Sourdough Biscuits

A friend gave me a recipe for Sourdough Biscuits and my family liked them. Then I tried making them in my Bosch and now they love them. When I made them before the consistency was crumbly like one would expect buscuits to be. Made in the Bosch they were more like something out of a can (not sure my kids even know what biscuits out of a can taste like) We had biscuits with Chicken-A-La-King the first night, then biscuits with butter for breakfast the next day, and biscuit pizza's for lunch. I plan to make these for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Sourdough Biscuits

1 1/2 cups unbleached flour
1 1/2 cups spelt flour
2 cups sourdough starter
2 tsp sucanat
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp Real salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1/3 cup buttermilk

In a plastic bowl mix 1 cup unbeached flour, 1 cup spelt flour and 2 cups sourdough starter.(I put it right in the Bosch and stir with a spatula not the metal bar) Leave for 7 to 12 hours. Mix the remaining flours with the sucanat, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and add them to the bowl. Cut in the butter. Blend lightly. Add the buttermilk slowly until the mixture is right for rolling. You might need to add more flour if it is too wet.

Roll out into 1/2 inch thickness on a floured surface. Dip biscuit cutter in flour then cut biscuits. Place on buttered baking pan. Brush with melted butter. Let rise for 1 hour.

Biscuits Rising


Bake at 375 for 20-25 min.

These pictures are this recipe doubled so I would have lots on hand to feed hungry mouths. For more recipes see NourishYourChildren.com

Scrapbook Saturday

Scrapbooking, Notebooking, Lapbooking

Scrapbooking is a great way for kids to keep track of what they have been doing. My daughter and I started scrapbooking when she was about 11. She saved little ticket stubs and party favors to put in her book. It gave Lindsey something to create and keep for her own. Scrapbooking kept her busy when she wanted something to do. Lindsey was my active child who needed directed activities.

Later, I learned how much this design, writing, and art was teaching her organizational skills and critical thinking.

When I heard about notebooking and lapbooking then I incorporated these ideas in presenting my end of the year homeschool portfolios. Portfolios are not the only choice of reporting in our state but I loved the idea of this way of keeping my child's work organized. And my child gets to help design and create the book.

Record keeping can be overwhelming if left until the end of the year. The kids and I can scrapbook regularly during the year and keep up with their portfolio.
So now I teach with record keeping in mind.

When the kids were younger I would get to the end of the year and think "what do I have to show that we did in this subject?" Since learning in homeschool is a way of life and not just something you do from 8am - 3pm then this could be hard to record. Taking pictures helps.

Now (after 14 years of schooling, I am starting to get the hang of it) I plan all year for a nice portfolio. No more scrambling at the last minute It gives my child a chance to see what they have done all year and present it in a organized manner to show to grandparents and other interested people. They learn to show their best work and not keep every single paper. It gives them a feeling of accomplishment and reward for all their effort.

For more information on parenting active children Nourish Your Children

Sourdough Oatmeal Cookies

Looking for a healthy recipe for snacks that will be good for you and your kids. Try these cookies.

Sourdough Oatmeal Cookies

2 sticks butter
1 1/2 cup of Rapadura (or Sucanat)
2 c. thick sourdough batter
(add 1 c. flour to 1 c. sourdough and let sit overnight)
3 c. rolled oats
1 1/2 c. spelt flour (or 1/2 white and 1/2 whole grain)
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 cups of crispy nuts, raisins, or chocolate chips

Cream sugar, shortening, and butter. Add sourdough and rolled oats. Combine flour with cinnamon and baking soda. Add to mix. Mix well and chill in refrigerator for 7 to 12 hours. The longer you chill it the more sour it will be. You want the sourdough to break down and neutralize phytic acid in the grains so they will be more easily digested.

Add nuts, raisins, or chips. Drop by teaspoon onto a cookie sheet. Bake @350 for 15 min.

You can also omit the cinnamon and nuts and roll out into shapes. For a natural frosting I use cream cheese sweetened with honey. Eat right away, this frosting won't last long.

I adapted this recipe from one that a friend gave years ago out of her grandmother's cookbook.

For more recipies that would fall in line with Weston A. Price Foundation and his findings visit "my list of recipes"

Composting

This is a picture of our new compost bins. We went with the three sections. For the last few years we just had one pile where we put all of our kitchen scraps. In the fall and spring when my dh would till, he would just spread out the contents and till them into the garden. This caused several problems -
1. The pieces were too big to till.
2. Objects did not break down.
3. The pile smelled bad.
4. It attracted bugs and animals.
5. Weed seeds still alive.

Now we are going to improve our composting. Dh got a load of manure from a local organic farmer. It was very important to me not to be putting chemicals into our compost pile/garden.

So today we were raking leaves to put a leaf layer on the compost pile...



...and the kids had fun jumping in it.

Frugal Friday Find

Will's Quill by Don Freeman

I found this wonderful children's book at a discount store for under $3. The pictures are beautiful.

It is a cute story about a lost goose named Will who finds a friend and wants to give something back in return for a kind act. The friend is William Shakespeare.

We happen to be studying this time peroid in history. This book gives us a glimpse of what life in London might have looked like during this period.

Learning with Joy

The kids will learn more from this "living book" than from many pages of a history text. Children will enjoy reading this book over and over again.

What is a Living Book?

A living book is a book written in story form with pictures and information accurate to the time period and subject. These books draw a child into the story and capture their interest. If after the first page the child pleads to hear more then you know you have a "living book."

I learned about Living Books from Charlotte Mason's books. For a shorter version of Charlotte Mason's works - A Charlotte Mason Companion: Personal Reflections on The Gentle Art of Learning by Karen Andreola

For more about raising children Nourish Your Children

New Kittens

Mama kitty is the proud mother of six baby kittens. One kitten is black and five are pure white like their mama.

Pets teach real life lessons. Now this is fun science!