Whiteley Creek Homestead Bed and Breakfast

chai spice scones with candied ginger

              

It all began with a guest's request for a gluten-free breakfast which led me to a box of gluten-free Simply Organic Chai Spice Scone Mix sitting right there on our local food co-op's store shelf.

 

 

Let me just say that all gluten-free products are not created equal. This one, however, is a definite keeper. A boxed mix, however, is dependent upon the store's restocking the product. This leads me to my discovery of a recipe that tastes very similar to this mix version, although it is not gluten-free. A Google search turned up an amazing Chai Spice Scone With Candied Ginger recipe from a bakingbites.com submission. The spices... cinnamon, ginger, allspice, cardamom, coriander, and nutmeg. The autumn color. Light and tender. Half the fat of traditional scones. Perfect.

 

Chai Spice Scones with Candied Ginger

2 cups flour (I used whole wheat pastry flour.)

¼ cup sugar

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

¼ tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ginger

½ tsp allspice

½ tsp cardamom

¼ tsp coriander

¼ tsp nutmeg

½ cup cold butter cut into pieces (I used ¼ cup… perfect.)

½ cup milk

½ tsp almond extract

1/3 cup finely chopped candied ginger

Preheat oven to 400°. Line a baking sheet with natural parchment paper. In a large bowl, whisk together dry ingredients. Using a pastry blender, mix butter into dry ingredients until it is pea-size. Mix together milk and almond extract, then add to flour mixture. Stir until dough just starts to come together. Stir in candied ginger. Dough should be thick and slightly sticky, not dry. On a lightly floured surface, pat dough into a large circle about ¾ to 1-inch thick. Cut into 8 wedges and arrange on baking sheet, allowing room to spread. Bake for about 15 minutes until scones are lightly browned. (Don’t be tempted to bake longer than a couple more minutes, if you think it’s needed, as they will be too dry.) Cool on wire rack for 15 minutes before glazing. (Following is a cream cheese glaze that was included with this scone recipe. However, I just made a quick glaze of powdered sugar, a couple drops of almond extract, and a little drizzle of milk… just enough so it’s thick but runs off the end of a spoon. I topped each scone with a few sliced almonds.)

 Cream Cheese Glaze

2 oz cream cheese, softened

3 tbsp butter, softened

½ cup powdered sugar

½ tsp vanilla

1 tbsp milk

Beat together all ingredients until very smooth. Drizzle over scones. 

 

quinoa and steel cut oats

Thinking aloud, while my daughter Lisa sat at her computer, she said, "I wonder what Nana would like for her birthday." Without hesitation, my soon-to-be 6 year-old grandson suggested cookbooks. "Now, why do you say that?" Lisa inquired. "Because she loves to cook," was his wise reply. I do love to build my collection of nutritious recipes. The Eat-Clean Diet Cookbook by Tosca Reno, is one of the books Lisa gave me for my birthday.    

 

That is Kleenex tissue poking out from the cookbook's pages. I curl up with cookbooks at bedtime before drifting off to sleep and select recipes I'd like to try. The Kleenex box was close at hand. The clothespin is my page marker for the recipe that I tried today... one I will make again and again. 

  

This breakfast cereal prepared with quinoa and steel cut oats, is a mega powerhouse of goodness. Topped with short season honey crisp apples, finely chopped walnuts, sliced almonds, and ground flax... seated on the porch in the warmth of a sunny autumn morning. Mmmmm. Perfect.

Quinoa and Steel Cut Oats

1 cup quinoa, soaked* for 2 hours (I soaked overnight.)

1 cup steel cut oats

¼ tsp sea salt

3 cups water

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla

¼ cup organic raisins

In a medium saucepan with a lid, place soaked quinoa, steel cut oats, sea salt, and water. Bring the mixture to a boil and reduce heat. Cover and let simmer for 30 minutes. (I cracked the lid a bit to prevent boiling over and added a bit more water the final 10 minutes of cooking time.) Remove from heat, stir in cinnamon, vanilla, and raisins and let sit for several minutes. Serve hot.

*Quinoa is coated with saponins, a bitter tasting, naturally occurring coating that repels birds during its cultivation. It produces soap-like foaming when quinoa is shaken in water. Most boxed/pre-packaged quinoa has been pre-rinsed for convenience, and cooking instructions suggest only a brief rinse before cooking, if at all. If quinoa has not been pre-rinsed, the first step is to remove the saponins, which requires either soaking the grain in water for a few hours or rinsing the quinoa under running water for several minutes in either a fine strainer or cheesecloth. Soaking also causes the quinoa to germinate which boosts its nutritional value. Germination activates its natural enzymes and multiplies its vitamin content. Quinoa has a very short germination period. Soaking in a glass jar of clean water for only 2 to 4 hours is enough to make it sprout.

glass straws banana milkshake

Birthday fun goes on long after the day has passed.

 
One of the gifts my daughter, Heather, gave me is a set of four glass straws from glassdharma.com that come with a cleaning brush and a lifetime replacement guarantee. An extra wide diameter allows chunky mixtures to slip through easily. Since I was anxious to use my new straws and I had been waiting to try a banana ice cream recipe from health.com, it was the perfect pairing. Frozen bananas thaw rapidly resulting in a consistency closer to a milkshake than ice cream, so that is what I shall rename the recipe.

Frozen Banana Milkshake

2 frozen bananas, sliced

6 tbsp (1/4 c + 2 tbsp) milk

2 tbsp finely chopped walnuts

Process bananas and milk in blender or food processor until smooth and thick. Serve topped with a sprinkle of walnuts.

  

fried egg atop bok choy

Our grandson was visiting this week from New Jersey, so I was so hoping that our hens would begin laying eggs. Perfect timing... we discovered our first egg yesterday underneath a truck in our yard. That is good, but not the proper place to be laying it. I instructed our grandson to place it in a nesting box in the chicken coop so that the hens would see where they should lay their eggs.  

 

This morning, we discovered two eggs in addition to the one we had placed in the nest as a teaching tool.

 

Look at the perfectly domed, amazingly dark orange yolk that is produced from hens allowed to roam freely eating grass, seeds, bugs, and fruit and veggie kitchen scraps. The thick gel-like egg white holds its shape instead of spreading out as nonfresh eggs do. A thing of beauty...

 

I can't remember which blog I read recently where I ran across a simple dish to utilize some bok choy that I had plucked directly from my garden and freshly-laid eggs gathered this morning. It is super simple. So I chopped...

 

The colors on my plate were amazing and glistened in the sunlight. Such enjoyment before I had even dug in!

 

Just saute the bok choy stems and leaves in a little oil or butter. I used clarfied butter because of its high smoke point. After a few minutes, I slid the bok choy over to one side of the pan to finish sauteing while frying the eggs. Serve the egg on top of a mound of bok choy. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

 

homemade gelato

This morning, we had a huge downpour coupled with thunder and lightning... a cookie baking day by all obvious indicators. The forecast predicted continued unseasonably hot temps with extremely high humidity, so I dug out the ice cream maker that my daughters gave me for Mother's Day and chose to make gelato instead.    

 

I made Red Raspberry Gelato, a recipe from the booklet included with my Cuisinart ICE-30BC Series Ice Cream, Frozen Yogurt, and Sorbet Maker. It's a little more time-consuming than other recipes that do not require a custard, but so very worth it. Since I had never eaten gelato before, I researched what sets it apart from ice cream. I learned that most gelato recipes have more egg yolks, more milk, and less cream than ice cream recipes. Commercially-sold ice cream has air mixed in during the manufacturing process to keep it from freezing too solidly. Some ice cream brands consist of more than 50% air in each carton. Gelato has less air mixed in, usually less than 15%, making it smoother and denser than ice cream.

 

Red Raspberry Gelato

Makes about fourteen ½-cup servings

4 cups red raspberries (thawed if frozen) I used fresh.

1 cup granulated sugar

2 ¼ cups half-and-half, divided

6 large egg yolks

¼ cup powdered milk

1 cup heavy cream

2 tsp vanilla

1-2 drops red food coloring to enhance color, optional (omit)

Place raspberries in a food processor fitted with the metal “s” blade or in a blender. If using a blender, do 2 cups at a time for best results. Process until completely puréed and smooth. Press raspberry purée through a fine mesh sieve with a wooden spoon or spatula. Discard seeds – you will have approximately 2 cups red raspberry purée; reserve. Place the sugar and 1 ¼ cups of the half-and-half in a 2 ½-quart saucepan with a heavy bottom. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and stir to dissolve sugar. Keep warm over low heat. Place the egg yolks in a medium bowl and whisk until thickened, about 2 minutes. Alternatively, you can use a hand or stand mixer fitted with the whip on low speed. While whisking, add ½ cup of the hot half-and-half/sugar mixture and whisk until blended. Stir the egg mixture back into the saucepan; increase heat to medium. Stir the mixture constantly with a wooden spoon until the mixture is thickened like a custard sauce and registers 180°F when checked with an instant-read thermometer. Stir in remaining half-and-half, powdered milk, and heavy cream. Strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer; stir in reserved raspberry puree and vanilla. Cover and refrigerate at least 6 hours before continuing. Follow directions for your particular ice cream machine. For my Cuisinart: Turn the machine on; pour mixture into freezer bowl, and let mix until thickened, about 20 to 25 minutes. The gelato will have a soft, creamy texture. If a firmer consistency is desired, transfer the gelato to an airtight container and place in freezer for about 2 hours. Remove from freezer about 15 minutes before serving.

velvety smooth lowfat chocolate pudding

This simple recipe for dee-lish chocolate pudding came from Ellie Krieger who never disappoints me. She titled it Grandma's Chocolate Pudding. However, since it didn't come from my grandma, I renamed it Velvety Smooth Lowfat Chocolate Pudding because it is all that... lusciously velvety smooth with a reduced fat content compared to traditional pudding recipes that call for egg yolks and butter. Additionally, it is less sweet than other versions... just right.   

 

Velvety Smooth Lowfat Chocolate Pudding

1/3 cup sugar

2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

3 tbsp cornstarch

2 cups 1% lowfat milk (I used whole milk.)

1 ounce dark (60-70%) chocolate, finely chopped

whipped cream, optional

In a medium saucepan or double boiler, whisk sugar, cocoa, and cornstarch. Gradually add the milk, whisking until smooth. Continue whisking until the mixture thickens and comes to a boil, about 6 minutes. Boil for 1 minute. Add the chopped chocolate stirring until melted and smooth. Serve topped with whipped cream, if desired. Makes four ¾-cup servings. 

 

a homemade life buckwheat pancakes

For Mothers Day, my three daughters gave me an ice cream maker and a book. Not just any book... A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenberg.

 
In her book, Molly shares recollections from her life... memories that left an imprint. We all have them. A song, a smell, a season triggers remembrance. A bonus is that Molly skillfully, ever so seamlessly, includes a recipe at the end of each chapter that directly relates to the story she has told. I have read of others sharing on their blogs how they curl up in bed at night and read cookbooks. I am one of them. This book, however, is a cookbook and a well-written novel all rolled into one. What a delightful combo! Last night, I flipped to the final two pages of the chapter I was reading before setting the book down. I drifted off to sleep dreaming of the blueberry-dotted buckwheat pancakes I would make for breakfast upon waking. Dick habitually asks what we are having for breakfast before he falls off to sleep, so he dreamt of the same pancakes... I am sure of it.

 

As I headed directly to the kitchen this morning, I lifted a gallon jar of hulled buckwheat off the shelf to grind into flour. Hulled buckwheat is called “buckwheat groats.”

 

Unhulled buckwheat flour is stronger tasting and darker than flour ground from hulled buckwheat.

  

Molly's recipe produces pancakes that are featherlight, tender, and golden brown with crispy edges... not a small feat when considering these are heavyduty buckwheat pancakes. You'll be missing out if you just make this recipe. Read her book. It's a feel good read that will cause you to reminisce about your own life story. 

 

A Homemade Life Buckwheat Pancakes

2/3 cup unbleached all-purpose flour (I used w.w. pastry flour.)

1/3 cup buckwheat flour*

2 tsp sugar

½ tsp salt

½ tsp baking powder

¼ tsp baking soda

¾ cup buttermilk

¼ cup plus 2 tbsp whole milk

1 large egg, separated

2 tbsp (1 ounce) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly

fresh or frozen blueberries, optional*

In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Pour the buttermilk and milk into a medium bowl or a 2-cup Pyrex measuring cup. Whisk the egg white into the milk mixture. In a small bowl, use a fork to beat the yolk with the melted butter. (Rather than adding the melted butter directly to the wet ingredients, mixing it with the egg yolk helps the butter to better incorporate into the batter making for a more even-textured pancake.) Whisk the yolk mixture into the milk mixture. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients all at once, and whisk until just combined. Do not overmix. Ladle the batter in scant ¼ cupfuls onto a hot skillet. When the underside of the pancakes is nicely browned and the top starts to bubble and look set around the edges, 2 to 3 minutes, flip them. Cook until the second side has browned, 1 to 2 minutes more. To add blueberries, let the pancakes cook on their first side for about a minute then sprinkle the fruit on top. *Unhulled buckwheat flour is stronger tasting and darker than flour ground from hulled buckwheat. Hulled buckwheat is called “buckwheat groats.” I ground my own flour from hulled buckwheat to make this recipe.

hot cocoa with maple syrup

No need to lie on my back and look for familiar shapes in the clouds. I saw them in my hot cocoa. Do you see a duck? I see a duck... two eyes where the foam has separated and the marshmallow is its beak. Today, my mug of hot cocoa was smiling back at me. I didn't plan it that way. I swear. It was just there.

 

Hot Cocoa with Maple Syrup

For two servings, the ingredient amounts are easy to remember. 2-2-2

2 cups milk

2 tbsp baking cocoa powder or cacao powder (raw, unprocessed cocoa powder)

2 tbsp maple syrup

Mix cocoa powder with a touch of water in a saucepan. How much water? Add enough to create a thick syrupy consistency. Stir over low heat just until combined. Whisk milk into the cocoa/water mixture and heat to a comfortable sipping temperature. Don’t overheat. Stir in maple syrup. Float a natural marshmallow on top. Sip, smile, and say "aaaaah."

homemade traditional ricotta cheese

Tonight, I completed Lesson 8 Traditional Ricotta Cheese in my 16-week Cultured Dairy and Basic Cheesemaking eCourse. This is what the ricotta cheese solids look like after heating the whey... 

 
and here's the ricotta cheese after straining the solids through a dishtowel.

 
You need a lot of whey to make ricotta. I had accumulated only one quart of whey by straining my homemade yogurt (solely for this purpose) when I decided to give the ricotta cheesemaking a whirl. The bottom photo shows the miniscule amount of ricotta that resulted from a quart of whey, but it was a successful initial attempt. The ricotta is so tasty... so fresh! It's not recommended to use whey to make ricotta on a regular basis because heating the whey destroys its probiotic goodness. However, cheesemaking produces an abundance of whey, so, if after using the whey in smoothies, for soaking grains, nuts, and seeds, drinking it straight, feeding it to your chickens, or consuming homemade yogurt without draining the whey off, you still have whey that you are wondering what to do with, then make ricotta just because it tastes so wonderful and it's a nice addition to Italian dishes. To learn how to make ricotta as well as buttermilk, yogurt, kefir, and many kinds of cheeses, I highly recommend Wardeh Harmon's eCourse. Each skill is broken down into bite-size pieces... manageable chunks that can fit into busy schedules.

 

gluten-free carrot cake cupcakes with dairy-free coconut cream frosting

My friend, Sharon, asked me if I could recommend a cake recipe for her granddaughter's 1st birthday on the 13th of April. Simple, right? Not so fast. It needs to be milk, soy, oat and wheat free due to sensitivities. Traditionally recognized wheat also includes varieties like spelt, kamut, farro, and durum and products made from wheat like bulgur and semolina, so these are all off-limits. If gluten is the culprit, then barley, rye, triticale, and oats* should be avoided, as well. *Oats are inherently gluten-free, but are frequently contaminated with wheat during growing or processing. Bob's Red Mill offers pure, uncontaminated oats that are labeled gluten-free. One option that Sharon has is to substitute a gluten-free flour milled from grain such as amaranth, buckwheat, corn, millet, montina (Indian rice grass), quinoa, rice, sorghum, teff, or wild rice for regular flour in one of her favorite cake recipes. Two other gluten-free flour options are almond flour and coconut flour. This afternoon, I tested a Carrot Cake Cupcakes recipe from Elanas Pantry made with almond flour that fits Sharon's criteria and is light, tender, nutritious, and yummy to boot! Traditional carrot cake is high calorie due to the high sugar and fat content. This version is mega healthy and tastes very much like the traditional version.

 
Gluten-Free Carrot Cake Cupcakes

Spread with icing to transform into birthday party fare. Elanas Pantry's dairy-free Coconut Cream Frosting would be nice, I think (although it looks to be over-the-top sweet). I say just eat them plain or with a few pumpkin seeds, raw sunnies, or chopped nuts sprinkled on top of the batter before baking to add crunch and visual appeal.

1 ½ cups almond flour

½ tsp sea salt

½ tsp baking soda

½ tbsp cinnamon

3 eggs

2 tbsp oil

¼ cup agave nectar (I was out, so I subbed honey.)

1 ½ cups carrots, grated

½ cup pecans, chopped

I added in a handful of raisins, too.

In a large bowl, combine dry ingredients. In another bowl, combine wet ingredients plus carrots and pecans (and raisins if using). Stir wet ingredients into dry. Scoop batter into paper-lined cupcake pan. Bake at 325° for 18 to 22 minutes. (My oven took 25 to 27 minutes.) Cool to room temperature and spread with cream cheese frosting. Makes 10 cupcakes.