Whiteley Creek Homestead

gnome and mushroom

 

In November, when Dick and I were visiting our daughters Heather and Lisa and their families in New York and New Jersey, I made my annual trip to a fun little shop called Parcel in the town where Lisa lives. This year, I purchased a tiny little card with the word gnome, its pronunciation, and definition. On the flip side of the card it says, "a small being in a fable or story." What I was planning to do with it... I hadn't a clue. I only knew that it had special meaning to me because it represented a memory.

 

The Gnome-Mobile, which came out in 1967 featuring Walter Brennan, was the first movie I ever viewed in a theater. It was one of the last films personally produced by Walt Disney.

When I returned home, I asked my daughter Jessie if she had any gnome craft ideas. I told her about the tiny card that I had purchased but didn't know what to do with it. Unbeknownst... don't ya love that word... unbeknownst to me at the time, she had bought a gnome and a mushroom cookie cutter to give me as a Christmas gift. She had already purchased it before I had even mentioned the card to her. Isn't it so fun when life works out like that? She also gave me two other cookie cutters... an old-fashioned glass milk bottle shape and a snail, but those must wait to be shared for yet another day. 

cupcake papers and picks

For Christmas, my daughter Jessie gave me this vast array of cupcake papers and picks... so many bright colors, shapes, and patterns! I see some seriously fun cupcake baking in my future.

 
  

bags that feed children

A gift I received this Christmas from my daughter Jessie will, as they say, "keep on giving." A third of the proceeds from the sale of each 100% cotton and burlap collapsible FEED bag feeds 100 school children through the United Nations World Food Program. The bag's concept and design is the brainchild of presidential niece Lauren Bush. It can be purchased at Whole Foods Markets and online at FEEDProjects.org. It just makes so much sense.

 
 

partridge pear wrap

My daughter Jessie has done distracted me again. I had my day all planned out, then I stopped by for just a moment to check my email. There in a message from Jess was a link to a new blog, Creature Comforts, that she had discovered. My distraction quotient went off the charts when I clicked on the link to discover the most adorable free printable gift wrap and tags. My printer immediately got to work. Unbeknownst to me, when I purchased $100.00 worth of ink and recycled 20 empty ink cartridges at Staples to receive $120.00 back in store credit recently, this was going to be what I would need it for. There is a photo on the blog showing  wrapped gifts so you can see what a perfectly fun little touch it would add under your tree. I would have wrapped some gifts with it to show you... but I need to get back to my all-planned out-day now.

 

A partridge in a pear tree...

Blue and white... wintertime. All the gift box needs is a frosty snowflake to add sparkle.
 
 

staples ink recycling

Gather together your empty ink cartridges (any brand) and head over to your neighborhood Staples for a heckova deal, but don't tarry. The offer ends the day after tomorrow on Saturday, December 19, 2009.

 
Staples, on a regular basis, offers $3.00 in store credit for each empty ink cartridge with an allowable maximum of ten per month but, with this particularly generous offer, you can earn $6.00 per cartridge for a limited time (November 30, 2009 - December 19, 2009) if you spend $50.00 on HP ink and recycle empty cartridges in the same day. Would you believe that I happened to stop by Staples on November 30 (the 1st day of the offer) to purchase some black ink and even had 10 empty cartirdges with me?!! This is significant because, since it was the final day of November I was able to take advantage of the 10 per month restriction and then turn in 10 more in the month of December. Below is my November recycling summary which shows I earned $30.00 in-store credit for the month of November (10 cartidges x $3.00 ea. = $30.00 x 2 (double offer) = $60.00. This report is received via email after you set up an online account on staples.com. 

 
Here's my reward certificate for the month of November that I received in the mail yesterday...

 
and I still have a $60.00 reward certificate coming yet for the cartridges I recycled this month (December). That's $120.00 I earned with two separate trips to Staples and a minimum purchase of $50.00 of printer ink each time! Now that makes me happy... very happy. You can be happy too...  

 

heirloom beans

If you're wanting some Christmas gift buying inspiration, click on over to my daughter Jessica's blog, fort & field, where she has compiled ideas categorized according to interests such as techi, handyperson, traveler, environmentalist, horticulturist, bookworm, letter writer, baker, chef, organizer, creator, mom on the go, and so on. Good stuff... and she continues to add more. One of her ideas led me to ranchogordo.com where I purchased some dry heirloom beans... three kinds. I normally buy my heirloom beans from a neighbor, but her crop fizzled this past growing season. (Click here for a post I did providing a little info on heirloom seeds.)  

 
yellow eye

 
cranberry

good mother stallard

I read in my Holistic Nutrition textbook that the intestinal gas leading to flatulence when eating beans is mainly caused by oligosaccharides in the beans that are fermenting in the lower intestines. Oh, that mental image is comforting... Because the oligosaccharides are contained primarily in the coverings of the beans, soaking the beans in water overnight and then discarding that water before cooking them in fresh water helps leach out some of their fermenting properties (vs. soaking and cooking them in the same water). One strip of kombu, a high protein seaweed, can also be added to the pot when cooking beans to reduce some of the potential gas-inducing qualities of beans. I set out to give it a whirl... I had kombu but no dry beans... not a one. So, therefore, my online order was placed and Iwill impatiently wait for their arrival.  

banana oatmeal coconut cookies

On the 101cookbooks blog, where I found this recipe, these cookies are called Nikki's Healthy Cookie Recipe. I renamed them "Banana Oatmeal Coconut Cookies". It won't win an award for the world's most creative name, but it accurately describes the main ingredients. From that point forward, you can change up the recipe by adding in whatever's in your pantry to add chewiness and crunch. The first time I made them, I used a chopped and shaved dark chocolate bar as the original recipe suggested. In this batch that I made last evening, I eliminated the chocolate and chopped up 1/3 cup walnuts, 1/3 cup dates, and 1/3 cup candied ginger instead. In the recipe below, I have offered additional add-in suggestions.

Banana Oatmeal Coconut Cookies

3 large ripe bananas, well mashed (about 1 ½ cups)

1 tsp vanilla

¼ cup coconut oil, barely warmed – so it isn’t solid to be easier to mix in

2 cups old-fashioned oatmeal

2/3 cup *almond meal

1/3 cup unsweetened coconut, finely shredded

½ tsp cinnamon (You can play with the spices a bit.)

½ tsp sea salt

1 tsp baking powder

Optional add-in suggestions: Oh, the possibilities... walnuts, dates, candied ginger, raisins, dried cranberries, raw sunnies, pistachios, a dried fruit and nut trail mix, muesli... 

Preheat oven to 350° with rack in the top third. In a large bowl combine the bananas, vanilla, and coconut oil. Set aside. In another bowl whisk together the oats, almond meal, shredded coconut, cinnamon, salt, and baking powder. Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until combined.  Fold in any additions of dried fruit, nuts, and/or seeds. Drop by tablespoon onto parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes. To allow enough time for the cookies to bake through to the center, bottoms will be a deep golden brown but not burnt.

*You can purchase almond meal or make your own by pulsing almonds in a food processor until you achieve the texture of sand. Don’t process too long or you’ll end of with almond butter.  
 

sesame balls

When I was rolling my Raw Vegan Oat Flax Cookies in sesame seeds a few days ago, I spied a recipe for Sesame Balls on the back of my Arrowhead Mills Sesame Seed package that looked worthy of trying. Sesame seeds are an excellent source of calcium and iron and, according to the package nutrition facts, they contain 7 grams of omega-6, 4 grams of fiber, and 6 grams of protein per serving. They are supposed to be balls, but I wanted to go for a walk and I got impatient waiting for my candy thermometer to register 236 degrees, which is soft ball stage. It reached 232 degrees and I plopped the scoops onto parchment paper then into the fridge they went. You don't stir the mixture while it's cooking, so it's really no trouble at all just checking the temperature now and again but, like I said... I wanted to go for a walk. The mixture did thicken, but not enough to retain a ball shape however... 

  

After leaving them in the fridge overnight, I was able to roll them into balls that retained their intended spherical shape making a perfectly nutritious snack while studying. The recipe is so simple and they taste like your favorite candy bar, so give it a whirl and let the thermometer climb all the way to the soft ball point.  

 

Sesame Balls

1/3 cup light cream

2/3 cup honey (I reduced it to 1/3 cup and it was the perfect sweetness.)

1/3 cup unsulphured molasses

1 tbsp oil (optional… I didn’t add.)

¼ cup finely chopped nuts (I used walnuts.)

1 cup unhulled sesame seeds

Stir and heat cream, honey, molasses, and oil (if using) in saucepan until mixture reaches soft ball stage on a candy thermometer. Alternatively, you can test it by dropping a wee bit of mixture into cold water. It should form a soft ball. Remove from heat. Add nuts and seeds. Beat until thick. (Place saucepan in fridge to speed the thickening.) Drop by tablespoon onto lightly oiled platter or parchment paper. Chill. When cool, roll into balls. Keep cool until ready to serve.

raw vegan oat flax cookies

In my next life, I will have wood floors throughout my entire house. Since that is not my present status, I had my carpets steam cleaned today. Nice... very nice job. The drying stage has limited my movement considerably. Living room and bedroom furniture, as well as odds and ends from here and there, are temporarily residing in my kitchen. Somehow I managed to maneuver around things to try a new recipe, "Raw Vegan Oat Flax Cookies", that I found on "The Fitness Freak" Blog. I reduced all quantities by half to fit into my miniature Betty Crocker Food Processor that I found at a garage sale a few years ago. Also, it allowed me to try the recipe and not waste ingredients if it should happen to flop. No need for concern there. Good... very good. (The recipe amounts I provided in this post are for a full recipe.)  

 

Raw Vegan Oat Flax Cookies

2 cups *oat flour

½ cup **flax meal

5 to 6 tbsp agave (For ½ recipe I used 1 tbsp agave + 1 tbsp brown rice syrup, so for a full recipe I’d use 3 tbsp total. You might need to use more if you are using all agave.)

3 tbsp almond butter

2 tbsp coconut oil

1 tsp alcohol-free vanilla

dash sea salt

Mix all ingredients in food processor until smooth. Drop by tablespoon onto parchment paper, form into balls, then roll in finely-shredded unsweetened coconut or sesame seeds or leave plain. Press gently with heel of your hand to flatten slightly. Place in fridge or freezer in sealed receptacle.

* You can purchase oat flour or make your own by whirring rolled oats in blender until it has the consistency of flour. Use 1 ¼ cups oats to make 1 cup oat flour.

** You can purchase flax meal or make your own by using a coffee grinder to grind seeds to the consistency of cornmeal. 2/3 cup flax seed yields 1 cup of meal.

 

date bran (or flax) jingle balls

"Ah! To do nothing - and do it well." This is a quote from a book I have, that I apparently don't refer to often enough, titled The Art of Doing Nothing Simple Ways to Make Time for Yourself by Veronique Vienne. I have found that the month of December is not the ideal time of year to commit oneself to such a lofty but worthy goal, so... I made my first batch of Christmas cookies this morning. It is a new recipe that I found on eatingwell.com and a keeper! The recipe is simple with few ingredients which spells quick, they are nutrient-packed, and yummy... the traits that make a recipe a winner.    

 

Date Bran (or Flax) Jingle Balls

½ cup pecans

2 cups bran flakes cereal (I used flax flakes cereal since it’s what was in my pantry… a perfect substitution.)

¾ cup whole pitted dates (I coarsely chopped them to aid the food processor.)

3 tbsp honey

2 tbsp cream cheese, softened (I substituted *Farmer Cheese because it’s what I had.)

2 tsp orange juice

½ cup finely shredded unsweetened coconut or wheat germ

Coarsely chop pecans in a food processor, place in a small bowl, and set aside. Place cereal and dates into a food processor and process until finely chopped. Add honey, cream cheese (or farmer cheese), and o.j. then pulse until a stiff dough forms. Add chopped pecans and process briefly so as not to finely chop them (or you can stir them in by hand). You want the nuts to remain in coarse pieces. Scoop tablespoon-size portions onto parchment paper and shape into balls with lightly moistened hands. Leave balls as is or roll in coconut or wheat germ. Store in the fridge for up to 5 days. (I put my in the freezer for longer storage.)

*Farmer cheese is similar to ricotta cheese. It is a drier product than cream cheese but, even so, it substituted well in this recipe. According to the Friendship Dairies web site, Farmer Cheese is very low in lactose; each serving containing less than 0.5% lactose. This is important for people with restricted diets who still crave dairy products and cheese. In fact, some "intestinal health experts" recommend Dry Curd Cheese for those suffering from digestive conditions such as Crohn's Disease, Colitis, Diverticulitis and Celiac Disease.