Baking with Olive Oil

For most of our baking, 
nothing beats creamy butter.
Cooking for a child with multiple sensitivities has been a challenge.
He must avoid wheat, gluten, dairy, 
soy, pineapple, coconut and a few other things.
I still want him to have goodies,
like any kid should be able to enjoy.
So, we focus on the foods he can have.
Over the years, I've been able to figure out what works.

One thing that works wonderfully 
is substituting olive oil for butter in baked goods.
We use light olive oil in baking
because it has a more subtle flavor,
so it's not noticeable in the final product.
It adds the moisture needed,
(gf baked goods are notoriously dry),
without adding any new flavors to the dish.
We also use it to grease the baking pans we're using.
 It gets added to everything from blueberry pancakes 
to pumpkin bread to icebox cake.
It makes baking a breeze since we always have some on hand.

Here's a helpful chart if you want to give it a go:

Butter/Margarine	Olive Oil
1 teaspoon	3/4 teaspoon
1 tablespoon	2 1/4 teaspoons
1/4 cup	3 tablespoons
1/3 cup	1/4 cup
1/2 cup	1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons
2/3 cup	1/2 cup
3/4 cup	1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon
1 cup	3/4 cup

source

If you need to bake for someone with allergies,
(or even if you don't),

give olive oil a try.

Here's one of Lil' Guy's favorite recipes:

Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bread

1 C gf flour mix                                      1/2 t baking soda
1 t baking powder                                 1/2 t salt
1/2 C sucanat or brown sugar           1/2 C pureed pumpkin
1/4 C light olive oil                               1 pckg. pear sauce
2 handfuls chocolate chips

Combine dry ingredients in medium bowl.  
Whisk to sift.  
Add wet ingredients and stir until well combined.  
Stir in chips.  
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  
Grease loaf pan and pour in mixture.  
Bake 35-45 minutes, pausing at 25 minutes to cover if getting too dark.

Makes 1 loaf (8-10 servings).
Enjoy!

 

The Maple Hill Hop 84-Let It FLOW

Welcome to 

The Maple Hill Hop.

This is a hop for folks who love the outdoors.

Feel free to post about anything that's going on

OUTSIDE

in your neck of the woods,
no matter the season.

(Please share only outdoor posts.)

*Grab the button above to link back to Maple Hill 101.*


Have you heard about the new honey harvester in town?
OMGosh!!!

It's called FLOW.
It is a revolutionary way to harvest honey
with less effort, less work and less stress for bees.
It's nothing short of amazing.
Click on the video to see how it works.





One of my goals for the new homestead is to host bees.
We believe that everyone can be a part of the solution
to colony collapse disorder.
By becoming beekeepers, we support this most vital
of environmental wonders.
Think of how many foods would no longer be available
if the world's bee population faced extinction.
The USDA makes this statement:

"About one mouthful in three in our diet
 directly or indirectly benefits from honey bee pollination."

That's a lot of food,
and a ton of folks affected by this predicament.





With this incredible new method, 
nearly everyone can assist in the recolonization of our humble but priceless bee population.
There's really no reason why anybody can't do this,
(except maybe if you're allergic to bees).
Even where I currently live in suburbia
would be a safe haven for bees to work their magic.

From their website:

"Less labour, more love

Turn the Flow™ Key and watch as pure, fresh honey flows right out of the hive and into your jar.
No mess, no fuss, no heavy lifting, and no expensive processing equipment.
Through the clear end-frame view, you can see when the honey is ready without opening up the hive.
The extraction process is so gentle, the bees barely notice at all.
Our revolutionary Flow system makes the extraction process far less stressful for the bees 
and so much easier for the beekeeper. "




My mind started working overtime thinking of the possibilities.
Not only would this be a wonderful faith-based, school, home or community garden project,
think of the opportunities for impoverished folks.
This would be a way for them to provide a tremendous product
while having a means of support for their families.
The potential is there to make a real difference in so many lives.
What an astonishing accomplishment.
Let me know what you think about this stellar innovation.

(All images are from the FLOW website.)

 



What's new outside where you are?
HOP on!

   

    An InLinkz Link-up

   

Lettuce Need Not Apply

It may be hard to believe if you're anywhere 
north of the Mason-Dixon Line,
but for the most part,
lettuce takes a vacation during the summer months here in Central Florida.
It's too blazin' hot for it to grow
and without much shade, there aren't many choices for growing.

A couple of new slow-bolt varieties will be tried,
as soon as the seeds germinate.
The area around the former fern bed is about the only shade in the backyard,
so that'll be the first place to try them out.
We recently transplanted Simpson Elite and Buttercrunch there.
Last year I used window screens to shield crops from the intense sun.
It worked so-so.

The other option is to rethink what goes into a salad.
We're still able to get some greens from Faye & Lynn,
and it's been a fun and creative challenge 
to produce an enticing and delicious salad.

 

Here are a few ideas in case you find yourself without lettuce:

leftover steamed veggies
spinach
shredded carrot
chick peas (or any bean)
homemade sprouts
red cabbage (or any cabbage)
cherry tomatoes
avocado
beets
radishes
kale
leftover cooked chicken or fish
sunflower seeds
any type of nut

Until the new lettuce comes up and is ready for harvest,
it's good to know there are plenty of good things
with which to fill the salad bowl.

What's your favorite addition to salad?


 

The Maple Hill Hop 83

Welcome to 

The Maple Hill Hop.

This is a hop for folks who love the outdoors.

Feel free to post about anything that's going on

OUTSIDE

in your neck of the woods,
no matter the season.

(Please share only outdoor posts.)

*Grab the button to link back to Maple Hill 101.* 

This area is about the only shady spot in our backyard.
It was filled with ferns.
We advertised a plant giveaway on Craig's List
and folks came and nearly cleared us out.
We still have a ways to go.
The best part is we met some fellow gardeners
and didn't have to do any of the work!  
I'd say that's a win-win.

We're giving pumpkins a try in the alcove that is left.
The seed was harvested from a Calabaza pumpkin I got
from an organic farmer a few years ago.
The seeds germinate like crazy!

Some Buttercrunch and Simpson's Elite lettuce
is also being tried here.  
It's too hot to grow it in direct sun,
so this is our best shot.

I'm also trying an experiment with the Calabaza
on the other side of the garden.
Our oak tree got struck by lightening a few months back
and has never recovered.

 We're gonna try to grow a pumpkin tree!
We'll use the tree as a vertical growing support
for the vines.
Don't know if it'll work,
but it's fun to try new things in the garden.

What's going on where you are?
HOP to it!

An InLinkz Link-up

One Simple Thing-Kitchen Drawer Liners

I like lined drawers and shelves.
It not only adds color to the kitchen,
it gives a more finished look and makes cleaning a breeze.
The older I get, the more I look for 
easier ways to keep the house clean.
After all, I'd rather be gardening, reading or sewing.
With the house on the market, it just makes sense
to keep everything neat and tidy.
Here's our simple solution to messy drawers. 

I found these brown cloth napkins for a steal at a thrift store.
It's one of those things that I keep my eye out for,
as they have so many uses.
Here we used them to line our kitchen drawers.
I don't like using the vinyl liners with adhesive
because I think the glue attracts bugs.

Not all of our drawers are the same size,
so the napkins were just folded over to fit.
Custom for a fraction of the cost!

With a dozen in the set, there were enough to fill every drawer
in our kitchen, which has generous storage.




When they get crumby or dirty,
we just take them out, shake them off,
or launder if necessary.
 Our drawers never looked so good!

One Simple Thing