24 October 2011
One of the joys of autumn is driving to the local orchard and stocking up on apples for the next three seasons. The storefront smells delightful, and the selection of apples is quite varied (my favorite type being Jonagold).
A few weeks ago we peeled, cored, sliced, and froze over one hundred pounds of this crisp, juicy fruit. We hope to preserve more in a couple weeks, if the orchard still has enough.
We’ve already made cobblers from some of the apples. Delicious!
26 September 2011
A peaceful Saturday morning. (See another shot here.)
“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” —Colossians 3:16-17
23 September 2011
Peach Pie
[Gluten-Free or Otherwise]
Filling:
10 fresh peaches, sliced
1/2 cup coconut sugar
3 tablespoons butter
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Crust:
CeliacTeen’s Gluten-Free Pie Crust
(or your recipe of choice)
Bake:
1. Bake for 15 minutes at 450°F
2. Then bake for 30-35 minutes at 350°F
3. Turn off oven, leaving pie inside to cool and thicken for 1-2 hours.
It’s delicious!
8 August 2011
Harvesting (scanning) textures and graphics out of a stack of old books from my collection. Stepping Heavenward is a wonderful book – if you find a copy, whether it be new or old, I highly recommend you pick it up and read it!
Making French Toast out of our gluten-free almond bread. Delicious! I believe it had been a little too long since making French Toast.
Smiling at Mum’s Toad-in-the-Hole creation for Dad’s breakfast. (Yes, that would be gluten-rich bread – homemade whole-wheat bread, to be exact.)
And also cooking up some ideas for re-opening the Etsy shop! Stay tuned!
18 July 2011
When we switched to gluten-free eating over a year ago, there were three main foods we wanted to find excellent gluten-free recipes for: bread, pancakes, and pizza crust.
After a disappointing experience with a box-mix pizza crust (tasting similar to what I would think cardboard tastes like), I was left with little hope. Mum, on the other hand, persevered and the next week found a recipe. And it was delicious, aside from being soggy and flimsy.
Since then I’ve created a new recipe, based on the original. Below you will find my finished creation which makes for a thin, crispy, delicious gluten-free pizza crust!
.
The Best Gluten-Free Pizza Crust
(even gluten-eaters like it!) Makes: 2 large crusts
DRY Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups brown rice flour*
1 1/3 cups tapioca flour/starch
2 teaspoon xanthan gum
2 teaspoon (1 packet) gelatin
4 tablespoon dry milk powder
2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon salt
WET Ingredients:
1 cup water
2 egg whites
1 whole egg
3 tablespoon olive oil
*To make this recipe grain-free, use almond flour instead of brown rice flour.
Mix wet ingredients in mixer. Combine dry ingredients in medium bowl. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients in mixer and beat on high for 3 1/2 minutes.
Divide dough onto two well-greased pizza pans…
If you’ve worked with gluten-free dough before, you already realize how sticky it can be. For this reason, the best way to roll out the pizza dough is to drop it in dollops on a well-greased pizza stone and then roll it out until smooth. (It’ll be well worth the extra work of smoothing it out.)
Bake for 10 minutes at 400°F.
Remove from oven, flip the crust, and bake for another 8 minutes at 400°F. (Since this recipe makes two crusts, you might as well go ahead and bake the second one on both sides, too, before adding the toppings.)
(The apron in the upper left corner is a creation of the delightful Marie-Madeline Studio!)
Remove crust(s) from oven, and spread desired sauce (no need to let cool).
Add desired toppings. (We stick with the basics – simple yet delicious!)
Bake for 8-12 minutes at 400°F, depending on desired softness or crispiness.
There you have it! Want a slice? Enjoy!
P.S. The baked crusts freeze very well. We usually freeze the second crust in a turkey oven bag (which we reuse) – the one bag we found that fits the diameter of the crust. When you’re ready to use the frozen crust, let it sit out for a few minutes on the pizza pan/stoneware. Then add the toppings and bake for 10-12 minutes at 400°F.
8 July 2011
Freshly-picked, these berries are a portion of our largest – though still rather small – harvest we have had to date. We’re not professional raspberry-growers, but we do enjoy the trickling of berries we’re blessed to have from our bushes.
“[The righteous] still bear fruit in old age;
they are ever full of sap and green,
to declare that the Lord is upright;
He is my rock, and there is no
unrighteousness in Him.”—Psalm 92:14-15
3 July 2011
This is Will and Bethany Joy.
They were joined as husband and wife on June 25th. On that day was much joy, love, beauty, thanksgiving, and most importantly the love of Christ.
At their wedding they shared their first kiss. Their commitment to purity displayed the loveliness in keeping oneself pure until marriage for the one who the Lord has for you to marry.
The ceremony reflected the love of Christ, displayed the importance of serving one other, and was filled with the blessing of the parents as a new family was founded.
The sign welcoming the guests. There were three sections of chairs set up and in front of each section were quilts laid out on the ground for the children and a closer view.
Joy taking the arm of her father as they approach her groom.
Prayer for their new life together.
My dear father was a groomsman in the wedding (he is farthest left in the group of men at right.)
Their FIRST kiss.
Mr. & Mrs. William A. Smith, III. Happily wed.
Flower girls rejoicing with the bride and groom.
Although I was not an official photographer, Kristi was very kind to let me tag along and act as an unofficial second-shooter. It was delightful!
Only the beginning.
The stunningly beautiful bride, Mrs. Smith.
After the wedding the guests and wedding party boarded the “Dixie”, a paddle boat from the 1920’s, while the bride and groom’s portraits were taken. There was great cheering when the newlyweds appeared and boarded the boat.
The icing flowers were made by the bride, the cake was made by her mother, and the log-stand was decorated by my sister, Breezy.
The bride and groom’s first dance was choreographed to “Lucky.” (But, of course, everyone would agree that they are blessed.)
Instead of birdseed or bubbles, lavender was handed out to the guests to be tossed at Will & Bethany as they departed.
Mr. & Mrs. Wm A. Smith, III.
Balloons were released…
…and they “sailed” off on a speedboat.
We’re excited to see how the Lord will use this couple in the furtherance of His Kingdom!
(We love you, Will & Joy!)
[Find a few more pictures from the wedding here.]
16 June 2011
After her return from a trip to Oregon, our friend brought back some special treats for us to enjoy.
It was very kind of her to bring back such a delicious surprise (dried pears as well as fine chocolate truffles) along with treasured vintage finds!
10 May 2011
They’re green. They’re fresh. And they’re nutrient-dense.
Do they taste good? “Yes. A thousand times—yes!”
No worries, though, the color threw me off at first, too. But once you’ve tasted a well-blended and balanced green smoothie, you’ll understand why these make it to the lunch table nearly every day.
Our trusty blender is a Vitamix (Blendtec works great, too).
What’s in a green smoothie?
To make four glasses of smoothie:
The Greens:
– Lots [see above picture] of Spinach (its sweet, takes out the zing of the kale)
– 2-3 leaves of Kale
– 1 handful of Cabbage
– a dash of water
The Fruits:
– 2 chunks Pineapple Core (not eatable because of hardness, but when blended is delectable)
– 2 Pears (home-grown organic – we have plenty in our freezers)
– 2 Bananas
Other: Apples, Grapes, Berries, Coconut meat, etc. (Occasionally added.)
Blend greens and water in a sturdy blender before adding fruit to avoid the possibility of finding leaf chunks. Throw in the the fruits, blend it all together until smooth, and pour it out into glasses… which, in our family, means Ball jars.
Many of the fruits we use are frozen, making the smoothies chilled and great for a warm day. (We like to stock up and preserve fruits when they are in season or on sale.)
The finished smoothie – with the right combination – is sweet and refreshing!
P.S. Monday was the first time we’ve used fresh greens from the garden in our smoothies. The spinach and kale are being planted every-so-often so that they have a longer harvest season.
