Hey, y’all…I just thought I’d drop in and say hi! It was another really busy week with trips to town every single day. Oy! But there were some good things in there. I went to my favorite grocery store and stocked up on the things to cook from scratch instead of buying ready made stuff. I’ve gotten a bit lazy and started buying more convenience foods. Mostly out of necessity because of time constraints. Mowing and travel just took it out of us this summer. I also took the camper in to get a tire replaced. The sidewall had all kinds of bubbles on it. I just bought them in late June so they shouldn’t have done that. I was so surprised…and grateful…that the owner of the tire shop replaced BOTH tires for free! We always buy all of our tires from her so she goes out of her way to make sure her customers are happy. Nice lady!

I used up the last of my almond milk this week so I made some from scratch yesterday. It was a lot of work, but I know what’s in it and there are no preservatives. It’s flavored with vanilla and real maple syrup and tastes SO much better than the store bought variety. After the almond milk was finished, I started on the yogurt. I used a good quality whole milk from grass-fed cows. I also used a good quality Greek yogurt culture. I love a rich and thick yogurt so I’m hoping this does the trick. 

When you make almond milk, you have nut pulp left over and there was no way I’m going to waste that goodness. I decided to make some muffins. I used a cup of the pulp, 2 eggs, a couple of tablespoons of butter, a cup of the leftover milk from the yogurt, two teaspoons of cinnamon, the grated peel and juice of one orange, and a couple of spoonfuls of my homemade vanilla extract. I mixed all that up in one bowl. In another bowl I added two cups of organic all purpose flour, one cup of oat flour, one teaspoon of baking power, two teaspoons of baking soda, a pinch of salt, a tablespoon of chia seeds, a couple of tablespoons of ground flax seed, and a cup or more of chopped pecans. I stirred the dry ingredients to combine them then folded them into the wet ingredients. I filled my cupcake pan for a total of six large muffins and topped them with some pearl sugar that I found in Denver. I baked the muffins at 425° for fifteen minutes, but I think next time I’ll bake them at 375° for 20-25 minutes. They had a very small spot in the crown of the muffin that could have used a few minutes more but they were getting pretty dark.

In the middle of all that, I made some wonderful roasted red pepper hummus. We had a nice little snack while we watched the WVU-Pitt game. Next up was CU-CSU, so both of my “homes” were represented on TV. We don’t always get to see those teams. It was a beautiful day and it felt so good to work in a well organized kitchen. I’m hoping with repetition, these things will become easier and quicker to make. Even though I enjoy it, it was a long day on my feet. I don’t know that I’m saving myself any money, but at least I know what’s in our food!

I hope you are enjoying this beautiful weather wherever you are. And, if your weather is less than perfect, I hope it turns around and gets better soon! Have a happy and blessed Sunday!

💙

“Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains.” James 5:7 ESV

#InTheKitchen, #Cooking, #Hummus, #Muffins, #Yogurt, #AlmondMilk, #ScratchKitchen