A New Blog

For some time now I have been feeling led to start a new blog. Not "another blog" per say, but something new, different and one that I would dedicate myself to exclusively. Although I have a passion for blogging and have 4 blogs at this time, my time is no longer allowing me to maintain them all. God really has been leading me to start an "all-in-one" sort of blog relating to my life as a Christian wife, mom, homeschool teacher and all the other things that go on in our home. So, from now on if you would like to visit with me, please stop by my new Blog Ripening On The Vine. It is a work in progress, so please stop by often! That is the only place I will be blogging now. I'll be covering lots of different topics and there will surely be a new recipe now and then as well. Feel free to stay here a while too if you would like, I have plenty of recipes, tips and ideas in the archives that you will enjoy! Thanks for stopping by, and to my long time readers, I hope you will join me on my new blogging adventure!

Oatmeal Breakfast Clafoutis

I'll be quite honest, before searching the web for a breakfast bar recipe yesterday I had never heard of a Clafoutis. But after trying it this morning, I can see why such a simple sounding preparation would have such a fancy sounding name. It was absolutely delicious! We ate ours drizzled with pure maple syrup but I think yogurt and honey would be a great topping as well... maybe some fresh sliced strawberries and fresh whipped cream... or even a nice thin layer of peanut butter. However you choose to top it, this is a must try recipe!

Oatmeal Breakfast Clafoutis

an original Quaker Oatmeal Recipe found on Chocolate and Zucchini and modified by me :0)

2-1/4 c. old fashioned oats, uncooked
1/3 c. brown sugar
2/4 C raisins
1/4 c. dried figs, coarsely chopped
1 apple, peeled and sliced
1/3 c. chopped macadamia nuts
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground mace
1/2 tsp salt
3-1/3 c. milk
2 eggs
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract

Serves 8

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 13 by 9-inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine the oats, sugar, raisins, figs, chopped nuts, cinnamon and salt. Mix well. In a medium bowl, combine the milk, eggs and vanilla. Mix well. Add this to the dry ingredients, and mix until well blended.

Pour the mixture into the baking dish, and use a wooden spoon to make sure the solids are more or less evenly spread out. Arrange the apple slices over the surface. They will sink somewhat but that's okay, they'll float right back up when the oatmeal cooks.

Put in the oven to bake for 55 to 60 minutes, until the center is set and firm to the touch. Let cool slightly : it should be eaten a bit warm but not scalding hot.

Cut in 8 servings, and serve with yogurt and fruit if desired ; it is also nice with a thin spread of jam or peanut butter. Store the leftovers in the refrigerator, tightly covered, or wrap each serving individually and put in the freezer. You can then take a serving out the night before and leave it to thaw until the morning, when a 30-second stay in the microwave will bring it to the perfect temperature.

Peanut Butterscotch Chews

I finally got a chance to break in my new copy of the King Arthur Whole Grain Baking Cookbook today. It took me quite a while to decide which recipe to try first. They all sound so great but a lot of them call for flours I don't keep on hand such as spelt, oat or barley flour. So, while I take my time stocking up on new ingredients I decided to try a recipe that would use things I have on hand. I adapted t his recipe by adding the butterscotch chips but feel free to leave them out. Or substitute chocolate chips. Either way, these are amazing! They are dense yet moist, rich, chewy and oh so peanutty good! I would highly suggest baking two batches because I can tell that they are not going to last long around here!

Peanut Butterscotch Chews

(adapted from King Arthur Whole Grain Baking Cookbook)

1 c. smooth peanut butter
1/2 c. packed brown sugar
1/2 c. granulated sugar (I used organic evaporated cane juice sugar)
1 large egg
1/4 c. water
2 Tbsp. dark corn syrup or honey (I used raw honey)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 c. whole wheat flour
1/2 c. lightly salted dry roasted peanuts, finely ground in the food processor (I used nuts from a small can of "nut topping" meant to top ice cream which I processed in my mini food chopper)
1/2 pkg. (about 6 oz.) butterscotch chips

Cream together first 8 ingredients. If you have a stand mixer, use that because this batter is quite heavy. Add flour and nuts until well combined. Gently mix in chips. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto greased baking sheets. Press with a fork to make a criss-cross pattern. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes. Cool for about 5 minutes on baking sheets then transfer with a spatula to wire racks to continue cooling. Makes about 28 cookies.

New Cookbooks!

Over the past few months I have been adding slowly to my cookbook collection. I recently purchased Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker Cookbook after borrowing it from our church library and falling in love with it. I used to always use the "Fix It And Forget It" books quite a bit when I was seeking a great slow cooker recipe but this is now my "go-to" book for all things crock pot. This book is great because it uses a lot of really nutritious ingredients and there are not a lot of processed foods used. I also bought the King Arthur Whole Grain Baking Cookbook. This one is awesome if you are trying to incorporate more whole grains into your diet. There are plenty of recipes for things you would normally make like pancakes, oatmeal, breads and pizza crust. The only difference is these recipes use whole grains and they taste great! You can check all the new additions to my collection over on the right sidebar ... just scroll down a bit to see them all.

Chicken With Tomato Rice Pilaf

I recently got a few new cookbooks that contain some really amazing recipes. I'm hoping to try several over the next few weeks and will post the recipes here.

Tonight I made a dish called Chicken With Tomato Rice Pilaf from Claudia Roden's Arabesque. This cookbook contains recipes from Morocco, Lebanon and Turkey. There are many beautiful photographs throughout the book as well. It would make a beautiful coffee table book because the cover is so pretty. I really enjoyed reading this book because not only is it a cook book, it also contains a wealth of information about the countries from which the recipes hail. This is the first recipe I have tried from this book and it is wonderful! We had it with buttered peas, homemade pitas and hummus.



Chicken With Tomato Rice Pilaf
(Adapted from Arabesque by Cladia Roden)

(for the rice)
1 1/2 c. long grain rice
1 (15 oz.) diced tomatoes
1 tsp. chicken bullion powder
2 tsp. sugar
salt and pepper
1/2 stick butter, diced

(for the chicken)
4 boneless, skinless chicken pieces
1 Tbsp. light olive oil
2 Tbsp. butter
1/2 tsp ground coriander
salt and pepper
dried parsley


Start by making the rice. Blend tomatoes in blender then add enough water to make 2 2/3 cups. Pour the tomato puree into a pot along with the bullion, sugar and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer and let cook for 20 minutes or until rice is fluffy. Add more water if needed towards the end of cooking and simmer a few more minutes. Stir in butter and set aside. For the chicken, cut chicken into bite sized pieces. Heat oil and butter in a skillet then add chicken and cook 6 - 8 minutes or until lightly browned. Turn pieces over once during cooking. Serve chicken over the rice sprinkled with parsley.