Hard vs. Soft Whole Wheat Flour

When I first started grinding my own flour and making whole wheat goodies for my family, I must admit that some of them turned out less than desirable.  My family is so wonderful, though, that they were never mean or condescending, but were willing to eat my chocolate cake or chocolate chip cookies using a hard whole wheat flour.  These were not really *bad*, but they certainly weren't good either.

Menu Monday, October 29

This is going to be a busy week so I'm getting my menu out there early.

We don't celebrate Halloween, so we are going to have a fun night at home instead on Wednesday.  Pizza for dinner, popcorn and movies in the evening.  And just so the kiddos don't feel like they are missing out, they both are getting a full-size version of their favorite candy bar.  We don't have candy in the house very often so they are excited!

Don't you just love autumn?  One of the reasons we love the cool weather is that we get to have soup again.  Warm, hearty homemade soup is always on the menu at least once a week this time of year.

What's your favorite soup?

Monday
B: Oatmeal with peaches
L: Grilled cheese on sourdough; raw veggies & dip
D: Small Group potluck

Book Review: Share the Bounty

I recently had the privilege to review an absolutely beautiful book titled "Share the Bounty" by Benita Long.

This book is many things.  First, it is a cookbook, filled with easy, yet beautifully presented recipes.  Although I consider myself to be a "real foodie", most of the recipes are made with real food ingredients.  The recipes we tried were simple in preparation yet complex and enjoyable in flavor.

Homemade Spicy Beef Pepperoni

Whatever would I do without my sister-in-law?  Well, I'd probably be sitting on this recipe another year...

We love this pepperoni on our homemade pizza.  So simple and sooooo good.  And NO NITRATES or NITRITES, etc.  Gotta love that.

Oh, and if you like summer sausage, you'll love this recipe, too!

Spicy Beef Pepperoni

• 2 pounds ground beef (preferably pasture-fed)
• 2 t. liquid smoke
• 2 t black pepper
• 2 t mustard seed
• 1-1/2 t crushed fennel seed
• 1-1/2 t crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 t garlic powder
• 1 t smoked paprika (regular is fine)
• 1/2 t powdered turbinado (or sugar)
• 2 heaping t salt

1. DAY 1:  Mix ingredients together well.  Knead and place in a sealed container.  Refrigerate.
2. DAY 2:  Knead meat mixture.  Place back in covered container and refrigerate.
3. DAY 3:  Form meat into 1 lb. rolls.  You'll want to make sure that the rolls are firmly packed so the finished product holds its shape and doesn't crumble.  I personally haven't had that problem, but I have heard from others that that has been an issue.  
4. Place rolls on a wire rack on a jelly roll pan.  Bake @ 200 degrees for 8 hours, turning rolls 1/4 turn every 2 hours.
5. Allow to cool.  Wrap and store in refrigerator.  Keeps well in freezer, too.

Note:  For food safety reasons, you will want to make sure your summer sausage has reached an internal temperature of at least 160 degrees.

Book Review: 40 Days to a Joy-Filled Life

How badly do you want to change your life?

During my "past life" in direct sales, I read countless self-help books.  But I can tell you, reading a book is not going to change your life.  Only YOU can do that, of course with God's help. My point to my prelude is this:  Change takes effort, focus, a ton of hard work and a lot of prayer.