Rose Cottage

 Over the last 27 years, my daughter Mary and I've passed the Breitenbush Cookbook back and forth several times.  Breitenbush cookbook With a snowy week and lots of time at home, she's been cleaning out her cookbook shelf, so it's come back to me! Mary asked about favorite recipes contained therein - what a treat to revisit them, and see our notes on GF modifications and other tips!  One of them is compiler Sara Joy's Calazones. Growing up in NY, she and her twin sis loved their family tradition of pizza on Saturday nights. Calazones make nice personal pizza, and were always popular at the Bush!  I was on Healing Arts and lived at Breitenbush in the early 90s, and have enjoyed many meals from the BB kitchen - this post has several pics of the land and river.  Winter Calazones Root veggies, mushrooms and greens are nice options in winter - for this batch, I used cilariac, parsnip, onion, chard, garlic, acorn squash and endive. Calzone • veggies • meltable mozare...

  Rice & lentils  is a year round favorite. Lentils take about as long as brown rice to cook, & are easier to digest than some of the larger beans. I like an organic mix including red & wild rice, and then add quinoa or buckwheat the last 20 minutes. Simmering I begin by putting the rice (usually ~  3/4 Cup rice to a Cup of lentils) & a chopped onion or the white part of a leek in a pan with a bit of olive oil, & heat water (or Stock *) in another pan. Stir the rice  frequently  till more than half the grains have turned white, & take pan off heat. Add the lentils & * stock or boiling water, season with herbs of your choice - fresh from the garden or favorite blends: Italian or Herbs de Provence (includes basil & lavender), a piece of  Kombu  (seaweed - great for additional flavor & extra nutrients - cut) & a bay leaf, sea and pepper.   Bring to a boil, then turn down & simmer for 20 minutes, ...

 On a recent shopping trip, I got a bag of nutrient dense whole buckwheat groats. I've used buckwheat before, but it's been awhile!  Buckwheat - soaking some for sprouts With origins in Asia, this pseudo-gain (*it's a large seed - naturally free of gluten) has a unique amino acid composition that gives it biological activities and properties which promote health . These include cholesterol-lowering effects, anti-hypertension effects and the ability to improve digestion. A fan of oatmeal? Try adding some Buckwheat or Kasha to your meals! Buckwheat Japanese agricultural encyclopedia  When buckwheat is fermented, in drinks or sourdough, it can act as a valuable prebiotic that nourishes healthy bacteria in the digestive tract. Studies show that consuming fermented buckwheat products can improve the body’s pH level — or the balance between acidity and alkalinity — that keeps harmful bacteria and disease from forming. Components include  Phenolic compounds and flavonoids, ...

 The monthly gathering of our singles group was a harvest potluck Saturday evening, and our hostess Lynn asked me to bring GF Cornbread, to pair with the bean Chili she made. I used my GF sourdough starter, and increased it the night before, adding sufficient flour and water for 1 1/3 Cup of batter, reserving 1/3 Cup in the morning for the next batch.  Gluten free starter   To the remaining starter, add an egg (or flax egg - 1 Tbsp flax in 2 Tbsp water),  and 2 Tbsp melted coconut oil.  1 Cup sourdough Egg or Flax egg 2 Tbsp coconut oil, melted 1/2 C corn flour/ cornmeal 1/4 C coconut flour 1-2 Tbsp sugar 1 tsp salt 1/2 tsp baking powder Mix dry ingredients into wet, adding a bit more liquid or cornmeal as needed, to get a stiff dough.  Let rise 20 minutes or so, shape into balls to fit your muffin cups (3/4 full) Let rise again 10 minutes or so.  I preheat my Air fryer 340° for a few minutes, then set cups on the rack (4-5) and bake (in batches) 18-20...

 Several years ago, my friend Nikki invited me over for a  tea party , both teaching me how to process the leaves, and sharing cups of her beautiful tea and simple snacks.  After tea, went out to pick another flush from her 9 shrubs, and she sent me home with a basket of fresh leaves, which I augmented with leaves from my own tea camellia, making a batch at home the following day.  Camellia sinensis Sochi Nikki and I both grow the variety from Sochi Russia, which is on the Black Sea, and the "most Northern tea," which is very aromatic and frost Hardy. Sochi is especially suited to  our PNW zone 8b gardens.   While the flowers are small (about the size of a strawberry flower!) Sochi's leaves are about the size of those on our common ornamental Camellias.  The flowers can also be used for a light and fragrant tea, which i first tasted at the Dao of Tea in Portland.  Tea camellia in center of the Tea Garden High in antioxidants, especially catec...

 And - the new induction cooktop is set into the countertop and hooked up, cabinet and drawerpulls are on! Thank you, builder Jorge and our electrician, Duane - it's looking much more complete!   Kitchen corner I love the clean lines and ease of function.  Drawers are on order for the space to the left of the sink, and I can restock the art cart! Using the induction hob is a learning curve - one of my first efforts was Rhubarb sauce with one stem of rhubarb, a handful of dried apples, some frozen blueberries,  a teaspoon of honey, some cinnamon, mint and a dash of sea salt!  Rhubarb sauce Enjoyed it with coconut milk yogurt on the back porch! This quick and easy recipe came from a gal cooking in the shed on her allotment. With the induction cooker, it's good to prep ingredients before turning the element on! (I did step outside for the mint sprig)  Both the wok and my cast iron frying pans have very soothe surfaces, and I just got some burner mats (saf...