Menu 7

Homemade Sourdough English Muffins are my children's favorite breakfast. (You can find the recipe on the rightside of my blog under Sourdough.) It takes a bit of planning to serve them first thing in the morning, but it is well worth the effort when you see your families reaction to them.





Breakfast

• Sourdough English Muffins
• Scrambled Eggs
• Juice
  

Lunch

• Bar-B-Que Beef Sandwich
• Carrot Salad

Dinner

• Creamy Chicken
• Rice
• Canned Vegetable
• Whole Wheat Chocolate Zucchini Sheet Cake

We usually do not have a dessert in the middle of the week, but my husband needed refreshments this evening. This sheet cake is so moist and delicious that no one would ever suspect that it is made of whole wheat and zucchini. Imagine a cake that is somewhat good for you.

WHOLE WHEAT CHOCOLATE ZUCCHINI SHEET CAKE

• 1 Cup butter
• 1 Cup water
• 1/4 Cup unsweetened cocoa
• 2 Cups sugar
• 2 Cups white whole wheat flour
• 1 Teaspoon baking soda
• 1/8 Teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 Cups sour cream
• 2 Eggs
• 1 Teaspoons vanilla
• 1 Cup Shredded zucchini

Frosting

• 1/4 Cocoa
• 1/2 Cup butter
• 1/3 Cup milk
• 4-1/2 Cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 Teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 Cup nuts, chopped (optional)
  

In a large bowl, combine sifted flour, baking soda and salt. In a medium saucepan, combine cocoa, water and butter, bring to a boil. Beat chocolate mixture into sugar. Add dry ingredients and beat 1 minute at medium speed. Stir in sour cream. Add eggs one at a time and beat well. Add vanilla and mix an additional 2 minutes on low speed. Stir in zucchini. Pour into greased and lightly floured 15 x 10 x 1 inch pan. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 20 to 22 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Frost the cake while still warm. To make the icing, bring the cocoa, butter and milk to a boil. Remove from heat and beat in sugar. Frost cake and sprinkle with chopped nuts. Let cake cook completely before serving.

Menu 6

I love the applesauce that is featured on todays menu. It is made strictly from dehydrated apples. Amazingly, it only takes 5 minutes to prepare. This applesauce a great as a snack or side dish. It is also perfect to serve babies just starting out on their adventure of eating food.

Breakfast

• Applesauce
• Scrambled Eggs
• Cinnamon Toast
  

APPLESAUCE FROM DEHYDRATED APPLES

Take 4 cups of water and cook in a

medium saucepan over med-high heat.

Once it comes to a boil take it off the stove

and stir in 4 cups of dehydrated apples.

Stir to moisten.

Cover and let sit for 5 minutes.

Pour water and apples in blender.

Hit puree and blend until the

consistency of applesauce.

(I like mine a little chunky.)

You can eat it plain or add sugar and cinnamon.

Lunch

• Wheat Berry Salad
• Whole Wheat Rolls
• Canned Fruit
  

Dinner

• Whole Wheat Meatloaf
• Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes
• Canned Vegetable
  

WHOLE WHEAT MEATLOAF

• 1 1/2 Pounds ground beef
• 1 Cup whole wheat berries, cooked
• 2 Beaten eggs
• 3/4 Cup water
• 1/4 Cup ketchup
• 2 Tablespoons dehydrated onion
• 3 Tablespoons powdered milk
• 2-1/2 Teaspoons salt
• 1/2 Teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 Teaspoon sage
• 1 Teaspoon prepared mustard
• 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  

Combine all ingredients thoroughly and pack into a loaf pan. Top with sauce. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Serves 6-8

Sauce:

• Combine 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/3 cup ketchup
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard.
  

Grapes Galore

The first grapes of the season!

I am so thankful for not only our food storage but our gardens that help us provide for our family during the lean months of summer.

Menu 5

My kids think that I am absolutely crazy to blog my menus and even crazier that I take pictures of our food. Who knows, maybe I am. My intent is to help others and hopefully spark an interest in food storage by showing how easy, versatile and delicious it can be to use on a daily basis.

Today was a little crazy with errands and babysitting so the only picture is the finished product.

Breakfast

• Apple Cinnamon Creamy Oatmeal
• Milk
  

Lunch

• Chili Rice and Beans
• Flour Tortilla
• Salsa
• Canned Fruit

Dinner

• Spaghetti w/Garden Fresh Marinara Sauce
• Broccoli
• Salad
• French Bread
  
  

GARDEN FRESH MARINARA SAUCE

In a large pot:

• Heat 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Add and saute until translucent:

• 2 Small onions, chopped
• 2 Cloves of garlic, minced

Add and cook until vegetables are soft:

• 2 Celery stalks, chopped
• 1 Large bell pepper, chopped
• 1 Medium zucchini, chopped
• 2 Carrots, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 Teaspoon salt
• 1/2 Teaspoon pepper
• 1 Tablespoon fresh chopped basil

Stir in:

• 2 (28 oz) cans crushed tomatoes
• 1 Tablespoon sugar

Simmer uncovered over low heat until the sauce thickens. It will take approximately 1 hour.

I usually double the recipe and freeze half of it after it has cooled completely in 2 or 3 cup portions. It will last up to three months in the freezer.

The chunkier the better.

After I served dinner, I was able to freeze 9 cups of Marinara Sauce.

First and Last

Here they are,

the first and the last peaches of the season.

The tomatoes were an added bonus.

We have a dwarf peach tree which apparently our puppy loves! Every day for the past several weeks we have seen peaches all over the lawn, literally dozens of them. We thought it might be the squirrel that enjoyed them so much last year, but he only picked 1 at a time and ate most of the fruit. The peaches all over our lawn every morning were practically untouched. It was a puzzle to us how this was happening until we saw Padme standing on her hind legs and picking them off one by one. Boy were we upset!


Today while taking the net off the tree we discovered that we still had peaches.

Believe it or not there were 21 peaches hidden!

I have almost forgiven the puppy.

4th of July Celebration

The weekend was crazy with activities. Kendrick needed a 4 mile hike to complete his Camping Merit badge and so he and my husband put on their backpacks and started off at 5 AM. The plan was that I was to follow an hour after they started and wait at the 4 mile mark. We had a 4th of July breakfast to get to by 8:30 AM and so we took care to time the hike perfectly. At the designated time, I set out, drove 4 miles, waved at the hikers as I passed them and pulled off at the 4 mile spot. What I did not take into consideration was the heavy Monsoon rain we had experienced the night before. When I pulled off the road, I had this sinking feeling, (literally it was a sinking feeling.) I was stuck in the mud. In my defense, it did NOT look muddy, but the clay soil we have in this area can be deceiving. Then there was the fact that I did not wear my shoes. Instead I grabbed some of the kids flip-flops on the way out of the door. Worse than being stuck was the fact that I did not have my camera with me. What was I thinking? Well I pondered the situation for a moment and decided that I would wait for my husband and hope that I wasn't in too much trouble when he arrived. Mar-Kay was very understanding. Tired and sweaty from the hike, he saved the day and got the car out of the mud within a very reasonable time. We made it back home, washed the mud off and even made it to the breakfast by 8:20, ten minutes early.

This picture was taken at the 4th of July Breakfast.

(Notice I had my camera.)

I love the view in the background.

After breakfast Kendrick worked on passing off his swimming requirements for his 1st Class in Scouting. Go Kendrick!

Our evening was spent with Tyrone, Aimee and the Clayton family. They invited us over to celebrate the holiday. The food and company was great! Aimee made a beautiful 4th of July cake which tasted as good as it looked. Of course, once again, I did the unthinkable as a blogger and forgot my camera. :(

As we were leaving the house, this huge dog came right up to our car and before we knew what happened he climbed right in and sat down. It was the funniest thing! (Camera???) It took a while before we could coax him out, but we finally succeeded. It was late when we left, but as we were driving home we were able to watch the sky light up through the valley with fireworks.

It was a terrific day! I am so grateful to have been born in such a wonderful country. We have so much to be thankful for.

I also learned a valuable lesson. NEVER LEAVE HOME WITHOUT MY CAMERA. You never know what is going to happen.

Menu 4 Focaccia

Today's entire menu revolved around Foccacia.

Focaccia is a flattish Italian bread topped with herbs, cheese, peppers, olives, fruits, meats or just about anything you desire. I used it as the main dish for each one of the meals today. The kids had a great time making their own and believe it or not, there were no complaints.

Breakfast:

• Fruit Focaccia
• Fruit Smoothie

Lunch

• Pesto Focaccia
• Green Salad

Dinner

• Vegetable Focaccia
• Fried Zucchini Sticks

FOCACCIA

1 Tablespoon yeast
1 1/4 Cups warm water
1 Teaspoons sugar
1 Teaspoon salt
1 1/2 Cups Whole wheat flour
2 to 2 1/2 Cups all purpose flour
1/4 Cup olive oil

Proof the yeast by combining it with warm water and sugar. Let sit for 5 minutes until foamy. Add olive oil, whole wheat flour and salt. Stir until well mixed. Add flour 1 cup at a time until you can no longer stir it.

Turn it out on a lightly floured work surface and add the remaining flour. Knead the dough for 6-8 minutes until smooth and elastic.

Place in a well oiled bowl, cover and let rise until double. About 1 hour.

While it is rising prepare your toppings.

Toppings from my garden.

Once the dough has risen. Punch it down and let it rest a few minutes while you prepare your pans. Coat the baking sheet with olive oil and a sprinkling of cornmeal. (I like to use pizza stones to cook my Focaccia on.)

Heat oven to 425.

Typically Focaccia's are more oval or rectangle in shape, but I like mine circular so that I can serve it in wedges. Call me crazy.

Take the dough on a floured surface and start patting it into a round shape. Do not roll your dough, pat it with your hands. When you have partially shaped it, transfer to your baking sheet and continue shaping your dough to fill the pan. Now using your fingertips, form dimples in the dough. Let it rest for about 10-15 minutes.

Now it is time to top your Focaccia.

By the way, I tripled the recipe for the day since I used it for all three meals.

This Focaccia is topped with Pesto sauce,

sliced tomatoes, olives, and sliced onions.

Place in the oven and cook for 25 minutes.

Topping for this include, olive oil spread over the entire dough,

Feta cheese, bell peppers, tomatoes, onion and minced garlic.

While my favorite was the Pesto Focaccia,

my boys enjoyed this one with Feta Cheese.

Fruit Toppings

Sprinkle olive oil over the dough.

Cover the entire surface with fruit.

Sprinkle with sugar.

Drizzle with icing and serve warm.

We had a blast creating our Focaccias. It was a fun activity to draw the family closer together while teaching them how to cook. The possibilities of this bread are endless and the kids are already talking about what topping they want next time.