Focaccia Pizza - Three Ways

Tomatillos, slivered onions and sweet pepper, crushed garlic, dove grey oyster mushrooms from Boston Valley, olive oil, dry mustard, cumin, mozzarella pizza.

Almond butter, honey cream, slivered apples, chopped toasted walnuts, butter, allspice pizza.

Roasted purple potatoes and carrots with oregano, sage, basil with tuna and mozzarella pizza.

The dough is simple. Set out covered until doubled. Cut into three balls, roll out thinly and lay out on a greased sheet. Bake at 350* for 25 minutes.

1 3/4 cups warm water
1 package active dry yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
5 cups all-purpose flour, plus additional for kneading
1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus coarse sea salt, for sprinkling
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided

Vegan Castille Soap - Carrot and Basil, Lemon Balm, and Anise soaps

The carrot soap was made using all of the runty and wiry carrots growing in
tight in amongst the nice thick long carrots in our raised beds in the side yard.

I used only vegetation we grew ourselves, all organic, nothing was wasted.

I scrubbed these itty bitty carrots and boiled them in a bit of water and then pureed them smooth, using about 16 oz of vegetable matter. I then blended in 43.5 oz of olive oil.

In a large glass or ceramic bowl I added 12 oz of cold water very slowly to 6 oz lye, stirring gently with a silicone spatula until the temperature droped down between 110-115*. I slowly added it to the oil and vegetable blend. Using a stick mixer, I blended until trace appeared as a béchamel sauce consistency. 

It was then poured into a glass 8x17 pan (a ceramic, wax paper lined wood, or silicon mold would work as well). This was placed in an oven set to 170* for 2 to 3 hours. It then rested overnight. The next day it was un-mold, rinsed, cut,  and the slices cured on parchment for 2 to 3 weeks in a cool dark location.

After curing, they were wrapped in fresh parchment paper and stored in a plastic bag.

The soap shown below was mostly basil and lemon balm that I had soaking in the olive oil for a month in the cupboard. I added fresh anise seed during the blending process. It smells mostly of lemon balm.

Basil, Lemon Balm, and Anise made using
the herbs grown in our garden this summer.

Basil, Lemon Balm, and Anise soap

Sunrise Jelly - Sweet and Spicy!

This jelly is easy to make but I caution against doing this on a cold or wet day. You will want to open all the windows because the peppers will burn something awful. Wear a paper mask, protective eye wear or eye glasses, and gloves when you start to process the chilies.

First make the peach jelly base.

6 cups of peeled, pitted, and finely chopped peaches; about 6 pounds. Add 1½ cups water.

Combine peaches (From Singer Farm Naturals) and water in a 8-quart stainless-steel pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce to medium-low heat and simmer for about five minutes. Remove from heat and skim off any foam with a stainless-steel spoon. Cover and allow to stand for about 20 minutes.

Strain the juice through a fine mesh sieve over a large bowl. Discard the pulp.

For the jelly, add back into the large pot: 3½ cups peach juice, adding ¼ cup lemon juice, 5 cups sugar, two boxes of pectin.

Raw milk herb farmer's cheese,
goat cheese, Spar's ham, and house
made spicy Sunrise Jelly quesadillas.

Wash the peppers well. I used a mix of five different colorful varieties from Plato Dale Farms. Trim, de-seed, rinse. Slice very thinly. Add to the pot of ingredients.

Bring to a boil, stirring gently with a silicon spatula. Boil hard for 15 minutes, stirring constantly. Lower to a simmer for 15 minutes. Return to a rolling boil for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and skim foam if necessary with a stainless-steel spoon.

Ladle the hot jelly into hot jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Dry the lip, lid, and band tightly. Process for 15 minutes in a boiling-water canner. Set out and store in a cool dark pantry after the lids have "popped". It will take about one week to firm up in the pantry. You can put a completely cooled jar in the fridge and begin to use it in two to three days.

This recipe was inspired by the one found in Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving.

Picnic Scalloped Potato Caserole

Thinly slice potatoes. Make basmati rice with peas. Shred two chicken breasts and coat in a Korean BBQ then mix with the rice. Blend with vegan mayo. Layer on top of the potatoes.











Coat with a layer of Quark heavily seasoned with salt, powdered garlic, cumin, black pepper, oregano, paprika, sumac, cayenne pepper, and ground coriander. Bake at 425* for 35 minutes. Serve hot or cold.

Schezwan Chili

Scrub four delicata squash. Halve and de-seed. You can toast the seeds with a bit of salt and oil, they are quite tasty. Slice thinly and add to the crockpot.

Brown one pound of meat, ground beef, lamb, goat are all tasty options.

Add the browned meet into the crock pot and drizzle with 2 tbls sesame seed oil, 2 tbls rice wine vinegar, 3 tbls brown sugar, 2 tbls soy sauce, 1 tbls red pepper flakes, 1/2 tbls ground chili powder, 1 oz fresh ginger slivered, 12 oz homemade garlic tomato paste, one can well washed chickpeas, 4 cloves of crushed garlic, and 1 large onion chopped. Cook on high for 3 hours.

Fall Harvest Chicken Stew

Roast a small pie pumpkin, a small butternut squash, 2 ears worth of steamed corn nibblets, and five carrots in a large pan with one cup of water and covered with parchment paper. Once cooled, scoop the pumpkin out of it's skin. Puree, adding cream, ginger, cumin, and coconut milk and then pour into the bottom of your crockpot.





Layer in boneless chicken. Broccoli, tomatillos, Empire apple, green onions, red onion, sliced ginger, crushed garlic, drunk cherries, Celtic grey sea salt.

Set the crockpot on high and cover, cook for two hours.

Coconut Flake and Butterscotch Blondies - Gluten Free and Egg Free!

1/4 cup or 1/2 a stick of sweet cream unsalted organic butter, or the same amount of coconut oil
1 cup raw organic sugar
1 tbls maple syrup
2 tsp Burbon vanilla extract
2 tbls Ener G egg replacer
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp aluminum free baking powder
1 1/2 cups of almond flour
1 can of organic garbanzo beans/chick peas, well washed, drained, and mashed smooth
1 cup coconut flakes
1/2 cup chips, butterscotch, chocolate, or any other variety

Pre-heat the oven to 350*. Grease an 8x8 pan.

Mix all of the ingredients well and spread evenly into the pan.

Bake for 40 minutes. Cool for 20 to 30 minutes before cutting and eating.

S'more Cookies - No Eggs!

These taste just like S'mores, minus the heavy processed garbage ingredients and minus the sick feeling you get after eating two traditional fire burnt sweets. Try using this recipe if you can't find organic marshmallows.

1/2 cup each whole wheat flour & white flour
1 1/2 cup steel cut oats (toasted)
1 tsp baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup applesauce (The snack cups are perfect for this recipe.)
1/4 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup mini marshmallows

Toast the oats in a tiny bit of butter. Combine flour, oats, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add the applesauce, beating well. Gradually beat in flour and oat mixture. Stir in chocolate chips and marshmallows.

Drop rounded tablespoon onto a very well greased baking sheet. Bake at 365 degrees for 15 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.