The healing power of bread...

So Thursday of this past week I came home from a long day of working at a curriculum fair exhausted and within hours fell ill. Considering I hadn't been ill for the last 5 years or so, I was a bit depressed about it. But, with things needing done and one more long day of curriculum fair ahead of me, I bucked up and moved on. Friday seemed even longer...and I felt worse when I was finally able to make it home, because to top off the really long day, the traffic on the way home was horrible and seemed to move at a snails pace. It think there was a lesson to be learned through that ordeal, but that is for another time. With nothing more than a desire to curl up and veg for the rest of the evening and with the hope of finding sleep early (something us insomniacs always dream of), I instead found myself in the kitchen... Making bread. I pulled out the grain. Pulled out the Nutrimill. Milled the grain into flour. Pulled out my Bosch Universal Plus. Gathered bread ingredients. And went about making bread... There is something cathartic about the process of making bread - the combining of simple ingredients, the aroma of those ingredients coming together into a fabulous dough, the texture of the warm dough in your hands being divided into and rolled into loaves, the baking of those loaves...and the smell of those loaves as they come out of the oven golden brown and baked to perfection. For during those moments, though my head still felt like it was being squeezed in a vice, my throat raw, my eyes heavy with heat and a need for sleep - those moments were so soothing, so healing, so homemade good! So my conclusion - there is just something about making bread for yourself, for your family, that makes the burdens of our lives eased, the tiredness not so tiring, the weight of our stress a little lighter. It is in the process of making bread that I remember the love for my family profoundly, the simplicity of life, the goodness in my life, the gifts I have been graced with, the desire to share with others. Happy bread making my friends.

Upside Down Pizza

So, several weeks ago I was trying to come up with a few ideas for some cooking demos/classes that I wanted to hold.  I was flipping through a magazine and came across a recipe for a healthier version of a Pineapple Upside Down Cake and while that looked interesting it wasn't going to do anything for the "Italian" themed class that I thought would be fun to teach.
        ~  However, it did give me an idea for a "fun" pizza!  ~
Looking at the picture of that Upside Down Cake it made me wonder - what would it be like to make an Upside Down Pizza?  So, me being me, and always trying to think beyond the norm in the kitchen, I tried it!  Thus my Upside Down Pizza was born!


Upside Down Pizza:


In a round deep dish pan (after it has been sprayed with a bit of Olive Oil) -


lay down your cut veggie toppings,
on top of the veggies place you cooked/chopped meats,
and then layer o your thick sauce,
cheese,
bread dough that is then dimpled with oil.


Bake in a 365*-375* oven for approximately 18-20 minutes (or until bread is done).
Pull out of oven, place a serving plate over your pizza dish, using two hands quickly invert the deep dish pan onto the serving plate.
Slice "pizza" with a pizza cutter & serve.

Apple Pie with a Twist

Apple Pie with a Twist

(Created by Debbie Deitz)

Easy Unconventional Pie Dough

In Food Processor pulse together:

4 ounces cream cheese

1 stick room temperature unsalted butter

¼ c heavy cream

Add & pulse into a ball:

½ t. salt

1 ½ c PLUS 2 T. Whole Grain Flour

Turn out ball of dough onto slightly floured counter with floured hands. Cut in two pieces, wrap in plastic wrap, put in fridge for at least 20 minutes to chill.

Apple Filling:

8 Apples peeled and sliced

1/3 c Sugar

1/3 c Whole Grain Flour

½ t. Celtic Sea Salt

½ t. Saigon Cinnamon

Toss together in bowl & place in fridge for 20-30 minuutes.

Roll out crust & place into pie plate.

Add apple filling to pie shell.

Add a few pats of butter to top of apples.

Crumb Topping:

¾ c Oatmeal

¾ c Whole Grain Flour

½ c Sugar

½ stick Butter

Crumb together and place on top of pie.

Place pie into 350* oven for about 1 hour.

Let pie rest at least 20 minutes before serving. 

March Madness the Whole Grain Way!

Excitement is brewing

Here in Alaska, as Spring is around the corner, I find myself heavily involved in preparing for "Expanding Your Whole Grain Horizons", a seminar of 5 sessions where we (Wholy Living & various AK L'Equip demonstrators) will be teaching folks the 'how to's & whys' of cooking whole grains in every aspect of a meal.

Imagine serving Homemade Soaked Grain Buns, BBQ Pulled Beef, Beans & Brown Rice (and/or potato salad) and dessert - all created with whole grains and served to your table in less than two hours! That's right...all that from the fridge to the table in two hours or less!

Imagine serving your family the wholesome foods of years past using today's modern utensils - making the elusive family sit down meal a reality!

Using the BRK Pressure Cooking Pots, the Bosch Universal Plus, the Nutrimill & L'Equip Pro Food Dehydrator we will be demonstrating how to make:
Soaked Grain Breads
Soaked Grain Sweet Breads
Dehydrated Camp Foods cheaply & nutritiously
Homemade Whole Grain Pasta & Spaetzel (fresh & dehydrated)
Brown Rice, Beans, Soups & Stews in the BRK's
Whole Grain Sifted Angel Food Cake
Whole Chicken w/potatoes & veggies, Pulled Beef, Baby Food, & Custard - all in the BRK
Dehydrated Soaked Grains Granola
Jerky - moose, beef, fish & more

The new L'Equip Juicer!!
Bosch Universal Attchments!

Answering questions....

And SO MUCH MORE!

Breakfast to start off the day, seminars, lunch, and fellowship...
Join me...
March 23rd or 24th at Camp Carlquist @ Mirror Lake, AK

Comment back for more info!

New Year, New You!

A blessed & successful New Year to you all!

Many folks start off the New Year with resolutions that deal with their weight, most often, weight loss. For some, this works. For most, it doesn't.

This year, my focus will instead be on "being healthier".

I plan on being able to accomplish this through the use of healthier foods, better portion control and just getting back into the habit of focusing a bit on taking care of me. I only have one body and I should be treating it with a little bit more respect than I have been.

So join me if you would like...

Change & promise to myself #1:
Eat a wholesome "quick" breakfast every day!

Instead of going for the quick cereal in a box, I aim to make hot, healthy, high protein & iron cereal a part of my day by making a large batch once a week and storing it in convenient serving sized containers that I will be able to heat easily each morning.

Spelt Breakfast Porridge
2 cups rolled Spelt (soaked & dehydrated)
2 cups filtered water
1 t. Celtic Sea Salt
4 T. Freshly Milled Flax Seed (you can use a coffee bean mill)

Bring water to boil, adding Salt.
Add Rolled Spelt & Flax.
Cook on medium/low heat for 2 minutes, stirring.
Turn off heat.
Placing lid on pot allow to stand for several hours, up to 24 hours.
Divide into serving containers for storage in refrigerator.

Reheat on stovetop by adding a small portion of water to pot & mixing in porridge. Stir over medium/low heat until warmed...shouldn't take longer than 3 minutes.

Serve as desired: adding nuts, dried fruits, spices, etc.


Here's to your dedication to meeting all your goals this year!
Would love to hea from you - your successes, your ideas, etc!

Demonstration Success!

Simply Home Cooking
One of the recipes I used during yesterday's class. I used Grains (Spelt, Soft White Pastry Berries, Brown Rice, Barley) that I had soaked and then dehydrated before milling for maximum nutrition and ease of digestion...turned out SO moist and yummy!

Apple Crumb Pie "Quick" Bread

Apple Pie Filling
2 Apples diced small (I like granny smith & fuji)
2 Tbsp Melted Butter
1/4 C homemade Brown sugar
1/4 C White Sugar
1 tsp Saigon Cinnamon
1 tsp Fresh Nutmeg
1 Tbsp Cornstarch
Bread
1C Room Temp. Butter
1/4 C Sugar
1/4 C Homemade brown sugar
2 Eggs
1 Tbsp Mexican Vanilla
2C Flour (ap)
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp Saigon Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Celtic Sea Salt

For Filling
Combine all ingredients excepin butter and cornstarch in a sauce pan. Cook to make apples tender then add butter and cornstarch and stir till thick. Let cool.

Bread
Using the Bosch with the cookie paddles or batter whisk, cream Butter and Sugar together till fluffy. Scrape bowl at least twice. Add eggs one at a time and vanilla. Next add apple mixture.
sift together all your dry ingredients. Add to wet mixture and only mix till incorporated. Do not over mix or bread will be tough.

Pour into lightly sprayed loaf pan.

Bake at 325 for 30 minutes, take out and top with a crumb topping (equal parts fresh rolled oats, all purpose flour & 1/2 part homemade brown sugar), put back into oven and bake for an additional 20-25 minutes.

(revised/tweaked by Debbie Deitz using a recipe from www.cookingwithlacey.com)

A first of many...

Welcome to Simply Home Cooking, a place I hope will be "home away from home" for many.


This is a first effort for me, something I haven't done before and would welcome feedback from my followers/readers.  While I've done emailed newsletters, which friends have said is just about the same a a blog, I'm a bit nervous...so please have patience with me.


My hope is that this blog will be a place that I can posts home cooking demonstration/class times, dates & topics as well as recipes, hints & handy tips on cooking, healthy food tips, etc.


My goal is to post new entries at least once a week, even if it is a short something or another that I've found that I think someone out there might benefit from...some little something or another that might make a difference in someones life, making cooking easier or more fun or maybe even inspire a non cooker to learn cooking.


Please join me on this cooking journey...where we truly can make a difference in the health of ourselves, our families, and loved ones...and were we can fit healthy "fast food cooking" into our lives.