Canning Up a Storm

 

 I'm so thankful that we had so much warning ahead of time about Sandy.  It really gave us time to prepare. 

 

 One of the tasks I knew I wanted to accomplish before the storm hit was getting all of the tomatoes out of the freezer and turned into canned spaghetti sauce.  With slugs and late blight the tomato harvest was already pitiful - I wasn't about to lose any of it to a hurricane. 

 

 So, Sunday morning I  started in on my sauce.  The clouds were gathering, and I was getting tense.  I cook my sauce down in the oven (the same method I use for apple butter) over several hours.  We have a gas range, but the oven doesn't work if the power goes out.  I really, really didn't want to have to transfer everything to stock pots and try to cook it down on the stove top.  Fortunately, the sauce was done by late Sunday night.  So, when the power went off the sauce was safely tucked away in the canning cupboard. 

 

Monday morning I decided to really throw caution to the wind and do a baking of bread.  The fall had been so busy that I hadn't been able to bake for over a month, and we were down to one quarter of a loaf.  Amazingly, the bread was out of the oven, cooled, wrapped and frozen by the time the power went out. 

 

I even had time to make a new casserole for dinner.  I put that one in a cast iron skillet figuring that if I needed to I could finish it on top of the stove. 

 

We did all of the standard preparations for a storm.  Since we have a huge freezer - which is full of vegetables, prepared meals and breads -on Saturday I also filled it with lots of containers of water so that it would be completely full of frozen items.  I took out anything that I thought I might want over the next few days and moved it to the little freezer above the fridge so I wouldn't have to open the big freezer for any reason.  Then I crossed my fingers, said a prayer and walked away. 

 

Around 7 pm on Monday night we lost power, and stayed off for the next 22 hours.  Thankfully, we didn't lose anything.  My parents once lost power in the 70s for over six days - their freezer lasted fine for three days, so they figured I wouldn't lose anything as long as the power came back on by Thursday night... but I'm glad I didn't have to test their theory. 

 

Normally, when I menu plan I think about what came in the CSA bag, what we have growing in the garden, and what needs to be harvested/used.  With the impending storm, and then during the power outage, I found myself planning meals based on what needed to be eaten first before it rotted.  Here is our "Hurricane Menu".

 

Monday - Power almost all day... eating highly perishable food in anticipation of losing power...

Monday Breakfast:  Buckwheat Pancakes and Bacon (Something about the storm made me think of the Little House series so I made the pancakes from The Long Winter).

Buckwheat Pancakes (Adapted from the Little House Cookbook) 

If your kids are Little House fans and you don't have this book you should definitely get it. 

 

2 T Molasses

1 T dry yeast

2 c. buckwheat flour

1 c. whole wheat flour

1/2 t. baking soda

1/2 t. salt

1 T vegetable shortening (melted)

1/2 c. brown sugar

Real maple syrup

Real butter

 

The night before stir together the yeast, molasses, the flours and 2 1/2 cups of lukewarm water.  Cover and let sit on the counter.  In the morning add the soda, salt,  and shortening.  Make the first pancake larger (this the blanket cake -it stays on the top of the stack to keep the others warm).  Then, draft one of your children to butter each pancake and sprinkle brown sugar on top. Make stacks of pancake, butter and brown sugar.  Then lift three or four pancakes onto a plate and drizzle real maple syrup on top.  These pancakes are incredible.  Soft and fluffy.  I love to make them in the winter.  They're what I often make on snow days before we head out to ski.  They fill you up, and warm you from the inside out. 

Monday Lunch:  Egg salad and a green salad

Monday Dinner: Turnip, Cheese and Apple Casserole and Marsala Trout

Turnip Casserole (Adapted from the Moosewood Restaurant Kitchen Garden Cookbook)

Peel and slice several large turnips.  Boil them in slightly salted water until tender, but not mushy ( 5 or so minutes).  Drain them.   While the turnips are cooking slice up several large cooking apples and set aside.  Then, slice up an onion and saute it with a cup of fresh sage leaves.  When everything is ready assemble the casserole by stacking layers of turnips, onions, apples and a good sharp cheddar cheese.  End with the cheese on top.  Bake at 350 until hot and bubbly - 15 to 20 minutes.  This was rich and savory.  A wonderful winter meal and so easy to prepare. 

 

The bacon, cheese and trout were from the freezer and I knew they wouldn't survive even a little thaw.  The egg salad and greens were easily perishable items in the fridge.

 

Tuesday - No Power until the evening

Tuesday Breakfast:  Ham, Egg and Cheese Sandwiches

Tuesday Lunch:  Hurricane Soup (or Turnip Casserole revisited), Parsley and Feta Salad

Hurricane Soup

What do you do to reheat a casserole when you don't have a microwave or oven?  You make soup.  Take the leftover turnip casserole.  Chop the turnips and apples into bite sized pieces.  Add the leftovers, three vegetable bullion cubes and three cups of water to a pan.  Heat and eat.  This tasted very much like French onion soup.  The cheese melted into the broth and created a warm and comforting meal.  I also added the last of the ham to the top of the soup as a garnish.

 

Tuesday Dinner:  Southwestern Potatoes

Southwestern Potatoes (Adapted from Simply in Season)

Cut up and boil about 5 large potatoes.  Drain.  Add 2 c. corn and 1/2 jar of salsa.  Stir until heated through.  Add salt if needed.  At the table have everyone add shredded cheese, hot peppers, hot sauce and ranch dressing to suit their own taste.  Fast, easy and always a kid pleaser.  There are never any leftovers.  I usually make this as a Sunday after church lunch. 

 

 

The ham, cheese and feta were from the freezer, and needed used before they defrosted. The parsley and casserole from the previous night needed eaten ASAP. 

 

By Tuesday night (around 8:00 PM) our lives were (sort of) back to normal.  The power was back on, and the freezers were busy doing their thing.  I decided that we need to consider getting a generator and I revised my Christmas list -  I want a presure canner.  Does anyone have good suggestions for a brand?

 

How do you prepare for natural disasters?  I know that I always feel better going into any kind of severe weather knowing that the wood stove will keep cranking and that the canning cupboard is full. 

 

Before the storm hit we also had a great early Halloween celebration.  I'm sharing some of those ideas as well. 

 

I hope you all weathered the storm without too much property damage, and without losing anyone you love.  My heart goes out to all of those who had much, much bigger problems than worrying about a freezer. 



 

Pumpkin Dippers

Reading Girl made this to share at a Halloween party.  I think it would be a great Thanksgiving appetizer too.  The kids could even assemble it while they were waiting for dinner. 

 

Simply fill a bowl with your favorite hummus, and  peel and slice carrots into rounds.  Then put a toothpick into each "pumpkin", stick it into the hummus and garnish with a small piece of parsley.  Thanks to Family Circle for the idea.  They also stuck a scallion on the toothpick for a stem, but my kids aren't big fans of raw onion so we skipped it.

 



 

Cat Eating Vampire

Carved Turnip

This year, while the kids carved pumpkins, I decided to carve a turnip. Check out this link for a history of Jack O'Lanterns. It was very easy (easier than carving a pumpkin). I chose one of my extra large turnips.  Then I cut the lid at a bias - just like pumpkin carving, and scooped out the inside with a grapefruit spoon.  I then carved in eyes, nose and mouth and added a tea light.  It turned out really neat and looked like a little skull - especially when it was lit. 

Spaghetti Sauce

I usually freeze my tomatoes until about the end of September.  Then I make one final picking and turn the last of the fresh tomatoes and the frozen ones into sauce.  I do this for several reasons.  First, spaghetti sauce is a lot of work, rather time consuming and quite a bit of mess.  I prefer to only do this process once.  Secondly, I've learned that when I freeze tomatoes I'm able to pour a lot of the liquid from the tomato off so there's less water and more pulp when I start. This makes the cooking process much faster.  Finally, the tomatoes are already broken down some from the freezer so they require very little cooking time before they can be churned through the Victorio.

Then, once I have the pulp ready, I add garlic, onion and lots of herbs and bake it down until it's thick.  This usually takes at least 6 hours - sometimes longer depending on how much liquid is in the tomato pulp when you start.  I usually do spaghetti sauce over two days, but this year I did it all in one. I had already picked and prepared the herbs at the end of September and put them in my freezer.  Then I bribed the kids with the promise of hot bread sticks if they would peel the garlic.  It really made the processing go faster.

The house smelled glorious, full of that rich tomato smell and the heady waft of garlic and herbs.  I had a spaghetti squash that I slow roasted at the same time.  So, by dinnertime I had sauce in the canner, sauce on our plates and fantastic bread sticks to dip into the sauce.  We were all in heaven.

My recipe was adapted from my mom's recipe.  She got hers from a first generation Italian immigrant woman from our church.  I increased the amount of herbs and garlic, and cut the sugar amount drastically.  I'm completely in love with my sauce.  I savor it all year long, and when the last jar is finished I feel forlorn.  I don't think there's ever been a year when I've made enough. I'd eat it straight from the jar, but that seems a bit extreme.

Garlic and Herb Spaghetti Sauce

For every quart of tomato puree....
1 6 oz. can of tomato paste (Optional - some years I use this, and some I don't.  It make the sauce thicken faster.)
2 t. fresh basil - chopped
2 t. fresh oregano - chopped
2 t. fresh rosemary
1/2 t. sugar
1 t. salt
1/8 t. pepper
1/4 c. onion - rough chopped
1 clove garlic

Saute the onion and garlic in olive oil until soft and caramelized.  Then buzz in a food processor until smooth.

Add the onion mixture and the rest of the ingredients to the tomato puree.  Transfer to a 300 degree oven and bake until thick (approximately 6 hours).   Add 2 t. of lemon juice to each jar, then can for 45 minutes.

I measure out sauce into my big roaster and my other big pans, and then chop the correct amount of garlic and onions.  I then add the rest of the ingredients directly to the pans.  When I first started to make this sauce I actually measured out all of the herbs.  Now I only actually measure the salt and pepper.  I'm also sure to not have too much onion in the sauce.    I've been making this sauce for 15 years, so I've gotten pretty good at eyeballing the rest of the ingredients.  I then add salt as needed as the sauce cooks down. 

Tomatoes thawing in the sink the night before processing

Tomatoes heating on stove top to finish defrosting

Tomato Puree

Garlic smashing and snacking

Sauteed garlic and onions

Garlic and Onion Paste

Sauce with all the ingredients - ready to cook down

Finished!  I only got 12 jars.  Stupid slugs!

There were two positive benefits of the storm.  The Woodsman has gotten three loads of wood this week (one of them was already cut).  We lost eight trees, but none of them hit buildings, although the chicken house was almost a goner.  The other great benefit was the snow on the mountains.  It's just enough for us to pretend that we live in Colorado, and enough to give us hope for snow this winter.

What kind of wood do you think this is?  We have a little debate going.

Sunrise on North Mountain 10/31/12

Outdoors in October I: Campout and Hike at Tibet Knob, George Washington National Forest

Every fall we invite our friends to camp out at our house.  The canning is usually done, the garden has frosted over and the gnats are history.  So, we sit around the fire, talk, eat and enjoy catching up with each other. 

This year there were some really great recipes.  We had mountain pies on Friday (post to follow soon), and baked potatoes with toppings on Saturday.  But, there were also some excellent covered dishes.

Oregon Girls's Vegan Gluten Free Sweet Potato Chili

Adapted from The Gluten Free Goddess

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

3-6 cloves garlic, to taste, minced

1 teaspoon each: cumin, chili powder and ginger

1 medium red or sweet onion, chopped

2 celery stalks, chopped

1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, diced

1 green bell pepper, cored, seeded, diced

2 cups sweet potatoes, cubed

3 cups gluten-free broth

1 28-oz. can Muir Glen Fire Roasted Whole Tomatoes, diced or broken up, with juice

1 cup chopped green chiles- mild or hot, as you prefer

2 14-oz. cans black beans, rinsed, drained

1 14-oz. can white Northern beans, or red kidney beans, rinsed, drained

1 tablespoon golden balsamic vinegar or rice vinegar

1 tablespoon organic raw agave nectar

1 large fresh lime- for juice and garnish

Instructions:

To assemble in a slow cooker:

Drizzle the olive oil in the bottom of the cooker; add the garlic and spices and stir to combine.

Add the remaining ingredients except the lime juice. Gently stir with a wooden spoon or vinyl spatula (you don't want to mash the beans) to mix. Cover and follow the manufacturer's instructions for slow cooking a chili with canned (not dried beans). I cooked mine on low for five to six hours, for example.

Read more: http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com/2007/12/butternut-chili.html#ixzz2AvYxk31A

West Virginia Baked Ziti

Cook 1 lb Hamburger; season with salt, pepper, garlic and onion to your taste.

Cook Ziti noodles half time.
In large bowl mix cooled hamburger,  2 c. Ricotta cheese, ziti noodles, and one 8 oz package of mozarella and one 8 oz package of parmesean.
Pour a small layer of your favorite tomate sauce on bottom of baking dish, add half of mixture, add another layer of sauce and 1/2 package of mozarella cheese, add remaining mixture, a layer of sauce and remaing cheese and bake in a 350 oven for 30 min. or until hot.

  Equine Lover's Asian Lentil Salad

1. Cook lentils in vegetable broth for about 20 mins. Check for doneness often, as you don't want them to be mushy, but a little on the al dente side. Cool completely.
2. Chop celery, sweet or purple onion and carrots finely. Can also add peppers. Ithink yellow would be good. Add to lentils. Season w/ S & P.

Ginger Sesame Dressing
1/4 c. Rice vinegar
1/4 c. Orange juice

2 T soy sauce

2 T peanut butter
1 T sesame oil
1 T brown sugar
1 garlic clove crushed
2 tsp. fresh ginger minced
Blend all together in a blender, food processor or smoothie maker.

House and Senate's Crock Pot Mac and Cheese

1 (16 oz.) pkg. macaroni
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 (13 oz.) can evaporated milk
1 1/2 cups milk
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

1 cup shredded jack cheese
1/2 cup melted butter
Preparation:

Cook macaroni in boiling salted water, following package directions. Drain well. Grease bottom and sides of 3 1/2 to 5-quart crockpot. Toss hot macaroni in slow cooker with the vegetable oil then add all remaining ingredients. Stir gently to combine then cover and cook on LOW for 3 to 4 hours, stirring occasionally.



Then, we always take one morning to do this hike.  It's the back side of Tibet Knob in the George Washington National Forest.  

To get to the backside of this trail from Woodstock, VA...

Head West on Rt. 42 (Away from town).  Make your first right onto Wolf Gap Rd.  Stay on Wolf Gap until you get to Liberty Furnace (a huge old iron furnace with a working water wheel).  Turn right onto Sam Clark Road.  Then take a left on Judge Rye Road.  Follow the road to the top and you'll see the trail head on the right.  The blazes are yellow.  Judge Rye is a windy, dirt road.  Be sure to drive slow.


This is a great hike for kids!  There are tons of rocks to climb and explore, and it's an easy hike.  There are also great views at the end. 

This time Farmer Dan, The Ball Boss (and his family) and Reading Girl's best friend - Crafty Girl - came with us.

Looking out across into West Virginia (toward Lost City)

Can't wait to do it again next year!

That's the Way We Play

 

 

Last week my cousin, Adventure Bob, came along to the soccer game.  He is a phenomenal photographer, and he did a great job of catching Soccer Boy, and his friend Ball Boss in action.  I love how both of these boys use their whole body to play.  They're pure joy to watch.  The other players on the team are also really good; we just didn't catch any of them in action this time.

 



Good Game Everyone!

This October Girl is Wearing Me Out

 

I will survive... I will survive...

"Oh, no, not I, I will survive

Oh, as long as I know how to love, I know I'll stay alive

I've got all my life to live, I've got all my love to give

And I'll survive, I will survive, hey, hey."  Gloria Gaynor
 

October has truly been frenetic.  Here's what's been going on... Archery class, Gymnastics, Soccer, Karate, Piano Lessons, our annual Fall Camp Out party, a visiting author and friend stayed with us, a weekend trip to the farm for our annual Applesauce and Wood cutting party, Lego Club, Halloween Parties and a fall camping trip to our favorite campground.  Just reading that list makes me tired. 

 

Two weeks into October I had this conversation with my youngest:

 

Me:  Phew... October is wearing me out.

 

Him:  Who's October?

 

Although I'm thankful that November is almost here, and grateful that we'll soon be down to only one after school activity, I also wouldn't have traded any of this madness.  Last week my eldest asked, as we were eating dinner in the car traveling between activities, "Will you be glad when we're gone?"  I quickly told her that too soon the house would be quiet and I'd have as much time as I wanted to myself - and I would miss her terribly. 

 

 

I wouldn't have dropped anything from this crazy busy month. Not one.  The kid's activities are self-selected, and they're passionate about them.  Plus, I get a real high off of watching them be successful and watching them grow.  It's also part of that "It takes a village to raise a child" mentality.  The coaches and mentors that the kids have outside of the home give them important ways to change and grow. 

 

I wouldn't have given up any of our fun family traditions either.  Spending time with friends and family helps me remember to count my blessings - and there are a lot of them.  My mom is fond of saying that we're busy building memories... she's right.

 

 

There were a few nights we managed to be home this month, the garden continued to produce, and the CSA bag kept coming.  Plus, I find cooking to be much cheaper than therapy, and infinitely more satisfying.  So, here are a few "keepers" for you to try. 

 

 

P.S.  In case you're curious... 2 more soccer games, 1 more practice, 2 more gymnastics classes, archery is done, and the Kempo school is closing down until after Christmas.   All... most.... there....

 

 

 

Roasted Root Vegetables, Swiss Chard and Feta Quiche, Honey Cinnamon Acorn Squash

Roasted Root Vegetables 

Use a mix of sweet and less sweet.  This batch has beets, turnips, sweet potatoes, white sweet potatoes, potatoes, and parsnips.  I don't normally use that many root vegis, but they were the ones that needed to be used. 

 

Cut them in equal sizes.  Toss with 2 T olive oil and a seasoning of your choice.  These have salt, pepper, tarragon, rosemary and garlic.  Really any combo of flavors is good.  Use what your family likes.

 

Roast at 425 for about 15-20 min.  Check and stir at 10 min.  They may be done sooner than 15, or may take longer than 20.  It really depends on the vegis you use.

 

 

Swiss Chard and Feta Pie

This recipe was given to me by my friend Jane when Soccer Boy was born.  She makes it with a crust, I usually omit the crust.  They both work out great!  This freezes well and is a wonderful meal to give someone.  Head on over to her blog to pick up the recipe.

 

 

Honey Roasted Acorn Squash

Turn your oven on to 350.  Cut your squash in half and scoop out the seeds.  Place cut side down in a 9x13 pan with a little water in the bottom.  Bake for 30 min.  Turn the squash over.  Fill with a little butter, honey and cinnamon.  Bake for 30 more minutes, or until tender.  Put the whole thing right on the plate.  Everyone except for really young kids can scoop out their own.  Another family favorite is to fill the cavity with some maple syrup - the real stuff folks!



Greek Salad and Eggplant Scallopini Marsala

 

 

Greek Salad 

Reading Girl invented this one...  Build your salad in this order.  Greens, cukes, tomato, feta, kalamata olives.  Toss with a garlic and herb vinaigrette (fresh garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper and some herbs of your choice).

 

 

Eggplant Scallopini Marsala (Adapted from the Moosewood Cookbook)

Put a few tablespoons of olive oil in your skillet and then add the following:

1/2 c. chopped onion

1 lg. eggplant - chopped

2 green peppers - chopped

1 c. of rehydrated shitake mushrooms and their liquid

1 bay leaf

2 t. salt

Saute about 10-15 min. until eggplant is tender.

Add

1 c. Marsala wine

4 ripe tomatoes - chopped

a few grinds of black pepper

10 cloves of fresh chopped garlic

Simmer 15 more minutes.

 

While the sauce is simmering cook some pasta.  Then ladle the sauce over top and grate on some fresh Parmesan.

Winter Squash Green Curry (Adapted from Vegetarian Suppers)

I've been looking at this recipe for at least two years.  Finally, this year, the warm fall allowed me to have eggplant, basil and winter squash at the same time.  Eureka!

 

The Curry Paste

Stick all of this in the small bowl of a food processor:  4 cloves garlic, 1 T fresh ginger, 3 hot peppers, a handful of chives or onion, a handful of cilantro, a big handful of basil, a handful of lemon balm, a handful of sorrel, 1/2 t. pepper, 1 t. cumin, 2 t. coriander, 1 t. salt, a T of lemon juice.  Buzz this until it's smooth.



The artist's daughter in me loves these contrasting colors.   Too bad they don't last when they're cooked.

The Vegis

Cut all of the following up and then saute in your skillet with a little bit of olive oil.  2 small eggplant, 1 c. rehydrated shitake mushrooms, 1 butternut squash.

 

After about 10 minutes add a can of coconut milk, cover and cook until soft.  Then add the curry paste.  I pulled out a kid portion first for Reading Girl (she's not fond of spicy and I was using pepper so spicy they make your eyes water when you cut into them!)  Serve over brown rice.



Curry and Beets

 

Blue Cheese Beet Salad

Cook beets, slip skins and chop.  Toss with fresh garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, honey, salt and pepper.  Place on a bed of arugula, top with pecans and blue cheese - I could eat this one every day!

Squash and Apple Bake (adapted from Simply in Season)

When we got to the farm a few weeks ago, this was what greeted us.  It's one of my mom's favorite recipes - and I gave it to her.  It shows up on our tables for Thanksgiving, Christmas and winter birthday parties.  If you're looking for a new side dish to take along this holiday season this would be a great choice.

Butter and 9x13 pan.  Peel and slice one large butternut squash and put it in the pan.  Slice 3 or so apples over the top.

In a small bowl mix up 1/4 c. brown sugar, 3 T. melted butter, 1 T flour , 1 t. salt and 1/4 t. mace.  Sprinkle over the apples.  Cover and bake at 350 for about 45 min. or until the squash is tender.   Really, does it get any easier than this?

 

Mom also made a blueberry rhubarb pie.  I purposefully didn't get the recipe for this one.  Why make one myself when the Laundry Fairy will share?  If you, want the recipe leave me a comment - I'll sacrifice and post it.  I will tell you that it was absolutely delicious.  It had just the right mix of sweet and tart.  Hmmm.... I think my cooking gene was inherited.

"Pie knows no off season. As long as there is an urge to give love, to touch another heart, there will be pie." 
A quote from the Pie Princess at school.  She has a killer apple pie.  Maybe I can get her to do a guest post about pie?  Yum....  It's soul healing isn't it.

A Strange Mixture

One Sunday night I realized that I had to use up a few odds and ends of vegetables, but I really didn't want to make a soup.  We wound up eating breaded, friend okra; Parmesan kale chips, and a stir fry of white sweet potatoes, cabbage and scarlet runner shelly beans (it tasted OK, but looked terrible - no picture folks!)

Fried okra

Cut into bite size pieces.  Toss with milk, then toss in cornmeal seasoned with salt and pepper.  Fry till golden.  Sprinkle with salt.  Fight your children to get any for yourself.

Parmesan Kale Chips

Tear Kale into medium sized pieces.  Toss with olive oil, salt, pepper and Parmesan cheese.  Spread on a baking tray and bake at 375 for 5-10 min.  Don't over do it.  Fight your children to get any for yourself.

 

 

Roasted Vegi "Lasagna" (Gluten free - uses potatoes!) and Chewy and Tender Bread Sticks

The Lasagna is wonderful.  I may never make another one again.  I changed very little so here's the link to Rachel Ray's website.  I omitted the mint and used my own canned tomatoes.  It was just about perfect.  

The bread stick recipe is from Mama Jo.  She got it from Clove Lane.  I didn't change anything. She's totally right - these are dangerously easy. I might start making them just because - I'm pretty sure they're going to be a part of a spaghetti sauce party if I ever get around to processing the tomatoes sitting in my freezer.

 Blogging has given us a virtual village. 100 years ago Jane, Jennifer Jo and Sarah might have lived around the corner.  Now, I get to be right in their kitchen - even though I only actually know one of those wonderful women. Blogging helps us feel less isolated.   I am not the only one out there.  Other women are managing to hold it together.  Their lives aren't perfect either, but they're fluttering along the best they can, and we can learn from each other. 

 

 

Cockeyed Cake (adapted from The I Hate to Cook Book by Peg Bracken)

Some people also call this Wacky Cake.  Whatever you call it, put it in your recipe file.  It's the best chocolate cake out there, and it's faster and easier than a box mix.  It's vegan and you only dirty the pan you're baking - no bowl.

 

This is my Dad's favorite cake. This is my Uncle Bruce's favorite cake.  It's the standard at almost all birthday parties in our family.   A few weeks ago author and storyteller Robin Moore  was at our house.  We decided to surprise him with an early birthday cake.  The kids decorated it - can you tell?

 

By the way, if you're on the east coast and you have a scout group, home school group, church group, or you teach or are a librarian head on over to Robin's site and consider booking him for your group.  He's an incredibly gifted storyteller that brings folk tales to life for children and adults.  I've been watching Robin since I was in elementary school and I never, never get tired of watching him perform. 

 

 He also has some great books - especially if you have kids who are interested in the outdoors and survival, or if you're looking to bring the Revolutionary War alive for your kids/students. They really devour his books.   His characters really become a part of you and transport you back in time.  He does an excellent job of helping the reader visualize the minute details of his character's daily lives.  They really devour his books.  You can books on his website, but you can also download his new book for Kindle from Amazon.

3.99  on Kindle

 

 

 Cake Directions:

If you have a sifter get it out and put it in the middle of a greased 9x9 pan.  If not, follow these directions using a bowl.  

 

Add 1 1/2 c. flour, 3 T coco powder, 1 t. b.s., 1 c. sugar and 1/2 t. salt to the sifter and sift it into the pan.

 

Smooth out the flour mixture in the pan, and then make three depressions with your spoon.  Add 5 T oil to one, 1 T vinegar to another and 1 t. vanilla to the third.  Pour a cup of cold water over the whole thing and stir it until mixed.

 

Bake at 350 for 30 min.  Cool, then cover with Peanut butter icing.  Mix a cup of PB with 1/2 c. of powdered sugar and 1 T milk.  Stir and add more milk or powdered sugar as needed.  

 

 

 

Any good ideas for me for November?  I have a slew of sweet potatoes, a bunch of cabbage and a lot of turnips.  I'd especially love turnip ideas.  I have a few, but there are a lot of turnips in our future. 

 

Happy Cooking Everyone!