strawberries!

on this past saturday, lee and i went to pick strawberries. folks, i'm sorry to say that russell orchards in ipswich is no longer my favorite place to go. they used to feel a lot more homey. these days, they are very commercial feeling and have lost that family friendly attitude that i feel farms need in order to survive. this year, they announced that ALL people 2-years-old and older will be charged $3 just to walk into the fields or orchard. they say that this will count toward what you actually purchase, yet they also say that this will help them recoup what's eaten in the fields. they basically say on their web site that if you eat in the fields it's the same as stealing and they want to put a stop to it. so it felt a little too policed for my taste. i probably won't go back even though they've been my go-to pick-your-own place for apples and strawberries for the past 4 years.

we went to shelburne farms in stow instead. you just purchased your quart container before you went into the field and went away to pick :) it was a cute little farm and you knew it was operated by the people who own it. oh, and when we came out of the fields, we asked in the farm store if the berries were sprayed or fertilized and they said, "no! anything that can be eaten by pickers in the field can't be sprayed. we don't want to poison you!" so they basically said that they know people will eat while they're picking. funny...

full disclosure: i ate 1 berry while picking. i wanted to taste the goodness i was smelling. but then i didn't eat any until i came home. no smorgasbord in the field for me--and i can't be the only honest person out there put off by russell orchard's new policy...

but the picking was great!


and then i came home and had to make things with my new fresh berries, so we had crepes for sunday morning breakfast. these are blueberry and strawberry crepes, with a bit of maple cream, cinnamon and sugar.


and then i made strawberry banana muffins, adapted from a recipe in gluten free baking by rebecca reilly. these were partially made with the gluten free flour blend suggested by the author, which was a mix of brown rice flour, tapioca starch and potato starch. if anyone wants the exact quantities of this blend, let me know. i don't always like the grittiness of brown rice flour, so i mixed this with my preferred gluten free flour, namaste perfect flour blend.


strawberry banana muffins

1 c gluten free flour blend
1/2 c namaste perfect flour blend
3/4 c packed light brown sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
pinch salt
1 banana, peeled and mashed
1 dozen strawberries, roughly quartered
1/2 c soy milk
1/3 c vegetable oil
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
white granulated sugar, for sprinkling

1. preheat oven to 350 and line muffin cups.
2. mix together in a large bowl gluten free flours, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, xanthan gum and salt.
3. whisk together mashed banana, chopped strawberries, soy milk, oil, egg and vanilla. pour into dry ingredients and stir until well blended.
4. scoop into muffin cups (and ice cream scooper works well) and sprinkle with sugar before baking. bake on middle rack for about 25 minutes or until done.

mmm... i love warm, toasty breads for breakfast!

so i've made a new recipe, something i've dubbed tropical bread. and it's perfect with my mango jam!


ann's tropical bread

3/4 c sorghum flour
3/4 c brown rice flour
3/4 c blanched almond slices, toasted
1/3 c sugar
1 tsp xanthan gum
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
1 ripe banana, mashed
1 egg
1/2 c pineapple juice
1/4 c oil
2 tsp vanilla

1. mix together dry ingredients (flours down to cinnamon). whisk together to combine thoroughly.
2. mix together wet ingredients. blend wet ingredients into dry ingredients.
3. pour into a well-greased bread pan and bake at 350 for 50 minutes (or up to an hour, depending on your oven).
4. eat!

if you are not gluten free, you can make this with 1 1/2 c regular white flour, omit the xanthan gum, and you may need to increase the pineapple juice to make a loose batter.

mmm...mmm...morning...

anyone who knows me knows that i'm not a morning person. i sleep until 9 or later when left to my own devices, and even for work it is almost impossible for me to get up before 7am. but i do like my breakfast!

my 90-day challenge to eat only homemade foods is most difficult in the morning. it's hard to cook a breakfast from scratch each morning and make it to work on time. so last week, i finished a box of cereal that was opened before the challenge began, and then had toast made from my first bread machine loaf for the rest of the week. but toast is not filling, so i was trying to think of other solutions without eating baked goods every morning. because though baked goods are homemade, and i make mighty fine breakfast baked goods if i do say so myself, they are not always so healthy for you!

so i made rice pudding instead :) i love this rice pudding recipe because you can throw whatever you have on hand in it. i sometimes make it when we have people over for brunch and it's always a hit. i made a big batch and can then just quickly reheat on the stove top (we don't own a microwave, and i never will!) with a smidge of milk. mmm...


rice pudding breakfast cereal

2 cups cooked basmati rice
2 cups soy milk
2 tbsp packed brown sugar
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup toasted almond slices
pinch ginger
pinch nutmeg
1 cap-full rose water

1. mix all ingredients together in a bowl--use spices to taste. transfer to oven-proof dish. bake at 350 for about 40 minutes, or until all the milk is absorbed.

this recipe is wonderful because you can make it with any kind of rice--i've successfully made it with everything from uncle ben's to sushi rice. you can use any kind of milk. and you can use any fruit, nuts, whatever in it. a family favorite for us is to put apples or pears in it, with plenty of cinnamon. i've never put rosewater in it before, but i thought the ingredients this time would go well with it (and they did!). i do love tasty rosewater applications :)

i'm looking forward to breakfast all week now!