Sunday Happy

Can you even believe it’s the week of Thanksgiving? Like really, it is. I know right? And yeah, it might be a little more low key and quiet and maybe even non existent this year, but hey, if missing a big family gathering (we are skipping our big family thanksgiving) will keep more people from getting sick, well then I say that is oh so fine by me. We will just float the holiday until we can all safely be together. Thanksgiving in April. Maybe we will make it a new yearly thing. Here’s to new traditions!

Another week past and not a whole heck of a lot happened of interest. The mr and I have been busy with lots of little things that need to be done around the house and the other houses and life. I have been trying to get a good chunk of glazing done so I have stuff stocked for selling and the mr has been riding around town with the scooter (the truck in in the shop) fixing things and doing whatever he does when he doesn't have a big project going on, all the while staying away from all the people, like way away. I did go for a walk with Megan and So in the woods and the mr, Barb, and I also took the littles for a nice walk because outdoors in fine and we need to hang with the littles, but other then that, no peoples. Oh, and we (fyi, Barb is basically always part of “we”. She basically lives with us now) took Gigi to the vets to get spayed. Another to do checked off the list.

And it snowed a little and it made me happy. I also picked up farm share and got 2 gigantic stocks of Brussels sprouts which is always a good thing, and I repotted a bunch of house plants that need replanting.

Wow, when I read that back to myself….. 😬

Sunday again. Happens every week. The mr and I are taking a drive to go walk some property that I am probably way to optimistic about, but damn, we need to get land before everyone buys it all up! This chunk looks oh so pretty and nice and hard to get to and has all the trees. At the very least, we are going to walk around in the woods for a little while so there’s that. And as far as for when I get home and have the rest of the afternoon to do whatever, welp I think it is time to bust out the Christmas decorations! It’s happening. I am excited!

Internet from the week.

-Are you sending baked goods in the mail? This is a good guide to have if you are. A Comprehensive Guide to Sending Baked Goods in the Mail.

-Yes. This is awesome. This Company Will Send a Cardboard Cutout of You To Your Family’s Holiday Dinner

-Sedentary Pandemic Life Is Bad for Our Happiness. I know that sedentary anytime is bad for my happiness.If I don’t exercise everyday I am a monster! And go course it important that people take care of themselves and do what they need to do but sometimes you have to push yourself a little to get up and move. It will always make you feel better!

-How have I gone through 34+ years of life and have yet to live in a treehouse? This is a change I need to make. This one would done just fine.

-Or maybe I skip the “House” all together and just start sleeping in trees. On Sleeping in the Largest Organism on Earth

-Ever Wonder Why Crying Sometimes Makes You Feel Better? Experts Explain the Science. I am not a crier unless I am so so angry. An angry crier. Maybe I should try and cry more?

-A Case for Using Your “Good Stuff” This Season. I never understand when people have “good” or “special” things that they never use. What is the point? I would much rather use that special thing(s) and if they get broken or ruined, well at least it was used.

- My top 3 all time favorite shows ever is having reunion! 'Fresh Prince of Bel-Air' reunion!

-REVERSIBLE HOUSE SHOES. I really like theses!

-How the Covid-19 pandemic hit the cut-flower chain. Oh the flowers, and every other crop. Stupid COVID. Barb and I were planning on going to Denmark in the spring to bike around the tulip farms… Not happening now. Let hope for Spring 2022!

Pictures from the week.

-C

Sweet Potato Hand Pies

What, you did’t skip an afternoon of life to stay home avoiding all the things that need to be done to watch the snow gently fall with the twinkle lights on, Sufjan Stevens Christmas playing and make little hand pies? Well shit, maybe that is exactly what you should do because I got to tell you, it was probably one of the best afternoons I have had in a while.

And don’t get at me about the Christmas music. Sufjan Stevens Christmas is one of the things I look forward to the most about this time of year. If you know, you know. If you don’t know, then stop what you are doing and go listen to it. Trust.

These little hand held pies are perfect for the upcoming holiday season, but anytime really. Crispy flaky pie crust filled with spiced sweet potato the is creamy and custard like then topped with a nice chocolate drizzle. All packed nicely into a square that you can eat without plate or fork plus they pack up so nicely (they make great gifts) and are just really freaking amazing. I made a batch and basically the mr and Barb fought over who was going to eat them all because they were just that good. And the mr isn’t even a sweet potato fan. (When will he realize he likes all food?)

Anyway, Take a couple hours and listen to Sufjan Stevens, watch it snow (if you can get it to do that), and make these hand pie, It will make you happy.

Now to the hand pies!

The stuff. For the dough you need flour, salt, brown sugar, ice water, and a stick of frozen vegan butter. (I use country crock vegan butter and it is AMAZING for pie crust). For filling it is baked sweet potatoes, cinnamon, ground ginger and nutmeg, and maple syrup. Also need chocolate chips and a little coconut oil for a nice chocolate drizzle.

Make dough. Whisk together the dry and grate the butter into it. Toss around with a fork and drizzle in ice water, a tablespoon at a time, until dough looks a little shaggy but can kind of smoosh together into a dough. Dump the dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap and gather together into a tight disk. Wrap completely and place into fridge to rest for about an hour. Also can be made a day or two in advance.

Filling. Just scoop baked sweet potatoes into a bowl, add in the spices and maple, and blend (use a hand blender or normal blender) until mixed and smooth. You could actually just mix it with a fork too if you want, just won’t be as smooth.

Once dough has chilled, place on a lightly flour surface and roll into a large rectangle roughly 12x14 inches.

Cut down the center then each side into 4 rectangle pieces.

Scoop filling onto each piece, fold in half and crimp the edges closed with a fork. Poke the tops so they don’t explode, and place on a baking sheet. Once they are all filled and on the beige sheet, pop them into the fridge for about 15 minutes and preheat oven to 350.

Once oven is hot, into the oven they go. Bake for about and hour, give or take a minute or 5.

Now would you look at that. Golden brown and damn near perfection. Get them off baking sheet and onto a metal rack to cool.

While they are cooling, make up a little chocolate drizzle situation. Chocolate chips and coconut oil. Just pop into microwave (or do it on a stove) for 30 second increments until mostly melted. Stir around until smooth and drizzle able.

Then drizzle, all over. Make it nice!

That is it. You now have hand pies and you now eat one.

Happy Holidays!

-C

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Sweet Potato Hand Pies

makes 8 hand pies

• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/3-1/2 cup ice water

• 1 stick or 8 tablespoons vegan butter, FROZEN (country crock vegan butter works amazing, but so does earth balance)

• 1 tablespoon brown sugar

• 1 1/2 cups sweet potato puree (Around 2 large baked sweet potatoes)

• 1 tablespoon maple syrup

• 1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1/2 teaspoon ginger

• pinch of nutmeg

• 1/3 cup chocolate chip

• 1 teaspoon coconut oil

Start by making dough. Whisk together the flour, brown sugar, and salt. Take the frown stick of butter and grate it into bowl. (Frozen grates so much better). Mix gently with a fork while drizzling in ice water until the dough starts to look shaggy. Grab a clump and smoosh it together. If it completely crumbles, add a little more water until it can smoosh into a dough. Dump it out onto a piece of plastic warp and pulling up the sides, gather it into a tight disk. IF it is still really crumbly, toss in another tablespoon of water. Wrap the dogs tightly and smoosh it into a rectangle and then place in fridge for about an hour. Can also be made a few days in advance.

For filling. Blend together sweet potato puree, the spices, and the maple syrup until smooth.

To assemble. Roll out chilled pie dough into a rectangle around 12x14 inches. Cut the half the long way down then cut each side into 4 equal sized rectangles. Take the filling and place about 2 tablespoons onto the end, leaving a little lip, of each rectangle. Fold in half and with a fork, feel the edges. Poke the tops with fork. Place the assembled pies on a baking sheet and pop the sheet into the fridge for 15ish minutes.

Preheat oven to 350.

After the fridge and when the oven is hot, pop the pie into the oven. Bake for about 60 minutes or until the crusts are golden brown and bottoms are a nice dark(not burnt) brown.

Remove from oven and place pies on wire rack to cool.

For chocolate drizzle just place the chocolate chips into a microwave safe bowl with the coconut oil. Heat for about a minutes or so until the chips start to melt and then mix together until it is smooth and drizzlable. Now drizzle the chocolate all over cooling pies.

And that is it. You can let the pies cool completely and the chocolate will set so it won’t smear, but you can also jus start eating them.

Pies are good for 4-5 days left on counter but really, they will not last that long.

• 350 for 60 minutes

Cranberry Coffee Cake

A cake. Do you really need a reason to make a cake other then you want to a) make a cake, b) eat cake, or c) make a cake for other people to eat. Sure it is the holiday season and we want pies and desserts and blah blah blah, but it is also do whatever feels right to you in the kitchen season and if cake feels right, well then cake so be it.

I was option c), wanting to make a cake for other people to eat, mostly for the mr to eat. I haven’t really baked much of anything the past few weeks (besides a lot of bread) and basically just wanted to make him something that I knew he would really like. (I know, I know, I am the best!)

Cranberries. Very appropriate this time of year and plus I just bought 5 lbs (to freeze and eat in handfuls frozen or to add to soup) and the mr really likes tart things so cranberry coffee cake it was. A dang good cake if I do say so myself. Dense and moist and rich and covered in crumble and drizzled with lemon glaze. Looks good and smells good and tastes better then that.

The mr. was glad for the cake, so glad in fact he ate almost half of it in a day. Then the other 1/4 the next day even after I yelled at him to not eat all but I think by now, it is gone. He really, really liked it. (He kept telling me how “freaking GOOOOD” it was. I know dude, I know.)

Now to the cake!

The stuff. All purpose and white whole wheat flour, baking powder and soda, salt, ground ginger, brown and white sugar, oil, vanilla, apple cider vinegar, plant milk, and cranberries. Also more flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and vegan butter for crumble and a lemon and powdered sugar for glaze.

Start with the wet. Add both brown and white sugar to a big bowl along with the oil, vanilla, vinegar, and half the milk. Mix together until completely incorporated. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder and soda, salt, ginger, and the zest of a lemon. Dump the dry into the wet, add the rest of the milk, and mix until everything is completely incorporated. But don’t over mix or the batter will get tough.

Lastly, fold in the cranberries. So Pretty!

Real fast make the crumble topping. Just mix together the flour, sugar, cinnamon, pinch of salt, and mix with a fork until completely combined and is kind of crumbly.

Batter gets dumped and leveled into a well greased tube pan and the crumble gets crumbled all over the top of the batter.

And into the oven it goes, 50-60 minutes or until a tester poked into the middle parts comes out clean.

Cake is done. Now pop it from pan and let it cool.

While cake is cooling, mix up the powdered sugar and lemon juice to drizzle.

Cake is cool enough to drizzle so drizzle that drizzle.

You now have your cake go on and eat it.

-C

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Cranberry Coffee Cake

Makes one tube cake (can also be baked in a 9x9 pan)

• For the Cake

• 1 cups all purpose flour

• 1 cup white whole wheat flour (or sub AP)

• 1/4 cup white sugar

• 1/2 cup brown sugar

• 1 teaspoon each baking powder and soda

• 1 teaspoon gound ginger

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon vanilla

• zest from a lemon

• 1 cup plant based milk

• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

• 1/2 cup neutral oil

• 1 1/2 cups fresh (or frozen and thawed) cranberries

• For the Crumb Topping

• 2/3 cup brown sugar

• 2/3 cup flour

• 3 tablespoons vegan butter

• 1 teaspoon cinnanon

• pinch of salt

• For the Glaze

• Juice form 1/2 a lemon

• 1/2 of powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350

In a large bowl mix together the brown and white sugar, oil, vanilla, and vinegar. Add in about 1/2 the milk and mix. Then In a separate bowl whisk together the flours, baking powder and soda, salt, ginger, and the zest of a lemon. Dump the dry into the wet and mix, adding the rest of the milk to the batter. Once batter in cohesive, dump in the cranberries and fold them in. Dump (it is a thick batter) into a well greased tube or burnt pan and level out.

Place all the stuff for the crumb topping into a bowl. Mix together with a fork until completely incorporated. With your fingers evenly crumble the mixture onto the top of the cake batter.

Place cake into preheated oven and bake for 50-60 minutes or until poked with a tester and it comes out clean.

Once baked, remove cake from oven and carefully remove from pan. Place on metal rack and let cool.

While cake is cooling, mix up glaze. Powdered sugar and juice of half a lemon get mixed until smooth and runny, but not to runny. If it is to runny, add a teaspoon or so more sugar to thicken up or if to thick, a touch more lemon. Think drizzle-able.

Once cake is cool enough, drizzle the lemon glaze all over.

And then that is it. You now eat it. For breakfast of dessert and any time in between.

Cake can be left, covered, on counter at room temp for 3-4 days. You can also freeze pieces of it but really, just eat it all and make a new one when the mood strikes for cranberry cake.

Soft and Fluffy Oatmeal Wheat Dinner Rolls

What’s up with dinner rolls? Do people eat them all year round, like on a Tuesday in the middle of March or maybe a nice blue sky sunny day in July? Is that a weird question? But seriously, think about it. Dinner rolls, at least in my world of people, are pretty much only eaten in and around Thanksgiving and Christmas. Huh. Kind of strange seeing that dinner rolls are bread which everyone eats all the time and are basically made specifically for dinner (although can and should be eaten for breakfast and lunch as well) which most people eat. Every. Single. Day. Well, whatever the reason, it’s weird. So yes, I am making these here dinner rolls now at the traditional holiday time but I think as of now, I am going to start making them all the time. It’s going to be my new thing. Fourth of July dinner rolls. Yup.

And so yes, we need dinner rolls right now for the holiday food feasts and these dinner rolls are the perfect accompaniment to any and all dinners. They are nice and fluffy and all dinner roll like, just as any good roll should be, but also slightly more nutty and soft and healthy because oats and wheat flour and homemade which is always the best.

And if you are like, hell yes I am a dinner roll person and hell no I am sticking to store bought cause that is that and how it’s done, well hey, no judgment here. I made these for my people for our family Thanksgiving, (which is happening today at my house. There are going be so many people) and I know that everyone will love and be happy to eat them, but I too also bought some of those super white, take and bake ones that I know if I don’t have on the table next to these gorgeous and amazing rolls, that I will probably get punched in the face. So we will have both. And then at dinner I can bask in the glory of all the comments about how much better my rolls are then the store bought ones. (Secretly why I am having both. Fishing for compliments. HAHA!)

Now to those soft and fluffy dinner rolls!

The stuff. Old fashion oats, all purpose and white whole wheat flour, yeast, oil, water (hot and room temperature), maple syrup, and salt.

First, take the boiling water and pour it over the oats. Mix them and let them soak and cool for 10 or so minutes.

While oats are soaking, add the room temp water to a big bowl with the yeast. Once the oats are soft and cooled off a bit, add them to the yeast mixture along with the oil, and maple. Mix together. The add the flours and mix until combined.

Dump dough onto a floured surface and knead for about 3-5 minutes, adding a little more four as needed to keep from being to sticky, but don’t over flour. The dough is and should be a little tacky.

Soft and supple. Kneaded and ready.

Place the dough back into the bowl and cover with a damp towel. Leave alone and let rise for about an hour or until it doubles in size.

Once the dough doubles, dump out onto a lightly floured surface and cut into 12-16 equal sized pieces .

Roll each roll into a roll shape and place them in a lightly greased baking dish. Cover for another 15-20 minutes to let rest and rise a little more.

Rolls risen again, just a little plumper. And now right before you place them in the oven, brush tops with a maple/water mixture and sprinkle with a few oats. To look pretty. And into the oven they go, 30ish minutes, until nice and golden brown.

Baked to golden dinner roll perfection.

And there you have it. Soft and fluffy dinner rolls. Warm out of the oven, looking and smelling like all the good things that you want and need.

And can, and should, be made now and all year round.

-C

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Soft and Fluffy Oatmeal Wheat Dinner Rolls

makes 12-16 rolls

• 1 1/2 cups old fashion oats

• 2 cups all purpose flour plus more for kneading

• 1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour

• 2 cups boiling water

• 1 cup room tempature water plus 2 tablespoons for brushing tops

• 2 teaspoons salt

• 2 tablespoons maple or honey

• 2 teaspoons yeast

• 1/4 cup neutral oil

In a bowl, mix oats with boil water and let sit and soak for about 10 minutes. In the meantime, in a large bowl, mix the room temp water with the yeast and 1 tablespoon of maple and mix. Once oats have soaked and cooled to a point that they are not super hot, but still just warm, mix them in with the yeast mixture. Add the salt and oil and mix then and both the white and white wheat flour. Mix until combined. The dough is going to be sticky, but that how is should be. Dump the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 3-5 minutes, adding a little flour as needed to keep from sticking too much, until dough is nice and uniformed in texture. Place dough back into big bowl (after you clean it out and lily oil it) and cover with a damp towel. Place somewhere warm for about an hour until it doubles in size.

Once dough has doubled, dump out onto a lightly floured surface and with a knife of dough cutter, cut into 12- 16 equal sized pieces. Roll each piece into a ball, pinching any ends together and place them into a 9x13 inch baking pan. Once all pieces are in, over and let rest for another 15 minutes.

While dough is resting again, preheat oven to 350.

After the dough has rested, and right before you place them in the oven, mix 1tablespoon of maple with about 2 tablespoons warm water and brush the tops of the rolls. Sprinkle with a handful of oats and then place them into the oven to bake. 30-35 minutes, until they are a nice golden brown.

Once baked remove from oven and let cool to a reasonable temperature and serve.

These can certainly be made a few days ahead of time of eating. Just remove baked rolls from pan and let cool completely then place the into an airtight bag. To reheat, just place on a baking sheet and stick in a hot oven until warm.

Warm Balsamic Delicata, onion, and Kale Salad

Let us talk about how winter squash is like one of the best foods ever. Seriously. Hardy, creamy, rich, and full of the nutty, sweet flavors of all the good things. How anyone says they don’t like winter squash is beyond me. I sometimes even feel like I put myself in danger of exploding when I am around enough cooked squash. I can eat and eat it until it’s gone, which is fine if it’s a serving or two, but when you roast up a 10 pound butternut, well, that is when the danger is real. I am getting better at holding back, but man, sometimes I just can't (or don’t want to?) help myself. ( You might also wonder why I cook 10 pounds of squash at a time. It’s because I will eat it all in a few days and I might as well cook a bunch at once, for efficiency sake.)

Now the delicata squah. If you haven’t had it before, stop what you are doing and go get one. You need to try it because it is amazing. Sweet, nutty, creamy. So good! And another good thing is that they are not giant, so you can buy one and eat the whole thing and not worry about overeating until you can’t move, unless that is the goal. In that case, just buy a bunch. HA.

Anyway, it’s getting to that time of year where salad is still great, it is just great warm. And with winter squash. Don’t you agree? So we cook up the squash, grab the kale and make one heck of a salad to eat all to your face. Because that is what will happen. You will make it , taste it, and not want to share it. It is too good to share. (Yes salads can be too good to share, so if you are planning on feeding others, plan accordingly)

To the salad!

The stuff. Kale, a delicata squash, red onion, some balsamic vinegar, a touch of maple, spicy brown mustard, a handful of toasted seeds, and salt and pepper.

Start with the squash. Cut it in half and scoop seeds from booth sides (these seeds are great roasted). After deseeded, cut both pieces into 1/4-1/2 inch thick rounds. And NO!!!!, do not peel the skin.

Grab the onion and cut into 1/4 inch rounds too.

Place the squash on a very lightly oiled baking sheet so the pieces are not overlapping each other. Then toss on the onion which is fine if it overlaps. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and lots of cracked pepper and pop into a hot oven.

In the meantime, mix the dressing situation together. Mustard, maple, and balsamic in a jar, mix and done.

Chop the kale too. Into mouth sized pieces.

Once squash is cooked all nice and tender, remove pan from oven. Take all the kale and toss on top then take the dressing and drizzle it all over the kale. Pop the pan back into the oven for a minutes or two, just until the kale starts to ever so slightly wilt.

Pull the pan back out and give it a good toss.

Dump it all into a big bowl, toss in the toasted seeds, and call it. Now grab a fork and start eating.

-C

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Warm Balsamic Delicata, Onion, and Kale Salad

Can be a main dish for 1 or a side for a few

• 1 delicata squash

• 1 bunch of kale (around 3/4 pound)

• 1 smallish red onion

• 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

• 1 -2 teaspoons maple syrup (more for a slightly sweeter, maple-y flavor)

• 2 tablespoons brown or dijon mustard

• 1/4 cup toasted seeds of choice (I used pumpkin and sunflower)

Preheat oven to 400

Cut delicata squash in half and scoop out all the seeds (you can save seeds to toast up later if you want), then slice the squash into 1/4 - 1/2 inch thick rounds. Grab onion and cut into thin slices. Take onion and squash and place them onto a very lightly oiled baking sheet and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Don’t let the squash overlap, but it is fine for the onion to overlap the squash and itself. Pop the pan into the oven and bake until the squash starts to brown and is fork tender, which should take about 10-15 minutes.

In the meantime, chop kale into small mouth sized pieces and set aside. And mix the balsamic, mustard, and maple together to create the dressing.

Once the squash and onions are cooked, toss the kale onto the pan and drizzle the whole thing with the balsamic mixture. Toss it all around and pop pan back into oven for another minute or two, just to let kale get a touch wilted.

Remove pan from oven, dump everything from pan onto a plate, and toss in the toasted seeds.

Grab a fork. Eat.