Maple Baked Bean Casserole

Hi folks,

Well, another recipe straight out of our kitchen using Maple Syrup. THis delicious bean casserole will surly put the smile on everyone's face. (I sound like a commercial) But my kids just love it.


Maple Farm Baked Bean Casserole

Ingredients:

* 1 sixteen-ounce can baked beans
* 1 medium vidalia onion
* 1 medium green bell pepper
* 3 tablespoons of butter
* 1/4 cup of Maple syrup
* 2 tablespoons of brown sugar
* 4 strips of maple cured bacon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. saute onion (chopped) & green pepper (chopped) in butter for 5 to 10 minutes until soft. add remaining ingredients except bacon into medium casserole dish and add onion & green pepper and place strips of uncooked bacon on top and bake uncovered for one hour, cool & serve.

Of course another plug for our Vermont Maple Syrup...lol. Visit the Quaker farm. http://quakershop.yolasite.com/ or just click the ad on the right side. yum yum good!

I dont get it.

OK, I am a simple folk. I try not to complicate things and just keep to the facts of what I know or at least understand, but I don't it.

I have suffered through 8 years of Bush. Bush, I believe, will go down as one of the dumbest presidents we ever had.

But everyone is going crazy over a bill that allows every American to be seen by a doctor if they are sick. I don't get it.

We have put up with a lot over the last 8 yrs and for some reason, allowing the ill to be treated, seems to bring massive hysteria. I don't get it.

We got wackodoodles Palin getting major media coverage over all of this, threatening people and their families and she is not being arrested but being cheered on by, guess who, not the terrorists, but the American people. What is going on? I don't get it.

Us Americans have put up with lies for the last 8 years and closed our eyes to it, but now, we are allowing Americans to be treated by a doctor if they are sick, and some Americans are so angry that they are making death threats to folks and their families.

I just don't get it.

Maple Syrup Pie

Here is an old Vermont Recipe. Maple syrup Pie, surprise surprise, you actually use maple syrup. Oh this is also a plug for our maple syrup, see Quakers farm link on the right. Trust me, if you havn't had pure Vermont Maple Syrup, then you have never tasted Maple Syrup before.

It is really Delicious.

RECIPE:

MAPLE SYRUP PIE

1 C Maple Syrup
1 C Water
¼ t. Sea Salt
1 T Butter
2 T Cornstarch
1 T Cold Water
1 9” Baked Pie Shell
2 Eggs Separated
1 T Maple Syrup

Place 1 c each of syrup and water in pan and heat to boiling point. Add salt and butter. Mix cornstarch with 1T cold water and add to egg yolks and beat well. Gradually add hot syrup to egg mix and cook over low heat, stirring constantly until thickened. Cool slightly and pour into baked pie shell.

Beat egg whites until stiff. Slowly add 1 T maple syrup. Spoon over pie and form peaks with back of spoon.

Bake at 350°F for 12-15 minutes until meringue is golden. This pie can be served warm or cool but never hot.

Warm March, not so good

Most people love a mild winter but the downside of warmer temperatures only means a smaller supply of our favorite all-natural maple syrup.

The syrup is till really good but quantity what gives us the problem.

The ideal weather for maple sugaring is freezing nights in the 20s and then mild days in the 40s, with bud-nourishing sap leaving the roots after sunrise and running past taps up to tree branches.

When nights stay warm, the sap doesn't return to the roots, ending the cycle and closing the tapping window.

The concern this year wasnt so much of the warmer temperatures in the daytime, even though they are little above, but the nighttime is our biggest problem, the nights havent just cooled down as much.

A normal season you can produce 60 to 80 gallons of syrup, with the most two recent years hitting the 100-gallon mark. This year, the maple farm only had enough sap to boil 50 gallons.

It will be several weeks before we can accurately measure how much it is affected and if the warm weather's impact fully be known.

Maple Cherry Desert Sauce

This is actually a pretty easy recipe and boy does it taste yummy. Try it, I think you will like it.


Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups maple syrup

2 1/2 cups thawed, drained, tart, pitted cherries

Bring maple syrup to boil. Boil 5 min. over medium heat, then remove. Add cherries. Serve warm over pudding or ice cream.

Don't forget to visit our Quaker Shop where we sell 100% pure maple syrup.

http://quakershop.yolasite.com/

One Million Signatures Campaign

One Million Signatures Campaign:

In Iranian courts, women are not offered equal legal rights when it comes to marraige, divorce, and compensation. Two women's testimony in the Iranian court carries the weight of one man.

This activist-led campaign aims at mobilizing support to fight discriminatory laws against women in Iran:

arrowroot cookies

Oh, remember those arrowroot cookies? As a a parent, it's one of the first cookies I gave to my children, this recipe below uses brown rice flour to make these teething biscuit cookies.



ARROWROOT COOKIES



1/2 c. butter

1/2 c. brown rice flour

1/2 c. dextrose

3 T. arrowroot powder

6 eggs



Cream butter.



Whisk eggs to a strong froth



Add eggs to butter and then stir in flour a little at a time, beating well after each addition.



Mix together the arrowroot and dextrose and add to other mixture. Blend together well.



Drop by teaspoonful onto greased cookie sheet.



Bake at 300ºF for about 15 minutes.



Makes 3-4 dozen biscuits.



A little about Brown rice flour. Brown rice flour contains the whole bran where 60% of the nutrients of rice is contained. Brown rice is also naturally gluten free and usually does not present an allergen problem. Some brown rice flour is produced in mills that also produce glutinous grains. So if you are extremely sensitive, be sure to look for the "Gluten free" version that is produced in mills that are dedicated to that purpose.



Note: Brown rice flour does NOT behave exactly like wheat, so cooks should be prepared to experiment with proportions and grain mixtures.



Also Brown rice flour has a strong, nutty flavor to food which may not always be desired. If you are concerned about this, you can use regular rice flour, made from grains which have been hulled as they tend to have a milder flavor.

Entrecard

So I joined this site called Entrecard. Basically, it is really like free advertising. Not really sure how it works, but my understanding of it is that you go into the site and start clicking blogs that you are interested in.

All the blogs on entrecard have this little 'badge',(look on the right of my side bar for an example,) and you have to be a member to drop (click) on it.

So you basically go blog hopping and click as you leave. The goal apparently is to earn credits. Kind of like money. Then you turn them in and you can advertise your blog on other blogs if they person lets you.

It's really quite confusing as I write this, but It doesn't seem that confusing when your doing it.

Maybe Ill try tweeter next. Scary me.

Simplicity

So what do you think of this 'Friends' mug that I designed? I wish I was a salesman and knew how to sell things, but I just don't. The creating is my favorite part, but the sales part, well, lets just say I need practice with. How do you word something to sell a product?

I mean look at my following? I am the only one following me..lol. The reason for that, it just looked pretty sad to have no one down.

No wonder I have no followers, I am lousey at this.

But to sell products, wow, that is so difficult.

The only words that come to my mind is "here, it's new".

So with no further Urdu, "here, it's new".

Simplicity Mug by Quaker_Cafe

Date Spice Cake

Date sugar is more a food than a sweetener. It contains fiber and nutrients, just as fresh dates do.

Although it will not dissolve very well in your cup of coffee, it works very well, substituted cup-for-cup, in any baked-goods recipe that calls for brown sugar.

Date sugar is not recommended for diabetics or those on a low-glycemic diet, but it's great for anyone else who wants a very unrefined close-to-nature sweetener.

Date sugar - substitute one cup date sugar for each cup granulated sugar.


DATE SPICE CAKE:

Ingredients:
2 eggs, separated
1/2 c cane juice crystals
1/3 c. butter
2 1/4 c whole wheat pastry flour
1 t baking powder
1 t sea salt
3/4 t. baking soda
3/4 t ground cinnamon
3/4 t. ground cloves
1 c date sugar
1 c +2 t. buttermilk

Beat egg whites til frothy. Gradually add cane juice crystals. Continue beating til very stiff and glossy.

In second bowl beat butter til softened. Add dry ingredients and 3/4 c buttermilk. Beat 1 min.

Add remaining buttermilk and yolks. Beat 1 min. Fold in egg white mixture.

Pour into 2 greased and flour 8" round or 1 13x9x2" pan. Bake at 350ºF for 30-35 min.

Here are some ingredients that you can buy on the farm

Carmel Sauce

hmmmmmm, ever put delicious caramel sauce on your favorite desert? This is an easy recipe for you.

Ingredients:

1/2 c brown sugar*
1 T corn starch*
1/8 t. sea salt*
1 c boiling water
2 T butter
1 t. Spicery Shoppe vanilla flavoring*

Combine sugar, cornstarch and sea salt in small saucepan.

Add boiling water and cook til thickened and clear, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla.

Here are some of the Ingredients you might need or you can visit the Quaker Shop to see what else we have in store.

Quaker Meeting House

I decided to put the picture of my meeting house where I go to worship. I was actually driving by and decided to take a picture of it.




It actually use to be an old School House, It was built in 1839 and it still contains some of the old school desks. When walking on the wooden floor you cant help to wonder the people that walked on them years ago.

Our meeting house is much like a church. It is where we gather to worship each Sunday and is the hub of our wheel of social work.

In it is a huge fireplace and there are benches surronding the room. The roaring fire is lit during the winter. The lower part of the meeting house has actually has a couple of purposes. It serves as the library and as the fellowship room where the attenders gather, have refreshments, and listen to announcements after meeting.

The left side of the meeting house, not shown in the picture, was added on. Here is where 'First Day School' takes place. It has two rooms, one for the infants and preschoolers and one for Grades 2 - 11. Here is where the kitchen.

So there you go folks. A Quakers meeting house.

Beautiful Birds

I saw this video and I was just amazed at how beautiful these birds are and just had to share it with you. Those colors are magnificent against the white background.

Barly Bread

This barly flour, Ground from whole barley, can be used as a flavorful addition to any bread recipe.

In yeast breads, the nutty flavor of barley flour can replace up to ¼ of the regular flour, and in quick breads and other baked goods, it can be used to replace up to ½ of the flour called for by the recipe. Barley flour can also be used in other cooking applications, such as acting as a thickener in soups and sauces. Barley flour has less gluten than wheat and may not rise as well as a recipe made with wheat.

Barley flour is just what it sounds like: a non-wheat flour made from grinding whole barley. It’s a popular alternative to wheat flour because, unlike many non-wheat flours, it contains some gluten. This obviously doesn’t make it a good choice for those with Celiac’s, who cannot tolerate gluten, but it does mean that it is an excellent option for more conventional bakers looking to expand their skills by working with alternative flours.

When compared to regular all-purpose flour, there are some nutritional benefits to barley. It has slightly fewer calories and more than 4 times the fiber of all-purpose. It also has slightly more fiber than whole wheat flour.

Visit the Quaker Store for some barly flour and some other Natural products.
http://quakershop.yolasite.com/flour-and-grains.php

Below is a little recipe for your bread machine that uses this flour.

BARLEY BREAD

1 1/2 c. water
1 T. olive oil
3 c. whole wheat bread flour
1 c barley flour
1 1/2 t. Saf-Instant yeast
2 t. light brown sugar
1 t. sea salt
1/4 c. raw sunflower seeds, shelled

Place all ingredients except the sunflower seeds into your bread machine in the sequence recommended by your manufacturer.

Select the cycle on your machine for dough. When the machine beeps add the sunflower seeds.

When the dough cycle is complete, remove the bread to a floured surface and punch it down. Shape it to fit into an oiled loaf pan.

Let it rise for 45 minutes. Slit the crust and dust with flour.

Let it rest 10 minutes while you preheat the oven to 425ºF.

Bake for 15 minutes then reduce the temperature to 400ºF and bake for an additional 20 minutes.

The bread should sound hollow when tapped. Let cool slightly, then turn out onto a wire rack to finish cooling and enjoy.

A beautiful day

SO I woke up with the sun shining in the window and Murphy, Our dog, licking my face to tell me it's time to get up and let me out.

Murphy is 9mo's old now and has been the highlight of our family. Everything seems to revolve around this dog.

But that's ok, I realized how much I miss having a dog in the house, and I can't love this dog any more then I already do.

Thursdays are my late day for work, my hours are 2-10. My goal for the day is 'clean'. That's usually what I do on Thursdays. The kids and my partner are out of the house and have some quiet time. The TV and CD player are off and it's just me, quiet.

Sometimes I just sit on the chair and look out the window. I love where we live, the
peacefulness of the whole world.

My goal is to throw things away. We have collected so much junk over the years, that we are swimming in it.

Ive been going from room to room, focusing on one room at a time and just get rid of stuff. As I sit here staring at this computer, I realize how important it is to simplify my life.

Seriously, how many coats does one person need?

Today will be my older son's room. Though I will clean it today, I know how filthy it will be tomorrow. Due to his issues, if the dog 'pooped' in his bed, he would actually just climb in and go to sleep with it.

Well, thats it for today folks, off to clean the room. Simplicity is peace.

why?

Why a Quaker?

to be perfectly honest, I'm not really sure. I know in my heart I was looking for some guidance. My partner and I are going through some tough times with the kids. Both of our kids have special needs and they are giving us a run for our money. Sometimes I feel they are winning.

We adopted the boys from foster care and they both came with horrendous backgrounds. There behaviors were so over the top, especially the older one, that we knew we were in trouble.

We asked for guidance and to tell the truth, no one really had the answers.

We even had people come into our home to show us what to do when our older son would have a meltdown. No one really had any words and stated we were doing what we should be doing.

huh? How can it be what we know what we are doing when the child is just so out of control. Have they ever had to deal with a meltdown of a child for hours.

Oh, I am not talking about your typical tantrums, I'm talking about smashing windows, tearing up the bedrooms and furniture, throwing things around the house.

We even had to call the ambulance a few times.

I was brought up catholic and I got to tell you, It still plagues me today. I always considered myself a good person, my heart is huge, and I will do anything for anyone. But this whole 'sinner' thing makes me cringe.

I find that most of what I learned was all talk and no one really left their comfort zone to welcome you in the church, unless of course you write a big 'ol check.

I stopped going to 'church' many many years ago and just listened to my own God and that is where I discovered the truth for me.

I have devoted my life to helping people and that is why I am a social worker, the pay stinks, but it was never about the money for me. My rewards come from my clients thanking me in a letter on how well they are doing. I work with homeless drug addicts. Though they are a tough population, I do find that the ones that stay clean and sober are miracles in the making.

When we adopted the kids, we really wanted to raise them with some christian roots as I do feel that is important.

We discussed starting to go back to church. My partner really is a devoted catholic and states, "take what you like and leave the rest". But I find with kids, its very black and white and having two dads to boot, might not be the best place for them to feel connected.

My partner actually goes to the Paulist center, which is a little different then a regular catholic church and much more progressive on issues, but they still have to a bid by the 'rules'.

Things really came to a head when my partner and I decided to get married, we live in Mass. and we can do that here.

My partner who was very active in the Paulist center asked if we can marry there? the priest stated that he couldn't do it. This wasn't the priest fault, it was the 'church's' fault.

Now, that was nice of him, but how messed up is this.

I told my partner I am finally done with this craziness and I am not bringing the kids to the catholic church.

(more on this later)