Recipes
Chocolate Chip Cookies:
1 cup butter (227 grams)
1 cup granulated sugar (200 grams)
½ cup brown sugar (95 grams)
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups flour (360 grams)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
Let butter sit at room temperature until soft. Cream butter with sugars, vanilla, and eggs until blended completely. In another bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir into butter mixture until well mixed. Add chocolate chips and stir until combined.
Grease baking sheet or cover with baking paper. Drop dough by spoonfuls onto the sheet, about 2 inches (5 cm) apart. Heat oven to 190 Celsius and bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from cooking sheet immediately and cool on paper towels.
Photo courtesy of Evan-Amos, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pumpkin-Pie-Whole-Slice.jpg
Pumpkin Pie:
3/4 cup granulated sugar (150 grams)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (about 4 grams)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 eggs
1 can pumpkin or 15 oz. (425 grams) cooked and pureed butternut squash
1 can evaporated milk
Preheat oven to 218 degrees. In a large bowl mix together all the ingredients. Whisk until fully combined.
Pour into pie shell and bake for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 175 and bake an additional 40 to 50 minutes. Pie is done when a toothpick inserted into the middle of the pie comes out clean.
Single Pie Crust:
1 cup flour (125 grams)
1/2 cup butter (62.5 grams)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup ice water (59 milliliters)
Combine flour and salt well in a bowl. Using a pastry cutter or two knives, cut the butter into the flour until the pieces of butter are about the size of peas. Add the ice water a little at a time and stir with a fork until the dough forms a ball. Drop the dough onto a floured surface, sprinkle with flour, and use a rolling pin to roll it into the right shape and size to cover your baking dish.
Nettles!
Spring is nettle season. This is a great time to go out and gather this nutritious plant, and it’s free!
Be sure to wear a long-sleeved shirt, long pants/trousers, and long gloves. Bring a pair of scissors to cut the nettles. Cut off the top 6 inches (15 cm) of the nettle plant and put it in your basket or bag. Be sure to avoid areas where dogs have been – they will pee on them. Once you have gathered all the nettles you want, take them home and get them ready for consumption.
Nettles have to be cooked before they can be eaten. A highly effective way is to dump them into boiling water, making sure that the water covers all the leaves, and boil for about 2 minutes. Then remove them from the boiling water and plunge them into ice water to stop the cooking process. The nettles are now safe to consume. The water in which they were boiled can be drunk as a tea, used as a hair rinse, or frozen for later use in soups or stews.
Nettle Soup (Vegan):
- 2 cups (50 g) nettle leaves
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion medium
- 3 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 2 cups (300 g) potato 2 medium potatoes diced
- 2 tsp stock powder or bouillon
- 2 cups (500 ml) water
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
While wearing gloves, wash the nettle leaves well. Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan, then add the onion and garlic and saute for about three minutes, until translucent. Add the potato, water, and vegetable stock powder or bouillon. When the potato cubes are soft, add the nettles and cook for a few more minutes. Add the lemon juice, take off the heat, and use an immersion blender to puree the soup.