living simply and embracing imperfection
Yes, that’s a period – as in The Best Cinnamon Rolls, period. I could’ve also said: Ever. In The World. In The Universe. Or You’ve Ever Eaten. And I wouldn’t be exaggerating, tooting my own horn, or overstating it to write any of it about these rolls. Oh, I know there are hundreds of recipes [...]
I’ve been wanting to share this Zucchini Lemon Bread recipe with you for awhile and since there’s still a couple of fresh zucchini from the garden that I’ve been storing in the refrigerator, today’s the day! When we want a really good regular zucchini bread, I make my favorite basic No-Fail Zucchini Bread. And at the [...]
Oh, am I glad to be able to post a recipe again after the last 31 days of only thrift transformation posts! And what a recipe to start with – I had thought about calling these apple scones “Double Yum Apple Scones,” but that doesn’t sound too professional, does it? Whatever – these ARE totally [...]
I’ve made crackers a number of times and while they don’t take extraordinarily long to make (about an hour), they do involve rolling and cutting so they have to be pretty good for me to feel inclined to take the time to make them. The Whole Wheat Sourdough Crackers I make is a good example: [...]
Ever since I grew a sourdough starter two years ago, I’ve wanted to make a really good loaf of artisan bread with it. Although I waxed poetic about a sourdough loaf I made shortly after beginning to bake with sourdough, I realize now that the reason I thought it was so great was because it [...]
One of the first posts I wrote for this blog back in 2009 was a step-by-step tutorial for Homemade Whole Grain Pita Bread. It has remained a popular post and is often pinned over at Pinterest. Which makes me happy, ’cause it really is pretty easy to make (less fussy than sandwich bread, for instance) [...]
I love these whole wheat, tender, and flaky biscuits. Really. But you’d never know that looking at our menus because when I serve them my family -especially Brian- always manages to make a comment like, “they’re fine…they’re just not a real, yeast bread, you know?” Sigh. Arrggg- silly family. These are amazing, I love them, [...]
After many attempts at making bagels, I finally found a great whole wheat-yeast recipe from my friend Gina. But then my sourdough started taking off and I found I was making most of our bread with my sourdough starter. What to do about the great bagels? I ended up combining the sourdough amounts from one [...]
If you’ve read here awhile, you probably remember that one of my favorite things to give are gift baskets. I love how creative one can be with them – I’ve received some of my favorite cooking utensils in baskets – and that they work for a lot of different types of families. Of course one [...]
This cheesy sourdough batter bread is a recipe that my family loves and my kids have been requesting ever since I first tried it. You can make it as cheesy as you want (of course here, they’re firmly on the side of more…) and since it’s a batter bread there’s little kneading or shaping. And [...]
English muffins are one of those things that, up until a few years ago, it would have never crossed my mind to make. I don’t know…when you don’t grow up around this stuff, it’s easy just to think it couldn‘t be made at home. Which seems silly, ’cause I knew you could make bread. Humm… [...]
I never thought I’d make crackers, I mean, if I could get them for less than a dollar a box, why would I take the time and effort? Besides, rolling out dough is not one of my favorite things. But, when you start reading labels and caring about what’s in the food you’re eating, those cheap [...]
12/12 Note: this post has been updated to reflect how I use sourdough now and the lesson is: have patience and with time and practice regular sourdough bread is a real possiblility! When I started down the sourdough path last year I had visions of turning out great breads on a weekly basis using just [...]
These soft pretzels are good, though I’m not going to pretend like they are the best soft pretzels anywhere (you know, like the ones from the stores that make thousands from selling them…), and they are the easiest homemade ones I’ve found. They are chewy and soft like a pretzel should be (not just a roll [...]
I’ve been wanting to post this bread recipe for awhile, because next to Easy Artisan Bread, it’s my favorite bread to make. It’s mixed and kneaded in a food processor, (although, like anything, it can be made by hand) so most of the preparation time is spent waiting for the rise. In fact, this can [...]
This is the recipe I alluded to in the Tuesday Garden Party from a few weeks ago as a way I was using up the last of the zucchini that had been sitting in the fridge for a few weeks (zucchini keeps for a surprisingly long time in the fridge, but boy when it goes…). [...]
To kick off the “Back to Basics” week here at An Oregon Cottage, we’re going to be making bread. Why bread? Shouldn’t we start with something simpler? My answer is this: bread is the staff of life. There’s something so elemental about baking bread to serve your family that it is…well, for lack of another [...]
A reader alerted me to the fact that the site I linked my favorite quick breadstick recipe to was no longer functioning and therefore she couldn’t make my favorite hamburger buns either. Well, we can’t have that. Besides, I’ve since adapted the original recipe significantly to make it much easier to work with, yet still [...]
I made sourdough waffles last Saturday using the starter I’m keeping alive in the fridge. So far I’ve made sourdough bread which was OK (I still like the Easy Artisan Bread better), though I was certainly happy it turned out after my first experiment, and blackberry muffins, which were…ummm…let’s just say “hearty.” But these waffles? [...]
I can’t believe it- it worked! For those of you who saw last week’s sad results of my first try at sourdough bread made with my own starter, you’ll understand the depths of my amazement. I didn’t want to give up, though, especially since I’m trying to accomplished some of the challenges Nourished Kitchen is [...]
Wondering what the question mark is for in the title? Keep reading and you’ll see. Many years ago I attempted sourdough starter and bread which resulted in bread that we never wanted to eat again. However, inspired by various blogs (Kitchen Stewardship, Nourished Kitchen) telling me that sourdough makes whole grains healthier, I searched for [...]
I mentioned here how I used up some yogurt to make these delicious little loaves. The recipe calls for sour cream, but they are interchangeable in my book and I use whichever I happen to have on hand. These are especially nice cranberry crumb loaves because you use both dried and fresh cranberries. It’s the best [...]
You won’t believe these rolls are 100% whole wheat – and just plain old regular whole wheat at that. It’s the eggs and butter and honey that make these a so-good-you-can’t-eat-just-one type of rolls. They are light and fluffy and almost don’t need any butter – but go ahead anyway. And if you bring (or [...]
This is my attempt at homemade tortillas, and although the finished product here looks OK (well, except for the lovely yellowish cast from the indoor light), they didn’t really turn out as expected. This was my first time making them and I used this recipe, which has glowing reviews (so…no one to blame but myself?). [...]
I found this recipe for quick and tender breadsticks on a website about a year ago (now defunct) and adapted it to make hamburger and hot dog buns. They became a family favorite because they really are quick and soft with a great texture, especially surprising because they are not kneaded. The original recipe produced [...]
Inspired by Money Saving Mom’s occasional “baking days,” and the fact that I had my last two zucchini in the fridge that needed to be used, I had a baking half-day yesterday in between prepping for my class and my usual Monday pursuits (the glamour of laundry…). It seemed like I had done a lot [...]
One way a lot of people use up their garden zucchini is by making zucchini bread. I know that my children wish I would just use the zucchini to make this tasty (and, um, sweet) bread instead of actually trying to cook with it. Over the years I have tried many different recipes like Pear Zucchini [...]
Here’s what I want you to know about making pita bread: you can do it! Honest- it’s easy, fairly quick (after an hour’s rise), and so fun to watch them puff up in the oven. The worst that can happen is some might not have the pocket in the middle, but then you have flatbread, [...]
**April 2010 Update: I now make this bread with less yeast and salt and more whole wheat flour with the same great results! I try to let it set three or four days in the fridge before using to increase the “sourdough” factor. Find specific changes in the recipe at the end.** I make this [...]
Update: As of November of 2010, I no longer add the extra gluten listed in my original recipe. I’ve read that we Americans get too much gluten in our daily diets and I just feel better not using it. My loaves are still fine for our family, but are probably not quite as high as [...]
I believe a cottage can be anywhere or anything (condo, ranch, farmhouse) as long as you have a "cottage mentality" which puts people above things, celebrates imperfections, embraces simplicity, and finds joy in everyday life. Thanks for joining me!
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