Homemade Whole Wheat Pasta
By · Sep 01, 2010 · CommentsI’ve been making homemade pasta for several years. It is SO easy and everyone loves it. I mostly use the noodles for Chicken and Noodle Soup or Beef and Noodles. Or, sometimes I roll the recipe into Lasagna Noodles (I’ll share how I do that soon).
By the way…I can’t decide whether to call this pasta or noodles. Is there a difference? If it’s okay with you, I’ll just keep using the words interchangeably since I apparently can’t make a decision about which one to use. Hopefully I won’t accidentally combine the two and call it poodles because that’s a different thing entirely and poodles can neither be mixed in a bowl nor rolled out on a well floured surface.
I think most people assume it’s hard to make your own noodles. If you are one of those people, please try mixing these up really quickly and find out how EASY they are to make!! Here…I’ll show you…
Whole Wheat Pasta
2 1/3 cups whole wheat flour (I use freshly ground flour)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 beaten eggs
1/3 cup water
1 teaspoon olive oil
Grain Soaking Instructions (so that the grain will be more easily digested):
Use the same ingredients, substituting the water with a cultured dairy product like buttermilk or plain yogurt. Mix then cover with a towel and let it sit for 12-24 hours.
First mix the flour and salt together in a bowl and make a little”pit” in the middle.
Beat your eggs in a separate bowl, then pour them into the flour mixture.
Add the water (or buttermilk) and olive oil.
Stir well until the ingredients are mostly combined.
Dump it out onto a floured surface and knead it a little bit to get the ingredients combined well.
(If you are planning to soak the grain, you would begin at this point.
Put the “blob of dough” back into your bowl, cover and let it sit for 12-24 hours.)
Make sure your surface has a LOT of flour all over it so that your noodles won’t stick when you roll out the dough. Sticky noodles are not fun. (I would imagine that sticky poodles are not fun either, but I don’t have any experience in this area.)
Use a well floured rolling pin and roll and roll and roll until your noodle dough is almost hanging off the side of your counter top. Or at least until it is very thin, about 1/8 inch in thickness. You may need to keep tossing some flour under the dough as you roll to keep it from sticking.
I use a pizza cutter to cut long strips in my noodle dough.
That’s what Grandma used to do after all.
Ooh, isn’t it purty?
Cut your noodles any length you want.
In case you’re wondering…I made a double batch. Yeah…that’s a lot of noodles.
Once you’ve cut your noodles you can either use them right away, or you can let them dry so that you can store them and have them ready for when you need them.
I used my new dehydrator to dry the noodles, but you can just leave them on the countertop to dry if you want. It will take a while…like several hours or even an entire day. You may also need to turn the noodles over after a few hours so that the under side can dry.
Once the noodles are completely dry, store them in an air tight container in your pantry. They will stay good for up to a month. They can also be frozen….just let them thaw a little before you cook them.
To cook your noodles:
Bring six cups of chicken, beef or vegetable broth to a boil. (I like to include cooked meat and veggies in my broth too when I add noodles.) Stir in the noodles, making sure they don’t stick to each other. Salt well. Cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until the noodles are fat and tender.
Hampton Hotel Sweepstakes
By · Sep 01, 2010 · CommentsThis is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Hampton Hotels. All opinions are 100% mine.
————————————————–
We interrupt this regularly scheduled program (the one in which I tell you how to use your noodle…or rather, how to make homemade noodles) to inform you quickly of a fun opportunity!
I’m telling you just in case you like the chance of winning something cool like a free weekend getaway from Hampton Chain of Friends Sweepstakes. Just in case you’ve been like me lately with tomatoes and peppers and other fresh produce (and possibly homemade noodles) up to your eyeballs and a free getaway with your family sounds just a little bit lovely right now.
Hampton Hotels are running a pretty cool sweepstakes in which they are giving away a free weekend getaway every day!! The sweepstakes is open to everyone and you can enter every single day if you want to.
Then later (and this is so cool…you HAVE to picture it!) they are drawing for a grand prize which includes the chance to book an ENTIRE Hampton Hotel for an ENTIRE weekend. I know! Wouldn’t that be fun to invite all kinds of the people you love to a free hotel getaway for a weekend?!
You can head over here to sign up for the Hampton Chain of Friends Sweepstakes.
Hey, if one of you wins the prize of being able to book an entire hotel for the weekend, will you invite me to come? ;)
————————————————–
Just so ya know, this happens to be a sponsored post. I am hardly ever paid for posts I write, but this time the offer was fun and I thought you’d be interested in knowing about it, so I accepted. I promise I would never write about anything (paid for or not) that I didn’t think was worth telling you about.
And now, back to our regularly scheduled programing.
Why You Shouldn’t Use Imitation Vanilla!
By · Sep 01, 2010 · CommentsMaybe you knew this already, but just in case…check out this email from Lindsy:
Hi Laura! I was just telling some friends today about my adventures in making vanilla extract. I live near Appleton, WI and this area is sometimes referred to as the Paper Valley because there are so many paper mills in the area. Anyway, one of my friends was saying that her husband works at a paper mill and part of his job is to collect the “run-off” from paper pulp. They then sell this by-product to companies that make it into imitation vanilla extract. How disgusting is that!?! I did a little Googling to see if this is for real, and found this on Wiki Answers:
“Imitation vanilla is manufactured either from clove oil (eugenol) or as a breakdown product of lignin from a conifer (e.g., spruce, Picea).”
I really don’t want to flavor my food with the run off from paper pulp, so I’ll stick to making homemade vanilla… :)
Beautiful Things Happen When a Woman Trusts God (giveaway winners)
By · Sep 01, 2010 · Comments
The winners of Sheila Walsh’s Beautiful Things Happen When a Woman Trusts God are:
- Melissa (donaldandmelissa@)
- Casey (jcparker3@)
- Maren (lee_maren@)
- Jeni (jeniwilmot@)
- Lori L. (monlor@)
Beautiful Things Happen When a Woman Trusts God is a wonderful read and a great tool in helping us remember that God is a God we can trust!!
Excalibur Food Dehydrator
By · Aug 31, 2010 · CommentsMy friend Anne told me last summer that if I was going to invest in a good food dehydrator, to get an Excalibur Food Dehydrator because they were the best!
Much to my loudly squealing delight, a few weeks ago Cultures for Health sent me a Excalibur Food Dehydrator free of charge, in exchange for telling you all about it here on my blog! Wow, wow, wow. I love every package delivered to my door, but this big ol’ box may have made me jump a just little higher (poor UPS man).
My husband and I are having such a fun time giving our Excalibur Food Dehydrator a work-out! This is the perfect time of year for us to give the dehydrator a whirl as we have all kinds of fresh produce needing to be preserved.
See the pretty peach fruit leather?
Matt cut up a bunch of our red jalapeno peppers and dehydrated them. Here they are before they went into the dehydrator…
And then just a few hours later…
We then ground them up to put on pizza and in chili. SO easy!!
Beyond fruits and vegetables, I’ve used the dehydrator to quickly dry homemade pasta! Note to self: Don’t cut the pasta too short when planning to put it in your dehydrator. Or, for Pete’s sake, make good use of your Paraflexx sheets!
The noodles still turned out great even if they were “bent out of shape”. I’ll be sharing the recipe soon!
Our dehydrator has five drying trays, which makes it possible to preserve a lot of food all at one time. LOVE that! The best part about an Excalibur Food Dehydrator is that all of the food drys evenly so that we don’t have to rotate the trays or be frustrated because one is done and the others aren’t yet. Oh, and if we only need two trays at once, we only put two trays in. There are several different “heat settings” so that you can keep some of your food raw if you want or even make yogurt!
We are LOVING our Excalibur Food Dehydrator and appreciate that Cultures for Health was kind enough to send it to us. We can’t wait to see what we can dehydrate next!!!
I’m sure you’d enjoy looking over the Cultures for Health site. They have wonderful products to make cultured dairy products and cheese and sprouted grain and more…not to mention the awesome Excalibur Food Dehydrator!!
Gratituesday: The Painless Dentist Visit (and Why I Can Eat Lettuce Again)
By · Aug 30, 2010 · Comments
I had put it off long enough.
Admittedly, I don’t go to the dentist as often as I’m supposed to. I actually had no idea when I had last been in for a cleaning/check-up and I was afraid to make an appointment and have my dentist shake his head at me as he told me how long it had been. Yes, I am 37 and I was afraid of being scolded. Go figure.
But, I had been experiencing an area of pain in one of my back teeth for several months. I realize I was only delaying the inevitable, but I just wasn’t very eager to go into the dentist office.
And so I put it off. In the meantime, I began to avoid a very important food: Lettuce.
There was something about the crunch of lettuce that shot a searing pain from my jaw all the way to…I don’t know…South Dakota? And so, not only did I avoid going to the dentist, I avoided eating lettuce because it is not fun for pain to shoot from your jaw all the way to your northern state border.
I finally decided that I was being unwise, and also a whiny baby…so I made the appointment.
The dentist only gently suggested that I come in more often, then looked and found my painful spot and said, yes…it looks like I have a tiny bit of decay on a back tooth. They had a cancellation the next day. Did I want to come then? Well sure I did. Gulp.
The next day I was ushered back and as I sat down in the special chair, I had this tremendous urge to buckle my seat belt. Am I a weirdo, or what? Apparently sitting in the dental chair made me feel like I had just taken a seat in my mini-van. What, was I afraid I might fall out or something?
They put the cute little bib on me, then the dentist gave me the option: the cavity was so tiny that I may not want to mess with having a shot to deaden the area. Did I want to try receiving the filling without having the area numbed?
As it was a Wednesday and I hadn’t really been looking forward to drooling down the left side of my face during Bible class that evening, I decided to give it a go. But I think I said something like, “If at any point during the drilling I feel like punching you, can I then have a shot?”
Yes, I actually said that…to my dentist. I have got to learn when and where it is appropriate to use my sarcasm.
Thankfully, he understood that I was joking (I think) and said that yes, I could have a shot if the pain was too much to handle.
Then they started to drill. I braced myself for the pain. But it never came. Then they put the composite filling in my mouth and drilled that down and then took off my bib. I was done.
Not only did I never have the urge to punch my dentist, I instead had a very big urge to hug him. Painless dental work, really? And I could still feel both of my lips too? What a deal!
Of course, that night I went home and celebrated with (you guessed it) some lettuce. We’re obviously big partiers at our house.
So yes, today I am SO grateful that I got my dentist appointment over with and that it truly was painless. And I’m thankful that I can eat lettuce without pain. I know that’s silly but I truly am thankful for it. (I suppose I should also be grateful that I didn’t punch the man drilling my tooth. Or maybe he should be grateful for that?)
What are you thankful for this Gratituesday? Write about it on your blog, then come link up with us here. If you don’t have a blog, be sure to leave a comment letting us know what you’re grateful for!
If you are linking up a blog post for Gratituesday,
please copy and paste the following sentence into your post! Thanks!
Join us for Gratituesday at Heavenly Homemakers!
Eating Out Less
By · Aug 29, 2010 · Comments
Here’s what I’ve decided as I’m writing the Simple Steps Toward Healthy Eating series: These steps can be taken in any order. There is not necessarily one step that should come before any of the others (except perhaps deciding that you need to take steps??!)
If you find yourself stumped as to where to start on your healthy eating journey, read through the Simple Steps posts I’ve written so far…and just pick something. You might start with drinking more water (and less soda or juice). You might start by eating an extra piece of fruit each day. You might start by eating out less (like we’ll talk about today). The point is that you start. Pick something, set a goal and work toward it. Once you’ve accomplished that step, take another step. Go at a pace that works well for you. You can do this!
Okay, now let’s talk about eating out less.
I did actually address this topic quite a while ago, so I would like to suggest you go read what I wrote previously too! The thing is…eating out is addicting. I have found that the more I eat out, the more I want to eat out. Or should I say…the less I eat out, the less I want to eat out.
I used to crave it. I used to sit at home dreaming of french fries from my favorite restaurant. I used to go out of my way to find a chance (or a few dollars) to eat out. And of course, I’d take big time advantage of the free Pepsi refills!!!
It’s amazing how the additives in fast food restaurants (and beyond) make your body crave more. And I don’t think I need to tell you that food from restaurants is hardly ever good for us? Do I need to say that? Okay, here I’ll say it: The food from restaurants is usually rancid, poor quality, full of MSG, fried in nasty oils… Should I go on?
How about expensive? In my experience, eating out costs more than eating at home, no matter what kind of value menu you order from or coupons you use. If you’re having a hard time figuring out how you can afford to eat healthy foods, you may find you have extra money for good groceries if you eat out less.
Now, am I suggesting that you don’t eat out at all? No, of course not. Sometimes it’s a necessity. Sometimes it’s a treat. Sometimes it’s fun. Good grief, my husband works at a restaurant!! :) Our family enjoys the very occasional dinner out…and sometimes I go out and have a nice lunch with a girlfriend. Eating out isn’t evil…I’m just suggesting that as a step toward healthier eating…you may want to look into eating out less often.
You’ll save money and I promise that even if you aren’t eating the absolute best foods at home, eating at home is still better for you (generally) than eating out.
Okay, those are my thoughts. What are your thoughts about eating out? Do you find yourself wanting to eat out often? Have you ever craved certain fast food or restaurant food?
Menu Plan for the Week
By · Aug 29, 2010 · CommentsHello all. Hope you’re having a great weekend! I made snacks this weekend, yes I did. I’m trying to keep up with the appetites around here, which is not always an easy job. Lately, even though there is food EVERYWHERE in my house, apparently there has been “nothing to eat”. (What? They don’t want a spoonful of tomato sauce?) And so, I made snacks.
I made a double batch of whole wheat vanilla wafers and some chocolate graham crackers. I also cut up a big watermelon and a cantaloupe (from our friend’s garden!) and put them in bowls in the fridge, ready to grab and eat! That oughta last us…until Tuesday or so? ;)
Here’s our menu for the week (that we’ll be eating in between snacks):
Sunday, August 29
Oatmeal, pears
Three cheese garlic chicken pasta, tossed salad, green beans
Youth group potluck – Sloppy cornbread muffins, butterscotch bars
Monday, August 30
Whole wheat waffles, raspberries
Taco Salad, watermelon
Meat and Cheese Burritos, peaches
Tuesday, August 31
Banana Muffins, applesauce
Italian Stew with green beans
Pizza Casserole, tossed salad
Wednesday, September 1
Honey Whole Wheat Bagels, cantaloupe
Swiss Steak, rice, okra
Popcorn Chicken, creamy mac and cheese, peas
Thursday, September 2
Whole wheat sourdough biscuits, scrambled eggs, oranges
Cheesy Beef and Rice, tossed salad, zucchini
Cottage cheese and peaches, toast
Friday, September 3
Chocolate chocolate chip muffins, cantaloupe
Shepherds Pie, fresh pineapple
Pizza, grapes
Saturday, September 4
Whole wheat donuts, apples
Salmon Patties, peas, strawberry peach slushies
Leftovers
I’ll be trying to get ahead in the kitchen a little bit this week, cooking and baking extra to put food in our freezers ready to pull out, heat and eat. Plus, I’m going to keep working on our “snack stash” so Cheese Crackers and Granola Bars are on the list too!
- Sloppy Cornbread Muffins
- Whole Wheat Hamburger Buns (I’d like to try making some into hotdog buns if I can)
- Chocolate Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Mini Apple Pies
- Whole Wheat Noodles (recipe coming this week!)
- Cinnamon Swirl Bread
- Crispy Cheese Crackers
- Chewy Granola Bars
I’ll share an update (with pictures) on how my “cooking ahead” goes!
—————————————————-
Want to breathe clean air? Check out Prime Time Filters!
—————————————————
Saver or Spender? Question #69
By · Aug 27, 2010 · CommentsI am by nature a saver. I don’t like to spend money if I can help it. I like learning about saving and investing (which is why I highly recommend this free financial newsletter for women by Daily Worth) and I like learning about keeping a nice budget (which is why I also highly recommend Craig Ford’s ebook The Secret to a Successful Budget).
As far as I can remember, I’ve always had a hard time parting with my money. I remember saving my hard earned babysitting money all summer long, then going school shopping with my mom. We always had a blast, but I do remember my mom actually getting a little frustrated with me because I was hesitant to buy a new shirt for $10. I didn’t want to spend ten of my dollars on just one shirt…I wanted to keep looking until I found a cute shirt on sale for $4! I wanted the best deal possible. I had changed many a diaper to earn that money, after all!
Being a saver is mostly and almost always good. But sometimes it causes stress because good grief…(and I know this is shocking) sometimes we need to spend money. Sometimes things break and have to be replaced. Sometimes there’s no choice but to stay in a hotel. Sometimes I must buy paper plates that get used once and then are thrown away (gasp!!).
I’ve come a long way through the years in regard to saving and spending…learning that it’s okay to spend money on good food and other things that are important. I’ve learned that giving money (and time and food and whatever) to others is an awesome and right thing to do.
I’ve even come to the point that, if I have to, I can spend $10 on a shirt. :) My mom would be so proud.
My husband is also a saver, which has helped us to avoid money arguments in our home. I’m so thankful that we are on the same page when it comes to finances. I know it is a struggle for those who aren’t.
My question for you today is…are you a spender or a saver? Is it hard for you to part with money, or does it burn a hole in your pocket?
Always Label Your Frozen Food – UPDATED! :)
By · Aug 27, 2010 · CommentsWe are having an unidentified casserole for lunch today. Sounds delicious doesn’t it?
I made it during one of my recent freezer cooking days, but I didn’t label it. Why didn’t I label it? Good question. I think I didn’t label it because I figured we’d eat it within a couple of weeks and I’d remember what it was. But we didn’t eat it within a couple of weeks and my brain has blocked out that memory and now I have no idea what it is.
Any ideas?
I’m thinking it might be beef enchiladas, but I’m not sure.
So, my encouragement for you today is to always label your frozen food. It helps you know what you’re eating. Duh.
Now, I also recommend that you re-use your freezer bags if possible. The labeling of freezer bags, however, can become an issue when you re-use them.
Case in point: I once filled a freezer bag with bean and cheese burritos. I labeled the bag “bean and cheese”. Later I re-used the bag store zucchini bread. I knew what it was, but of course no one else did. My husband got ready to slice some for breakfast the next day and glanced down at the bag to see what kind of bread he was to be eating. He looked at the label and of course it said, “bean and cheese”. I think he might have jumped back in shock. Sorry, Honey.
I hereby resolve to become better at labeling my frozen foods.
Would you like an update on the identification of the unidentified casserole after lunch today?
——————————————————–
UPDATE!!
Sure enough…it was beef enchiladas. Once I could smell what it was while it baked in the oven, I had just enough time to make a taco salad and lunch was served. Hey, sometimes surprises are fun, right?
