FLOUR

     I never made a hot cross bun much less eaten one until yesterday.  However I have always liked the idea behind making these sweet breads for Good Friday as the Pioneer Woman explains in her link below.  The most important thing to remember is that they are very tasty little rolls and would be a good accompaniment to your Good Friday breakfast or Easter brunch.  They remind me of a cinnamon roll without all the butter.  Mine include raisins, cinnamon and sugar, plus a pinch of nutmeg.  I followed the Pioneer Woman's recipe and I'm glad I did.  The only thing that would have made them better would be if my yeast had not been (apparently) old.  These buns spread out, but should have raised more.  When I realized the age of my yeast packet, I decided to continue the recipe if only to show its effect.  The buns still taste good though.  And I'm glad they do!
 

 HOT CROSS BUNS

FOR RECIPE: www.thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/hot-cross-buns/

     I remember my mom occasionally stopping by a popular bakery when I was very young.  I loved going inside with her as I was just the right height to see the sweet treats through the glass front cases.  One of my very favorites were the brownies.  They were perfectly square-cut chocolate bars, probably three-quarters of an inch thick.  When I say bar, I mean when you bit into a brownie, your bite was not one of chocolate gooeyness or dry crust, but of fudge-like consistency.  The icing was thin, but able to stand up to the perfection underneath.  But even after taking all that into account, the piece de re'sistance was the sugary coating on the bottom of each brownie.  Not a saturation of sugar, but just the right amount to give the fudgy bite a crisp finish in your mouth.  Outstanding! 

     So in honor of that memory, I found a brownie recipe from Southern Living to try and decided I would also give each one the touch of sugar underneath.  The link below gives the recipe I used.  When they were completely cooled, I pulled the pan of brownies out by the parchment paper that I overlapped on the sides of the pan.  I cut the brownies, dipping my knife in a glass of water, every time I thought it became sluggish while I worked.  Then I dabbed each brownie in the sugar that covered the bottom of a plate.  The picture above shows the underside with the sugar coating in the top brownie and then the bottom one shows the actual brownie.  I decided I would give these to my husband for an Easter treat.  Do you think doing so will keep me from eating one?

www.myrecipes.com/recipe/so-good-brownies 

& FLOWER 

 

     I realize you can see a few of the green rose bush shoots and just part of my shovel at the base of the picture.  I was attempting to dig up this shrub to transplant it in another part of our yard.  This was one of several I had planted in a bed designated only for roses.  Last year I transplanted part of them.  This year I'm moving the rest because I have other plans for this large area.

 

     So transplanting, you know, when you have the shovel in the ground going around and around a bush and you keep waiting, pushing in the shovel, pulling up the dirt mound with part of the bush, then wait, yep, POP!  You heard it.  You broke through the root system.  Now comes the lifting and moving of your garden baby.  I used to be scared to try it, thinking that was certain death for whatever got moved.  Experience helps to change your mind however.  Over the years I've talked to others who have moved several plants and read about DIY projects in magazines that involved transplanting.  Then necessity played a part in the decision at times when I knew a shrub had overgrown its location, but I still wanted to keep it.  So I moved it.

 

     I've repotted several things from small pots to larger pots and been downright hard on the plants that I moved.  If I move a shrub, I cut it back before I dig it up.  Then when I maneuver it from its hole, I cut back its root system, before planting it again in a different spot.  If I move a plant to a larger pot, I also cut it back before pulling out the entire plant.  Take a fern for example.   I cut it back, remove it from the smaller pot, then take a shovel and forcefully chop through the middle of the plant to divide it.  Sometimes I make two, three or four plants out of one.

 

     Now I'm not going tell you that every one of these transplanted beauties has been happy with me afterward, but most of them have.  Transplanting to the correct environment is only part of the story.  The owner still must keep up with watering, fertilizer, deadheading, etc.  It is really satisfying to see a shrub or even a small house plant like an African violet send out new growth after it has experienced transplanting.

FLOUR

     I made these Morning Glory Muffins yesterday.  I have wanted to try this recipe ever since I saw it a few months ago in my daughter's copy of Paleo Comfort Foods, Homestyle Cooking for a Gluten-Free Kitchen, by Julie & Charles Mayfield.

     First of all, these muffins are delicious, wholesome and naturally sweet.  Part of what makes them special are some of my favorite ingredients: grated carrot and apple, raisins, coconut, honey, cinnamon and vanilla. The bits of carrot and fruit help to make them moist and good warm or cold.

     These muffins are considered a Paleo food item because they are made from real,  unprocessed ingredients. What makes them gluten-free is the use of almond flour instead of regular wheat flour.  The texture of the almond flour is naturally different, but does not take away from the enjoyment of eating these muffins.  You may have noticed in the grocery store that the price of gluten-free flour, including almond flour, is more expensive.  If anyone is interested there is a link below that may help to cut the cost of buying almond flour/meal.  The site explains how to grind almonds to make your own product at home.

    My reasons for making the muffins have to do with my desire to eat healthier in hopes of lowering my cholesterol.  I also would like to maintain my weight, if not lose a few pounds.  Also our daughter follows a gluten-free diet and I thought learning to make this recipe would give me another food choice I could make for her when she visits.

      The first link below is by the cookbook authors and includes the entire recipe and a sweet story of its origin.  Enjoy!

Morning Glory Muffins, a Paleo/Gluten-Free recipe

For recipe:
www.paleocomfortfoods.com/recipes/morning-glory-muffins/ 


Information about almonds:
www.simplywholefoods.com/2013/09/19/4-simple-steps-to-making-your-own-almond-flour/ 

& FLOWER 

     I have some garden chores I like to complete early each spring in order for my beds, shrubs and trees to look good and grow as well as possible.  I've only worked in one bed so far thinking I had time before things began full scale blooming.  Now this week our temperatures are up and we have rain.  I look around in our town and there are flowers and blooms everywhere .  I've got to get busy!  I know I referred to these activities as chores, but to me they are necessities.  I believe many of you home gardeners probably feel the same.  Enjoy getting ready for the bloom!

These are dead stalks from lilies last summer.  I left them in this bed to provide a little more mulch or cover for the winter.  Now they need to be composted. 

Early each spring I cut back all of my liriope or lilyturf to just a couple of inches above ground.  The plants appear fuller and less like they have suffered when they do grow back.

 

This is a white Knockout Rose bush.  As you can see, there is a lot going on in this mass of shoots and branches.  I plan to prune this bush so that none of the branches are intersecting and inhibiting growth.  At least I will attempt this.  Sometimes this task is not easy with a Knockout Rose.

FLOUR

I have spent the last month on the computer working on the history of my family.  It has meant hours during the day and sometimes in the evening learning and making connections about my ancestors who first came to America and their descendants.  And I have only completed one of the four lines I plan to explore.  To say it is an interest or hobby is an understatement.  I really don't know how to explain what makes me "tick" in this way to be so interested in my background.  I was the grandchild that always wanted to see the old photos at my grandma's house.  I would dump them out on the floor and ask my grandma who everyone was over and over (Bless her for putting up with me!) until I learned all the names myself.

As I grew up, I was lucky to receive an abundance of information about this first line of ancestors from relatives who had been told of my interest.  This came in the form of tidbits of family lore as well as a little gossip inserted into letters long held, yellow note pages of part of our"line,"and copies of documents completed by those wanting to become members of historical societies.  With all of that and the help of certain websites, I have learned that most of this first line immigrated from England.

So in honor of those first ancestors, I am sharing a recipe for Colonial Gingerbread.  As you will see by clicking on the PBS website below and starting to read about midway down, "Gingerbread arrived in the New World with English colonists."  I have had this recipe for a long time and unfortunately cannot give credit as that has been clipped away.  However, this gingerbread has a fabulous rich flavor, is simple to make, and would go well with coffee, tea, or hot chocolate for a great finish to any meal.

COLONIAL GINGERBREAD

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup molasses
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
confectioners' sugar

ABOUT 3 HOURS BEFORE SERVING OR EARLY IN DAY:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Grease and flour 9" by 9" by 2" baking pan.  Into large bowl, measure all ingredients except confectioners' sugar; with mixer at low speed, beat until blended, constantly scraping bowl with rubber spatula.  Increase speed to medium and continue beating 3 minutes, occasionally scraping bowl.

Pour batter into pan and bake 1 hour or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Cool gingerbread in pan on wire rack.

TO SERVE:
Sprinkle top of cake with confectioners' sugar.  Makes 12 servings. 

www.pbs.org/food/the-history-kitchen/history-gingerbread/ 

& FLOWER

I realize it is still winter, but I also know the average vegetable gardener has already been through at least one seed and plant catalog.  He or she may have also noticed the seed packets that are now stocked in home improvement and department stores.  I have decided to start early this year and plant some seeds indoors in preparation for some of my summer vegetables.  I hope starting my tomato plants by seed will keep me on a better planting schedule.  There have been years when I have purchased young tomato plants and gotten them in the ground later, thereby making their harvest later and sometimes not as good.

There are two websites below that discuss starting plants from seed.  I like the first site because it tells exactly how to plant your seeds.  It talks about the kinds of containers to use.  I purchased a flat in a seed starter kit as shown in the picture.  Most of these are fairly inexpensive, however I believe any container could be improvised.  The second site delves into more specifics like why starting some seeds indoors is best, the types of containers, using a soil-less mix instead of potting soil, and transplanting seedlings once they reach a certain size.  

I used to help my mom plant seeds indoors.  She loved growing tomatoes the most and starting her plants by seed was what she liked to do.  It is a good activity in which to involve your kids as it teaches them about growing plants from seeds and the care it takes for the plants to produce their fruit. 

Planting tomato seeds indoors 

1.

www.almanac.com/content/starting-seeds-indoors 

2.

www.reneesgarden.com/articles/start_seeds.html 

 

FLOUR

     Hello everyone.  These are called French Breakfast Puffs.  They remind me of muffins, yet they have been rolled in melted butter and then a sugar-cinnamon mixture.  When you bite into one, you experience the vanilla-like flavor of the cake with its nostalgic, but mild nutmeg flavor.  That taste combined with the sweet crispy topping, I think, would be a welcome beginning to your Valentine's Day or any other special day when one might want a treat that is a little out of the ordinary.  French Breakfast Puffs are even historic.  According to Betty Crocker's Old-Fashioned Cookbook, copyright 1990 by General Mills, this recipe "was first published in the 1920s on Washburn-Crosby flour recipe cards.  The recipe came from Miss Esoline Beauregard in Florida, who sent it to Washburn-Crosby urging them to try her mother's recipe."

French Breakfast Puffs

1/3 cup shortening
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted

Heat over to 350 degrees.  Grease 15 medium muffin cups, 2- 1/2 x 1- 1/4 inches.  Mix shortening, 1/2 cup sugar, and egg thoroughly.  Mix flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg; stir into egg mixture alternately with milk.  Fill muffin cups 2/3 full.  Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown.  Mix 1/2 cups sugar and cinnamon.  Roll hot muffins immediately in melted butter, then in sugar-cinnamon mixture.  Serve hot.  15 puffs.

(I used a 12-cup muffin pan for this recipe and was happy with the results.  Also we have warmed the puffs that did not get eaten right away in the microwave.  They are still great.)

The Pioneer Woman also has a recipe for French Breakfast Puffs.  I have made them as well and they are amazing!  Follow this link to find The Pioneer Woman's recipe.  

www.thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/french_breakfast_puffs/

Whichever recipe you choose, ENJOY!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

DIFFERENT TOPIC -- Recently I was reminded of how well three products perform on cooking mishaps that most everyone has in their pantry and under their sink.  I let myself get sidetracked with a home project when I knew full well I had a pan on the stove simmering away.  Then I experienced that smell, you know.......that sickening almost like burned tire smell.  Of course I knew immediately I had let our vegetables burn and scorch the bottom of the pan.  And the stove top was crusted and messy with what had boiled over and begun to harden.  What a mess!  I had this mess to clean and also start over on our dinner.

     After turning off the burner, I put the pan in the sink and added water to the dry contents.   Everything was loose from the bottom and sides and I dumped it then began to think of the pan.  Instead of trying to add water and putting the pan back on the stove to cook away the burned-on pieces, I got out my mom's old standby, SOS pads.  I figured it was worth a try to use one first.  Sure enough, one pad scrubbed the underside and insides completely clean.  I could not believe how easy.  Thank you SOS makers, The Clorox Company of Oakland, CA.

     Then I began to wonder how hard it would be to clean my glass stove top.  My mind went to baking soda because the burned smell was still so prevalent in the room and now reaching into the rest of the house.  I liberally sprinkled baking soda over the crusty mess and was ready to leave it temporarily, but I decided to wet it and make a paste instead.  I began rubbing over the spots with my fingertips.  It didn't happen immediately, but then I noticed the baking soda was beginning to turn gray, meaning the mess was coming up!  The baking soda really helped, but there were still yucky places that were not budging.  Then I remembered what happens when you pour vinegar on baking soda, bubbles!  I found apple cider vinegar and poured it on the mess and the chemical reaction began.  I continued to rub only with my fingertips and eventually the whole mess was lifted and I was able to wipe away any signs of this cooking accident.

So if you ever find yourself needing a fix for an unexpected problem at your home, before running out to buy something, don't forget about what you already have.  

 

& FLOWER 

   

     This picture is of a crepe myrtle in my yard.  Recently during a few weeks of warmer temperatures, I noticed how some people were having their shrubs trimmed, including their crepe myrtles.  I meant to get back to my bushes before the end of fall, but here's what is waiting for me to give it back some dignity.  I am one to trim my crepe myrtles a lot.  One summer I cut back the seed pods three times and was able to get the bushes to bloom again and again.  But one look at this bush and all its visible extra shoots going here, there, and everywhere means I will have a mess on my hands if this bush doesn't get some needed attention.

     However, this year I will follow the advice of Southern Living's Senior Writer, Steve Bender, also know as The Grumpy Gardener.  Mr. Bender writes a gardening blog for The Daily South, a daily blog that features everything Southern Living covers.  Bender refers to the incorrect way of pruning crepe myrtles as "crepe murder," and I don't want to be known for that.  You can read about his methods of pruning at the site below.  Hopefully I will improve!

www.thedailysouth.southernliving.com/2015/04/09/how-to-fix-crepe-murder/

FLOUR

     Cornbread was something my family members ate occasionally instead of rolls or slices of bread at a meal.  When I knew cornbread was on the menu, I would look forward to the first bite of a piece cut from our cast iron skillet because of the crunchy outside and the warm and crumbly inside.  But then what someone chooses to put ON their cornbread is another story.  I am satisfied with butter, margarine, or even the buttery tasting spreads made today with healthier ingredients.  I know just from hearing others speak of eating cornbread that honey is popular as an additional topping, as is molasses or jams and jellies.  There are others, like my husband, that like the buttery topping route, and the sweeter route, but also the savory route as he loves to spoon gravy from a roast on at least one of his cornbread servings.  I had never seen that done before until I ate dinner with his family years ago, and he converted me!

     One recipe for cornbread that began its popularity when I was a teen is Mexican Cornbread.  My mom announced one evening that we would have this newfangled bread as part of our supper.  Immediately my mind could not wrap itself around how to make a pan of delicious cornbread taste Mexican.  Well, once I tasted the additions of creamed corn, onion, cheese, and chopped jalapeno, I understood.  Mexican Cornbread, though different from the original, adds a little more spice and sometimes, isn't that a good thing?  Here's something to go with your next pot of soup or stew.

Mexican Corn Bread  - from Pick of the Crop cookbook, Greenville Junior Woman's Auxiliary, Greenville, MS

(Feel free to adjust to your tastes.)

1 cup corn meal

1 cup cream corn

1 medium onion (chopped finely - I only used half an onion.)

1 lb. grated American cheese (I used sharp cheddar.)

1/2 t. soda

2 eggs

3 jalapeno peppers plus a little juice (I used a little less than one tablespoon.)

1/2 c. oil

1 c. sweet milk

1 t. salt

Mix all ingredients; bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. 

 Mexican Cornbread

The link below is exceptional as it gives the history of this popular quick bread and how we acquired the use of corn in our cooking from Native Americans.   

www.atasteofhistory.net/cornbread---the-evolution-of-a-recipe.html 

& FLOWER

     I have been involved in family history and research lately, which makes me think of how my ancestors lived when they first came to America.  Something they did that is still popular today is growing and cooking with herbs.  Of course the use of herbs by the colonists was basic necessity for flavoring their food.  Herbs were also used for medicinal purposes.  

     How many of you cook with herbs?  I have been thinking about the herbs I use the most and they are basil, rosemary, thyme, and parsley.  I also use sage, but not so much as during the holidays.  I plant basil every summer and was blessed with a wonderful crop last year.  I even pulled several leaves, put them in plastic bags and laid them on a freezer shelf to use later in tomato sauce and soups. The leaves are still just as vibrant green as when I picked them.

 Basil stalks with leaves from my garden.

     I usually keep a potted rosemary plant and have used the fresh for a recipe, but would rather use the dry.  I like to snip cuttings from my plant to put in vases with fresh flowers.  The scent is a cross between earthy and  spicy.  Rosemary goes in my tomato sauce, meatballs, and sometimes is sprinkled on a roast.

    Thyme is probably my favorite.  I use thyme in chicken, seafood, beef, pork, and salads.  I have used the dry more recently since I lost my one long-time plant.  I probably had that plant for 10 years and it had been planted in the ground with my perennials.

     Parsley is a very versatile herb.  I use it in many dishes like soups, sauces, and salad dressings.  Many cooks and chefs today use parsley for decor as well as an ingredient.  I believe it has a mild pleasing flavor and I enjoy it.  I have a parsley plant wintering over in my garage now and still doing well.

     It took a little time for me to become accustomed to cooking with herbs after I was first married.  However, once I began growing them and viewing their progress, I wanted to experience their tastes in food.

     Here are two websites that discuss herbs and their purposes as in Colonial times.

www.motherearthliving.com/gardening/herbs-for-the-colonial-garden.aspx?Pageld=2 

www.bethtrissel.blogspot.com/2012/01/herbs-of-colonial-williamsburg-and.html

FLOUR

Recently I thought about this letter I wrote to Better Homes & Gardens Magazine.  I wrote it in the last year or so after I found an old copy of BH&G while in the midst of decluttering our house.  I decided to share the letter because it does pertain to baking and convenience.  I hope you enjoy.

     "While in college, I had the privilege of visiting Better Homes and Gardens magazine offices in Des Moines, IA.  During that visit I received a copy of the October 1975 issue which had remained packed away all these years until recently.  While cleaning and going through items in our basement, I found the magazine and inside was an article entitled “Cooking Fundamentals,” by Doris Eby and Sally P. Torpey.  The article highlights cooking basics and includes baking; specifically a recipe for a Quick Bread Mix that can be used to make batter for pancakes, biscuits and muffins.

     I made the mix and have since baked two batches of muffins.  The second one is pictured and includes a mixture of blueberries and raspberries I had in my freezer.  I must say I am pleased with the results and would recommend this process to anyone.  I would think busy moms today would still benefit from this make-ahead/short-cut process.  Thank you BH&G for your many good recipes then and now."

 Blueberry/Raspberry Muffins packaged for a friend.

Quick Bread Mix

10 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup baking powder

¼ cup sugar

1 tablespoon salt

2 cups shortening that does not require refrigeration

In large mixing bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt.  With pastry blender, cut in shortening till mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Store in covered container up to 6 weeks at room temperature.  To use: Spoon mix lightly into measuring cup; level off with straight-edged knife.  (For longer storage, place in freezer.  Allow measured amount to come to room temperature before using.) Follow chart and directions for shortcut recipes.

	Milk	Egg	Mix	Sugar
Pancakes	1 1/3 cups	1	2 cups	none
Biscuits	½ cup	None	2 cups	none
Muffins	1 cup	1	3 cups	3 tablespoons

Pancakes: In a bowl, combine eggs and milk.  Add mix; beat smooth.  Bake on hot, lightly greased griddle.  Makes ten pancakes.

Biscuits: Place mix in bowl; make a well.  Add milk all at once.  Stir with fork just till dough follows fork around bowl.  On lightly floured surface, knead dough 10 to 12 strokes.  Roll or pat to ½-inch

thickness.  Cut dough with floured biscuit cutter.  Bake on ungreased baking sheet in 450 degree oven for 10 to 12 minutes.  Makes 10 biscuits.

Muffins: Combine mix and sugar.  Mix egg and milk; add all at once to dry ingredients.  Stir to moisten.  Fill greased muffin pans 2/3 full.  Bake in 400 degree oven 20 to 25 minutes.  Makes 12.

& FLOWER

I have been lucky with my orchids so far this winter.  Of course we had some unusually warm days in December.  My orchids have not been in this window very long, but fortunately the top one has decided to put out a new shoot.  When this top orchid does bloom, it is white on the outside and pink on the inside.  It has bloomed every year in February.

This bottom orchid suffered through a dry spell before coming inside. (Hence the chopped off leaves.  I was cruel!)  But apparently it is none the worse for wear because you can see it has produced the stem with buds that are developing.  As you can probably guess, these orchid blooms will be purple and they are also small flowers.  This orchid also blooms in February.

I am sharing these because I want everyone to know raising an orchid is indeed possible!  I used to not believe it and thought I would never be able to wait long enough to see it bloom.  I am sure I could probably do more to enhance their beauty, but I am really happy at their progress.  I have eight orchids in all, having just separated one pot into three different plants.  All of my orchids are of the Phalaenopsis variety and were on sale after their blooms had died.  Since then I have repotted all of them.  I water them about every week to ten days in winter.  They should be watered well and drained well.  They cannot sit in water.  Mine get fertilized in spring and summer when they are on my porch with the rest of my potted plants.  The most important thing to remember is to provide an environment for them that is as close to their native one as possible.