Recipe - Easy Homemade Waffles

EASY HOMEMADE WAFFLES

2 eggs
2 cups flour or wheat flour
2 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 cup oil
4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 2/3 cups milk

Heat waffle iron. Beat eggs in a medium bowl until fluffy. Beat in the remaining ingredients, just until smooth. Do not over mix. Pour the batter onto the center of the hot waffle iron. Bake 5 minutes or until the steaming stops. Remove carefully. Makes twelve 4 inch waffles.

Until next time...

~Rebecca

P. S. - Don't forget to enter the drawing for your chance to win a free copy of Mrs. White's book! To enter click HERE.

#recipes #waffles #breakfast 

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Welcome November!

Hello November

Good morning, Sweet Readers! And HAPPY NOVEMBER!

It's hard to believe that most of 2017 is behind us and that the holiday season is upon us again already! Where on earth does the time go? 😲

Yesterday finished up the Write 31 Days writing challenge and I was so glad to be a part of it. I don't know how good the subject matter was or how interesting the posts were, but it really did challenge me to stay on topic, and stay focused on putting something out every day. Now I don't want to lose the momentum. Not that I'll put something out every day, but the challenge definitely got me into the habit of blogging again and, for that, I am thankful!

Yesterday, of course, was Halloween and the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. We handed out candy and tracts to what few trick-or-treaters we had and watched Luther with Joseph Fiennes. After that we went over to our daughter and son-in-law's and watched KJB: The Book That Changed The World with John Rhys Davies. We had never seen it before and, must say, they did an excellent job with it. We got home and to bed late.

This morning for breakfast I made Trim Healthy Mama's Apple Cinnamon Swirl Muffins (page 280 of the THM Cookbook) and served them with Triple Zero vanilla yogurt on the side. I did change the recipe up a bit by adding the second half of the apple into the muffin mixture, rather than eating it on the side, and it was absolutely delicious! It was like eating apple pie for breakfast! 🍎 

Now...for the rest of the day. I don't have a lot planned. I do need to go help my neighbor with a project that she's got pending, then I think I'll go ahead and figure November's bills and get that out of the way. Then I'll get a jump on my fall cleaning as I look ahead to the holidays. 

Have a blessed day everyone! And enjoy your Wednesday!

Until next time,
~Rebecca 

P.S. - As we enter the holiday season, what is the one thing that you are looking forward to the most?

Recent posts that you might be interested in reading...

Happy Homemaker Monday - October 30, 2017

31 Days of the Joys of Autumn - Chili

31 Days of the Joys of Autumn - Preparing For Winter

Avocado, Bacon, and Eggs

Avocado, Bacon, and Eggs

A friend of mine posted this recipe for Avocado, Bacon, and Eggs on Facebook, and it looked so good that I had to try it. I'm glad I did, too! This recipe is absolutely delicious and my husband and I thoroughly enjoyed it. More often than not, I will probably make it with egg whites from now on, but it really is delicious. Whoever would have thought that a baked avocado could taste so great? And it's good for you, too!

AVOCADO, BACON, AND EGGS

1 avocado
2 eggs
2 strips of pre-cooked, crumbled bacon (we used turkey bacon and, using scissors, I just cut it into little pieces)

Cut the avocado in half and remove the pit. Scoop out enough avocado to make a hole that matches the size of your egg.

Stabilize avocado halves by balancing them upright, and level, on the top of a muffin tin. Crack an egg into each avocado half and top with crumbled bacon. I added a sprinkling of black pepper over ours, but you can season, or not season, as you choose.

Bake in a preheated 425 degree oven for 15 minutes or until eggs are cooked through.

I suggest going and checking out the original recipe before baking, as the gal who posted it has a few tips on what to do, and not do, to make your first attempt successful (and her pictures are so much prettier than mine). To get there, click HERE.

If you try this, please, leave me a comment telling me what you think of it. Thanks so much!

Have a blessed day!

Love,
~Rebecca

#avocados, #recipes

One Thousand Gifts - #47 Mom's Night Out (the movie), #48 listening to my grandlittles laugh, and #49 my cousin and his crazy stories

Cottage Blueberry Porridge (E)

Cottage Blueberry Porridge (E) Single Serving

When I first saw this recipe I didn't think it sounded good at all, but, after trying it, it's turned out to be one my favorite Trim Healthy Mama breakfasts thus far. I usually serve it two to three times per week.

COTTAGE BLUEBERRY PORRIDGE - E

1/2 cup frozen blueberries

1/2  cup low-fat (1%) cottage cheese

1 cup cooked oatmeal 

a pinch of sea salt 

1 tsp. cinnamon 

sweetener to taste (I use 2 packages of Truvia.) 

Place blueberries and cottage cheese into food processor and process until smooth.

Place hot cooked oatmeal into a breakfast bowl. Add cinnamon, sweetener, and sea salt if it wasn't added during cooking.

Garnish with the blueberry cottage cheese mix to the sides of bowl that contains the oatmeal. Don't mix it with porridge, but scoop some up with each bite. Yum-my!!!

#thm

Cheesy Egg White Scramble With Spinach Served In A Half Joseph's Pita (E)

Cheesy Egg Whites And Spinach In A Joseph's Pita

I had some egg whites left over the other day that needed used up, and just a small amount of spinach, so I threw this together for breakfast. It was very tasty, and John and I quite enjoyed it.

All I did was scramble some egg whites in a small skillet that had been sprayed with pan spray. I sprinkled them with sea salt and black pepper. Then, just before the eggs were done I added a couple of handfuls of fresh, raw spinach and sauteed all together. Right at the end I sprinkled the whole thing with just a tiny amount of shredded 2% sharp cheddar cheese, allowing it to melt into the egg and spinach mixture. Then, I divided the mixture equally into two parts, and stuffed each portion into one-half of a Joseph's pita.

Short, sweet, and to the point...breakfast! <3

Until Next Time...

All My Love,
~Rebecca

Recipes For Sourdough Starter, Pancakes, and Biscuits

An old friend contacted me tonight wanting to know if I had a recipe for sourdough starter...which I did (and do!)...and though I've shared these recipes before, I thought I'd share them again here because it got me excited! So excited, in fact, that I've got a fresh batch of sourdough starter making in the kitchen right now! :)

SOURDOUGH STARTER

1 package active dry yeast
1/4 cup lukewarm water (potato water is good)
2 cups warm water
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tablespoon sugar

Using a quart size (or half-gallon) fruit jar or crock, dissolve yeast with 1/4 cup water. Allow to stand several minutes then stir in water, flour, and sugar. Cover with a cloth. Leave overnight at room temperature. Stir down several times as mixture rises to top. The longer the mixture stands at room temperature, the stronger the sour taste. Replace cover and refrigerate until ready to use. To maintain an ample supply of starter, each time you use it, replenish it with equal amounts of warm water and flour. Makes about 2 cups.


SOURDOUGH PANCAKES

(This is the sourdough recipe that we usually use.)

Mix the night before using:

2 cups flour
2 cups milk
1 cup starter

Let stand overnight at room temperature.

When ready to cook, add:

2 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

Stir batter until well mixed. Grease griddle if necessary. Pour or spoon pancake batter onto hot griddle. When bubbly and puffed, turn and brown other side. Serve with your favorite syrup. Makes 16 pancakes.

For future use, add to starter:

1 cup water to original jar
1 cup flour
1 tablespoon sugar

Keep refrigerated.


SOUR DOUGH BISCUITS

Mix the night before using:

1 cup sourdough starter, at room temperature
1/2 cup warm water
1 cup flour

Let stand overnight at room temperature.

1 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon sugar
Bacon drippings or butter or olive oil

About 1 hour before serving, turn dough out on 1 cup of the flour on a bread board. Combine remaining 1/2 cup flour with baking powder, soda, salt, and sugar. Knead flour lightly into batter. Make a well in the dough and mix dry ingredients into the batter, kneading lightly to get correct consistency for rolling dough without sticking. Roll to 1/2 inch thickness. Cut biscuits with a cutter or into 2" x 3" rectangles. Brush tops with warm bacon drippings or warm butter or olive oil. Place biscuits 1/2 inch apart on baking sheet, or close together in a 9-inch square pan, and set in a warm place to rise about 1/2 hour. Bake at 400 degrees about 20 minutes. Makes 14 biscuits.

Recipe: Apple-Cinnamon Toast

Apple-Cinnamon Toast

We made these with the homeschool group yesterday and it's what John and I are having for breakfast this morning. This super easy recipe is absolutely bursting with fall flavor! Coupled with a glass of cold milk you've got a breakfast or snack that is, not only nutritious, but absolutely delicious!

Preheat broiler on high.

To make butter one slice of bread with butter or Smart Balance. Wash and dry an apple and cut in half (our favorite variety is Gala; one-half apple per slice of bread). Thinly slice apple and distribute slices evenly over buttered bread. Sprinkle with 1/2 to 1 teaspoon raw sugar and a dash or two of cinnamon. Broil in hot oven 2 to 4 minutes till corners of bread is toasted and the apple slices are bubbling. Yum-YUM! Enjoy!

Family Favorite Pancakes

These truly have become our family favorites!

FAMILY FAVORITE PANCAKES

Ingredients:
- 1 large ripe banana
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/2 cup old fashioned oats
- 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
- 1 (8oz) carton of egg substitute (Egg Beaters Original)
- Non-stick cooking spray

Method:
In a blender add all of the ingredients (except cooking spray) in order of appearance. Blend for 8- to 10- seconds. If the mixture is too thick, you can add a drop of non-fat or soy milk. Preheat a non-stick frying pan or spray with non-stick cooking spray. On medium heat, pour 4 inch x 4 inch pancakes. Flip when you see air bubbles on the top. Cook on the second side uncovered until the bottom is golden brown. Serves: 2. Serve and top with sugar free syrup or other topping of your choice. (I top with 1 TBSP Madhava vanilla or maple Agave Nectar.) Serve with 1 cup of fresh strawberries or blueberries and have a complete fat burning breakfast!

Recipe - DOUBLE ORANGE SCONES

DOUBLE ORANGE SCONES

 

2 cups flour
3 T. sugar
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. grated orange peel
1/3 c. margerine
1/2 c. manderine oranges, drained
1/4 c. milk
1 egg

Mix all ingredients together. Flatten dough into a disk in the middle of a cookie sheet. Sprinkle 1 Tablespoon of sugar over the top and, using a floured knife, cut disk into eighths. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes. Serve with Orange Butter (recipe below). Make 8 scones.

    Orange Butter

   1/2 c. margerine
   2 T. orange marmalade

   Mix together until well blended. Serve on warm scones.

Until next time...

~Rebecca

Muffin Basics - Guest Post

Muffin Basics
by Jill Cooper
http://www.LivingOnADime.com

Muffins are very easy to make. Mix the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients and hand stir lightly. Usually, you only need to stir them about 12-15 times. The batter will be very lumpy but that is the way it should be. Muffins are one thing you don't want to over-mix. Pour them into greased muffin cups about 2/3 full. If you don't have enough batter to fill all of the cups in the pan, you can fill the empty ones with water if you like. I do this sometimes but not always.

• If you are adding nuts or fruit, mix them in with the dry ingredients before you add the liquids. This prevents them from all falling to the bottom of the muffin.
  
• Your muffins should come out with rounded tops and a light fluffy texture. If they don't, there could be a couple of things you are doing wrong:
  • Flat heavy muffins with tunnels may mean your oven temperature is too low.
  • If the muffin has a lopsided or misshapen peak, the oven temperature could be too high.
  • Knobs and peaks on top and long tunnels can also be caused by over-mixing.

Here is a basic muffin mix recipe from Dining on A Dime:
Basic Muffins
2 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 egg, beaten
1 cup milk
1/4 cup oil
Mix ingredients together. Spoon into greased muffin cups, 2/3 full. Bake at 400° for 20-25 minutes. Makes about 12-15 muffins.

Add these ingredients to a basic muffin mix to liven up your muffins:

• Bacon or Ham - Reduce sugar to 2 Tbsp. and add 1/2 cup chopped bacon or ham
  
• Blueberries - 1 cup
  
• Cherries or cranberries - 2/3 cup of cherries or cranberries, mixed with 2 Tbsp. of sugar first
  
• Dried fruit - 1/2 cup apricots, currants, peaches, figs, prunes, raisins or dates
  
• Nuts - 1/3 cup chopped
  
• Cheese - 1/2 cup grated cheese and 1/8 tsp. paprika
  
• Cornmeal - 1 cup cornmeal and 1 cup flour
• Whole wheat - 1 cup whole wheat flour and 1 cup flour. This is especially good with crumbled bacon.
  The sky is the limit with what you can add to a muffin if you only have a hand full of many different things. For example a little leftover corn would be good in a cornmeal muffin, a few chocolate chips would spruce up lots of different muffins, etc.

      -Jill

Jill Cooper and Tawra Kellam are frugal living experts and the authors of the Dining On A Dime Cookbook. Dining On A Dime will help you save money on groceries and get out of debt, by cooking quick and simple homemade meals. For free tips & recipes visit http://www.LivingOnADime.com

Homemade Yogurt

I just got done making my first batch of homemade yogurt and it turned out awesomely good! Thanks to my friend, Carla, who shared the recipe, I no longer have to buy yogurt or sour cream! Here's what I did...

The recipe called for whole milk, but I used a 1/2 gallon of 2% milk. I turned the crockpot on low and poured in the half gallon of milk and let it heat on low for 2 hours and 45 minutes.

Then I turned the crockpot off, unplugged it, and let it cool with the lid on for 3 hours.

After three hours, I took out 2 cups of the warm milk and put it in a bowl. To that I added 1 cup of Stonyfield's Oikos Plain Organic Greek Yogurt (the yogurt needs to be plain and have live active cultures) and whisked it all together.

Next, I poured the yogurt-milk mixture back into the crockpot of warm milk and whisked it all together. After that I wrapped the whole crockpot in a triple-layer of large bath towels and went to bed. According to the original instructions the yogurt has to culture overnight (8 to 12 hours).

This morning...I had yogurt! Two beautiful quarts of homemade yogurt, plus enough starter (1 cup) to make my next batch! I just got done jarring it up into glass jars and putting it in the fridge where it needs to set for another 8 hours before eating (I did taste it though and it tastes delicious...just like the store-bought stuff)!

Now all I have to do is pick up another 1/2 gallon of milk and I'm on my way to making my next batch! I'm going to try using skim milk next to see if I can't come up with a 'fat-free' yogurt. 

The total work time involved in this process was between 5 and 10 minutes and the savings is substantial. On a regular basis we go through 3 to 4 containers of yogurt a week at around $3.00 a container, plus sour cream...another $2.50 to $3.00 (I discovered last night that the Oikos Plain Greek Yogurt truly does taste just like sour cream. I had heard that before, but had never tried it, and it's so much better for you...YUM!).

Anyway, based on what I just did, it should save us well over half of what we normally spend for these products, and the yogurt can be flavored up anyway you want it...vanilla, fresh fruit, whatever.

If anyone else out there tries it, please, write to me and share your experience with it!

Homemade Waffles Served With Powdered Sugar and Blueberries

Our 14-year-old son made these delicious waffles for breakfast yesterday morning. We make our own homemade syrup, but I preferred mine served with powdered sugar and fresh blueberries.

Chocolate Banana Smoothie

For a yummy, low-cal breakfast, or a cool summertime snack treat, try running 1 cup 8th Continent Chocolate Soy Milk, 1 banana, and 4 ice cubes through the blender. Blend until ice is crushed and mixture is smooth. Pour into a tall glass and enjoy!