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Strawberry Rhubarb Cream Crisp

/ makingofahome / 1 Comment

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‘Tis the season of strawberry and rhubarb, and our kitchen is quickly becoming laden with these early summer lovelies.  This past weekend I played around a bit to come up with a variation to a traditional fruit crisp.  After some experimentation, I came up with this recipe that goes together very quickly, making it the perfect dish to bring to a summer picnic or backyard barbecue.

This crisp is not overly sweet, so it allows the flavors of the sweet strawberries and tart rhubarb to shine through.  Coupled with the rich, earthly flavors of the pecans and oats, this is a treat sure to please the masses.

Strawberry Rhubarb Cream Crisp

For the crumble:

1.  In a food processor, pulse 1/4 cup raw pecans.

2.  Add 2 cups rolled oats, 1/2 cup flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, and 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg to the food processor.  Pulse 2-3 times.

3.  Add 1 stick of cold butter (cut into bits) and 2 tablespoons raw honey to the food processor.  Pulse until a crumble forms.

4.  Set aside.

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For the filling:

1.  Combine 2 cups strawberries (diced), 3 cups rhubarb (diced), 1/3 cup honey, 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream, 2 eggs (beaten), and 1 teaspoon almond extract in a large bowl.

2.  Add 1/2 cup flour and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon to the fruit mixture.

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Assembling the crisp:

1.  Pour the fruit mixture into a 9X9 inch pan.

2.  Spread the crumble mixture over the top of the fruit.

3.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for 40-45 minutes, or until the top of the crumble is golden brown.

Enjoy!

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*A note about all my recipes:  I use all organic ingredients, local when available.  I use non-homogenized milk, and all of the dairy we use is from animals raised on pasture. I also use oils that are non-GMO verified.  All our meat is raised locally on organic feed, and our beef is grass-fed, grass-finished.  All our spices and cane sugar are fair-trade certified and purchased through a cooperative.

The Wonders a Week Can Do

/ makingofahome / 2 Comments

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Good morning, friends.  Although it has been less than a week since we took a walk through the gardens together, so much has changed.  I hesitate to say it because I fear I may jinx it…But we have been getting some fabulous rain, and beautiful temperatures of late.  In fact, much of the rain has fallen in the late afternoon and evenings, blessing us with partial or full sun during the daylight hours.  Our garden seems to be loving this, because I must say I don’t think I have ever seen it this healthy looking in the five years we have lived in this house.

And so today, I ask that you join me once again for a tour of the gardens…

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Kairos

/ makingofahome / 2 Comments

Kairos—“a right, opportune, or supreme moment in which something special and unique happens”

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If you are so inclined, share a link to your “Kairos Moment” in the comment section.  I hope you all have a blessed weekend!

Early June Happenings

/ makingofahome / 5 Comments

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The Fagan home is abustle now that school is complete, and the long-awaited summer is underway.  We are taking full advantage of the crisp mornings by getting chores done and out of the way well before eight o’clock, and then we spend our time basking in the balminess of the afternoon warmth, sipping citrus-infused water and reading in the warm sunlight.  Sneak in there time for summer homeschooling sessions, baking some ambrosial honey-infused dishes, and testing out new homemade personal-care items, we have truly been filling those hours of extra daylight the summer so graciously offers  us.

Here are the happenings around here during this first week of June…

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~The peonies are in full bloom, painting our landscaping with breathtaking pink vibrancy.

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~Learning doesn’t stop over the summer months.  The girls and I spend the first hour or two of each day completing a few homeschooling lessons.  My heart melts when my little ones say, “I love summertime when you can be our teacher Mommy.”  Love.

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~I came up with a lovely vegetarian spin to a lip balm recipe I found in Long Way on a Little by Shannon Hayes.

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~A. MAZE. ING. “Everyday Oat Bread.”  Better watch out Tyler, because I think I have a new love.  The recipe can be found in Amanda Blake Soule’s The Rhythm of Family.

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~Our first attempt at growing hot peppers seems to be working out so far.  Fingers crossed.

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~I’m not quite sure if there is a better combination:  sun, wine and good reads.

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~My girls actually came up with the idea of drinking “fancy water” (as they call it 🙂 ) while we catch some rays outside.

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~A fairy garden in full bloom.  Such a beautiful birthday gift for a four year old little girl.

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~Salad for dinner with greens from our garden, topped with a dandelion vinaigrette.  The vinaigrette recipe can be found in Taproot Magazine Issue 1 :: Soil.

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~It’s strawberry time!  Woohoo!

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~Oh the garden…Always work to be done, but always a place of peace and beauty.

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~And for a snack after all of that energy is expended in the garden:  “Holiday Rounds” from Keeping Bees by Ashley English.  Another great dessert that uses no refined sugar.  Yummy.

What have you been up to lately?  Share a link to your early June happenings in the comment section.

An Unscheduled Monday

/ makingofahome / 1 Comment

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It is not often that I find myself rising to a completely unscheduled day, let alone an unschedule Monday.  To be perfectly honest, there is something magical about it.  The most astonishing aspect of it all is that I was able to awake earlier than I have in nearly a month, feeling rested and refreshed.  (Isn’t that just so strange really…on those mornings when you don’t have to wake up, you seem ready to take on the day more than ever?  Like Thursday, my daughters’ first day of summer break, when they woke up at 5:30 am.  Oh boy.)

So, as I sit here with my mug filled with wonderful coffee goodness, looking out upon the garden sprinkled with the first rays of morning sunlight, I am thinking of all of you out there, about to begin your Mondays as well.  May your day, and the rest of this week, be filled with many blessings.

Happy Monday all!

Kairos

/ makingofahome / Leave a comment

Kairos—“a right, opportune, or supreme moment in which something special and unique happens”

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If you are so inclined, share a link to your “Kairos Moment” in the comment section.  I hope you all have a blessed weekend!

Honey-Sweetened Oatmeal Cookies

/ makingofahome / 2 Comments

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Again, in an attempt to lighten our refined sugar load, I have been playing around in the kitchen a bit to find some alternatives to our favorite dessert recipes.  Replacing the granulated and brown sugars in traditional oatmeal cookies with local honey, created a wonderful cake-like cookie.  The floral taste of the honey, paired with the nuttiness of these local oats, makes this cookie one you just must try!

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Honey-Sweetened Oatmeal Cookies

3/4 cup butter (softened)

1 cup local honey

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon cloves

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 cup wheat flour

1 cup all purpose flour

2 cups rolled oats

Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and honey.  Then add the ingredients to the mixer in the order listed, being sure each ingredients is fully incorporated before adding the next.

Scoop out the dough by the tablespoon onto a greased cookie sheet.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for 8 minutes.  Enjoy!

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*A note about all my recipes:  I use all organic ingredients, local when available.  I use non-homogenized milk, and all of the dairy we use is from animals raised on pasture. I also use oils that are non-GMO verified.  All our meat is raised locally on organic feed, and our beef is grass-fed, grass-finished.  All our spices and cane sugar are fair-trade certified and purchased through a cooperative.

Dairy Free Ice Cream

/ makingofahome / Leave a comment

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The littlest Fagan just celebrated her 4th birthday, and this soon-to-be-chef had been planning her party menu for months.  At the top of her list was The Pioneer Womans’ Blackberry Chip Ice Cream.  Well, unfortunately for my tiny girl, a few days before the big shebang, we were told by her new doctor to avoid dairy and refined sugar.  Huh.  This placed quite the damper on our birthday party edibles.

But never fear, dairy alternatives are here!  While big sis was at school, my little chef and I transformed our kitchen into a recipe test kitchen.  We tinkered away for a few days and came up with a fabulous dairy free, refined sugar free version of The Pioneer Woman’s ice cream.

I hope you enjoy this summer treat as much as we did!

Dairy Free Ice Cream

Put 1 cup blackberries (these can be fresh or frozen) and 1/2 local honey in a blender.  Blend until smooth and set aside.

Pour 2 13.5 oz cans of coconut milk into an ice cream maker.  Switch the ice cream maker on and allow to run for 3-5 minutes.  To the coconut milk, add 1 teaspoon vanilla.  Once the vanilla is incorporated, add the blackberry/honey mixture.

Allow the ice cream maker to run until you notice a creamy consistency begins to form.  Then add 3 oz. dairy free chocolate chips (we used these).  Run the ice cream maker until the chocolate chips are evenly distributed throughout the ice cream.

Store in an air tight container in the freezer until you are ready to eat.  (I suggest taking the ice cream out of the freezer about 5 minutes before you intend to serve it because the coconut milk tends to freeze pretty solid.)

Enjoy!

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*A note about all my recipes:  I use all organic ingredients, local when available.  I use non-homogenized milk, and all of the dairy we use is from animals raised on pasture. I also use oils that are non-GMO verified.  All our meat is raised locally on organic feed, and our beef is grass-fed, grass-finished.  All our spices and cane sugar are fair-trade certified and purchased through a cooperative.

The Road Less Traveled

/ makingofahome / 3 Comments

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It seems that every time I turn around there is information out there on how to do something faster, save time and work more efficiently.  But with all of these time saving tips, what are we doing with all of the freed up hours and minutes of our day?  I know at least for me, it often feels like this new-found freedom from the hands of time just leaves me with a sense of heightened anxiety because I feel like I should be doing more, more, more.

Well, last week I found myself with a bit of time on my hands when making a trip up to Wisconsin.  Instead of hopping on the interstate, with cars and semis zipping by me at 90 miles per hour, I decided to take the backroads and see what the road less traveled had to offer me.  I couldn’t help but giggle to myself as the words from Cars ran through my head,  “Well, the road didn’t cut through the land like that interstate. It moved with the land, it rose, it fell, it curved. Cars didn’t drive on it to make great time. They drove on it to have a great time.”

And I must admit, I agree with Sally.  Driving on the winding roadway, through the farm scape of northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin, was a lot more fun.  I was able to see lilac bushes in full bloom along the roadside.  I pulled over to look at a goat farm where new kids frolicked in the fields with their mothers.  I coasted into an actual town to buy a cup of coffee, instead of a grabbing a cup of joe from a giant neon-glowing gas station perched aside the interstate.  I was even lucky enough to stop by an antique shop that had so much heirloom goodness that it spilled out onto the front lawn.  And to think I would have missed all of this if I had sped down the interstate.  Yes, I would have made it to my destination a few minutes faster, but so much would have been absent from my experience of that day.

So, as cliche as it sounds, I am so happy “I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.”

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