Apple Breakfast Cake

We developed this recipe for the family camp out, summer of 2015. The original recipe was made in a dutch oven over coals. But since then, we've been making it in the oven using a 9x13 pyrex pan. It's so good that I never have a photo to post...we eat it too quickly!

The night before, in a large mixing bowl, set 1 1/2 cups old fashioned rolled oats to soak in 1 1/2 cups sour milk. (1 1/2 cups of milk soured with 1 1/2 TB apple cider vinegar.) Stir together.

In a smaller bowl, combine the dry ingredients:
3/4 cup brown rice flour
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking powder
Set these dry ingredients aside. They will be used the following day.

The next morning, melt 2 TB butter. Pour the melted butter into the soaked oat mixture along with 2 beaten eggs. Stir to completely incorporate.

Add the dry ingredients and stir again. Finally, add about 1/2 cup chopped pecans (or walnuts) and one large, peeled and diced apple. Stir the entire mixture well and then pour into a buttered 9x13 pan. Sprinkle top with cinnamon sugar.

Bake in 350* oven for about 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Serve warm for breakfast. If you ever find left-overs,try it with some vanilla yogurt on the side.

• If you're not going GF, just substitute whole wheat flour for the rice flour. That's what my original recipe used.
• I like to use buttermilk or kefir instead of the sour milk. They all work well.
• The first times we did this in a 12" dutch oven. It was wonderful! Melt the butter in the bottom of the hot dutch oven, then pour it into the oat mixture. This does double-duty by melting the butter and coating the oven.
• We have had suggestions to use peaches or raspberries in place of the apples. Try it and post results for us!
• This is great for families! Put the cake in the oven While it bakes you can work on the usual morning routine. The wonderful aroma will get everyone to breakfast effortlessly. 
• I have cut the recipe in half for a 9x9 pan. Very successful. But then there is not any left-over!

Breakfast Sausage #1

I had to add a number to this recipe because it is a first attempt. I am sure that there will be many more to follow. I love being a taste-tester for these experiments! Scott is great in the kitchen!

2 tsp dried sage
2 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp dried marjoram
1 tsp brown sugar
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 pinch ground cloves
2 pounds ground pork (not too lean)

Mix spices together. Add them to the ground pork and mix thoroughly. (Can use a hand mixture to speed up the process.) Allow the meat mixture to chill in the refrigerator for 18-48 hours for the flavors to blend.
Shape into patties and cook thoroughly on a skillet.

It was delicious! Scott is especially good at breakfasts!

Next time he plans to add tarragon and reduce the cloves. I volunteer to be the taste-tester again!

Peanut Butter Blossoms

Preheat oven to 350*.

1 cup creamy peanut butter

• (The organic variety does not work well here. Neither does the low-fat version. Just use the inexpensive, store brand that does not separate in the jar.)

1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg
Hersey chocolate kisses
Additional sugar for rolling balls.

Cream together peanut butter, sugars, vanilla, and egg, until mixture is creamy and smooth. add baking soda and salt. (Really, there is NO flour.) Roll walnut-sized balls of dough. Roll the dough balls in sugar. Bake on a sheet at 350* for 8-10 minutes.
The cookies will be very soft as they come out of the oven. Top each cookie with an unwrapped chocolate kiss while it is still hot, soft, and pliable. Remove cookies from sheet after 10-15 minutes, or after the cookie has set.
These are always a hit! They look good, taste good, and are very easy.

Liquid Corn Starch

Disclaimer: This recipe is not intended to be eaten. It is a recipe for homemade starch. Take a look!

We used this recipe to make the book-themed backdrops for Jenny and Andy's wedding. We used some old, hinged closet doors. They were painted and then we added the pages from To Kill A Mockingbird. We used a paintbrush to apply the starch mixture to each page and adhere it to the door. Then a second coat of starch was added to seal the pages. It worked great! This starch was a much better alternative to the chemical-laden versions I found at the hardware store. It is easy, affordable, and a beautiful product.

2 TB cornstarch

1/4 cup cold water

Dissolve the cornstarch in the water completely. Then slowly add the mixture into 3 3/4 cup boiling water, whisking continuously to avoid lumping. Bring the mixture back to a boil. It should be a viscous, opaque mixture. Remove from heat. Cover the pot and allow to cool completely. (I let mine stand overnight.) It is then ready to use!

• Allow the mixture to cool completely before use.
• Easy application with a large paintbrush. We also tried to "dredge" each page in a shallow paint tray and used our hands to "squeegee" the excess off. 
• This mixture is removable from solid surfaces with water. This can be a great advantage if you want to rearrange your pages. However, it is not great when working outside with potential rain! (Don't ask!) 
• High humidity can also release the pages.
• Seal all of the pages (or fabric, or whatever) with one final coat of starch.
• Don't worry if the children (or dog) tastes the starch. You can be confident in the contents because you make it!
• The pages will darken with the moisture of the starch. They will lighten again as they dry. Do a test page first to determine the shading.

Almond Flour Brownies

This is one of those serendipitous recipes that is even better than a traditional recipe. I would choose to make these brownies even if I were eating gluten! You've got to try this! Sorry there's not a photo to share. They get eaten too fast!

Preheat the oven to 350*. Prepare 8x8 pan by buttering the bottom and sides; coat this with a thin dusting of cocoa powder, Shake off any excess.

Combine these first four ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
3/4 cup almond flour
1/4 tsp salt
2 TB unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking powder.

In a second, smaller bowl combine:
3/4 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla

In a double boiler, melt:
1/2 cup butter
4 oz semisweet baking chocolate (or 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips)

Beat together the eggs, sugar, and vanilla. Slowly pour the melted chocolate mixture into the butter and egg mixture while mixing briskly. Do this step slowly to temper the eggs, not cook them. Mix to incorporate fully. Add the chocolate mixture to the dry ingredients and mix completely. Pour batter into the prepared pan. Top batter with 3 oz chopped semisweet baking chocolate (or 1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips).
Bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely before cutting for service.

• This recipe doubles nicely for a 9x13 pan. 
• I can't recommend making the almond flour. There is a very fine line between the flour and almond butter. I use the Honeyville brand of almond flour. It keeps very well in the freezer. 
• Milk chocolate does not do justice to this recipe. Stick with semisweet or bittersweet. 
• The original recipe called for instant coffee granules. I have never used them.

Sourdough Biscuits

I was first introduced to sourdough by Uncle Bob. He was a not-really-related uncle who was loved by the Stewart family. He was visiting in Rexburg, Idaho, and was the first person I ever met who traveled with their sourdough start. His biscuits made an impression!

Several years later I came across an author at a preparedness expo that was selling her book about sourdough. It came with a sourdough start that was documented at 90 years old. Although I really wanted that book, I could not justify its expense with four little children in tow. However, the author was willing to share her start for free, without the book. So I obtained my first sourdough start, totally undocumented and delicious, in 1990. So far I have kept it going for 25 years. Here is one of our favorite recipes for sourdough biscuits.

Approximately 1 cup of sourdough start (I like to use leftover sourdough pancake batter.)
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups warm water

I usually mix these ingredients in the morning, after breakfast. Cover the mixture loosely with a cloth and allow it to stand in a warm place all day long. By late afternoon the mixture should be bubbling. A couple of hours before service, continue with these additions:

1/4 cup sugar (This will cause browning.)
1/4 cup oil (I have used many different kinds!)
1/2 tsp salt
2 TB baking powder (You can leave this out and use a longer rise time.)
additional all-purpose flour, enough to create a soft and tender dough

Fully incorporate these last ingredients, kneading the dough lightly. Keep the dough soft by not adding too much flour; it should be slightly sticky. Pat the dough out on a floured surface and cut out with a floured biscuit cutter. Line biscuits out on a parchment-lined sheet; cover loosely with a towel and allow the biscuits to rest. When they show signs of slight rising, preheat the oven to 400*. Bake biscuits for about 20 minutes, until golden brown.

Sourdough Pancakes

Begin this recipe the night before you want to serve it for breakfast! Mix the following four ingredients into a large bowl that is not metal. Cover the mixture loosely with a towel and leave it in a warm place overnight.

Approximately 1 cup of sourdough starter
2 cups milk
3 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 cups lukewarm water

In the morning, beat together the following ingredients in a small bowl:

4 eggs
2 TB sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda

Add the egg mixture to the bubbling sourdough mixture and incorporate well. The batter will be thin. Cook pancakes on a hot griddle, turning them over when generous bubbles appear on top.

This recipe makes LOTS of pancakes. Cutting the recipe in half works well for a small family. I also like to use the leftover batter as a start for the evening's sourdough biscuits!