Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Campfire Traditions: S'mores


This is one of those occasional treats.  For nostalgic purposes, l put together this tasty treat for my family.  Using Nourishing Gourmet's recipe I made honey sweetened marshmallows (read tips on toasting your marshmallows).  They are quite rich so I paired them with deep, dark chocolate bar, Green & Black's Cocoa Chocolate Bar, Dark 85%.In place of the graham crackers I adapted the almond cookie recipe from Nourishing Traditions.  Including an egg helps create a firm cookie.  Don't forget to get messy.  No campfire s'more is complete without a little chocolate and marshmallow on your chin!

Almond Cookies
Makes about 18 cookies

1 1/2 cups almond flour
1 cup arrowroot
1/4 cup rapadura or sucnant
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup butter or coconut oil (softened)
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  In a bowl combine almond flour, arrowroot, rupadura, and sea salt.  Stir to combine.  Add remaining ingredients.  Stir to combine (I have my boys help me with this step) or use paddle attatchment on mixer.  Form into walnut-sized balls and place onto lightly buttered cookie sheets or parchment paper.  Place in oven for 5 minutes, then remove from oven and press cookies lightly with a fork.  Return to oven and bake an additional 15 minutes.  Carefully move cookies to cooling rack and cool completely.  

Sunday, July 6, 2014

A Little Sweetness


Strawberry season is finally here.  Several batches of honey sweetened jam are preserved, aw well as some dehydrated and some saved in the freezer.  This year I hope to have enough to last us through the winter.  A bit of strawberry jam in the cold months is a reminder that warm weather will be on its way!  Preserving a seasons harvest is work.  I certainly feel that I put in more hours than I would for a full time job!  But it is definitely worth the taste of freshly preserved produce all year long.  It is a treat we can enjoy in addition to the butter on our pancakes!

This is a journey, and often a struggle, finding ways to feed my family nourishing food on our modest income.  I hope to record my budget saving ideas and tips I find along the way.