In a hummus state of mind

Saturday, our relatives were talking about Greek food. Sunday we had some yummy hummus at our niece's birthday party. Monday, I noticed some spinach artichoke hummus at Sam's that sounded good, too, but had some other "splurge" items on my list for the month, and the price of it put it into that category as well. So Tuesday, I made some! And Wednesday I made some more. I'm an "if-some-is-good-more-is-better" kind of gal.

Tuesday's version was a spinach and artichoke flavored combo due to the Sam's experience, and Wednesday's was pesto flavored, due to having some spare basil from a stop at Trader Joe's when we were near one on Sunday. (There are a few things we get every time we have a chance to visit a Trader Joe's - peanut butter is the main thing, but basil is a frequent purchase as well.)

After skimming through several recipes on the net, I decided that none of them were quite what I was looking for, so the following is my own combination.

Most hummus recipes are some variation on chickpeas (i.e. garbanzo beans), lemon juice, salt, tahini, garlic, and olive oil. There are no pictures of the spinach and artichoke version, but since spinach and basil are both bright green, you can imagine that they looked very similar!

Spinach and Artichoke Hummus

1 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 Tbs lemon juice

1-2 Tbs olive oil

1/2-1 tsp salt

2 big handfuls of fresh spinach

5-6 artichoke quarters in oil

Throw it all in the food processor and let it go for a while, stopping to push the sides down every so often. The more olive oil you add, the creamier it will be. Water can also be added to thin it down some. Many recipes state that you can make this in the blender, but after multiple attempts at doing so, wouldn't recommend it. If a blender is all you have, you will need to make it very thin to get it to work - add lots of water or oil.

Verdict: This didn't taste much like spinach and artichokes. I probably didn't use enough artichokes. Taste and adjust as desired!It was still good though. I ate almost the whole thing by myself in 24 hours.

PESTO HUMMUS

1 can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1 tsp of lemon juice (less than above)

1 tsp balsamic vinegar

1/2-1 tsp salt (I used closer to one, but start off with 1/2 and add to taste)

2-3 Tbs olive oil

2 cloves garlic chopped

3/4 c basil leaves (you can use less, but I like basil a lot)

1/3 c freshly grated Parmesan

1/4 c toasted nuts such as walnuts or pine nuts (I was running out of energy and didn't put these in, but wanted to, as the pesto recipe I have used calls for them)

Then do the same as above, adding more oil or water to thin to desired consistency. This tastes just like pesto, but the chickpeas add some healthfulness to it, and make it last a bit longer.

Though maybe not around here. Forget the "crudites." Bring a spoon!!!! YUM!

I started a batch of European Peasant Bread similar to this from the same book and can't wait to bake some tomorrow and spread a slab of it with a thick layer of this Pesto Hummus! Speaking of that bread, I ought to get baking! I haven't made much of it lately and in two or three months it's going to get too hot to rev the oven up like that.

By the way, it has been close to 60 here three days in a row now! Woohoo!

Wishing

If you have read much of this blog at all, you know that the cookbook Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day has been one of my recent raves. Now this is out and I'm revising my Christmas wish list at this very moment! Can't wait to try it!

Happy Thanksgiving

There hasn't been much time to post here lately.
I've been mending this... attending this... making this (Oatmeal Pumpkin Bread from the oft-mentioned Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day book)...

and so much more, all while trying to cram in as much school as possible (which has been a challenge).

We are having the usual feast tomorrow, which I attempted to get a head start on today (plus some extra things like the bread) and am already feeling "bushed." Looking forward to some low-key (hopefully) family time the next few days.

Hope that you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving and are able to be thankful in all things!

Baking, baking, baking, and breakfast

Just made this:

ALMOND PEACH UPSIDE DOWN CAKE from Marilyn Moll of Urban Homemaker
Our peach crop this year is abundant but late. They are the sweetest, tastiest peaches I have ever enjoyed. This recipe won a contest at the Palisade Peach Festival in August. Sucanat can be substituted for regular sugar.
1/4 Cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 - 2 Cups sliced peaches
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1 1/4 cup flour, whole grain pastry is a good substitute
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, soft ( butter is used in two parts of the recipe)
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp almond extract
1/2 cup milk

Place 1/4 cup butter in 8 X 8 X 2" pan in 350° oven for 5 minutes or until butter is melted. Remove pan from oven and add brown sugar stirring until sugar is moistened. Spread sugar mixture evenly in pan. Sprinkle sliced almonds over brown sugar. Arrange peach slices evenly over brown sugar and almond mixture. Set aside. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. In a large bowl, beat 1/2 cup butter with an electric mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds. Beat in sugar. Add egg and almond extract, beating until combined. Alternately add the flour mixture and milk to beaten butter mixture. Spread butter evenly over peaches in pan. Bake 350° for 45-50 minutes. Cool in pan or on wire rack for 5 minutes. Invert onto large serving platter. Cool for 10-15 minutes. Serve with vanilla ice cream, if desired. This is a treat! Enjoy.


Would have just posted a link to the newsletter it came in online, but couldn't get to it for some reason. Anyway, I've been sampling. There might be some left for Geoff when he gets home tonight. Almond extract gets me every time...


I also baked the last of a batch of the basic boule from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day, as well as a batch of our regular all purpose bread. Edit: Which I burned...argh.


When we had company over the weekend, we had Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole in the crock pot for breakfast. No pictures, but maybe just as well - mine didn't look especially beautiful. BUT, it was really good and if you ever need a potluck breakfast dish, early in the morning, is a good option. Both of us have/had Bible studies in the morning that we've needed to bring food to from time to time, and will be making this the next time.

recent reading and related thoughts

Two books I have been reading since we got back:

You can link to the author's blog here.

And Romancing Your Child's Heart:

*Note: Many of the books I mention here I have borrowed either from a friend, the library, or interlibrary loan (which is a fabulous set-up if you've never tried it), though we do have an extensive collection of our own around here as well. If a mentioned book is good enough in my opinion to be worth going out and buying, I will say so, such as the Artisan Bread book. Here is my frugality showing up again!

It was ironic how the two coincided, since they weren't particularly related. But as I've gotten closer to the end of Romancing Your Child's Heart, he's spent one chapter talking about wonder and worship, which led into or tied in with the following chapter about creativity, which is, obviously, the theme of The Creative Family. Both books emphasized the value of being outside, letting your children get dirty or make messes, and the importance of being creative and sharing in "wonder" with them. We went out for a walk along that little spring and saw a variety of animals and wildlife the other night. The kids seem to be really enjoying those times of doing that.

On the topic of books, I saw this post on this blog last night and thought it quite humorous:

I'm doing the unthinkable

I'm decluttering books.

Shhhhhhh...

Photo journal

Some sites from the week, starting at the beginning...

Summer weather water play, Monday and Tuesday:
Summer school (making a map of the trail of tears):

Enjoying the fun new walk we discovered behind our house:

Look at that big brother:

Some creations from the week - clothespin people:

The collection to date:

(Part of ) the mess from the creation of the clothespin people:

Reading Boxcar Children books to a friend:

Pumpernickel bread from this book which I forgot the salt in (must have been a "kitty" moment - see here):

And last night's yummy dinner of chicken and quinoa from this recipe:
And this morning. Wondering about all those up here camping for the weekend from the Valley where it has been over 100F this week. The silver lining to this snow "cloud" is reduced risk of forest fire!

bread, birthday presents, and a beautiful day

Geoff gave me the book that I wrote about here and here and here and here for my birthday last week. Here is Raisin-Walnut Oatmeal bread:

Here are some of my other gifts. A "wug" from and made by L (3yo). I can't believe she sat and cut all that fringe around the edges!!!!

A calendar from B (6yo):

And a pop-up animal book from G (8yo):

It's cute how sometimes when they are working on a project together they refer to themselves as "GIL" making an acronym from the first letters of each of their names.

It is a beautiful day here and we took "recess" outside at a nearby "wash." Peanut stuck her toes in but it was a little cold for her. Not sure if you can see the snow in the background of these small pictures that is still melting and running into this little wash. G and B were pretty much soaked by the time we left! Hopefully the weather holds up and we can go back later this week!

MORE bread

Geoff said, "I've been eating too much of this bread you've been making!" And in the next breath, mentioned getting the cookbook for my birthday. (I've had it checked out from the libaray for some time now!) This week we tried the Limpa recipe. It is a Scandinavian bread and this version is flavored with cardamom, anise, and orange, and has a cup of rye flour with the 5+ cups of unbleached flour. The top is sprinkled with more cardamom, anise, and sugar, which results in a slightly crunchy, sweet and spicy crust. Here is half of the dough, which can be in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. It is mixed up right in the container, sits out to rise for two hours then popped in the fridge till you're ready to bake it. It is very easy but kind of messy when it comes around to the baking process, because it is a very wet dough.

beignets for breakfast and cooking in style

There has been a request for more food-related content, which I would be happy to indulge, as well as enjoyment of "March of the Tools." One thing I have wondered about in regards to the food area is copyrights on recipes. Anyone know how that works? For now, I will link to the recipe if I can find it online somewhere. If not and I mention something you'd like the recipe for, let me know and I'll email it to you.

Cooking in Style

For the two friends I know for a fact are reading this: Have you ever made dinner in something like this? No further comment because you never know who might be reading and if they might do so! It was in the paper today and Geoff pointed it out.

Beignets

But back to the previous topic, let me see if I can expand your waistline with a picture of our breakfast treat. These are "Chocolate-filled Beignets," the most recent experiment from Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes. Here is the definition of beignet from the book : " Beignet is French for fritter, or as we Americans like to call them, doughnuts. They're made from rich, yeasted dough, fried in oil, and then covered generously in powdered sugar. What's not to love?" So the biggest sin about the other things I've made from this book is the pure white flour content. But not these babies. I picked the less-rich of the two dough options, challah, which had 4 eggs, 1/2 cup oil, and 1/2 cup of honey, besides the white flour. (The other choice, brioche, called for 3 sticks of butter, 8 eggs, and the honey. I think I gained 5 pounds reading the recipe.) Just FYI, I can probably count on one hand, and definitely on two, the number of times I have deep fried something as an adult, and a few of those were frybread for Geoff's school events.

This book is going to have to go back to the library for now. Someone else probably needs more help being unhealthy than we do. And Geoff just read in the paper this morning that wheat prices are tripling, along with gas and all (watch for that info in my next post). Wonder if we could possibly coax anything to grow in our high-altitude, desert climate, short growing-season back yard this year? Probably not. We've tried and all we end up with is a big water bill and frosted plants in June or early September.

Music

Celtic Spring was cool! If you have any interest in Celtic music (and even if you don't but don't mind it) you would probably enjoy this group. Check out their website to see if they might be in your area. A family of six kids (and the parents on keyboard and drum) fiddling and dancing and enjoying themselves, and doing it all pretty well. The only down fall was that it went till almost 10:30. B slept off and on but held out without a meltdown.

Wikiup (sp?)

And just for fun, here is Gabe's creation in the backyard a few days ago. It is a model of a wikiup which is a type of transportable home that certain tribes of Native Americans used in the past.

accomplishment, bread, book, and more

G, B and I are going to see Celtic Spring. If you click on their name there and watch the video, you're in for a treat! After seeing that, the kids wanted to go so much that they offered to buy their own tickets! Should put us in the mood for St. Patrick's day. On that note, we've been collecting a series of books this year that tell about the life of the person behind the holiday. We're waiting on this one now. Hope it gets here by Monday so we can read it while we're having our corned beef and cabbage and these St. Patrick's Day cookies I'm going to try.

I packed up the dress-making material and plan in a moment of realism, after writing the previous post.

I did manage to (finally) finish all the kids' year-in-review pages last night. I found 12x12 frames at Michael's (FYI, they're on sale 3/21 & 22, 2/$9 if you want to do this, too) a while back, so if no other pages ever get made about last year, at least they have the highlights at a glance for their future enjoyment. I'll add some shots of the pages soon.

It seems like cupcakes are popping up everywhere. I know they're kind of "in" right now, but I've seen several the past few days, like here (these are just nice to look at - I wouldn't even need to eat them) and here is a whole site devoted to them. I've got to stay away from cupcakes for now because I'm still going through the Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes book I mentioned here.

results

The inital bread baking results were quite tasty. Maybe I should return this book to the library before it significantly sabotages my dreams of slimming down a bit for summer. Can you smell it? The kids and I ate it with olive oil and pepper - just like Macaroni Grill. Yum. None left for Geoff when he got home much later.



On another happy note, it was quite pleasant here in the high country today. Almost springlike. A nice change, though we don't want it too warm up too much too early on because our fruit trees have gotten frosted every year.


Did you know the Iditarod starts this weekend? I have to figure out how to link things through my blog. I'll get better at this, I promise. Since I'm not too experienced, here's the best I can do for now... www.iditarod.com/race/ (Emily, help?) We are just completing what is known as a "lapbook" on sled dogs. G & B were assembling theirs while the bread baked yesterday.

confession & a cookbook

I really enjoy reading other peoples' blogs. It has become one of my favorite leisure time activities in the past 6 months or so (though not helped my personal "productivity"). Through that I've gotten some ideas of directions this could go, but the confession part is that I'm a little paranoid about posting pictures and personal info, even though I know lots of people do it. The idea that random people I'm not even aware of have much info about me or my family, is a little unsettling. Yet I see that the blogging community can be a vibrant and encouraging one and fun to be a part of. And reading and commenting on others blogs fills a little of the need for interaction with others that there seems to be so little time or opportunity to squeeze in to a week, with homeschooling, having little ones, and the typical busy American lifestyle. So I may have to warm up to being more vulnerable here over time. We'll see what happens!



My favorite blogs to read are scrapbooking, sewing, cooking, personal friends, and sometimes other homeschoolers. I'd like to share some of my creative pursuits along the way but was thinking about whether that was egotistical - thinking that anyone else might want to see them! But came to the conclusion that I really enjoy seeing what others have made or created - whether it is scrapbook pages, handbags, aprons, or meals - and that it inspires or motivates me to see their creations on their blogs and blesses me when they share their talents.

Sometime soon I'll post some links on the sidebar to some of my favorites!


On that note and a lighter side, I read about this book on someone's blog recently and requested it from the library:

I'm in the process of my first attempt. I read the high altitude suggestions and discussion on their website http://www.artisanbreadinfive.com/ and am guessing it may take some experimentation to get it quite right. But there are lots of yummy options inside. I'll let you know and post pictures of the results later. Might have to add it to my already excessive collection of cookbooks.