Mangoes with Sour Cream

My new favorite "potluck " dish.

1 - 3 lb bag of frozen mango chunks

1 - cup of sour cream
1/2 to 1 cup cane sugar
1-2 tsp salt to taste

1 - 2 TBS of unflavored gelatin (optional)
1 tsp - 1 TBS cream of tartar (optional)
1 cup of milk (only needed if using gelatin)

I have decided that sour cream makes the best dressing for just about anything.  Fruit salads, instead of mayonnaise for tuna fish, dips, whatever.  The sour complements the mangoes so well and it's so  to just defrost the fruit in the fridge, then apply sour cream sauce.  If you leave the fruit slightly frozen, it will be its own chilling mechanism if its not going to be eaten immediately.

The first time I made this, I was in a hurry and just threw it together and was thankful that it turned out ok.  The second time I made it, I wanted to sneak a little protein in there....mostly so when I ate the leftovers as a snack, it would be a wee bit more balanced.

If you want to add the gelatin, dissolved it in the milk first.   Then add everything else except the mangoes.  Stir well until declumped.  Heat to dissolve the gelatin, then pour over the mangoes, stirring or folding over quickly.  It will usually last the day, but overnight, the mangoes get a little soggy.

Summertime Coffee Mousse

mousse  (muːs)
1.	a light creamy dessert made with eggs, cream, fruit, etc, set with gelatine

Oh, what a lovely accident!
The temperature was rising and I was in a smoothie mood, so got my blender out.  I was thinking along the lines of  Iced Coffee Nog so I used some leftover coffee that already had gelatin dissolved in it and added some extra milk, 1 egg, a touch of homemade vanilla and sugar.  I blended in a generous portion of ice at the end. What I ended up with was a light, creamy spoon able fluff that was filling, cool and delicious.

Using and working with gelatin

Here I am, sitting at my computer, paying bills. yeah.
Breakfast is what has become an old standard for me, coffee (brewed with a generous pinch of salt) with gelatin, sugar and milk. A complete meal, quick and easy, travels well as long as it doesn't get too cold.  Hard to mess up, really...... but I've manged to do it on occasion.

A few tips for working with gelatin:
Regular, unflavored gelatin powder needs to be dissolved into hot liquid in order to gel.  There are different  ways of going about that.

1. Sprinkle over cold liquid and wait, patiently, until it has absorbed the liquid...then heat up the liquid until the gelatin melts. Serve hot as in a soup or cold as in jello.
2. Stir rapidly with already hot liquid, like fresh brewed coffee.  It helps to mix with other dry ingredients first, like the sugar, to help prevent clumping.  It can then be added to a partial portion of hot liquid until dissolved, then add remaining liquid.  You need room in the vessel (cup, bowl, pot) for the liquid to go up the sides quite a bit from the RAPID stirring.
3. Plop gelatin en masse in a clump into lukewarm liquid and let it sit for a bit, then try to stir. This method will ensure that only the outside of the clump melts, sealing in the rest of the still dry powder into a large chewy ball that is totally inedible.  I don't actually recommend method #3.

Easy Peach Crisp - GF

I prefer fresh peaches off the tree, but the late snow may have put a damper on this year's peaches.
Too soon to tell......
This takes 30 minutes in a toaster oven or 3-4 hours in a slow cooker.  Which would you choose? 
I found the original recipe here: Peach Crisp in the Slow Cooker   I modified it to suit my tastes/needs.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup quick oats
• 1/2 cup white rice flour 
• 2 TBS gelatin
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4-1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 cup butter, softened + extra to butter crock (or coconut oil)
• 2 large (20 oz) cans peaches, drained well. I prefer the juice sweetened over corn syrup.

Blend everything together except the peaches. Mix half of the dry ingredients to the peaches and put in buttered baking dish or crock.  Sprinkle crumble over top of peaches. For the quick version, bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees, no preheating required for a toaster oven.

Serve warm with ice cream or whip cream for dessert or with milk for a snack.

See ya in the Gumbo 
Gluten Free Wednesday

Iced Coffee Nog

The weather is finally getting warm, finally.  We had a tease of an 80 degree day the beginning of May, then it snowed.  It's warming up again, hopefully to stay this time.  It's not really too hot for hot coffee yet, but I can hope, can't I?

Ingredients per serving:
1 egg
1-2 TBS cane sugar
1/2 cup cold, strong coffee
1/2 cup whole milk 
or half and half
pinch of salt


Mix all the ingredients in a blender and serve over ice.  You can blend the ice in, but will need to make the coffee stronger to compensate for the extra water. Tastes like Haagen Daz lite.

Hearth and Soul Hop

Milk and Honey AKA Perfection in a Glass

One of my favorite snacks growing up was a tall, cold glass of milk and a spoonful of honey.  We are currently experiencing a glut of fresh, CREAMY milk, so I'd thought I'd share how I am resolving such a serious problem.

The milk MUST be cold.  The whole point is to be able to drink the milk from the spoon while tasting small amounts of honey with each sip.

Yes, you are mostly eating straight honey in the beginning.  It's like a honey lolly pop.  The honey eventually fades (or drips to the bottom of the cup) and each sip has more and more milk.

In the end, if you have enough honey for those last few sips, but not too much, and the milk isn't too sweet from dissolved honey, you have successfully accomplished the art of Milk and Honey.


See Ya In The Gumbo 
Barn Hop 
Fat Tuesday 
Hearth and Soul Hop

Irish Soda Bread - GF

Ingredients
3 cups rice flour
1-2 TBS unflavored beef gelatin
2 tsp cream of tartar
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp sea salt
1/3 cup cane sugar (optional)

1 egg
2 cups milk#

1/4 cup melted coconut oil, butter or lard

• Preheat oven to 325* (I skip this step for my toaster oven.)

• Mix dry ingredients together in a bowl.  (Sugar is optional, simply because I forgot to add it the second time I made this and didn't notice.  Ketchup boy noticed.) 

• Set aside.  

• Beat egg and add milk in a separate bowl.  

• Mix egg/milk into dry ingredients and blend.  

• Add melted coconut oil or fat of choice. 

• Blend.  

• Pour ( or plop) bread mix into a greased bread pan.  It rises, but doesn't spread much, so you will need to add it evenly, if you want an even loaf.

• Bake for 65-70 minutes or until toothpick comes clean.  

• Let cool completely on wire rack before cutting.  I made this in the toaster oven in the evening,  let it cool over night and sliced in the morning.

#The original recipe called for buttermilk.  You can sour milk quickly by adding a little ACV, if desired.


Slightly Indulgent Tuesday
Gluten Free Wednesday

Orange Whip

Sweet and simple.

Orange Whip (recipe fits a "personal sized" blender)

• 2-3 oz frozen concentrated orange juice (pulp free)

• fresh milk, skimmed or whole (this is a good recipe for hold up queen's milk)

• 1/4 tsp sea salt

• ice cubes (optional, but help the whipped cream effect)

• 2 TBS cane sugar (optional, recommended if using vanilla)

• 1/2 tsp cream of tartar (extra potassium and makes it fluffy)

• dash of vanilla (optional, make it a really small dash if not using sugar)

I few months back, I got myself a "personal blender" to fit my 60's era blender....you know the kind that's compatible with mason jars. ;)  I didn't want it, but pricing wise, it was almost the same as the replacement parts I needed.  I admit, it's handy and I like the spill resistant personal drinking lid....fits on a regular mouth mason jar just fine.  Great for sipping.

Anyway, this is one of those blended drinks that need to be finished shortly after making, so small batches are good.  (OJ will turn the milk into cheese if left to sit too long, not nearly as appealing. IMO.)  Leave extra room at the top for the whipping, a few inches at least.  The minuscule amount of cream on my current batch of milk is whipped and firm when prepared this way and makes it taste very rich indeed.

See Ya In The Gumbo
Gluten Free Wednesday
Scratch Cookin' Tuesday
Hearth and Soul Hop
Fat Tuesday

Peppermint Stick Ice Milk

I discovered some sugar based peppermint candies with real peppermint oil.

Score!

So here it is, one of my all time favorite frozen desserts, modified from the Joy of Cooking:

1/5 lbs peppermint sticks/candies/pieces
4 cups fresh, whole milk
dark chocolate chips (optional)
2 finger pinch of sea salt

Mix ingredients together and let candies dissolve....a few hours or overnight. Add chocolate chips as needed, I used the "Enjoy Life" semisweets....no soy lecithin. Freeze in ice cream maker and serve.

Chunky Tomato Soup

Ingredients:
Leftover Creamy Orzo with Tomatoes
1 can of Tomatoes and chilies
Chicken tidbits, OG (optional)
2 TBS beef gelatin
2 TBS cane sugar
1 TBS cream of tartar
Milk
Sea salt


Leftovers don't have to be "old" to be used, it's actually better if they aren't.  We ate the Orzo for one meal, then it got re-purposed for the very next meal. Ketchup Boy hates tomatoes (no, I haven't figured that one out yet....) but begrudgingly admitted he really liked this.

See Ya In The Gumbo
Ingredient Spotlight : Tomatoes

Creamy Orzo with Tomatoes

A variation on Rice Cooker Mac and Cheese:

Ingredients:
2 TBS Coconut Oil
2 cups Orzo Pasta
1 can diced tomatoes with green chilis
2 cups full fat fresh Milk
2 TBS unflavored beef gelatin
1 tsp Sea Salt 

2 TBS cane sugar
2 tsp cream of tartar
8 oz  lowfat cream cheese or neufchatel (in chunks)

Plop all the ingredient in the cooker, give it a stir, set to "cook" and wait. VERY rich and creamy with a little kick from the chilis. If you can't handle the heat, just use plain diced tomatoes.

First Homemade Pizza (including GF crust)

I give this a B+. This was really easy to make...until things went wrong....mostly due to inexperience.

I had problems with wetness while mixing and stickiness after rolling  trying to get it off the rolling surface onto the pizza board and again off the board and onto the pizza stone in the oven.  It looked and tasted yummy enough to try again though....otherwise, I would be sticking to the occasional English Muffin Pizza. ;)

My surface area for rolling was too small, in hindsight, I should have divided the dough into 2 pizzas....or used less liquid?  I ended up adding a LOT of extra flour correcting the original wetness.  As it was, the dough when cooked was THICK, too much bread for my liking.  It held together very well though...only breaking where I ripped it trying to transport.

I don't know about you, but I try to avoid gums....guar gum, locust bean gum, xanthum gum.  Quite honestly, my digestive system can handle wheat on occasion BETTER than the gums.  The gums aren't just in gluten free baking products/flours, but in dairy, coconut and other products you wouldn't think needed "gluing."

Ingredients
2 tsp yeast
1 cup warm milk
1 egg
2 cups rice flour
2 tsp cane sugar
2 tsp gelatin
1 tsp sea salt
2 TBS coconut oil
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp baking soda

(Added to correct too wet dough)
1/2 cup corn masa, white or blue
1/4 cup arrowroot or tapioca flour/starch
2 tsp coconut flour (optional)

Mix yeast into warm milk first in a separate container.  Add egg to mixer or food processor and whip.  Add other ingredients in order a little at a time, blending as you go.

Flour your rolling area well, I used additional corn masa flour.  My dough stuck where I missed a few spots. This amount of dough will make a very large pizza or 2 smaller pizzas, so adjust accordingly. ;)  Roll in thin as the dough will double, at least, in thickness.  Based on my experience, I would flour the paddle as well.

Cook crust for 10 minutes at 425* F.

Add desired toppings and bake for an additional 15 minutes or so.

The pizza pictured above is a freshly shredded Mozzarella/Parmesan blend  with dried basil and red pepper flakes.  We let is sit for about 15 minutes on a cookie rack before cutting.

Fried Okra, French Toast and Maple Milk

I have a confession to make...I am not a "real" gourmet.  I can't be, I am disqualified.  My bulk bottle of Cinnamon is older than my first born, who drives now.  I am about halfway through...perhaps I will be forced to buy a replacement sometime before I die.

In the spirit of out with the old and in with the new, I have been digging DEEP into my freezers, yes plural.  I found in the back of one of the freezers a bag of unopened breaded okra, a unopened loaf of bread, a half loaf of bread, 3 mostly empty, but air filled plastic bags (I seemed to have a collection of meat bone/onion kin bags), 4 half filled bags of freezer burned french cut green beans (now chicken food) and a jar of ?????, I think it's a dried herb, possibly burdock. I haven't purchased any frozen veggies for a few years now, so I can only guess how long they've been there.  They took up more space than the bread, and at least I can remember WHEN the bread was purchased.


Fried Okra
The secret to non slimy okra is to slice it REALLY, REALLY thin before breading and fry the snot out of it....pun intended.  A friend taught me that...her's are almost crouton crispy and much loved by people who "don't like okra".  This was purchased, so thickness was predetermined, but I did manage to fry it to a crisp.

Okras is really easy to grow if you have SUN and live in an area with hot summers.  It will keep going long after the cucumbers and tomatoes have burned to a crisp.  You need to pick the pod when young, but the over grown ones make great chicken feed.  The flowers are very pretty too.

Ingredients
Coconut oil
Breaded Okra
Salt

Heat the oil and add a small soup bowl's worth of okra per batch.  Fry until golden and crisp...about 7 minutes or more.  Drain well.  Put it in a bowl and add a thin layer of salt.  Repeat batches until finished.  I did a sniff test before using the Okra, it was ok...and coconut oil can cover up for a multitude of sins so to speak. We ate it like popcorn straight from the bowl.




Breakfast this AM was built around using up "remnants" of stuff that was taking up space in the fridge as well.  Obviously, I have a LONG way to go on the cinnamon. ;)

French Toast
The last 4 eggs in the carton
The last few sips of milk in the jar, 1/4 cup?
Dash of cinnamon (hey, every little bit counts)
Dash of homemade vanilla
Remnants of a cream of tartar/salt mix, 1/2 tsp or so
2 TBS of cane sugar

About a half a loaf of previously frozen sourdough spelt bread
(My guesstimate for how much dip to make is approximately 1 egg per 2 slices of bread.  Your mileage will vary depending on the density of the bread.)

And, of course, the last few drizzles of the too big bottle of maple syrup from the fridge door for topping.
(The whole point of french toast IS maple syrup in our house.  Adding sugar and cream of tartar to the egg helps stretch it though.)

I used coconut oil on the griddle and cooked at medium low ("egg" temperature) for a few minutes on each side, then placed them on my pizza tone in the warmed oven while I made the rest of the batch.

Maple Milk
Pour a glass of milk in the empty maple syrup bottle and shake, shake, shake.  Pour into glasses and serve with the french toast.  It comes out very foamy, almost doubles in volume.  You could substitute it for a whipped topping in a glass of hot chocolate too.

Pantry Challenge

Potato Muffins/Biscuits - GF

You HAVE to try these...there just too easy and delicious!

Here's the original recipe, discovered by a friend's daughter:

Potato Muffins (May 1918):
The Farmer's Wife Harvest Cookbook

4 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp sugar
1 egg, well-beaten
1 cup mashed potatoes
2 cups flour
3 tsp baking powder
1 cup milk

My adaptation: Makes approximately 12 muffins
1 cup milk
1 egg
1 large leftover baked potato, skin removed
4+ TBS coconut oil
2 TBS cane sugar
2 tsp beef gelatin
2 tsp cream of tartar
2 cups rice flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4-1/2 tsp sea salt (if using coconut oil or unsalted butter)


Mix everything together in order in a mixer or food processor.  I added a few ingredient at a time and mixed a little in between.  It will look like cream cheese frosting or vanilla soft serve when it's thoroughly mixed. Grease the muffin tin generously.*  Fill each cup about 2/3 full to allow room to rise. Bake at 350 degrees F  for 25-30 minutes.  I used my toaster oven. When done, allow to cool slightly and run a knife around the side to pop them out.  I ate mine with strawberry jam.

*I used the back of a spoon to slather about a TBS of extra coconut oil in each cup, making sure to get the sides and bottoms.

These could easily be made as drop biscuits by making them free form instead...maybe with just a little tweaking.  They scream biscuits and gravy!

You could also place some protein in the center for a to-go meal:
Cheese and an apple slice
Spaghetti sauce with meat and gelatin
Scrambled egg with mushrooms
Jam with gelatin
Or  ??????

Fat Tuesday
Savory Sunday
Made From Scratch Tuesday
Hearth and Soul Hop
Totally Tasty Tuesday
Gluten Free Wednesday
What's Cooking Wednesday
Full Plate Thursday
Simple Lives Thursday

"Mulled" Coffee

Out of curiosity, instead of tossing the mulling spices strained out of the hot cider, I decided to experiment with some leftover coffee. It worked well, reminiscent of pumpkin pie, kinda sorta.  I might try adding the spice directly to the grounds when I make a fresh pot.

Mulled Coffee
Leftover Coffee
Pinch of Salt (if not already in the coffee)
Beef Gelatin (approx. 1 TBS per serving)
Mulling Spice
Cane Sugar to taste

Fresh Milk or Cream

1. Add ingredients in order to cold coffee and let sit for a minute or so while the gelatin absorbs the liquid. Save the milk for later.
2. When the gelatin is ready, heat on medium low for about 15 minutes. stirring occasionally.
3. Prepare the serving cups or mugs with some hot water in each.  Let sit until the coffee is hot. (If your kitchen is a cool as mine right now, this is mandatory to prevent tepid coffee.)
4. Fill the mugs halfway with milk or a quarter full of cream and add strained coffee.

Decadent Triple Cream Potato Soup

A friend of mine gave up eating grains and won't eat her specialty cheeses without crackers....so guess what I get to play with?  I have no such food rules, so put the remainder of the Brillat Savarin Affine in the coconut oil lined crock pot with some potatoes, milk, egg, gelatin, salt and a little cayenne and onion powder.

Oh, yeah!

The richness and boldness of flavor of the triple cream cheese balanced by the mildness of the milk, the lightness of the egg curds, the heartiness of the potatoes, the gentle heat of the cayenne, the savory of the onion all work together for this wonderful treat.


Ingredients: (fits a 4 quart Slow Cooker)
Coconut oil (prevents sticking )
1-2 eggs
1-4 TBS beef gelatin
4 cups milk
1/2-1 lb of Triple Cream Cheese
8-10 potatoes (peeled and cut into bite sized pieces)
Salt to taste
Cayenne Powder (optional)
Onion Powder (optional)

 Directions:

1. slather the coconut oil generously along the bottom and sides.  I used a butter knife with a long blade.
2. whip the egg in the bottom of the pot (saves dirtying and extra dish)
3. add milk and chunks of cheese
4. add salt and spices to taste. The cheese has very little salt, so make it slightly saltier than desired as the potatoes will absorb a lot.
5. fill to desired level with potatoes and stir to cover potatoes
6. Heat on high for about 2 hours until bubbling, then set low for another hour or so or set it on low and forget about it for the day or overnight if starting in the evening and serving for breakfast.

Ingredient Spotlight

Breakfast "loaf" and Soup

I was so pleased with the casserole I made yesterday, I wanted to make it again.  I was out of cottage cheese, so I improvised.  This is probably the "standard" recipe for some "officially named" dish already, but I made this for breakfast and used my meatloaf pan, hence I call it my breakfast loaf. ;)

Ingredients:
3 potatoes, peeled and shredded
A few chunks of white cheese (sliced off a 5 lb brick, amount unknown...I just threw it in.)
1 egg
Milk (mine is raw and grass fed but starting to overflow the fridge again)
Salt (I used WAY too much this time, don't use as much as I did.  I think cutting back on the potatoes to cheese ratio messed me up.****)
A dash of thyme
A few shakes of red pepper flakes
Extra cheese for the top

Scramble an egg in a mixing bowl and add shredded cheese and potatoes.  Add some milk enough to coat potatoes ( a cup?) and mix.  Add some salt ( use 1/2 the amount or less) and spices and mix well.  Slather sides and bottom of baking dish in coconut oil and add potato mix. Top with extra cheese.

Bake at 400* for 45 minutes or so.  Let cool and serve.

Chilled slices can be refried in a pan with coconut oil for about 10 minutes for an easy snack later on.

*****I finally figured out what went wrong....the salt level in the Colby cheese was much higher than in the cottage cheese.  We were able to enjoy this later that day re-purposed as soup by adding milk...... a lot of milk and NO extra salt.

Re-purposed Breakfast Loaf Soup

Breakfast Loaf Soup
Leftover Breakfast Loaf, chopped (most of it....)
Milk to desired thickness (approximately 2 cups)



Bring to temperature in a pan and serve.


Grain Free Real Food Carnival

Potato Soup ( or Chowder) GF

Base
Leftover mashed potatoes
Beef gelatin
Milk
Salt/pepper to taste

I use approximately 1 TBS gelatin to 1 cup potatoes with a 1:1 ratio of milk for a THICK chowder and 1:2 cup milk for a thinner soup.  Heat and serve.

Optional Add ins
Clams
Oysters
Leftover bacon (is there such a thing?????)
Chicken
Sausage
Beef
Shrimp
Salmon
Mushrooms
Onions
Pickled hot peppers/red pepper flakes

Mocha Syrup

Substitute strong coffee for water in chocolate syrup recipe to make Mocha syrup!

1 cup coffee
2 cups cane sugar (brown or white works)
1 TBS Beef gelatin
1 cup cocoa powder
Salt
Homemade Vanilla extract

I use gelatin instead of butter now in my syrup.  It adds a little extra protein and the syrup comes out consistently thick (but still very pour able) with no settling.  I use about a TBS or so of syrup to 1 cup of milk.

I had a lot of leftover coffee, so I now have 3.5 quarts of mocha syrup in the fridge.

I can't seem to keep milk in the fridge lately, wonder why?


What's on your Plate?
Simply Delish

Yummy Failure - Neufchatel

Neufchatel isn't supposed to squeak, is it?

This is my first attempt at a non Mozzarella cheese.  Well.............it STILL wants to be Mozzarella!
It tastes like a raw, non stretched version of my Mozz.  Yummy, but not at all what I had in mind.  I used this recipe as a guideline, kinda sorta:
http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/foodnut/09337.html

We have been hot and dry for a long time and the pasture is crispy.  This morning's milking wasn't enough for a full batch, so I halved it.  I strained 8 cups of the "still warm from the cow" milk into a large glass measuring cup with pour spout.  The dog got the rest of the morning's milking.  Why? She's pretty adorable and it saves cleaning a jar later.  I stirred in 4 TBS of 2 day clabber that had already formed a soft curd.  If you look closely, you can see the white specks in the cheese...it didn't quite blend all the way.

The next step was to add the rennet, which is where I got into trouble, I think.  It was supposed to take about 30 minutes to gel and it gelled almost immediately, in a few stirs of the spoon.  I followed the rest of the steps as closely as I could.  It became obvious I was not going to get the intended results when I tried to stir the salt in.  I don't think you are supposed to have to chop it up to mix.

I used my plastic colander on top of a 2 cup measuring cup and butter muslin to strain and the measuring cup on top as the weight and waited 2 hours.  The drippings were very milky colored and came to about 1 cup, so I estimate my yield at about 1.5 cups of cheese.

I came across this recipe that calls for 1/2 the amount of rennet:
http://biology.clc.uc.edu/fankhauser/cheese/neufchatel/neufchatel.htm

I suspect the freshness of the milk has a lot to do with the discrepancy of rennet needed.  Or maybe it's my cow?

This cheese is begging for a fresh tomato....hmmmm....like a thick slice off a Cherokee Purple.....a little salt and freshly ground pepper.......

I wonder if it would melt?

Monday Mania
Barn Hop