PIES

I make a lot of pies! Blueberry, apple, pumpkin, peach are my family's favourites! The pie crust that I always make is:




PIE CRUST RECIPE


2 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup Crisco shortening
1/8 tsp salt
7-8 tbsp. cool water


1) In a bowl put in flour and salt. Whisk up to blend nicely.
2) Add in measured Crisco and I use to butter knives to cut in opposite directions. Do this until crumbly and well incorporated with flour.
3) Add in the water and then use fork (creaming motion) to incorporate and just enough to press together in ball.
4) Divide dough ball in half. One half for top and other for bottom (for apple pie, blueberry, peach pies). If making pumpking pie you can make two out of pie crust recipe as you only need for bottom crust!


5) Put in your filling and bake 350F for 50-60 mins (or until golden brown). Make sure to put pie pan in a flat tray pan as sometimes there are spills.

coconut flour

So, I've been recently introduced to coconut flour by my friend Tina Sinclair. She is such a nice person and she's very much into health and healthy lifestyle. She gave me some of her coconut flour to try and I've been experimenting with it. She gave me a generic recipe for coconut cocoa cake. It turned out well and everyone at home likes it. I think I will experiment and search on pinterest for more recipes to try out.

Let me know if you have any no fail recipes using coconut flour!

goat cheese

I make fresh goat cheese from our dairy la mancha goats. Here's the recipe:



4 litres goat milk
1/2 cup vinegar
1 tbsp salt (use less or more to taste, i use pink himalayan salt from solay)
food thermometer
cheese cloth


1. put milk in pot and have heat on medium with thermometer.
2. Watch every so often to see if temp is at 180
3. When it is at 180, add vinegar and you will see immediate clumping and slight temp drop.
4. Make sure to keep the clumping mixture at 180 for 10mins.
5. Get cheese cloth ready and strainer and dump curdling mixture (keep whey if you want for other cooking)
6. quickly add salt and mix and then hand up cheese to slowly drip out whey for couple of hours.
7. enjoy your cheese now or wrap in plastic and keep in fridge. Can also be frozen for later use for spaghetti or lasagna dishes.

japanese anpan (sweet red bean buns)

I have been making Anpanman  anpan buns lately. The kids love them and love them even more because they are in the face of the popular japanese anpanman character! I saw a pic and recipe off of cookpad (japanese website) and made it that way for a while, but wasn't quite satisfied. I wanted it to be more soft and airy and not get dry or flaky. So, I used a different bread and bun recipe instead and they are great! Everyone loves them and I made three dozen last week at get together and everyone at them all!! If you are interested i'll post it for you!!

Zucchini Bread Recipe

Here's a new recipe for me. A nice lady Carol gave me her recipe. She kept coming to our house buying lots of fresh farm eggs (from our chickens on our farm). She does baking for their church and other groups so she would buy 5 or 6 dozens at a time. She later told me that they were for zucchini bread and other baked goods. I asked her for the recipe since I've never tried making it or eating it before. She gave it to me and it's so great! Thanks Carol!

Zucchini Bread (Carol's recipe)

3 eggs
1 1/2 cup sugar    (I use 3/4 cup sugar)
3/4 cup vegetable oil   (canola or olive oil is good)
2 cups grated zucchini (grate with peel and all)
2 cups flour (all purpose)
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp  salt ( I use sea salt)
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup walnuts, optional (I don't use nuts)
**3/4 cup to 1 cup raisins (Not in Carol's recipe, but I LOVE the taste!)**
**1-2 pinches of ground cinnamon (Not in Carol's recipe, but adds wonderful flavour)**

Steps:

1) Beat eggs, sugar , vanilla extract, and veg. oil together in one bowl.
2) In another bowl add flour and other dry ingredients.
3) Add dry to wet ingredients and mix until smooth. Lastly, add the grated zucchini and raisins (optional).

Bake at 325F for 40-50 mins or toothpick inserted comes out clean


Enjoy!! I bake many loaves and pack them up and freeze them to eat for a later time:)

Chocolate Sugar Cookie Dough Recipe

This is very delicious and very popular at our house! It is my sister Mari's recipe as well. She makes a ton of cookies in Hiroshima Japan for all the festival events, baking classes, parties, etc.,...This is another favourite as is the vanilla sugar cookie dough recipe.


Chocolate Sugar Cookies Recipe:

 2  3/4 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweeted cocoa powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup butter
1 3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract

***Bake at 350F for approx. 10-12 mins***

Steps:

1) In one bowl, mix flour, cocoa powder,salt and baking powder.

2) In another bowl, mix butter and sugar.  Add eggs, vanilla extract.

3) Roll into a ball and divide in two balls. Wrap with plastic wrap and put in refrigerator for 1-2 hours to chill. 

4) Roll out dough and use desired cookie cutters. Lay shapes on tray.

5) Bake at 350F for 10-12 mins. Make sure that there is not too much flour on your dough before baking. You can also decorate your uncooked cookie shapes with sugar sprinkles before baking for cute cookies!

enjoy!!

Sugar Cookie Dough Recipe (vanilla)

This is my sister Mari's (nickname Maich) recipe. I use this all the time and the kids love it so much! We don't like sweet sweets/desserts. All my recipes are yummy and yet not overly sweet so it's perfect for the healthy family.


Maich's Sugar Cookie Dough Recipe:

1 3/4 cup all purpose flour

1/8 tsp salt

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 cup butter/margarine

3/4 cup white granulated sugar

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla extract

***Bake at 350F for 8-10 mins, or until just golden***

Steps:

1) In one bowl, cream butter and sugar together until smooth.  Add eggs and vanilla.

2) In another bowl, mix flour, salt, baking powder.

3) Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients. Roll into a ball. Divide that ball in half and wrap both up in plastic wrap. Put in refrigerator and cool for 2 hrs.

4) Roll dough and use cookie cutters to make cookie shapes.

5) Put on tray and bake 8-10 mins or until golden. Let cool on racks and decorate with icing or desired decorations.

**You can add sugar sprinkles to the unbaked dough cookie shapes before baking and they will stay on cookie and look pretty!**

Enjoy!!