What a day!!!

I got up around 6:45 this morning, and was out of the house by 7:45am. Headed to the church for a day of learning how to can apples for apple pie filling.

Last year, as some of you may recall, the Women's Ministry at our church had a fund-raiser in which we took orders for 4 different kinds of pies (apple, cherry, pecan and pumpkin), then made the pie crust and the pies - homemade - from scratch!!! We ended up making over 100 pies in two days.

At that time, some of the ladies had said it would be fun to do this again next year and learn how to can apples. Well, that's what we did today!!

We used two pressure cookers, 3 bushel of apples, 39 quart jars with lids, 15 pint jars with lids, 17 quart size freezer bags, 12 lbs. of sugar, 1 1/2 lbs. cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, water, and lemon juice.

The result?!?!? 54 1/2 quarts of apple pie filling, and 85 cups of fresh apples (pre-cut) that we put into the freezer for use when we make apple pies again this year, for our annual pie making in November!!!

It was a great day of learning, as well as one full of fellowship!!!

Those who know me well, know I am a little weird, and that I am also ever so particular about my bananas (I like to eat them on my cereal when they are neither too green nor have started to have brown speckles on them), my just purchased bread from the store (No sacker boy/girl it doesn't go in the same sack as the milk!) actually I don't say this out loud - I just re sack it. Truely though which one is more rude? And then I have my issue with which towel in the kitchen to use for drying hands or drying dishes (I'm not such a freak any more about the bathroom towels!). And last but probably not least, someone else using "my" pillow.

Okay, that said, and you now having been allowed into my mind way more than I probably should have let you, here is my story about the modified banana muffin recipe:

When the bananas start to become brown, speckled around here, I peel them and put them in a zip-loc bag or small container, usually two at a time, and then place this in the freezer (my grandmother would never let a good piece of anything go to waste!). I can then use them to make banana bread/muffins whenever, No waiting for a "good" banana to go "bad"!!!

So this morning, I had two in the freezer and two on the counter. I had been wanting to make banana muffins since I had placed the two in the freezer several weeks ago. So, today was the day!!!

Then of course, I didn't want to just make my plain same ole' same ole' banana recipe. And, whenever I look for a different recipe on the internet, they are all basically the same. Truely though, what else can you do with a banana bread recipe?!?!?

Well, this is what I decided, and partly because I really wasn't sure if I had enough white flour. And of course, needing to not feel guilty about making something with sooooo much butter and sugar in it, maybe I could make these muffins healthier!!!

Tuesday Morning Banana Muffins

1 cup (1/2 lb) unsalted, butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup Splenda
4 mashed bananas
1 cup white flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup wheat bran
1/4 cup ground flaxseed
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
2 eggs

(optional: dried craisins, or chopped pecans, mini chocolate chips, Pampered Chef Cinnamon Sprinkles) I used sprinkles on top of muffins before baking them. I didn't use any of the other options.

Cream butter and sugar. Add mashed bananas, flours, wheat bran and flaxseed, soda and salt. Fold in eggs, add craisins, nuts or mini chocolate chips. Mix until all ingredients are wet, don't over mix. Place muffin cups in muffin pan, fill muffin cups 2/3 full with batter. (Opt. Sprinkle tops with a little of the Pampered Chef Cinnamon Sprinkles.) Bake in 350 degree oven for approximately 20-25 minutes. Allow to cool a little in pan, then remove from pan and allow to finish cooling on wire rack. Makes 24 muffins.

Nutritional information: Calories 149, Total Fat 8.7g (saturated 5.0g, polyunsaturated 0.4g, monounsaturated 2.4g), Cholestrol 38.4mg, Potassium 87mg, Sodium 107.5mg, Total Carbs 16.7g, Dietary Fiber 1.4g, Sugars 6.2g, Protein 2g.

Here are the things I changed:

Original recipe = Grammy's Banana Nut Bread

Instead of 1 c. sugar, I used 1/2 c. sugar - 1/2 c. Splenda
Instead of 2 c. white flour, I used 1 c. whole wheat flour, 1/4 c. wheat bran, 1/4 c. ground flaxseed
Pampered Chef Sprinkles weren't on the original recipe, neither was the option about adding craisins or mini chocolate chips.

Nutritional information: Calories 160, Total Fat 8.7g (saturated 5.0g, polyunsaturated 0.4g, monounsaturated 2.4g), Cholestrol 38.5mg, Potassium 85.5mg, Sodium 107.6mg, Total Carbs 20.3g, Dietary Fiber 0.7g, Sugars 8.4g, Protein 1.9g.

Okay, so my recipe didn't totally make the muffins a lot better for you when you compare the nutritional information, but I can still eat one and not feel totally guilty!!!

I tried different senarios of changing the recipe up by using brown sugar instead of granulated sugar, egg beaters instead of fresh eggs, applesauce instead of butter, etc. However, I thought my modified recipe was best. But, that depends on if you are counting calories or carbs/sugars.
I sort of watch both, but I do try and keep my carbs down, as well as my sugars.

I calculated this nutritional information using a really handy tool that the internet has available:
http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-calculator.asp
I use this a lot when I am modifying a recipe, just to see if what I am doing is a little healthier.

When we were in Europe, one of the things we just had to try when we were finally in Italy was gelato, or italian ice cream!!! Yummy!!! We had the opportunity to try just about any flavor we wanted to, and one time I was able to try a little bowl of three different flavors which were: blackberry, key lime, and coffee. My favorite in that combination was the blackberry.

Last week was our very last In His Garden Bible study meeting. We met at my house and I tried my hand at making blackberry gelato for the girls. It turned out okay, but it sure could have been a lot more purple looking and could have tasted a lot more stronger of blackberry flavor. The gelato in Italy that I had was almost a K-State purple and was a combination of sorbet taste and creamy like ice cream here in the United States. What I would do differently is actually get some blackberry extract or syrup and try my hand at the blackberry gelato again.

However, Musician decided to have chocolate gelato when we were in Italy. So, she had a friend over for supper last night and asked if I could try and make chocolate gelato. Sometimes the internet can be such a handy tool. I had found the recipe for the blackberry gelato on the internet, so why not find the chocolate recipe. I did, and there were many people out there with lots of helpful tips on making it more chocolatey, etc.

I tried my hand at making the chocolate gelato, and Musician thought it was just as good as what she had in Italy, if not better!!! She's so sweet!!! It was very chocolatey and very rich.

Here is a little history about the making of ice cream, this sort of cracks me up too, because while we were in Europe your drink never had an ice cube in it, must be that they were saving all the ice to make gelato!!!!

History of ice cream: ice cream got its start in China around 3000BC. When it was first made, it was basically shaved ice with fresh fruit flavoring. Marco Polo is thought to have been the one that introduced pasta and ice cream to the Italians, but that is probably more myth than truth. It wasn't until the 17th century that the French started adding milk and cream to the mixture. This is more like what we call ice cream here in the United States.

What makes gelato, gelato, rather than just calling it ice cream, is that gelato contains more milk content than cream. Ice cream has more cream in it than milk.

Here is the chocolate gelato recipe that I used yesterday:

3 cups whole milk

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/3 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder

4 ounces dark or semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (I used mini chocolate chips)

1 cup sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch (I used flour)

Step 1: Combine the cocoa, cornstarch, and sugar in a medium-sized saucepan. Whisk to combine. Over medium heat, gradually add half of the milk to the sugar mixture, whisking to combine.

Step 2: Bring the milk to a low bubbling boil. Turn off the heat. Whisk in the chocolate pieces until they're melted. Add the remaining milk and the cream. Chill in the refrigerator until cool.

Step 3: Pour the mixture into your ice cream maker and churn according to manufacturer's instructions. Spoon into a sealable storage container and freeze for 2–3 hours or until solid enough to scoop. Enjoy!

Remember last week I told you about a mung bean project our Bible study class was working on? Well, mine turned out successful, and even edible!! This is what we did:

1. Choose organic, dried mung beans (found at most healthfood stores) and rinse and drain them well before soaking.

2. Take a wide-mouthed mason jar and place a 1/4 cup of mung beans in the bottom of a clean

jar. Cover the mouth of the jar with cheese cloth and a rubber band. (mung beans will at

least double in size during sprouting)

3. Cover the beans with water and allow them to soak in the water overnight, or for 8-12 hours.

4. Then rinse them well.

5. Return beans to the jar and let them set in a cool, semi-lit place while the beans sprout.

6. Rinse and drain the beans well every 8 hours or so (I rinsed mine in the morning, right

before dinner, and then if I remembered before I went to bed and mine grew just fine)

and then return them to the jar. (I actually rinsed mine in the jar by removing the

cheese cloth, filling the jar with water, then replacing the cheese cloth and then draining

the water off through the cheese cloth)

7. Your sprouts will grow very rapidly. You can stop sprouting after 2 days when the tails

are about 1/4 to 1/2 inch long, or keep them growing up to 4 days for large, plump sprouts.

8. Finish sprouting by giving your beans a final rinse and then placing them in the refrigerator

with the actual mason jar lid over the top of the jar.

9. Sprouts should last 2-6 weeks. However, it will depend on the length of sprouting and

amount of moisture on the beans when you placed them in the refrigerator.

Here are pictures of mine:

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Last night we made Egg Foo Young with our sprouts. Here is the recipe I used:

Egg Foo Young

2c. Mung Bean Sprouts

10 eggs

1 c. deli ham cut up in pieces (lunch meat ham)

1/2 t. soy sauce

1/8 t. pepper

1/2 c. chopped green onions

canola oil

(peanut oil recommded but mine turned out just fine using canola)

red and green sweet pepper (optional)

Rinse and drain bean sprouts thoroughly. Using an electric mixer, beat eggs for 1 minute. Combine eggs with bean sprouts, chopped ham, soy sauce, pepper and green onions. In a small non-stick or cast iron skillet, heat 1/2 teaspoon peanut oil on high heat for 2 minutes; reduce heat to medium. Pour 1/2 cup egg mixture into hot skillet. Cook quickly until set and browned around edges. Turn and brown on other side. Stack on a hot plate and cover until all of the egg mixture has been cooked. Serve with steamed rice. Garnish with sliced green onions and red and green sweet peppers, if desired. (I sauted by onions and peppers before I cooked my egg mixture and actually put them in the eggs rather than using them as a garnish, it was Yummy!)

We ate ours with steamed brown rice and broccoli, YUUUUMMMY!!!

I found some information about the nutritional value of mung beans and wanted to share this information with you also:

Used extensively in Asian cuisine, bean sprouts are not often considered by the public as a nutritional element. However, bean sprouts, or rather Mung Bean Sprouts, as they are properly called, contain pure forms of vitamins A, B, C, and E, in addition to an assortment of minerals including Calcium, Iron, and Potassium.Thanks to this vitamin & mineral two-fisted punch of nutrition, bean sprouts are gaining popularity as a health food, turning up in everything from salads to soups or just as a healthy snack. Available fresh all year round, their delightful crunch and mild flavor make for an enjoyable snack experience, and are a welcome addition to many meals as an accompaniment or ingredient. It should be taken into consideration that the actual nutritional content is not sufficient as a total source of vitamins and minerals for the day; rather, they should be used in addition to other healthy, nutritious foods, and as a substitute for other less wholesome foods, such as rice and pasta.

Produced from mung beans, the sprouts are free of cholesterol, and are ideal for anyone counting calories. One cup of mung bean sprouts contains only approximately 30 calories, 3 grams of protein, only 6 carbohydrates, and only .2 grams of fat. Sprouts also contain a high source of fiber, are easily digestible and contain a high concentration of enzymes facilitating the digestive process.

A health advisory was issued for raw sprouts some years ago regarding the risk of food-borne illnesses. The reasoning was that sprouts are usually grown in a warm environment, ideal for the growth of bacteria. Cooking the sprouts will destroy this harmful bacteria. Washing and chilling raw sprouts will also reduce the risk of harmful bacteria.

The sprouts can be purchased canned, but for better quality and a superior flavor and crispness, then look for fresh bean sprouts in the produce aisle of your supermarket. They will stay fresh in the refrigerator for almost a week, but only maintain maximum freshness for about 3-4 days, and then will start to grow slimy and decay. Keeping them packed loosely will help to preserve their freshness. Look for sprouts that appear to have moist roots and a white color. They should be crisp, and are usually washed free of seed coats, but not always.

Exquisite in stir-fries, use them to replace noodles and rice, and add an assortment of herbs and spices such as ginger and garlic for an extra shopping list of various vitamins and health benefits.

Some cultures also use the mung beans for creative dessert uses. Other ideas include using sprouts in coleslaw, wraps, and omelets.

It is easy to grow your own sprouts; there is a wealth of information and products available on the internet to help you maintain a fun and healthy sprout garden on your windowsill. In addition, it makes a great project for children!

A couple of Thursdays ago, I went to the Apples of Gold Bible study, my friend Heather was the "Cook of the Week". She had a recipe for wraps that she shared with us. Now, I have seen wraps at restaurants, but I had never had one. I just wasn't sure if I would like the combination of the taste of a tortilla with all that stuff that should be on sandwich bread. Needless to say, the mystery was over on this particular day, and this girl is hooked!! Thank you, Heather!!!!

When Heather made the wraps, she used a low carb, whole wheat tortilla and then we put spicy brown mustard on the tortilla, just regular old turkey deli meat, lettuce, shredded cheese and tomatoes. These were great!!! We also had raw carrots with dill dip, Waldorph salad, and a to die for strawberry ice cream pie for dessert. WOW!!!

This was all so good, I decided to try it with my Monday night Bible study gals. We take a break in the summer from our regular Monday night Bible study routine, because our families are so active it is hard to get even half of us there on a Monday night during the summer. Anyway, we usually get together once a month during the summer for lunch, to swim, etc. So, last Friday, I decided that I would invite everyone over for lunch and try the wraps with them. They were a hit with these gals as well!!!

We made our wraps just a little different. I gave them the choice of whole wheat or white tortillas and spicy brown mustard, mayo or ranch dressing. There was whole smorgesboard of fixings for the inside. We stuck with the deli turkey meat, but then there were three different types of shredded cheeses. There were little green onions sliced, olives, whole canned black beans, grape tomatoes, and raw spinach leaves or shredded lettuce. Then we had chips with homemade salsa that Ro brought, and Brenda brought a raw veggie tray with cucumber dip. Drink choice was water, Dr. Pepper, Diet Pepsi, or Crystal Light Green Tea with Mango and Peach.

Then I encouraged the girls to save room for the awesome strawberry ice cream pie!!! We had this with iced coffee.

It was a great afternoon of food and fellowship!!! Can't wait for our next time together!!!

Heather's Strawberry Ice Cream Pie

1 already prepared graham cracker pie crust

(or make your own as it is a lot cheaper for this recipe)

1 1/2 quarts Dillons Signature Mark Strawberry Ice Cream

(or your favorite ice cream with real fruit chunks)

1 cup Cool-Whip

3/4 cup chocolate chips

3/4 cup chopped peacans (or your choice of nuts)

about 8 graham crackers crunched up

(they should be in chunks about the size of nickels)

Allow ice cream to get soft and stir in all the rest of the ingredients. Then spread into

the already prepared graham cracker pie crust and place back into freezer overnight.

take ice cream pie out of freezer about 15 minutes before serving, this will allow for

easier slicing. ENJOY!!!

I have to tell you a story about making your own graham cracker pie crust. Our family has been feeling the economic crunch for quite sometime, and I have been trying to cut back in some areas. I guess Musician is starting to get the picture and so, being the wise Senior in high school that she has become!!!! She informed me when we were shopping for all the ingredients for the ice cream pie the other night, "Mom, don't buy the already prepared pie crust because your going to end up spending more. You have to buy graham crackers anyway to put into the ice cream and then they'll end up going bad in the pantry because no one will finish eating them. Just make your own pie crust, it will be better anyway!!" See how wise she is?!?!?!?

Here is the recipe for the homemade graham cracker crust. This was enough to fill my Pampered Chef stone pie pan. For those of you that aren't familiar this is about a 10 inch round by 3 inch deep pie pan. So, Musician was right, I would have just got a little scrawny already prepared pie crust that wouldn't have held all my ingredients. As it went, my stone pie pan held all the ice cream ingredients, less 2 cups. I took 2 cups of the mixture and just froze them out of the shell. In little one cup dessert dishes. Okay, sorry, back to the graham cracker crust recipe:

18 graham cracker squares crushed fine (I put in a gallon freezer bag and run a rolling pin back

fourth until they are crushed fine.)

1/3 cup sugar

6 T. melted butter

Mix all these ingredients together, press into your pie pan on the bottom and up the sides. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 10 minutes. Allow to cool completely, then fill.

Last summer I made a pizza for our Women's Bible Study called Amazing Greek Pizza. This was a veggie pizza, and I had shared with them a homemade pizza sauce and homemade whole wheat pizza dough as well.

This past Monday it was around 90 degrees outside, and we still hadn't/haven't turned on our AC. However, I was making pizza crust for another occassion and decided to make pizza for us that evening too. Although, I did not want to turn on the oven, thus heating the house up even more. We talked about cooking it on one of the smaller stones and baking it in the roaster. This would have bascially made for personal pan pizzas, not a large one. Then I started thinking, I had heard of restaurants making their pizzas on stones in brick ovens. So, why couldn't I do the same thing but cook it on our grill!!
So I did! And everyone thought it edible, enjoyable, and WOW! They want to make our pizzas that way from now on.

You make your pizza just like you would if you were putting it in the oven. Spray your cooking stone well with cooking spray before rolling out your dough. Then cook directly on the grate of the grill, in a 300 degree grill for 20 minutes.

(Recipe for pizza dough and sauce can be found in my June 13, 2008 archieve)

Bon Appetite!!!

Amazing Greek Pizza

Toppings Placed on Pizza in this order after spreading your sauce over the whole wheat pizza dough:

Just a little sprinkle of mozzarella cheese

1 - 4 oz. container Feta Cheese w/ Sundried

Tomatoes

Broccoli chopped finely

(I use Pampered Chef food chopper then

I can chop some of the stalk as well - see

below for more about broccoli)

raw spinach leaves chopped finely, red bell peppers chopped, black olives sliced, green onions chopped finely, fresh mushrooms sliced, (whatever else you would like), then finish off with mozzarella cheese.

Nutritional Value of Broccoli
The nutritional value of broccoli has garnered the spotlight in recent years. Broccoli, after extensive scientific research, is now viewed as one of the top powerhouses when it comes to nutrient density and benefits.
The health benefits of broccoli are beginning to reveal that this cruciferous vegetable may even be more potent than its advocates had ever realized.
But before we discuss healthy broccoli and its benefits, let's take a look at a bit of the history of this vegetable.
Although broccoli has been grown since the time of the Roman Empire, it wasn't until the 16th century that in became popular in France and then spread throughout the rest of Europe.
Amazingly, it wasn't until the 20th century that an Italian family brought some shipments to Boston that it started to gain popularity in the United States. Today, of course, we all know that broccoli is used widely in many dishes across numerous cultures.
Healthy BroccoliThe nutritional value of broccoli starts with it being jam-packed with vitamins and minerals.
On the vitamin side, it contains Vitamins B1 (Thiamin), B2 (Riboflavin), B3 (Niacin), B5 (Pantothenic acid), B6, B9 (Folate), Vitamin C and A.
When it comes to minerals, healthy broccoli contains: calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, and zinc.
These vitamins and minerals aren't just found in tiny trace amounts either. For example, did you know that ounce for ounce, broccoli actually contains more Vitamin C than many citrus fruits? Or that it has more calcium than an entire glass of milk? Or that it's an even richer source of fiber than whole wheat bread?
As good as this news is, it gets even better. The real potent nutritional value of broccoli lies in substances called isothiocyanates. Don't let the name scare you.
Isothiocyanates are a class of very potent anti-carcinogens. Meaning, they fight and help prevent cancer.
Specifically, tests have shown that broccoli's anti-cancer compounds greatly protected mice from stomach cancer. Although you don't hear about stomach cancer much per se, it is actually the second most common form of cancer.
Studies conducted at the prestigious John Hopkins University showed that broccoli contains compounds that trigger the body to produce a substance (sulforaphane) that, in turn, manufactures enzymes that are powerful cancer fighters.

Here are a few of the new recipes I tried over the holidays:

Pecan Balls (My Grammy's Recipe)

Yields 2 dozen

1/2 lb. butter, at room temperature

2 c. + 1/2c. powdered sugar

2 t. vanilla

2 c. all-purpose flour

1 c. chopped pecans

1. In a large bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter, powdered sugar, and the vanilla until smooth.
2. Add flour to butter mixture and beat on low speed to mix, then on medium speed until well blended. Stir in pecans.
3. Shape dough into 1-inch balls and place about 1 inch apart on buttered or cooking parchment-lined 12- by 15-inch baking sheets.
4. Bake in a 300° regular or convection oven until cookies are pale golden brown, about 25 minutes; if baking more than one pan at a time, switch pan positions halfway through baking. Let cookies stand on sheets until cool enough to handle.
5. Place remaining 1/2 cups powdered sugar in a shallow bowl. Gently turn warm cookies, a few at a time, in powdered sugar to coat. Set cookies on racks to cool completely.

Holiday Trees (Taken from Nov. 29, 08 Family Circle)

Yields 2 dozen

2 c. all-purpose flour

1/2 t. salt

3/4 c. (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

3/4 c. granulated sugar

2 large egg yolks

1 t. vanilla extract

6 drops green food coloring

6 oz. white chocolate, melted with 1 t. canola oil

1 Blend flour and salt in a small bowl. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar. Beat in yolks, vanilla and food coloring. Stir in flour mixture until dough comes together. Divide in half; flatten into disks. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate 2 hours.

2. Heat oven to 325 degrees. Roll dough 1/4 inch thick on floured surface. Cut out trees; refoll scraps. Transfer to ungreased baking sheet.

3 Bake at 325 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Transfer cookies to rack to cool. Dip edges in white chocolate. Let dry on waxed paper.

Oatmeal Cinnamon Chips Cookies (back of the Hershey's Cinnamon Chip package)

1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2-1/2 cups quick-cooking oats
1-2/3 cups (10-oz. pkg.) HERSHEY'S Cinnamon Chips
3/4 cup raisins (or substitute dried cranberries for the raisins)
Directions:1. Heat oven to 350°F. 2. Beat butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar in bowl until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Combine flour and baking soda; add to butter mixture, beating well. Stir in oats, cinnamon chips and raisins or dried cranberries (batter will be stiff). Drop by heaping teaspoons unto ungreased cookie sheet. 3. Bake 10 to 12 minutes on until lightly browned. Cool 1 minute; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. About 4 dozen.BAR VARIATION: Spread batter into lightly greased 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Bake at 350°F. for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. Cool; cut into bars. About 3 dozen bars.

I also tried a Cranberry Jello recipe using fresh cranberries (my stepmom's recipe), and K shared a family recipe of Butterhorn Cresent rolls with me and a cheeseball using Hidden Valley Ranch dried dressing mix.

It was a lot of work over the holidays, all the baking and cooking we did; but I do enjoy cooking like this and had not tried anything new since the summer. I have always been intimidated way to much to make Pecan Balls and Cheese Balls, but these were probably the most simple recipes of all!! No problem to whip up either of these two items to take to a Bible Study or some other type of get together. You just have to think about them in advance, like the night before (sometimes a problem for me to be thinking that far in advance).

The Christmas Tree cookies will be a keeper each year from now on for my Christmas Cookie Trays as well!!! These look like you spent a lot of time, but you really don't. The hardest thing is waiting the 2 hours for the dough to chill before baking them.