Happy Saturday!!!

good morning beautiful friends!!!!           we had some rain overnight in my neck of the woods and it actually warmed up some.         the lowest it got last might was 35*, that's a big change for us.          we've had below freezing temps for the last several mornings.           I like the warmer trend, but I don't know how long it will last.          oh well, we'll enjoy it for now.

last evening, I pulled some frozen bbq from the freezer.           the best bbq around is on the way between where we live and where my Momma lives.           so we'll stop by there once in a while and get carry out and when we do, I'll also get about 5 extra lbs to break down in to smaller pkgs and put in the freezer.          I'll break it down to the amt of bbg on each sandwich and freeze them individually and then put about 4 small pkgs per vac seal bag and then pop in the freezer.         then we can enjoy our favorite bbq anytime we want it.

last evening was one of those evenings that just seemed right for bbq.          so I pulled the bbq out and got it to thawing.          I started thinking about bread.          what did we want as bread?          I have homemade buns/ rolls, homemade cornbread swirls, and homemade cornbread wedges.          for some reason, that just wasn't what I wanted.         but...........I didn't feel like digging my countertop griddle out.         my back wasn't feeling to great yesterday.          what else can I do?          I don't like making hoecakes in a skillet because it takes up too much fat/grease.          so what else?

well, I got to looking around my kitchen.           and low and behold, I see it!!!!!!            some time in late 2022, I had to get a new waffle iron.        the one I had that was 35 years old just bit the dust. 

piece of junk, they don't make anything like they used too!!!!     hahahaha      just kidding about that, it almost outlasted me.       hahaha         I can only hope the new one will last that long.

back to the story:  so, I spyed with my little eyes, my cuisinart waffle maker.         well, it's not just any old waffle maker.           it has plates that I can change out.         so, I changed out the plates to the ones that make round pancakes.          well, what's a hoecake?        nothing but a round, flat, pancake like, piece of cornbread.

perfect!!!!!         I got started and swapped out the plates, got my batter made and heated the waffle iron.          I'm telling you, I felt like I had stumbled upon the next big thing.         I could sell that idea!!!!       I really could.        well, not really, because I had bought the idea.      hahahaha          but I'm telling you, it was a fantastic way for me to use those interchangable plates.       I will be using them more often for sure.

the next time I use them, I will take pictures to share.         but in the mean time, look around your kitchen and see what you have that you can utilize in more ways than you do now.        I'll bet you have things that you can use to make different things.     

I'm really excited now, to see if I have other pieces of equipment that I can use in different ways.        I'll bet we all have things that can be used differently, we may just have to think differently.        I had actually forgotten about those extra plates that I can swap out.        I was actually just gonna make some waffle cornbread,  but the round hoecakes turned out so much better than I could have expected and I have enough left over from last evening that we will have bbq again sometime over the weekend. 

that's a win all day long in my book!!

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let's do a "2 minutes in the kitchen with me".          just wanted to share a quick dessert.            I had a very ripe red plum that I had gotten at the store.       I actually had 2 of them, but now you know what will happen to the other one.       hehehe      Preheat oven to 350*.           I took one plum and sliced it thin, peel on.          I mixed 1/4 cup flour, 1/4 cup oats, 1/4 cup sugar, a healthy dose of cinnamon, a dash of cloves, a pinch of salt and mixed that together in a little bowl.              I took the 2 little individual pans that I baked them in and put 2 tablespoons of the dry mix in the bottom of the little pans.              I put half of the slices over each pan.                I then took my vanilla flavoring and just sprinkled a drop or two over the sliced red plums.           I then covered the plums with 2 more spoons of the crumb mix sprinkled on.           I took a tablespoon of butter and cut it up into tiny pieces and dropped it evenly over the mixture and then sprinkled about a half tablespoon more of sugar evenly on top of both.           I set both pans on  a cookie sheet and popped it in the convection toaster oven for about 35-40 minutes.         Let me tell you, it was perfect!!!  Oh my goodness, it was!!          The juiciness and tartness of the plum was absolutely divine!!!        Can't wait to make the other one the exact same way.

don't these look so good!!          let me tell you, they are!!!!!          and the amount is perfect.        they're also easy to make, and quick.        that's a plus all day long.

oh my gosh, this was soooooooo good!!!!!         you know what resulted from this, a half gallon of dehydrated plums to use to make more of these!!!          oh yeah!!!!!       

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so this is an excerpt from a fb post that I have taken down from my fb page.          I wanted to share how easy it is to fill your pantry with something as simple as onion blades.

ok, another quick little "2 minutes in the kitchen with me."        that is big jar of green onion blades.     it is all of them that I have dehydrated in the last 3 or 4 weeks.        I had a 24 oz jar full, a 16 oz jar full and then what I started the other day and took off yesterday made this jar half full.        then I emptied the other jars in here to fill it up.         at some point in time, I'll make crumbled onion greens to use like you would use dried parsley to just sprinkle on stuff and dress it up a little.          from the rest of it, I'll make powdered onion greens.            it will also be a good addition to use as a garnish and also to use in soup and stews and the like.         even in your own special rubs for meats.          the little plate is a days worth of goodies in from the garden and it looks like I'll be dehydrating more peppers pretty soon.     and I'll be doing the same with some of the peppers that I have done with my onion greens.       green pepper flakes will be my new "thang" and then I'll make some green pepper powder too.          when my tomatoes start blushing, I pick them and let them ripen inside.         as much as I love birds, I don't grow my tomatoes for them.        if I leave them to ripen on the vine, they will feast on them.      a little bite from this one and a little nibble from that one and they will all have bites in them and then be filled with ants.          I can see the bird action from the back door.     grrrrr       hahahaha

so this is how I spend my time recently, dreaming of, and looking at things from the last few years that make excited about the coming gardening season.           I hope you have memories that get you excited too, about something you enjoy or take great pleasure in doing.

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well, as they say, "that's all she wrote", this morning anyway.          I pray you have a wonderful and blessed day.          remember to thank God for all the bountiful blessings  in the past, and for all the future blessings that He has stored up for us.          blessings of love, joy and peace be yours.        hugs, patty

Leeks, Crumble, and Bread....oh my

hey y'all, how are ya doing this morning?           we got back in from our brisk walk this morning and it was a most refreshing time for us.        I fixed us another cup of coffee and I'm sipping on mine as work on this blog post.        mine is decaf, but let me tell ya, it's by far better than nothing!!!       hahaha        when decaf is all ya can have, ya learn to appreciate it, quickly.         hahaha

what are y'all thinking of and dreaming of here lately?          all I can think of is my Baker Creek seed order that I placed Monday.          I can't wait for those seeds to get here.          that's what I think about and dream about.        hahaha            

oh, I have to tell ya, I'm not a gardener, but I know THE Master Gardener and we're always talking about what I'm trying to do.         I do believe that God really blesses my efforts and I'm so thankful!!!

I hope and pray that we all have successful gardens this coming spring.        I'm looking forward to it if God blesses me with health and time for another growing season.         I hope you're looking forward to it too.

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let's do another "2 minutes in the kitchen with me", ok.       so I recently made some rolls.         I bake a lot of bread and keep a lot of it in the freezer.          these started out to be just plain white flour, but I didn't have enough flour in my bin and I was in a hurry to get started.          so I used 1 cup of white flour and 2 cups whole wheat.          I didn't have any milk in the fridge, so I used powdered milk.       I didn't have any butter from the freezer, so I used the equivalent amount of EVOO.          the recipe didn't call for whole wheat germ, but I added it.           the recipe didn't call for vital wheat gluten, but I added a little.          the recipe called for honey, but I added the equivalent in monk fruit sweetener.      I guess egg, salt and yeast is the only thing I didn't substitute.    

my point in telling you all this is, don't be afraid to use what you have as long as it's half way in the ballpark of ingredients that you know will work.           I knew all those swaps and additions would work well, because I rarely follow a recipe to a T.           and these are all common swaps and additions for me.              I don't know that I've ever had this many swaps in one recipe, but it worked and I had no doubt about it.           I always make my dough in the bread machine on the dough setting.          it will run for about an hour and 34 minutes before it kicks off.          but I watch the dough real closely and when I know it's mixed well and in a beautiful ball, I'll take it out and make my rolls and let them rise and then bake.          it saves me at least an hour on making and baking the bread.          

one thing to remember is when you add items like I did, the whole wheat germ and vital wheat gluten, you'll probably have to add more liquid.           I had too and I knew I would, but I always let the dough tell me how much liquid to add.         and I add by 1 teaspoon at a time.           I let it get worked into the dough and if needed, I add another teaspoon till it looks like I know it should look.   

 I definitely don't do anything special to make my rolls, hahaha, as you can see that for yourself.         I don't care as much how they look as how they taste, and these are great!!           sometimes I forget how good whole wheat rolls are.          but these are good.    

so don't be afraid to adjust a recipe with what you have, if you don't have all the exact ingredients.      as long as you know they should work, then use what you have and add extra liquid one teaspoon at a time.           if you need to add more flour, add that one tablespoon at a time.         using small increments like that will help you get the adjustments correct and your dough to turn out good.         these will be the perfect hamburger buns or sandwich buns.        they  are good.    

1st pic-beautiful dough ball, 2nd pic-rolls made, 3rd pic-rolls have risen, 4th pic-done!!!

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here back, I got some black plums on sale.           we enjoy a plum crisp and that's what I've done with 2 of them so far.           I need to go back and get some more and get them on the dehydrator and have them for later on.            I had just finished up my jar of dehydrated plums and didn't even take pictures of it to share.           but I'll describe what I do and then when I get pictures, I'll share them.  

I always wash and cut the plum in half and then make 5 or 6 wedges from each half.        then I dice each slice into smaller portions.         when I put them on the dehydrator trays, I put one half of a plum kinda separate from the rest.       once they are all dry, I weigh that one portion and make a note of what the dried weight is and mark that on my jar.          when I get ready to use it for our plum crisps, I take out 2 portions (which is the equivalent of 1 plum) and put them in a 1/4 cup each, of boiling water and let them rehydrate for an hour or so.          (I try not use any more water than I think it will take to rehydrate because I don't want to lose any flavor when I drain them.)         then if there's any liquid left standing, I drain it off and then put my plum bits in some small strainers to finish draining real well. 

 

once that's done, I put the plum bits in the 2 custard dishes you see below that have already been buttered real well and set aside.         on top of the plum bits, I put about a tablespoon and a half of lemon juice.          then I sprinkle a tablespoon of monk fruit sweetener over the plum bits  in each dish.

I keep a mason jar full of "oatmeal crisp crumble topping" already prepared with everything but the butter.   the recipe for that is: 

Oatmeal crumble

1.5 cups of rolled oats, 

1 cup flour (can use almond flour or other gluten free flours), 

1 cup of monk fruit sweetener, 

1 tsp salt, 

1 tsp cinnamon and any other spices you may like. 

 

I usually opt for a pinch of nutmeg and cloves as well. 

  

I sprinkle on about 2 tablespoons of this topping.         next I slice a couple of thin pats of butter for each dish and cut those up into thin strips and dot it around on top of the crumble mix.        place the custard dishes on a baking sheet and pop in a 350* preheated oven  and bake for about 40 minutes.  watching to see that they don't burn.   this is so delectable.        and if you happen to have a little dab of ice cream, even better.          but believe me, this is good enough just by itself.   

the jar of crumble mix is good for any type of fruit you can think of.        depending on the fruit and the natural sweetness of your fruit, you may need to sprinkle a little more of the monkfruit sweetener (or what ever you use) on the fruit before you put the crumble mix on top.       don't skip the lemon juice (can use lime juice), it really helps to bring out flavor of the fruit and will also help in adding moisture to the crumble mix so it can form a pretty crunchy crust.        this doesn't make a huge serving per individual, but it's plenty for us.         

when I  make 2 small crumbles like this, when they're gone, they're gone.         we're not gonna over eat.          so we both like that.           and it's easy enough to make when I have the dehydrated fruit already prepped and the crumble already prepped.         it comes together pretty quickly when we decide we want a treat.          so be on the lookout for me to dehydrate some plums and then we will go over this again.

I make other crumbles, but always go back to our favorite one, the plum crumble.   it just has a flavor that we love.        hope y'all find this to be something you can enjoy too.

oh, and if you don't have a dab of ice cream to put on them, a tablespoon or so of coconut milk is really delicious as well.            you might want to try that.       
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I had been looking for some chair exercise and I came across this a few years ago and finally found it again and thought I would share it.          I don't remember where it came from, but the exercise are pretty good.          I do most of them quite frequently.

just start off slow and do what you know you can safely do and build up to 10 or 15 reps of each exercise.          if you can't get in floor, omit the last 2.          just take 10 minutes a day and do what you can do.          your body will appreciate it.
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I got a couple of leeks 2 or 3 years ago,  with the plans of dehydrating them.       and I did just that.  woohoo!!!          I washed them and cleaned them, (they are dirty as little pigs  hahaha).        I can't stress it enough that they really need to be washed well because each layer is full of grime and grit and sand. 

I cut the ends off and then I started slicing down the green part making 1/2 inch slices.          when I got to the white part, the bulb, I quartered it length ways and then kept up the 1/2 slices.        once all sliced, back into a good bath they went, to get all the dirt and grit out of them.  

then I washed them good again, rinsed and drained.          as I was cleaning them, I was also separating the layers good and then they went on the dehydrator at 115*.           several hours later they were crumble dry and I put all of it in a 2 quart mixing bowl.       about the time, they are NOT completely done until they are brittle and will crumble.        my rule of thumb is "cracker crisp, rock hard, bone dry".       it was full to the brim.          I started crushing and mashing it down and in a few seconds, it was condensed down to what you see in the picture.  

it's in a 16 ounce pickle jar and it's just over 1/2 full.          I'll be looking for more when I see them at a good value.          but I'm also gonna try to grow some.           I hope I'm not too late in getting seeds started.        25 to 45 weeks to maturity.            if they do grow, I can finish them up in my little greenhouse and the garage if necessary.           I'll see what I can do.  these will be delicious in all kinds of soups, stews and casseroles.         one thing that pops to mind is potato leek soup, now I can make that.            anyway, just wanted to share with y'all and maybe encourage someone to do something different.        dehydrate something.  

that 16 oz jar, half full quickly turned into a GALLON sized jar full to the brim!!!         it's delicious to use in soups and stews and casseroles.          also, when I get them at the store, I pick for leeks that have good root systems on them.       

I saved the bottom 1/4 inch of the leeks with the roots and I grew more greens from the root balls.        it works well with green onions too.         you can also save the root end of some of these artisan lettuces and regrow lettuce from them.        there are lots of things that we grow more from if we would just do it.         and I try to do just that.        I hope you'll give it a try too.
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this is it for now.           I hope you seen something here that will help you with bread making or making a crumble or dehydrating some leeks, also some exercises that you can do.        there is something for everyone.     hahaha        

I hope you invite God to be in your day today.          talk to Him about your problems, He's always listening.          be blessed today!!!         love, joy, peace and an abundance of hugs be yours today, patty

A Great Treat

good afternoon beautiful ones.   yeah, I'm back with another little treat.     so we're gonna do another "2 minutes in the kitchen with me" segment.      although I didn't get a picture, I will the next time I make this and I'll share it with you all.

I had gone grocery shopping Friday, I think it was and there was some good fruit on sale.     and when it's on sale, I get a little for the coming week.       well, they had some plums.      I got a bag of them and I already wish I had gotten 5 more bags!!!!!!       I'll be going back, probably tomorrow and getting 3 or 4 more bags and I'll slice them thin and put them on my dehydrator and then I'll be able to make this treat that I'm gonna share whenever the notion strikes.   that could end up being dangerous.  hahahahaha

I made what I call "Plum Crisp".       I keep a mason jar filled with the "crisp" mix.      I put about 2 cups of old fashioned oats, about 1/4 cup of flour, 3/4 cup of granular sweetener and I use monkfruit sweetener, a tablespoon or more of cinnamon, a teaspoon of cloves, about a half teaspoon or more to your taste of salt.      I write the mixture on the jar, so it's easy to refill.      I shake it up real good and stick it in the cabinet.    when we want a crisp, that part is easy.

next, I get our little dishes out and spray them with avocado oil to help prevent sticking.      I sprinkle about 2 tablespoons full of the crisp mixture on the bottom of the little dishes.       then I get 2 plums and wash them good and split them and take the pit out and slice up a whole plum for each little bowl.     I get about 20 slices per plum for each of our little bowls.       I love them really thin.        once I'm done with the plums, I'll sprinkle a good tablespoon of monkfruit sweetened over the plums in each little bowl.      then I'll get my lemon juice and pour about a tablespoon of lemon juice directly over the plums.        next, I'll take my crisp mix and sprinkle about 2 or 3 tablespoons over the very top.      the very last thing I use is a tablespoon of butter.      real butter.       I cut very tiny pieces of butter and drop it all over the top of the crisp.     getting it spaced as evenly as possible is key.      pop them in a preheated 350* oven for about 30 minutes and it is purely delightful!!!!       not overly sweet and just enough acid from the lemon juice to really make it sweet tart.      it is one of our favorite treats of all time.

so, when I get more and get them sliced up and on my dehydrator, I'll be in business.      I'll make a notation on my jars that it takes 20 slices per little bowl to make the crisp.   then I can make these anytime we want them.       it's also a pretty economical dessert and easy to make on a whim.     and the next time I make them, I'll get a picture of them.      they are so delicious.  and they are lovely to look at too.      hahaha

well, I hope you enjoyed this quick little segment of "2 minutes in the kitchen with me".       I hope you've had a most spectacular day.    I also hope that at some point during this day that you've thanked God for it.       He made it just for us and there will never be another day like today with all the opportunities this one has had.        Tomorrow isn't promised, yesterday was, and all we have is today, right now and the opportunities available in this moment.       thank Him and praise Him for today.      Thank You God for Your many blessings upon us all!!!!       Thank You for salvation thru the shed blood of Your Son, Jesus Christ!!!!        if you know Christ as your Savior, you my friend, have so much to be thankful for.     so let's praise Him before the day is over.      love and hugs y'all, patty