Hi Mom friends!!
It has been a busy summer with our abundant wonderful garden producing more than I can keep up with. I hope to post lots of canning recipes that I've been using in the last few weeks, but today I am working with apples. I bought a box of local apples from a farmer's market in Meadows of Dan a few weeks ago. I processed half of the box right away making and canning applesauce since applesauce is a favorite in our house. But then the box sat in our kitchen while I worked with more fragile fresh peaches and blueberries that are also in season. Today I finally got around to finishing the apple and though some were getting a little wrinkly most were still perfect for canning slices. After making 7 quarts I still had about two quarts left and thought I would use them in a warm apple crisp with dinner tonight. While that's in the oven I wanted to share the recipe with you.
I actually made the apple crisp then made up several extra packets of apple crisp topping to keep in our pantry. Along with the sliced apples I canned today, I can have hot apple crisp in a matter of minutes. Always great when company pops in unexpectedly.
Here is the recipe I used: I like to make a BIG batch so feel free to decrease the amount of apples but keep the topping amount the same if you want a beautiful full crisp topping layer. Yum!!
8-10 apples peeled cored and sliced (You can't use too many)
1/2-3/4 cups of sucanat, sugar or honey (Sucanat works GREAT in this recipe!)
2 tbs all purpose flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
tiny dash of nutmeg
mix together and set aside
In a clean bowl mix topping;
3/4 cup of brown sugar
1/2cup of all purpose flour
1 cup of oats (either quick cooking/ old fashioned will work)
1/3 cup of melted butter
1 tsp of cinnamon
another tiny dash of nutmeg
Mix well, distributing melted butter through flour and oats, until moist and clumpy.
Spread apple mixture in a 9x13 sprayed pan, spread topping liberally over apples and bake at 375 degrees for about 35 minutes or until topping is golden brown.
If preparing apple crisp for future use, mix 3/4c. brown sugar, 1/2c flour, 1 cup oats, 1 tsp cinnamon, and 1/4 tsp nutmeg in individual quart size zip lock bags or seal in food saver bags. Store in pantry until needed!
To use add 1/3 cup butter, top apples and you've got a quick, super easy dessert! Oh and the smell adds instant love to your home!!!
Off to grab mine out of the oven.
Enjoy :)
Love,
Melissa
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Friday, July 23, 2010
Thank you Mom to Mom!
I had the opportunity to speak at our church's Mom to Mom group yesterday! It was an amazing time of fellowship, sharing, prayer and encouragement. I'm so grateful for the opportunity to share my testimony and meet all the amazing young moms in our church with a heart to pursue a deeper relationship with Jesus. I hope my schedule will allow me to make mom to mom a regular part of our week!
In HIS Amazing love,
Melissa
In HIS Amazing love,
Melissa
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Spinach and Walnut Ravioli
This is a new recipe I created from a craving for spinach walnut Ravioli. These freeze great! Just be sure to flash freezer them on a floured cookie sheet before putting them together in a ziplock bag.
Spinach, Mushroom, Walnut Ravioli (Serve with a fresh salad and homemade baguette)
Filling
1/2-1 cup low-fat cottage cheese
1 lb of cooked chopped spinach/ or frozen thawed and drained very well
1/4 Parmesan or mozzarella cheese
4-5 button mushrooms sliced and sautéed in skillet (no oil needed they make their own liquid)
1/4 of finely chopped nuts I used walnuts, but could use pine nuts or any other nut or omit if desired
1 clove garlic finely chopped
Mix together in a bowl; set aside
Fresh pasta
2 cups of plain flour
2 large eggs
2 tbs olive oil
2 tbs water
1/2 tsp salt
Before you make pasta, fill a large pot with water over high heat to give it time to start boiling while you work on the rest of the recipe.
Mix all the pasta ingredients in a bowl until dough begins to form. The secret I've learned to perfect dough is to work the ingredients together in your fingers, crumbling and pressing the dough the way you would mix shortening into flour when making biscuits. This gives it the right consistency, almost like a pie crust until it can be shaped into a ball and covered with a wet towel to rise for 10-15 minutes.
After it has had time to rest and rise slightly; knead until smooth for 5-10 minutes.
Divide dough into three small balls; work with only 1 ball at a time while the other 2 are left to rest under the damp towel.
Next you will need to use a rolling pin to roll the dough from the first ball flat.
Then you begin rolling it through the pasta machine. Starting on the widest setting #7, moving down one setting after each pass through the machine to #6, then #5 and so on until you reach setting #1.
Lay out flat on the counter and put 1 tablespoon of filling every few inches. Much like an omelet you will only put filling on half of the dough, leaving the other half to fold over top of filling. Use a ravioli cutter to cut into pieces, or simply press edges around filling and use a knife to cut apart.
Repeat process with remaining dough balls….
Cook in salted boiling water for about 5 minutes. Serve hot.
We topped ours with sautéed garlic and roasted pine nuts, but would also be delicious with olive oil, chives, roasted tomatoes or balsamic vinegar.
May your home and efforts be blessed!
Spinach, Mushroom, Walnut Ravioli (Serve with a fresh salad and homemade baguette)
Filling
1/2-1 cup low-fat cottage cheese
1 lb of cooked chopped spinach/ or frozen thawed and drained very well
1/4 Parmesan or mozzarella cheese
4-5 button mushrooms sliced and sautéed in skillet (no oil needed they make their own liquid)
1/4 of finely chopped nuts I used walnuts, but could use pine nuts or any other nut or omit if desired
1 clove garlic finely chopped
Mix together in a bowl; set aside
Fresh pasta
2 cups of plain flour
2 large eggs
2 tbs olive oil
2 tbs water
1/2 tsp salt
Before you make pasta, fill a large pot with water over high heat to give it time to start boiling while you work on the rest of the recipe.
Mix all the pasta ingredients in a bowl until dough begins to form. The secret I've learned to perfect dough is to work the ingredients together in your fingers, crumbling and pressing the dough the way you would mix shortening into flour when making biscuits. This gives it the right consistency, almost like a pie crust until it can be shaped into a ball and covered with a wet towel to rise for 10-15 minutes.
After it has had time to rest and rise slightly; knead until smooth for 5-10 minutes.
Divide dough into three small balls; work with only 1 ball at a time while the other 2 are left to rest under the damp towel.
Next you will need to use a rolling pin to roll the dough from the first ball flat.
Then you begin rolling it through the pasta machine. Starting on the widest setting #7, moving down one setting after each pass through the machine to #6, then #5 and so on until you reach setting #1.
Lay out flat on the counter and put 1 tablespoon of filling every few inches. Much like an omelet you will only put filling on half of the dough, leaving the other half to fold over top of filling. Use a ravioli cutter to cut into pieces, or simply press edges around filling and use a knife to cut apart.
Repeat process with remaining dough balls….
Cook in salted boiling water for about 5 minutes. Serve hot.
We topped ours with sautéed garlic and roasted pine nuts, but would also be delicious with olive oil, chives, roasted tomatoes or balsamic vinegar.
May your home and efforts be blessed!
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Weeds and Roots
Where is the worn table, the tall weeds when everything is so groomed? I've often thought about both sides of abundance. Some homes have perfectly groomed living rooms, shiny floors and spotless stoves. Yes they make you feel special when you walk in. Everything looks and feels so perfect. But then... I think about my grandmother's farm. The multi-line phone that sat tidily in the corner. It was the only thing on that little corner table. Today I'm sure it would be littered with remotes and newspapers and monthly magazines, but those were simpler times. The stove was for warmth and was the anchor of the living room. The tile was well worn with time and the feet of 5 growing boys coming in from farm duties. I can imagine the growing feet that walked across that kitchen floor, dripping after a dip in the pond or after a bath in a metal tub because water was too scarce to fill the inside tub. Sleepy feet that made their way outside to the outhouse before the inside plumbing was added to the aging farmhouse.
Neighborhoods with perfectly groomed yards and fancy cars or an old farm with a proud, tall apple tree in the front yard with a prouder, tall grandpa below quietly peeling a barrel full of apples. The grandkids whizzed around him, but he slow and steady would peel apples one after another. His deep blue eyes were so tender and quiet and always cried when we'd say goodbye. A grown man crying, yes that was my introduction to the heart of real men. He loved deeply, quietly. Everyone else always said enough to fill the air but when he spoke, people caught their breath to listen. He lived content with small towns and small means, but for me he wanted the world. He told me "Go see the world, experience it, live life". My roots are that little farmhouse, with the untidy weeds and the uneven dirt road. So as life calls me forward I want to never forget that HOME is that which gives life. That home gave life to 5 boys; 2 became pastors, 1 a steel workers, 1 a wanderer and my father hungry for a better life took the city route. Forging an esteemed career with the FBI and pursuing his love for music and the finer things in life. He is now a rancher on his own small tidy farm, perhaps closer to his roots than ever. He and I share a kindred love of theater and Starbucks. But I will never forget the gifts that came from that simple little farmhouse. It's an old man teaching a little girl that strong men do cry when they love deeply. It's the art of peeling an apple with the peel in 1 piece, that I just taught to my kids, with a story that starts "You know, when I was a little girl, my grandfather....." It's the apple tree that gave abundantly in the fall and the joy of apple butter being made over an open fire and a copper kettle. It's big worn hands that just knew, what to put in the dirt when. Things I have to buy a book to learn. It's the way a ham sandwich tasted on white bread with a warm tomato from the garden and cold country mayonnaise in my Grandmother's kitchen. I don't know how she did it... I've eaten in some of the best restaurants in the world and I've never had anything that even comes close.... Those are the things that give us roots.
(Written for my father, for Father's Day) Happy Father's Day Dad. Thank you for giving me an appreciation for the finer things in life wherever I find them . I Love you.
Neighborhoods with perfectly groomed yards and fancy cars or an old farm with a proud, tall apple tree in the front yard with a prouder, tall grandpa below quietly peeling a barrel full of apples. The grandkids whizzed around him, but he slow and steady would peel apples one after another. His deep blue eyes were so tender and quiet and always cried when we'd say goodbye. A grown man crying, yes that was my introduction to the heart of real men. He loved deeply, quietly. Everyone else always said enough to fill the air but when he spoke, people caught their breath to listen. He lived content with small towns and small means, but for me he wanted the world. He told me "Go see the world, experience it, live life". My roots are that little farmhouse, with the untidy weeds and the uneven dirt road. So as life calls me forward I want to never forget that HOME is that which gives life. That home gave life to 5 boys; 2 became pastors, 1 a steel workers, 1 a wanderer and my father hungry for a better life took the city route. Forging an esteemed career with the FBI and pursuing his love for music and the finer things in life. He is now a rancher on his own small tidy farm, perhaps closer to his roots than ever. He and I share a kindred love of theater and Starbucks. But I will never forget the gifts that came from that simple little farmhouse. It's an old man teaching a little girl that strong men do cry when they love deeply. It's the art of peeling an apple with the peel in 1 piece, that I just taught to my kids, with a story that starts "You know, when I was a little girl, my grandfather....." It's the apple tree that gave abundantly in the fall and the joy of apple butter being made over an open fire and a copper kettle. It's big worn hands that just knew, what to put in the dirt when. Things I have to buy a book to learn. It's the way a ham sandwich tasted on white bread with a warm tomato from the garden and cold country mayonnaise in my Grandmother's kitchen. I don't know how she did it... I've eaten in some of the best restaurants in the world and I've never had anything that even comes close.... Those are the things that give us roots.
(Written for my father, for Father's Day) Happy Father's Day Dad. Thank you for giving me an appreciation for the finer things in life wherever I find them . I Love you.
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Manager of Our Homes
I've been sharing with a friend about the challenges of learning to managing my home. I was feeling challenged recently over my role as wife, mother, dishwasher, cook, and my sweet friend pointed to the book "The Power of a Praying Wife." I didn't have to go to Barnes and Noble, I just walked to our bookcases and found it waiting for me to dive in. I was especially struck by the chapter on being a manager of your home. Despite experience as a corporate manager, I saw my role as a wife as a totally different job...with a totally new not always comfortable skill set. I am still trying to figure it all out and find balance and organization. But the Lord recently inspired me to use the same skills I used as a manager to be a manager of my home. I began thinking about all the duties that it takes to run a home. Not just cooking and cleaning and caring for kids, but the big picture. A full job description. I began to see home management in a bigger scope. What things could I handle for David that would make our home run smoothly? Even things like taking out the trash, returning his phone calls, setting up home maintenance and repairs, overseeing maintenance and cleanliness of the garage and cars. Lots of those areas I had previously thought of as his area of management, but through God's nudging, I began to see even those areas as they relate to home management and very real ways I could serve my husband. Those little tasks add up on his to do list, and for me to say, I'll be handling these things today, gives me both a sense of joy and purpose in making his day a little less hectic.
Another thing I thought of today is that good managers require good communication. I was clarifying with David his desire for our schedule for tomorrow, and I realized marriage and home management takes lots and lots of talking and clarifying. I've learned that my husband is not the planner or the detail person in our marriage. I am. He more often than not has a big picture view of things, so I've learned to accomplish things as a family I have to ask a lot of questions to make sure the details get taken care of. It feels like work sometimes, but again a good manager knows that the CEO leads the manager accomplishes. That's good for me because I'm a doer. I need to be doing things, and I love the way the Lord has written this job description on my heart. I think the best part is... I can always be assured of forgiveness when I fail, and my biggest motivation isn't a salary, it's the love of an amazing husband and the joy of watching our children grow into beautiful human beings.
Another thing I thought of today is that good managers require good communication. I was clarifying with David his desire for our schedule for tomorrow, and I realized marriage and home management takes lots and lots of talking and clarifying. I've learned that my husband is not the planner or the detail person in our marriage. I am. He more often than not has a big picture view of things, so I've learned to accomplish things as a family I have to ask a lot of questions to make sure the details get taken care of. It feels like work sometimes, but again a good manager knows that the CEO leads the manager accomplishes. That's good for me because I'm a doer. I need to be doing things, and I love the way the Lord has written this job description on my heart. I think the best part is... I can always be assured of forgiveness when I fail, and my biggest motivation isn't a salary, it's the love of an amazing husband and the joy of watching our children grow into beautiful human beings.
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Update
Let's see... This week has been busy, busier than I would like for Holy week. We moved our children's bedrooms around which was a huge job considering toys and kid stuff and the number of rooms involved. It was overwhelming to think about losing my office on the other side of the house to make into a dressing room for the children. We stood and considered all the love and joy that had been birthed out of that office, but after a strong wind of determination we got it all taken apart. What I didn't expect was the joy of putting it back together in a shared office with David. His desk and reading chair looked cold and masculine, and actually needed (I think, at least!) the warmth of brightly colored swatches of fabric and wrapping paper and loved children's books. Now it's wonderful, warm and cozy. We are enjoying our new found space and privacy, as much as the kids are, now that the change has been made. There are still plenty of baskets and piles to be arranged and organized, but it feels now that David and I have a headquarters to run our home from, and a quiet soon to be tidy place to retreat to.
It was warmer today. The sun's out and 80 degrees beckon us outside. David burned some brush today around our farm and brought out a new red umbrella for our patio table. We cooked hamburgers over the grill and ate under the shade on our table for the first time this year. I spent today cooking for some friends who are visiting later. It's been a relaxed beautiful spring day. I tried making mozzarella today to no avail. I had bought milk from a local creamery, thinking it would not be ultra pasteurized, but my mozzarella, or lack there of, proved to me that it was. Now I'm in a dilemma. I want to make my own cheese, but where do I find the milk to use? I'll have to keep looking for local sources... and hopefully try again soon.
I guess no homemade mozzarella to go with tomatoes and basil for tonight's dinner. Made 9 loaves of bread last night, so our house feels abundant today with a homemade apple pie on the stove, bread on the counter and a homemade cheesecake in the back fridge. We have dinner with friends tonight, then will rest and enjoy each other's company and leftovers tomorrow.
So many real mom worries tonight. Will our kids get Jesus' sacrifice in Easter, or just the excitement of the Easter Bunny? Should I have told the truth when Jessica asked me if the Easter Bunny was real? Do I get too caught up in the commercial Easter and not enough in the sacrificial one? I'm sad to leave this sweet, reflective personal, time of lent...but Easter is coming a new day and a new season. Perhaps one that will take more discipline to seek after the Lord, when it's not as easy as it is during the season of Lent. It seems that even the cold and rainy days of Feb and March, make it easier to slow down and spend time with the Lord. But now Easter is here and things are in bloom outside as if God's love has burst on the scene... in brilliant color. Yes Easter is coming!
It was warmer today. The sun's out and 80 degrees beckon us outside. David burned some brush today around our farm and brought out a new red umbrella for our patio table. We cooked hamburgers over the grill and ate under the shade on our table for the first time this year. I spent today cooking for some friends who are visiting later. It's been a relaxed beautiful spring day. I tried making mozzarella today to no avail. I had bought milk from a local creamery, thinking it would not be ultra pasteurized, but my mozzarella, or lack there of, proved to me that it was. Now I'm in a dilemma. I want to make my own cheese, but where do I find the milk to use? I'll have to keep looking for local sources... and hopefully try again soon.
I guess no homemade mozzarella to go with tomatoes and basil for tonight's dinner. Made 9 loaves of bread last night, so our house feels abundant today with a homemade apple pie on the stove, bread on the counter and a homemade cheesecake in the back fridge. We have dinner with friends tonight, then will rest and enjoy each other's company and leftovers tomorrow.
So many real mom worries tonight. Will our kids get Jesus' sacrifice in Easter, or just the excitement of the Easter Bunny? Should I have told the truth when Jessica asked me if the Easter Bunny was real? Do I get too caught up in the commercial Easter and not enough in the sacrificial one? I'm sad to leave this sweet, reflective personal, time of lent...but Easter is coming a new day and a new season. Perhaps one that will take more discipline to seek after the Lord, when it's not as easy as it is during the season of Lent. It seems that even the cold and rainy days of Feb and March, make it easier to slow down and spend time with the Lord. But now Easter is here and things are in bloom outside as if God's love has burst on the scene... in brilliant color. Yes Easter is coming!
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