Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Think On These Things.

I love zinnias! I may have gone overboard snapping pictures of this bloom.  It was such a vibrant specimen that I couldn't help myself. :)   I love this verse, too!   What do we allow our minds to dwell on? I know I can say that I need to be more vigilant in directing my thoughts toward things of virtue and away from the frivolous and sinful things of this world.


"Finally, brethren, 
whatsoever things are true,


whatsoever things are honest,
whatsoever things are just,



whatsoever things are pure,
whatsoever things are lovely,


whatsoever things are of good report; 
if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise,


 think on these things."

Philippians 4:8

Monday, July 28, 2014

Rejoice Evermore.


This post contains a short passage from 1Thessalonians among some pictures I took of a freshly opened Bachelor's Button blossom a few weeks ago. I love these verses for their preciseness and simplicity. I need to be reminded oft that these are commands from the LORD and not just suggestions.



"Rejoice evermore."


"Pray without ceasing."


"In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."



1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18

Friday, July 25, 2014

Happiness



The purpose of existence is the pursuit of enjoyment...in God! Our desires, affections, pursuits, all that we say and do, all that we love or hate, are to be measured by this single criterion and subordinated to this one end: happiness in God.

-Sam Storms

Thursday, July 24, 2014

Who Do You Serve?


Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience onto righteousness?
Romans 6:16

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Choose Your Friends Wisely


"He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: 
but a companion of fools shall be destroyed."
                                                     - Proverbs 13:20


Tuesday, July 22, 2014

Sourdough Cinnamon Apple Muffins


These muffins are very moist with a spongy crumb. I like the slightly caramelized crust. I think they could use a little more cinnamon, as I am a big fan of the spice and thought that there was only a hint of cinnamon flavor in the muffins. These were delicious warm, fresh out of the oven.  A great breakfast idea!






Whole Wheat Cinnamon Apple Muffins
1 cup Sourdough Starter
1 cup Whole Wheat Flour
1 Egg, lightly beaten
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
1/4 tsp. Salt
2 tsp. Cinnamon
1/4 cup Butter, melted
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup Apple, diced
1 tsp. Baking Soda
 
Combine starter and flour in a medium bowl. Cover and leave at room temperature overnight (at least 7 hours).
In the morning grease muffin cups or line with paper. Preheat oven to 400*F.
To the flour mixture add the egg, vanilla, salt, cinnamon, butter, and honey.  Beat until mixture resembles batter.
Stir in apples.
Sprinkle soda over batter and whisk briefly to combine.
Quickly pour into muffin cups and bake 15-20 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Remove from pan and dry on a cooling rack.
Yields: About 12 muffins.


Whole Wheat Sourdough Waffles

These waffles are a good way to use up starter. Freshly fed starter can be used as well as starter that needs to be fed. The purpose of sourdough starter in this recipe is basically to break down the anti-nutrients in the flour. Thus, the overnight soak. Most quick breads made with sourdough do not need the sourdough starter for rising, but rather for the nutritional benefits. This recipe uses chemical and mechanical rising agents. Since the starter and buttermilk is acidic baking soda is used as the primary leavening agent, and whipped egg whites as a secondary rising agent resulting in very fluffy waffles.










Whole Wheat Sourdough Waffles
2 cups Whole Wheat Flour
2 TBSP. Sugar
2 cups Buttermilk
1 cup Sourdough Starter
2 Eggs, separated
1/4 cup Butter, melted
3/4 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Baking Soda

In a medium size mixing bowl combine flour, sugar, buttermilk, and starter. Cover and let rest at room temperature overnight (at least 7 hours). 
In the morning beat egg yolks, butter, and salt into the dough. It will be very stiff at first and take a few minutes of beating before it resembles batter. It will be a rather thick batter. 
In a separate, spotlessly clean bowl, beat egg white until stiff peaks form. Fold egg whites into batter. 
Sprinkle baking soda over batter and briefly stir to combine.  The batter will start to bubble up once the soda is added. Scoop into a hot waffle iron and bake.
Yields: 8 smaller waffles




.

Feeding A Sourdough Starter

I wanted to make a post to show how I feed my sourdough starter. (Also called refreshing a starter.) There are many methods out there. This is the method I use and I have been happy with the results. I currently have two starters. One I feed with whole wheat flour and the other I feed with rye flour. I have found that the rye starter yields a much better rise for yeast breads than the whole wheat starter. I use my whole wheat starter primarily for quick breads, pancakes, waffles, and muffins.

Step by step feeding  of a 100% hydration sourdough starter. (100% hydration = 50/50 water and flour.)

Step 1.
 I measure the amount of starter that I want to feed.



Step 2.
 I add the same amount of water. And stir it together.




 Step 3.
   I add the same amount of flour as I did starter and water.




Step 4.
  I then combine the flour with the water and starter. The consistency resembles thick pancake batter.




Step 5.
  I put my freshly fed starter into a glass jar and screw the cap down loosely (to allow air to escape).

Step 6.
   I leave the starter at room temperature if I am planning to make bread soon. The starter is going to rise. Once the starter doubles in size it is ready to use in bread baking. At this point it is called an "active" starter.

Step 7.
 An "active" starter is ready to use in bread making. When I have an "active" starter I bake bread or place starter in the refrigerator. The cool temperature in the refrigerator will slow down the yeast growth. 

Reminder: Sourdough starter stored at room temperature needs to be fed/refreshed everyday and starter in the refrigerator needs to be fed/refreshed every week.
 Starter can be fed more frequently, but, not less frequently.

I sometimes just, "measure," by eyeballing how far the starter comes up the side of the jar and just add enough water to double it's height and enough flour to reach the right consistency.
 




Sunday, July 20, 2014

You Could be...


A heartbeat from Eternity...

...Are you ready?




27. And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for Him shall He appear the second time without sin unto salvation.
Hebrew 9:27-28













For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.   Romans 6:23

Wednesday, July 9, 2014

Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Sourdough 101

Why Sourdough?
   
 Many of us know that whole grain flours are better for us than white flours. This is because the whole grain has the germ and bran still intact. These parts of the grain not only provide fiber but also many vitamins and minerals. What is less known is that the hulls of seeds (bran in the case of wheat) also have a substance called Phytic Acid.

     Phytic Acid is found in the hulls and outer layers of all kinds of seeds, grains, and nuts. The Phytic Acid helps the seed by binding with certain minerals and keeping them available for the seed so that it could use them to sprout and grow someday. While that is all good and well for the seed it doesn't work out so well for non-ruminant animals and humans who ingest whole grains. In order for our bodies to be able to absorb the minerals in grains we have to disable the Phytic Acid.
This can be done in a number of ways depending upon the seed, grain, or nut in question. If we have healthy flora in our intestines our bodies can break down some of this Phytic Acid.    But if we are lacking in key enzymes or eating large amounts of grain the Phytic Acid may actually be working as an anti-nutrient  and causing mineral deficiencies. 
 We can help our bodies out by doing some of the digesting before we actually eat certain seeds, nuts, or grains.   Simply cooking seeds can break down some of the Phytic Acid, but a soaking period prior to cooking renders grains and seed far more digestible.  Oatmeal for breakfast should be soaked overnight. I mix my oats, half of the water required to cook them, and for every cup of water I add 2 Tbs. of a healthy acid (apple cider vinegar, buttermilk, whey, kefir, plain yogurt, or lemon juice). In the morning I just add the rest of the water and cook for about 5 minutes.  For bread making I use a sourdough starter to break down the anti-nutrients in the whole wheat flour.






What Is Sourdough?

     A sourdough starter made from wild yeasts (not store-bought commercial yeasts) has bacteria called, Lactobacilli, which produce lactic acid which helps break down Phytic Acid.   A true sourdough starter is a symbiotic culture of yeast and lactobacilli bacteria growing together in a flour and water mixture. The yeast is wild, airborne yeast. It will metabolize the sugars in the flour and produce carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide is what causes bread to rise. The lactobacilli will keep the environment acidic, which keeps harmful bacteria from growing and also makes the bread more nutritious by breaking down Phytic Acid.

How To Get Started.

     To get your own colony of yeast and lactobacilli growing all you need is flour, water and a quart jar. On the first day start off by mixing equal amounts of flour and water together in the jar. Start off small, 2Tbs. of each is plenty.   The jar should be left open if possible or cover with a cheese cloth to allow airborne yeast spores to find a home in the flour and water.   Don't worry if you have to put a lid on the jar do to flies etc... There should be yeast spores on the flour that will begin growing.   Whole wheat flour has more yeast spores in it than white flour and whole rye flour has ever greater amounts of yeast spores.   If you use flour that was stone ground as opposed to flour ground with steel burs it can have more yeast spores that survive the grinding process because of the lower temperatures achieved in stone grinding.   The second day you want to add 2 more tablespoons of water and flour and mix well.            

     Incorporating a lot of air in the mixture will help the yeast to grow better because in needs oxygen to thrive. There should be 1/4 cup of mixture in the jar.   The third day add a 1/4 cup of flour and water. There should be a 1/2 cup of mixture in the jar now.   On the third day you should start seeing air bubble forming in the starter. This is a good sign. It means you have yeast growing and producing carbon dioxide.   On the forth day add 1/2 cup of flour and water.   There should be 1 cup of mixture in your jar now.   On the fifth day you should pour off half of your starter. There will not be enough yeast to raise a loaf of bread yet but if you don't want to throw it away you can make a loaf of regular bread (with commercial yeast)  and add the 1/2 cup of starter to it just to use it up.   The reason you need to pour off half of your starter is so that it doesn't out grow it's jar.   After you pour off half there should be 1/2 cup left.    Feed it with 1/2 cup of flour and water.   Each time you feed your starter it should double in size.   So now there should be 1 cup of starter.   On the sixth and seventh days repeat the steps for the fifth day.

How To Make Bread With Your Starter.

      By day number eight the yeast should be concentrated enough to raise a loaf of bread.   By now it should be doubling up to twice it's size when you feed it and deflating by the time you need to feed it again.   There should be one cup of starter in your jar.   Feed it with 1 cup of flour and water.   Measure out one cup for your bread and put the rest that is left in the jar into the refrigerator.

    The cooler temperatures in the refrigerator will slow the yeast's growth down so that it won't need to be fed every day.    Starter kept in the refrigerator will need to be fed every week.   Check it frequently, though, if it develops a liquid on top you should feed right away.  The liquid is a sign that the bacteria has used all the food and is hungry.   The liquid is not harmful but does make the starter have a more sour flavor so you may want to pour it off.   To make bread dough combine 1 cup of starter, 1 cup of water, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and about 3 cups of flour.  This is a basic ratio.  You can also add 2-4 Tbs. of sweetener (honey, molasses, sugar, agave nectar, etc...), and 2 Tbs. of oil (olive oil, vegetable oil, melted butter, etc...).

     Sourdough bread should be mixed up in a non-reactive bowl.  Choose a glass or ceramic bowl.  Avoid bowls made out of metal or plastic.   Sourdough bread dough can take longer to absorb all of the liquid so it is a good ideal to mix in the ingredients together and then let the dough rest for 30 minutes before kneading.  

     The dough should be kneaded well 8-10 minutes.  You may need to incorporate extra flour to make the dough workable but you want it to stay on the sticky side.   Once the dough is kneaded cover it and allow it to rise in a warm place.  Sourdough can take any where from 6-12 hours to rise depending on the strain of yeast in your starter and the temperature of the surroundings.  The dough can be mixing up late in the day and let rise overnight.  When the dough is doubled in size shape it and put it in a greased loaf pan.   Cover and let rise until just about doubled, 2-4 hours. Bake at 375* for 50-55 minutes.  Sourdough bread should be moist and stay fresh longer than bread made with commercial yeast.  It should be eaten within a week or frozen for later.


I hope you have found this lengthy post to be informative.  I have enjoyed learning the benefits of baking with sourdough and thought I would share some of them with you all.  I started my own sourdough using the method described and use it to bake most of my family's bread.  If anyone has questions, please ask in the comments section and I will be happy to answer them! 


Monday, July 7, 2014

Spinach Egg Noodles

A few weeks ago the spinach in my garden started to bolt so I picked most of what was left. I was trying to think of interesting ways to use it up and thought Spinach Pasta would be fun. I found this recipe that called for fresh spinach and didn't require blanching and draining in advance. The process was pretty simple. I had fun making these colorful noodles and they tasted good, too. I made part of the batch into ribbon noodles and I used the other part for lasagna noodles for supper. (I managed to slip some spinach in the filling of the lasagna, too.)




Fresh Spinach Pasta
1/4 cup water
2  1/2 cups packed spinach, fresh
1 tsp. salt
2 eggs
2  1/2  cups flour

1. Place spinach and water in a sauce pan; cover and simmer 5 minutes.



2. Pour the spinach and water from the sauce pan into a blender. Process until the spinach is smooth and pureed thoroughly.

3. Pour the spinach into a bowl. Stir in the salt. Allow to cool slightly before adding the eggs so as not to cook them; blend well.

 







4. Add the flour to make a stiff dough. Knead well.




5. Cover and rest  for 30 minutes.

6.Divide the dough in half and roll out into a thin rectangle, about 21"x14". Allow to dry 30 minutes before cutting.


7. To cut thin ribbon noodles use a pizza wheel and a straight edge (like a ruler). Hold your straight edge in place while you run your pizza wheel along the edge. Move the straight edge over to make the desired width noodles.

8. Pick a few noodles up and loosely wrap them around a couple of your fingers. place the "noodle nest" on a drying rack. Dry the noodles at least 30 minutes before cooking.

9. To cook fresh noodles boil 3 quarts of water. Add noodles and cook for 3-5 minutes. You can also freeze the noodles for later use and cook them straight from the freezer.

Enjoy!



True Liberty


 Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, 
Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.
 And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever.
 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
John 8:34-36




Friday, July 4, 2014

Will You?



July 4, 2014

Who Will Go to America?


They left their homes in America
To cross the ocean wide and blue.
They carried their cross, not caring the loss
So other souls could hear the truth.

But the light’s grown dim in America
And sin will be our nation’s doom.
We need more preaching in America
For Jesus is coming soon!

Chorus

Who will go to America?
Land of the red, white, and blue.
Who will go to America?
Tell me brother, why not you?
Our Saviour sends His children forth
To go to every land
To the islands of the uttermost
To find forgotten man.

But the most forgotten mission field
Is within our country’s shores
So who will go to America
She needs Jesus Christ the Lord.

Chorus
Who will go to America?
Land of the red, white, and blue.
Who will go to America?
Tell me brother, why not you?

To everyone out there...would you truthfully, soberly, answer the following question?

ImageChef Custom Images


From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, 

"Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."
Matthew 4:17  


15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. 
If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, 
and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof:
 but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.
1 John 2:15-17 

For this is the will of God, even your sanctification,...
1 Thessalonians  4:3a

Not every one that saith unto Me, Lord, Lord,

 shall enter into the kingdom of heaven;
 but he that doeth the will of My Father which is in heaven.
Matthew 7:21

 If ye love Me, keep My commandments.
John 14:15

He's coming very soon!!

Humble Thyself and Pray, America!!




 If My people, which are called by My name, shall humble themselves, 
and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways; 
then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

2 Chronicles 7:14

Wednesday, July 2, 2014

5 Things I Love About the South




1.   Respectfulness (i.e., Yes, Ma'am, No, Sir, which I now say, since moving down here :)
2.   The mild winters (although I do really miss snow sometimes! *sigh*)
3.   The beautiful, and gorgeous, Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic oceans
4.   The southern accents 
5.    Thunderstorms and Tropical Storms (tracking them, viewing live satellite images, preparing for them, the wet, cloudy, rainy weather that comes with them and the tropical feel and smell in the air!) 


True Love and Gods Promises




The great cause of neglecting the Scriptures is not want of time, 
but want of heart.  Some idol taking the place of Christ.

Robert Chapman



"When Thou saidst, Seek ye My face; 
my heart said unto Thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek."

- Psalms 27:8




And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?
Luke 6:46


If ye love Me, keep my commandments.
John 14:16

Seek ye the Lord, all ye meek of the earth, 
which have wrought His judgment; seek righteousness,
 seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid
 in the day of the Lord's anger. 
Zephaniah 2:3

And ye shall seek Me, and find Me, when ye shall
search for Me with all your heart.  
Jeremiah 29:13


There are more than 14,000 promises in the Bible –
God has not broken one of them.
Author Unknown