Happy September

Happy September everyone! 

Fall is my very all time favorite time of the year. 

I look forward to the cooler weather, changing of the colors (not so much here in the valley but up north)

cooking more soups & stews and actually just the change. It is like a new beginning to me.

Found this picture I think it is beautiful 

Some day I will live where it looks similar to this.

 Today being September first I realized that it is the start of apple season so I decided what could be better than starting off  the month with homemade applesauce.
So I pulled out the apples, washed, peeled and cut them  up

Put them in the small crock pot and added some peaches (forgot to take pictures of those)

added in some clove, sugar, salt, water and turned them on to cook.

I think these are going to be so yummy. 

Next week I will try a different fruit with them.
 Hugs, Bobbi Jo 

What's Cookin?

 Today was a fun and busy day. I must say I enjoyed it so much. Being at home and not really having to be anywhere was really nice. I woke before 5 and did a distant Reiki session. Then I got ready for the day.

I worked in the garden and look what I pulled out! They are so chubby

What do you do when you A LOT of broccoli? Well of course you make cheese and broccoli soup. It is so yummy. I also made a broccoli salad that I didn't take a picture of.

 

I swear Coco (our oldest) and I are on the same wave length in our thinking. She and I had been reading the blog Money Saving Mom. She has a fill your freezer in a month cooking segments going and I was thinking that was something I should do. I use to do a lot of freezer meals. Funny thing is Coco was thinking the same thing. So today I got started on it. I made Freezer Waffles. Hoping this will get kiddos to eat breakfast instead of skipping it.

This is the waffles in my maker.

Waffles on the cooling wrap

I used wax paper and have two waffles per piece to keep them from freezing together.

This is all the waffles I made today. I then placed them in a Rubbermaid container that is almost like a basket (Sorry no picture of it) and placed it in the freezer.

And another satisfied kiddo. Faith came home from her first baby-siting job and said the waffles smelled so yummy. So I let her have one before she left for her second job. 

I then decided to make homemade yogurt. With trying to eat healthy and avoiding the additives I thought this would be a great thing that we all love to eat. So this is the yogurt in the making process in the crock-pot

The crock -pot is hiding under the towel. It must be shy! Actually you are suppose to keep it well insulated for 8 hours so this is where it will sit till tomorrow morning. I haven't made yogurt in over 2 years it is great to get back to the basics of yumminess. 

And that is what I got cooked up for today. I am working on this weeks menu and will be doing some more cooking this week to put in the freezer. 

Now I am off to get dinner ready for tonight. Hugs, Bobbi Jo

Zucchini Delight

Since zucchini is something that multiplies almost as fast as rabbits I only planted one plant this year. It has been doing fantastic and we have been doing well keeping up with cooking & eating it. Well I started to fall off the eating zucchini band wagon and there were a little to many in my basket of fresh veggies. So I was reading through blogs today and low and behold on Shanna's blog "My Favorite Everything" 

she had posted some very yummy recipes and I decided to give one a try tonight This is called squash cakes. OH MY GOODNESS they are so yummy! Not exactly raw but so, so yummy. 

Shanna called them :I will squash you for these squash cakes!

When I send out a Tweet that I’ve just made a delicious and super easy Squash Carbonara with the Garden’s bounty, and someone Tweets back “I have an incredible recipe from my grandma for squash patties! My kids and hub LOVE them! Let me know if you want it!! “…you pretty much say “Yes please!!”

Now stick with me here…it’s complicated and may take you ohhhhhh, all of 15 minutes (TOPS) to makes these babies (which I have now made 3 times this week, but who’s counting??)

Ingredients:

1 cup grated squash

1 egg

1 tablespoon white sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup flour

2 tablespoon grated onion

Directions: (Again, really complicated, pay attention!) 

Mix everything together and spoon into hot olive oil, fry lightly until firm!

Ignore my out of focus photo, I was in a hurry to try these! Love using my ice cream scooper for EVERYTHING that needs to be spooned and dropped! Thanks for the tip Barefoot Contessa. 

Dropped a few spoonfuls in the hot oil…

When I saw them starting to lightly brown, I flipped them with a fork.

When they felt firm to the touch with the back of my fork, I lifted them out onto paper towel.

And then I devoured them. 

Then by request from Dallas I made some Chocolate Zucchini Bread 

 I haven't tried this yet but Faith and Gabby said it was good.

Chocolate Zucchini Bread Recipe Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) and place rack in the center of the oven. Grease (or spray with a nonstick vegetable spray) a 9 x 5 x 3 inch (23 x 13 x 8 cm) loaf pan. Set aside. Grate the zucchini, using a medium sized grater. Set aside. In a large bowl whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, salt, ground cinnamon, and ground allspice. Set aside. In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the oil, sugars, eggs, and vanilla extract until well blended (about 2 minutes). Fold in the grated zucchini. Add the flour mixture, beating just until combined. Then fold in the chocolate chips. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake until the bread has risen and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 55 to 65 minutes. Place on a wire rack to cool for about 10 minutes, then remove the bread from the pan and cool completely. Makes one - 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf. Chocolate Zucchini Bread: 1 1/2 cups shredded raw zucchini (about 1/2 pound or 227 grams) 1 cup (130 grams) all-purpose flour 1/2 cup (45 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted (not Dutch-processed) 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice 1/2 cup (120 ml) safflower or canola oil 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated white sugar 1/2 cup (105 grams) light brown sugar 2 large eggs 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 3/4 cup (125 grams) semi sweet chocolate chips Let me know if you try these and how you like them. Hugs, Bobbi Jo 3/4 cup (125 grams) semi sweet chocolate chips

Catch Up Six

Miss Faith likes to get in the kitchen and cook a little here and there. She wanted to make a chocolate cake so she put on her pretty little pink Hawaiian print apron and set out to make a cake.

She is somewhat of a poser here! he he

Faith concentrating on mixing up the ingredients. Belle (the dog) walking behind her hoping that something is going to drop for her.

Since I am trying to lay off the regular sugar I didn't try any of the cake. But the family said it was yummy & moist.

Hugs, Bobbi Jo

Cooking Class

 This morning I went to a cooking class called "Meatless Meals" taught by Stephanie Petersen (aka Chef Tess) of http://cheftessbakeresse.blogspot.com/ taught at Preparing Wisely at http://www.preparingwisely.com/. This lady is not only beautiful but fun and full of all kinds of information. You really need to read her bio she is AMAZING! Anyway, I had so much fun and learned so much about making wheat meat. Hot dogs of all things were shown how to be made. How fun is that? I can't wait to make them. While we were there she made us a sample of spaghetti with a sausage. It was really yummy! 
  When I had tried to make wheat meat before it was where you have to rinse and rinse and rinse and save the starch and the fiber and then not end up with enough of the gluten to make anything. So I have tried before but this was WAY faster and EASIER! You can make sausage or all kinds, hamburger, chicken and even get this ROAST! Crazy! The can of gluten will last on your shelf  (unopened) for 7 to 8 years. You can mix as you go or she showed how to have the mixes ready on your shelves either stored in plastic bags or for a longer shelf life in a jar with an oxygen absorber packet . COOL BEANS!!
 I know this isn't for everyone but if it comes to the time you don't have meat in the freezer or your budget has been squeezed so tight it is screaming this will be a life saver.
 Now I was a Ovo-Lacto-Vegan for 2 years (meaning I ate dairy products) and I have been leaning more to going to a vegan or raw food diet. I just have a hard time giving up my steaks so this could be a way to go.
 Stephanie aka Chef Tess has 2 cookbooks that come from the compiled blog entries of recipes.  I will be purchasing these books in the next weeks.
 So go on over check out her beautiful blog and try some of the recipes.
Hope everyone is having a great day. Hugs, Bobbi Jo

Turkey TIP

I know another post! I forgot to put this on an early post. I made turkey Christmas day and tried a new way of cooking it. OH MY GOODNESS and YUMMINESS!!! A while back I was watching the FOOD TV and saw a program about this little town called Turkeyville. The couple started a restaurant a long time ago that serves turkey dinners and other turkey dishes 365 days a year. The man that is the owner cooks his turkeys breast down until the last half hour and then flips it over (by it's hind legs! Opps that was my Crocodile Hunter coming out) so the top will brown. This keeps all the meat moist and so good. The family, even my young non-turkey liker, said it was so moist and good.
So next time you are going to cook the large bird try this out I think you will be pleasantly surprised. Hugs, Bobbi Jo