Homemade Pita Bread

Nope...fleurcottage is not turning into a food blog! Because of my husband's health I have more time to try out recipes that intrigue me and homemade pit bread is one of them. I also made homemade flour tortillas which are so simple and so fun to make, I think I'll go in the business of making them to sell. Ho-ho...THAT is a great big 'just kidding!' because I don't even like to spend time in the kitchen!

You'll find plain and easy instructions at  Stella B's Kitchen and though this is not a direct link to the pita bread, it can be found there by scrolling through her many food recipes.

The dough is very soft and needs lots of flour to work with when dividing
and forming the pita bread - it's a divide and conquer process.

Rolling them out is easy and again, use lots of flour.

My rolling pin is new. We were given one as a wedding gift and it resided in my kitchen drawers for forty-three years until several months ago when I decided I'll never make a pie again. I was glad to get rid of it - it was big and clumsy and didn't fit into my old kitchen drawers. Hence, the need for a new rolling pin that is smaller and lighter...so yay for small and light traded for old and clumsy!

They puff up while baking!
 Now is a good time to do some window peeking while baking.

Finished results.

Like Stella says...odd shapes add character and isn't that heart-shaped one cute!

Proudly showing off my flour tortillas and pita bread.

Just don't do what I did by cutting slits in the side of the pita.

It wasn't until I did that to five pitas it dawned on me to simply cut them in half!

No, I don't have a beautifully staged sandwich to end this with. I'll let that up to the pros.
This post is merely to show you what common, ordinary people-who-don't-like-to-spend-time-in-the-kitchen can do.
Even four year old Bub can do this!

PS #1
You'll notice the cooling rack placed on the oven rack to bake the pita.
Stella explains all about that and I bought mine for five bucks
and it makes cool-looking marks on the bottom.
Not that anyone notices the bottom!
PS #2
I like to know when I eat either of these I'm not eating a long list
of unpronounceable words.
PS #3
Next time I'm using whole wheat flour.

Give both of these a try - they really are simple, easy and quick to make!

Turning Butter Into Ghee

I've been spending more time in the kitchen in the weeks of Mr D's recovery from surgery and have been trying recipes that were in my favorites list. One of these was making ghee from butter in a crock pot - so, so easy!

Why ghee? One..it cooks out the milk that's left in butter. Two...it stores well for a long time. Three...it makes everything taste delicious. It can be done with no work at all other than watching it turn from butter into ghee - you can watch the process for 6-8 hours or you can forget about it until the sixth hour and keep an eye on it til it's finished.

Any butter can be used: however, the closer to organic the better! I bought mine at a local Amish store in a two-three pound roll. I placed it in the crock pot at 8:00 and by 2:00 it was turned into this lovely clear, gold liquid.

 Warning: it's very hot at this stage. Pour it through either a cloth or a coffee strainer that doesn't need a coffee filter into a container. I used recycled glass jars.

 This is what is cooked and strained out of the ghee. The butter was salted which made this very salty but it can be used to add flavor to rice, etc...just do it before adding other salts.

 It looks like this after it's refrigerated. It stays there until I need a fresh container then I let it sit on the counter where it softens again. This gives popcorn a new dimension of flavor!

Ragu Sauce

Some years back when son L was in Haiti for several months, we spent a week with him. While there, we became acquainted with Doreen and her husband from Ohio. Doreen is a pro at cooking and talked about a pizza sauce that is baked in the oven. I kept it in the back of my head and this summer I finally made it.

The first step:

cut tomatoes in half and lay cut side down in 10x15 pan

bake at 350 for 20-30 min or until skins crack

let cool, peel and remove white-ish core and squish with hands

(I like chunks in my sauce but it can also be blended)

Ragu Sauce

8-10 quarts tomato sauce

saute:

3 lbs diced onion

4 green peppers

2 bulbs garlic

1 cop cut-up celery

1 cup olive oil

blend in and mix well:

1 tbsp pepper

5 tblsp parsley flakes

1 tblsp oregano

1 tsp basil

1 tblsp worcestershire sauce

These ingredients can be blended in a blender before adding rest of ingredients.

I did not because, again, I like chunky sauce.

add and mix well:

1/3 c salt

1/2 c sugar

1 lg can tomato sauce

Place all ingredients in large roasting pan. Bake at 350 degrees 2-3 hrs or till desired thickness.

Process in jars.

I chose to freeze the sauce.

Healthy Shredded Wheat Snack

I love healthy recipes that taste good and this is one of them. I've always liked shredded wheat, particularly the bite-sized Bran n Wheat. When Mr D and I went grain-free, this is what I missed the most. I've made this twice for special occasions and both times the scales went up so this must be a once-in-a-blue-moon recipe for us as I'm the fondest of it! This recipe came from my friend Iva - don't you just love friends for recipes among the other obvious things?! The recipe came with out a title, so I'll just call it...

Shredded Wheat Delight

1 large box of Shredded Wheat



1 c. butter, melted

2tsp. Italian seasoning

1 1/2 tsp. onion powder

1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder

 1/4 tsp. hot pepper sauce

1-2 c. pecan halves

mix the above ingredients before adding to shredded wheat and mix thoroughly

bake @ 250 for 20-30 min., stirring once

* shredded wheat can be replaced with other chex cereals

* pecans can be replaced with nut of choice 

Crock Pot Yogurt

Thanks to my friend Sari, I've been making the easiest and oh-so-simple, delicious yogurt!

Without further ado, these are the instructions...

Step 1. Pour one gallon of milk in a crock pot.

Cover with lid and on lowest setting, let heat for two and one half hours.

Step 2. Unplug and let sit for three hours, covered with lid.

Step 3. Stir in one cup yogurt and sweetener of choice - I use 3/4 tsp of stevia.

Cover with towels and let sit for eight hours.

The picture above is after this step. Stir well with whisk till smooth.

This can be used like this after chilling in refrigerator but I prefer making Greek yogurt as the next step.

 Step 4 (optional). I line the bottom of this Tupperware strainer with a coffee filter, set it inside another container and pour the yogurt in, letting it drain till desired thickness.

The next picture is the product of an overnight stay in the frig.

 I give it a good stir with a whisk again and pour into containers.

Yield: two quarts yogurt - two quarts whey.

If you Google whey, you'll find the many ways it can be used. 

Favorite ways to eat yogurt:

eating with baked oatmeal

 yogurt parfait deliciousness

granola

fruit

or

just as it is for a quick snack!

Coming up next:

two more food recipes to share.

It's time to play catch-up on them!


Edited January, 2013:

I tried almond meal milk without success.
Do not use frozen/thawed yogurt as a starter for the next batch - major fail!
 I'm guessing the culture 'froze out.'
1 tbsp vanilla can be added with the starter for added flavor.

Canning Tomato Soup

Last week DIL M sauced tomatoes for me. Years ago she introduced a delicious tomato soup to our family and I decided to make the soup again. It's a quick meal on a cold winter night and is fabulous with toasted cheese sandwiches!

Because we're eating gluten-free, I changed a few ingredients but I'll give the original and add the changes in parenthesis.

Tomato Soup

Saute a bit:

 5 T. finely chopped onions

10 T. butter (or coconut oil)

Stir in and heat till smooth:

3/4 c. flour (or tapioca starch)

1/2 c. sugar (or rice syrup)

5 tsp. sea salt

1 1/2 tsp. pepper

Stir in:

10 c. tomato juice

(I added a cup at a time to avoid lumps several times)

Fill jars to within 1/2 inch and water bathe 1&1/2 hours.

If filled too much, it will cook over and run out of the jars.

Follow the usual rules of canning!

When I serve it, I dilute it with water but milk can be used - either way it's good!

Peach Season

I love fresh peaches and we're right in the middle of the season! Last year DIL M posted a recipe on her blog to freeze peaches and I wanted to do some this year for us. Because we eat sugar-free, I used orange juice and stevia to sweeten mine. It's delicious!

Red Haven is a delicious brand to use and it freezes well. Eating them partially thawed is the best way to eat it (my opinion!). Out of one basket, I froze forty-two cups in individual containers. So easy to pull out of the freezer, set in the frig and several hours later it's perfect to eat!

**********************************

Recipe

one basket of peaches

(I spread mine out on newspaper to allow more ripening)

one half gallon of orange juice 

(frozen concentrate, made to directions)

one teaspoon stevia

(yes, ONE teaspoon!)

I did the peaches in three batches, adding one-third teaspoon of stevia to each batch. Not all stevia has the same strength but do add carefully. It will taste bitter if too much is added. Yummy, YUMMY!

 This is a very simple method to preserve peaches and it took me only two and a half hours to do one basket. Clean-up was so easy!

Linking to:
Tuesday Garden Party

Yummy Lemon Aid

Lemon aid is simplicity itself - I mean, what's complicated about a simple drink like this? This one is different in that the whole lemon is used, giving it a different flavor and it. is. good!

Take one lemon, cut both ends off and quarter it.

Blend it. I use the shred button.

Immediately strain and add enough water to make two quarts.

I use stevia to sweeten it to taste. I've discovered there is stevia and then there is stevia! The stevia I use is potent so I use a quarter teaspoon to make two quarts. This is also best used the same day.

ENJOY!

Today I Baked...

We're eating gluten-free and these are a few of our favorites.

I call this one our crustless pecan pie - sooo super good!

Chocolate cake cupcakes to which I added a cream cheese center and skip the icing...also very good! In the background are almond meal raisin cookies - super, super good!

The cookie recipe is found here, though I've tweaked it a bit and use the same basic recipe and add raisins, chocolate chips or coconut and nuts together.

Fiercely delish! :)

Homemade Bacon Bits

Bacon bits are expensive and the imitation bits are a huge no-no for this lady's kichen! I'm blessed to have  nitrate-free bacon ends available that make wonderful tasting bacon bits. I freeze the bacon enough to make the grinding easier and use an old-fashioned hand grinder to make the bits. The hand grinder brings back childhood memories as my mother used one for a varity of foods.

- Directions -

Bacon package.

The bacon is meaty.

 This hand grinder is a handy item to have in the kitchen. I hooked it to the dinning room table and cushioned it with rubberized shelf liner to keep it from slipping and damaging the table.

 As I grind, I keep my hand on the grinder to keep it steady.

 Use a heavy-bottomed pan to fry it in.

Cover it with Pampered Chef's spatter-free lid...such a handy tool for cooking!

Stir occasionaly...

 and cook till clear fat bubbles appear on top of the bacon and bacon looks finished. Just a word of caution here - if fried too long the bits will be hard.

Strain...

(save the pan with the bits in to make a soup)

 package in containers...

 and enjoy!

Truly dee-lish...I love bacon! :)

Link parties:
Common Ground  Thriftin on a Thursday  Time Travel Thursday
Creative Things Thursday  Potpourri Friday  Fridays Unfolded

yumm-i-ness!

DIL B stopped by yesterday with a slice of this deliciousness!

pure,

creamy

goodness!

 Hubs is not a chocolate lover...much.

so i eat it...

one

sliver

at

a

time!

...blessedness!

linking to:

A to Z

granola

i know - granola has been around fa-ev-a!

this summer, we brought guests along home from church for lunch.

Mrs. S makes granola by the gallons to sell.

she was kind enough to give me the recipe for her sugarless one.

it's very delicious,

either alone or on yogurt.

No Sugar Granola

10 c. rolled oats

2 c raw wheat germ

1 c. wheat bran

1 c. chopped nuts

2 c. unsweetened coconut

1 c, sesme seeds

1/2 c. flax seed

3/4 T. salt

warm oil, flavoring and juice

1 1/2 c. canola oil

1 c. frozen concentrate apple juice

2 T vanilla or maple syrup flavoring

add this to dry mixture

divide into two pans, bake at 250 for 1 1/2 hours, stirring every thirty minutes.

(i substituted apple cider for the apple juice.)

the ingredients are very flexible and you can put your own additions to it,

such as chocolate chips, raisins, etc. 

 this recipe makes a good four quarts

and makes a beautiful gift!

 Quilted Nest gifted the candle to me at my Christmas Open House...
'peace' on one side - a snowflake on the other.

love!

...blessedness!

ox

spanakopita triangles

Rhoda at Southern hospitality is have a summer food party and I'm linking this wonderful dish!

Enjoy!

i joined a cooking class this fall -
'just for fun!'

Maile from Mai Time in the Kitchen was our instructer.
she, with her family, lived in England for several years,
taught us a few facts and recipes from there.
'twas fun and delicious!
spanakopita triangles is one of those recipes.

**************

Spanakopita Triangles

saute - 1/2 cup chopped onions

2 green chopped onions, including greens (i didn't) in 2 T olive oil

stir in - 2 minced garlic cloves

 1-10 oz. pkg thawed frozen spinach
cook -  three minutes, set aside
add - 1 c. feta cheese
1 c. grated mozzarella
1/2 c. grated parmesan
1 tsp each of s/p
dash nutmeg (i didn't)
2 eggs
mix well.

cut fillo roll in thirds
place 2 layers on work area and brush w/ melted butter
place 1 T. spinach filling at short end of strip.

 fold pastry over in a triangle...

 folding like a flag

 to the end of the strip.

 place on buttered sheet and brush top w/melted butter.

 bake @ 375 degrees until golden, approx 15 min.

**************
i've made these four times and learned a few tips in the process.
- the unused fillo must stayed covered...
it dries VERY quickly!
the recipe calls for 1/2 c. melted butter - it takes all of that and a bit more
- i did four strips at a time
- i used my fingers to brush the melted butter on...
less messy, easier and quicker!
- if the fillo seems to be dry or brittle, brush butter on that area
- by using fingers, it's easy to tuck in the 'stray and odd ' pieces of the fillo bundle.

 *****************
i'm thinking the spinach filling,
placed in a casserole and topped with the fillo,
would make a delicious dish...
maybe adding another package of spinach and an egg,
or a lesser amount of the cheeses...hmm - think i'll give that a try sometime!

pronunciation...spa-na-ko-pi-ta (?)

(correct me if i'm wrong!)

it's like the rose...

by any other name, is still a rose -

spanakopita by any other pronunciation is still delicious! :)

...blessedness!

ox

linking up to Funky Junk

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