Gingerbread Cut-Out Cookies and White Decorating Icing

I made and decorated these cookies with my children as part of our holiday celebrating, they are so very yummy.  Have a great holiday season everyone!!!

Gingerbread Cut-Out Cookies

2 ¾ cups flour

½ teaspoon baking soda

¾ teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons ground ginger

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

¾ teaspoon ground cloves

½ teaspoon nutmeg

½ cup butter (at room temperature)

½ cup packed brown sugar

1 egg

¾ cup molasses

In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg.  Using an electric mixer cream together the butter and brown sugar.  Add the egg and molasses on medium speed until combined.  Lastly mix in the flour mixture.  Divide the dough into three dough balls and wrap each in plastic wrap.  Refrigerate the dough for 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350.  Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.  On a floured piece of parchment paper roll out each ball of dough to about ¼ inch thick.  Set the flattened dough in the freezer for about 15 minutes (until firm).  Use cookie cutters of your choice to cut the dough into shapes.  Place the dough shapes on the prepared cookie sheets.  Bake for 12-14 minutes then cool on a wire rack.  Decorate with White Decorating Icing (see below), and sprinkles/candy as desired.

White Decorating Icing

3 cups powdered sugar

1/3 cup soft butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 ½ tablespoons milk

Using an electric mixer blend all ingredients together until smooth, with no lumps.

By Miriam Barton in promotion for The Pioneer Cookbook: Recipes For Today's Kitchen.

This recipe is being shared with the Hearth and Soul Hop, Take It From Me,  KB and Whitesnakes Home Simply Delish, My Meatless Mondays, Bake with Bizzy, Miz Helen's Full Plate Thursday

American Apple Pie

We are getting ready for Thanksgiving at our house and pies are definitely at the forefront of my thinking at the moment.  Apple, pumpkin, chocolate, strawberry…I really can’t decide on a favorite.  I hope you enjoy this delicious apple pie, we sure do at my house. J  Happy Thanksgiving!

American Apple Pie

2 cups flour

½ cup shortening

½ cup soft butter

1 ½ teaspoons salt

½ cup cold water

6 apples, cored, peeled, and sliced

¾ cup sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

2 tablespoons flour

3 tablespoons butter

Topping:

1 tablespoon milk

2 teaspoons honey

1 tablespoon sugar

½ teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350.  Cream together the 2 cups flour, shortening, butter, 1 teaspoon salt, and cold water.  Divide the dough into 2 sections.  On a lightly floured surface roll out each dough section into a large circle.  Line a 10 inch pie plate with one of the dough circles (save the other for the top).

In a mixing bowl whisk together the sugar, ½ teaspoon salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and flour.  Gently stir in the apple slices then spread them into the lined pie plate.

Fold the remaining dough circle in half then cut three slits into the folded side on the dough (cutting through both sides.  Carefully pick up the dough and place it on the middle of the apples then unfold the dough, covering all.  Flute the edges of the doughs together.

In a small bowl whisk together the milk and honey.  Spread this mixture over the top crust of the pie.  In another small bowl stir together the sugar and cinnamon then sprinkle that mixture over the top crust.

Bake the pie for 30-40 minutes or until a small knife inserted into one of the slits can easily cut through the apples.

By Miriam Barton in promotion for The Pioneer Cookbook: Recipes For Today's Kitchen.

This recipe is being shared with the Hearth and Soul Hop, Take It From Me,  KB and Whitesnakes Home Simply Delish, My Meatless Mondays, Bake with Bizzy

How To Cook With Fresh Pumpkin

Ever wonder what to do with pumpkin, besides decorate your front porch on Halloween?  Look no further.  There are all these beautiful pumpkins for sale this time of year, but for some reason everyone buys canned pumpkin for their pies, cookies, and breads.  I'm assuming that's because most people don't know how to turn fresh pumpkins into the easily used puree.

My favorite way is to cut the pumpkin into large sections, removing the seeds, then place the sections fleshdown on cookie sheets (ovens usually can handle 2 cookie sheets at a time on different racks).  Set the oven to 375 and roast them for 1 hour - 1 1/2 hours (depending on how ripe and thick your pumpkin is).  

The pumpkin is done cooking when the skin peels off easily.  Remove the cookie sheets from the oven and let the pumpkin sections cool until they are easy to handle.

When they are cool enough, peel the skin off and place the flesh in a food processor, then puree until you've reached the desired consistency.

Use the fresh pumpkin puree in your recipes, then you'll probably find that you have extra (maybe even a lot extra).  Freeze the extra in sandwich bags, 1 1/2 cups per bag (because that's usually the measurments called for in recipes).  It makes great food storage and thaws beautifully, just set it out on the counter a couple of hours before you need to use it.

Happy Autumn Everyone!!

By Miriam Barton in promotion for The Pioneer Cookbook: Recipes For Today's Kitchen.

Blackberry Crisp

Guess what...my latest book Meatless Meals For Meat Eaters has finally been released!!!  I am giving away a free copy at the book's website.  Go here to find out how to win a copy.  Good luck!

Get ready for your taste buds to explode with pleasure when you make this blackberry crisp.  I couldn’t imagine a more perfect hot and fruity dessert that is super easy to make.  Feel free to serve this with vanilla ice cream or freshly whipped cream as I did.  Mmm, you’re going to love this one.

Blackberry Crisp

4 cups fresh blackberries

2/3 cup brown sugar

½ cup flour

½ cup oats

1/3 cup soft butter

¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 375.  Spread the berries evenly into the pie plate.

In a mixing bowl stir and mash together the remaining ingredients until a crumbly consistency is reached.  Sprinkle the crumbles evenly over the berries.

Bake for about 30 minutes or until the crumbles are golden brown and the berries are slightly bubbly.

By Miriam Barton in promotion for The Pioneer Cookbook: Recipes For Today's Kitchen.

This recipe is being shared with the Hearth and Soul Hop, Take It From Me, Inspiring You To Save Wandering Wednesday, Mommy Only Has Two Hands Hump Day Hop, The King's Court IV What's Cooking Wednesday, This Chick Cooks, Miz Helen's Country Cottage Full Plate Thursday, Friday Pot Luck, Little Brick Ranch, My Adventure In Mommyhood, KB and Whitesnakes Home Simply Delish, My Meatless Mondays, Bake with Bizzy

Bran Apple Pancakes

Thank you so much to everyone involved with my book signing and "Ladies' Night," event this past weekend at Deseret Book.  It was great fun and a big success.  I appreciate you inviting me and making me feel so welcomed.  Thank you!

Bran-Apple Pancakes

“Bran is the outer layer of the wheat berry that is cast off during the wheat-grinding process.  Most pioneers, when returning from the mill after taking their wheat to be ground, would have both flour and bran to use as cooking staples throughout the year.” –an excerpt from The Pioneer Cookbook by Miriam Barton.

2 eggs

½ cup flour (all-purpose or whole wheat)

½ cup wheat bran

½ cup milk

½ cup applesauce

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons canola oil

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon vanilla

½ teaspoon sea salt

½ cup apple small apple chunks

Heat a large skillet to medium or griddle to 300.  In a large mixing bowl beat the eggs then whisk in the remaining ingredients (except the apple chunks), stirring until the batter is very smooth.  Lastly fold in the apple chunks.

Lightly butter the hot pan or griddle.  Scoop about 1/3 cup batter per desired pancake onto the hot surface.  When each cake becomes bubbly flip it over, cooking the pancakes about 3-4 minutes on each side.

By Miriam Barton in promotion for The Pioneer Cookbook: Recipes For Today's Kitchen.

This recipe is being shared with the Hearth and Soul Hop, Take It From Me, Inspiring You To Save Wandering Wednesday, Mommy Only Has Two Hands Hump Day Hop, The King's Court IV What's Cooking Wednesday, This Chick Cooks, Miz Helen's Country Cottage Full Plate Thursday, Friday Pot Luck, Little Brick Ranch, My Adventure In Mommyhood, KB and Whitesnakes Home Simply Delish, My Meatless Mondays, Bake with Bizzy

Zucchini Brownies

Get ready to taste the best healthier brownies you’ll ever eat in your life!  Go out and get a zucchini then whip these up and settle down to enjoy a real treat.

Zucchini Brownies

1 raw zucchini, pureed in a food processor

½ cup cocoa powder

1/3 cup soft butter

1 ½ cups sugar

3 eggs

1 cup flour

1 ½ teaspoons vanilla

¼ teaspoon salt

¾ cup chocolate chips and/or chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350.  Lightly butter the bottom and sides of an 8x8 inch square baking dish.

In a large mixing bowl whisk all ingredients together until smooth.  Spread the batter evenly into the baking dish.  Bake for about 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

By Miriam Barton in promotion for The Pioneer Cookbook: Recipes For Today's Kitchen.

This recipe is being shared with the Hearth and Soul Hop, Take It From Me, Inspiring You To Save Wandering Wednesday, Mommy Only Has Two Hands Hump Day Hop, The King's Court IV What's Cooking Wednesday, This Chick Cooks, Miz Helen's Country Cottage Full Plate Thursday, Friday Pot Luck, Little Brick Ranch, My Adventure In Mommyhood, KB and Whitesnakes Home Simply Delish, My Meatless Mondays, Bake with Bizzy

Red Plum Fruit Spread

Have you noticed any plums on sale lately?  They are in season at the moment and very delicious.  I was fortunate enough to have been given at least 50 pounds of plums a few weekends back and I made enough bottled fruit spread to last my family the next three years.  Oh, it tastes so good!!  You’re going to love it too. J

Red Plum Fruit Spread

8-10 pounds plums

2 lemons

3 cups sugar

Remove the pits from the plums and peel the lemon.  Puree together in a blender or food processor.  In a large pot stir all ingredients together.  Bring to a boil then simmer for 10-20 minutes (until it has reached your desired consistency).

Fill 8-10 sanitized 8 ounce jars with the liquid.  Screw on sanitized lids then process in a hot water bath for about 10 minutes. 

Wait at least 24 hours before testing the lids.

By Miriam Barton in promotion for The Pioneer Cookbook: Recipes For Today's Kitchen.

This recipe is being shared with the Hearth and Soul Hop, Take It From Me, Inspiring You To Save Wandering Wednesday, Mommy Only Has Two Hands Hump Day Hop, The King's Court IV What's Cooking Wednesday, This Chick Cooks, Miz Helen's Country Cottage Full Plate Thursday, Friday Pot Luck, Little Brick Ranch, My Adventure In Mommyhood, KB and Whitesnakes Home Simply Delish, My Meatless Mondays, Bake with Bizzy

Pioneer Kitchen Sink

I love this picture.  It is the kitchen sink of a pioneer.  Just a simple bin to hold a couple of pots to catch water from an old-time pump.  Of course most pioneers, if they were lucky enough to have a water pump, had to pump the water from outside and bring in into the kitchen.  This picture reminds me of the simple life…it also reminds me of gratitude.  It’s easy to not appreciate what we have, what we see every day.  When you’re having a day when you just can’t seem to snap out of it and feel happy remember this old kitchen and the water pump.  Then sit down, take a deep breath, and count every single thing that you are thankful for.

Amaranth Rolls

There is nothing that compares to freshly baked bread or rolls with dinner at night.  Eat these hot with butter and/or jam.  Make sandwiches out of them.  Use them as gravy mops.  My family loved these rolls, I’m sure your family will too.

Amaranth Rolls

2 ½ cups warm milk (not hot)

2 tablespoons yeast

¼ cup sugar

2 teaspoons salt

1/3 cup soft butter

1 egg
1 1/2 cups amaranth flour

3 1/2 cups flour

2 tablespoons melted butter

In a large bowl stir the yeast and sugar into the milk and set aside until the sugar is dissolved and the yeast is bubbly (5-10 minutes).  Stir in half of the flour, salt, and, the egg.  With your hands add in the soft butter and ½ cup flour at a time, kneading, until a sticky dough is formed.  Cover with plastic and let rise for 1 hour.

Roll out the dough on a floured surface to make a big rectangle.  Spread the melted butter over the dough then cut the dough in half length wise.  Then cut each of the rectangles into 2 inch wide strips.  Roll each strip up and place them in rows in a buttered baking dish.  Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for another 45 minutes. 

Preheat oven to 375.  Bake the rolls for 15-20 minutes or until the rolls are fully cooked and turn golden brown.  Just after you remove the rolls from heat, spread butter over the tops.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

By Miriam Barton in promotion for The Pioneer Cookbook: Recipes For Today's Kitchen.

This recipe is being shared with the Hearth and Soul Hop, Take It From Me, Inspiring You To Save Wandering Wednesday, Mommy Only Has Two Hands Hump Day Hop, The King's Court IV What's Cooking Wednesday, This Chick Cooks, Miz Helen's Country Cottage Full Plate Thursday, Friday Pot Luck, Little Brick Ranch, My Adventure In Mommyhood, KB and Whitesnakes Home Simply Delish, My Meatless Mondays, Bake with Bizzy

Squash Cookies

I have oodles of squash to enjoy this harvest season and this is my favorite new way to use it.  Feel free to mix into the batter chopped nuts, raisins, craisins, dried blueberries, carob chips, there are lots of options really.  I just went straight for the chocolate chips J.  This has become my children’s favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe and now my son openly claims squash as his favorite vegetable (that is quite an accomplishment – he’s three years old and he is going through a picky eating phase – at least I hope it’s just a phase).  At any rate, I hope you enjoy these cookies as much as we do!

Squash Cookies

This cookie dough freezes very well for future occasions.

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 cup spelt flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup pureed squash*

½ cup butter (at room temperature)

1 cup brown sugar

½ cup cane sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 ½ cups mix-ins (optional): chocolate chips, chopped nuts, or raisins

Preheat oven to 375.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. In a large mixing bowl stir together the first 4 ingredients.  Then add the remaining ingredients except for the optional mix-ins.  Stir together well until all of the ingredients are fully incorporated into the batter.  Lastly, stir in your desired mix-ins if you’re adding any.  Place about 2 tablespoons of batter per cookie in rows on the cookie sheet about

1 ½ inches apart.  Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the centers are set and golden brown.  Cool on wire racks.

*Cut the raw yellow squash into large chunks and grind it in a food processor or blender.  One regular yellow squash about 7 inches long will yield about 1 cup of puree. 

By Miriam Barton in promotion for The Pioneer Cookbook: Recipes For Today's Kitchen.

This recipe is being shared with the Hearth and Soul Hop, Take It From Me, Inspiring You To Save Wandering Wednesday, Mommy Only Has Two Hands Hump Day Hop, The King's Court IV What's Cooking Wednesday, This Chick Cooks, Miz Helen's Country Cottage Full Plate Thursday, Friday Pot Luck, Little Brick Ranch, My Adventure In Mommyhood, KB and Whitesnakes Home Simply Delish, My Meatless Mondays, Bake with Bizzy

Apricot Jam

Homemade Jam always tastes best, fantastic even!  When one of our kind neighbors gave us a large bowl of apricots from their tree I knew just what to do.  I reserved a pile for my children to eat, and with the rest I made jam.  Oh!  It is heaven in a jar. J

Apricot Jam

6 cups pureed apricots

1 peeled lemon

1 cup organic cane sugar

In a pot stir together the apricot puree and the sugar over medium heat.  Puree the peeled lemon and stir that in as well.  Bring to a boil then simmer for 10-15 minutes.  Pour into 7 or 8, 8 ounce jars that have been sanitized.  Screw on sanitized lids and process in a hot water bath for about 10 minutes.  Wait at least 24 hours before testing the seal.

By Miriam Barton in promotion for The Pioneer Cookbook: Recipes For Today's Kitchen.

This recipe is being shared with the Hearth and Soul Hop, Take It From Me, Inspiring You To Save Wandering Wednesday, Mommy Only Has Two Hands Hump Day Hop, The King's Court IV What's Cooking Wednesday, This Chick Cooks, Miz Helen's Country Cottage Full Plate Thursday, Friday Pot Luck, Little Brick Ranch, My Adventure In Mommyhood, KB and Whitesnakes Home Simply Delish, My Meatless Mondays, Bake with Bizzy

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

In a constant effort to have a yummy homemade treat available for my children (lest we cave in to card board flavored processed food), my husband and I came up with these addictively delicious cookies. 

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

3 cups rolled oats

1 ½ cups flour

1 cup raisins

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon sea salt

1 cup butter (at room temperature)

1 ¾ cup brown sugar

2 eggs

2 ½ teaspoons vanilla

Preheat oven to 350.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

In a large mixing bowl stir all if the dry ingredients together.  Then put the wet ingredients in and stir it all together (you may want to use an electric mixer).

On the prepared cookie sheet place about 1 tablespoon of dough per cookie, in rows about 1 ½ inches apart.  Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the cookies are golden brown and the centers are just set.

By Miriam Barton in promotion for The Pioneer Cookbook: Recipes For Today's Kitchen.

This recipe is being shared with the Hearth and Soul Hop, Take It From Me, Inspiring You To Save Wandering Wednesday, Mommy Only Has Two Hands Hump Day Hop, The King's Court IV What's Cooking Wednesday, This Chick Cooks, Miz Helen's Country Cottage Full Plate Thursday, Friday Pot Luck, Little Brick Ranch, My Adventure In Mommyhood, KB and Whitesnakes Home Simply Delish, My Meatless Mondays, Bake with Bizzy

Dill Pickles

Ever wonder how to make homemade pickles?  Well, look no further!  It’s actually quite easy. 

You’ll need:

·         fresh pickling cucumbers (cut however you like or not cut at all)

·         sanitized jars and new lids

·         a large pot with a lid

·         solution of 3 parts water to 1 part apple cider vinegar, plus about 1 teaspoon of salt for every two cups of solution

·         fresh dill sprigs

Heat lots of water in the large pot (or hot water bath).  Put a dill sprig in every jar then fill the jars with the pickling cucumbers.  Heat the solution to about 180 degrees, then equally divide it among the jars, making sure to cover the pickles (and leaving about an inch of space at the top of the jar).  Screw the lids on finger tight then carefully lower then carefully into the large pot of hot water.  Make sure that the jars are covered in water by at least a couple of inches.  Put the lid on the pot then let it cook (“process”), for about 5-10 minutes.  Then take them out of the hot water.  Wait about a day to test the seal of one of the jars.

By Miriam Barton in promotion for The Pioneer Cookbook: Recipes For Today's Kitchen.

This recipe is being shared with the Hearth and Soul Hop, Take It From Me, Inspiring You To Save Wandering Wednesday, Mommy Only Has Two Hands Hump Day Hop, The King's Court IV What's Cooking Wednesday, This Chick Cooks, Miz Helen's Country Cottage Full Plate Thursday, Friday Pot Luck, Little Brick Ranch, My Adventure In Mommyhood, KB and Whitesnakes Home Simply Delish, My Meatless Mondays, Bake with Bizzy

Homemade Raspberry Ice Cream

There is nothing quite like homemade ice cream.  So creamy and fresh and healthier tasting than store bought brands.  I used a modern ice cream maker with an electric motor, but the hand cracks work beautifully as well.  If you don’t have an ice cream maker, the end of the summer season is when they usually go on sale.  Good luck and enjoy!

Raspberry Ice Cream

10 cups whole milk

1 cup pureed raspberries

1 cup organic cane sugar

¼ cup corn starch

2 teaspoons vanilla

¼ teaspoon sea salt

Whisk ingredients together in the center bucket of your ice cream maker.  Follow your ice cream maker’s instructions regarding ice, rock salt, and the operating of your appliance.

By Miriam Barton in promotion for The Pioneer Cookbook: Recipes For Today's Kitchen.

This recipe is being shared with the Hearth and Soul Hop, Take It From Me, Inspiring You To Save Wandering Wednesday, Mommy Only Has Two Hands Hump Day Hop, The King's Court IV What's Cooking Wednesday, This Chick Cooks, Miz Helen's Country Cottage Full Plate Thursday, Friday Pot Luck, Little Brick Ranch, My Adventure In Mommyhood, KB and Whitesnakes Home Simply Delish, My Meatless Mondays, Bake with Bizzy

Raspberry Jam

The other day one of my fabulous neighbors brought me over a very large bowl of ripe raspberries fresh from their garden.  What to do?  I debated between making a pie or a cobbler, but it was a very hot day so I was overruled when my husband said “Why don’t you make some ice cream?”  The kids cheered and that was the end of that discussion.  Raspberry ice cream was made (I’ll post that soon too).

Two and a half large containers were filled with raspberry ice cream, but I still had SO many berries left over and I knew they wouldn’t last another day (they were VERY ripe).  SO I made an executive decision and decided that we needed some homemade jam.  You’re going to love this!  My family finished a whole jar in one day.

Raspberry Citrus Jam

10 cups raspberry puree*

3 lemons (peeled)

2 clementines or small oranges (peeled)

4 cups organic cane sugar

Sterilize about 15, 8 ounce jars and lids.  In a large pot pour in the fruit puree and stir in the sugar.  Over medium heat bring to a boil, then reduce heat and stir occasionally until the desired jelly consistency is reached.  Using a ladle and a funnel, scoop the hot jelly into the jars, leaving about an inch of space from the brim of the jar.  Screw the lids on finger tight.  Place the filled jars in a hot water bath and cover with more than an inch of water.  Bring the water to a boil and process for 5-10 minutes (depending on altitude).
*Just pop the berries with the peeled lemons and clememtines in a blender and puree them all together.

By Miriam Barton in promotion for The Pioneer Cookbook: Recipes For Today's Kitchen.

This recipe is being shared with the Hearth and Soul Hop, Take It From Me, Inspiring You To Save Wandering Wednesday, Mommy Only Has Two Hands Hump Day Hop, The King's Court IV What's Cooking Wednesday, This Chick Cooks, Miz Helen's Country Cottage Full Plate Thursday, Little Brick Ranch, My Adventure In Mommyhood, KB and Whitesnakes Home Simply Delish, My Meatless Mondays, Bake with Bizzy

Soda Biscuits

Biscuits are so satisfying to make.  They are small cakes of warm and homemade bready goodness that don’t need to rise at all!  I love that, that’s why it is satisfying, because they are so quick and yummy all at the same time.  Not to mention fun…they are just plain fun to roll out and cut into circles. Have fun serving these!  Especially hot with gravy or butter and jam.  Mmm…

Soda Biscuits

1 ¾ cups flour

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon sugar

½ teaspoon baking soda

1 ½ tablespoons butter

1 cup milk

Preheat oven to 425.  In a mixing bowl stir all ingredients together (you’ll have to use your hands and knead at some point to incorporate all of the flour into the dough).

On a floured surface, using a rolling pen, roll out the dough about ½ inch thick.  Then, using a circle cutter, cut as many circles as you can fit on the dough.  Then take the scraps of dough left, roll them out, and repeat the process until all of the dough is used up.

Place the biscuits on a parchment lined cookie sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes, or until they are barely golden brown.  Makes about 1 ½ dozen.

By Miriam Barton in promotion for The Pioneer Cookbook: Recipes For Today's Kitchen.

This recipe is being shared with the Hearth and Soul Hop, Take It From Me, Inspiring You To Save Wandering Wednesday, Mommy Only Has Two Hands Hump Day Hop, The King's Court IV What's Cooking Wednesday, This Chick Cooks, Miz Helen's Country Cottage Full Plate Thursday, Little Brick Ranch, My Adventure In Mommyhood, KB and Whitesnakes Home Simply Delish, My Meatless Mondays, Bake with Bizzy

Pictures From A Real Pioneer Kitchen

I recently took a tour of the Beehive House; a wealthier pioneer house that has been kept in perfect condition through the years.  Here are some pictures of the kitchen:

This is a pioneer kitchen sink.

This is an old-fashioned wood burning cooking stove with all of the bells and whistles.  Notice all if the pots, kettles, and irons.  You can also see a type of frying pan and muffin pan on the front left and middle burners.

Here are some old pioneer waffle irons, yes they made waffles back then!



Some pretty common pioneer kitchen gadgets.

I'll share more pictures in the future but if you're ever in the Salt Lake City area you should take the tour too, it is educational and rewarding!

By Miriam Barton in promotion for The Pioneer Cookbook: Recipes For Today's Kitchen.

The Pioneer Cookbook

I walked into a bookstore a few days ago and saw my book, this book, on a shelf for sale.  What a thrill!  I wonder if that effect will wear off with the coming of my other books?  Who knows…

I’m enjoying summer vacation at the moment, but I’ll be back in the next couple of weeks with some great pictures of an actual pioneer kitchen.  I’ll also continue to post regularly three times a week on my other food blog while I’m gone.

So for now and always: be safe and enjoy yourself!  I wish you all the best of days!

Ginger Honey Lemon Tea

Pioneers had their own brand of remedies.  They were all natural, from the earth.  Some of them were effective while others just make us laugh like “to cure fever blisters kiss a red-head.”

In my book The Pioneer Cookbook: Recipes For Today’s Kitchen I have a chapter on old pioneer remedies mixed with some modern homemade remedies.  This tea is not in my book, I invented it recently for my husband who has a cough.  I looked up several natural expectorants and put a few of them together to make this soothing and tasty hot tea.

Ginger Honey Lemon Tea

1 ½ cups hot water

1 tablespoon raw honey

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 lemon wedge

Pour the hot water into a large mug then stir in the remaining ingredients (squeezing the lemon juice from the wedge into the drink before stirring in the wedge).

By Miriam Barton in promotion for The Pioneer Cookbook: Recipes For Today's Kitchen.

This recipe is being shared with the Hearth and Soul Hop, Take It From Me, Inspiring You To Save Wandering Wednesday, Mommy Only Has Two Hands Hump Day Hop, The King's Court IV What's Cooking Wednesday, This Chick Cooks, Miz Helen's Country Cottage Full Plate Thursday, Little Brick Ranch, My Adventure In Mommyhood, KB and Whitesnakes Home Simply Delish, My Meatless Mondays

Butter Wheat Rolls

The history of making wheat bread dates back to about 10,000 BC when people of ancient civilizations such as Egypt would pick wild wheat stalks, grind the berries, mix it with water, and make flat wheat cakes.  Spelt, wheat’s cousin, was also used for this back then.  Once the population became so great wheat started to be cultivated and grown on purpose, to feed millions.

Wheat bread evolved over time.  Around 3,000 BC the Egyptians figured out how to leaven (rise), bread by using wild yeast.

Time went on and around 150 BC baker’s guilds began to be formed in Rome.  Wheat eventually spread throughout Europe and then to The Americas with the explorers and immigrants from the “Old World.” In the early 1800’s yeast was figured out as a plant-like organism and then cultivated.  By the 1850’s there were over 2,000 bakeries in the United States, with wheat bread being their primary product.

One thing that almost every culture shares is that our ancestors all made and ate homemade wheat bread.  So the next time you are planning your meals for the next week, consider making some wheat bread homemade, instead of buying it, and see if you can feel an ancient connection to those of your family who are long passed.

Butter Wheat Rolls

These rolls make excellent gravy mops!

1 cup warm water

1 ½ teaspoons yeast

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons butter, melted + extra to spread on the top

Stir the yeast into the warm water and let sit for 10 minutes (it should be foamy).

In a large mixing bowl stir the yeast mixture in with the remaining ingredients (except for the butter).  Begin to knead the dough with your hands until all of the flour in the bowl had been incorporated into the dough.  Lift up the dough, spread a dab of oil in the bottom and sides of the bowl, place the dough back into the bowl, then turn the dough over (oiling both sides).  Cover with plastic and let rise for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Butter the bottom and sides of a pie plate and set aside.

On a lightly floured surface, using a floured rolling pen, roll out the dough to make a large rectangle.  Spread the melted butter evenly over the rolled out dough.  Cut the dough in half length wise, then from there make long rectangles with the two halves (about 1 ½ inches wide).  Roll up each rectangle and place them snuggly side by side in the prepared pie plate.  Cover with plastic and let rise 1 more hour.

Preheat oven to 375.  Bake the rolls for 20-23 minutes (or until they are golden brown).  After removing from the oven spread a bit of butter on top of each roll.

By Miriam Barton in promotion for The Pioneer Cookbook: Recipes For Today's Kitchen.

This recipe is being shared with the Hearth and Soul Hop, Take It From Me, Inspiring You To Save Wandering Wednesday, Mommy Only Has Two Hands Hump Day Hop, The King's Court IV What's Cooking Wednesday, This Chick Cooks, Miz Helen's Country Cottage Full Plate Thursday, Little Brick Ranch, My Adventure In Mommyhood, KB and Whitesnakes Home Simply Delish, My Meatless Mondays