The Nourishing Cookbook

I'm moving my cookbook blog

noreply@blogger.com (Sheri Graham) — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 19:39:00 +0000

I am currently in the process of moving my cookbook blog over to my newly designed website.

My new website is here: http://www.school4jesus.com/

My blog is on my site here: http://www.school4jesus.com/sheris-blog

My brand new Book Shop is here: http://www.school4jesus.com/store/

Come visit my new site!

How to Make a Fancy Pie Crust Edge

noreply@blogger.com (Sheri Graham) — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 19:54:00 +0000

I recently had an email asking me how to make the fancy edge on a double-crust pie...so I thought I'd share how I do it!

First, when you make a two-crust pie, put the first crust in the bottom of the pie pan. Take a knife and cut the crust flesh with the edge of the pie pan. Put your filling in.

Second, put your top crust on. I use a knife and cut around the edge of the top crust, leaving about 1/2-3/4 of an inch extra crust beyond the edge of the pan. Now I take the top crust that is hanging over and tuck it underneath the edge of the bottom crust. Work your way around the crust until you have a nice edge..it will just be kind of rounded where the crusts are rolled together. Sometimes I have to squeeze the crust around to parts that are a little thinner. Some places get too fat, so I try to even it out before I make my nice edge.

Lastly, Once the crust is all sealed around, then you can make the nice edging. I had my son take a picture of my hands (below) showing how to pinch the crust (using a piece of paper where the crust will be). To make this nice edge, take your left hand and hold your thumb and index finger up as shown above. Take the index finger of your right hand...hold the left hand on one side of the crust edge, and your right hand on the other. Place your fingers on both sides of the crust edge and push together gently. This will make one indented pattern. Take your fingers off and move them over to make the next indented pattern. Continue this on around the crust. If you kind of pinch your thumb and index fingers on your left hand, it makes the pattern a little more defined. But don't pinch too much!

I hope this makes sense. The next time I make some pie I'll take some pictures of this process and add them in here in place of this picture. Have fun!

Yellow Cake

noreply@blogger.com (Sheri Graham) — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 21:04:00 +0000

2 1/3 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/3 cup nonfat dry milk powder
3 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoons sea salt
1 1/2 cups Sucanat or organic sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 eggs
1 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9x13-inch cake pan.

Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix with blender for a few minutes until smooth. Pour into the cake pan and bake for 25-30 minutes. Cool and frost as desired.

FROSTING:

1/4 cup butter, softened
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
2 cups powdered sugar

Place all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and whip with mixer for several minutes, until light and fluffy. Recipe can be doubled if more frosting is desired. This should be enough to frost one cake.

Apple Pie with Crumb Topping

noreply@blogger.com (Sheri Graham) — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 20:34:00 +0000

1 unbaked 9-inch pie crust

4 large cooking apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
1 cup Sucanat or organic sugar, divided (1/2 cup)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
dash of nutmeg
dash of ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup whole wheat flour

3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup butter

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Combine apple slices and 1/2 cup sugar in a medium sized bowl. Combine the cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and flour (1/4 cup) in a small bowl; stir well. Sprinkle over the apple mixture and add vanilla; mix well. Place mixture into unbaked pie shell.

Combine remaining 1/2 cup sugar and the 3/4 cup flour in a bowl; stir well. Cut in butter with pastry blender until mixture resembles course meal. Sprinkle crumb mixture evenly over apple mixture.

Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Cover edges of pastry with strips of aluminum foil to prevent excessive browning. Bake an additional 30 minutes.

Chicken Patties

noreply@blogger.com (Sheri Graham) — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 21:21:00 +0000

2 pounds ground chicken
2 cups whole wheat bread crumbs
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon minced onion
2 eggs
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons olive oil

In a medium-sized bowl, soak bread crumbs in milk. Add in the ground chicken, minced onion, eggs, cayenne pepper, sea salt, and thyme. Form into patties. Saute for about 7 minutes on each side in butter and olive oil, or until fully cooked.

Serve on homemade buns and a large green salad for a yummy meal!

Two Pie Crust Recipe for the Bosch

noreply@blogger.com (Sheri Graham) — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 22:31:00 +0000

In the Bosch bowl using wire whips, blend the following ingredients together:

2 Cups flour
1/2 Teaspoon salt
1 Cup shortening
1/4 Teaspoon sugar

Change wire whips to the dough hook. Then add water below and blend.

1/2 Cup water

Note: This dough freezes well, either wrapped in plastic wrap or rolled out in a pie plate and covered.

Sandwich Spread

noreply@blogger.com (Sheri Graham) — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 20:10:00 +0000

3 cups ground (cooked) meat, such as ham, chicken, turkey, etc.
1/2 cup mayonnaise (I use Smart Balance Omega Plus for a healthier version)
1/2 cup dill pickle relish (my homemade!)
Salt and pepper, to taste

Combine everything in a medium-sized bowl and store in refrigerator.

Note: Every so often I get the urge to make up some sandwich spread for our lunches. I buy a whole ham or use some cooked chicken or turkey and grind it up with my meat grinder. I then put 3 cups of meat in freezer bags and store it in the freezer. To make, I let a bag of meat thaw over night in the refrigerator, then pull it out the next day. Add the rest of the ingredients, mix well, and you have some yummy sandwich spread to have on your homemade bread! Enjoy!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Oatmeal Balls

noreply@blogger.com (Sheri Graham) — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 22:41:00 +0000

2 cups rolled oats
3/4 cup natural peanut butter (chunky is good!)
1/2 cup honey
2 tablespoons whole wheat flour
1/3 cup chocolate chips

Mix everything together in a medium-sized bowl. Form into small bite-sized balls. Store in a covered container in the refrigerator.

These are so yummy! Enjoy!

Banana Bread

noreply@blogger.com (Sheri Graham) — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 21:13:00 +0000

1 cup Sucanat or organic sugar
1/3 cup butter, melted
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups mashed bananas (about 3-4 medium)
1/3 cup water
1 2/3 cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter bottom only of loaf pan (8 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 2 1/2 OR 9x5x3 inches). Mix sugar and butter in a large bowl. Stir in eggs until blended. Add bananas and water and beat for 30 seconds. Stir in remaining ingredients except the nuts just until moistened; stir in nuts. Pour into the pan. Bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 55-75 minutes (depending on size of pan). Cool 5 minutes in pan after done baking. Loosen sides of loaf from pan and remove bread. Cool completely before slicing. Store in the refrigerator.

Hint: Banana bread freezes very well! Make a double batch and put one in the freezer for a later breakfast or snack!

Oatmeal Raisin Bars

noreply@blogger.com (Sheri Graham) — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 16:49:00 +0000

1/2 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup Sucanat (or organic sugar)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon molasses
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium-sized bowl, mix the melted butter, sugar, vanilla, and molasses. (Use the butter wrapper to grease your 9x13-inch glass baking dish!)

Add the egg, mix well.

Add the baking soda, salt, cinnamon, whole wheat flour, and oats, mix well.

Mix in the raisins.

Spread in a greased 9x13-inch glass baking dish.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

Nail Soak

noreply@blogger.com (Sheri Graham) — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 12:34:00 +0000

Mix the following ingredients in a small bowl:

1 cup warm water
1 capful Hydrogen Peroxide

Soak your nails to clean and whiten them! Enjoy!

Black Beans & Rice

noreply@blogger.com (Sheri Graham) — Thu, 08 May 2008 20:25:00 +0000

1 bag of black beans (about 1 pound)
1 cup brown rice
6 tablespoons whey or lemon juice
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup butter
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
meat (beef or chicken) (optional)

THE NIGHT BEFORE
Put the black beans in a large bowl. Add enough filtered water to generously cover the beans. Add in 3 tablespoons of whey or lemon juice. Cover the bowl and let it sit on the counter overnight. Do the same with the rice - put in a bowl and cover with water, then add in 3 tablespoons of whey. Cover and let both of these sit on the counter overnight to soak.

THE NEXT DAY
Drain the water from the black beans, pour them into a large pot, and cook according to package directions (substitute one cup of water for the one cup of chicken broth). Add 1/2 cup butter to pot as well as beans cook.

While beans are cooking, drain the rice, then cook according to package directions.

Once the rice and beans are cooked, add rice to beans along with the salt and pepper. Mix well.

Serve with a large lettuce salad!

Yummy Taco Bake

noreply@blogger.com (Sheri Graham) — Thu, 08 May 2008 20:14:00 +0000

1/2 bag tortilla chips, crushed
4 cups (or more) leftover beans/beans & rice (this can be pinto beans, black beans, etc. and with or without meat)
1 can Cream of chicken soup (homemade is easy and best!)
1/2 cup salsa
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 baking dish. Spread crushed chips in bottom of baking dish. Spoon leftover beans/beans & rice over top of chips.

Mix the cream of chicken soup (again, homemade works best!), with the salsa. Pour this sauce over top of the beans and chips in the baking dish. Sprinkle cheddar cheese over the top.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Serve with a large lettuce salad! Yummy!

Sheri's Notes: I am always looking for ways to use up leftovers! The other night I had some black beans, chicken, and rice leftover in the freezer from another meal. I threw this recipe together to use it up and it tasted delicious!

Shampoo

noreply@blogger.com (Sheri Graham) — Wed, 07 May 2008 21:54:00 +0000

Ingredients:

5 bags of chamomile tea
4 tablespoons of pure soap flakes
1 1/2 tablespoons of glycerin

Directions:

Steep the tea bags in about 1 1/2 cups of boiling water for about 12 minutes. Then remove the tea bags and add the soap and glycerin. Stir it up till it is blended good and your shampoo is ready.

You can even try other fragrances if you wish.

Semi-Homemade Spray-On Conditioner

noreply@blogger.com (Sheri Graham) — Wed, 07 May 2008 21:53:00 +0000

1 tablespoon of your favorite conditioner
8-ounce spray bottle
Water

Put the above ingredients in a spray bottle and shake up. Spray on hair to control frizzy, tangled hair. Do not rinse.

Leave-In Hair Conditioning Spray

noreply@blogger.com (Sheri Graham) — Wed, 07 May 2008 21:52:00 +0000

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
8-ounce spray bottle (I used an old store-bought leave-in conditioner spray bottle)
Water

Put the above ingredients in a spray bottle and shake up. Spray on hair to control frizzy, tangled hair. Do not rinse.

Laundry Detergent - Liquid

noreply@blogger.com (Sheri Graham) — Wed, 07 May 2008 21:32:00 +0000

Note from Sheri: I have tried several different liquid laundry detergent recipes that I’ve found on the internet and never had much luck with them. I decided to stick with the powdered versions – they are less messy and don’t take up so much space to store. I will include some links below to some liquid recipes if you want to give it a try!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

http://www.thefamilyhomestead.com/laundrysoap.htm

http://www.thesimpledollar.com/2007/03/15/how-to-make-your-own-laundry-detergent-and-save-big-money

http://www.christian-mommies.com/special-features/just-for-moms/homemade-laundry-detergent

http://tipnut.com/10-homemade-laundry-soap-detergent-recipes

Hopefully this will get you started! Have fun!

Fabric Softner

noreply@blogger.com (Sheri Graham) — Wed, 07 May 2008 21:31:00 +0000

Add white vinegar (½ cup) to the last rinse cycle when washing your clothes. If you have a place where you are supposed to put your fabric softener (our washer has a little holder right in the middle of the agitator), then fill it with the vinegar like you would fabric softener. It should hold about ½ cup - at least ours does.

The vinegar will not only soften your clothes, but it helps rinse all the detergent out of your clothes. If you want a little fragrance, add 25-30 drops of essential oil to your gallon of vinegar and shake up.

Laundry Detergent - Powder #2

noreply@blogger.com (Sheri Graham) — Wed, 07 May 2008 21:30:00 +0000

2 boxes borax
2 boxes washing soda (NOT the same as baking soda)
2 bars Fels Naptha (Ivory Soap can be used too)

Dump in your boxes of washing soda and borax into whatever sort of container you're going to use. Grate up the soap. Then put the lid on and shake it up -- or you can stir it if you want.

When you're going to use this, you only need about 1/8th of a cup (or 2 tablespoons) per load.

Laundry Detergent - Powder

noreply@blogger.com (Sheri Graham) — Wed, 07 May 2008 21:29:00 +0000

1 bar grated soap (Fels Naptha or Ivory)
1 cup baking soda
1 cup borax

Mix everything and store in an airtight container.

Use 1 tablespoon per load. Use 2 tablespoons for heavy soiled loads.

Note: Add powder to empty washing machine and start water. Once the powder is mixed with the water a bit, then add your clothes.

Sweet Treat Popcorn

noreply@blogger.com (Sheri Graham) — Tue, 06 May 2008 20:47:00 +0000

½ cup butter
½ cup honey
3 quarts popped corn
nuts - up to 1 cup chopped nuts of your choice, optional

Put your butter and honey in a small saucepan over medium heat and stir it until the butter melts and is blended nicely with the honey. While this is warming, mix your popcorn and nuts in a large bowl. Pour your melted butter/honey mixture over the popcorn and mix well. Spread this out on a cookie sheet in a thin layer and bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until crisp. This will be very hot so use caution!

Double Chocolate Mint Treasures

noreply@blogger.com (Sheri Graham) — Tue, 06 May 2008 20:46:00 +0000

¾ c. butter, softened
½ c. brown sugar or Sucanat
½ c. sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. peppermint extract
1 ½ cups whole-wheat flour
½ c. cocoa
1 tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
1 c. chocolate chips

Cream together butter and sugars. Add egg, vanilla and peppermint extract. Combine dry ingredients in a bowl. Add to wet ingredients and then stir in chocolate chips.

Bake at 350 for 10 minutes on greased cookie sheet.

Note: This is one of our family favorites! They are delicious!

Recipe by Marilyn Moll at www.urbanhomemaker.com, a home based business specializing in bread baking equipment and products for health. Used by permission.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

noreply@blogger.com (Sheri Graham) — Tue, 06 May 2008 20:44:00 +0000

2/3 cup soft unsalted butter
½ cup honey
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 ¾ cup whole wheat pastry flour (I just used whole wheat flour, not pastry, and they still turned out great!)
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup quick oats, uncooked
1 cup chocolate chips
½ cup chopped walnuts, optional

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease or spray cookie sheet.

Whisk the butter and honey together until well blended and smooth. Next, whisk in the egg and vanilla. Blend flour, baking soda, and salt in separate bowl; stir into liquid ingredients and mix well. Next, stir in quick oats, chocolate chips, and walnuts (if desired), and blend well.

Chill dough, if needed, for easy handling. Drop tablespoons of dough or dispense with all-purpose scoop onto cookie sheet leaving room between cookies to spread. Bake in preheated oven at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Remove from pans immediately.

These cookies are delicious! Store in airtight container in refrigerator or freezer.

Yield: About 3 ½ dozen cookies

Adapted from a recipe by Sue Gregg at www.suegregg.com.
Used by permission.

Wacky Cake

noreply@blogger.com (Sheri Graham) — Tue, 06 May 2008 19:28:00 +0000

1 1/3 c. unbleached white flour or whole wheat pastry flour
1 c. brown sugar
¼ c. Cocoa
1 t. baking soda
½ t. salt
1/3 c. oil or butter, melted
1 t. vinegar
½ t. vanilla
1 c. water

Mix together all the ingredients in the above order and pour into an ungreased 8x8x2 pan. (double the recipe and make a 9X13 cake!) Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.

Sprinkle with powdered sugar or frost with frosting. This is a very moist cake! I use this recipe for our birthday cakes!

Sheri's Healthy Oatmeal & Raisin Cookies

noreply@blogger.com (Sheri Graham) — Tue, 06 May 2008 19:23:00 +0000

½ cup butter, softened
¼ cup pure maple syrup
¼ cup honey
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
1 cup raisins
3 cups rolled or quick oats
1 cup chocolate chips (optional)

Cream butter, syrup, and honey until smooth. Add eggs and vanilla and mix. Mix dry ingredients (except raisins and oats) in a small bowl, then add and mix well. Stir in the raisins and oats (and chips if using). Drop by spoonfuls onto cookie sheets. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes. Makes about 3 1/2 dozen cookies.