pancake recipe....

1 cup all-purpose flour
some sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup whole milk
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
some vanilla extract
2 tablespoon butter

Delicious!

Last week in Abbotsford..

Hey blog peeps...
Today is Saturday, and we're leaving Abbotsford on Friday. 
so.....  we don't want to have a lot of food in the fridge... but we need SOME food. 
We don't have eggs, or meat.  So.... what to make for bfast???
I googled an eggless recipe for pancakes.....
oh yeah...........
delicious!!!!!!
love ya!

Trace

Egg Cupcakes

hahaaa 
Solas and I have a habit of calling normal food, something delicious,  so that he'll be more inclined to eat it!  For example, I call raisins, "Raisin Candy"... and he thinks its AMAZING to eat!!!!  Well, I scrambled eggs in a bowl with salt and pepper, pour them into muffin tins (to the top), and but some crumbled cheese on top.  I cook these for 15-20 minutes, and they're delicious!  And easy for the kids to eat with their hands.  Well, Solas calls them Egg Cupcakes.... and now I do too.  Whatever it takes to make him happy about eating something for breakfast!!!

hugs!!!  ~Tracy (and Solas)

Have I soup'n gone mad???

Yes.... yes.... possibly ..... I have gone mad. 
Why???? Because I can't get enough homemade SOUP!!!
I always hated soup before.  I didn't want to DRINK dinner.  I wanted my meal to be something I could really sink my teeth into..... no.... chicken broth  NADA. 
And now... yes.....  I'm soup'n mad!
Cecil too, I guess... because I made soup last night  for probably the 10th time in the last 2 months and we ate the leftovers today for lunch.  And when Cecil went to put Solas (our 3yrold) down right now... and I asked if he'd like to eat something.... he said, "I'll eat some soup if you make some".  hahahhaaa 

So.. yes..   I'm making soup.  I still hate brothy soups.  And even though everytime I make some, its different (don't care for recipes)......  Here are the essentials to EVERY SOUP I make:

• 1 or 2 heeping tablespoons of beef broth
• 3 cups of milk
• 3+ cups of water (depending on who's com'n for dinna)
• chopped onion
• rice
• potatoes
• veggies
• and meat.....  (didn't have much defrosted today except pepperoni-so I chopped that shiz)
• Salt/pepper/hot sauce to taste

I dare you to make your own soup.  I bet you'll love it. 
Gotta go... Cec just came in and asked if the food is ready....
love ya!
~Tracy

Apple Muffins a la Tracy

Cookie and Kate

celebrating whole foods & vegetarian fare

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Apple Oatmeal Muffins

By Kate | Published: November 8, 2011

Baking on Saturday afternoons has become a weekly ritual. After working on my computer from my couch all week, I like to be up on my feet on the days in between. Reaching high for bags of flour, plucking spices from the rack, grabbing my camera and hopping up onto the chair for an overhead shot, trying not to step on Cookie on the way down—it’s a dance of sorts.

I’m getting steadier in my steps and also in my substitutions. Following recipes to a T is not my forté. I find a concept I like and a recipe that seems prime for adaptation, and switch things up as I go along. I’m learning what to swap for what, what can be added freely and what must be compensated by a reduction in another ingredient.

A few weekends ago, I got to thinking about those glorious gala apples in my fridge and how badly I wanted to bake with them. I decided to make apple muffins—I envisioned hearty, moist oatmeal muffins studded with red-skinned apple bits and flecked with cinnamon. I skipped a trip to the UPS store and stayed home to bake.
I searched through my evernote account and came across this oatmeal blueberry muffin recipe by Joy the Baker. Her recipe called for apple sauce, which seemed like a perfect match for apple muffins. Joy called them “surprisingly moist and delicious”, and from a girl with “the utmost respect and admiration for butter and fat”, I knew I’d found a winner. Joy never steers me wrong.

I dialed up Ella Fitzgerald on my old iPod and commenced my Saturday baking ritual. I was out of regular milk so I couldn’t make buttermilk, but I did have leftover coconut milk. I squeezed lemon juice into the coconut milk like I would for buttermilk and it seemed to have a similar reaction.
It was a game day; I looked out the window and watched traffic build on Boyd Street. I traded the brown sugar for Muscovado sugar, which I had picked up the weekend before at West Side Market in Cleveland. I chopped apples while empathizing with Ella’s sad tomato, Hannah the busted Valentine. I sprinkled cardamom and ginger into the batter; slightly exotic spices seemed like a good match for coconut.

I divvied up the batter into my muffin tin as I noticed a steady stream of crimson-clad OU fans walking toward Campus Corner and the stadium. Game time approaching, it was time to sell parking. I set the timer and Cookie and I skipped downstairs. Twenty minutes later, I went upstairs and brought warm muffins down to my friends. They got thumbs up and approvals all around.



I found that the muffins tasted even better the next day. They’re pretty big muffins—not jumbo-sized like the processed muffin monstrosities you find at coffee shops—but big enough to eat for breakfast with peanut butter, coconut butter or apple butter. Mmm, butter.

Apple Oatmeal Muffins

So... I just tried these.  But I didn't have applesauce.... so I just used vanilla yogurt.  I'll let you know how it turns out. hugs

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 1/4 cups oats
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon cardamom
• 1/8 teaspoon ginger
• 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1/2 cup light coconut milk with the juice of half a lemon (or low fat buttermilk)
• 1/2 cup packed muscovado sugar (or brown sugar)
• 2 tablespoons melted coconut oil (or vegetable/canola oil)
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 small Gala apples, chopped into small pieces
• turbinado (raw) sugar and nutmeg, for sprinkling on top

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Line a 12 cup muffin tin with muffin wrappers or spray with nonstick cooking spray. My non-stick muffin tin works so well I didn’t need either.
3. In a large bowl, combine flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cardamom and ginger.
4. In a medium bowl combine applesauce, buttermilk, sugar, oil, egg and vanilla extract.
5. Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in your applesauce mixture. Stir until just moist.
6. Fold in the chopped apples. Fill muffin cups 2/3 to 3/4 full.
7. Sprinkle raw sugar and a light dusting of nutmeg on top of the muffins.
8. Bake for 16-18 minutes.

Muffins

Low Everything Oat Muffin Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1 cup skim milk, 1 tbs white vinegar to create lowfat buttermilk
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup applesauce
• 2 egg whites
• pinch of salt

Directions

1. Place oats in a small bowl, pour in pseudo-buttermilk. Let sit for two hours at room temperature.
2. Preheat oven to 375ºF (190ºC).
3. Grease 12 muffin cups or line with paper muffin liners.
4. In a large bowl, stir together whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda and brown sugar.
5. Stir in oat/buttermilk mixture, applesauce and egg; mix well.
6. Pour batter into prepared muffin cups.
7. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of muffin comes out clean.

These turned out pretty good.  I didn't do step 1.  Of course.  I'm WAY TOO IMPATIENT for that.  hahaaa  And I added craisins and peanuts. 
So delicious! 
I may or may not be eating one right now in bed.
;)
~Trace

Not hungry

Well.....
I thought we were going to be hungry.  We haven't been.

 In fact, Cecil and I have gained weight.  Too much baking sweets, I think. 

I thought the Lord might let us be hungry.  We haven't been. 

And, we've been really blessed w/ finances this month!!!!!  We got some cash in the mail.... we got 2 gift cards for chevron gas.... and we got to go to cosco and spend $200 of money given to us for groceries!!!!!
The best part????

We get to GIVE IT AWAY!!!!
We get to have people over and share our food with them!!!!  We get to help missionaries!!!  We get to bless people!!!!
Its so good!!!

~Tracy

Been a few days...

Hey all!
I DID think perhaps you had thought we starved to death, thats why I hadn't been writing this last week. hahahaa
No.. we're fine and full.  We went out of town, 6 hrs NE to Williams Lake for a spiritual retreat w/ the other missionary candidates and their families.
Right now.... I'm looking at recipes for bisquick again.... and think I've found an amazing cinnamon roll recipe. 
http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,164,159186-225206,00.html
I'm going to try this now.  I got all my reading homework done (I have a report due on monday for a 360pg book "Global Gods"), the kids are napping, and Cecil is reading.  Now is MY TIME.  I hope you get some YOU TIME today or sometime soon too.  Feels refreshing.
hugs,
Tracy

BISQUICK CINNAMON ROLLS

Read more about it at www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,164,159186-225206,00.html Content Copyright © 2012 Cooks.com - All rights reserved. 1 egg 3/4 c. milk 1/2 c. sugar 3 c. Bisquick 2 tbsp. melted butter 2 tsp. cinnamon Heat oven to 350°F.Beat egg, add Bisquick and milk. Stir to make soft dough.Knead lightly, just until smooth. Pat or roll out into rectangle 10 x 8 inches. Spread with butter. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Roll up tightly beginning with wide side. Seal well by pinching edge of dough into roll. Place sealed side down on ungreased baking sheet.Make cuts with scissors almost through roll at 1 inch intervals. If desired form roll in crescent.Bake 15-20 minutes. While warm, glaze top with mixture of 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar and 2 teaspoons warm water.Makes 10 to 12 slices.

Making my first homemade chicken curry.  God be with me.  hahaaa



Solas has been sick.  Stayed home again today to let him watch cartoons all day and eat bananas and crackers.  He was sick.... but IN HEAVEN. hahahaaa

 

I even made him popcorn.... and thought of my grandma Mamaw.  She most always burned it. hahahaa

okay.... so I ended up doing a Red Lobster/Bisquick recipe and making them into turkey sandwiches by adding a little meat between the "layers".  And used a  cookie sheet instead of the cupcake tin.  My boys don't tend to like salty meals in the shape of cupcakes anyway.  They probably feel deceived.  hhahaa

my first bisquick concoction!

ok.......  for lunch, I'm going to make turkey n' cheese sandwiches...with bisquick!

so... I'm going to use the biscuit recipe, pour half into greased cupcake pans, put in sliced turkey and a slice of cheese in each.... then put the rest of the mix on top and bake.  maybe I'll butter the top before they come out of the oven.  Maybe I'll add a squirt of bbq sauce/dressing/mustard to the cheese before I pour the mix on the top.

Lets see....

 

Cecil is at missionary training today, but I'm at home w/ the kids.  Solas had a nasty cough all night and both are fighting a cold. :(

Our morning eggs, muffins, and milk...

small plates

Small plates=small portions/less waste/more leftovers!!

Baked pasta

• Boil 1/2 bag of pasta (any non-noodle kind)
• Cook ground beef or any meat you got, in the skillet
• Drain pasta and put into oven safe casserole dish
• In skillet w/ meat, mix in half a can of tomato sauce + half can of water
• Mix in garlic, salt, pepper
• Mix in anything else you have that might taste good w/ it:
• chopped bell peppers
• chopped tomatoes
• Pour meat/sauce over pasta in casserole dish
• Crunch up any crackers and sprinkle over the top
• Grate a little cheese and put over the crackers on the dish
• Broil in oven until the dish is crispy and browned

YEY!!!! Its done!!!!  Probably took you 1/2hr or less. 

And you justed used whatever you had.

And your husband and kids will love it because the crackers and cheese on top will be crunch and they'll think they're eating chips!!!!

 

~Tracy

Skype w/ my missionary peeps

So..... after my post yesterday, our missionary friends in Thailand... Bonnie and Jon..... skyped w/ us this morning to talk about saving money.  They're 2 years ahead of us in this process of being missionaries in Thailand.... so they already lived our live here.....  and had some great pointers.

1- Cross the border into Washington to get our eggs and milk.
WE DID IT TODAY!
We got 5 dozen eggs for $8USD!!!! YEY!!!! And 2 gallons of milk for $2.57/each!!!!!!!! THANK YOU LORD!!!!
And we had $70 for groceries...... and the total came to $69.54.
So, next time you're wondering if God cares........  HE DOES.   Just remember us at the store today. 

AND...... there was BISQUICK!!!!! I can't wait to make pizza dough and bread and pastries!!!!!

I'm baking banana muffins now. 

AND......

My months and months of upcycling products into cloth diapers and more useful tools... has expanded my mind into making almost ruined food into something beautiful, and tasty!!!!!

For example.....  we had half a loaf of hard bread that I transformed into tasty french toast. 
Maybe this is what normal people DO with their food.... but I hadn't done this before.  Take something that had been in the cupboard or fridge that was on the verge of being wasted.... and making it into something tasty!!!! YEY upcycling!!!

Does anyone know how to live on a missionary budget?

So...... I never knew how much money we had.... until we don't now have it.  hahaaaa

 But seriously....  we're in Canada, at missionary training, and we will receive our first paycheck at the beginning of October.  This month, we're living off of our savings, and cash the Lord provided for us at our GoingAway party at the end of August.
  Although we have more money to work with this month (also more expenses), we aren't going nuts with spending it.  We've been, I'd say.....  very conservative with spending.  We made an excel budget like normal, got our dollars exchanged into Canadian $, and put the cash into our labeled envelope/organizer.  So, after the first couple of days, we haven't used our card at all to pay for anything.  Just using that cash. 
So.... you're thinking....  "uhm, Trace, I thought this was going to be a recipe blog... not a personal finance discloser blog".  hahaa  well.....  I just had to say that bit about the money as a foundation for this blog on recipes... because $ really affects whats happening in the kitchen. 
For a year or so, whenever I've thought about this missionary training experience... I worried about money.  And specifically, if we'd be hungry. 
And when I say "we", I just mean the kids.  Because I know Cec and I can eat much less than we do and still be fine, but I had been concerned that we wouldn't have enough money for groceries. 
And as you can guess... the first really day of missionary training dealt with money. 
Matthew 6:24-
"No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon."
Mammon is the name for an ancient-day idol whose present-day demonic influence is still tempting people today.  He's so sneeky. 
He represents infatuation with money. 

I had to make a list of all the things I thought were true about money for me. 
Example:  If we have money in the bank, we'll be okay.  If I have money, my babies won't be hungry.  If we have money, we can have fun.  If we have money, we can have tasty food. 
Then very quickly I realized that I had taken out the word "God"(the one TRUE God), and put "money" in His place.  Example:  If we have God, we'll be okay.  If I have God, my babies won't be hungry.  If we have God, we can have fun.  If we have God, we can have tasty food. 
wow.  What a sad look into my own heart.  I had put (and still struggle with) money in the place of the one true God on the throne of my heart.  I had trusted money to provide instead of God. 

How grieved I've been. 

But I've been SOOOOOO used to trusting money rather than God..... I'm not even sure HOW to trust God with providing food for my family.  I know He's worthy.  I just don't know HOW to do it. 
But I'm learning.  And the process has already started. 
We've spent $680 Canadian Dollars at the grocery store this month.  Isn't THAT amazing??  I don't think we've ever spend that much money in 16 days before at the store. 
When I went to the store on Friday to pick up some groceries, we had $20 more in the envelope.  Just $20 left afterward. 
Although I have to admit I DID feel a bit stressed.  I ALSO felt... free somehow.  God knows my heart.  He knows I'm ready to trust Him.  And I've seen Him do sooooooo much lately.... I AM begining to truely trust Him. 
Seems like He IS taking care of us.  I mean.... I know He always DOES.... but maybe I couldn't see it before because my focus was off. 
When I got home, I told Cecil about the $20 left... and he hugged me and reminded me that God is taking care of us.  Then I opened the mail and got $100 cash in a card from a friend in Bakersfield. 
GOD CARES.  HE IS GRACIOUS TO US.

So... I wanted to start this blog as a place where I can share my food/cooking/reliance on God/recipes with anyone who wants to know whats going on in my average day here in Canada. 
Like I mentioned in an earlier blog, we've been here 15 days and I've cooked all but 5 meals.  I can honestly say, it's the most consecutive cooking I've done in my entire life.  And in Bakersfield, we'd normally eat out like....  4ish times a week, and just throw some odds and ends together the rest of the time.  I'd cook an actual meal like......  once every 3 weeks or so. 
Now, every day we have eggs for breakfast (eggs cost about $3/dozen here, and we eat about a dozen a day).  And I've been trying to break up the monotony by adding sausage, or pancakes to the eggs. 
Lunch, we have a hot chicken dish, and another hot chicken/beef dish for dinner.
If its a long day at missionary training, I pack lunches for the family... so thats usually salads for me and Cec, and chicken for the kids. 
I've been looking for pancake mix that you only have to add water to (so I can save our eggs) and neither can I find some sort of "bisquick" mix.  Well, at least walmart here doesn't have it.  I like to use it to make donuts and bread and breakfasty pastries.
A gallon of milk here, is anywhere from $4 to $6.  Isn't that amazing!!??  And we bought 2lbs of cheese for $8.  Bell peppers are nearly $3/lb, and I bought 30 eggs for almost $8. 
The first time I went to the grocery store... I hardly bought anything because I was so scared to spend any money.  Hahahahaa .... but now I just buy what we need and tally it up,  and try not to think about the price difference. 
Okay.... I have so much more to say, but have REALLY got to go now.  Cecil put Solas down for the night and Judah has been asleep for a couple of hours already, and now its time for us to head down too.  We have class tomorrow from 9-noon. 
hugs, Tracy
ps... we've bought about 8 gallons of milk since we've been here.  At $5/gallon...... you do the math.  And we're only half way through the month.....

 

After cooking almost every meal for the last 2 weeks straight (a first for me), I decided tonight it'd be cool to create a place to blog my thoughts as a missionary and wife and mom, chef and diaperier.  To share my ideas, and struggles... and some successes and failures in the kitchen.  I plan on being totally honest....  ARE YOU READY FOR IT???? ;)