Granola

Yesterday in Sunday School our teacher, Sister Morgan told a story about living in a ward where the Relief Society had a lesson on the Word of Wisdom. In that lesson comments were made that if you ate meat MORE than 2 times a week or didn't feed your kids homemade granola you weren't keeping the Word of Wisdom! Funny! And confusing for some...the Bishop had to counsel with the Relief Society to correct the misinformation. So...in honor of Sister Morgan, I give you a recipe for Granola! I made it this morning and it was really yummy! I got the recipe from Joyous Notions. It is a great "food storage friendly" recipe and healthy.

Granola

Melt 1 1/2 sticks of butter. Add 1 c. of chopped nuts (i used almonds today). Toast the nuts for a minute or two. Add 2/3 c. honey or real maple syrup, 1 t. cinnamon and 1 t. vanilla. Mix well and pour over the following things that have been mixed together in a really big bowl!

10 c. rolled oats (NOT quick oats)

1 c. unsweetened coconut (bulk @ Winco)

2/3 c. brown sugar

Line 2 sheet pans with foil and spray with Pam. Divide the granola between the pans and spread it out evenly. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes....stir at the halfway point.

Let cool and enjoy! Yum!

The Word of Wisdom was given in 1833 to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints by the Prophet Joseph Smith. It is a health law that members of the Church follow today. Members abstain from Alcohol, tobacco, illicit drugs, coffee, tea and other habit-forming substances. It encourages healthy eating and moderation in all things. By following the Word of Wisdom we are promised strength and vitality as well as wisdom and knowledge. It is a true principle from the Lord.

Fresh Raspberry Pie

Raspberries are crazy this year! I went out and picked enough for a pie this morning and there are still bunches to get ripe! Yahoo...I love raspberry jam! It feels pretty good to bake this pie from scratch! The recipe comes from Mennonite Girls Can Cook! I love their blog!



Fresh Raspberry Pie


1 baked 9 or 10 inch pie shell
About 4 cups of fresh raspberries


Put the raspberries in the pie shell.

In a microwave safe bowl mix 1 cup sugar, 3T. cornstarch and 1 cup water together. Microwave on high for 2-5 minutes...stirring every minute (It took about 4 minutes in my microwave) until thick. Add 3 T. raspberry jello and stir till dissolved. Let stand for 10 minutes.


Carefully spoon the glaze over the berries. I was fussy and turned my raspberries upside down so the filling wouldn't go in the hole. :)


Refrigerate for a couple of hours and serve with whipped cream!

Pizza Dough

Here is the recipe I use for pizza dough! I make it in the Bosch and it will make 2 sheet pans of pizza.

3 c. warm water
2T. honey or sugar
2 T. yeast I use SAF
1 T. salt
1 T. Dough enhancer
6-8 cups flour-all white, all wheat, or a combo

Put water, honey and yeast in mixer. Mix up and let sit for a few minutes till it bubbles. Add 3 c. flour, salt and dough enhancer. Mix till smooth. Add flour until it cleans the bowl. Knead for 5 minutes if using white flour, 8 minutes for wheat and combo.

Rise till double and make your pizzas. Bake @ 400 degrees for around 15-20 minutes.

I don't put the salt in my dough. I like the taste a lot better. Try it both ways and see which you prefer!

OMGsh! She's a Rooster!

So....We have been noticing that our hen named Jeaneen has been growing! ALOT! She is way bigger than her sister hen and has more comb and wattles! Well...apparently Jeaneen is now JEAN! A ROOSTER! Jean is such a nice boy that I am going to keep him. I didn't really want a rooster because they are noisy etc. Jean is a very sweet rooster that is very social and is nice to the hens. So he gets to stay! I don't have the heart to give him away! Here is his picture with some other pics of the new coop! Monte did a super great job and I think it's the bomb! I have a nice chair to sit on next to the run so I can watch and listen to the soothing sounds of my peeps! Heaven!

Chicken Update!

The coop is officially done! The chicks spent their first night----last night! They seemed to enjoy being in the new bigger space! They have definitely grown and aren't little balls of fluff anymore! I love to sit and watch them peck around. It's very soothing!

Baby Chicks !

Wow..It has been busy around here! I got my first batch of chicks...ever. I have always wanted chickens for the delicious eggs! My husband is the best and decided to build a coop...he is in the process right now. The run is built, the house is started. They, Monte and Brennan, started framing yesterday but the weather was terrible, rain, hail, wind. Maybe this evening after work we can get some done. We got the windows at a re-claimed building supply store and we have basically scrapped the rest of the lumber. We did have to buy a big air nailer and stapler, and some treated wood. But not that much.

The chicks started out as 3 Barred Rock, 3 Aruacanas, 2 Rhode Island Reds, and 2 Buff Orpingtons. Brennan named his Barred Rock "Aretha Franklin". Unfortunately, Aretha died overnight. I get so attached. It is sad. But...the other 9 girls look great! They will eat out of my hand and don't scatter when I come in to check on them. They are getting feathers REALLY FAST! We got them on Friday as little fluffy puffs...They are now fluffy puffs WITH full on wings! They can't go to the coop until they have all their feathers...about 4-5 weeks! That will be here soon! They are supposed to start laying at 20-25 weeks...so in the summer, we should start getting some eggs.

More Pics on Friday...1 week old!

FASTER, STRONGER, QUIETER!

So...I have had my Bosch for a few years. They last forever! I could have just kept going strong for a long time. But...the "new and improved" Bosch Universal Plus came out recently...and I HAD TO HAVE ONE! So...I subbed for a co-worker for a couple of weeks and saved up my pennies! It arrived today....yes! It has a stronger motor, bigger capacity, the cord goes in underneath it (that used to really bug me that the cord just hung around behind it...always in the way!) and suction cup feet...so it doesn't move around when it kneads.

But it gets even better....I made my usual 5 loaf batch of bread! It is a dream. Quieter! Stronger! Easier to clean! (the drive-shaft comes out of the middle in the Universal Plus).

I LOVE IT! If you want to make nutritious bread for your family...where you control what is in it, you KNEAD (get it!) a Bosch mixer and a Nutrimill Wheat Grinder!

The other great thing is that you can make triple batches of cookies or whip 1 egg white into 1 1/2 cups of meringue...It is so user friendly!