Upcycling

We've had our fair share of rainy days here lately and I've been forced inside.  Housework beacons.  As I was clearing off a bookcase shelf overflowing with last years seed catalogs, I couldn't bear to part with the 2011 Comstock Ferre.  The illustrations were gorgeous, and this New England girl loves that the folks at Baker Creek saved the old company.

I decided to upcycle the beautiful artwork into notecards, and I love the results!  These are only about half of them... the rest are mostly vegetables and will be perfect for sending to fellow gardeners.  I wish I was feeling witty and could come up with some humorous sentiments for the insides ("My heart beets for you"... "I've bean thinking about you"  Or how about "You're like a radish... you get hotter with age.  Happy Birthday!").

Strawberry Shortcake

Normally, I buy organic strawberries.  And in about 5 weeks, I'll be able to actually go to a farm and pick them myself.  But lately I've been in a fruit funk... I try to buy seasonal and I'm so tired of apples and pears and oranges.  Part of the problem is that last summer, in the middle of a move, I couldn't 'put up' anything.  No peaches or blueberries or plums or raspberries or any other flavor of summer.

So today when I saw strawberries on sale buy one get one, I stopped.  And I looked.  They were Florida strawberries, not California like they usually are.  (I absolutely will NOT buy them from CA since they passed that law allowing the use of a really nasty chemical for strawberries.)  They actually looked good.  I thought about the heavy cream I had in the fridge, and the Baking Mix I had in the cupboard, and I knew we had to have Strawberry Shortcakes for dessert tonight.

I followed the same biscuit recipe... 2 1/4 c Baking Mix and 3/4 c buttermilk, but I also added 1/4 c sugar to make the biscuits a little sweeter to go with the strawberries.  Bake at 425 for 13-15 minutes, and serve with macerated strawberries and fresh whipped cream. Mmmmmm!!!  May be it was the fact we haven't had berries in months and months... but both hubby and I couldn't get over how tasty these were!

Grandpa Lepper's Quiche

This is such an easy quiche to make, and you can personalize it with whatever mix-ins you want.


3 eggs
1 1/2 c milk
1/2 c Baking Mix
1/2 c butter, melted (I've used as little as 1/4c and it's fine)
salt and pepper to taste
Whatever toppings you prefer

Blend all ingredients in blender or food processor until frothy.  Pour into ungreased pie plate.  Add toppings such as cooked bacon, ham, cheese, onions, etc etc.  Bake 45 minutes at 450.

Here, I used ham, cheese, and fresh garden chives.

Homemade Garlic Cheddar Biscuits

If you are a fan of the biscuits served at Red Lobster, these are for you!

2 1/4 cups of Baking Mix (see yesterday's post)
3/4 c buttermilk
shredded cheese
garlic powder
butter

Preheat oven to 425.  Mix together the baking mix and buttermilk.  Add cheese to taste (a handful or so) and some garlic powder, too.  Roll into a log and slice into 8 pieces.  Bake for 13-15 minutes or until light brown.  Brush with butter and sprinkle with more garlic powder if you want.
 
For run-of-the-mill but still delicious plain biscuits, just leave out the cheese and garlic.  No reason to buy the biscuits in the cardboard cylinders anymore!  They are really yummy with butter or homemade jam or with ham and eggs!

Homemade Baking Mix

I used to use a lot of Bisquick.  Until I realized that it contained trans fats.  And was ridiculously easy to make, not to mention much cheaper.  I make a big batch of it about every other month or so.  It mixes up in no time at all.  If you are just beginning to phase out packaged products, this is a great place to start.

Homemade Baking Mix

6 cups flour
3 Tbl baking powder
3 Tbl sugar
1 Tbl salt
1 c shortening, butter, or shortening substitute, cut in small pieces

Place the first 4 ingredients in a food processor and pulse to mix.  Add in the shortening and pulse until it looks like cornmeal.  Store in an air-tight container... if you use shortening or shelf-stable substitute, in the cupboard is fine.  If you use butter or a substitute that requires refrigeration, keep in in the fridge.

Stay tuned for some great recipes using this Baking Mix!

Homemade Wheat Thins

I've made wheat crackers before and we've all loved the texture and taste.  However, they were very hard to roll thin enough to get really crispy, and I gave up.

Until this morning, when Abby announced she wanted me to make some for her to take to school for snack and lunch.  This time, I went to King Arthur and I was not disappointed.  I could not believe how easy it was to roll this dough thin.

I have had the KA 'Whole Grain Baking' cookbook for awhile.  I don't use it nearly enough.  Now, KA has a TON of great recipes on their website.  But unfortunately, these crackers aren't there.  However, some lovely bloggers have already taken the time to type it up, so I'm not going to.  You can find the recipe HERE or HERE.

I strongly recommend making this in a food processor.  It will save you time cutting in the butter and the dough will come together a lot faster.  I used white whole wheat flour, simply because I'm trying to use up our supply so I can start grinding my own.

After rolling, I used a dough scraper to cut (and transfer to the baking sheet) but a pizza cutter would work, too.

Please don't forget to sprinkle with salt, and watch them carefully so you don't burn them. 

Here's the final product, in all their wheat-crispy-salty goodness:

Way cheaper than buying them, no packaging, and no preservatives.  Win-win.

Spring has sprung!

The Daffodils that I planted last fall are out, and the tulips won't be far behind. 

They are such a delightful sight.

Max would say the same about all the birds that are hopping in the bushes and singing their hearts out.  This is his favorite position, even when the windows aren't open.

We're supposed to hit 77 today!  The seedlings should love that.  I transplanted some cabbage and broccoli the other day from their milk jugs and they handled it well.  Everything has now sprouted except for the peppers and basil.  It's still too cold for them.  The peas and radishes and carrots and lettuce are growing well (they got planted directly into the beds).  Our last 'average' frost date is 3 weeks away, but given the warm winter we've had, I wouldn't be surprised if it was sooner than that!  Yay for spring!