samosas

I made a batch of samosas this weekend. I used ground turkey, diced sweet potatoes, tomato, peas and spices. They were tasty. Not as spicy as I would have liked but Dan enjoyed them. I used whole wheat biscuit dough (from the twist and pop can) for ease. Listen, if anyone has a great recipe for the filling let me know! I'll post my recipe later, it was good but like I said not spicy enough...I need a better curry recipe.

pumpkin muffins

This is a favorite recipe that freezes well and is perfect for this season or if you have a dusty can of Libby's in the pantry. I might have shared that I love to buy pumpkin or squash, this time of year, cook it and freeze for later. This year I grew some of my own buttercup squash and picked up some local butternut to freeze.

This recipe substitutes the oil with applesauce. Here are the baskets of apples from Dick and Donna! I was so excited when I first saw these beauties. I shared many, made loads of sauce, 2 huge pies and I still have a small basket of them staring at me from the corner of the kitchen.

This recipe can be adapted with ingredients that you like. Some creative and yummy additions could be choco chips, shredded coconut, raisins, oatmeal, pecans and so on. Here is a thought that just came to me while editing . . . wonder if these could be made as a savory muffin. . . add goat cheese, cheddar, maybe and herb instead on the cinnamon and spice . . . in that case you may want to use the oil and not applesauce (too sweet??) Let me know if you experiment and find success.

preheat the oven to 375 degrees and prepare muffin tin

• 2 1/4c flour, spelt or your choice of healthy, unrefined flour
• 3/4c agave or 1 cup raw sugar **** if using agave mix with the wet ingredients, if using sugar blend with these dry ingredients****
• 1 1/2tsp cinnamon
• 1/2tsp nutmeg
• 1/2tsp cloves
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt

in a large bowl whisk these dry ingredients, set aside

• 1 c pumpkin/squash, pureed
• 1/2 c banana, mashed or 2 eggs
• 3/4 c applesauce or oil

whiz these 3 ingredients in a food processor then add to the dry ingredients (don't mix yet). Add the remaining ingredients to the dry and mix by hand until just blended.

• 1/3 c buttermilk (if you don't have buttermilk make your own using by adding 1/2 tsp vinegar, blend and set aside for about 5minutes, works with non-dairy milk too)
• 3 T molasses
• 1 c dried cranberries or your mix!

fill each muffin at least 3/4 full and bake for approximately 25-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The recipe will make approximately 12 regular muffins or 24 minis.

substituting oil with applesauce for baking

This post is a shout-out to our friends in Gettysburg, Dick and Donna. I have been remiss in sending a thank you card this year and hope this will suffice.

The Dick and Donna team are long time friends of my BMW, Aunt-in-law Lonna. I have been lucky enough to tag along for a seasonal visit to apple country where Mott's still grows their own apples (apples from the USA!). We have the opportunity to pick all the organic apples that our car will hold. I was unable to make it this year but Dick and Donna filled the baskets that I sent. Thank you!! I shared at least a 3rd and am still trying to finish up the rest. I made 2 dozen jars of sauce and last night made 2 huge pies.

I have to admit it is a pleasure to visit these 2 world traveling, volunteering, community activists ...but... the best part of the visit is the Gettysburg Baking Co. Holy cannoli, do they make the best freshly baked bread... ever! They started out with a tiny store front and are now serving lunch from their new cafe. If you are out this way then you must stop! You can't find artisan bread bakers too often and you can watch as they work their craft. http://gettysburgbakingco.com/ Don't be stupid, stop here if you are in their neck of the woods.

Here are some photos from last year. Yes, I even took pillow cases to stuff with free, organic apples. We had just enough room to take Jane (Dan's adventure loving, always cheerful mom) back home with us. She makes Dan's favorite applesauce.

I like to process and jar the sauce to use throughout the year for baking and Dan (who can eat a jar at a time). When processing the apples I core and cube, leaving on the nutrient rich skin. After they cook down, I sweeten with agave. Dan likes chunky applesauce and I use a hand held blender to blend up the naturally sweet goodness (a FAV kitchen tool of mine). Listen, apples may just keep the doctor away because they are full of fiber and phytonutrients. Check out one of my favorite websites to learn more http://www.superfoodsrx.com/superfoods/apples/

I substitute applesauce for oils and fats in some recipes. It seems that this substitution works best in cookies, some brownie and cake recipes. If a recipe calls for oil I substitute equal portions or you can just replace a potion while still using a bit of oil. Check out my pumpkin muffin recipe!

the real way to get healthy, from the mouth of babes

I have to be brief. I am sharing a bit of wisdom from our niece Sara. Sara is pointing to her favorite cupcake from the batch made for her dad's birthday.

Dan and I just finished up our craft show and were relaxing on the couch when Sara came in to tell us, if you want to pick from candy or sweets and maybe a cupcake it will make you healthy!

scrolling out woodworks...loves chocolate chip cookies

I have no recipe to post today but chocolate chip cookies are really Dan's favorite snack. Scrolling it Out Woodworks is headed to Virginia this Wednesday for another art/craft show. People frequently ask what Dan's handiwork really is all about.

Let me toot a horn for Dan and share some of his meticulous work! He has been scroll sawing since he was 10. His grandfather gave him his first saw. What really lit his fire was the Atari game system. His parents told him if he wanted one he would have to earn half. The Lititz craft show was his big debut with pac man necklaces (yellow pac man on a yarn necklace). His success efforts landed him enough to purchase the Atari system. Do you think that gaming occupies his time now? No, my friend. Dan's love is his saw and you can see it in his work.