Fabulous GF (Blender) Waffle/Pancake Batter Recipe

A very good friend turned us on to this recipe, or one similar to it.  Of course, you know I have fiddled with it some in the last few months … so it isn’t quite like we originally received it.  Try it this weekend and let me know how yours turn out.  :-)

Place in a blender, at highest speed, for 3 minutes:

  • 1 Cup of Brown Rice
  • 3/4 Cup of Oat Groats (or steel cut oats)
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 cups of buttermilk (or some non-dairy alternative)
  • 2 Tbsp of Olive Oil

(You can use other grain combinations, but the proportions should remain about the same.)  The batter should flow freely in the blender and it should swirl around the “vortex”.  If, for some reason it doesn’t, add a bit more liquid.  The batter for pancakes can be a bit thicker.  Truly thick batter can be used, when complete, to make muffins.

Put the lid on the blender and let it stand at room temerpature overnight (or at least 12 hours, and up to 24 hours)

As you prepare to cook the pancakes, heat the griddle or waffle iron to the highest possible heat that won’t damage the equipment (generally med-high).

Before cooking the pancakes, add:

  • one egg
  • additional liquid if needed

… and blend again on high speed for 1 minute.  Blend thoroughly.  Then add:

  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 – 2 tsp baking powder

You can sift these ingredents into the mix, but I have not found that to always be necessary.

Prepare your cooking surface with a spray on non-stick cooking spray, i.e. spray on olive oil.  Pancakes are ready to flip when the bubbles pop and stay open.  For waffles, definitely spray the cooking surfaces and following the cooking instructions for your equipment.

Serving:  We have added chocolate chips (minis) to the pancakes, and that turned out just fine.  We have also served with organic maple syrup, blueberry syrup and raspberry syrup.  Last week, Pip ate some with honey on them; William Bradford will even eat them plain.  :-)

I have some in the blender now to serve in the morning.  :-)  Enjoy!

Goodbye 2011 … Hello 2012 …

Mr. Walker is in Haiti this New Year’s Day, so we are preparing our traditional New Year’s Day meal in his absence. We know though we are missing him, he is blessing many other people as this new year begins.  Last night we began a new family tradition.

It was Jr. Asparagus’s inaugural New Year’s Eve bonfire.

I do have some resolutions this year.  1) I resolve to say “yes” more ….. and “no” less.  I am encouraging the children to ask questions that are more likely to result in an affirmative response so that this will be possible.  Therefore, they will be thinking more before asking, and I will have greater opportunity to say “YES”.  2) I resolve to find 30 minutes a day for myself, which means that I guess I will be turning those thirty minutes over to “William Bradford” or “the Bean”.  If you are reading this, pray for the best.   3)  I resolve to help “Tim Allen, Jr.” see a greater percentage of his projects through to completion, and I promise to think about the dog question.  4) I think it’s time for the Recipe Challenge to make another appearance, so that means 52 new recipes this year … and I’ll try to focus on the GF side of things.  Last, but not least, 5) I resolve not to sweat the small stuff, or the big stuff for that matter, but rather … “Trust in the LORD with all [my] heart and lean not on [my] own understanding; in all [my] ways submit to him, and [trust that] he will make [my] paths straight.” – Proverbs 3:5-6

Happy New Year, 2012!!

Plan it … Don’t Panic … Hmmm….

We’ll see if this works.  I’m not quite sure how we’re going to swing this with all the variety in our schedule(s), but we’re giving it a whirl.

Monday

  • Breakfast: Maple Oatmeal
  • Dinner:  Beef Tacos and Black Beans
  • (Remember to thaw the beef for chili.)

Tuesday

  • Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs and toast
  • Dinner: Chili and Cornbread
  • (Remember to thaw the Pork Roast.)

Wednesday

  • Breakfast:  Muffins and Yogurt
  • Dinner: Pork Roast, Sweet Potatoes and Green Veggie

Thursday

  • Breakfast: Cereal and Yogurt
  • Dinner: Mushroom Chicken (slowcooker) w/ rice and glazed carrots
  • (Remember to start the Slowcooker in the AM, and thaw the Ground beef for Friday.)

Friday

  • Breakfast: Fried Eggs and sausage
  • Dinner: Beef Lombardi and fresh salad

Saturday

  • Breakfast:  Muffins and Fruit
  • Dinner: Pork Tenderloin w/buttered potatoes and veggies

Sunday

  • Breakfast: Oatmeal, fruit or Cereal
  • Dinner:  Soup, Sandwiches, and Salad

Summer Reading List ’11

Despite the fact that summer is officially several (five) weeks away, I’ve planned my slightly overly ambitious summer reading list.  It contains some new material, some classics and an old favorite.  I am hoping to make it through the stack before the end of August.  If you know what a typical day here entails for the family of six, one-room school house, that doubles as an organic mini-farm in the summer … you won’t be at all surprised if I am still at the top of the stack as the calendar turns over to September.  :-)

The Summer 2011 Stack

So, what’s in the Summer Stack 2011?

  • Watership Down, by Richard Adams   #1 will be reading this for a literature analysis during the 2011-12 school year.
  • The Ministry of Motherhood, by Sally Clarkson  This is the one I started today.  I won’t be reading this in order.  I’ve read others of Sally Clarkson’s books and am looking forward to this one.
  • A Girl of the Limberlost, by Gene Stratton-Porter  This was my grandfather’s favorite book growing up.  I never thought that I would actually find a copy, but the IU press printed it a few years ago because G. Porter was a native of Indiana.  I started this one last year, but I am looking forward to learning a little more about my grandfather and enjoying his favorite story.
  • Boys Should Be Boys, by Meg Meeker M.D.  Obviously this is true.  I think I bought this one to help me figure out exactly how that works … ha!  Good luck.  Never having been a boy, I feel I’m at a disadvantage here.
  • The Scarlet Pimpernel, by Orczy  #1 will be reading this one next year too, and I’ve always wanted to read it.  So, this year … I will.
  • The Vanishing Comrade, by Ethel Cook Eliot  This is one of my all time favorite books.  My sister found a copy for me several years ago.  When we were growing up, we only had one copy in the house and it was my mom’s.  The book was written in the ’30’s, but it is a wonderful story.  I am looking forward to reading this one again and may even read it out loud to #2.  I think it’s right up her alley.
  • The Windboy,  by Ethel Cook Elliot  Imagine my surprise when I found another book by Ms. Eliot.  I bought it on the spot at the consignment store; I don’t think the previous owner even read it.  Love the picture on the front, it reminds me of passages in The Vanishing Comrade.  Looking forward to another good story from Ms. Eliot.

Local Organic Dining

Saturday night we were invited to a dear friend’s 40th birthday party. (Happy Birthday, Robin!) Her husband planned an evening at a local restaurant that is only open Monday-Saturday evenings, and serves the meals with a european family style approach.

I highly recommend Erin’s if you are looking for a unique dining experience, and still want to be able to have a conversation. The menu is generally predetermined, but everything we tried was delicious. Amazingly enough, I actually ate “greens” … because they were still green, and not the gray pile of non-descript goo that has previously been offered me under the heading “greens”.

Early in the season 2010

The ingredients for her dishes are selected from local growers, and the menus prepared based on what is available and in season.  Having maintained my own organic garden last spring and summer, I enjoyed experiementing with some recipes myself.  It was fun to see what Erin’s approach was with her dishes.  We will be going back.  :-)

Young Fan Base

So we’re riding in the car the other day and Sam decides to put his new CD into the CD player.  Now I bought the CD, so you know I’m probably okay with it … and we had been listening to “my” radio station most of the day.  He skips around and finds the song(s) he’s looking for, and then we hear this in the back seat where Sophie and Claire are sitting.

Claire: “Hey Sophie, do you like this song?  Do you know it?”

Sophie: “Yes, I like this song.”

Claire: “Me too.  I like it.  It’s Bon Jovi.  <insert big smile here>  Have a Nice Day.”  At which point Claire begins to dance, as much as one can in a car seat, like she’s at a live show.

Sophie: “So, Claire … where’d ya learn to do that.  That’s some pretty amazing dancing.”

Claire: “I had a dance party in Sam’s room while he was working.”

I’m thinking that there may not have been too much working going on that afternoon.  :-)  Ah, … the ramblings of a 3-year old.

The T-Day Menu

Today’s Menu

Oven Roasted Apple Stuffed Turkey

Cream-Cheese Mashed Potatoes

Mashed Sweet Potato Apple Casserole

Glazed Green Beans

Crustless Spinach Pie

Petite Green Peas

Gluten-Free Cranberry Sage Stuffing

Apple Cranberry Bake (GF)

Orange Jello – Kid Friendly

Cousin Requested “Kraft” Mac and Cheese

Flourless Chocolate Cake ‘a la Nichole

Chloe’s Southern Pecan Pie

Chocolate Chunk Cookies (GF & G)

Pictures to follow when they come out of the ovens … Planning ahead proved fruitful this year. No last minute rush!!

Alway Looking Ahead …

Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis once said, “If you bungle raising your children, I don’t think whatever else you do well matters very much.” Can’t say it any better myself. We may dress a little differently, and have lived many years apart, but that pretty much captures my thoughts on the matter.

As I approach the big ’40’ next week. it is a pleasant reminder not to lose focus and keep my “eyes on the prize”. They’ll be no bungling here. There may not be much sleep either. :-)

B-bque Pork … Southern Living Style

I’ve used this recipe since my sister-in-law tried it several years ago. The basic recipe is in the pages of this month’s Southern Living Magazine, but it’s missing a few things. After playing with the recipe for a while, I settled on the basic three ingredients, plus a few “secret” ingredients. Before you “lock down” the slow cooker, add: sliced fresh jalepeno (w/seeds removed if you want to cut down the heat), 2 healthy cloves of fresh garlic (minced), and a slice or ring of fresh apple (seeds removed). The slice of apple (and the peel) can be removed from the dish before the meat is chopped or shreaded. Slicing the jalepeno, seeds and all, ups the heat factor a bit … removing the seeds just provides the flavor w/o the heat.

NOTE: I usually add the B-bque sauce (home-made or purchased) at the end of step two, rather than at the beginning. It helps keep the final product moist.

This is an easy weeknight dinner, great for company or crowds, and very versatile. Enjoy!!