IIIIIII'mmmmmmm Baaaaaaccckkk!!!!

Hello! Wow what a winter it has been! (Or rather a really long fall) Is it just me or did winter not get cold here in SC? The one day it did get cold brought me back to growing up on my grandparent's farm.  Meme raises chickens, Papa sticks to watermelons. Every spring the hens would hatch a whole slew of baby chicks, and inevitably there were a handful of extra roosters we didn't need. By the fall, when it started to cool down, we'd have Stewed chicken. I'm quite proud to say this soccer mom knows how to snap a chicken's neck and pluck and clean her own poultry! Take that corperate chicken farms! Anyone who doesn't know: Roosters over 4 weeks old are tough as shoe leather to eat. The only way to cook them is to stew'em. And since I come from a proud heritage of farmers we've had the Stew chicken recipe for generations. This recipe was passed from my great grandmother to Meme to my mom and finally it has come to me! You can adjust it to feed the number of people you want to feed just by adjusting the pieces of chicken in the pot. The best part is it's really hard to mess up. The only thing is you'd better not call it Chicken stew...It is Stewed Chicken and anything else is just crass.

You will first need to figure out how many people you will be serving.....

15+ needs at least 1 whole stewing chicken (or stray rooster, whatever is available)
Any crowd less than that figure 1 piece of chicken to every 2 people (not counting the wings)
And a little side note: this recipe does not work very well in a crock pot, It requires a little babysitting.
Second side note: DO NOT USE BONELESS SKINLESS CHICKEN!!!! It will NOT turn out right. You will be able to remove the bones and skin after the stew is finished but you will NOT be able to touch it until I say so, OK? OK! Now....
Here's how it goes:

Stewed Chicked- recipe written will be to serve 15+

In a Large stewing pot-
-1 Whole stewing hen/rooster cut into pieces and put back into the pot (every single piece, even the back bone...don't make that face at me, just do it!)
-add enough water to cover all the pieces of chicken by at least 2 inches
-Salt/pepper (we use a TON of pepper. You can use whatever you like)
-If the organs are included in your hen add them
-Boil......and boil....and boil....
I usually let it go at a medium boil for about 30 minutes before checking on it.
At the 30 minute mark check water level and fill it back up to the 2 inch mark
Give it a taste. make sure there's not too much salt. (if there is throw a whole peeled potato in the pot - the potato will absorb the extra salt and you can remove the potato later)
Toss 3 or 4 eggs in the pot - we're gonna let them hard boil
Make sure it comes back to a boil and let it go for another 15 minutes.
At the 15 minute mark check the water level again. It's ok it it drops from this point on, as long as the salt isn't too much, cause we want the sauce to thicken.
Turn the heat down to a simmer.
Take out your eggs. Peel and chop them finely and add them back to the pot.
Fish out the bones. They sould have parted from the meat by now. If not take out the meat, and pick it from the bones. (you can now toss out the bones)
You can also take out the organs and chop them finely and toss them back in the pot. Don't you dare throw them out! That's really good flavor right there!
Now is a good time to add any additional flavors you want. I usually throw a teesy bit of garlic in there and some chopped dried onions.
Add 3 tablespoons of flour and 1/2 cup if milk and let it simmer for 10 minutes (be careful to not let the flour clump- that's nasty)
Serve this over rice. Although I don't advocate overly processed products my Meme would kill me if I said to serve it over anything except Uncle Ben's. (You do what you want, but this is an Uncle Ben's moment for me)

Now just sit back and absorb the yummy creamy goodness that is Stewed Chicken and day dream about that free-range chicken farm I've been dying to get started.....Ahhh... bliss!

Hold Your Horses!

The Golden Plates are officially on hold until the Yummer's Household gets it's new kitchen. For those of you who don't know yet, the Yummers family is not only getting a new kitchen, we're getting a new house! We were busting at the seams in our old home, and have decided to build a new home. That makes this person extremely excited!!! I have waited sooooooo long to have my own kitchen and since we're building, that means I get a HUGE say-so in how it's designed! YAY!!! OK, I'll calm down for a minute. In the meantime.......I have to put The Golden Plates on hold. I know, I know! But long story short: I currently do not have a kitchen. We are staying with friends. And although they are gracious enough to share their home with us, I would feel as though I am trespassing on their hospitality if I should take over the kitchen for long periods of time in order to tweak a recipe. Also they may tire of having beef stew four times in a week, just because I can't get it the way I want it. Any way you see it, the kitchen is closed until further notice. I am a little disappointed that I won't be able to do much for the holidays. Keep checking if you'd like. I may just post something by way of some old family recipes if I can get a hold of the family cook book. 

As for the Cupcake Experiment, It worked flawlessly! I simply switched the whole wheat flour to the plain white flour and taste problem was solved! The Cupcakes were absolutely fantastic, and everyone loved them! Party Success!!! So until I post again, Happy Eating!

Fall is Soup-er!

I LOVE FALL!!! And Fall in SC couldn't be better! You can imagine my thrill when I woke up the other day to 60 degree weather!!!! And Lo and Behold this morning I woke up to rain. That's one of my favorite sounds in the world. Needless to say, the cupcake experiment got put on hold, due to a soggy day. Or rather, I was really in the mood for soup instead. My favorite kinds of soup are the ones that require little to no thinking. Throw some stock in the pot, add this and that and Voila! It's soup! So here's what I had in my kitchen when I got started: Raw sugar, baby food and tomato sauce. Mmmmm! Appetizing! Off to the store I went. And after a half hour returned with the following decision: It's a really bad idea to shop while you're hungry.

So what, pray tell, are we making today? Hamburger, vegetables and lentils. Yummy! Why I came up with that particular combination, I don't know. All I know is my stomach said "grab that!" And I listened. Here's what I got:
1 lb ground lean meat
2 cups of chopped mixed vegetables
1 1/2 cups lentils
5-6 cups of water (OK the water came from my tap, but you get the idea)
Salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot I browned the meat (I used venison that I found in the recesses of my freezer, but you can use whatever you want). Add a little bit of the water and with a wooden spoon scrub the "crusties" off the bottom of the pot. This is flavor, people! They'll dissolve as you cook, but dissolve better if you get them off the bottom first. Pour on the rest of the water and bring to a boil. Now for the veggies. I used corn, green beans, potatoes, celery, and a little bit of onion. If you want better flavor from the onions, add them to the meat while browning. Add all the veggies except the potatoes. They don't take very long to cook. Bring back to a boil and then reduce to a high simmer for 45 minutes. Add the lentils and potatoes and simmer another 15-20 minutes or until lentils are tender.

I used fresh everything for this recipe. If you are going to use canned veggies, however, skip the 45 minute boil period and just add all the veggies and lentils at the same time.

Now just cozy up in front of the fireplace with a good book and a big bowl of this stuff and listen to the rain!

 for your fire---  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejQBThHIDuc
 For your Rain---http://whitenoise247.net/nature.aspx

"Let them eat Cupcakes!!!" Experiment #1

      Here's our first try at Agave Cupcakes! They always say: The taste of a batter-whether it's cake or cookie-is a good indicator of the final taste of your finished baked good. Well maybe they don't say it like that. I put it that way for dramatic effect. But I'm actually a firm believer in this*(see footnote!). I always try my "famous cookies" before I bake them. It's how I can tell I made them right and a great way to fix mistakes before it's too late to fix them. I've even been known to just make and eat the cookie dough on days when I feel a little down.Well at least before I cracked down on my eating habits.
       (BTW since said cookie recipe is absolutely in no way healthy for you in the least, and mostly because it is a coveted recipe that people have been after me for ages to get, It will not now or even perhaps ever make an appearance on this blog.)
       They also say that if dieters allow themselves a little indulgence that they are more likely to stay on track because they are less likely to break down and binge on an entire tub of ice cream....not that I've ever done that........Anyways! Having tasted this particular batter I had high hopes! It was creamy and sweet and oh so yummy! How it turned out however was a complete surprise. Although now that I think about it, it really shouldn't have surprised me. The Agave didn't have as much of an impact on the taste as the type of flour I used! I should have known. I use agave here and there and I noticed it really doesn't differ, taste-wise from regular sugar. I really should have thought of that before. I don't know why I thought that baking it would change the flavor of the agave. The biggest noticeable taste difference came from the flour!
     The ingredients I have available to me for healthy eating are limited to what is carried in local supermarkets. My local whole food store is all the way across town, and very expensive. Ordering 20 lbs of flour via internet is completely impractical when shipping charges are more than your entire order. Therefore I am resigned to simple whole wheat or whole grain flour for almost all of my baking. This affects the taste of every baked good I make. When I tasted these cupcakes for the first time, the texture was right, it was fluffy and soft and moist, but the taste was like my honey whole wheat muffins! I might as well have made them instead and saved myself all the fat that was used in the cake recipe! Perhaps I will use this recipe for the cupcakes and just replace the whole wheat with *shudder* white flour. After all it is a special occasion. My friends in the social networking world tell me that coconut flour is a good substitute but since I do not currently have access to it I cannot tell you how well it works or even how to substitute it. If you can get used to the taste of the whole wheat in this recipe it still is very good. Also since it is a special occasion, we will be using a lot more fats than i would normally use. You may omit as much fat as you want, but it will affect the texture greatly. So pick and choose your battles on this one. If it is of any relevance, Little Red ate one.....but has yet to ask for another.

Agave Cupcakes

1 1/2 cups sifted whole wheat flour
 2/3 cup agave
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup milk
1/3 cup shortening
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift flour into a bowl. (The brown specks left over are from the hull. You can choose to add them back to the flour or to throw them out. It won't affect anything but the color of your cake.) Add remainder of ingredients and blend for 30 seconds either by hand or on lowest speed on your mixer. (I miss my stand mixer.....) Once combined, beat batter on high for 3 full minutes (I had to do this by hand. I REALLY miss my stand mixer......). Spoon into cupcake cups already in the tin. To make a regular cake: pour into a greased and floured 8x8 cake pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes for cupcakes or 30-40 minutes for regular cake. Or if you're like me and tend to forget to set the timer, keep an eye on it and watch for lightly browned tops and stick a toothpick in the middle of one. If the toothpick comes out clean, they're done!

*Let me make a disclaimer from earlier!!! I am NOT telling you to eat raw eggs! I'm just saying I do when i try my un-cooked batter. If you choose to do so it will be at your own risk. I accept absolutely NO RESPONSIBILITY for your own actions!

Let them eat Cupcakes!!! Part 1

Baby Yum is turning 1! I can't believe it! It seems only yesterday that the swollen ankles (read: swollen EVERYTHING) and waddling around all became worth while. Now I've got a teething, walking toddler to chase in addition to her older sister, Little Red. And Party Planning is in the air!!! If you've been following this blog, you know that us Yummers know how to throw a party! Not all of us Yummers are big on themes for these shindigs, but I am. I LOVE to plan, and themes just help tie everything together. It makes it easier to justify the purchase of a new chip and dip bowl for the party if it's the shape of a Cowboy hat! But I think for Baby Yum's party we will be focusing on Cupcakes. (Mostly because I found a T-shirt and Bib set featuring Cupcakes.) I've got banners and party favors in the works, but I'm supposed to be eating healthier. What to do about the cake? So begins my research towards Cupcakes, cakes in general and what's in them.

I won't turn over all my findings here, but I will just say there is way too much sugar in every cake recipe I have found!!! Ick! I have a sweet tooth like the next person, but one recipe I found had more sugar in it than flour. I repeat my earlier statement: Ick! There has got to be some better alternatives. Firstly I tried cutting the sugar content. (the kids at Music Makers are gonna love me come Thursday-they're gonna be my guinea pigs!) Then I tried Agave. Sugar in a recipe is technically considered a "wet ingredient", so Agave nectar in it's liquid form is not a bad idea. Honey is also an idea to replace the white sugars, but it's taste may stand in the way. Brown sugar is NOT an option. Most brown sugars purchased today are refined sugar in disguise. I won't bore you with the details of sugar processing, but basically the brown sugar purchased in the store it white sugar with a little molasses added to it to make it brown and slightly sticky.(which is not how it was originally made)

Also experimenting: making your own powdered sugar for icings. Basic powdered sugar is mostly sugar ground into a powder via a food processor with a little cornstarch added to keep the sugar from liquifying during the grinding. Simple, except I really don't want to have to break down and use refined sugar. I don't think any of my previously used sugar replacement methods will work for icing, so we're going to try raw sugar.
No recipe this time, but many will soon follow! I've got 3 weeks till Party Time! Let's get baking!!!

Flap your Jack!

I know I haven't posted in a while, but I must ask for your forgiveness and patience with me. The Yummers household is in the process of a move. Although we are not moving far, it has created turmoil in my kitchen! Most of my things are packed away, including my recipe book and most of my equipment. Any new recipes that come out of this will be completely pulled out of thin air. I usually won't pass on a recipe unless I have tried and tested it first, but even that is becoming increasingly difficult.
Here are somethings that you can expect to show up on here in the next few months:

*Stews and soups
* anything that can be made in a cast iron frying pan or crock pot
* anything not requiring a stand mixer
* Due to the summer heat, anything NOT requiring my oven to be on for any length of time

In the meantime here is a tried and true recipe that I would never forget. It has made an appearance on facebook, but I still wanted it here for the archives and for those who missed it.

I never understood why pancakes were ever called "Flap Jacks". Every time I hear that phrase i think of some grizzled old prospector with no teeth. His name would have been Jack, of course. But where on earth did they get the "Flap" part? Oh well, I suppose it shall be a quandary for the ages.....or at least for me. One day i might go look it up, but then again I'm sure I could make up something far more interesting. So for future reference, if you should happen to look it up on Wikipedea and you find some random story about a miner from the gold rush named Jack who was famous for his flappers, you'll know where it came from.


I could live off of pancakes. Last Christmas I asked for (and got) a griddle. I LOVE THAT SUCKER!!! My freezer is never without pancakes or waffles that can easily be thrown into the toaster for a quick breakfast. However I also started reading my labels and became appalled at the things they put into various pancake mixes. Now, I already have an absolutely amazing pancake recipe, but it requires quite a bit more effort and time versus an instant mix. I'm also in the process of moving, so my stand mixer and that recipe book are stored away. Solution: Breathe, and turn on the stove!

Instant Pancake Mix

6 cups flour (organic whole wheat, of course!)
1 tsp salt
2tbs baking powder
1tbs baking soda

Mix and store in airtight container in the fridge up to 6 months

To make pancakes:

 mix 1 cup mix, 1 egg, 3/4 cup milk, and 1-2 teaspoons agave nectar (or to taste)

whisk batter till lumps almost disappear, let batter rest for at least 5 minutes, then pour onto 350 degree griddle by 1/4 cup fulls. serve with your favorite berries and homemade whipped cream!

This recipe can also be used to make waffles. Just grease the waffle iron well, to make up for the lack of oil in the recipe.

Velveeta who?

I'm a southern girl so this was bound to make it to the blog. Mac and Cheese is a staple for every family gathering. No matter the occasion, there had better be mac and cheese and you'd better not get the corners! (Those are reserved for the uncles.) It is something I made for myself when I was feeling desperately homesick while living in the western mountains. And it has contributed several pounds to my "Brunson Spread." Needless to say I have had a ROYAL craving for it recently ( No I'm not expecting!). However it's August in the south, and I really would like my kitchen to stay as cool as possible. Oh Yeah, and I want it to be healthier, blah, blah, blah....... After calling my mom to make sure i had the basics down for the baking method, I turned to my stove top. What came out was pretty darn tasty, and a good substitute for the baked version. In fact, Little Red (my 3 year old daughter) actually ate it! That's saying something cause unless it's chicken fingers or yogurt, she won't go anywhere near it.

This version may seem a little wierd to you, but trust me it's scrumptious! Now the baked version requires pre-boiling your noodles, but I really don't want to mess up any more dishes than I have to. Soooooo....... How about we use the milk to boil those noodles? Since I use fat free milk, it's mostly water anyways, right? And I'm outta eggs, but we really don't need those either, do we? And Little Red only likes the twirly noodles. Yeah. We can make this work!

Stove-top Mac and Cheese

2c. Whole wheat noodles
2c. fat free milk
1/2 tsp mustard
1/2 tsp salt
pepper
garlic
1c. grated cheddar
1 slice swiss cheese

*Throw everything except the cheeses into a saucepan and slowly bring to a simmer. Don't get too hot too quickly or your milk will curdle.
* Once simmer is reached turn stove down to low and stir at least every 60 seconds to keep noodles from sticking together, for at least 15 minutes.
*If needed add 1/4 cup more milk and continue to simmer and stir an additional 5 minutes or until noodles reach desired tenderness.
* Remove from heat and add cheddar. Stir until evenly distributed. Place slice of swiss on top and cover pan. Leave for 5 minutes.
*Once swiss has melted you can either: 1. use a mini butane burner to brown up the swiss for a "crust" or 2. stir it into the rest of your mac and cheese to give it an extra kick. (should your pan be rated for oven use you can throw it under the broiler to achieve crust-like topping)

The results are astounding and completely relieve all cheeseiness-type cravings!

Healthiness: Since you are using fat free milk, whole wheat pasta, no butter, and very little cheese you are saving yourself gobs of fat and oil you don't need.

Reminder: Don't forget to use organic, and research the places your cheese and animal products come from!