CHRISTEPHI

Do you ever discover a wrinkled old apple in the bottom of your produce drawer?  It's not moldy or rotten, just soft and wrinkly and old.  What do you do with it?  No one is going to eat it like that! Do you throw it away?  Or does the truism of our ancestors come to mind: Waste not, want not. Rescue that apple!  Don't throw it away, but transform it into something scrumptious and satisfying.  Once you rescue the apple and turn it into these delicious muffins, the muffins in turn might rescue you on a busy day as a quick grab-and-go breakfast or snack.   Now doesn't that sound like a winner? Apple Rescue Muffins Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Mix thoroughly: 1 egg 3/4 c. milk 1/2 c. applesauce In a separate bowl, sift together: 2 c. flour 1/3 c. sugar 3 t. baking powder 1/2 t. salt 1 t. cinnamon 1/2 c. peeled, finely chopped apples  1/2 c. chopped nuts (optional, I never do) Combine dr...

I love discovering new recipes online.  I hardly use cookbooks (but I pin plenty of recipes on Pinterest ). I'm always trying new recipes and I've decided to try to post more of our family's favorites on my blog this year! Tonight I made delicious fish nuggets and hush puppies!  Hubby said they taste exactly like Long John Silver's.  I'd like to think they taste even better.  They were a big hit!! I made both nuggets and hush puppies at the same time, frying them together in batches in the oil. Fish Nuggets Ingredients 3-4 fish fillets, I used swai fillets 3/4 cup flour 2 Tbsp. cornstarch 1/4 tsp. baking soda 1/4 tsp. baking powder 1/4 tsp. paprika 1 tsp. salt 1 tsp. sugar 1/4 tsp. onion powder 1/4 tsp. garlic powder 3/4 cup water enough oil to fill a large skillet about 1 inch deep Instructions Cut fish into 2-inch pieces. Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl and mix thoroughly. Add water and stir until just combined. Heat oil to between...

I've been trying to introduce more whole grains to my family. The problem is they're quite picky when it comes to the bread they'll eat.  I've tried making my Country Buttermilk Bread with half whole wheat flour before, but unfortunately it was a no-go with Hubby and the munchkins. I've been making hot cereal for breakfasts since it's such a nice way to warm up on cold winter mornings, but I invariably have leftovers, so I've tried my hand at making oatmeal bread.  I've played with ratios and flours and sugars and have finally come up with what we consider to be a stellar loaf of bread!  For the past few weeks it has even replaced our staple Country Buttermilk! Leftover Oatmeal Bread (yield: 2 loaves) Ingredients: 2 1/2 cups leftover oatmeal* 1/2 cups warm water 1 cup milk 2 teaspoons salt 1 cup whole wheat flour 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 4 tablespoons vital wheat gluten 1/4 cup brown sugar 3-4 teaspoons yeast Directions ...

This week we did several activities related to Jesus as the Bread of Life.  We baked bread using the recipe in the teacher's manual (a simple recipe that has you raise the dough in a warm oven).  Miss M did most of the work herself! Ingredients for baking bread: warm water, yeast, honey, flour, salt, and oil. Miss M carefully measuring out whole wheat flour. She also made a napkin holder with bread-shaped ends declaring Jesus is the Bread of Life !  Unfortunately, we haven't used it yet since I don't have any napkins right now. In history we've been reading about the French pioneers who paddled up rivers in birch bark canoes. Miss M made a canoe out of construction paper. Although Miss M has been reading at a late-2nd or early-3rd grade level for a while now, she hasn't been particularly interested in reading chapter books until this week! She picked up a copy of The Happy Hollisters by Jerry West that had been my dad's when he was a...

Little Guy practicing his letters in a pan of salt. This week we learned more about the early American settlements, how they built their homes and what sorts of foods they ate.  We investigated yeast and made butter! My kids are not unfamiliar with yeast since I bake bread every week, but I don't think I had ever let them really examine it or explained what exactly it does.  This week in science, we did an experiment to show that gas (carbon dioxide) is produced by growing yeast. The kids worked together to mix yeast and sugar in warm water.  Then I carefully poured it into a glass pop bottle and stretched a balloon over the neck. We set it aside in a warm place while we worked on some of our other lessons.  We checked in on it just in time to see the balloon "sproing!" straight up! Both kids were so excited and really enjoyed the whole experiment.  Miss M recorded our procedure and observations on a lab sheet and added it to her Adve...

Crazy bread is one of my favorite breads to make.  It's versatile and forgiving.  It makes a great accompaniment to dinner or a perfect afternoon snack for the kids.  And it's hard to mess up! Add 1 cup warm water to a small mixing bowl.  I use water that is just slightly warmer than body temperature -- warm enough to wake up the yeast, but not so warm that it'll kill it. Stir in 2 teaspoons sugar and stir to dissolve.  You can use white sugar, brown sugar, honey, maple syrup, anything that'll "feed" the yeast. Sometimes I mix some parmesan cheese into the dough too! So yummy! Sprinkle one .25 ounce envelope of yeast over the water.  Or if you're like me and buy yeast in bulk, use two heaping teaspoons.  Stir the yeast into the sugar water and allow it to rest about 10 minutes until the surface is foamy. Meanwhile, measure out 2 cups of flour into a large bowl.  I use bread flour, but all-purpose will work.  Or try substituting wh...

When Hubby and I were first married, I had a bread machine, but I couldn’t keep up with our bread needs since I was a full time student and later had a full time job.  Add in California commute times and it just wasn’t feasible.  So we mostly bought our bread.  We favored a particular brand of Country Buttermilk bread.  At over $4 a loaf, it wasn’t cheap, but there were only two of us and it was convenient. Fast forward several years and the number of mouths to feed has doubled.  Not to mention my kids LOVE their carbs!  Buying that bread is no longer an option.  And since I stay home AND have the help of my trusty bread machine, I have no excuses either! I took the original “white bread” recipe that came with the bread machine and over the years I’ve tweaked it according to our tastes.  My machine can bake a 2 pound loaf.  I use it to mix the dough, but not to bake it.  And I add the ingredients in this order (even though that’s no...