Homemade Granola Bars

Being hunting season, this is a big hit with the hunters. I don't remember where I found the original recipe, but here it is with my tweaks. You do not need to be precise with the ingredient amounts.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Honey
2/3 cups Peanut Butter
3 cups Granola-I used a homemade soaked granola that was very plain
Your choice of Mix-ins: dried fruit, nuts, coconut, chocolate chips, etc

Butter 9" x 9" pan (or equivalent size)

Heat honey in a heavy sauce pan on medium-low. Let boil one minute. This will make it thick enough to be the glue for holding your granola together.

Stir in the peanut butter. (Personally, I only use *real* peanut butter. You know the kind that is only peanuts and salt!) Mix well.

Next stir in the granola. I turn the heat off after the first cup has been added. Keep mixing until all the granola is coated with the honey-peanut butter.

Now stir in your mix-ins. If you want your chocolate melted throughout mix it in right away. If you want chunks of chocolate, just put the chocolate on top of the mix in the pan immediately before scooping out the granola into the square pan. (Milk chocolate will melt easier than the darker chocolates.)

If you want a layer of goodies on the bottom of your granola bars-put the goodies into your pan before cooking the honey-peanut butter mixture.

Press the mixture firmly into the pan. Cool in refrigerator. Cut into bars (I usually opt for 8-10). Wrap individually in plastic wrap. Keep in refrigerator or freeze.

By running hot water immediately into your pan, clean up will be much easier.

Brining Your Own Bacon

In an effort to control the quality of our meat a bit more. We have taken to buy some pork, brining it, then having my dad smoke it for bacon. We like to use boneless rib meat for bacon slices-rashers. Loin will give you more of a Canadian Bacon end product. Loin also needs to be in the brine longer because of the thickness of the cut.

Per 1 pound of meat

Mix:
1 Tbsp Tenderquick
1 tsp packed brown sugar
1 tsp maple syrup (the real stuff)
Granulated Garlic to taste-I use about 1 tsp per 6 lbs meat
Coarsely ground Black Pepper

Rubbing brine mix on pork pieces.

Mix the above in your brine container. Your container needs to be glass or plastic and to have a lid.
Rub your mix onto your meat. Layer meat into your container. Place lid on. Put container in refrigerator. Turn meat pieces daily.

Pieces on left next mix rubbed on. Pieces on right already rubbed.

Age about 10 days. This will depend on the thickness of your meat cuts. I did 10 days for the above-boneless pork rib meat. It is better to go a little longer than to have too little time in the brine.

Don't forget to label.

Rinse before smoke-curing.

Sourdough Day

It was a cold, rainy, frosty day here even though it was June. 

I already had the sourdough sponged to make Sourdough Tortillas. This recipe is from Vintage Remedies: Guide to Bread. These are easy and light. I can mix them in the morning and roll and bake just before supper. They have become our favorite tortilla recipe because of how light and tender they are. I usually use a Spelt-Prairie Gold-Natural White Flour mix for these. But sometimes I use some Barley too.

Using a French Rolling Pin, the tortillas are rolled directly on the counter top.

Using a cast iron skillet heated to medium, then lowering the temperature. See the air bubbles-they make the tortilla light.

I stack the tortillas on a cooling rack as they come off the pan.

Up close to see the air bubbles.

Our 37th anniversary was the next day, so I wanted a yummy dessert to put in Mr. Wonderful's lunch. The Sourdough Chocolate Cake also from Vintage Remedies: Guide to Bread looked like a healthier choice. It was easy to make and turned out light and moist.

The batter is mixed easily by hand in two steps.

Poured into the buttered pan, ready to bake. Look at the activity of the sourdough-all those bubbles!

I chose to just put a glaze on top.

The crumb is magnificent!

We also had Sourdough Waffles for breakfast the next morning. There were fresh strawberries from the garden for Mr. Wonderful's waffle.

Sourdough is yummy and healthy!

Cheddar Curds

Cheddar Curds on a lunch salad.

Cheddar curds a favorite snack and addition to salads around here. Simply do not press the curds into the finished cheese.  We prefer a little less salt for curds and to let the slabs cheddar to slightly drier. I think this is because the curds do not get pressed.

Blendtec Flax Meal

Flax meal is healthy.

Flax meal is easy to make in your Blendtec.

(I assume any other high-end blender would work similarly.)

Fill to just about covering the blades with Flax Seed.

(I prefer Golden Flax Seed. And buy it in bulk from Wheat Monatana 

when I do a large group order annually from the warehouse.)

Turn on blender Speed 1 to 3. Let run full cycle.

 If you still see whole seeds.

 Run a second time.

Store in your refrigerator until using.

I like to have a pint-sized mason jar full, ready to use. 

It takes several batches to fill the jar, but that way it doesn't heat up 

while grinding/blending for a long period of time.

Cheese Filled Trim Healthy Mama Chocolate Muffins

Last year I read Trim Healthy Mama (THM) and have been loosely following the plan.

One of the best recipes we've tried from the book is the Chocolate Muffin In a Mug (MIM).

(You need to buy the book to get the recipe. Sorry.)

Most of the time instead of nuking in a mug. I use cupcake papers and bake in the oven. 

One MIM equals two muffins in standard cupcake papers.

I don't know if it is because of high altitude, 

but adding 1 Tbsp of water per "muffin recipe" seems to help.

I bake at 350°F for 18 minutes.

Last week I saw a black-bottom muffin recipe over at Paratus Familia and 

decided to come up with something close, that was also more THM friendly. 

I did not run any nutrition data. 

These would definitely be an "S."

Make a triple batch of chocolate MIM

Fill cupcake papers a little more than half full. 

Mix Cheese filling and put about 1 Tbsp on top of each muffin:

1/2-1 egg

3 oz cream cheese

1 Tbsp Truvia or equivalent

Could also sprinkle some chocolate chips on top.

Will make at least 6 muffins.

Bake at 350°F for 18 to 20 minutes.

Oh, I'm down 20 lbs. and Mr. Wonderful has lost 35 lbs. 

And yes, we eat chocolate muffins, skinny chocolate, Cottage Berry Whip, eggs for breakfast. 

You really should get the book if you want to loose weight in a healthy way.

Free Books to Help with Traditional Cultured Foods

Need some help learning about traditional cultured foods? Cultures for Health has several free books (down-loads) available.

They walk you through ingredients, safety, basic steps, and include many recipes.

I think the Kefir "Book" was the first I received. I enjoy the Kefir ice cream recipe! It includes dairy and water kefir recipes.

Other books, I've received are: Cheesemaking, Kombucha, Lacto-Fermentation, Sourdough, and Yogurt. I choose to print the books out and keep them in a large Three-ring binder.

To receive these wonderful resources go to the bottom of Cultures for Health's home page and sign-up. They are free and there is also a free newsletter. An easy and free resource to improve your health!

Homemade Chicken (or Turkey) Soup-canned

Last Fall to make room for the in-coming Game meat and quarter beef, I used Simply Canning's recipe for Chicken Soup.

It was so good, I thought I'd try it this week with the bits and pieces from a Turkey I roasted on Sunday and some broth I made from the bones.

This is so convenient heat to a boil, add noodles or cooked rice and finish cooking. Serve.

Link: Homemade Chicken Soup

This is a very simple recipe, but you do need a Pressure Canner to can it.
It could be frozen too. The veggies would be softer after freezing though.