March 16, 2011

Did You Hear the One About the Mama Who Walked Into a Liquor Store?

Actually, it was the one about the very pregnant mama sitting in the car outside the liquor store while her husband went in and bought vodka so she could make…

VANILLA!

Yes, folks, that pregnant mama was me this last summer, sitting outside the liquor store in the sweltering heat while my husband went in and bought the cheapest vodka he could find so we could try our hand at making homemade real vanilla.

Many months had passed since our last bottle of Mexican vanilla had run out. We missed the richness of real vanilla, and my husband just about couldn’t bring himself to purchase vanilla extract for our baked goods and definitely not for our homemade ice cream. After chit chatting with some friends of ours who had begun making their own, we decided we could definitely handle the process and the price…and even the trek into the liquor store.

We purchased vanilla beans from Saffron.com where you can purchase 1 pound of beans for $19.95!

The vodka was the very cheapest money could buy – around $7.

Looking back, we put an excessive amount of beans in our first batch – 24, to be exact. I’m thinking 6 ought to do the trick next time. It might take a bit longer to steep, but this would be the biggest bang for my buck.

So, I slit the beans lengthwise and I also chunked them up (not necessary, but the idea here is more surface area).

I poured off a bit of the vodka (yes, it went down the sink, not in my mouth), and added the beans. Then, I wrote the date on the bottle and set it up in the cupboard for 6 weeks.

I’ve seen on other sites where they say it takes 6 months, but our friends told us 6 weeks, and sure enough, by 6 weeks, the vanilla was ready to use. We left the beans in to keep adding to the richness of the flavor. Our friends pour off the vanilla and reuse the beans in a new batch, but they have twice the number of children we have and they are sharing with their church family, so they go through more vanilla than we do. (Tiana from God Made…Home Grown says you can just keep adding vodka to your bottle so you can keep using it!)

It has been so nice to have real vanilla to cook with again! It’s so incredibly easy and so worth the trip to the liquor store!

March 11, 2011

Chocolate Chip Tea Scones

I wish there was a word to describe just how absolutely divinely yummy these are…but there isn’t. So, you’ll just have to make them and taste for yourself!

In my home, these are known as Lynnette’s Chocolate Chip Tea Scones because this recipe came to us from Lynnette over at Dancing Barefoot after she brought them to church one morning and we raved and raved and begged and begged for the recipe!

Lynnette’s Chocolate Chip Tea Scones

3 c. unbleached flour
¼ c. sugar
4 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp salt
½ c. butter
3 large eggs
½ c. sour cream (you can use milk, but it’s better with sour cream)
2 tsp vanilla (we use the REAL stuff)
¾ c. chocolate chips (milk chocolate are the only choc chips worth eating says my husband)

Preheat oven to 425°. Grease a large cookie sheet. Mix together all dry ingredients. Cut in butter until coarse crumbs form.

Mix together the eggs, sour cream, and vanilla. Add to flour mixture. Mix until blended.

Add chocolate chips until evenly distributed.

Form dough into a ball on floured surface. Press out until ¾” thick. Cut with a biscuit cutter (or a canning ring or an upside-down glass…) and place on cookie sheet.

Bake for 10 minutes. Cool on wire rack. Serve warm or cool completely and store or freeze.

Makes 12-15 large scones

February 5, 2011

Bread for the Lord’s Supper

Since we’ve been talking about Family Integrated Churches/Home Churches this week, I thought I’d pass along our favorite Communion bread, made by one of the dear ladies of our home church when it was her turn to host. It’s a simple unleavened recipe that can easily be broken into pieces to share for the Lord’s Supper.

Lord’s Supper Bread

1/4 c. milk
3/4 c. flour
2 Tbsp. shortening
1/4 tsp salt
1 Tbsp honey

Mix together and roll out flat on a cookie sheet. Bake at 375° for 10-15 minutes.

NOTE: We also make this quite often to eat with soup in our own home. When we do this, we usually quadruple the recipe to get the size of pieces you see in the picture.

December 10, 2010

Amy Raves – Bosch Mixers, Deodorant, & Other Yummy Things

Quite often I share with you anything I find noteworthy; however, every now and then there is something that doesn’t fit into a post or something that deserves to be repeated. When I have a decent list of those put together, I’ll try to write up an “Amy Raves” post. I’m also going to try to send them out on Friday night or Saturday morning so I can participate in Saturday Stumbles over at It’s Come To This. So, consider heading over there to find even more articles, resources, and raves!

*****

Bosch Mixers

So, I told you I am a practical mommy who likes practical gifts. Therefore, the year I got my Bosch mixer was stellar! I was pregnant with our 4th child and I gave that Bosch a run for its money. I made bread and cookies (I highly recommend the cookie paddles!), I mashed potatoes and made homemade butter. I had a blast! I still use my machine nearly every day in some capacity. I also now own the slicer/shredder which I use to shred cheese, veggies, and soap for my homemade hand soap and laundry detergent. I cannot even begin to tell you just how valuable this appliance is in our kitchen! And don’t forget…Martha (aka Marmee) from Marmee’s Bread Market has graciously agreed to offer a coupon code for Raising Arrows readers (this coupon code also applies to her grain mills)! In addition to a great price, you also get a 1 hour instructional DVD and FREE SHIPPING!

*****

Deodorant

Yep, that’s right…deodorant! Several months ago, I ran across a video on making your own deodorant. I couldn’t wait to use up our old deodorant so I could try this stuff! FINALLY, I had an empty deodorant container and quickly whipped up a batch of this homemade deodorant. Let me tell you…THIS DEODORANT IS AMAZING! It lasts all day, it works like no other natural deodorant I have ever tried, and even my husband raves about it! In fact, he just told me he was considering DUMPING OUT his old deodorant stick so I could fill it with the homemade kind! The only caution I have is to let it dry under your arms since it is made with coconut oil, but to me, that is an easy thing to do when you consider how great this stuff is!

*****

Yummy Things

This isn’t a link, it’s a memory that was jogged by an online conversation I stumbled upon a few weeks ago. Someone put the words hot cocoa and toast in the same sentence and I was instantly transported to my childhood and the yummy warm goodness of dipping my buttered bread past a heaping mound of melted marshmallows and into a pool of beautiful hot chocolate. I would wrap my cold little breakfast hands around the mug and breathe in the heat. How could I have forgotten all this? So, the very next morning cocoa and toast was breakfast! Some of the kiddos were delighted. Some were appalled, but all were subjected to my memories.

December 4, 2010

Chicken Pot Pie Large Family Style!

Years ago I ran across this recipe and my family loved it. But last night when I was making it for our family, I realized I NEVER make it the way the recipe reads and it definitely has to be doubled now. So I tweaked it, wrote it down, and now I’m sharing it with you!

Chicken Pot Pie Large Family Style

For crust:
2 c. whole wheat flour
4 c. unbleached flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 c. cold butter
2 c. cold water

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Cut in butter until crumbly. Gradually add water until dough sticks together. Turn onto floured surface and knead 10-12 times until smooth. Set aside 1/3 of the dough. Press remaining dough into 2 9×13″ casserole dishes.

For filling:
6 c. cooked chicken
3 c. shredded cheese
1½-2 lbs mixed veggies (I used frozen)
2 cans cream of chicken
16 oz sour cream
1 onion, diced
1 small can of green chilis (if you have it and like it)

Mix together in large bowl and spread over crust.

Then, roll out remaining dough and cut into strips and lay over filling to form lattice-work. (I used my new Pampered Chef pastry cutter to make it look all pretty!)

Bake at 400° for 50 minutes.

November 9, 2010

Making Real Food Real Simple {and a Giveaway!}

Congratulations Bernadette! You’re the winner!

For years now I’ve been trying to make simple, subtle changes to our lifestyle and eating habits that would equal a healthier family. It’s not the easiest thing I’ve ever done, but I keep plugging away at it.

To be frank, sometimes all the “real food” information stumps me. Sometimes it stumps me so much I want to throw in the towel. Eating healthy shouldn’t be that hard!

That’s why I am so thankful for people like Kate from Modern Alternative Mama! She’s written an ebook called Making Real Food Simple. It’s a primer for beginning the journey to eating real foods the way God made them. She doesn’t throw too much at you at once the way some of the real food tomes do. It’s all done in baby steps, laid out in a simple to read, easy to understand format.

Just to give you a taste (pun intended) of what you can expect from this book, take a look at the Table of Contents:

Introduction
Our story
Fat’s real story
Real dairy
Grains and the Food Pyramid
A healthy diet, healthy lifestyle
Kitchen Tips and Procedures
Making stock
Sprouting grains
Making butter
Fermented foods
Sweeteners
Handy Kitchen Tools
Baby Steps
Shopping guide
Local resources
Recipes
Introduction
Main Dishes
Sides
Breads
Desserts
The End