minutes.

Cinnamon Honey Butter

1/2 cup softened butter

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/2 cup honey

1 tsp ground cinnamon

Beat until light and fluffy.

I served the rolls up with the Ginger Lime Sirloin from Sister's Cafe (yum), Garlic roasted mashed potatoes with the skins on and the Strawberry spinach salad from my blog. Great dinner. I have also tried the Spinach and Chicken stuffed shells from Sister's Cafe last week and they were a hit. The kids all asked for seconds. I made half the recipe and it was a full pan.

FYI: For any interested, Shar's has the Cadillac Pressure Cooker pan on sale this month for $299. That is a great price and it is my favorite pressure cooker. I just can't live without mine. I had my potatoes done in 5 minutes.