Fall Farmers Market Finds

I have been given a bunch of organic butternut squash by some fabulous people at market. There's a few acorn squash in there too (which will be used in the squash rolls that were so popular last Christmas), and a couple cans of pumpkin on the shelf as well; not from the market, of course, but fall/squash-y nonetheless. The ever increasing stash of sweet potatoes are destined at least in part for a Martha Stamps biscuit recipe that sounds lovely.

Offhand I can't recall where I found the following recipe. I don't plan to use it in it's original form. I thought putting the mixture in an ice cream freezer would be a lot more interesting. I can envision pumpkin being interchanged for the butternut squash. I also want to try perhaps soy milk, hazelnut soy creamer, or perhaps rice milk instead of the cream. But I think, as a shrink would likely say, I will only change one ingredient at a time. ;-)

Butternut Squash Ice Pops

Cut a butternut squash into quarters and scoop out the seeds. Boil, bake, or microwave the squash until it's soft. Let the squash cool a bit before scooping the flesh into a medium bowl. Add 1/2 cup maple syrup, 2/3 cup light cream, and 1/2 to 3/4 tsp. nutmeg. (Doesn't the thought of freshly grated nutmeg sound good?) :-D Mash everything together with a potato master. Spoon into icepop molds, add sticks, and freeze for at least 6 hours before serving.

The next segment of the beginning of the end, or the beginning of the beginning...

It's a momentous occasion. The little kid who pounded on our door eleven years ago is on his first college visit. The kid's no longer little, though; they tower over us. Based on their test scores, at this school I think--hope--pray they would get a lot of scholarships if this were the choice. They will have to. God, I (try to) leave the outcome in Your capable grip.

And to think Metro said they would likely never read. HA!

I'm giggling a little as I wait for them to finish the tour and their interviews. At the beginning of the visit, I asked kiddo if they wanted me to go into the admissions office with them; they said yes. However, I also told kiddo they should come up with a "code word" they could say to me to get me to "disappear" so they could do the college meetings by themselves if they wanted. Wasn't only a few minutes after kiddo finished the paperwork that they whispered that very word; and I left them with the admissions rep for the tour.

Roots, and wings. May they both be strong, and sufficient for the journey ahead. Amen.

Tomato Herb Biscuits

I made some sundried tomatoes this week. Well, they weren't really sundried. I cut romas almost in half and opened them up like a book. Then I placed them on racks (baked good racks) on top of cookie sheets and baked them in an extremely slow oven (200 degrees) for seven or eight hours. My experience is that you should periodically check them and take out the smaller ones as they get dried but not crispy (you're aiming for raisin-like quality). Pack them in olive oil, but I would definitely refrigerate them. I just packed them in a jar and put them in the freezer for future use.

Here's a lovely use for them;

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In med bowl combine 2 1/4 c. all purpose baking mix, 1/4 cup drained and finely chopped oil packed sun dried tomatoes, and 2 T chopped parsley. Stir in 2/3 cup low fat milk. Drop dough by heaping tablespoons 2 in apart onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes or till golden. Cool slightly on wire rack.

Flourless Nut Butter Chocolate Cookies

I have no idea where I found this one. I would suggest you use a natural nut butter for this one. Options might include peanut butter, sunflower butter, or almond butter. Usually almond butter is way too pricey, but Trader Joe's has done a good job of cutting the price substantially, and Whole Foods has had to follow suit. Five bucks a jar is still pricey, but is's not the nine to eleven bucks K-Roger insists on charging. Sometimes I swear that they buy their specialty stuff at retail and then keystone it from there. ;-)

1 c nut butter
3/4 c sugar (I'm gonna try honey as well, but I imagine I may have to tweak the amounts).
1 lg egg
1/2 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1 cup semisweet chocolate morsels

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

sir together first five ingredients till well blended. Stir in chips. Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls two inches apart onto parchment lined baking sheets. Bake 12-14 minutes or till puffed and lightly browned. Cool on baking sheets on a wire rack five min, and then remove to wire rack. Makes 2 dozen.

Interesting Cookbook

I found this cookbook online. It is filled with recipes from native americans. Some are southwestern in nature which look interesting (haven't tried any yet). In addition, it covers use of commodity food from the government; in these times I think anyone can probably find something in here that would help us all save some bucks.

Pear Butter

(at least this is how I did it)
About six pounds of pears; peeled, cored, and sliced on my apple peeler (the softer ones had to be done by hand)
Three big cooking apples from my friend Teresa the veggie grower--completely optional of course)--peeled, cored, sliced.
I cooked the above till soft in my crockpot, and then used the stick blender to make a nice smooth pear sauce, although I guess you could probably leave it chunky.

Then I added about a half cup or so of demerera cane sugar, and part of a bottle of organic agave syrup I had left over--maybe half a cup. I guess you could sweeten it a lot more than that if desired.

Then I threw in some allspice and ground cloves to taste--watch it on the cloves! ;-) I grated some nutmeg and tossed it in there. The I cooked it in the crock pot with the lid ajar so as to cook out some of the moisture. When thicker, I canned in hot sterilized jars using the water bath method--at least ten min for half pints. I do a longer time for pints. Let cool and listen to the lids pop. :-D

Has this canning thing gotten outta hand?

I bought an apple peeler. Peels, cuts, cores. or some combination of the previously listed. It made this recipe easy, easy, peasy.

initially I said I loved it, but it fell apart after two batches of apples. I'm taking it back; it didn't even last a week.

I hadn't thought of other uses for a contraption like this, but my friend the veggie grower said she uses hers for potatoes as well. I might actually make potato dishes now, just peeling them with lightning speed.

Apple Maple Jam

about 6 lbs finely chopped apples
6 cups sugar
1 cup maple syrup
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t allspice
1/2 t nutmeg
1/4 t ground cloves

Combine all ingredients in a large saucepot. Bring slowly to a boil. Cook rapidly to jellying point. As mixture thickens, stir frequently to prevent sticking.

Pour hot into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch head space. Adjust caps. Process ten minutes in a boiling water bath.

Yields approximately 4 pints.

from canning-recipes.com

My hubby is a big encouragement. Sometimes He surprises even me, however. A text exchange this week...

Me: "That sewing machine is kinda quirky. Kind of like me, I guess."

Hubs: "Not quirky. Fun!!!"

Me: "Tell that to the people I bug the crap outta."

Hubs: "Most of them desperately need it."

Awwwwwwww, gee. :-)

Several Interesting Blogs...

I used to work with Barb and I had no idea she was such a writer. Hey, back in the dark ages, when we both worked at a record company here in Nashvegas, she was a radio promoter--so who knew? But suffering has a way of making a person either really bitter or really thoughtful, and she has chosen the latter. Worth a look!

Also, here's a couple canning blogs I really like...



Put Up or Shut Up (cute name, eh?)



Food in Jars

A tasty experiment

Two boxes of mac and cheese (I used Back to Nature Harvest Wheat Elbows and Cheddar), cooked according to box

Ten crushed rosemary basil saltine crackers

Turkey Bacon bits (K-Roger)

A couple dabs of cream cheese

After mixing all, include fresh vine ripe tomatoes, diced.

Well, it will be a cost saver...

Memphis has announced they will not flunk children between kindergarten and third grade, and only flunk a child once time between fourth and eighth grades.

It's a totally sticky wicket, I know. I have lots more experience in this than the average childless person. ;-) So I have opinions:

*Basically, I think it will be a money saver for Memphis. Less years of school for a kid, at 10K a pop (which is considerably higher than Nashville, but still with dismal results). Cynical, I know, but I've seen enough in direct contact with Metro Nashville administrators and teachers to see it that way.

*Unless the teachers and administrators really buckle down with the interventions mentioned, it will be very easy to just let the kids cruise through, without adequate learning measures being met. As the article says, otherwise they just get the same curriculum and approaches as the previous year, likely without different results.

*Unless parents care and get involved in their kids' education, there isn't that much that schools can do on their own. That's something I know profoundly, first hand.

*The kid doesn't need to work, doesn't need to even show up, and the parent doesn't need to even try to do anything. The kid isn't getting retained, no matter what.

I really hope I'm wrong.

A quote from the article...

"If the schools in Memphis are determined to identify students who are struggling and apply different interventions, it's possible it could do the trick," said Jay Greene, endowed professor of education reform at the University of Arkansas and senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute.

"Unfortunately, the track record on this approach is not that good," he said.