Backpack Snacks

My daughter shared this recipe with me and I thought it would be a perfect one to share here esp now during the season of backpacking and hiking in our country.

Backpack Snacks

2 cups granola
1/3 cup chopped peanuts
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup wheat germ or ground flax..I used some of each
2 tbsp pumpkin seed
2 tbsp shredded coconut
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup peanut butter

In a large bowl stir first 7 ingredients together.
In a small saucepan bring honey to a boil. Boil vigorously for 30 seconds, then whisk in the peanut butter.
Add to the granola mixture and stir to combine.
While mixture is still warm form into 1 1/2" balls and refrigerate till firm.
Wrap up each ball with saran wrap or waxed paper so they can easily be taken along on that hike.
Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks. That is if they last that long..
Yields 20 balls..I actually had 19. It doesn't really matter what size you make them.
Here they are all wrapped up and ready to be put into your backpack for a healthy, chewy snack!

Chicken Crepes

These crepes often bring back memories of the couple who was teaching/mentoring us when we were in a young marrieds class. Hank and Joyce modeled true caring and hospitality to all of us and often had a large group at their house on Sundays for brunch. We learned so much from them! I remember large cookie sheets of crepes coming out of their oven and being so impressed with the ease and joy they served us with, together. It made me want to be like that. I have altered the recipe a bit, although I think I would like to try it again in the way that they made them, with a little dry white wine in the sauce. For now I will just write it out the way I’ve made them. Always good! Use leftover, turkey, roast chicken or rotisserie chicken (when it's too hot to cook). Cubes best once it's been refrigerated. The meat goes a long way. I usually serve these with stove top dressing and/or rice, steamed broccoli and a cucumber salad.

CREPES

• 2 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¾ cup flour

1. Beat with whisk or electric beater.
2. Fill ladle with 3 tablspoons of batter and pour into a small, heated (7 inch) Teflon pan, holding it slightly at an angle and then rotating to cover. Cook just below med heat. Usually no need to grease, maybe spray for first crepe. Makes about 10.

CHEESE SAUCE

•  2 - 3 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons flour (mine are rounded, so maybe 3 to be exact)
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 2 tablespoons cheezwhiz or 1 cup Swiss cheese, shredded
• 1 Knorr chicken bouillon, divided 

1. In small saucepan, melt butter and stir in the flour with a whisk
2. Add milk, starting slowly, while stirring, and continue until smooth and bubbly.
3. Stir in your preferred cheese and 1/2 of the bouillon cube (use other half in the water that you cook the rice in.)

ASSEMBLING:

1. Mix 1/1/2 – 2 cups cooked, cubed chicken with cheese sauce, saving some of the sauce for topping.
2. Spoon into crepes, roll up and lay side by side into Pyrex casserole dish.
3. Spoon saved cheese sauce over center of crepes and bake at 350 F, 20 min. I usually cover with foil to prevent drying out. You can probably heat them for 10 min without foil. These can be made ahead of time and refrigerated before baking.

Blueberry Crumble Buns

Blueberries are beginning to ripen in the fields on the farm next door. This recipe is a good way to use up the berries in your freezer or to enjoy the fresh ones that come your way.

• 2 tablespoons yeast
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 cup lukewarm water

1. In a large bowl, put the yeast and sugar and add the warm water. 
2.  Let stand about 10 minutes.

• 1/2 cup of soft butter
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons of instant potato flakes
• 1 cup of hot water
• 1 egg
• 4-5 cups flour

1. In another small bowl, stir together the butter, salt, potato flakes and the hot water. Let this sit while the yeast proofs.
2. Add egg to the butter and potato mixture, then add to the yeast.
3. Add 1 cup of flour at a time stirring well.
4.  Continue to add enough flour to make a soft dough.  Knead until the dough is smooth.
5.  Put the dough into a greased bowl and let rise covered until double, about an hour.

Crumble

• 1 cup of large cut oatmeal
• 1/2 cup of brown sugar
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/4 cup melted butter

1. Combine the crumble mixture. 
2.  Line 2 9X13 pans with Parchment paper.
3.  Divide the crumble mixture between the two pans.
4. When the dough has finished rising roll it out to a rectangle 20 X 10. 
5.  Spread a bit of butter on the dough and sprinkle with blueberries. I didn't measure how many blueberries, but I likely used about 2 - 3 cups. 
6. Roll up jelly roll style and mark the dough into 24 pieces and cut with a sharp serrated knife. Lay the rolls on top of your crumble.
7. Cover and let rise again about an hour or until nice and puffy and double.

Cream Cheese Icing

• 4 tablespoons cream cheese
• 2 tablespoons soft butter
• 2 cups of icing sugar
•  enough cream to make a nice smooth icing
• 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla

1. Combine to make an icing that can be drizzled. 

1. Preheat the oven to 325 F.  
2. Bake on a lower but not the lowest rack to make sure the crumble gets nice and brown.
3. Flip the buns out so that the crumble is on top.
4. Drizzle with icing.  

Apple Pie Squares

There’s nothing quite like apple pie in July! Yellow transparents are an early apple and ready for the picking, and they make a wonderful, old-fashioned apple pie. I like to make 'apple-pie-by-the-pan' to feed a crowd...or simply to freeze and take out a few pieces at a time.

Apple Pie Squares

• 1 ½ cup margarine
• 3 ¾ cup flour
• 1 ½ tsp. salt
• 1 egg yolk and milk to make 1 cup
• 6 cups peeled, sliced apples
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 Tablespoons flour
• 1 tsp. cinnamon

1. Cut margarine into flour and salt.
2. Add egg yolk and milk.
3. Roll out half the dough and place on large bar pan...about 12 x 16 inches.
4. Spread apple slices evenly over bottom pastry.
5. Sprinkle with sugar, flour, and cinnamon mixture.
6. Roll out other half of dough and place on top…pinch edges.
7. Beat egg white until foamy and spread over crust.
8. Bake at 400 for fifteen minutes…reduce heat to 325 and bake an additional 30 minutes.

Pie by the Yard

Well technically the pie is only about one foot long.
With the transparent apples ready in our region, the apple peelers are going full throttle.
This little apple peeler has peeled many apples.
After school snacks, apple sauce and of course pies, it's the handiest little tool.

• 2 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup butter
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 egg yolks
• enough buttermilk to make 3/4 cup with the egg yolks in the cup

1. Mix together the flour and the soda and the salt
2. Cut the butter into the flour mixture
3. add the yolk and the buttermilk which has been stirred together
4. Stir together with a fork as well as you can
5. Turn the dough onto the countertop and form into a ball
6. Flatten into a rectangular disc and put it in the refrigerator for an hour.

1. Peel and slice enough apples to make 8 cups.
2. Toss the apples with 1 1/2 tablespoons minit tapioca.
3. Add 3/4 cup sugar.
4. Set aside.

1. Preheat the oven to 375 F
2. Divide the dough into two pieces.
3. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper
4. Roll each piece of dough roughly the size of the cookie sheet.
5. Roll the dough onto a rolling pin and transfer onto the two cookie sheets.
6. Divide the apple mixture between the two pieces of dough.
7. Fold first one long side over and then the other and then fold the ends onto the top last.
8. Take the two egg whites and beat them until soft peaks form.
9. With your fingers spread the egg white over top the pies as shown.
10. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until golden brown.

• 1 cup icing sugar
• 2 tablespoons hot water
• a drip of vanilla

1. Stir together until no lumps remain and then drizzle over the pie as soon as it comes out of the oven.
2.  Let cool completely and then slice.

Cool Lime Cake

Summer lends itself to a quick cake that keeps well in the refrigerator and tastes wonderfully cool on a hot day.  

• 1 white cake mix baked according to directions.  I made mine in a 6 inch pan and reserved a bit of batter for a few cupcakes. This cake would work really well in a 9 X 13 pan.
• 1 can sweetened condensed milk
• 1/2 cup of fresh lime juice. . .about 4 small limes
• 2 cups of whipping cream divided 
• a few drops of green food coloring if desired

1. Combine the sweetened condensed milk, the lime juice and 3/4 cup whipping cream. 
2. Set aside 1 cup of filling for the frosting.
3. Use the end of a wooden spoon to poke holes at 1/2 inch intervals in the cake. .nearly to the bottom but not through the cake.  Pour filling over the cake and work into the holes.
4.  Whip the remaining whipping cream until soft peaks form. Add the few drops of green food coloring and the remaining filling and whip together until it is a spreadable consistency.
5. Frost the cake and chill until serving time.

Bread For the Journey

Sunflowers.

This unusual variety of sunflower was growing in a friend's garden.  

We're most familiar with the bright golden yellow sunflowers but they come in all shades

 from dark amber to this pale yellow green.

 I wish I could find the picture we took years ago of sunflower fields 

stretching as far as the eye could see. 

Each of the thousands of sunflowers had it's bright yellow head facing the same direction.

 This is one thing that has always fascinated me about sunflowers. 

They lift their heads to face the sun.   

They've been created to follow the sun. 

As the sun rises in the east and courses overhead to set in the west, 

sunflowers turn their heads to fully capture as much light as they can.  

They do it instinctively. 

You always see them in the best light because the full light of the sun is on them 

Their beauty is magnified by the bright summer sun.

 We can learn a lesson from these lovely flowers.

If we follow the course Christ sets,
if we turn our faces constantly in the direction of the Son,
our lives will be full of light, with no shadow or turning.

When Moses spent time with God, he came away with a radiant face.  

There was no doubting Who he had been with.

When we spend time with God, when we study to please Him and follow Him,

 we will reflect that radiance to those around us.

Psalm 43:3

O send out Your light and Your truth, let them lead me; Let them bring me to Your holy hill And to Your dwelling places.

Psalm 143:8

Let me hear Your lovingkindness in the morning; For I trust in You; Teach me the way in which I should walk; For to You I lift up my soul.

Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Bars

 Happy 4th of July to all our U.S.A. Readers! I'm sharing this old time favorite recipe that has been circulating for years and that many of you might be familiar with. This is a picnic, potluck and barbecue favorite!

Ingredients

• 1 cup sugar 
• 1 cup Karo Light Corn Syrup 
• 1 cup Creamy Peanut Butter
• 6 cups Rice Krispies
• 1 cup Butterscotch Chips
• 1 cup of Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

Method

1. Bring 1 cup sugar and 1 cup Karo light syrup just to a boil mixing well. 
2. Take off heat and add 1 cup peanut butter and mix till smooth.
3. Add 6 cups Rice Krispies and mix till all the Krispies are coated well.
4. Put this mixture into a well greased 9×12 pan and press down evenly into the pan. 
5. Empty chips into microwaveable bowl and microwave at 3-30 second intervals, mixing well after each 30 seconds. 
6. Mix together till smooth. 
7. You can use the double boiler method to melt your chips if you prefer. 
8. Pour entire mixture on top of the pressed down Rice Krispies and spread to cover.
9. Cool, cut and enjoy.

Raspberry Cake

I love Flashback Fridays...it's fun to see how things have changed over the years and we get to post yet another tried and true recipe.  This will be one of those that is seasonal and you will want to try it this month while we have the fresh raspberries. This cake is sure to give you the royal raves as you whip it up and share it with a large scoop of ice cream.

"My walking partner phoned this morning and said she needed a day to catch up. Fair Enough!

I totally agreed and while we were quickly talking about our activities, I told her I needed a quick fix for coffee. "Do I run to town or make something?" She responded, "Do you have raspberries?"

"I sure do." Thanks, Laurie for this suggestion."  (July 2008)

We enjoy this recipe every year during berry season.

Raspberry Cake

• 1/3 cup butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoons vanilla
• 2 cups flour
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup milk
• 4 cups fresh raspberries

Method

1. Heat oven to 375.
2. Cream your margarine, sugar, eggs and vanilla.
3. Sift flour, baking powder, salt and add to creamed mixture.
4. Mix with hand mixer until texture is light and fluffy.
5. Add milk and vanilla, beating well after each addition. (enough milk so it is spreadable)
6. Spread cake batter into greased 9x13 greased pan.
7. Add about 4 cups of fresh raspberries on top of the cake.
8. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes.
9. Remove from oven and cool for 5 minutes

Glaze

1.  1 1/2 cup icing sugar
2. 1 tsp vanilla
3. 3 tbsp cream or milk.
4. Mix ingredients together until smooth and drizzle over cake.
5. Add a scoop of ice cream and you are ready to go! 

 
 Little did I know 8 years later, that  I would have a little princess helping me pick these berries.  Thank you Ivy!

Rollkuchen

 
Rollkuchen are a tasty, deep fried pastry that are a wonderful accompaniment to cold watermelon on a hot summer day.  How well I recall childhood picnics with big tubs of fresh Rollkuchen.  Let's just say that eating them is rather like eating peanuts...you can't stop at just one! Sometime over the years, Rollkuchen became paired with Roger's Golden Syrup (definitely a Canadian thing) on my table; they make a great team!

My mother-in-law made the best flaky, crispy Rollkuchen. Mine never quite measured up, so I have always made the thicker, softer variety and they have become a family favorite. Hers were all uniform in shape; mine are rather 'free-form'. Each recipe seems to differ slightly but I've never met a Rollkuchen I didn't like!

Rollkuchen

• 5 - 6 cups / 1150 - 1350 ml flour
• 3 teaspoons / 15 ml  baking powder
• 1 teaspoon / 5 ml salt
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup / 250 ml sour cream
• 1 cup / 250 ml milk

 

1. Combine 5 cups / 1150 ml  flour, baking powder and salt.
2. Beat eggs, sour cream and milk together and add to dry ingredients
3. Continue to add flour to form a soft dough ... usually about 1/2 cup more.
4. Allow the dough to chill for an hour or two before rolling, for easier handling.
5. Divide the dough in half and roll out quite thin on a floured board ... if you prefer them soft, then not quite so thin.
6. Cut strips of dough about 2x4 inches / 5x10 cm ... with two slits cut in center of each.
7. Stretch the pieces somewhat before dropping into the hot oil.
8. Fry in deep hot oil over medium heat until golden on one side. Turn and brown the other side.
    

The rollkuchen puff up beautifully while cooking and are really mostly air pockets by the time they are ready to eat. A totally a healthy choice!  Who am I fooling?

Serve with cold watermelon and Roger's golden syrup.  Grilled farmer sausage is also a nice touch!