Red lentil Curry

No, this does not fit into Hannah diet. But, I will be altering it soon, so it will!
This turned out SO good! I'll surely be making some Naan to go with it for dinner. Im pretty confident this will go over well with the husband. It is a flavor I would expect to find and enjoy at our local Indian Restaurant. Id give it a 9!

INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)
2 cups red lentils
1 large onion, diced
1/8 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoon curry powder
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 inch ginger root, minced
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce

DIRECTIONS
Wash the lentils in cold water until the water runs clear (this is very important or the lentils will get "scummy"), put the lentils in a pot with water to cover and simmer covered until lentils tender (add more water if necessary).
While the lentils are cooking: In a large skillet or saucepan, caramelize the onions in vegetable oil.
While the onions are cooking, combine the curry powder, turmeric, cumin, chili powder, salt, sugar, garlic, and ginger in a mixing bowl. Mix well. When the onions are cooked, add the curry mixture to the onions and cook over a high heat stirring constantly for 1 to 2 minutes.
Stir in the tomato sauce and reduce heat, allow the curry base to simmer until the lentils are ready.
Mix the curry base into the lentils and serve immediately.

2 thumbs up from the husband!

Here is the recipe:
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Honey-Wheat-Sandwich-Rolls/Detail.aspx?strb=1
After I topped them with butter, I added a dab of honey.uummmm!

Pancake result!

Here is the result of the pancake recipe listed below. It is very much a whole wheat pancake. If you like the taste of whole wheat, you will enjoy this recipe. Id give it a 8.5. It was very eatable!
I added some chocolate chips to some for the kids. Now I regret not having added them to most of the batch, since it will be a transition for the kids, from white pancakes.

Milling Whole Grain Wheat into Flour!

I was told, and researched to confirm, that wheat actually contains good amounts of protein and fiber! I had no idea! BUT, the trick is that it must be consumed within 72 hours of being milled into flour, after that point 80% of its nutrients are lost. I dont have a flour mill, or $300-$700 laying around to go get one. So, I used my vintage garage sale blender, and it worked great! I put the grain in, about a half cup at a time for 5-8 minutes. (I didnt time it). Basically, until it looked like flour :-) Then I sifted it, and put the larger pieces back in the blender.
I baked a loaf of bread yesterday, using 2c ww flour and 1.5 c all purpose flour and it turned out great. Not as airy as white bread, but I expected that. Im setting a goal for now, of cooking with at least 50% fresh milled ww flour.
Where I messed up this time, was that I milled my whole 2 pound bag. So, we will be eating ALOT of wheat in the next 2-3 days! I want to use it while it contains the "good stuff". In the future, I will grab the blender and do what I need for the next two days.
I ran out of milk last night, so for breakfast we couldnt do ww pancakes, but we will tomorrow. Once I can get to the store. Here is the recipe I plan to try first:
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Grain-and-Nut-Whole-Wheat-Pancakes/Detail.aspx
Minus the nuts.
Oatmeal is also a great source of fiber and nutrients!

I made laundry soap!!

Ok, no denying the fact that I am proud of myself. I made laundry soap!! On the right of the picture is the laundry soap, and to the left is baking soda. Each load gets a half cup of each, and Im still spending at least 70% less then buying factory soap! Of course, I have to use my time to make it, but since I am home with the kids, time is all I have :-)
The soap was stored in a 15 gallon platic tub for awhile, because I couldnt find anything to put it in. Then, on Saturday, I stopped at ReStore, and found this PERFECT duel holder for $5!! YEAH!
Now I just need to make a nice top for it :-)
And Im not saving all our dryer link for my compost pile. More to come on that topic....
Here is the link to the laundry soap recipe:
http://www.thefamilyhomestead.com/laundrysoap2.htm
And here is more info on ReStore: (profits go to Habitat for Humanity!!)
http://www.habitat.org/env/restores.aspx

The Not so Successful Twinkie Rip-Off....

Well, my attempt at faux twinkies didnt turn out so successful. We basically ended up with pound cake and some weird textured runny frosting with clumps. Good thing the kids didnt know what the end result goal was intended to be. So, happy as ever, they ate it.
But we still dont have twinkies......

YUMM-EEEE :-)

After a few days of begging, I made the kids some pizza. They got a pizza made with the untomato sauce that was LOADED with spices to ensure the 'beet' flavor is covered. They ate it right up and loved it. Hannah even said "Mom, this pizza tastes just like the bad kind of pizza!"
Then, I made myself my own pizza :-) It turned out so pretty, I had to take a pic and write it down, so I wont forget it!
I started with this dough recipe,
http://www.recipezaar.com/267552
Which I added about 1 T. of each: garlic, oregano, and basil. When it was done, I split it in half, to make 2 pizzas on round stones.
Then, I covered the toasted dough with homemade ranch, fresh grated parm cheese, mozzarella cheese, artichoke hearts, sun dried tomatoes, more parm cheese, then topped with oregano and garlic. YUM!

My first cheese!!

After an amazing trip to a goat dairy farm, I was equipt with enough insight to make my first cheese out of yogurt!! And I gotta say, it was good :-) I have a larger size in the fridge now, with garlic and herbs, just a few more days.......

Oatmeal Cookies

These were really yummy, soft oatmeal cookies. I will surely keep this recipe, as my husband is a hard core oatmeal cookie lover! He only likes them plain. So, for the kids and I, we added choc chips and choc bits. I doubled this recipe, made close to 6dozen cookies, and froze another 2 dozen in the form of dough, for another day. Okay, and we didnt single handedly eat 6 dozen, half went to a friend :-)
Here is the recipe from allrecipes.com
INGREDIENTS
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup margarine
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
2 cups quick cooking oats
1 cup butterscotch chips
DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
In a medium bowl, cream margarine, oil, brown sugar, and white sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs one at a time. Gradually stir in the sifted ingredients until well blended. Mix in oats and butterscotch chips. Drop from a teaspoon onto ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in preheated oven, or until edges are golden. Let set up on the cookie sheets for a few minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Cowboy-Oatmeal-Cookies/Detail.aspx

Homemade Ice Cream!

Ya know, just like the stuff you made as a kid! The flavor reminded me of a night when I was a child, and my dad made ice cream at home. I remembered the joy, excitement and amazement. Hopefully the kids now have some fond homemade ice cream memories also!!
Luke had to get every last drop out of his bag!

Heres Meya shake'n it!

We ran out of large ziplock bags, and made due with mason jars!

If you havent done this before, its a must! The rock salt was only $1.05 at our local super market. The flavor is great!
http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBlpSyr2Ryo