Rolling in Dough

It's peach season!  Probably getting close to the end of it too.  But they've been delish this year.  Last weekend Terra and I had a peach pie bake off!  It was fun to get together and share food that we had both worked hard on with our families.  Terra won with her yummy peach pie with a crumble topping! 

I made a fairly traditional pie with an all butter crust.  It was pretty yummy and flaky.  The girls had a good time rolling out the extra dough.  Then we sprinkled it with cinnamon sugar and baked it along with the pie.  Yummy, crispy cinnamony buttery goodness. 

Since my pie was not the winning recipe I will share a different recipe with you.

We made dinner "to go" for a friend who came by for a play date this week and she reported back that her family loved the rolls we made.  I adapted this from the recipe for oatmeal bread in the Oster User Manual and Bread Recipes pamphlet that came with my bread maker.

Whole Wheat Oatmeal Rolls
1 1/4 cups water
3 T. honey
2 T. butter
3/4 cup oats
1 3/4 tsp. salt
3 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 T. oat bran
2 T. dry milk
2 tsp yeast

I did it on dough setting in the bread maker.  We threw the ingredients into the bread maker before we went out to Paul Derda for playground time and lunch.  The dough sat for a few hours before Addy and I shaped them after nap.  I let them rise in the oven for about 30 minutes after we had shaped them.  I brushed them with egg and sprinkled with sesame seeds then baked at 350 for 25 mins. This makes about 16 rolls.  You can also shape all of your rolls onto two pans.  Freeze one pan and bake the other.  Once the rolls are frozen, pop them off the pan and put them in a freezer safe bag.  Then they are ready for another day.  Just take out the number that you need, place them on a pan a couple of hours before you want to bake them.  They will defrost quickly.

Meatless Monday-Yummy muffins

It's been a very busy week and I haven't had time to blog. We've done plenty of cooking but I've just been too busy to document it.  


We're back to Monday again so I'll post another Meatless Monday recipe.  These muffins are family favorites.  My mom usually serves them soups and stews.  We've started to really enjoy them for snacks and for a quick addition to the lunch Chad packs each day.  They are super healthy and easy to make as well.  Mom says the recipes probably comes from the 1981 La Leche League cookbook, "Whole Foods for the Whole Family".

La Leche League is a great organization that supports breastfeeding mothers and their families.  I've enjoyed being a member of my local group.  I strongly suggest finding a group if you are expecting or have a baby.  While I'm on the topic of breastfeeding, here is an interesting article that my dad ran across this week.


These muffins would be a great gift for a new nursing mom.  Muffins are quick to make, easy to eat, and these are nutritious too.  I suggest making half the batch regular size muffins and half mini muffins.  The mini muffins are easier for the toddlers to handle and there is less waste.


Recently Addy and I went with some of the friends we made through La Leche League to Rocky Mountain Milling. Now I can make these muffins with fresh, local flour. 

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 brown sugar or honey

1 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp ground cloves

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup raisins (chopped dried apricots are also great)

1 egg beaten

1 cup buttermilk, yogurt or sour milk (I often use a combo of whatever dairy I need to use up)

3 TBL oil or melted butter (you could substitute an equal amount of applesauce) 

Mix all dry ingredients thoroughly,  including raisins.  Make a well in the center and add the liquids.  Mix just until dry ingredients are moist.   Fill muffin pans half full and bake at 375 for 15 minutes. Mini muffins take about 12 minutes.

Cinnamon Honey Ice Cream

Ice cream maybe more of a summer time treat but I wanted to share this recipe with you despite the fall weather we've been having.

I make the custard part of this dessert while Addy sleeps or is otherwise occupied.  Once it is cool she helps me mix in the final seasonings, cream and pour it into the ice cream maker.

I recommend using local honey, fresh organic milk and cream and quality eggs.  I think because there are so few ingredients it is important that they be the best you can find.  Local honey also has the added benefit of helping to lessen seasonal allergies.

Making ice cream is a fun family project no matter what kind of ice cream maker you have.  I love our electric one, but the hand crank ones are good fun too.  Addy can begin to learn the states of matter as we watch a liquid turn into a solid.  It is never to early to explain science using the correct terms.  As our librarian reminded us at storytime this morning, if a child has never heard a word, they won't be able to read it or understand it.  Don't skip over words as you read or speak just because you think your child won't understand.  If anything stop and explain the word in other terms but then help them to use the new word as well.

Cinnamon Honey Ice Cream

4 egg yolks
scant 1/2 cup honey
2 cups milk divided
dash of salt
1 cup of cream
1/2 T vanilla
1 tsp. cinnamon

In a small put heavy sauce pan slightly mix the egg yolks, honey, salt, and one cup of the milk.  Slowly heat to just boil over medium heat.  Stir constantly.  Pour into 4 cup measuring cup and refrigerate until cool. Stir in the cream, one more cup of milk, vanilla and cinnamon.  Don't worry if the cinnamon clumps, the ice cream maker will blend it more smoothly.  Pour into ice cream maker and follow the directions for your freezer.  This is best for a 1 qt. ice cream freezer.  After freezing in ice cream maker move ice cream to a freezer safe container and freeze for another hour or two until solid or serve soft serve style direct from the ice cream maker.

In the summer this is great with fresh peaches and an extra drizzle of honey.  I also think it would be great with other fall inspired deserts like apple crisp.

Honestly I usually throw my extra egg whites in the compost but here is a website that can give you more useful suggestions.  http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/leftovereggwhites.htm