Past Expected Frost, A Garden Bonus

This is the first time in about 15 years of gardening in this climate to go two weeks past the usual first frost date.  Yesterday was October 29th and we harvested green beans, tomatoes and summer squash.  Yum!  The brilliant marigolds still have beautiful color though they aren't as good as a couple months ago.

A week later:  Today is 11-6-14,  Still no frost.  I'm so happy to be getting produce 3 weeks longer than normal. I can't believe it and I'm so happy!

November 9th.  Light frost
November 10th.  Heavy frost

Beet Chocolate Cake

I think this is supposed to be a secret recipe and I can't reveal where it came from.  Best chocolate cake so far in my experience.  It is a rare treat to have my sister come to my house and on her birthday even!  So this is what we served up as a miniature 4 layer cake.

3 large eggs @ room temp

2 cups light brown sugar

1 stick unsalted butter

3 oz melted bittersweet chocolate, cooled

2 cups flour

2 t baking soda

¼ t salt

½ cup buttermilk  (did not have this so used cream and lemon juice)

1 16oz can beets, pureed, (liquid and all…food processor)

1.    Whip butter and sugar until creamy & fluffy in stand mixer.

2.    Add eggs one at a time until smooth

3.    Add chocolate

4.    Sift all dry ingredients

5.    Mixer on low, add buttermilk and dry ingredients in thirds until blended

6.    add beets, and beat until smooth

7.    Fill 9” pans ¾ with batter.  Ungreased, professional cake pans allow best rise with parchment circle in bottom, as sometimes the cake sticks.  Alternatively you can grease the pan but cake will be denser/flatter.  (I used the Demarle At Home One cup round cake tray and made 4 mini cakes.  Bake for 25 minutes at 350)

8.    Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes.  Cake tester/toothpick comes out clean.

9.    Cool on Wire rack.

Chocolate Ganache

16 oz bittersweet chocolate (semi-sweet Guittard pieces—NO choc. chips)

1 ½ cups heavy cream

Heat the cream and add chocolate pieces. Stir until very smooth.  Do not overheat chocolate.  Carefully add rum.  Stir thoroughly.  Adjust consistency by controlling temperature—can cool in a water bath/bowl of ice water surrounding bowl of chocolate.  Consistency should be like that of a light buttercream.  Ice cake w offset spatula for best results and let rest one hour.  Serve slightly warmed with a big dollop of  home-made whipped cream.

Chicken Soup with Coconut Milk, Gluten Free

Saute in 1/4 cup Coconut Oil


3 cups carrots chopped small
2 cups celery chopped small
1/2 of a large Walla Walla Sweet Onion, finely chopped
2 large garlic cloves, pressed

Meanwhile in a separate sauce pan, whisk to make a thickened sauce with
4 cups cold water
4 Tablespoons Potato Starch or Arrowroot Starch
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1 Tablespoon Better Than Bullion, Chicken Flavor
1 can coconut milk

Combine cooked veggies, thickened sauce and
1/2 of a small chicken baked or fried, cut up in small pieces.

Season with sea salt to taste.

Good for what ails ya!  Took this to friends who were sick with the flu and they could actually eat it.  I was not sure how it would go.

Note:  Made this again 11-20-14 for our housemate who is sick with a cold.  Added 2 Tablespoons Braggs Nutritional Yeast for Vitamin B.   Also I made up a batch of French Blue Lentils  with sea salt for some healthy high fiber.  Because the young ones amongst us won't want the lentils, I pulled 3 cups of soup out of the pan and added it to the lentil pan with about 1/4 cup of lentils.  The ladies will want the lentils and the others won't.

Made this again 2-21-16 for a friend who has a cold.  This time I added 4 small shallots and 1/4 cup Nutritional Yeast.  No lentils.

Home Made Whole Wheat Bread

Maybe you have had this whole wheat bread making technique down pat for many years, but I did not until recently.

For our wedding gift so many years ago, Dad and Mom gave us a Bosch Kitchen Center and Magic Mill Wheat Grinder.  Mom makes bread often and it always turns out perfectly.  When I made bread from white flour it turned out pretty good but not as good as mom's.  But what I really want to do is make whole wheat bread instead of white.  Even when I use Prairie Gold White Whole Wheat which of course I grind fresh about once a week or so...the bread still turns out too dense and heavy and doesn't raise very well.

So why did this secret ingredient escape my attention for so many years?  I finally discovered it and now I too can make prize winning whole wheat bread which even my children will eat...the ones who want store bought bread and the more high fructose corn syrup the better they think.  Did you know it's really hard to find store bought bread without high fructose stuff?  Especially in that size the kiddos like the most?

So here is a recipe that works for me.  Can you pick out the secret ingredient?  Write it in the comments if you think you know.

3 cups fresh ground Prairie Gold Whole Wheat from Wheat Montana
6 Tablespoons vital wheat gluten from Bob's Red Mill
4 teaspoons active dry yeast
2.5 cups very warm 125 degree water
1 Tablespoon Sea Salt
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/3 cup local raw honey
1 large lemon, juiced
3 cups fresh ground Prairie Gold Whole Wheat from Wheat Montana

In a Bosch Kitchen Center using a dough hook Mix together the first 3 cups of flour, vital wheat gluten and active yeast.  If you have veggie water left over from something, this would be a great place to use it.  Add the warm water and mix for about a minute.  Make sure it all got mixed in.  Cover and let rest for 10 or 15 minutes.
Add sea salt, coconut oil, honey and juice.  Run mixer for a minute.  Add the remaining 3 cups flour about a cup at a time.  Knead on low speed for 10 minutes . The dough should be smooth rather than sticky.

Warm the oven slightly but turn it back off before it gets hot.  Place the dough in a Demarle shape tray or bread pans such as the Demarle mini loaf tray.  If you use a regular bread pan you will need to grease it or use parchment paper.  With Demarle, no greasing should be done.

Let raise until it is how you want it to look in the end.  It will not raise during baking.  This should take about 30 minutes or so depending on how warm the oven is.

Now turn the oven to 350 degrees and time it for 23 minutes for the mini loaves or 30 minutes for large loaves.  It will begin baking as the oven is heating and it is done quick like.