Making No-Knead Bread

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13Ah9ES2yTU

Pepparkakor

My Christmas memories have always included my mother's "Pepparkakor" also known as gingerbread cookies. I loved after she has made a batch to bake the next day and put the dough in the refrigerator for the night and we would all sneak into the bowl to eat as much dough as we could without getting caught. I don't remember ever getting in trouble though... I'm sure that is because the whole family would dig into that bowl several times. Now I am continuing the tradition with my own family. Here is a yummy Swedish treat that your whole family will love!

Note: 1 deciliter = .43 us cups (about 1/2 cup)

Pepparkador

3 dl. Sugar

1 1/2 deciliter Swedish syrup (Swedish Light Syrup is made from beet sugar, with some salt added..There are two kinds, light "ljus sirap", which is used as a topping and in cooking, and dark "mörk sirap ", which is used as an ingredient in cooking. For the light, you can substitute light corn syrup, or golden syrup.) You can find this syrup at IKEA.

200 grams butter (14 tablespoons) Butter

1 1/2 dl. Whipping Cream

1 tablespoon Ground Ginger

1 tablespoon Cinnamon

1/2 tablespoon Ground Cloves

1 tablespoon Baking Soda

Approx. 1.2 liters Flour (1 liter = 4.25 cups) I use 6 cups

1. Warm sugar, syrup and butter in a saucepan until melted. Pour this mixture into a bowl and let cool some.

2. Add whipping cream and spices and mix.

3. mix the baking soda together with some of the flour then add to mixture. Add the rest of the flour except for a little to use for rolling out the cookies.

4. Let the cookie dough rest overnight in the fridge.

5. Roll out the cookie dough very thin on a floured baking board, use cookie cutters of desired shapes.

6. Bake cookies on parchment paper covered cookie sheets in a 400 deg. over for approx. 5 minutes.

7. Let cookies cool some before transferring from cookie sheet.

8. Enjoy with a glass of milk or coffee

Top 10 Reasons to Support Organic in the 21st Century

Source: Alan Greene, MD (Organic Trade Association), Bob Scowcroft (Organic Farming Research Foundation), Sylvia Tawse (Fresh Ideas Group)

1. Reduce The Toxic Load: Keep Chemicals Out of the Air, Water, Soil and our Bodies
Buying organic food promotes a less toxic environment for all living things. With only 0.5 percent of crop and pasture land in organic, according to USDA that leaves 99.5 percent of farm acres in the U.S. at risk of exposure to noxious agricultural chemicals.

Our bodies are the environment so supporting organic agriculture doesn’t just benefit your family, it helps all families live less toxically.

2. Reduce if Not Eliminate Off Farm Pollution
Industrial agriculture doesn’t singularly pollute farmland and farm workers; it also wreaks havoc on the environment downstream. Pesticide drift affects non-farm communities with odorless and invisible poisons. Synthetic fertilizer drifting downstream is the main culprit for dead zones in delicate ocean environments, such as the Gulf of Mexico, where its dead zone is now larger than 22,000 square kilometers, an area larger than New Jersey, according to Science magazine, August, 2002.

3. Protect Future Generations
Before a mother first nurses her newborn, the toxic risk from pesticides has already begun. Studies show that infants are exposed to hundreds of harmful chemicals in utero. In fact, our nation is now reaping the results of four generations of exposure to agricultural and industrial chemicals, whose safety was deemed on adult tolerance levels, not on children’s. According to the National Academy of Science, “neurologic and behavioral effects may result from low-level exposure to pesticides.” Numerous studies show that pesticides can adversely affect the nervous system, increase the risk of cancer, and decrease fertility.

4. Build Healthy Soil
Mono-cropping and chemical fertilizer dependency has taken a toll with a loss of top soil estimated at a cost of $40 billion per year in the U.S., according to David Pimental of Cornell University. Add to this an equally disturbing loss of micro nutrients and minerals in fruits and vegetables. Feeding the soil with organic matter instead of ammonia and other synthetic fertilizers has proven to increase nutrients in produce, with higher levels of vitamins and minerals found in organic food, according to the 2005 study, “Elevating Antioxidant levels in food through organic farming and food processing,” Organic Center State of Science Review (1.05)

5. Taste Better and Truer Flavor
Scientists now know what we eaters have known all along: organic food often tastes better. It makes sense that strawberries taste yummier when raised in harmony with nature, but researchers at Washington State University just proved this as fact in lab taste trials where the organic berries were consistently judged as sweeter. Plus, new research verifies that some organic produce is often lower in nitrates and higher in antioxidants than conventional food. Let the organic feasting begin!

6. Assist Family Farmers of all Sizes
According to Organic Farming Research Foundation, as of 2006 there are approximately 10,000 certified organic producers in the U.S. compared to 2500 to 3,000 tracked in 1994. Measured against the two million farms estimated in the U.S. today, organic is still tiny. Family farms that are certified organic farms have a double economic benefit: they are profitable and they farm in harmony with their surrounding environment. Whether the farm is a 4-acre orchard or a 4,000-acre wheat farm, organic is a beneficial practice that is genuinely family-friendly.

7. Avoid Hasty and Poor Science in Your Food
Cloned food. GMOs and rBGH. Oh my! Interesting how swiftly these food technologies were rushed to market, when organic fought for 13 years to become federal law. Eleven years ago, genetically modified food was not part of our food supply; today an astounding 30 percent of our cropland is planted in GMOs. Organic is the only de facto seal of reassurance against these and other modern, lab-produced additions to our food supply, and the only food term with built in inspections and federal regulatory teeth.

8. Eating with a Sense of Place
Whether it is local fruit, imported coffee or artisan cheese, organic can demonstrate a reverence for the land and its people. No matter the zip code, organic has proven to use less energy (on average, about 30 percent less), is beneficial to soil, water and local habitat, and is safer for the people who harvest our food. Eat more seasonably by supporting your local farmers market while also supporting a global organic economy year round. It will make your taste buds happy.

9. Promote Biodiversity
Visit an organic farm and you’ll notice something: a buzz of animal, bird and insect activity. These organic oases are thriving, diverse habitats. Native plants, birds and hawks return usually after the first season of organic practices; beneficial insects allow for a greater balance, and indigenous animals find these farms a safe haven. As best said by Aldo Leopold, “A good farm must be one where the native flora and fauna have lost acreage without losing their existence.” An organic farm is the equivalent of reforestation. Industrial farms are the equivalent of clear cutting of native habitat with a focus on high farm yields.

10. Celebrate the Culture of Agriculture
Food is a ‘language’ spoken in every culture. Making this language organic allows for an important cultural revolution whereby diversity and biodiversity are embraced and chemical toxins and environmental harm are radically reduced, if not eliminated. The simple act of saving one heirloom seed from extinction, for example, is an act of biological and cultural conservation. Organic is not necessarily the most efficient farming system in the short run. It is slower, harder, more complex and more labor-intensive. But for the sake of culture everywhere, from permaculture to human culture, organic should be celebrated at every table.

We get our fresh organic produce delivered to our door from Farm Fresh To You.

Waffles

Last weekend when the entire family was home - husband, wife and son, I felt like making waffles. While in the past I have relied on bisquick to do the work for me, I did not have any and really have been trying to stay away from anything that comes in a "box". So.... I turned to my trusty Better Homes and Gardens Cook Book and found a super simple recipe and let me tell you those waffles were the best I have ever made! And I was able to freeze the left overs for easy breakfast mornings. Enjoy a waffle morning with your family!

Waffles

This batter works in regular and Belgian waffle bakers.

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 3/4 cups milk
1/2 cup cooking oil or butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla

1. In a medium bowl stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Make a well in center of flower mixture; set aside

2. In another medium bowl beat eggs slightly; stir in milk, oil and vanilla. Add egg mixture all at once to the flour mixture. Stir just until moistened (batter should be slightly lumpy).

3. Pour 1 to 1 1/4 cups of batter onto grids of a preheated, lightly greased waffle baker. Close lid quickly; do not open until done. Bake according to manufacturer's directions. When done, use a fork to lift waffle off grid. Repeat with remaining batter. Serve warm.

PS... I always use Organic ingredients when available!

Retail Me Not

My sister in law, who knows I love to shop, told me about a web-site she heard about on Rachel Ray's television show called Retail Me Not.com. I love to shop, but I won't buy something unless I have a coupon or the item is on sale for a great price. Today I was shopping on line for party items for my son's birthday party for next weekend. I was checking out at Party City.com and my total was going to be $41.04. It asked me for a coupon code and when I realized I didn't have one I remembered the website. When I entered Party City, it popped up right away with a save 25% plus free shipping coupon. I couldn't believe it! My new total was $24.48. I could have wasted $16.56 had I not found that coupon. There are over 40,000 stores listed on this web-site. You have to check it out!!!

Hallonsylt (Raspberry Jam)

I just returned from vacation to visit my family in Sweden. My Farmor (or grandmother) has always made homemade jam to serve with Pancakes and other Swedish recipes. I finally asked my Farmor how she does it and it is much eaiser than I thought. This recipe can be used for Strawberry and Blueberries...or anything else you would like to use.

Ingredients for recipes

• 1 liter of raspberry (I used frozen raspberries that I had left over, but you can use fresh as well.)
• 500 g jam sugar (I used Organic Cane Sugar and it turned out great. I also used less sugar. I just added a little and then tasted)

1. Boil the raspberries and add sugar. Cook for about 10 minutes or less if using fresh fruit. Raspberries natural acidity will preserve sustainable. But the berriess do not have much pectin, which makes it gelled, so that it can be a good idea to add some pectin. (I did not use)
2. Make sure to boil the jars in water (sterilize) before you pour in the raspberry jam.
3. Close the jars very tightly.
   
4. Opened jar raspberry jam can be kept in the fridge.
5. Enjoy!
   

Servings:

1 liter of raspberry jam

Getting Ready for LilyAnne Sue - Baby Shower

My friend and previous co-worker JulieAnn is expecting her first baby in October. She is having a little girl. Her name will be LilyAnne Sue. Isn't that an adorable name?! Well, I wanted to throw an adorable shower to match that sweet name. JulieAnn has picked a pink and light sage green lady bug theme for the baby bedding. So that was my start. I wanted to stay with pink as the main theme color and throw in a little bit of sage green accents when available.

I actually only rented white table linens, and was going to keep it clean and simple, but there was an error on the rental company's end, and they gave me two different pink color table coverings along with the white table linens. I'm glad that there was an error because I loved the two different color pink table cloths. It matched the pink Martha Stewart Pom Poms made from tissue that I purchased at Michael's. I also hung baby clothing to look like a clothesline from the patio, which was also my gift to the soon to be new mom. I also purchased three pairs of Lill Curtains from IKEA at only $4.99 a pair. What a steal! I added whimsical color butterflies to the curtains. The butterflies were only $1.99 for 12 (six large, 6 small) at Michael's. I also added the butterflies to the floral arrangements and diaper cake. This was my first attempt at a Diaper Cake and it turned out wonderful! Everyone loved it. I added wash cloths, lotion, baby soap, rubber ducky, hair bows and spoons to the cake. If anyone is ever interrested in having one made please feel free to e-mail me for pricing and details. I ordered cupcakes from Ontario Bakery at $.75 each. I brought in my own baking cups and baby decorations to go along with my theme. I had made the invitations, so I had plenty of scrapbook baby left. I used some of it as place mats and the rest I cut into two inch strips and wrapped them around the water bottles. It was a hot day at about 90 degrees, so it was a good thing that there was plenty of water to go around. As favors I set up a Candy Buffet. I have been collected apothecary jars for the last few weeks for the shower. Now I will have them for future parties and as decoration on my new hutch. Everyone received a take away box with a little tag that read: "Sugar and Spice and Everything nice....That's what Little Girls are made of." As you can see from the picture, everyone loved that candy! I didn't have much left... A good thing:)

It was a fun day and I think everyone had a great time.

Menu:

Strawberry Lemonade

Salad with Raspberries, Blueberries, Pine Nuts and Raspberry Vinaigrette.

Veggie Chips with Ranch Dip

Assorted Fruits

Frog Eye Salad

Croissant Sandwiches with Turkey and Roast Beef