Soaked Oatmeal Cookies Pt. 1

This is a NT-Style adaptation of Martha Stewart's fabulous "Oatmeal Raisin Cookies"....

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies Any dried fruit can be substituted for the raisins. Be sure the cookies are completely cool before storing in an airtight container.
INGREDIENTS Makes about 3 dozen. 2 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature 1 cup packed light-brown sugar 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract 3 tablespoons milk 2 large eggs 3 cups old-fashioned oats 1 cup raisins	DIRECTIONS In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, cinnamon, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine butter with both sugars, and beat until light and fluffy. Add vanilla, milk, and eggs, and mix well. Add flour mixture, and beat until just combined. Remove bowl from the electric mixer, and stir in oats and raisins. Place dough in the refrigerator until firm, about 2 hours or overnight. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line several baking sheets with parchment paper, and set aside. Scoop out 2 tablespoons of dough, and shape into a ball; place on one of the prepared sheets. Repeat with remaining dough, spacing balls 3 inches apart. Press down to flatten into 2-inch diameters. Transfer to the oven, and bake until golden but still soft in center, 16 to 18 minutes, rotating the pans between oven shelves halfway through baking. Remove from oven, and place on a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week First published Copyright 2009 Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Ok, so obviously I had to try to change a few things... and I'm seriously interested in your input in case you have other ideas on how to convert these even more....(like "can you really just use rapadura instead of Brown Sugar?" Seems like a texture issue...)

• I used Sprouted Soft White Wheat Wheat (freshly ground) that I order from Azure.
• I used Craisins (gotta use them up, then when they are in season I plan to make my own!) sad to say I bought at Costco.
• I ground the cinnamon fresh (in the coffee grinder, after cleaning!) I got it from Azure, not organic.
• I made my own Vanilla (it's SUPER easy!
• My eggs are farm fresh (Healthy Family Farms) & a tad on the smaller side this week, but I figured that was better because of the extra liquid on the oats...
• 2 nights prior, I soaked the oats in the smallest amount of buttermilk I could to just "wet" them. (Homemade RAW Buttermilk & Organic Oats, of course!) This way they were not sopping wet, just a tad fluffier than when originally dry.
• I omitted the milk. (But the Buttermilk was made from Organic Pasture's Raw Whole Milk.)
• I also added Crispy Pecans, about 1/2 cup, chopped. (From Azure)

I put in tupperware & refrigerated overnight...
Another thing I like to do (if I have the time, like on a Saturday morning) is to drop the cookie dough onto a sheet pan, covered with my precious Silpat or Parchment as if I'm going to bake them. Cover tightly in plastic wrap (optional I guess) & freeze. Once frozen, I put the frozen balls of dough in to Food-saver bags & vacuum pack (quickly) and re-freeze. (Don't forget to label it so you know where to find the baking instructions!)

I'll have to do a Part 2 to let you know how they come out...

Stay Tuned! (Ain't I a tease?)

**Update**

I baked a dozen on 2 separate occasions & the flavor is great, but they are super soft & crumbly.... So after some research & consultations with other bakers, I've determined to try it again, this time adding 1 more egg & more flour. Stay tuned to another update...

A Vegetarian Meal

So, umm....my last post was about Carnitas so I think you all know that I'm not a vegetarian. Far from it! So when we had my dear friend Kahroline over recently, I had to really think.

ok, so a salad is pretty obvious!

this ended up being a lentil, carrot potato stewy thing that was pretty tasty. I had veggie broth.

My sprouted wheat bread (it has yeast, which I found out later she can't have - so my new challenge is a yeast free sprouted grain bread for her!)

And, of course, sauteed green beans with a little garlic & EVOO tossed with toasted pine nuts.

Voila! A well rounded yet completely vegetarian meal.

The next time she came over, I saved my CSA box & had her help me unpack it. It was like watching a kid at Christmas! (Well, actually I am like that every week too!) But she was SO impressed with the contents of my box that she joined up a few weeks later & I now get to see her every Saturday at the meeting place! So cool...

Healthy Family Farm Visit

EUREKA! I have found it! My Aunt Dorothy (the one who taught me to Jam) & her daughter Kristina turned me on to this place out in Santa Paula where you can go spend the day....so I started researching to find out more about it.... no website (yet!) no blog (yet) no nothing, except an email addy: healthyfamilyfarms (@) gmail (dot) com. So email I did! And guess what? All that stuff is coming, along with cheese making classes, pick your own produce & all kinds of other fun stuff! She's just gettin' started! Watch out, Ventura County! We got FARM.

Sharon raises milk goats, sheep, chickens, turkeys, quail, ducks, pigs, Scottish Highland Beef that look a bit prehistoric & an 'accidental' litter of puppies that will be groomed into guard dogs roaming the acreage protecting the cattle from predators like mountain lions.

You can email the farm for a price list & a membership form. She has a pretty extensive list of products, including Goat Yogurt & Ice Cream. Because it's tricky to sell raw milk & some of the other items, they way it works is you basically pay an annual fee to be a member (a sort-of partial share holder) and this enables you to get a share of her products. But enough about the legal stuff! You can get farm fresh, pastured chicken & duck eggs! Fresh chicken's for roasting, necks & feet for Stock! Fresh Milk-only-Fed Pork! We bought a Ham, and did a giant family feast last night - the Ham was WONDERFUL! We did a Leg of Lamb too! We all bought fresh whole chickens & have loved a chicken dinner, leftovers & making stock - and with this crazy June-Gloom we've been having, it's perfect timing for all that!

Joe & I in front of Barn My folks

Sharon (Adult on right)

Sharon has the farm open on Sundays from 10-4 so members can come pick up what they need, fresh on a weekly basis - she doesn't sell any of the meat frozen! On Sundays, her kids & a few other Staffers are there to give you tours & talk about the farm & how they do things...

Sea J comes up from Malibu to spend weekends on the farm. She came on our tour with us photographing & video documenting all our antics (with 4 little kids, we had plenty!) She's working on the website & also documenting the progress of a passle of 'rescue chickens' Sharon got from a local 'organic' farm. When they arrived at HHF, they couldn't even walk because they'd been raised in such confined spaces! (If this doesn't convince you that just 'organic' isn't good enough, I dunno what will!) Now most can walk around the 3000 Sq. Foot Chicken Run & are looking much better, although their feathers are still pretty mangey! Poor creatures! She has all the feed made especially to her specifications, meaning not only organic, but NO SOY! Wonderful!

You are looking at one Happy Camper, er farmer, er wanna-be Farmer, er Farm enjoyer!

RAW Peach Ice Cream

peel & chop up about 8 peaches

put about 1/3 of the peaches in the blender with:

about 1.5 cup cream

about 1.5 cup milk

about 3-4 big blobs honey - best guess?  about 3/4 cup? maybe a bit more...taste it!

1 Tsp Vanilla Extract

1/2 Tsp Almond Extract

6 egg yolks

Blend it all up to dissolve the honey.  Taste, make sure it's sweet enough & tasty.  Don't be grossed out about the raw egg, it's Yolk only & in any case we know our eggs are happy & healthy.   RAW eggs won't hurt you!

I read that the freezing process actually reduces the sweetness, so make a bit more sweet than you actually like...

Freeze according to your manufacturer's directions.  I have the Kitchen Aid Ice Cream attachment & so far I am thrilled with it!  Couldn't be easier & now that I have a biger freezer, it has a constant home on the top shelf (easy access for me to use frequently!)

;) YUM

Found a CSA! oh the J-O-Y ! ! !

Ok, so I've been looking for a great local source for a CSA box, but I've been having TONS of challenges as none seem to be local.  Actually, I take that back (sorta).  I found on in my county, BUT (and boy is it s BIG BUT!) they are not organic!!  Imagine that!  Why bother? ;(

Anyhoo, so my friend, Tami, who's been on this quest with me of late used to have deliveries a long time ago, in her old house, in her old neighborhood, in a different town and in fact, in a different county!!!

The service she used to use has merged with SPUD.  When she researched & discovered this, we decided to try it, sounds great & you can control what you get, add extra items, etc...BUT, they do not deliver to my county!!   I think maybe you are beginning to sense my building frustration here!  We live in what is seriously one of the 'farmiest' areas around!  It's ridiculous to me that on the 40 minute drive to visit my folks, who live at the beach, I pass countless farms and NONE of them are organic, and NONE of them do a produce box delivery!  Arrggghhh!

**Deep Cleansing Breath**

So, we actually talked another friend into 'hosting' our SPUD box delivery & agreed to only order every other week (to keep within our budgets & cut down on her 'put-outed-ness' (yes I'm aware that is not really a word!)   So this other friend, although she graciously agreed to host our SPUD boxes, asked around & found a site that helps you locate CSA's in your neighborhood..(I had actually checked this site a while back, but didn't come up with anything in my county..) Anyhoo, this time, I broadened my search & found Tierra Miguel & it is awesome!  The only problem is that the actual farms are about 120 miles from us & they have a strict policy to only deliver within a 100 mile range....ok, I can live with that.  If we order bi-weekly boxes & take turns then I'll only have to pick up once a mont, right?  Not the end of the world, except I already do milk runs twice a month & now I'm adding a quarterly Azure Standard order...so yah, I'm not loving the idea of driving 20 miles to pick up my produce too!

So last night I get an email from Tami saying she found a different CSA & to wait & check this one out.  So last night I stopped by & we looked at it together while my darling husband sat there patiently...the best part is that there is a drop point not only right here IN MY COUNTY, but right here in my town, within about 5 miles of my house & the delivery time is at 1pm on Saturdays!  Awesome, I can totally fit that in my schedule!

OMGosh!  It's amazing!  I am so impressed with what I've seen & signed up last night when I got home & am eagerly awaiting my first box (next Saturday 1/31) - Check back with me for my first impressions... www.abundantharvestorganics.com

It's so nice, when you sign up, you choose a small or large box, each week you can see what will be in your box, you can add on extra items, like raw milk, nuts, chicken beef, lamb, a case of seasonal fruit (you bet I'll be taking advantage of that for making my jam on a seasonal basis)!! Tonight I watched every single video interview with all the farmers, saw how my boxes will be packed & 'met' (virtually) all the folks that are responsible for bringing me & my family & friends the freshest, most seasonal & sustainable produce!!  

I realize I'm not the first blogger to point this concept out, but I sincerely hope my enthusiasm will capture your attention, your curiosity & that you will pursue something like this on your own life!  Drop me a comment & let me know!