Saturday, February 11, 2012

Blackberry Crisp -Recipe Tutorial

I have to apologize...the photos for this recipe have disappeared and until I can locate them you will have to just take my word for it...this is delicious!!

Today, Alley and I decided to make a Blackberry Crisp.  It is so easy to make and is a family favourite.    I had a bucket of berries in the freezer, so once they had thawed enough to be able to separate, we began.  This recipe is not an 'exact' recipe.  You can use it with other fruits and berries by adjusting the amount of sugar and flour used in the actual fruit.  The more tart a fruit, the more sugar you will need to add.  If the fruit you use is not a 'juicey' fruit, you may want to add a bit of water to the fruit to make more sauce. Try 1/4 cup with apples or rhubarb. Berries are pretty juicey so we used more flour than we would have with apples.  You can also try canned fruit.  We have used canned peaches with great success!  It really is the kind of recipe you can adapt to most fruits and berries with just a few adaptations.
Put your berries (or fruit) into a cake pan. I used a 9 x 13 inch glass one.


Now sprinkle sugar all over the berries.  You want to put on enough so that your fruit will not be too tart. We added about a cup of sugar on ours.

Next add flour.  This will absorb the juices and mix with the sugar to create a sauce.
If you didn't add this it would be very runny.    One cup was about right for our berries. 

Stir it up a bit, not too much, just enough to get it mixed down into the berries.

Now you mix up the crisp part.  Our family loves the crisp topping part, so we always make enough for a nice thick layer.  I use
 2 cups of flour,
2 cups of sugar (white or brown) and
2 cups of oatmeal.
Then add 1 teaspoon of salt.
Mix that all together and then add 1 1/2 cups of softened margarine.
Use your hands to work the margarine into the dry ingredients.

It will stick together in a ball, but still be crumbly when you are done.

Sprinkle the topping over the berries evenly.

Don't pack it down, just sprinkle it on and then you can smooth it out a bit.

You can see here how thick our crisp topping is!

Into the oven it goes at 375 F for 45 minutes.

Almost done!

Ta da! All done!  You can see how the berry juice has bubbled up around the edges.

This was my first bowl!  I ended up eating 2!!  Delicious!
To sum it up, you need a cake pan of fruit (apples, berries, rhubarb), sugar, flour, margarine and salt.  If you try it with apples, add some cinnamon to the sugar and flour you sprinkle over the fruit.
If you have any questions or need further info, leave me a comment. I'd be happy to give you more instructions!
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Thursday, February 9, 2012

Bannock-recipe tutorial

If you've read my older posts you will know that my hubby and I own a trapline in Northern BC. Most falls find us travelling there with the cats, dog and 2 remaining at home kids, and spending 2 months in isolation at our remote cabin.  (You can click on the links to go to 2 blogs from this past falls trip.)
When we are out in the cabin, we have a few options for 'bread'.  I make my own, so loaves are the norm.  But, we also really enjoy bannock.  Bannock is a flat, heavy, quick bread.  It originates in Scotland, although the Natives of North America have incorporated it into their traditional foods as well. It is also known as frypan bread.
This morning, after realizing last night that we were outta bread (aah!) I decided to whip up a bannock for breakfast!  
First, here are the things you'll need to get it done!


Then, you'll need a cast iron frying pan.  It will work with your regular type frying pan as well, but a cast iron one is the best for even, slow heat.  I've found several of my collection of cast iron pans, already seasoned, at the thrift stores!

Put your frying pan on medium high heat, add a generous 'glug' of oil and let it warm up while you get started on the batter.  I use the measurements very loosely....no need to be exact!  I use 2 cups (ish!) of flour to make a batch in a 9 inch size frying pan.  Add to that 2 Tbsp. (again...ish!) of baking powder.  I just use a regular soup spoon for this. Next add about a teaspoon of salt.

Mix the dry ingredients together and get a cup of water...just any cup!  Use a fork to stir in the water
as you add it. You will need to add water until it is the right consistency...a sticky, gooey dough.


 I added more than a cup of water to get it to this stage.  The dough will be thick, not dripping like pancake batter.  But sticky enough that you wouldn't want to try and knead it.
When it's ready, turn it into your preheated, oiled frying pan. You can make one large bannock which can be cut up into wedges, or single serving 'biscuit' sized bannocks. Use the fork to pat the bannock into shape and spread out in the pan. It should be about 1 inch thick.


Be sure your heat is not too high.  You want it to cook slowly so it cooks through the middle.  When it's time to flip it, it will look slightly drier around the edges and the top will have lost some of it's glossy wet looks, but will still be wet.  You should peak under to check on browness from time to time (every couple of minutes).

This is the tricky part if you chose to do the large bannock. You have to flip it over!  How firm your bannock is will be the deciding factor as to how easy this will be.  I have resorted to a 2nd frying pan on occasion to flip it from one into the other, but usually I can manage to flip it without it landing on the stove top or floor! It's always an adventure!  Try using 2 flippers and a 2nd set of hands if you find it is too floppy to flip with one.  If you opt to make smaller bannocks, in single serving sizes, they are much easier to flip, and not quite so much of an adventure!


Let this side cook until it is nicely browned.  You can flip it back over to cook the other side again if you like.  I usually poke into the middle with a knife to check to see that it is cooked all the way through.
Now you are ready to cut it into wedges and smother a piece in butter! Jam and honey are great on it too! Serve it with stews, chill, soup...It's delicious anyway, hot or cold.
I have also changed the recipe up a bit and added cinnamon, sugar and raisins to the batter. Another  really tasty way to serve single serving bannock is with  chili, sour cream, lettuce, tomatoes and cheese piled top - Bannock Taco!!


Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Dreaming of a Finished Basement...

love this- had to show you!!
Love this!!


Since moving into the Shack, just over 4 years ago, we have been doing all kinds of projects.  First came the guest cabin, then the kitchen and flooring.  Since then we have built a chicken coop and woodshed, a horse shelter and various other structures.  We've done fencing, cleared brush, cut lots of firewood and tackled many other tasks.  But, the basement has always been the 'thorn in my side'.
Moving into a 1 bedroom house with 3 kids was not the smartest thing we've ever done, but we had plans.  The basement was completely open with absolutely nothing done in the way of finishing.  The previous owners (who were also the builders) were kidless and, I have come to realize....lazy.  They got the house to the stage of being livable, and then stopped.  They never put up trim, or laid flooring over the plywood subfloor.  They had built a 'Mickey Mouse' kitchen and were content to let it stay that way for 16 years.  Then they split up.  We came along, desperate to find a house in a week (all the time the RCMP allows us to househunt) and not having many options in this area, we bought the Little Shack.  Of course, we knew it was going to be a lot of work, but the list grew longer and longer and some things which should have been left til later, got seen to sooner.  And during all the other projects, the basement space was needed, but never 'done'.  We are down to 2 kids at home now, and they have been extremely patient with us.  Their rooms are in the basement, but they are far, far, far from finished.  In fact, they were basically thrown up so they could have a 'space' to call their own.  They have walls which are just the studs with one side covered with plywood, no flooring, no ceiling and no doors.  Poor kids.  They have managed(with help) to make them into comfortable 'rooms' where they can at least play and escape.
This is all about to end.  This spring, when the kids and I head off for our 3 months of working in tree planting camp, we will be hiring a builder to come in and do the job of finishing the basement.  Our plan was to do it ourselves, and parts of it will still be DIY... but we have decided that paying someone else to do the dirty work is the best way to get this job done.  It takes the pressure off my hubby, who is overwhelmed with all the things that need to be done, and it gives me 'an end in sight.'  This decision has relieved so much stress!  I felt like every time I had to go down into the basement I got depressed.  It was a huge job and almost impossible to see done.  I am so excited that it will finally be getting the attention it needs!
I have been gathering ideas for the fun part of designing and finishing the basement.  There are so many lovely ideas out there and I am hoping to be able to incorporate some of them into our new and much improved basement.  Here are a few ideas!
Intelligent use of space.
Isn't this awesome!!
Good idea for under the stairs.
Another great under the stairs idea!
Stairway to basement.
Thinking this would work!
Stenciled Stairs
This is a really a neat idea..stencils! Simple to do and not expensive. 
Great colours!
Alley's room colours!
The basement will also include a family room, which will be used mainly for tv watching.  I'm thinking a sectional...but don'tcha love that coffee table!!
2 sinks would be a good idea...one for each of the kids!

Zac's Rm??
Zac would love a loft bed in his room!

The basement needs to be completely emptied and all existing walls removed before the kids and I leave.  My current project of getting the my craft room (another thrown together room) sorted and stored is under way.  The problem of the moment is where to put all 'the stuff' while the basement is worked on.  Looks like we won't be using the cabin for guests anytime soon..it will be where we store all the kids and family room furniture and 'stuff'.  There is lots of work to do before the transformation can begin...but I'm eager to get to it and see this basement become a real part of our home.

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Fable of the Porcupine.

I received this email from my mom and thought the pictures alone were so adorable I had to share it!  As I don't know where this email originated, so I can't give anyone credit, but whoever your are..Thanks!




Fable of the porcupine 
It was the coldest winter ever. Many animals died because of the cold. The porcupines, realizing the situation, decided to group together to keep warm. This way they covered and protected themselves; but the quills of each one wounded their closest companions.
 
After awhile, they decided to distance themselves one from the other and they began to die, alone and frozen. So they had to make a choice: either accept the quills of their companions or disappear from the Earth.
 
Wisely, they decided to go back to being together. They learned to live with the little wounds caused by the close relationship with their companions in order to receive the warmth that came from the others. This way they were able to survive.
 
Moral of the story: The best relationship is not the one that brings together perfect people, but when each individual learns to live with the imperfections of others and can admire the other person's good qualities.

Sunday, February 5, 2012

Daily Visitors.


I'm entering this photo in pieces of a real heart's photo  challenge.
This is one of the many 'critter' visitors to the Little Shack.  I think that the birds are one of my favourite things about living here.  We get so many of these little Chickadees fluttering to the feeders on the deck.  They particularly like the oiled sunflowers seeds and tend to make a fuss when the feeder is low on them. Between them and the resident squirrel, our feeders are seldom still.
Photobucket

On My To Do List...The 'Before' Story.

I have no excuse to put off getting stuck into my total disaster of a craft room turned storage room.  It was once a usable room, although not at all finished.  Still, it has a door, 4 walls and that's about it! Which is more than I can say for the rest of the basement! It's was first Zac's room, then became my craft room when our oldest son moved out and Zac moved into his room (also unfinished).  Living in an unfinished house with too much stuff has many drawbacks.  One of which is not having a place for anything.  Hence, my "craft room" became my place to put everything and anything that did not have a proper place to go.  Very frustrating when you need something you put into that room and it is lost in the messy build up somewhere!  I have procrastinated for far too long though, and the time is now to deal with it.
So here, much to my complete and utter embarrassment, are some pictures of what I am about to tackle.
Disaster Zone!!!

EEK!!!
  The room needs to be completely emptied, with everything packed up into totes and boxes.  I then have to store them somewhere besides the basement.  I'm hoping to sort through my craft stuff as I go and get rid of a bunch I won't use, don't need and am never going to get around to.  Then maybe there won't be so much to store!
This room will be re-constructed to be bigger.  It needs a floor, ceiling, walls, a real door...and then will need to be painted, have flooring put down and molding put up.  When all of this is done, it will be Zac's new, finished bedroom!
Zac and I have great plans for this room.  We're thinking a loft bed with a desk and storage underneath...a jungle type mural on the wall, lots of greens, leaves, bamboo... He loves dinosaurs, reptiles and Star Wars.  So we are also thinking of how to incorporate a 'space' theme too.  We'll have to see how he feels when it's time to do the fun part (decorating!).
First things first though.  Time to dive in and get it cleaned out!  If you don't hear from me soon...send a search party!