Orange Shakes

The other day, we had an abundance of ice and oranges, so we pulled out the VitaMix and made shakes! In the VitaMix cookbook, there is a recipe for orange sorbet - 

2 oranges

2 Tbs. sweetener

4 cups ice 

I added to my shakes- 1 Tbs. vanilla, 1/2 cup milk, and a bit more sweetener, and it tasted great! 

Another one of our favorite orange smoothie recipe is Orange Julia's -

12 cubes ice

6 oz can orange juice

1 c. water

1/2 c. sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

Mix together in blender - super good!!   

Shakes are our favorite summer treat!

Homemade Powdered Sugar

For every one cup of white sugar, add 1 tbs. of arrow root powder or corn starch and blend in the Vita Mix.

Looks just like the powdered sugar from the store!

Homemade Ice Cream

You've had a hard day. You're tired. You need to relax and enjoy, and create some good memories. Ah, what could be better on a day like this than some nice, cool, refreshing ice cream?Shall we go to the kitchen and whip up a batch? Grab your apron and come on!

Passing your recipe cupboard, dig up Nourishing Traditions and turn to page 550:

Vanilla Ice Cream

Will make 1 delicious quart

-3 fresh, orange egg yolks

-1/2 cup maple syrup (I used 1/2 honey, but it was too sweet. Maybe try 1/3)

1 Tbs. vanilla extract

1 Tbs. Arrowroot powder (we used about 1 1/2 Tbs. of cornstarch.)

3 cups heavy cream, preferably raw, not ultra-pasteurized (We didn't even have whole milk, so just used 2 % milk.)

Ice cream should be made with the best quality cream you can find, preferable unpasteurized. Never use ultra-pasteurized cream.

Beat egg yolks and blend in remaining ingredients. Pour into an ice cream maker and process. For ease of serving, transfer ice cream to a shallow plastic container, cover and store in the freezer.

If you want something a little different, omit the vanilla and add some cinnamon and nutmeg. When ice cream is about ten minutes from being finished, add about 1/3 cup chopped pecans or walnuts.

To make it extra good, serve with carob sauce or raspberry sauce.

Carob Sauce

Makes 2 1/2 cups

2/3 cup carob powder (or cocoa)

1/2 cup butter
1/3 cup maple syrup

1 Tbs. vanilla extract

1 Tbs. chocolate extract (optional)

a pinch of salt

1 cup cream, not ultra-pasteurized

Place all ingredients in the top half of a double broiler. Cook gently, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until well amalgamated.

Raspberry Sauce

makes 4 cups

1 12-ounce package of frozen raspberries

1/2 maple syrup

1-2 cups water

Place partially thawed raspberries in food processor with maple syrup and process to make a thick paste. Gradually add water until desired consistency is obtained.

And you have a deliciously healthy dessert! Serve up the creamy goodness, cuddle on the couch and watch a good old movie with the family and create a new memory!

Canning More Applesauce

We made the applesauce two days before we got around to canning it. Since it was cold from being in the fridge, we heated it up so that we wouldn't bust any jars.

Filling the jars.

Checking for air bubbles.

Ready to go in the water bath!

All done!

We canned sixteen quarts!

Lots of jars dated and ready for storage!

Canning Apple Sauce

Making Sauerkraut

Harvesting the cabbage from our garden!

Grating the cabbage.

Squeezing out the water and mixing it all together. I used about 3 Tbs. salt and it was way too much.=) The recipe that I used also added caraway seeds and they added a really nice touch. After I put it in the jars I left them out for 10 days. We tried it the other night, and agreed that, although too salty, the sourness was perfect! Anyone who likes salty sauerkraut is welcome to come over and have a taste!

=)

Learning to Cook - Spaghetti

Cooking the meat, onions, and celery.

Spaghetti sauce.

Tomato sauce.

Spaghetti sauce, with beef, celery, mushrooms, onions, and lots of spices!

Braided bread with oregano on top.

Time to eat!

Caesar salad, bread, and garlic butter.

Baking Day

Five loaves of bread, a big batch of granola, four dozen banana muffins, and four or five dozen chocolate chip cookies.

Learning to Cook - Day 4 - Tacos

Hannah already knew how to make this, so she threw it together Wednesday night. Kidney beans, taco shells, cheese, salsa, olives, and lettuce - one of our family's favorites!

Day five we went shopping and bought a pizza for dinner, and day six was Emily's graduation party. (But that's for another post!)

Learning to Cook - Day 3 - What'ch Got Soup

At 2 o'clock, Hannah and I thought we'd be a little more elaborate, and decided on spaghetti. But, although we had spaghetti sauce, noodles, and meat, we didn't have mushrooms, green peppers, or any other goodies that we usually stuff our sauce with. (oops... ended a sentence with a preposition.=) Then we thought we'd make creamy lentil soup, but we didn't have any lentils. Finally, we decided on chicken soup. We froze the chicken broth from the day before, so started to defrost that on the stove. We looked through the pantry, fridges, and freezers. We didn't have any potatoes or carrots, but we had some left over cooked rice from the Injun Pie.

What'cha got soup made with chicken broth, beef, corn, garbanzo beans, rice, green beans, chicken seasoning, salt, and pepper.

I made lemon muffins, with our favorite recipe, to go with the meal.