baker's twine shamrock vase {craft room}

anyone up for a quickie?

 this is a simple little craft

using 

bottles

glue

&

baker's twine

 (about 50 yards per bottle)

paint a bit of glue on a clean bottle 

and 

wind green baker's twine

around

and

around

and

around 

until you can't

go around any more

i mostly did mine in one layer, pushing the twine together to eliminate gaps. 

i added a bit of felt for a touch of whimsy

and

to make it

st. paddy's day-ish

if you make one of these...i would love it if you shared your creation on my facebook page

https://www.facebook.com/fudgeripple

i am linking up to
a little birdie told me 

Whole Wheat Honey & Goat Cheese Drop Biscuits {Joy the Baker}

hubster and i keep bees

i know you have heard me brag about it before

i just think it is so cool

and the honey is

a-mazing

when i saw

that part of our 

cookbook spotlight

for

joy the baker

includes a recipe

highlighting  honey

i 

waited until no one was looking

closed myself in the cupboard

opened my secret compartment

and

pulled my "reserve honey"

 honey used only

for special things

like 

tinctures

cocktails

and

spoonfuls

to be truthful

these biscuits are so good

that i ate two

straight from the oven 

which actually

i don't recommend

oh they are good

but 

will burn the roof of your mouth

without regret

i do

 however

 recommend you eat them warm

i schmeared mine with honey

but think

these would make for an amazing

shortcake

with a little more chevre tossed into the strawberries

and maybe

a little black pepper

and perhaps

just a few sprigs of basil

okay

i'll make that 

and let you know

in the meantime

try these

they are good

whole wheat honey & goat cheese drop biscuits

Joy the Baker Cookbook

makes 8-10

2 cups whole wheat flour

3 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp slat

1/2 stick unsalted butter plus extra for the pan

4 Tbsp crumbled goat cheese

1 cup buttermilk

2 Tbsp honey plus more for drizzling

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place a 10 inch cast iron skillet into the oven as it preheats.

In a bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. With your fingers quickly incorporate the goat cheese and butter until it looks like coarse oatmeal.

Make a well in the center of the dry mixture. Whisk together buttermilk and honey, don't worry if it dosen't all blend. Pour into the center of the flour mixture and stir gently with a fork until no dry ingredients are left. Set aside. 

Remove the skillet from the oven and swirl 1 Tbsp of butter around coating all of the pan. Spoon batter into the hot pan by about 1/4 cup amounts leaving about an inch between each biscuit. 

Bake for about 14-16 minutes until golden on top and firm to the touch. Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes. Repeat until all of the batter has been used. For a glossy finish brush the biscuits with warm honey. They are best served immediately but will last for up to 3 days well wrapped at room temperature.

my note: **if you do not have a cast iron skillet, these will bake just fine in a sheet pan.  you may need a bit more butter to fill the space...use your judgement.  place the sheet pan in the oven just as you would the skillet.

This post is part of the Joy the Baker Cookbook Spotlight and Cook-Off sponsored by Hyperion and hosted at girlichef

warm roasted-radish salad with radish greens & mint dressing

our warm days
and
plunging cold nights
have me craving
a taste of spring
with
warm comfort

a morning visit to the farmer's market
and a
beautiful radish melange

got me thinking
of
warm salad
good books
and
the days to come

warm roasted-radish salad
with
radish greens & mint dressing
(printable recipe)
1-2 bunches of your favorite radish variety
1 Tbs olive oil
1 tsp sea salt
1-2 tsp aged balsamic vinegar
preheat the oven to 375F.  wash and dry the radish. remove the leaves and reserve for dressing.  place on a parchment lined sheet pan. dress with olive oil and sea salt, making sure each piece is lightly coated and well seasoned.  * if you have different sizes of radish, cut or leave whole so they are of equal size. this will ensure even cooking. if you don't wish to cut, roast in separate pans. 
roast for 15-20 minutes. 
remove the pan from the oven and drizzle the balsamic vinegar over the radishes.  return to the oven for an additional 5 minutes, or more if the radish are not yet tender to the touch.
meanwhile prepare the dressing
radish greens & mint dressing
1/4 cup packed--cleaned and dried radish leaves
1/4 cup packed--de-stemmed mint leaves
1" green garlic**--from the bulb end
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tsp aged balsamic vinegar
2 tsp white wine or champagne vinegar
pinch salt
generous pinch pepper
about 1/2 cup olive oil
whiz the radish leaves, mint leaves, green garlic, lemon zest , lemon juice, and vinegars in a food processor or blender.  add olive oil in a steady stream until you get the consistency you like. i prefer a loose dressing.  taste and add salt and pepper. (you can add a bit of yogurt if you want to make a nice dipping sauce)
**if you can't find or don't want to fuss over green garlic, a small clove of garlic will work just fine.

pull the radish from the oven and give them a minute to cool slightly.  if you wish to slice them, do so as soon as they are cool enough to handle.  place in a bowl and toss with as much dressing as you like.  adjust seasonings once more.  serve while still warm

flax seed and cracked pepper crackers {joy the baker}

i'm a little obsessed with flax seed

probably

because i am so thankful

it has replaced

wheat germ

and

cod liver oil

in my diet

yes

i grew up on wheat germ 

brewer's yeast

and

cod liver oil

this is another story--not for today

today

i am here to talk about flax seed

flax seed

crushed and whole

hand turned

into

hearty & wholesome

crackers

a recipe

tucked near the end

of the

sunshiny

cookbook

by

equally delightful

joy the baker

wait

you didn't know she has a cookbook

well

it isn't really technically "out" yet

it will be soon

i am lucky enough

to get a sneak peak

as part of

a cookbook spotlight

YOU

can enter to win one of your own

(click HERE)

  

flax seed and cracked pepper crackers

makes about 4 dozen

1/4 cup golden flaxseed

1/4 cup groun flaxseed meal

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp salt (i used sea-salt)

2 Tbs unsalted butter-cold and cut into cubes

1/2 cup buttermilk

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees F.  Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.  Set aside.  In a medium bowl, whisk together flax seed, flax seed meal, flours, baking soda and salt. Add the butter, and using your fingers, quickly work the butter into the dry ingredients. Some of the butter will  resemble oatmeal flakes; others will be the size of small pebbles.  Make a well in the center of the mixture.  Add buttermilk, and use a fork to bring all of the ingredients together.  Make sure that every bit of flour is moistened by the buttermilk.  The dough will be shaggy. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead together about 10 times to bring the dough together.  Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate 10 minutes.

When chilled, cut dough in half.  On a lightly floured work surface, with a lightly floured rolling pin, roll out half of the dough.  Roll just thinner than 1/8" thick.  Use a 1 1/2" round cookie cutter to cut out crackers, or use a pizza cutter to trim the edges and cut the dough into 1 1/2" squares.  Prick each cracker with the tines of a fork and place on baking sheet.  Bake crackers for 15 to 18 minutes, until slightly browned around the edges.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before placing in an airtight container to store.  Crackers will last, in an airtight container, at room temperature, for up to 4 days.

*This post is part of the Joy the Baker Cookbook Spotlight and Cook-Off sponsored by Hyperion and hosted at girlichef*

we interrupt this radio silence...

Image: dan / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

ugh

where have i been?

i'm asking you

as much as i am asking myself

i've been

cooking

and

cleaning

working

and

chillin'

just about anything

but blogging

and for that

i do apologize

i tend to blog about

what we are eating

what i am crafting

or

our travels

and 

i just haven't done anything 

blog-worthy lately

honestly

these last couple of days have been consumed 

with

pulled pork 

and 

bbq beans

for a crowd

i'm making dinner for 75

as a fundraiser

for 

our local american legion

hopefully

we will raise

lots of dough

for the uso

hmmm....

perhaps i should have done a bake sale

and named it that

catchy, no?

and today

while making dressing for coleslaw

i thought to myself

"what exactly do poppy seeds taste like?"

let me warn you

they don't taste like

lemon muffins

that is FOR SURE

after my second spoonful

because the first was just a palate cleanser

i began to panic

poppy seeds being classified as an opiate and all

and me being

uptight and repressed

so

if you come by my place

and see

fantasia on the tv

in constant loop

and me

zoned out on the couch

with a bowl of 

small, dark, round seeds 

on my lap

know

it all started

as an innocent

culinary curiosity