Apple Cider Vinegar

I finally have enough apple scraps collected to make apple cider vinegar. 

As I've made dried apples, I've been storing the scraps in a ziplock bag in the freezer. I know that'll make good stuff. The jar on the right is full of the peels and cores from the last batch of applesauce I made. I'm not sure how it will turn out using apples that have been cooked. 🤷‍♀️ If it turns out bad, I can always use it to catch fruit flies. 

I'll let it sit in a dark place for two weeks, stirring every day. Then strain it, let it sit for 1-3mo, then pH test it. It's ready when it has a pH of 2-3. 

Quest for a Cake #3

Recipe #3 is No Sugar Added Chocolate Brownie Cupcakes. This recipe is the easiest one yet. At least, the batter is. Three ingredients - smashed bananas, almond butter, cocoa powder. That's it! 

No rising agent, so they stayed pretty flat, more like disks. I guess that's why they're brownie cupcakes. 

The frosting is what's complicated with these bad boys. Avocado, sweet potato, and dates. Steam the sweet potato, let the dates soak in boiling water... 

We opted for homemade whipped cream to top them when Jaron celebrated his birthday with G's parents. They won't be around for his actual birthday, so they celebrated early. Got some pretty cute pictures of Jaron enjoying his birthday cupcakes. 

I'd say this recipe is the winner! Someday I'd like to make the frosting. That's a lot of chocolate for a baby, so I'd also like to try the recipe without cocoa powder. 🤔

Quest for a Cake #2

Recipe #2 Healthy Baby Smash Cake No Added Sugar. Basically, banana muffins in cake shape. Somehow in my expansive and well stocked kitchen I don't have any cake pans, so I made these as cupcakes. 

The base is almond flour and the sweetener is banana and apple sauce. They baked nicely and are fairly moist. Not the greatest texture in the world. I'm beginning to think I don't enjoy the texture of baked almond flour - too grainy. 

Still, the taste of these muffins is pretty good. Just the right hint of sweetness. Stored in the fridge they remain moist. I will keep the recipe!

Buckwheat Pancakes #3

Same recipe as yesterday, but with added spices on a different pan. 

Again, they taste great. Again, they still stuck to the pan. 

I made sure the pan heated up plenty ahead of time. It helped a little but it didn't seem to matter. They stuck even when I put oil or butter in the pan. 

The spices were a great addition! I put in cinnamon and cardamom. So what to do about the sticking? Could adding some oil help? Flax seed? Hmm...

Buckwheat Banana Pancakes

New recipe for buckwheat pancakes. I had seen this earlier and wanted to try it, but I didn't have bananas at the time. 

Great flavor, easy to make- just buckwheat flour, a ripe banana, and almond milk (or other milk). The downsides- it doesn't make many and my pancakes kept sticking to the cast iron. Granted, I had cooked some potatoes in it previously and didn't wipe the pan out, so the sticking might not be the recipe's fault. 😅

Will I make it again? Yes. I'll add spices next time and try cooking in a different pan. 

Freeze Dried Apples

I used a different apple slicer to make my freeze dried apples. They don't fit together as nicely. I have them slightly overlapping.

These are golden delicious from my brother's apple tree. 

Subbing in 7th

G and I decided that I could step away from my homesteading/homemaking/mom duties every once in a while to sub for a local school, the same one I did the long-term subbing for two years ago. 

Today is the first day subbing and the longest I've been away from Jaron since the NICU. I'm excited to be back in the classroom while also being leery of leaving Jaron for so long. G is taking charge of Jaron for the day. They dropped me off at school in the morning so I could show him off at staff devotions. The whole school prayed for Jaron and me our entire time in the NICU, so everyone was very excited to meet him, students and staff.

The students I taught today were the same ones I taught in fifth grade for the long-term subbing. We were all glad to be back together again. It was a pretty simple day lesson wise. The teacher had me administering mostly tests. I did have to teach a math lesson which was also very simple. 

G brought Jaron over the lunch hour so I could feed him and remind him I didn't completely disappear haha (and also so I could see him 😅). The kids were still eating lunch when they arrived, and when the students saw Jaron, they immediately lit up and wanted to high five him. He was a little overwhelmed by all the hands, but he didn't cry or fuss. He mostly stared at everyone. 

In the afternoon, my 7th graders asked to see pictures of Jaron, so while they took their English test, I figured out how to project from my phone to the smart board. We had about five minutes to see pictures. 

Overall, the day went very well, for Jaron, G, and me!