Hunting for the Perfect Butter Tart

Over the past few months

the farmer and I have been

taking some little road trips,

turning our wheels North,

onto the "Butter Tart Trail".

Yes, that's right, there is an official

Butter Tart Trail!
click on the above line to find out more.

This day

the weather was typical Fall with

heavy rain, gusty winds, dark skies with brief peeks of blue,

and even a few rays of sunshine.

Our "good sports" friends Barry and Margo

agreed to join us for the hunt.

Wet but pretty country roads in the beautiful Belfountain area

First stop,

a sweet little coffee shop

called Higher Ground

in Belfountain.

This was off the trail but they

had delicious butter tarts,

great coffee and wild turkey

sandwiches so we couldn't 
resist having lunch here!

Tarts = $2.25 each

1/2 = $1.13

eek!

We wound our way through

the country roads in the Township of Wellington North

and, between rain drops, dashed into an old order Mennonite owned

country store called Misty Meadows in Conn

where fresh baked butter tarts 

came in 1/2 dozen packages.

Yep, we bought some to take home.

Tarts - $5.50 for 1/2 doz. - a bargain
compared to the other stop?

After a lovely Thai meal at one of our

friend's favourite restaurants 

we headed back to their

condo for tea and tarts.

1/2 a tart was all I could

eat by this point and
it was really delicious.

1/2 tart = .46
now that's better.

Our fun loving friends!

While I fiddled with the camera

on my new phone and snapped

a few more pictures.....

the tarts almost disappeared.

There are many more 

butter tarts on this trail

and more road trips needed to find them....
After all we have to find the perfect one half - right?
What is your favourite butter tart - plain, raisin, pecan, etc.
and how much are you willing to pay for one?
I love them just plain and not too expensive.

Till next time ..... the hunt is on!

Parsnip, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme Bread

My garden has a whole row of parsnips!

They are beautiful and oh so muddy right now

following the recent heavy rains.

We love them roasted, boiled,

and now baked into bread. 

I was intrigued to try this bread

recipe after being inspired by Liz,
one of my favourite foodie bloggers,

That Skinny Chick Can Bake's 
"Twelve Loaves"

challenge to use Root Vegetables

in some sort of bread recipe.

So - here goes .....

Parsnip, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme Bread
Almost sounds like that Simon and Garfunkel song? Parsley could be added as an option I suppose.
2-3 Cups All-Purpose Flour
2 tsp. instant yeast
1 tsp. salt
1 large parsnip - finely grated (measuring approx. 1 cup grated)
2-3 leaves fresh Sage - finely chopped
2-3 sprigs fresh Rosemary - plucked from stems and finely chopped
2-3 sprigs fresh Thyme - slid from stems and finely chopped
1/4 Cup grated Parmesan Cheese
2 Tbsp. lemon juice plus enough boiling water to make 2/3 Cup liquid
4 Fresh Sage leaves dipped in oil

Combine the dry ingredients and add in the parsnip, cheese and herbs - stirring with a fork to separate any clumps of parsnip.  Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in 3/4 of the hot liquid.  Mix to form a sticky dough adding the rest of the liquid if needed.  Knead for 8-10 minutes or until you get a smooth, slightly sticky dough.  Form into a ball, place into a lightly oiled bowl and let rise for 1/2 an hour or until doubled in bulk.  Punch down to squeeze out any air bubbles and form into a nice loaf. Place into a lightly greased loaf pan and let rise for another 1/2 - 3/4 hour.  When nicely rounded, preheat the oven to 360, score the top of the loaf lightly and garnish with oiled sage leaves (if desired).  Bake until golden and crispy on top.  Loaf should sound hollow on the bottom when tapped. Let cool slightly before serving.

Notes - the recipe didn't call for salt and the bread tasted bland.  I've added a tsp. salt to the recipe for next time.

The surprise was the lovely taste of the crispy sage leaves that were baked on top of the bread. Maybe sage "chips" would be worth making too?









Till next time ........ honing my root veggie bread recipes. Liz, I might link up once I perfect one!

Do You Yoga Dot Com

It's the first day

of a new Month

and the beginning

of a New Season ...

It's time to "turn a new leaf"

About a month ago,

my daughter mentioned on fb that

she is doing a 30 day yoga challenge.

I decided to check it out

and see if I could do this.

Tonight was the first lesson

So I tuned in to Erin Motz's first lesson
on doyouyoga.com

She's so young and cute - sigh!

I have to say - it felt really good,

that is,

once I found my yoga mat,

figured out how to keep my laptop from

fading out every 3 minutes,

and adjusted the lighting in the room

so the pot lights didn't blind me while

doing the "reverse table top"!

It only took approx. 20 minutes.
Surely I can give 20 minutes a day for the next 30?

Why don't you join me???
It's free and you can start anytime.

Now if only I could lose a few pounds in the process.....who knows?

Till next time .......... Namaste

Oriental Rice Bowl Supper

A few days ago,

I went to one of my favourite

specialty grocery stores

Vincenzos

to pick up a few things for the

weekend.

They were serving up a delicious

lunch - rice bowl.

I had to try it so I stood in line

and it was so worth the wait!

The hot rice and meat with

the crunchiness of the cold veggies was

a treat for the senses.

I watched how they assembled

this deliciousness and thought

I'd try it at home....

afterall there were some Thai seasoned

chicken breasts in the freezer,

waiting to be eaten!

There really isn't a recipe

but here are the ingredients:

Hot items:

Warm Rice - I used brown rice

Meat (can be pulled pork, pulled chicken,or beef

cooked and flavoured with Teriyaki or BBQ sauces)

I used chicken breast and Thai seasoning.

Sauted mushrooms

Cold crispy items:

Julienne shredded carrots, zucchini,

 and red peppers

chopped green onion, purple cauliflower,

and sliced radishes

Dressings (any or all of the following):

Sesame Oil - do not omit and use sparingly

Teriyaki Sauce

Hot Sauce (we used Franks)

Soy Sauce - Optional

Assembly:

Put a nice serving of warm rice in the

bottom of the bowl

Top the rice with the mushrooms,

crispy veggies and a scant splash of

sesame oil (a splash of soy sauce too if desired)

Add the meat and dress it

with Teriyaki Sauce and Hot Sauce

Garnish with the radishes,

green onions and a fried egg (optional).

Till next time ............... savour the tastes of the Orient!

Welcome Fall!

What a wonderful way to

Welcome Fall....

We just returned home from a

beautiful weekend visit with friends

in Northern Ontario.

After doing a bit of hiking,

eating a picnic lunch

next to a serene lake,

enjoying each other's company,

more eating,

reminiscing and solving the world's problems,

and still more eating,

I feel rejuvenated and

ready to welcome Fall!

Thank you John and Dianne

for your superb hospitality

and friendship.

Till next time ............ how was your first weekend for Fall?

Happy Anniversary!

One year ago

we celebrated a very special day!

It was the day that our daughter

married the love of her life.

We couldn't be more pleased

and proud of this amazing

young couple.

HAPPY HAPPY ANNIVERSARY
AND GOD BLESS YOU!!!!
Becky and Patrick

Photos by Red Umbrella Photography

Flowers by Stacey Nicholson and Becky Baechler



We love you
to the
Moon and back!

Fruit Relish

This is my mom's Fruit Relish Recipe.

It tastes wonderful 

as a condiment to any meat and

especially with pork.

The Farmer loves this relish and

I always try to have some in my fruit cellar!

Mom's Fruit Relish

Into a large cooking pot place the following:

20 ripe tomatoes - peeled, slightly seeded, and roughly chopped

8 pears - peeled and chopped

8 peaches - peeled and chopped

6 large cooking onions - chopped

1 Red Pepper - chopped

Mom says - don't chop too fine.

Add to the pot:

4 Cups white vinegar

5 Cups white sugar

1 heaping Tbsp. Salt

2 Tbsp. mixed pickling spices - in cheese cloth

Cook for approx. 4 hours, stirring very frequently!

The relish will reduce to almost half and become

thickened.  If you would like it to be thickened a 

bit more you can add 2 tsp. cornstarch mixed with 

1 Tbsp. water X 2 if needed.

Ladle into hot sterilized jars and seal.

This makes 8-10 pints of delicious relish!

While you're doing all that stirring,

you can make a cup of mint tea,

some beauty products,

and clean the kitchen

like I did the other night - smile!!

BTW for those who wonder how

my homemade deodorant worked

It worked very well!

Only one caution - it will leave a slight white residue

on dark clothing.

Till next time ............... enjoying the bounty of fall!

Homemade Deodorant

Today is making

the Fruit Relish Day!

While this delicious sauce boils down

taking approx. 5 hours,

I have time to clean up the kitchen,

stir the relish,

make supper,

stir the relish, 

watch Amazing Race Canada,

(so sad to see the brothers lose tonight)

stir the relish,

catch up on my blog friend's posts,

stir the relish

make a pot of fresh mint tea,

stir the relish,

and

make some homemade deodorant!!!

Weird eh?

It's supposed to be a scorcher tomorrow

so I'll put this to the test 

and let you know if it works!

I've always wanted to try making this

because I'm concerned about what

ingredients are in commercial brands.....
I do realize that this is not
an antiperspirant, just a deodorant.

This was easy peasy and took about 10

minutes to make!

In a glass bowl mix:

1/4 Cup Baking Soda (aluminum free)

1/4 Cup Arrowroot Powder (I found it at the health food store)

4 Tbsp. Corn Starch

Add:

1/3 Cup Coconut Oil (solid state)

Essential Oils (I used a few drops of Lavender and Thieves)

With a fork, mix the coconut oil into the dry

ingredients until mixture is completely combined

and resembles a thick paste.

Store in a glass jar and keep it in
a cool place as the Coconut Oil will melt
at 76 degrees.
I might need to keep it in the fridge tomorrow!

Well, it's getting close to midnight and I'm still

stirring.

It's getting close to being done though ...... I'll share the recipe

on a future post!

Till next time ............... getting the jars lined up for sealing - whew!

Follow-up on how the deodorant works....I was very pleased with this product. The only caution I would have is that it leaves a slight white residue on dark clothing. The commercial brand I use is Liquid Rock and I will use it on occasion as well.

Burlap Pumpkins and Twisted Bread

One year ago 

I was cutting bolts of burlap

into table runners

for our daughter's wedding!

It's so hard to believe that a whole year

has passed.

Somewhere on Pinterest I saw

fabric pumpkins and thought

I might try to make some 

with all that left over burlap.

Stems are cut from an apple tree branch and grape vine
curls and twine was used for decoration.

It was fun making a mess on my

kitchen table, attempting my hand

at a craft - something I haven't done for so long!

Meanwhile, the bread dough was rising

Giving me a couple of hours to play.

This all sounds ideal but truth be told,

the rest of the housework was being left undone

and I was feeling a tad guilty for just 

having a "play day"....

Anyway, here is the recipe for my

latest favourite bread.

This bread uses no oil and has a 

nice rustic texture for slicing.

Twisted Bread

3 Cups warm water

1 Tbsp. yeast

1 tsp. salt

¼ Cup sugar

6-7 cups all-purpose flour



Combine water, yeast, sugar, and salt in a large warm bowl or in your stand mixer bowl. Leave for five minutes to make sure yeast is working. Stir in first three cups of flour. Add the next cups of flour a little at a time as needed, stirring until dough becomes too stiff and pulls away from sides of bowl. Transfer dough to a floured surface and begin kneading, adding more flour if still too sticky. Knead till dough is smooth and elastic. Form into a ball and place into a greased bowl. Cover and let rise until doubled (I cover it with plastic wrap and a warm kitchen towel and place it into my oven on "proof"). This usually takes about an hour.

In the meantime, get out your craft project and make a mess - smile!

Uncover bowl, sprinkle in a little more flour and knead again before dividing in half. With floured hands, shape dough into loaves, twisting the loaves several times and placing them into two greased loaf pans.  Cover and let them rise again until double in bulk.

Continue with your project while the bread rises again!

Bake for 25 minutes in a preheated 350-degree oven.

That was fun!

Now I have a little burlap pumpkin display

for my front hall sewing machine

table.....

and fresh bread for supper.

Till next time ........... don't forget to play sometimes!

Tomorrow is back to school

for so many.

With this in mind, I had an urge

to bake cookies.

This is a recipe that my

mom often made.

She called them Dad's Cookies,

I don't exactly know why they are

called that but they were

always good and a favourite recipe.

When mom was getting feeble and

couldn't manage her housework as well anymore,

we hired a sweet young Amish girl to

come and help her for one day a week.

We soon discovered that mom had all the

housework done before she arrived

and insisted that

they bake cookies together instead

of housework!

The grandchildren sure didn't mind

this change in plans as there

were ALWAYS lots and lots of their

favourite cookies when visiting 

Grandma and Grandpa's house.

Dad’s Cookies

This recipe was written in her own

hand writing and passed on to each of us!

½ Cup Butter                                                                              

½ Cup Shortening (she used Lard)

2 Cups Brown Sugar

2 Eggs – beaten

1 tsp. Vanilla

2 Cups Sifted Flour

1 tsp. Baking Soda

½ tsp. Salt

2 Cups Rolled Oats

1 ½ Cups Coconut

Drop on baking sheet and press with a fork.

Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 10 minutes.  Will make 8 dozen small.

I used a small ice-cream scoop and this made

approx. 40 large cookies (3" round).

I had some left-over smarties from 

our weekend ice-cream dessert

so I added some before baking the last batch.

Maybe I'll deliver them to our

neighbours who have

3 sweet children heading

back to school tomorrow morning?

Becky, did I ever make cookies for you

for your first day of school lunch??

Dad's Cookies and Mom's baking Apron

Till next time ...... how is your Labour Day going?  We just heard the news that our beloved St. Jacobs Farmer's Market building burned to the ground during the night - such a terrible loss to this community and to the vendors!