I have been making the same dog biscuits for quite some time now; hmmm, I think, since Bear was a pup! And he will be …oh, my…9 in January!! Bad enough when the human children grow up but now the dogs had to get in on the act too! Geez! Well at least I can get a new puppy but I am far too old to have a new baby!
Anyway, I am tired of rolling out those dog biscuits that I normally make so today I thought I would try something different! I was able to use my lil wee Pampered Chef scoop to make lil biscuits: rolled each portion then stamped it with a lightly floured fork. Heaps easier, way less messier and, after a taste test from Bear and Samwise Gamgee , very well received!
Peanut Butter Drop Cookies
1 cup Natural Peanut Butter
1 1/2 cups warm Water
2 cups Whole Wheat Flour
1 cup Rolled Oats
Preheat oven to 350F.
Line 3 – 4 baking trays with parchment paper.
In a small mixing bowl whisk together rolled oats and whole wheat flour; set aside.
Cream peanut butter until smooth.
Add water, a little at a time, creaming well after each addition until all the water is incorporated.
Stir in dry mixture until thoroughly combined.
Scoop out and roll each portion of dough to make a ping-pong sized ball.
Flatten each biscuit with a floured fork.
Bake in 350F oven for about 30 – 40 minutes, rotating baking trays half way through baking.
Remove from oven and let rest on baking trays for about 10 minutes.
Transfer to wire cooling rack to cool completely before placing in airtight container.
Peanut Butter Dog Biscuits Bear and Sam LOVE them!
So last week I wanted to make Caesar Salad which I have not done in absolutely eons! Why haven’t I been making this on a regular basis? Shaking head….dunno but I tell you what; I will make it more often!
Now then, we have had to change up my husband’s diet a lil bit so we are going to delete the croutons and add one or two parmesan crisps…he loves those! And ixnay on the bacon. You can’t even call it a Caesar Salad, can you? But that dressing! I love it! I found this recipe years ago in my Canadian Living Light & Healthy cookbook; when I went to make the dressing last week I had to search for my cookbook! Zoiks! Better get that recipe on the internet! Yup, there are a gazillion and half Caesar Salad Dressing recipes out there but this is the one I know and love. When I was going to cooking school I had to make Caesar Salad Dressing but you know, that recipe had anchovies in it and I don’t eat lil fishies.
Caesar Salad Dressing
A lovely piquant dressing that clings to the lettuce leaves
2 Tablespoons (25 ml) White Wine Vinegar
1 Tablespoon (15 ml) Dijon Mustard ( I use grainy)
1 large clove Garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon (15 ml) Lemon Juice
1/4 cup ( 50 ml) grated Parmesan Cheese
1/4 cup (50 ml) Mayonnaise
1 Tablespoon (15 ml) Water
1 Tablespoon (15 ml) Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper, to taste
In a deep, small bowl whisk together vinegar, mustard, garlic, lemon juice.
Whisk in parmesan cheese and mayo.
Gradually whisk in water then oil.
Season with S&P
Tear clean DRY romaine lettuce leaves into a large mixing bowl.
Pour dressing over lettuce and toss to coat all lettuce with the dressing.
Garnish with Roasted Pumpkin Seeds, a sprinkle of freshly grated Parmesan Cheese and one or two Parmesan Crisps.
There are as many versions of this recipe out there as there are people who make it! This is how I generally make it but sometimes I don’t have all the ingredients on hand and will just wing it. If I don’t have the Knorr’s Vegetable soup mix on hand I use Vegetable Bovril to taste.
Sourdough bread (which I now make from scratch)
1 cup Sour Cream or Plain Greek Yogurt
1 cup Mayo
1 pkg Frozen Chopped Spinach, thawed and well drained (squeeze excess liquid out with hands)
1 pkg Knorr’s Vegetable Soup Mix
in Australia Continental Spring Vegetable Simmer soup
(optional)1 can Water Chestnuts, diced
(optional) 1 can Artichoke Hearts, drained and chopped
In medium mixing bowl, stir together sour cream or plain greek yogurt and mayo.
Add well drained, chopped spinach and stir well.
Stir in vegetable soup mix and if using, chopped artichoke hearts and diced water chestnuts.
*Cover and refrigerate for at least two hours.
Remove top of sourdough loaf, tear into bite sized pieces; remove bite sized chunks of bread from loaf and place on serving tray.
Place hollowed out sourdough loaf on serving tray and fill with Spinach Dip.
Arrange bite sized pieces of sourdough bread around the loaf and serve.
* If taking Spinach Dip to an event, put spinach dip in a container with an airtight lid and refrigerate. Spoon dip into prepared sourdough loaf just before serving.
I use my paternal Grandmother’s ancient tea towel to cover my resting bread dough. So much Love.
While in the Fraser Valley I gave away some Sourdough Starter so I thought I would share with you how I use my Starter.
I tend to use a Sourdough Hybrid recipe which requires a bit of yeast because I live at higher elevations and it is pretty dang cold up there sometimes too! I love the look of the Cobb Sourdough Bread, love it’s crispy exterior but I find that when I split the dough and make two loaves I can make heaps more sammies with the same amount of dough. Right?
Then again, I often make up the Sourdough, cook off half of it as a loaf and the second half I make into Pizza! hmmmmmPizza! Sourdough Pizza Crust is the bomb!
I make Sourdough Pancakes too. I am still experimenting with that; the recipes I have used so far come out a little too flimsy and flat for my liking. Or am I just spoiled by my yummy, fluffy, oh so good but not so good for you Pancakes? So now I am drooling on my keyboard…
There are so many things you can do with Sourdough Starter and I have only just barely scraped the top of the iceberg! Sourdough is supposed to be good for you too; ah, yea! Bread that is good for me? Sign me up! You can read about it here https://iquitsugar.com/why-sourdough-bread-good-for-you/
I will give you the recipes and processes I use. I would love to know how your Sourdough Bread journey goes!
If I gave you a bit of Brittany Blue, please do try to take care of her. You need to feed her now and again. She does prefer to get used in yummy baking, so use her often!
Brittany Blue
4 liquid ounces Water
4 weighed ounces Flour
When I make bread I use 1 cup of starter so I pour some Brittany Blue out then add the water and flour, stir well to combine and put her back in her spot on the counter.
Let’s talk about where the starter lives:
I keep Brittany Blue on the counter because, frankly, my kitchen is often quite cool. In the Summer when temps tend to be a lil warmer I put Brittany Blue out in the Cold Room where she seems to do quite well.
I do use Brittany Blue once a week so I tend to feed her the day before I want to use her, two or three days later and then once more the day before I use her to make more bread.
I don’t always use the 8 fluid ounces of starter that I remove; sometimes I just chuck it in the compost.
I have been making Granola for years. The tried and true recipe I have been using is heavy on the fat and sugar which is probably what makes it taste so darn good! No word of a lie, I could sit down with a Modular Mate Round #2 full of Brown Sugar and eat the entire contents, no worries! I’d pay for it afterwards but man, it sure tastes good going down! ( I may be drooling on my keyboard as I type this and also thinking of making Caramel Corn…)
We moved off the grid a year ago where I have continued to make my fave granola recipe but yesterday, for some reason, I decided to try something different. Oh, right. We are in the shoulder season out here in the bush, with limited sunshine these days so no rays to power our batts…that’s what prompted me to open an actual cookbook to source a Granola Recipe. When the Batts are running low we conserve energy in every way possible which means no turning on my computer. I usually just open up my old fave Fruit and Nut Granola .
I can cook to my hearts content because that is propane fuelled…well, let’s not go crazy there…still have to have the propane in the 100lb tanks to operate the stove and heat the water.
Yes, I could have looked in my treasure trove of hand written recipes but I have this Skinnytaste Cookbook that I paid good money for so I thought I might as well flip through the pages.
On Page 26 you will find the recipe for her Good For You Granola. I’m calling it As You Like it Granola because you can really make all kinds of substitutions…which I did…and it will still turn out wonderfully! The thing that drew me to making this recipe is the drastic cut in fat and sugar! I didn’t think it could possibly taste as good as my old recipe but I was wrong. It is AMAZING!
I searched for her recipe online but couldn’t find it so I will write it up here for you but I strongly suggest you head over to SkinnyTaste to check out all of her fantastic recipes! To be sure, I double the recipe and I am very glad that I did!
As You Like It Granola from Skinnytaste (Good-for-You Granola p. 26)
Because I doubled the recipe and found it to be the perfect amount for the two of us (regular Granola consumers) I am going to list the doubled amounts. And I am going to list my subs…coconut flakes, hemp hearts, pecans and as for the fruit? Your call!
1/2 cup Quinoa
3 cups Old Fashion Rolled Oats
1/2 cup Coconut Flakes
1/2 cup Hemp Hearts
1/2 cup Slivered Almonds
1/2 cup chopped Pecans
1/2 cup dried Blueberries
1/2 cup dried Cherries
1/2 cup dried Peaches, cut/torn into bite sized pieces
1/2 cup dried Strawberries
Preheat oven to 325F.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper – preferable to silpat because you can chuck it away.
Rinse quinoa thoroughly under cold water in a fine mesh sieve; drain well and pat dry with paper towels.
Spread quinoa, oats, and coconut out on the baking sheet.
Toast in the oven, stirring once, until golden, about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile gather together the fruit and nut combo that you prefer, toss together with the cinnamon, nutmeg and salt; set aside.
In another small bowl combine the honey, melted coconut oil, and vanilla; set aside.
Remove quinoa/oat mixture from the oven.
Pour the fruit/nut and spice mixture over top and gently mix in.
Drizzle wet ingredients over all and gently toss with a large metal spatula, spreading the mixture evenly over the entire baking sheet.
Return to oven and bake until golden brown, about 10 – 12 minutes, stirring once at the halfway mark.
Remove from oven , give it a gentle stir, and cool completely on the baking sheet before transferring to a container with an airtight lid.
Makes about 8 cups of Granola
Store in airtight container for up to a month….if it lasts that long!
Welcome to my Kitchen where the most important ingredient is Love.
