Food for Thought (and Discussion)

[The Old Maid]

Hey --

Here are some hidden gems of foodie websites I thought you all might enjoy.

MY FOOD SWINGS: https://myfoodswingsblog.wordpress.com/

THE RECIPE MASTERS: https://therecipemasters.wordpress.com/

MASTER COOKS: https://mastercooks.wordpress.com/

MADISON DOUGLAS: https://madisondouglass.wordpress.com/

GASTRONIC FOODS: https://gastronomicfoods.wordpress.com/

[SnowAngel]

So as long as it's not too hot tomorrow to be baking my sister will be making apple pie for the 4th of July per my dad's request. If it's too hot for baking, it will have to be homemade ice cream instead.

I really want to make gummies (jello), but we are out of beef gelatin. It's the hottest part of the summer so far and we're out of gelatin. What a bummer.

I'm off to make some probiotic whey lemonade, Scarlet's recipe is heavier on the whey than most of the recipes online.

2 cups whey (kefir or yogurt)
2 cups water
1/2 cup lemon juice
truvia or stevia, sweeten to preferred taste

SnowAngel

[Kalta79]

That Berry Whip sounds good, @SnowAngel. Will have to find some kefir cheese! Does anyone have any good recipes for rhubarb that don't involve pies? I have 3 plants, but my mother doesn't like rhubarb, so trying to find a way to entice her to eat it.

[The Old Maid]

@Kalta79, Have you tried Rhubarb Central? They have about 250 recipes and they look good!

[The Old Maid]

Hello,

Would there be any interest in contributing to a "NarniaWeb eats their way across North America" post? I've done this for another group and there were some great suggestions. (See the Mail-order companies list and the Tourist-go-there list.)

If yes, I would actively collect through September 30 in this food thread. After that, wave at me with any stragglers.

Please specify whether it's for the Mail-order list or the Tourist-go-there list. [Note: please specify which list the U-pick-farms would go on. Some places do both.]

Seeking the business name, its website address, and which city and state for its entry. Please specify if no website or other quirks (e.g. "cash only"). For tourist-go-there, please add address with nearest intersection.

As much as I would love to have something from every Canadian province and every US state, I'd rather have yummies you or your connections have tried and can recommend.

(And if anyone wants to create a post to eat their way across another landmass, I'm not competition for that.)

If the mods would prefer that I not, just shut it down sweetly. I won't squawk.

[Meltintalle]

I'm fond of rhubarb sauce, Kalta.

1) pick rhubarb
2) wash and chop into 1 inch pieces, or whatever you think looks bite sized
3) put in saucepan and add water until the rhubarb is not quite covered
4) bring to a boil, stir, then simmer until the rhubarb falls apart
5) add sugar to taste

It's good as-is or chilled and can be used as an ice-cream topping or spread on bread if it's thick; and I even turned it into popsicles once too

[SnowAngel]

Kalta, kefir cheese is super easy to make, you just drain the whey off the kefir with a cheesecloth or cloth napkin.

Mmmm, rhubarb sauce sounds terrific, Mel.

We have two of the world's saddest rhubarb plants, five years and they still are quite small, that being said we usually mix our bit of rhubarb with strawberries to make jam. I would love to have enough rhubarb to make a pie or jam without adding strawberries.

SnowAngel

[stargazer]

Mel, my mother made a similar version of rhubarb sauce, but with the addition of frozen or fresh strawberries (when available) in place of some of the sugar.

[SnowAngel]

I have finally found some tasty and nicely textured coconut flour cake recipes that don't have use almond flour as well.

I tried this chocolate cake recipe: https://jenniferbanz.com/keto-chocolate-cake Very tasty, nice textured. One thing I have noticed with coconut flour recipes is that always take longer than the recipe says to bake. I lost track of how many times I added a couple more minutes to timer with this one, but the finally baking time was over 35 minutes. It was a hit with the whole family including the non-coconut eaters. Want to try this one again and make cupcakes instead of a 8x8 cake.

Cake recipe 2: https://healthhomeandhappiness.com/keto ... tevia.html I love lemon and lime cakes, this is so yummy. I made mine cupcakes, served them with fresh strawberries and whipped cream. I meant to take pictures, but the cupcakes didn't last long enough for that. Also I used silicone baking cups and the cupcakes slid right out of them.

I also discovered this week that spinach leaves actually work for coloring smoothies or shakes. I made my mom a THM creamy key lime shake with 7 spinach leaves and it was a lovely lime green with no spinach flavor.

SnowAngel

[The Old Maid]

Here's a sweet treat for the heat wave: A Recipe for ice. The comments are hysterically funny.

[mm1991]

The Old Maid, my sister used to tell our mother (who is blonde haired) a joke during the summer - "Why couldn't the blonde make ice? Because she forgot the recipe!"

[SnowAngel]

Our oven, which has worked in fits this summer, decided to quit working. So we are currently waiting for the new oven to arrive and be installed. The lack of oven as lead to a larger than normal consumption of waffles around here. We have waffles at least once a week and we also make a second batch for the freezer for a couple of breakfasts during the week. We make regular waffles with whole wheat flour for everyone except mom and for her I make this keto recipe. The keto recipe is surprisingly good and sweet with the coconut flour.

Recently we had plain waffles (no spices) topped with pizza sauce, hamburger, bell peppers, onions, and a creamy cheese sauce. So much fun to make and very tasty. We've also enjoyed waffles has open face sandwiches.

I've also tried the THM marshmallow recipe from their cookbook, pretty good for a no sugar recipe. And the marshmallows paired with THM skinny chocolate (in sauce form) makes for a great healthy s'mores style topping on the keto waffles.

SnowAngel

[wild rose]

so my oven broke and it will be a while before I can replace the stove (it's so old there's no point in trying to fix that thing).

But I REALLY miss baking and making sweets. It was my favorite past time while I worked at the orphanage. (And also I've got a terrible sweet tooth ) So I thought I'd ask around if anyone has some tried and proven recipes for snacks that your don't have to bake.

I dunno...maybe freeze, refrigerate or fry?

[Wunderkind_Lucy]

Awww. That's terrible, wild rose.

I think there are a lot of no-bake recipes, but I think some of them require a microwave...

One of my favorite no-bake, refrigeration-type desserts is a cherry ice-box cake. It's basically cherry pie filling, vanilla pudding, and a graham cracker crust.

~Wunder

EDIT: Also, you could try making donuts or apple fritters since those require frying....

[The Rose-Tree Dryad]

Do you have a stovetop or electric burner to cook with, wrose? I actually bake (well, steam) cakes on the stovetop semi-regularly. Steaming cakes is very common in Asia because ovens are rare there, and a few years ago my oven broke right before my birthday and I picked up the technique then. I still use it now when I don't want to heat up the kitchen with the oven in summer, or want to add some moisture to the air during winter. Steamed cakes are harder to overcook, too.

Here's a video that'll give you an idea on how it's done. I just use a little steamer rack in a dutch oven instead of a steamer pot, but you could also get creative and use something else for a steaming platform so long as there's a sturdy spot for the cake pan to sit. (Thick cookie cutters, maybe.) And if you have a pie tin the same diameter as your cake pan, you can flip it upside-down and use that as a cover instead of aluminum foil; that gives the cake more room to rise.

Let me know if you give it a try!

[SnowAngel]

wildrose, this buttermilk doughnut recipe is a favorite at our house: https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/but ... doughnuts/ The nutmeg is a must, the flavor is flat without it. The original recipe is very yummy. To try and make not so unhealthy, we use whole wheat flour and 1/2 cup Truvia baking blend in place of white sugar, and frost them with ganache. I would love to try the recipe with erythritol or xylitol, but it's not in the budget. We actually had these twice in October, once of a birthday (instead of cake) and the second time for Reformation Day.

Since we are still waiting for our new oven to arrive, I've been tinkering in the kitchen coming up with a couple of cookie dough yogurt recipes. I made one with peanut butter that would be a good meal substitute or breakfast. I used semi sweet chocolate chips because that's all we have, I would like to have used dark chocolate chips. And I would have added vanilla if we weren't running low.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Yogurt
1/2 cup full fat Greek yogurt (homemade with whole milk)
1 1/2 tablespoons coconut flour
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
8 drops vanilla liquid stevia
pinch of mineral salt
1 tablespoon chocolate chips, semi sweet

Mix and eat.
Serves 1
Total calories: 224 calories

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Yogurt
1/2 cup full fat Greek yogurt (homemade with whole milk)
1 1/2 tablespoons coconut flour
2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
8 drops vanilla liquid stevia
pinch of mineral salt
1 tablespoon chocolate chips, semi sweet

Mix and eat.
Serves 1
Total calories 414

SnowAngel