I tackled that sourdough page in NT (Nourishing Traditions) this week.  The recipe makes 3 quarts of starter!  No problem...just click around GNOWFGLINS.com for a few minutes, and you'll find plenty of things to use it in.

So, here is my starter, some rolls I made with it, some bread I made with it and some chocolate cake...yes, made with sourdough starter!  I was on a roll (no pun intended), what can I say?

The bread was a little dense, but not bad for my first attempt.  And I have enough starter (learned how to feed it properly...thanks Wardeh) to keep it going for awhile.  Oh!  I used sprouted spelt in the rolls and bread.  Not sure it was necessary, but reasoned that now ALL of my flour had been "processed" to rid it of phytic acid and enzyme inhibitors.

OK...this is my first entry in the Tuesday Twister over at GNOWFGLINS.  We'll see if I can do this correctly.

So here is what I've been experimenting with this week:

We made pancakes for breakfast!  My family LOVES pancakes...so my triumphant announcement that we were going to have "healthy" pancakes wasn't met with much enthusiasm.  As usual, when faced with an objection, my "I'll show you!" attitude kicked into overdrive.  I just flipped open my Nourishing Traditions book to page 478 and learned how to make them...the healthy way.

Here's the recipe...with my own little addition:

Pancakes

Makes 16-20

• 2 c. freshly ground spelt flour (I have a friend that grinds the grain for me.  :) )
• 2 c. buttermilk
• 2 eggs, slightly beaten (from pasture-fed chickens)
• ½ tsp. sea salt
• 1 tsp. baking soda (aluminum free)
• 2 tbsp. of melted butter (from pasture-fed, raw cow's milk)
• 1 tsp. vanilla

I soaked the flour and buttermilk right in my blender overnight.  The book says 12-24 hours - check!  Got up the next morning and added the other ingredients.  I poured the mixture out of my blender into a hot pan (put a little coconut oil in the pan to flavor), making three pancakes at a time until I had quite a stack.  We topped with a pat or two of (pasture-fed) butter and real, organic maple syrup.

Did they like it?  We had them the following morning also!  They loved them!  Good...next "experiment"...

Sweet Potato Dollars

This recipe came right out of Nourishing Traditions also.  Amazing that I never thought of this before...so easy!!

Peeled and sliced a few sweet potatoes.  Mixed 1½ TBS of olive oil and 1½ TBS of melted butter.  Spread half of oil/butter mixture on two cookie sheets.  Laid down a layer of sweet potato "dollars" on each pan.  Then coated tops with the other half of oil/butter mixture.  Sprinkled sea salt to taste and cooked for 45 minutes in 350° oven.  These are so good!  My girls have also varied this recipe to use russet potatoes and julienned them for "fries".

Peanut Butter Cups

Too Good to Be Healthy? All of my "skeptics" had to agree...these are better than store bought!  Avivah at Oceans of Joy, THANK YOU for posting this recipe!

Like Wardeh over at GNOWFGLINS, I too had difficulty getting the chocolate to reheat for the top layer.  On my second attempt (the 1st attempt still TASTED great), I made the two layers of chocolate separately.  I also had some of these miniature paper baking cups on hand, so I created peanut butter cup "miniatures".  :)

Chicken Tacos w/soaked tortillas

Tried a few other experiments this week also, that didn't turn out great...but are worth mentioning.  Made my own soaked tortillas...recipe here.  Thank you Stephanie @ Keeper of the Home for posting this tutorial.  I'm sure I overcooked some of them...they were a little brittle for folding.  Definitely operator error and no reflection on your recipe!  We made chicken tacos that night.  Will definitely use this recipe again!

Cream Peas on Buttermilk Biscuits

And last, I made cream peas on buttermilk biscuits.  Once again, using the recipe from Nourishing Traditions, the biscuits should have been soaked overnight...but I didn't have time.  They turned out like hockey pucks!  lo!  My kids swear they liked them.  The cream peas recipe is one my mom has passed on to me.  I substituted raw, pasture-fed milk and pastured butter and added sea salt and pepper...then thickened with a flour and water mixture.  A bag of peas from the freezer brought back some pretty nice memories!

That's what I have for this week.  Every day is a new adventure in my kitchen now.  I'm looking forward to having some new things to report next week!  :)