Pumpkin (Spice) Chocolate Chip Cookies

I am a fan of all the spices related to pumpkin pie spices and I know I would love these cookies. You could probably spread the dough and cut into squares. This recipe might be a keeper.

I have been really busy with real estate. That house I recently showed you with my staging in the bedroom is Under Contract and I am dealing with home inspections now. Fingers crossed for smooth sailing. xo

Olive Oil Biscuits: Delicious Recipe

UPDATE: I sent the recipe to a friend in New England and she made them right away and sent me this photo. She just started baking and has only one square pan, so this recipe was perfect for her. She and her husband ate them right away with butter and jam. She thought they would have been better if they had been made with butter and she will use Smart Balance fake butter that is made with olive oil next time. xo

Mine didn't look like this but were tan in color because I used whole wheat flour. I don't have any white flour 😢 

This recipe is definitely a keeper. It makes only 6 biscuits and that's a good thing since leftover biscuits are never as good as those right out of the oven. They are very quick and easy to put together and you probably already have all the ingredients on hand. (You could double the ingredients if you dare having a dozen biscuits in the house.)

Simple Olive Oil Drop Biscuits

Recipe by Taste As You Go 

Delicious drop biscuits that are simple to make and don't require an ounce of butter.

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 10-12 minutes
Total time: 15-17 minutes
Yield: 6 biscuits

INGREDIENTS
1 cup all-purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup milk (I used whole milk)

INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 450°F.

In a large bowl, stir the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt until well-combined. Pour in the olive oil and milk and stir until just moistened. (I mixed the milk and olive oil together before adding to dry ingredients.)

Drop batter onto a baking sheet lined with Silpat or parchment paper (or do what you've always done when baking biscuits). Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown on the edges.

Serve warm.

I put butter inside when they were hot and they are so very tender and delicious. Really good and I grew up on Southern Biscuits so I know what a biscuit is. I was dubious about the whole wheat flour but it was fine. Would use it again, if I had any!!! I am going to a local bakery to see if they will sell me any flour and if they won't, I will try a pizza place. Wish me luck.

I added the sugar because I always bake according to the recipe the first time. They were not sweet at all. Next time I will probably leave it out. Or maybe I will add a little more and sprinkle sugar on top and then they will be like scones to have with a cup of tea. You could add raisins too.

Enjoy. xo

Baking: My Sourdough Oat Bread

As promised, here is the loaf (minus a few slices) of Sourdough Oat Bread I baked yesterday. The cookbook is opened to the page for how to make the starter. Click on the link for the recipe I used. I am very pleased and this bread is very satisfying somehow and doesn't leave me wanting to snack after eating it. Maybe I'm on to something. Staying at home during this pandemic makes one try to go back to homesteading, doesn't it? I have dabbled with sourdough several times before but I think this time, I will stick with it. 

I put this photo on Instagram this morning and so many people are learning sourdough techniques right now. I am looking forward to learning more. I will probably have french toast made with my loaf tomorrow for breakfast. See you tomorrow. xo

UPDATE: HuffPost has a great article on the immense popularity of backing sourdough bread now that people are home all day. Everything old is new again!!!

My Old Clothes Line with Webster

As I mentioned in this old post, I lost all the trees to the right of my garage/barn after Superstorm Sandy but I still have the white pine on the left. Webster the Wonder Dog used to love watching me hang out the wash. All I need is a new post and I could have a clothes line again. I still manage quite well with drying things outside on wooden clothes racks and my balcony railing so all is not lost. In the winter, the clothes racks are perfect in my furnace room for all but large top sheets which I dry on my balcony. I love sleeping on sheets that have been dried outside and I can honestly report that sunshine leaves an aroma on them like no other. When I enter my bedroom after putting on clean linens, the whole room smells like sunshine. The items dried inside have no aroma at all because I use a detergent with no scent.

The sun can kill the Corona Virus bacteria that can live on fabric for 6-12 hours. Normal laundry detergent should kill it on items in the washing machine. Winter clothes that can't be washed can be put out in the sun to kill the virus. Continue to wash your hands often and be smart about being out in public. xo

PS: I just found an easy recipe for DIY: Homemade Hand Sanitizer

Hello, March and A Lamb Cake

March came in like a lamb at my cottage. It was 23° when I thought to look at the weather app on my phone but there's no wind. I was thrilled to see a bluebird checking out my bluebird box so hopefully she liked what she saw and is ready to set up housekeeping soon. Fingers crossed.

Do you have a lamb cake mold? No? There's still time to find one and if you do, here's the recipe. I found a link for this mold on Amazon. Be sure to read the reviews about putting wooden skewers in the ears and neck for stability. Happy baking.

Quinoa Muffins Recipe

This recipe for quinoa muffins uses leftover dried quinoa (you know that last bit in the box you have that just sits in your pantry for months…), fresh herbs and fruit (this one used plums, but any fruit would work like peaches, blueberries or strawberries). The link is not responding but luckily I included the ingredients. The rest is up to you. xo

Ingredients:

1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
½ cup raw quinoa
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 ¼ cups yogurt
½ cup olive oil
½ cup honey
¼ cup basil, or another fresh herb (we used mint!)
1 plum or other fresh fruit

Nut Pie Crusts - Who Knew?

I read an interesting article about last minute pies at Food and Wine magazine online.

I have never heard of these nut crusts that are shelf stable, have you? I always use frozen pie crusts but my freezer is jam packed right now and can't hold one more item. These prepared nut crusts might be the answer to my problem. I must look for them the next time I go food shopping. Both photos by Sarah Crowder.

BBC: Celebration Chocolate Cake recipe

This recipe is by Mary Berry from The Great British Baking Show. It looks easy and delicious. It is even recommended to bake with and for children. I am not sure how to convert the flour to cups but you'll figure it out. I am a huge fan of cream cheese icing! recipe here

Zucchini Muffins Recipe

I have been saving this recipe because of this photo. I will probably replace the maple syrup with a little more sugar. I don't like my muffins too sweet. If they are, they are really cupcakes. Article and printable recipe here. They look yummy, don't they?