Cracker Bread

When I went on my vacation to Utah, I had so much fun learning new things.  I came home with a plethora of new recipes and I'm going to share some of these with you in the next few posts.  The first one is for cracker bread.  I'd been hearing good things from my sister about this mysterious bread.  She loved it so much, she even made it for her wedding and served it with several cheese spreads.  I was excited to try it for myself, because I was clueless as to what it could be.  But when I saw it, I knew exactly what it was, although I knew it as crispy flatbread.  I have on occasion (special occasions) bought it at Fresh Market to go with some really great cheese.  Four or five flatbreads in a little package are pricey, so it was an indulgent treat.  

To say that I was excited to learn how to make it myself, would be a bit of an understatement.  It would taste as good, or better, I had no doubt, than anything you would buy off a shelf, and could only costs pennies to make- it's basically only flour and water.  Ding, ding, ding.... this is a winner!

So while I was at my friend J'nae's home, we spent one morning in her kitchen making several kinds of breads, and cracker bread was the first on the list...

Here's the recipe for the bread dough:

Cracker Bread

3 1/2-4 cups water

2 T. yeast

1/4 cup sugar

a glug of oil (j'nae said that's probably 1/4 cup?)

Don't you just love those cooks who don't have to measure?

4 cups flour- and additional cooked grains if desired

2 T. salt

Mix together in this order and add enough flour to make

a stiff dough.  Knead for about five minutes.  We did this

in her Bosch bread machine, but could be done in any mixer 

with a dough hook or by hand.

Once the dough had been kneaded, we cut it into small pieces.  Did you notice the little flecks in the dough?  We added some spice blends with the flour to flavor the crackers and she may have added some cooked grains to it as well.  I can't remember. 

Each piece of dough was rolled as thin as possible and then placed on a baking sheet.

It doesn't matter that each one comes out a different shape and size.  That's part of the handcrafted, rustic appeal of these crackers.

Once on the baking sheet, we pricked them with a fork,

and sprayed with a little water,

before sprinkling on the toppings.  These are so good with a generous amount of coarse salt, but we also used some other fun blends that she had, along with za'atar that she brought home from Jerusalem.  Chopped, fresh rosemary would be wonderful with salt and I'm sure to try that combination when I make these at home.

We baked them at 425 degrees until they puffed slightly and were lightly browned.

Don't they look amazing?  And oh my, they are good!  When eating, you just break off a piece and top with a delicious spread.

The next day,J'nae took these to a dinner social she was attending, along with a pimento cheese spread I'd mentioned to her that I had been making at home.  She didn't write down the recipe, but remembered the ingredients I had told her were in my nana's very famous ( in our family, anyway!) pimento cheese.  It must have turned out pretty well, because one of the ladies at the social stood up at the dinner and asked who made the pimento cheese that took her right back home to NC?  She was a transplant from the south.  Isn't that funny?  I love that story and the reminder of how powerful food memories can be.

Because it's so dry in Utah, these crackers stay fresh sitting on the counter for days. That's not going to work here.  They will need to be eaten right away, so I've been waiting for a special occasion that lends itself to some great flatbread and cheese or other yummy spread.  Someone invite me over and I'll bring you an amazing hostess gift...

Thanks to J'nae for teaching me how to make these wonderful crackers.  We also made bagels and artisan bread.  Recipes for those are coming up soon, as well as a killer stromboli.  Stay tuned...  

Mornings At Micahs

If anyone had told me ten years ago that I would have time to sit in the woods for an hour every morning to think and pray, and listen, I would have laughed at them.  Back then, mornings were full of waking kids, putting out breakfast and trying to get everyone to school before the tardy bell.  And even though at the time, you feel like it's always going to be this way, before you know it - it's all "different".  

I've not had the easiest time adjusting to the "different".  Being a full time mother and homemaker has been my life's vocation.  I've never taken for granted what a huge blessing that's been for our family.  My husband has worked hard and provided for our needs, while I've kept the home fires burning.  It's what we both wanted, even though in the early years, it was hard financially, really hard.  I think today it must be even harder for families to live on one income.  Somehow we made it through those years and I always felt fulfilled and happy in my calling.

When the house started emptying one by one and my children began lives of their own, I thought how much I would enjoy the empty nest.  I had been waiting a long time to have some time of my own!  But when that time came, I felt lost.  I felt lonely and  confused as to what I should be doing with myself.  Even though my adult kids still need mom from time to time, my job has moved from full time to temp work.  In actuality, I feel like I've moved into retirement.   The problem is, my husband is far from retired.  I'm ready to turn my time and energy towards my marriage, but he's still living life in that fast lane, spending long hours at work trying to resurrect a business in a tough economic climate.   It's not working out the way I had envisioned.  Not much has. 

 Learning to let go of dreams and accept the reality can be a hard thing to do, but I'm finding that it can be done and the sooner, the better.  The longer we wallow in the "what if's?" or "if I had only's?", the longer we prevent ourselves from finding joy and contentment in the "blessings of the moment".  And even though they might not be the blessings you had hoped for, if you let go and surrender your expectations, you find new blessings take their place.  These are the lessons that I'm learning in this new season of life.  And as I write this, it sounds so simple and easy, yet it's one of the hardest things I've ever had to do.  There are struggling days, when I feel like a hypocrite, me, with a blog named, "Count it All Joy".  Because quite frankly, there are days when I don't feel it.  I struggle to find the joy.  But I know it's there for the asking and I really, really want joy and peace in my life.  It's my quest and I know where to find the source.

I've been popping out of bed pretty early these days, as I've been listening and watching my little part of the world come to life. While it's still quite dark, the dogs and I head out to Micah's place.  It's my very own sacred grove and unbelievably beautiful.  I sit on my bench and listen to the birds sing and watch the sun slip up through the trees.  The beauty of that moment is more than I can put into words.  When the words finally do come (and I don't hurry the process), I pray.  I ask questions and plead for answers.  I think about the day ahead and how I might be a blessing.  I work through my "issues of the moment", with Him who knows me best.  I ask for strength for the challenges ahead, wisdom for relationships, and   restraint for my mouth.  Because as much as I want to speak words that encourage, build up and lift, it doesn't come easy for me. I can be hard on myself and those around me.  Words are so important and they can slip right out before I've weighed their importance. 

This quiet time is so peaceful, except for the moment when the dogs charge into the woods barking ferociously at something unseen to me.  I imagine and pray for it to be a squirrel or rabbit, maybe even a deer, but not a bear please!  That would really mess up my solitude.

These idyllic mornings, would only have been a dream a few years back.  A quick prayer, a few scriptures and a promise to find time for more later, was the norm back then.  But now... in this season...which I've been reluctant to embrace, I have more time for reflection and listening.... and learning.  That is a blessing.  My heart is beginning to open to the here and now and its possibilities.  I have time for exploring new talents, developing hobbies, like gardening and knitting, reading and blogging.  I can serve in new ways, in the church and community.  When I'm lonely for little ones in my home, I invite over some friends and we play.  I still ask those questions about what I'm supposed to be doing with my life, thinking surely there must be more than this.  Can't I go to a third world country and feed hungry babies, or something amazing like that?  But the answers that come in the still of the morning seem to say, I'm right where I'm supposed to be right now, doing what I'm supposed to be doing.   Learning patience and contentment are the lessons at present... and loving like Christ.  These things will take a life time.

I love my mornings, watching the sunrise.  And even though it is an early start to the day, I am usually awake before the alarm goes off, anxious to head out in the woods.  When my energy levels start running low, I can stop and take a little power nap.  A nap in the afternoon?  Another unheard of thought, a few years ago.

"To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven..." 

 Joy is possible when we stop fighting change and accept the given good from a loving Father in heaven who knows us better than we know ourselves!  Oh, the things we can learn, when we never stop learning.

Giving Beets A Chance

Well, I've found out for myself that it's true what our mamas told us about trying new foods.  If you keep trying it, you might decide you like it.  That's the story with me and beets.  I've always wanted to like them.  They're so pretty and I knew they had to be good for you.  So every year, I would be tempted to buy a small bunch in the store and experiment.  And my taste buds responded with....eh, it's ok.  That's all.  But I've persisted and guess what?  Now, I really, really like beets!  So much so, that I decided to try my hand at growing them in my garden this year.

On the day I planted in the spring, I had some little helpers and couldn't believe it when Abby said, "I love beets.  Let's plant a lot of them."  Well, that just made me smile and I said a special little prayer that these beets would grow.  Because, really, I had no idea what I was doing.  We planted Pronto beets from Seeds of Change that boasted this description on the seed packet, "a true classic that is quick to grow and produces delicious, tender, burgundy red beets."  We planted in March and it took what seemed to be forever to see the green leaves pop through the dirt.  But they grew...

I kept digging around in the dirt, checking to see how things were growing.  And then at the end of June,when I could see the beet starting to poke out of the ground, I pulled some out.  How exciting! They were ready and I was surprised how many beets we got from half of one of my raised beds. 

The first thing I did that evening was roast a few for salads.  I scrubbed them really well,

cut the tops off,

and drizzled them with a little olive oil,

salt and pepper

and then wrapped them in a foil packet.  I oven roasted them at 400 degrees for about 40 minutes, until they were fork tender.

After cooling, the peels slipped off easily.

Fresh lettuce (also from the garden), sliced beets, mandarin oranges, crumbled goat cheese and toasted walnuts- all topped with a balsamic viniagrette dressing made for some good eating.

The next day, after consulting my friend who makes the best pickled beets, I set out to make some of my own.  I was apprehensive that my kitchen would be purple from top to bottom before I finished the job.  As it turned out, it was really only my hands that stained, and I was ok with that.  I cooked them until tender and then peeled them.  Next, I cut them into pieces and put them into a sweet vinegary brine.  Hot jars and lids and a water bath for twenty minutes and I had pickled beets!

I've decided beets are the prettiest jars on the pantry shelf.  I just love them.  

Abby was pretty excited to get her own jar.  Later in the day, she sent me a text on her mom's phone that said, "the beets r soooooooooooo good!!!!!!!!  Thank u sister wray!!"  So, how cute is that?  Thank you Abby for planting lots of beets.  I think we make a good team.  

I'm glad I gave beets a second and third chance.  Okay, maybe it took four times, but I can be persistent when I want to be.  Mamas usually do know best, don't they?

The Blessing of the Present Moment

First week counting...
                                    when I share entries from my Gratitude Journal

3076- hummingbirds

3077- pulling carrots from the garden

3078- celebrating fathers

3079- hiking with the young women

3080- a healthy new recipe

3081- playing ball with the dogs

3082- al fresco meals

3083- harvesting vegetables

3084- hula hooping with Kenzie

3085- teaching at Patriot's Camp

3086- a hard, working husband

3087- flowers in vases

3088- oven roasted potatoes freshly dug from the earth

3089- lying on the bed listening to the rain

3090- a new job for Kenzie

3091- eating peaches over the sink

3092- air conditioning

3093- mom and dad wray, walking away from an accident, unharmed

3094- a pink, shiny pencil

3095- sun peeking through the clouds

3096- a game of Mancala

3097- a "guess what?" phone call

3098- sweet treat from a friend

3099-patriotic potatoes

3100- singing along to Cherie Call on a sunny morning

"It's so easy to overlook the wonder of life until something threatens to 

snatch it from us.  We get caught up in our petty concerns and miss the

beauty unfolding right in front of us; rushing headlong into the next thing, 

we fail to appreciate the blessing of the only thing we can really claim as

ours to own, the present moment."

Katrina Kenison

What On Earth Are Garlic Scapes?

Last October, I planted an entire raised bed of garlic.  You can read about how I did that here.  I planted two different varieties and have been anxiously waiting for them to grow.  I was especially excited to see the hard neck species, Kilarney Red develop it's scapes.  I've never grown a hard neck garlic before, but I wanted to see how it differs in taste from the soft neck (which is what you buy in the stores) and I really wanted to see those cool, twisty scapes.

Aren't they pretty?  The scapes are the flowering part of the garlic plant and if cut before the flower blossoms, they are tender and tasty.  Or so I'd heard.

 I just love the way they twist and curl up, each one creating it's own shape.

I almost hated to cut them, but the developing bulb benefits from the cutting of the scape, so I trimmed them off and brought them into the kitchen.  After searching online for a recipe,  I decided to make a batch of Garlic Scape Pesto, 'cause I loooove pesto!

First I washed the garlic scapes and fresh basil.  I used a combination of both for this pesto.

Then I cut off the flowering part of the scape and chopped the rest into small pieces, discarding the tough ends.

I toasted some pine nuts over low heat, but almost not low enough!  I have a bad habit of burning nuts when I toast them.  Thankfully, I was able to salvage these.

In my food processor, I pureed the scapes, basil, pine nuts and parmesan cheese.  Oh, forgot to mention the parmesan cheese, didn't I?  Even though I love parmigiano reggiano, I've started using a domestic parmesan for my pestos.  It's much less expensive and with the strong flavors of the basil and garlic, I don't think you can tell much of a difference.  I'll reserve the really good stuff for topping my pasta and salads.  The last thing that goes into pesto is the olive oil and I pour it into the top of the processor until the pesto is the consistency that I like.

Just about like....... this.

Pesto freezes beautifully, but I had immediate plans for this.  I made this fantastic pesto pizza one night and then a Tuscan tomato soup the next.  They were both divine.  I'll share that tomato soup recipe soon.  I promise.

Garlic Scape Pesto

Makes about 1 1/2 cups

Ingredients (these are all approximate!)

* 1/2-1 cup

 fresh, washed basil leaves
* 1/2-1 cup fresh, washed parsley leaves (you can also add or sub in oregano, cilantro, mint, etc.)
* 1-2 cups garlic scapes, both ends removed (you want to cut the flower end off as well as the lower part of the stem since it will have gotten rather hard since picking), and chopped into lengths
* 2-3 Tbsps pine nuts (or toasted almonds or walnuts)
* 2 tsps salt (or more to taste)
* Freshly ground black pepper to taste
* At least 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
* 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Directions

1. Put the scapes, herbs, pine nuts, salt, pepper and cheese in the bowl of a food processor.

2. Process, adding the oil a bit at a time, until desired consistency. Taste and adjust the salt and cheese accordingly.

3. Use right away or store in an airtight container in the fridge - it should keep for about two weeks. You can also freeze any extra pesto in an ice cube tray and then transfer to a freezer bag for much longer-term storage.

*I didn't use the parsley leaves, I just adapted this recipe, using equal amounts of scapes and basil.
This recipe is from this blog.