Recipes | Unmistakably Food

Baked Sweet Potatoes with Sour Butter

Apr 102013

There’s just something about sweet potatoes and nutmeg…

Is it just me, or has someone else noticed as well? I discovered this enchanting combination by accident several years ago, and since then I’ve always eaten my sweet potatoes with nutmeg. Nutmeg compliments sweet potatoes better than cinnamon, honey, sugar, or cloves… yes, even better than butter.

Sour butter though, that’s another story. You see, for people who aren’t big on the sweet tooth, like my husband, a dose of sour is just what is needed to tone down the sweetness. And let me tell you, a sweet potato can handle some real sour butter.

Suffice it to say, there’s a lot I love about this dish. I love the spicy nutmeg, and the balance of sour and sweet. Most of all, I love how ridiculously simple this recipe is. It’s almost too simple to be so good.

Note: Cream will need to be set out to sour for 24 hours before it can be used to make sour butter. Only raw cream can make sour butter; pasteurized cream will spoil rather than souring. If you do not have access to raw cream, this dish is also great served with ordinary butter.

Ingredients:

2 large or 3 medium sweet potatoes
1/8 tsp nutmeg
Raw cream (for butter making)
Salt

Instructions:

For Sour Butter:
1. 24 hours before baking the sweet potatoes, set the desired amount of cream out at room temperature to sour. I usually sour mine a pint at a time, in a mason jar covered by a lid. One pint of cream is necessary to make one cup, or two sticks, of butter.
2. After 24 hours, pour the cream (now sour) into a food processor or blender and turn on high. After 5-10 minutes, the sour cream will separate into butter and buttermilk. Strain the butter; buttermilk can be saved and used for soaking grains, marinading meat, or baking. Click here for step-by-step instructions on butter-making.
3. Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt to the butter if desired.

For Sweet Potatoes:
1. Place sweet potatoes in a baking pan.
2. Bake in the oven at 400 degrees Fahrenheit until completely soft inside (1- 1 1/2 hours depending on size of potato)
3. Remove skins and mash potatoes with a fork.
4. Add nutmeg and mix
5. Serve topped with sour butter

Makes five to six servings

Dill Roasted Chicken

Recipes No Responses »

Apr 092013

Last week, I was pleasantly surprised to discover a bunch of fresh dill in our weekly produce box! I had no idea what to do with it. The last time I remember using fresh dill was as a young girl, helping my mother can pickles!

I love experimenting with fresh herbs and vegetables. I discovered this recipe totally by accident. I had a chicken to roast and figured, “Why not try stuffing fresh dill under the skin?” It was a WINNER! Everyone in my family loves it, so I made it again today and took pictures, just for you!

*Note: this recipe calls for chicken quarters, but a whole roasting chicken can be easily substituted. The ingredient measurements remain the same. The internal temperature of a whole chicken would need to be raised to 165 degrees Fahrenheit rather than 180, which could shorten the cooking time.

Ingredients:

Eight chicken quarters
3/4 Cup fresh dill
2 Tablespoons lard
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon sage

Instructions:

1. Arrange the chicken quarters in a baking pan
2. Pat the chicken dry with a towel or paper towel
3. Mix one tablespoon of lard with the salt, pepper, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and sage. Using your hands, coat the outside of each chicken quarter with this mixture, top and bottom.
4. Mix the remaining tablespoon of lard together with the fresh dill. Stuff the dill under the skin of each chicken quarter, making sure to get a nice layer inside each piece for great flavor.
5. Put about ½ inch of water in the bottom of the pan.
6. Bake the chicken uncovered in the oven until the internal temperature of the chicken is 180 degrees Fahrenheit. (400 degrees for an hour and a half)

Ginger-Glazed Carrots

Recipes No Responses »

Apr 082013

I Get a Lot of Requests for More Recipe Posts…

So I figured I should kick this thing off again with my twist on glazed carrots!

This recipe is perfect for picky eaters or for kids who don’t like their vegetables! My daughter can’t get enough of these carrots. She ignores everything else on her plate until the carrots are gone, and then asks for more! Sweetened with raw honey, straight from the hive, and with just the right amount of spice and tang, this is not your ordinary glazed carrots!

Ingredients:

10 medium sized organic carrots, chopped into 1/2 inch-wide sticks (or 2 lb bags baby carrots)
4 Tbs butter or coconut oil
4 Tbs raw honey
1 Tbs fresh ginger, minced
1/2 Tbs balsamic vinegar
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg

Instructions:

1. Boil carrots until just soft
2. Drain water and return carrots to pan
3. Over medium heat, add remaining ingredients to pan
4. Simmer and stir until honey forms a syrup in the bottom of the pan
5. Coat carrots in syrup and serve!

Dark Chocolate Peppermint Bites

Recipes 2 Responses »

Dec 222012

I love mint and chocolate!

My mom used to make mint-stick brownies every year for Christmas growing up. I was going to make them this year but I couldn’t find her recipe, so instead I came up with my own mint-chocolate Christmas treat! Be warned, these are rich and chocolaty! I think they are best enjoyed in small bite-sized pieces!

Ingredients

Chocolate Layer:

1 Cup Butter
1 Cup Organic Cocoa Powder
2/3 Cup Raw Honey
1 Tbsp Pure Vanilla
1/4 Cup Slivered Almonds (Optional)

Peppermint Layer:

2/3 Cup Coconut Oil
1/3 Cup Raw Honey
1/4 Teaspoon Peppermint Extract

Instructions:

Chocolate Layer:

1. Melt butter and honey in saucepan
2. Add cocoa powder, vanilla, and optional almonds (or other nuts)
3. Mix thoroughly
4. Cover bottom of an 11×7 or 9×9 cookie sheet/baking pan with parchment paper
5. Pour chocolate mixture into parchment lined pan, making sure mixture spreads evenly
6. Place in freezer until set (a couple hours should be long enough. It doesn’t need to be rock hard.)

Peppermint Layer:

1. Melt coconut oil and honey in saucepan.
2. Add peppermint
3. Carefully pour peppermint layer on top of hardened chocolate layer
4. Place back into the freezer until set (approximately 1 hour)
5. Remove from freezer and cut into bite-sized pieces!

This recipe makes approximately 48 1-inch dark chocolate peppermint bites.

Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies

Recipes 4 Responses »

Dec 202012

These are, hand’s down, my family’s favorite cookies.

They are so easy to make and they have a secret ingredient: lard. The lard gives them an extra depth of flavor and makes them softer. If you don’t have access to lard you can use all butter. I have done this before and they are still great!

Ingredients:

1 Cup Unrefined Sugar (Sucanat)
1/2 Cup Raw Honey
1/2 Cup Raw Butter (Pastured is best)
1/2 Cup Lard (Pastured is best)
1 Teaspoon Pure Vanilla
2/3 Teaspoon Mint Extract
1 Egg
2 Cups Sprouted/Unbleached White Flour
1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1 1/2 Cup Chocolate Chips (Here’s a Healthy Chocolate Chip Recipe!)

Instructions:

1. Mix honey, butter, and lard (all melted) with Sucanat, egg, vanilla, and mint.
2. In a separate bowl mix together flour, baking soda, and salt.
3. Combine wet and dry ingredients, and add chocolate chips.
4. Spoon onto buttered baking sheet, two inches apart.
5. Cook for 8-10 minutes at 350 degrees.

Recipe makes 15-20 large mint chocolate chip cookies, or 36 small mint chocolate chip cookies

Real Gingerbread Men: Spice, Black-Strap Molasses, and Raw Honey

Recipes No Responses »

Dec 072012

This Christmas Season is the First that Audrey is Old Enough to Enjoy With Us…

And so far it has been everything I dreamed it would be.

What is my favorite moment?

Catching her behind the Christmas tree with five or six ornaments lined up neatly and hanging off her fingers, hand outstretched for the next one -just making her way around the tree, decorating herself! Going for night-time walks to see the “prippy yigh” (pretty lights!) Stopping in front of each home so that she can take it all in – so much brilliance for little eyes. Watching her try to shape gingerbread men by smashing them to shreds with a spatula.

When I was a little girl, my mother used to read me a book called”The Gingerbread Man.” I loved that book. I had it memorized. I used to dream about making and eating a real gingerbread man. I was convinced that there were no more “real” gingerbread men in the world made with “real” gingerbread. Even then I was very acutely aware of the decline of our modern food supply, and was saddened at what has been lost through the past generations.

That’s why this Christmas, we decided to make gingerbread men. This is the start of a family tradition, and one that has deep roots in my life-long love of everything pure and real. I don’t want Audrey to have to wonder where all the “real” gingerbread men went. No, she will grow up knowing the taste of real gingerbread. Sorry store-bought gingerbread-shaped fake men! You just don’t compare!

Ingredients:

3 Cups Sprouted/Unbleached White Flour
1 1/4 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1/4 Teaspoon Unrefined Sea Salt
1 Tablespoon Ginger
2 3/4 Teaspoon Cinnamon
1/2 Teaspoon Cloves
6 Tablespoons Raw Butter
1 Cup Unrefined Sugar (Sucanat)
1 Large Egg
1/3 Cup Blackstrap Molasses
1/4 Cup Raw Honey
2 Teaspoons Pure Vanilla

Instructions:

1. Mix All Dry Ingredients Together

2. In a separate bowl, mix butter (melted), egg, and Sucanat

3. Add molasses, honey, (melted), and vanilla to liquid ingredients

4. Slowly add dry ingredients. Mix well.

5. Roll dough out to 1/4 inch and cut out Gingerbread men shape…

Or you can do what we did and just use your fingers to shape gingerbread men. (We don’t have cookie cutters).

6. Butter cookie sheets and place gingerbread men on cookie sheets

Note: if you don’t have cookie cutters, it’s easier to just form the gingerbread men right on the buttered cookie sheets.

7. Cook at 350 for about 7 minutes…

Or just until the dough springs back when touched. Don’t overcook or they will get tough.

8. Enjoy!

These cookies are chewy and soft with just enough spice to leave a slight tingle on your tongue.

Recipe makes 12 5″ Real Gingerbread Men

Mini Pumpkin Pies

Recipes 5 Responses »

Nov 182012

I’ve been cooking pumpkins like a mad woman lately.

It’s my new favorite food. I put it in everything – even my milk!

This morning, I cooked up two pumpkins and made pumpkin scrambled eggs for breakfast. Afterward, I asked Ryan what I should do with the rest of the pumpkin puree.

“I could make pumpkin pies, pumpkin creme brulee, pumpkin cheesecake…What’s your vote?” I asked.

He didn’t blink an eye. “Mini Pumpkin Pies!” he practically shouted!

Ryan has been ranting about the idea of making mini pies in muffin tins ever since Emily from Butter Believer posted this recipe for Mini Apple Pies! And who can blame him? Emily’s photos are gorgeous and her idea is an awesome original twist on a classic. Who doesn’t want to have a little personal pie all to themselves?

And so, inspired by Emily’s muffin tin apple pies, and just in time for Thanksgiving, I give you…

Mini Pumpkin Pies!

Ingredients:

For The Crust

For the crust, I will direct you to Cheeselsaves Perfect Pie Crust Recipe. This is simply the best pie crust I’ve ever made. I can’t expand or improve upon her recipe, and she should definitely get the credit. For simplicity’s sake, I will list the proportions you will need for my recipe here.

1 1/2 Cup Sprouted/Unbleached White Flour
1/2 Cup Cold Lard
5 Tablespoons Cold Butter
1 teaspoon Sugar
1/2 teaspoon Sea Salt
1/4 + 1/8 Cup Ice Water

For The Filling

2 Pie Pumpkins for making Fresh Pumpkin Puree (You’ll need 2 Cups Pumkpin Puree – Instructions below)
1 Cup Raw Cream
3/4 Cups Unrefined Sugar (Sucanat)
2 Large Eggs
3 teaspoons Cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoon Nutmeg
3/4 teaspoon Allspice
1/2 teaspoon Cloves
1/2 teaspoon Ginger
1/4 teaspoon Cardamom

Instructions:

For the Crust

1. Mix flour, sugar and salt together
2. Cut lard and butter into large chunks and place on top of flour mixture
3. Add ice water little by little and mix with your hands. Do not over-mix! You want the final product to contain large chunks of butter and lard.
4. Roll dough out until it’s 1/8 inch thick. It helps to flour your surface and the surface of the dough.
5. Cut dough into 12 equal squares (squares should be about 4-5 inches in length and width).
6. Butter muffin tins to keep pies from sticking
7. Gently place a spatula under each square, flip over onto your hand, and gently place into muffin tin. With your fingers, carefully work the dough into the edges of the tin.
8. Poke holes in the bottom of each pie crust with a fork.
9. Bake at 350 for 5-10 minutes until just stiff enough to hold a filling.

Note: (For a very detailed description of how to make this crust for a normal-sized pie, see Cheeseslave’s recipe.)

For the Filling

1. Cut both pie pumpkins in half down the middle. Remove seeds with a large spoon.
2. Place pumpkin halves cut side down on a cookie sheet.
3. Bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes, until knife easily pierces skin. Let cool for 30 minutes.
4. Scoop out flesh and place in food processor or blender. Puree for several minutes, until very smooth
5. Place pumpkin puree in cheesecloth or cotton cloth to strain. I let mine strain for 30 minutes and then squeeze the cloth (containing the pumpkin puree) to remove any remaining liquid.
6. Measure out 2 Cups to use in pie!
7. Add cream, Sucanat, eggs, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, ginger, and cardamom to pumpkin puree. Mix well.

For the Pie

1. Carefully pour pumpkin pie mixture into crusts.
2. Cook at 350 for 45 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean
3. Use a small, sharp knife to gently cut around the top edges of each pie. Pies should come out easily!

Notes:

1. The muffin tins I used make 2-inch-diameter muffins. If your muffin tins are a different size, you may need to adjust the size of your pie crusts.
2. This recipe makes 12 2-inch-diameter mini pies.
3. Mini pumpkin pies don’t stay around long. I wish I would have doubled this recipe!

This Post is Entered in Monday Mania, Thank Your Body Thursday, Full Plate Thursday

Creamy Potato Soup with Crusty Bread Bowls

Recipes 10 Responses »

Nov 152012

I love everything about this time of year.

I love the snow. I love the cold. I love that the Holidays are just around the corner. I even love that it gets dark earlier!

Lately it’s been getting dark right around the time I get off work – 5:30 p.m. I work from home, so as soon as I’m done I bundle my little girl up and we head outside for a snowy twilight adventure. Yesterday we made her first snowman!

Most of the time she likes to run up and down the sidewalk in her leather boots, munching on snow, stopping only to pick up another handful. I love to watch her. She’s so innocent and full of wonder. I also love to stare at the darkening sky. The moon always seems close of late, and the patterns made by the colored clouds on the horizon so mysterious. There’s nothing quite like standing under the big dark sky, moon on one side, twilight on the other, constellations brightening overhead, chilly winds whipping the tree branches, a warm little one safe in my arms.

But the night is not over yet.

Later we will go inside, where warmth and love of family are waiting. I will give Audrey a steamy bath and bundle her in pajamas and blankets. Nights like this call for hardy food. Food that warms the toes and fills the belly. Food like hot potato soup.

This potato soup recipe has always been a family favorite, but I recently tried out these crusty bread bowls for serving. I don’t think we will ever eat potato soup without them again!

Creamy Potato Soup

Ingredients

3 Cups Chicken Broth
3 Cups Raw Whole Milk
4 Large Potatoes
4 Strips Uncured Bacon with the Grease
1 Onion
2 Cloves Garlic
8 Scallions
2 teaspoons Sea Salt
1 teaspoon Pepper
1 teaspoon Parsley
2 teaspoon Chives
1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
1 teaspoon Mustard
1/2 Cup Raw Sour Cream
1 Cup Raw Cheddar Cheese
1/2 Cup Salsa

Instructions

1. Heat chicken broth and milk in saucepan over medium heat.
2. As broth/milk mixture is heating up, chop potatoes, onions, garlic and scallions. Add to saucepan.
3. Add salt, pepper, parsley, chives, and Italian seasoning to saucepan.
4. Boil until potatoes are tender. While potatos are cooking, fry bacon in skillet until crispy. Save grease and chop bacon into 1/2 inch pieces.
6. Remove soup from heat. Add mustard, sour cream, cheddar cheese, salsa, bacon, and bacon grease to soup.

Crusty Bread Bowls

Ingredients

6 Cups Whole Wheat Flour
2 1/2Cup Unbleached White Flour
2 Cups Raw Whole Milk
1/2 Cup (1 Stick) Butter, Melted
2 Tablespoons Active Dry Yeast
1/4-1/2 Cup Unrefined Sugar (Sucanat)
2 1/2 teaspoons Sea Salt
4 Eggs

Instructions

1. Mix whole wheat flour and raw milk in a bowl. It will form a stiff dough. Cover with a towel and let sit for 8 hours or overnight.
2. Add butter, yeast, sugar, salt, and eggs to flour/milk mixture. Mix until combined.
3. Add unbleached white flour until dough sticks together. The dough should still be somewhat sticky, but workable. If you are opposed to using white flour, a variety of flours could be used instead including sprouted wheat, almond, and coconut. The amount will need to be adjusted for some flours – I would just add the flour slowly until the dough is the desired consistency.
4. Split dough into 10 even parts. Form into ball shape and place on cookie sheet, several inches apart.
5. Preheat oven to 450 and let dough rise for 30 minutes.
6. Place a cookie sheet on the bottom rack of the oven. Fill cookie sheet with VERY hot water. Place dough rolls in the oven on the second rack. The water, combined with the high heat will steam the rolls and give them crusty shells!
7. After 5 minutes, lower oven heat to 375. Continue cooking rolls for 20-25 more minutes. Every 5-10 minutes, pour more hot water into cookie sheet on bottom rack.
8. Rolls are done when they are dark brown and crusty on the outside and soft and moist inside.

Making Bread Bowls

1. With a bread knife, slice off the crown of the bread. Use a spoon to scoop out the insides. Save for dipping!
2. The remaining bread should form a sturdy bowl shape. Fill to the brim with creamy potato soup!

This Post is entered in Fight Back Friday, Monday Mania, Thank Your Body Thursday, Full Plate Thursday, Tasty Thursday

Soaked Whole Wheat Bread Recipe

Recipes 16 Responses »

Sep 282012

A while ago I posted my recipe for whole wheat bread. It took me three years to develop that recipe, just enough time for me to decide to move on to bigger and better things

In other words, I recently discovered the benefits of soaking, sprouting, and/or souring whole grains before cooking them. I’m not going to get into all the details here (because it would literally take up pages.) In the future, I plan to write an entire series on the subject of grains and the various viewpoints surrounding them. For a good summary, read this post.

But for anyone who is interesting, I would like to post what I believe is a healthier whole wheat bread recipe. In this recipe, the whole wheat flour is “soaked” in a water-vinegar solution to neutralize phytic acid and other anti-nutrients (more on all this later.) This recipe is also written for the bread machine, but could easily be kneaded by hand and cooked in the oven as well.

I must give credit here to Real Food in Little Rock which is where I first discovered this recipe! I’ve changed it slightly to fit my needs, but hey! Give credit where credit is due I say: this is the easiest, best rising whole wheat bread I’ve ever made! Thank you Real Food in Little Rock!

Ingredients (part 1):
9 oz warm water
1 oz apple cider vinegar (or lemon juice or whey)
3 TB soft butter/lard/coconut oil
3 1/3 C whole wheat flour

Instructions (part 1):
Lightly knead until all the flour is mixed in. Let it sit in the breadmaker pan, covered for 8-24 hours.

Then make a well in the middle of the dough and add:

Ingredients (part 2):
1.5 T Sucanat (raw sugar)
1.5 t sea salt
1.5 T active dry yeast

Instructions (part 2):
Set the breadmaker on the whole wheat setting and start!
This recipe makes a nice 1 lb or 2 lb loaf.

This post is listed in Monday Mania, Fat Teusday, Real Food Wednesdays, Full Plate Thursday, Pennywise Platter, Simple Lives Thursday, Fill Those Jars Friday, Freaky Friday, Fresh Bites Friday, Fight Back Friday, and Sunday School@Butter Believer

My Favorite Roast Chicken Recipe

Recipes 2 Responses »

Sep 142012

Autumn will soon be upon us, with its brilliant colors, pumpkin patches, apple cidar, and the start of the Holiday Season. I love this time of year so much…it’s just magical to me.

And nothing says “autumn” like the tantalizing smell of roast chicken wafting through the window…

Just thinking about it sends a chill up my spine – the kind of chill you feel on a cool, crisp, autumn day.

I figured I would share my best roast chicken recipe. Roast chicken just doesn’t get better than this. The meat on this chicken is so moist, but the skin is just to die for – it’s crispy and so flavorful.

Ingredients:

One roasting chicken
Salt
Pepper
Garlic salt
Fajita Seasoning
Lard – one handful
2-4 Tbs Butter

Instructions

1. Place the chicken in a baking pan – wings folded down and legs face-up
2. Pat the the chicken dry with a towel or paper towel – make sure to get inside the cavity.
2. Coat the top of the chicken with the salt, pepper, garlic powder, and fajita seasoning. Really lay it on thick because you need enough to spread over the entire inside and outside of the chicken.
3. Take a handful of lard. Start on the top of the chicken that is coated with seasonings. Rub the lard in with your hands until the entire outside of the chicken is covered with lard and seasonings. Next, coat the inside cavity and underneath the skin. If you don’t have lard, you can use butter for this step as well- although the butter doesn’t give the same intense flavor.
4. Put about ½ inch of water in the bottom of the pan.
5. Slice the butter and arrange it on top of the chicken.
6. Bake the chicken uncovered in the oven until the internal temperature of the chicken is 165 degrees.
7. Enjoy with a side of mashed potatoes and a glass of Eggnog (at least that’s what Ryan and I would do!)

Photo Credit

Older Entries