Our Best Apple Pie Recipe

Two weeks ago I promised you an apple pie recipe.  Here is our best one so far.  I hope you try it and enjoy it.

 

We have been making pies almost every week recently in an effort to use up the dozens of apples we got from an orchard earlier this month.  We have even been known to have a pie baking competition on Saturday nights.  We turn up the music, dance and make pie!

This recipe makes a spicy, tart and tangy pie, which enhances the apple flavor nicely. And unlike pies from the grocery store, this is not syrupy- or overly-sweet.  If you happen to like a sweeter pie, by all means increase the amount of sweeteners used in this recipe, just don't use sugar!  Use a natural, nourishing sweetener such as honey, sucanat, or maple syrup

We use a basic pie crust recipe.  The big difference is substituting regular flour with sprouted whole wheat flour, or an ancient whole wheat like Einkorn.  The result is a slightly more grainy pie crust, but I'm willing to sacrifice on texture in order to gain on nourishment and gut-friendliness.  For the fat, we use pastured lard, which sounds crazy (not the lard found in the grocery store!).  It is loaded with healthy fat and vitamin D.  If you don't have access to a farmer who sells pastured lard then non-hydrogenated palm kernel shortening works just as well and can be found at Whole Foods or natural food stores.  Butter can also be used.

Double Pie Crust

2 Cups freshly milled flour or sprouted whole wheat flour or other wheat flour
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cups lard or non-hydrogenated palm kernel shortening or butter
7 tablespoons cold water

1.  Prepare a 9-inch pie pan by greasing and flouring.
2.  Combine flour and salt.  Cut in the lard or shortening until thoroughly incorporated, making pea-sized balls of dough.  Add water 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing until the dough is evenly moistened.
3.  Divide dough in half, forming two balls.  Wrap in plastic and refrigerate 20 - 30 minutes -- this is especially helpful for rolling out dough made with whole grain flour. 
4.  Roll out on a floured surface.  Makes one bottom crust and one top crust.

Delicious Apple Pie

6 cups apples, peeled, cored, sliced and dipped in lemon juice
1/4 cup organic sucanat or organic coconut palm sugar
1 - 2 tablespoon honey
1/4 cup butter or coconut oil
1 - 2 tablespoons finely chopped dried cranberries
1 - 2 tablespoons finely chopped almonds
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon orange zest
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger

1.  On the stove top, melt butter on medium low heat.  Stir in all but the apples and mix thoroughly.  Cook on low 10 minutes.
2.  Mix in the apples and cook on low heat 10 minutes.
3.  Line 9" pie pan with the bottom crust.  Pour in the apple mixture.  Cover with the top crust.  Cut openings for ventilation.  Trim edges and seal.
4.  Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 50 minutes.  Pie is done when crust is golden brown.

Let us know how you like the pie!

--Two Peas

Curried Lentil-Cabbage Soup and Benefits of Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA)

Homemade beef broth, farm fresh vegetables and savory herbs can mean only one thing.  Fall.  Yes, fall means comfort food and comfort food means homemade soup.  The smell alone stirs up feelings of home, comfort, and coziness.


The best part of making and enjoying a savory soup is knowing the tremendous health benefits it imparts. Farm fresh vegetables are loaded with vitamins, minerals and anti-oxidants.  Spices such as ginger and turmeric are anti-inflamatory.  Homemade bone broth made from pastured beef bones is loaded with gut-healing, immune boosting properties. Vegetables sautéed in pastured beef tallow become rich in conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), an essential fatty acid vital to health, especially weight control. 

In fact, Dr. Mercola reports on CLA in his article, "The Secret Sauce in Grass Fed Beef",

"A host of research has been conducted on animals, under microscopes, and with humans to determine the impact of CLA on disease.  Results have shown CLA to be a potent ally for combating:

• Cancer:   Animal studies show that as little as 0.5 percent CLA in your diet could reduce tumors by over 50 percent, including the following types of cancer:
  • Breast
  • Colorectal
  • Lung
  • Skin
  • Stomach
• Cardiovascular disease
• High blood pressure
• High Cholesterol and triglycerides
• Osteoporosis
• Insulin Resistance: CLA’s actions actually mimic the effect of synthetic diabetic drugs. Testing on mice with type 2 diabetes have shown CLA to improve insulin action and reduce circulating glucose. Even better, the early results from human trials are just as positive, when consuming CLA for longer than eight weeks.
• Inflammation
• Immune system invaders
• Food-induced allergic reactions
• Body Composition:  Exciting research with humans has shown that CLA has been beneficial in lowering body fat, with even greater improvement in those who combine exercise with dietary intake of CLA. Animal research has been even more promising, with significant improvements seen in both reducing body fat and in increasing lean body mass.
• Previous studies have shown that CLA reduces body fat while preserving muscle tissue, and may also increase your metabolic rate."

Read the full article here:  http://www.mercola.com/beef/cla.htm

 

Curried Lentil-Cabbage Soup 

This recipe is budget-friendly, deliciously simple and uses ingredients you already have in your cupboard.  Best of all, it is satisfying and healing.  Serve with your favorite homemade bread for a warming, fall dinner.

 

Ingredients:

4 - 5 cups beef bone broth or vegetable broth
4 carrots, sliced
1/2 large cabbage, chopped
4 celery stalks, sliced
3 cloves garlic, pressed or chopped
1 onion, diced
1 cup cooked lentils
1 cup cooked brown rice
2 tablespoons pastured beef tallow or coconut oil
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 tablespoon turmeric
1 tablespoon cumin
1/8 teaspoon ginger, powdered
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1.  In a large stock pot, sauté until tender all chopped vegetables in beef tallow or coconut oil (20 - 30 minutes).
2.  Pour broth into the stock pot.
3.  Add lentils, rice and spices.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Simmer for 20 minutes and serve.


 Would you like to learn how to render beef fat and make your own tallow?  Make your own beef bone broth?  Let me know.

Happy Fall!
-- Two Peas

 

Love, Marriage and Homemade Apple Pie

"Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God" 1 John 4:7
 

As Greg and I approach our wedding anniversary, fondly I reflect on the last four years.  How have we grown in the last four years?  Have we changed for the better? 

 

At this very moment, 11:39 PM, my husband is cleaning up the kitchen after making an apple pie from scratch. 

 

He still amazes me with his fearless zest for life, work ethic, brilliant ideas, projects and enthusiastic cooking -- the man simply does not tire.

This I learned just days after returning home from our honeymoon.  I remember that first week, anticipating that we'd sit together, reading, singing hymns or watching a movie.  It was with wonder that I watched him move from one project to another in our tiny, 600 square-foot apartment:  cleaning the refrigerator, replacing the garbage disposal, cooking, and organizing closets and cupboards.

What did I do?  I joined in, of course.   Happily, we have spent many hours working and serving side-by-side ever since, sharing with others, enjoying ourselves completely and relishing the gift we have been given. 

Tonight we made a homemade apple pie (a whole-food recipe -- look for it in the next post).  Our fourth pie in less than two weeks.  With gusto Greg jumped in, found a new recipe, milled the flour, and sliced and cored the apples.

Exactingly, I retrieved equipment and tools, refined measurements, and cleaned as we baked. 

It worked beautifully and the outcome was far better than if either one had set out on his or her own.

It has been four years.  By God's grace, we have grown softer, kinder, and more patient toward each other.  We see more clearly how we complement each other.  We have learned to delicately handle the others' weaknesses, and have discovered ways to help the other soar.

 

A verse comes to mind.  

"Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor.  For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up.  Furthermore, if two lie down together they keep warm, but how can one be warm alone? And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart."  Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

We thank and praise God for His faithfulness, goodness and care for us.  His love is amazing! 

Happy, and thankful.
--Two Peas



Gluten-Free, Grain-Free Butternut Squash Brownies

Do you ever have a day where you just need a pick-me-up?  Your head is groggy and you feel sluggish?  I have the solution.

These moist, delicious, mousse-like brownies will literally melt in your mouth and lift your spirits.  In fact, you'll have no problem cleaning the house or completing that work assignment afterward. 

Gluten-free and grain-free, this Vegan, SCD, GAPS, and/or Paleo recipe makes a wonderful addition to your healthy desserts repertoire.  They are so moist and creamy you will need a plate and a fork-- no cut bars here.  In fact, I'm working on making this recipe into a chocolate mousse cake for a future post.

The only drawback:  These brownies are so good, some (i.e. the author) have eaten them right out of the oven and burnt their tongue.

 

Gluten-Free, Grain-Free Butternut Squash Brownies

Ingredients:
1 Cup Cocoa
3/4 Cup Honey (Vegan: use 1/4 - 1/2 cup Agave Nectar, to your liking)
1/2 Cup Butternut Squash, pureed
1/4 Cup Coconut Flour
1/4 Cup Coconut Milk
3 Tablespoons Coconut Oil, softened or melted
3 Tablespoons Butter, melted (Vegan, GAPS Intro:  use 3 T Coconut Oil)
1 Egg (Vegan: use 1/4 Tapioca Flour or Arrowroot Flour)
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
1/4 Teaspoon Baking Soda


Instructions:

1.  Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2.  Lightly oil (using coconut oil or butter) an 8x8 glass dish.
3.  Mix together all the ingredients in a bowl.
4.  Pour into the prepared dish and put in oven.
5.  Bake for 30 - 40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
6.  Let cool for two hours and then cut into squares.  Serve.

Yields about 12 dense, dessert brownies.

Paw Paws Part 2: Smoothie Adventure

The day had finally arrived to use our freshly harvested paw paws in a delicious smoothie.  We could hardly wait to taste them.  You can see from the dozen or so paw paws we harvested that not all were ripe.  The first thing we did was separate the ripe from the unripe.  I placed the unripe on the window sill to sit for a few days and soften.  The ripe were tender and fragrant, and ready to use.

We peeled off the skins and separated the seeds from the flesh.  The seeds were about the size of a penny.

 

Peeling them was tricky.  The fruit was small and the flesh slippery, making them hard to hold.  And honestly, the ratio of flesh to seed was small, making it hard to get a decent amount of fruit.  However, we persevered slicing up all of the "ripe" ones and collected what we could for smoothie making.

At one point while cutting up the paw paws, I licked my fingers and tasted the intense tropical mango flavor.  Immediately following the sweetness was a very bitter after-taste.  It surprised me.  I had visions of collecting paw paws year after year, enjoying all kinds of sweet goodies made from them.  Puzzled, I Googled it, and sure enough, others had experienced the bitter taste also. 

Still, this was not going to deter my enjoyment of our paw paws, a bounty from nature itself!  To remedy the bitter taste, we added banana and organic frozen raspberry to the smoothie.  There.

I took one sip.  No!  It couldn't be.  It tasted of nothing but bitterness!  Sadly, I could not drink my smoothie-- it was just too bitter.  After dreaming of paw paws for two years, my hopes were dashed.   I felt disappointed the whole night!

Greg on the other hand, choked down his smoothie.  And for my husband, who normally has a stomach made of steel, his story ended badly:  he was sick for the rest of the night.  Very sick.

We have since learned that the paw paws were likely not ripe enough and could have been edible had we waited a few days.  I'm also a believer in trying small amounts of nature for the first time (I've learned the hard way).

Needless to say, after the build up and disappointment, I'm not sure I have the heart to try them again.  As for Greg, he says he is willing to try them again...really!?


Happy Trails,
--Two Peas

Paw Paw Foraging

You may recall that last year Greg and I went looking for paw paws only to find none. Also recall that we have been eagerly waiting to harvest some since the fall of 2011 when we first discovered them!  Recently, after another year of waiting, our day to forage paw paws had arrived.  So, with much anticipation we headed out once again in search of the elusive paw paw.

We trekked to a local trail on the Potomac River where paw paw trees are indigenous and plentiful, and hiked for a long time before spotting any.

Then we spotted one.

And as always after spotting one, we started seeing lots of them (just like after buying a new car, when you start to notice dozens of your car on the road). 

Just what are these paw paws?  The Common Paw Paw (Asimina triloba) is native to the Eastern, Southern and Midwestern United States and had been a staple of the Native American and the Colonial diet.  The fruit is shaped like an oblong egg, with skin similar to a pear.  They hang in bunches beneath branches of large ovate leaves (much like a tobacco plant leaf), forming a lovely, tropical-like canopy.  The trunk has a smooth gray bark.

 

The ripe fruit flesh is soft, fragrant and tastes like a cross between a banana and mango-- very sweet.  Large brown Junior Mint look-alike seeds are nestled inside the yellow, custard-like flesh.

We established a pattern for harvesting these babies:  we gently vigorously shook the trunks of the tree, letting loose the ripest of fruit from the branches.  We then scooped them up off the ground and into our backpack.  It was a successful system, though we did have to explain ourselves a couple of times to passersby!

After collecting a dozen or so, we headed home to make smoothies.  You can read about that adventure in the next post!

 

For now, Happy Trails,

--Two Peas

 

The Good, The Bag and The Ugly -- a Lesson in Bag Worms

We saw one last winter on our blue spruce and removed it.  Then a couple of weeks ago, we noticed about a hundred of them hanging from branches all over the tree.   What are they?   Bag worms.

The bag worms really is the pupa stage in the life cycle of the Psychidae or case moth.  The caterpillars create a silk case using the foliage of the host tree and pupate inside the case.  The adult male emerges in seven days as a furry, gray moth with clear wings, but the female bunkers down for the winter, living in the bag from late August through early spring of the next year.  Inside she lays between 300 and 1000 eggs!

This is the time of year to look for these "bags" on your trees.  The moths will set up housekeeping using a variety of trees, constructing their bags from the leaves of that tree.  So, investigate your trees now, looking for leaf-covered, hanging cocoons.  If you do see any, they can easily be removed by plucking them off.  Better to do it now than wait for spring like we did this year.... or you may end up with hundreds of bags next September!

We have so many bags on the blue spruce in front of our house that we need to make a decision whether to remove each one and burn them, or remove the whole tree and burn it.

 

While we value a good blue spruce tree for its beauty, we would not hesitate to destroy this one.  Why?  Its size (too big), location (right next to front steps) and its odd-shape (top plucked off --possibly used as a Christmas tree by the previous owner).  In addition, the defoliation from this infestation and past infestations have made this tree bare in many places.  In sum, the tree is ugly.

 

 

Want to weigh in?  Is it worth removing about 100 bag worm bags and trying to save the tree? 

 

Have you any experience with bag worms you can share?

 

Thanks!

 

Happy Trails,

--Two Peas

 



The Gut and Its Link to the Brain

Just a quick note today!

Many of you have been hearing me preach this for years now, that there is a definite link between the gut and its health and so many health issues, including psychological illnesses such as autism, anxiety, depression and even schizophrenia. 

Thankfully now that information is receiving some press from the mainstream media.  I hope you enjoy this article, as it describes how the gut is foundation of bodily and mental health.

Link to the article:

ABC News Story: Gut and Anxiety
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/anxiety-head-gut/story?id=20229136&singlePage=true


I'll have plenty more good info on the gut and how to keep it healthy in the coming posts.

Happy Trails,
--Two Peas

Last Week of Summer and a Gluten-Free Cupcake Recipe

Last Week of Summer

As August winds down and even cools to autumn temperatures, I find myself grasping at the last, dwindling signs of summer.  I do this every year.  Why is it so hard to say good-bye to summer?  I always scramble to enjoy one final dose of freedom, fun and sun.

 

My quest this year included an invigorating hike with a friend up Sugarloaf Mountain in Boyds, Maryland.  As this tiger swallowtail did, we baked in the warm sun and relished the gentle breezes.



 

 

A tea with special friends paid tribute to the last days of sun and fun.  Together we sipped peppermint and mango teas, accompanied by luscious fruit salad, a sampling of grain-free goodies and dollops of cool mango ice cream.  Yum.

 

 

One final swim at the pool with good friends?  Yes!  My hopes were high this week with the weather forecasted to be hot and humid.  Sadly, my pool date with Carmen and her kids became a play date inside, when the weather turned rainy.  So, we solaced ourselves with coconut flour cupcakes, a movie and games of Duck-Duck-Goose and Rock-Paper-Scissors.

Going gluten-free or grain free?  Are you know or someone you know sensitive to wheat?  Then I have a tip for you.

Vanilla Coconut Flour Cupcake Recipe 

 

Today's cupcakes were made with all real, whole ingredients.   No White Flour. No White Sugar.  This coconut flour recipe is gluten-free, loaded with healthy coconut ingredients and uses no white sugar.  Give them a try!

 

Thanks to Hannah at Healy Real Food Vegetarian for the delicious recipe.  You can link to it below.  *Keep in mind, if you are not accustomed to eating a real whole food diet, these will not taste as sweet as Betty Crocker cupcakes.*

 

http://www.healyrealfoodvegetarian.com/coconut-flour-cupcakes-with-chocolate-frosting-grain-free-dairy-free/

 

 

 

 Have you enjoyed your last days of summer?  Have the kids already returned to school?  And what fun things are you looking forward to this fall?

 

I hope to hear from you!  Until then...

 

Happy Trails,

--Two Peas

 





Summer Highlights from The Farm

We have worked steadily this spring and summer to begin to convert our property into our dream...a farm.  Here are a few highlights from our summer.

 

It all started in early spring with the creation of a small orchard, the planting of eight fruit trees.  Scouring library books, we stumbled our way through the art and science of planting these fragile saplings in hopes of a long, fruitful life.  The fulfillment of a childhood dream for each of us.

 

For July 4th my sister's family visited-- a silent smile and warmth permeates just remembering their visit.  One of the activities was picking wild black raspberries, thus fulfilling a year-long vision.  You see, when we first viewed the property last summer, those wild brambles seduced me.  Oh, how I had been thinking of them ever since. 

  

 

A fun, long overdue project was recently completed:  a $12 compost bin.  Complete with pallets and a few fence pickets, Greg and I pieced and nailed together a functional 3-bin composting system. 

The compost bin replaces a "pile" of stuff we accumulated all spring and summer.  This "pile" however, has turned out to be of great value-- an enormous, fertile spaghetti squash stalk is spewing out of it.  When first discovered, one of the vines was even growing vertically up a tree!  It has since dropped to the ground under the weight of the squash.  Needless to say, we are looking forward to this harvest, one we neither planted, nor water, but most heartily will reap.

 

 

In closing, I leave you with one of our sunsets on the farm.  As the days grow shorter and cooler, the tales of our first summer have served to create warm and lasting memories.

Happy Trails,        

--Two Peas



September is a Wrap

Hello Friends, I have missed you.  I haven't posted regularly over the past couple of months due to a change at my work.  The ramping up for my new position has been a killer!  I'm gradually adjusting to the new workload, and hope to better manage my time in the coming weeks.  Looks like I need a post on work-life balance! 

Here's my September Wrap-Up:

1.  We bought a house. 

What?  Yes!  We bought a house.  Many of you know that we travel to PA on many a weekend, and now we have a rural retreat to enjoy while there.  We love visiters, so please plan to come by for a visit.

2.  I started cooking again. 

Mind you, for me boiling a chicken is a big deal.  I am no gourmet!  But, the beauty of boiling a chicken is that you get a delicious, nutritious broth as a result.  So, I've been making soup like crazy and loading up the pot with all kinds of colorful veggies. 

3.  A fruitless mission.  

We went on the Billy Goat Trail looking for paw paws last week and found none.  We were too late! The paw paw tree flourishes along the Potomac River and in the Mid-Atlantic region, with the fruit ripening in Sept/Oct.  Next year, foraging for paw paws will have to begin earlier in September.  Until then click here to learn more:  http://www.petersonpawpaws.com/Facts.php. 

 

Until Next Time, Happy Trails,

 --2 Peas