Out With the Old, In With the New

You may remember this beauty from this post? Well it seems this week is the week to say my goodbyes. The replacement oven, stove top and hood are being installed on Tuesday.  

It'll be nice to have things looking fresh and pristine and to know I can bake my food according to recipe instructions and all will be well...  

The down side is I was just beginning to get used to setting the temp 25 to 50 degrees cooler than instructed.  

In fact I'm pretty sure I burned the first batch of these delicious peanut butter cookies figuring that out! Oops! Definitely not a first for me... though it is nice to be able to blame it on an ancient oven.

I guess I'm going to miss this dear old appliance for more than just her looks after all. Seriously, isn't the door decal the cutest?

 

Happy Sunday all,

Breakfast at Courtney's

It's Monday which means I get to welcome you again to Breakfast at Courtney's...
Such a beautiful morning for this delicious family breakfast. Open windows, cool breezes, Scripture, worship hymns, birds singing along.

I shared tea and conversation with my man while we ate Toasted English Muffins with Coconut Oil & Sliced Strawberries On Top.
I would share the recipe but I think you get the idea. It's all in the title baby! Today I find myself counting an abundance of blessings from my Heavenly Father. God is so very good. His mercies are indeed new every morning. Great is His faithfulness.
Mug - Target
Plate - Ikea 
Bible - Barnes & Noble
Coaster - The Velvetleaf Boutique
Food - Vons

Thanks for dropping by dear friend.

Love,

Tis the Season

Decorating for Christmas 2012 at our house happened last night. We were going to skip having a tree this year due to limited space and a tight budget, but then we happened upon this little bargain and couldn't pass up the opportunity... Don't worry. It's not crooked in real life. After we got the tree put up, we sat down and shared a cup of peppermint hot chocolate together. Mmmmm.... all while listening to Christmas music with this delicious scented candle burning in the background. Today I will be making gifts and baking cookies!

Want to know a secret? I don't thoroughly enjoy Christmas baking. It wears me out and the dishes afterward are a nightmare because I have to do them all by hand. But my husband loves freshly baked cookies, so today I will sacrifice a wee bit and bless my man.

How are your Christmas preparations coming along?

My Sorta Snickerdoodles Recipe...

Last night we searched our cupboards and found not one thing sweet to eat. So, I searched online for a recipe I could make without having to run to the store. I came across Food Network's  Snickerdoodles recipe, and happily saw that I had ALMOST all the ingredients. No biggie,... with a few minor changes I figured I could make it work. Unfortunately we were out of cinnamon (Seriously, who doesn't have cinnamon?... apparently us.), and we didn't have quite enough butter so I supplemented the shortage with a bit of coconut oil. It was a success. Here's my revised version. You gotta try it...

TOPPING

3 tablespoons sugar 

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

COOKIE DOUGH

3 1/2 cups flour 

1 tablespoon baking powder 

2 teaspoons baking soda 

1/4 teaspoon salt 

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg 

1/2 cup butter 

2 tablespoons coconut oil 

2 cups sugar 

2 eggs 

1 tablespoon maple syrup 

2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract 

DIRECTIONS 

In a small bowl, stir together the sugar and nutmeg and set aside. To make the cookie dough, stir together the dry ingredients (wait on the sugar). 

In another bowl, mix the butter & coconut oil (gradually building the speed). Note: If your butter and coconut oil are fresh from the fridge you may need to use a pastry blender to break them down a bit before mixing. Add the sugar and continue to mix, then add the eggs, maple syrup, and vanilla, and mix thoroughly. Add the dry ingredients and mix until blended.  

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Roll dough into balls about one inch in diameter. Then roll them in the nutmeg/sugar topping to coat. Place on an un-greased sheet pan (approx. 2 inches apart). Bake for 8 to 10 minutes until puffed up and the surface is slightly cracked. Let cool on the sheet pan a few minutes before removing to a wire rack or parchment paper to cool.
These are delicious with pretty much any kind of tea.
But today I made a chai green tea with whole milk and agave nectar...

Needless to say, it was delicious... 

Happy Tuesday everyone.

Pumpkin Goodness

The other day I learned how to make fresh pumpkin puree! So easy, just wash your baby pumpkin (the smaller the better or so I've been told), cut off the stem as if you were going to carve a jack-o-lantern. Slice it in half. Scoop out the seeds and set them aside to roast and snack on later. Slice the halves into threes and bake on a cookie sheet for 45 minutes at 350 degrees F.

 

 

After you remove your sliced pumpkin from the oven, allow it to cool a bit. Then peel off the skins and blend the pumpkin flesh in a blender, mash with a potato masher, or mush together with a pastry blender until the consistency is smooth. And you're done! You can freeze it in freezer bags or put it right into your favorite fall recipe.

And if you're like me and realize you don't have an egg to put into your recipe, you can ask a friendly neighbor to lend you one from their fridge. And then as a thank-you, you can gift some of your goodies to them with a note and the recipe. I promise you they'll love it, even if they don't like the cookies, the gesture I'm sure will be appreciated. 

 

This was a delightful way for us to meet another neighbor.

Linking up with...

p.s. Click on the blue button below to learn of other ways we can give love to those around us. Thank you Ashley!

I Am a Housewife

It's been one of those days where there is simply not enough time and energy to complete everything. I started cleaning our place very thoroughly this afternoon being inspired by the gorgeous weather and refreshing breeze coming in the windows. I had every intention of finishing all the dusting, the floors, the sinks and countertops, the dishes and every surface area til it shone with perfection. Now I'm sitting at the table quite spent and my kitchen didn't get cleaned yet. Which to me makes the whole place appear messy since the kitchen is visible from every room. Upsetting to say the least. And I have to stop because it's time to go back to the school and practice piano and then get any last minute homework finished before the morning. Sadly enough, I didn't even make a supper tonight. Oh cereal, here we come! Ah the shortcomings of my housewifery. I'm guessing lots of women can relate.

Tomorrow is James' birthday and he wants more than anything for me to bake him this delicious creamy pumpkin cheesecake. It's a recipe we found in Lunds and Byerly's real food magazine. And in case you wish to join me and bake them for the very first time, here is the recipe...

Creamy Pumpkin Cheesecake, Your Way

24 ounces cream cheese

1/4 cup creme fraiche or sour cream

1/4 cup cornstarch

3 extra large eggs

1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree

 1 1/2 cups sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

2 teaspoons real vanilla extract 

soft butter for greasing pan

Suggested optional toppings:

1/2 cup finely chopped pecans

1/3 cup white chocolate chips

3 tablespoons candied ginger, finely minced

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese, creme fraiche, and cornstarch until smooth. Add eggs, pumpkin puree, all but 1 tablespoon sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and vanilla. Mix until smooth.

3. Heavily butter a 10-inch, removable-bottom cake pan. Pour in batter. Bake 30 minutes.

4. Top with pecans, white chocolate chips, and ginger (or toppings of your choice). Bake 40 minutes longer until firm. Remove from oven and let cool completely. Cover and refrigerate 25 hours before serving. If enjoying cheesecake plain sprinkle with remaining sugar.

Enjoy 'em for up to 5 days! If they stick around that long.

Muffins or Cookies?

I thought I was making muffins the other day when to my great surprise and slight chagrin they came out of the oven looking very much like a batch of cookies. I got it right the second time around by not filling the muffin cups so full, but you gotta love the look of these: 

The Original Morning Glory Muffin of Pam McKinstry

Needless to say, the taste was delicious and I would recommend the recipe to anyone who wishes to know it. My other cooking experiments of late have been...

Farm Stand Greek Salad with (homemade) Classic Red Wine Vinaigrette

And...

Fresh Tomato Pizza with Pesto, Goat Cheese, and Arugula

And, last but not least...

Grilled Shrimp with Tropical Salsa

All these recipes are taken from The Earthbound Farm Organic Cookbook: Food to Live By. The authors are Myra Goodman, Linda Holland, and Pamela McKinstry. Of course it would be nice if we lived in an area where organic produce was a little less expensive and little more accessible but we're making due with the goodies we can afford at the present and as far as the recipes, we're loving them so far.