Make Your Own Homemade Sour Cream

"Hey yogurt, if you're so cultured, how come I never see you at the opera?"

 

- Attributed to Stephen Colbert

I use a lot of sour cream. It is one of my favorite ingredients for baking. I prefer using it over yogurt, since it has a higher fat content, I think it makes tastier baked goods. So when I first found out you could make it yourself, I was all over it.

Measuring the cream

I keep heavy cream in the house, mostly because I use it in tea and coffee. There is nothing like heavy cream, pure and simple. I actually think heavy cream is my favorite food of all time. Since I keep it around, this is so awesome for me. I can make my own sour cream myself, if I run out of store bought.

Just added the milk/vinegar mixture

Another reason I wanted to share it here, is because many of my recipes call for it, and sour cream isn't available in every country. But heavy cream, (probably called simply, cream, in most places) I know is more widely available.





And we wait for the magic to happen

The great news is I think this homemade sour cream tastes even better than store bought. The first taste you get when you taste it is sour cream. But then you get this after taste of heavy cream. So of course I love that! And you know what the ingredients are since you made it yourself!

After 24 hours, it gets thick! But not quite as thick as store bought, but almost.

The bad news is it doesn't last as long in the fridge as store bought, and it's not quite as thick, (it's still thick, just a tad less than store bought.) It lasts about a week after you make it, but after a few days it does loosen a little. I think it's best within the first 4 or 5 days.

Vintage Minton Bowl, Pink Napkins and  Towle Sterling Silver Spoon, available at my Etsy shop, House of Lucien.




Homemade Sour Cream

There are 2 different ways you can make this, I've included them both.
 
Recipe #1 from All Recipes This is the recipe I used this time, but I've made it both ways.

Ingredients

1 cup (8 oz or 237 ml) heavy whipping cream - here in the US there is whipping cream and heavy whipping cream, get the heavy kind, the one with the highest fat content

1/4 cup (59 ml) milk

3/4 tsp white vinegar

Directions

In a small bowl, add the milk and the vinegar stir, and let stand for 10 minutes.

Pour the heavy cream into a jar and stir in the milk mixture. Cover the jar and let stand at room temperature for 24 hours.

After the 24 hours has passed, store it in the fridge. Use within a week.



Recipe #2 From Mother Earth News this article also includes how to make cream cheese

Ingredients

1 cup (8 oz or 237 ml)  heavy whipping cream - here in the US there is whipping cream and heavy whipping cream, get the heavy kind, the one with the highest fat content

1/4 cup (59 ml) sour cream OR cultured buttermilk, OR yogurt with live cultures

Directions

In a jar add the heavy cream and the sour cream or buttermilk, shake it all up and let it sit at room temperature for 24 hours. After 24 hours, store it in the fridge. It will last a week in the fridge.


Enjoy!

Pumpkin Spice Breakfast Cookies

 ”Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there.”

- Will Rogers 

I need to have something already ready for me for breakfast every morning. I am hungry when I wake up. If I don't have something healthy to eat ready to go, I'll just eat whatever sounds delicious to me right then in the moment. For instance, if there is a cupcake laying around, I'll eat a cupcake. Not exactly a breakfast of champions, and not even filling, and not even what I'm really craving.

 

 

Make sure you buy Aluminum free baking powder next time you purchase it. Too much aluminum leads to Alzheimer's disease. I have this great natural vet, and she knows I bake treats for my dogs, she told me I better be using aluminum free baking powder since the aluminum isn't good for anyone including dogs. She told me, "I don't care if you use it for yourself, but I do care if you feed it to your dog." I love that she cares so much about my dogs.

That's why I like these breakfast cookies. Long ago, I made some banana breakfast cookies. They are healthy, filling, and ready for eating when you wake up.

The dry ingredients

This pumpkin spice version is just as delicious. Pumpkin is even a vegetable! I never thought I would be eating a vegetable for breakfast. These cookies are healthy and gluten free.

This is the dried milk I used. One pouch is one cup, the amount called for in this recipe. Make sure you check the expiration on you dried milk, if it smells bad, it probably is. Dried milk doesn't last forever.

 

Full of pumpkin, dried milk, oats, flax seeds, walnuts and raisins. It's like eating a healthy bowl of cereal in a cookie! But even better because you know exactly what's in it since you made it. Speaking of making them, it's easy. A one bowl, stir it up, pop in the oven kind of recipe.

 

 

I buy whole flax seeds and store them in the fridge. If I need ground flax seeds I grind them in the Vita Mix or a food processor. Whole flax seeds last longer than ground.

 

I like to use flax seeds because they are filled with Omega 3 fatty acids. But you don't have to use them if you don't keep them in the house. You can use oat flour or whole wheat flour instead. (If you use whole wheat flour they won't be gluten free, FYI.)

 

Scoop out the dough with a scoop

These are so great because you can freeze them individually and take one out when you need it. So bake once and eat a healthy breakfast everyday for days.

Flatten them out a bit, they don't spread much

 

 

With these in the house I won't have to eat a cupcake for breakfast unless I really want to.



I added raisins and nuts to the top of my cookies

 

 

 

English Ironstone Transferware Plates and Tablecloth available at my Etsy shop,
House of Lucien.

 

Pumpkin Spice Breakfast Cookies

 

an original recipe by me, Melissa aka The Alchemist

 

Makes 9 or 10 Cookies, recipe can easily be doubled and cookies can be frozen, wrapped individually then placed in a zip top bag, for at least 6 months.

 

 

Ingredients

 

1 1/2 cups (130 g.) oats - gluten free, (if you want to make these GF)- old fashioned or quick, but not instant

 

5 Tablespoons ground flax seeds or oat flour (oats ground in the blender or food processor till a powder) or whole wheat flour - if you use whole wheat flour they won't be gluten free

 

1 cup (3.2 oz.) (90.7 g.) powdered nonfat milk (make sure it's not expired, it does go bad)

 

1/4 cup (38 g.) brown sugar

 

1 tsp. baking powder

 

1 tsp. baking soda

 

1/4 tsp. salt

 

1 Tablespoon plus 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

 

3 heaping Tablespoons raisins, plus more for topping cookies (if desired)

 

3 heaping Tablespoons chopped walnuts plus more for topping cookies (if desired)

 

1 can (15 oz) (425 g.) pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)

 

1 egg

 

1/3 cup (79 ml) honey

 

 

Directions

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, 180 Degrees Celsius, Gas Mark 4.

 

In a large bowl add all of the dry ingredients and whisk together. Then add the walnuts and raisins and whisk again. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix with a large spoon until well combined.

 

Scoop out dough with an ice cream scoop onto parchment paper lined (or silpat lined) cookie sheets. With the back of a spatula or the back of a wooden spoon pat the scoops down just a bit. They don't spread out much.

 

Add raisins and walnuts to each individual cookie if you wish.

 

Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven.

 

Let cool on wire racks. Cookies can be stored in the fridge for 5 days covered in an airtight container. You can also freeze these. Wrap them individually in plastic wrap, then place them all in a gallon sized Ziploc bag. Take one out when you wake up and by the time you want to eat it it should be defrosted. (about an hour or less.) Or you can always take one or two out the night before.
 

Banana Pudding with Vanilla Wafer Crumble

 

 

"The first and greatest commandment is,
Don't let them scare you."

- Elmer Davis

 

 

I love bananas, I mean what's not to like? They're always in season. You can tell just by looking at them if they're ripe. They come in a smart little package. You can store them in the freezer to use later if they're about to go bad. They're also full of nutrition. And they're cheap to boot. What more could you ask for?

 

 

Whisking up the yolks, sugar and cornstarch. My yolks are bright orange since they come from my own free range chickens. This resulted in my pudding being bright yellow. If you use store bought eggs your pudding will be much lighter in color.

 

 I love the things, so we always have some on hand. When I saw this recipe on Food and Wine, I knew I needed to make it. I was attracted to the fact that unlike a traditional banana pudding served from a large dish, these can be made individually. I also loved the crumble to give a different texture. Pudding is such a great dessert to make for guests at a casual dinner party, since it needs to be made in advance.

This banana pudding is just scrumptious. Creamy and rich and not too sweet, topped with a crunchy vanilla wafer crumble. It's easy and simple to put together. A great dessert to have in your back pocket for any occasion.

Scraping the seeds from the vanilla bean. I buy vanilla beans in bulk from a vanilla company on EBay. The seeds are fresh, and much cheaper than from the grocery store.

I am having a dinner party soon and some of the guests are gluten free. This is a great gluten free dessert, if you use some gluten free cookies for the crumble, of course.

Spooning the pudding into individual vessels, makes serving at the end of dinner even easier. I used teacups, but if teacups aren't your thing, you can use some champagne glasses, or martini glasses. Or you could spoon them into little mason jars. 

If you own some demitasse or espresso cups, you could use them for the pudding on a dessert buffet. Their small size won't fill guests up, if there is more than one dessert option.

Crumble ready for toasting in the oven.

A heartwarming, comforting cup full of goodness.

 

Vintage teacups and pink tablecloth available at House of Lucien.

Banana Pudding with Vanilla Wafer Crumble


adapted from David Guas for Food and Wine

Makes 5 servings

Ingredients

For the pudding

5 large egg yolks

 

1/2 cup (100 g.) sugar

 

1/4 cup (32 g.) cornstarch

 

1/4 teaspoon salt

 

1 1/2 cups (355 ml) whole milk

 

3/4 cup (177 ml) heavy cream

 

1 vanilla bean, split in half and seeds scraped out, or 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

 

3 ripe bananas, sliced

For the crumble

1 cup vanilla wafers (about 15 cookies) coarsely ground - If you are making this gluten free, make sure to use a type of cookie that is GF. You can use any type of vanilla cookie, or even animal crackers.

 

2 teaspoons sugar

 

Pinch salt

 

2 Tablespoon butter, melted

 

 

Directions

 

To make the pudding
 

Whisk the egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch, and salt together in a medium bowl and set aside. Add the milk, cream and the vanilla bean seeds as well as the pod, to a saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil. Remove from the heat and whisk a little at a time into the egg mixture. Once the bottom of the bowl is warm, slowly whisk in the remaining hot milk. Pour the mixture back into a clean medium saucepan (cleaning the saucepan prevents the pudding from scorching), whisk over medium-low heat until it thickens, about 2 minutes. Cook while constantly whisking until the pudding is glossy and quite thick, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes longer. Remove the vanilla bean pod (or if you are using vanilla extract, add it now.) Stir in the sliced bananas.Transfer the pudding to individual dishes. Press a piece of plastic wrap onto the surface of the puddings to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or overnight.         

 

To make the crumble:

 

While the pudding sets, heat the oven to 325 Fahrenheit, 160/170 Celsius Gas Mark 3.

 

Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat mat, and set aside.Transfer the crumbs to a small bowl and stir in the sugar and salt. Use a spoon to evenly stir in the melted butter, transfer to the prepared baking sheet, and toast in the oven until brown and fragrant, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool. (The crumbs can be stored in an airtight container for up to 5 days at room temperature or frozen for up to 2 months; re-crisp in a 325°F oven for 6 to 7 minutes if necessary.)

 

Just before serving, add crumbs to each portion and serve.

Breakfast Baked Potatoes

 

"Reach high, for stars lie hidden in your soul. Dream deep, for every dream precedes the goal."

 

- Pamela Vaull Starr

 

Eggs and potatoes, a match made in heaven! I eat them all the time, but never with one inside the other. A brilliant idea! When I saw this done by another blogger, Our Best Bites, I thought why isn't everyone everywhere doing this all the time!

 

 

Slice off the top of the potato

 

It's perfect. Protein, potatoes and eggs all in one easy to manage vessel. And a great use of leftover baked potatoes.

 

 

Scoop out the insides, not all of them, but most. Salt and pepper the insides and brush them with melted butter.

Fill your potatoes with everything you love to put in an omelet. Cheese, ham, bacon, spinach, tomatoes, chives, chili. I love me a chili omelet. So I made a ham and cheese potato, and a chili and cheese potato.

Fill them up with yummy stuff. I did a ham and cheese, and a chili and cheese. Anything you would put in an omelet or a quiche.

 

I think these would be great to serve at a brunch, with some muffins, and fruit.

 

Crack and egg on top and more salt and pepper

 

This is just an idea, not really a recipe, so go wild! Bake up some potatoes and fill them with all kinds of yummy stuff you like. Potatoes are cheap, and eggs are a good source of protein, so it's all good.

 

 

 

 

Vintage Minton Gold Teacup and Vintage Orange Pumpkin Cloth Napkins available at my Etsy Shop, House of Lucien.

 

 Breakfast Baked Potatoes

 

 

 

Adapted from Our Best Bites

 

Ingredients

baked potatoes, cooked and slightly cooled - if straight from the fridge, I'd warm them slightly to just warm, or room temperature

melted butter

salt and black pepper

Shredded cheese (cheddar, Gruyere, Fontina, pepper jack, or other of your choice)

eggs

additional fillings of your choice: sauteed vegetables, bacon or ham, chili, etc. or raw veggies like chives or chopped tomatoes

 

 

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, 180 degrees Celsius, Gas Mark 4.

Slice a layer off the top of each potato. Use a spoon to gently scoop out insides, leaving a thin layer of potato against the skin and avoiding puncturing the bottom. Reserve scooped potato for another use.

Brush inside of each potato with melted butter and sprinkle with a little salt and pepper. Sprinkle a layer of shredded cheese into each potato and add fillings as desired (vegetables, diced meat, etc.) Fill each potato about 1/2 full. Crack one egg into each potato. Sprinkle with a little more salt and pepper. Top with additional cheese and toppings if desired.

Place potatoes on a in an oven safe dish and cook for about 20 minutes, it could be as little as 15 minutes, or as many as 25 minutes or more. (The amount of time depends on how large your potato is, if it's warm or cold, etc.)  Egg whites should be set and yolks soft.

Lavender Lemonade and Cool Stuff

"Deep summer is when laziness finds respectability." 

~Sam Keen

This lavender lemonade is my new favorite drink! It's refreshing, unique and just plain delicious. I love the taste of lavender, the smell of lavender, I absolutely love lavender! We have many plants of it growing around our property, so I am fortunate to have access to it.

Recipe for the lemonade and some more pics below, now onto some cool stuff I'm liking this week.

Olive Oil Felted Lemon Meringue Pie Soap - This soap is covered in hand felted wool to give you a scrub while you wash. Made of olive oil and Shea butter. From MikeandDianeSoap. This soap sounds fresh and cool, perfect soap for summer.

Cat Cave/ Cat House Handmade from Natural Wool - From Grazim - What the heck! I've never seen anything like this, but what a great idea. How sweet is that cat? I think any cat would love to have a handmade house.

Handmade Wooden ABC Children's Blocks - By TinyGiraffeShop - These are so beautiful. I think they would make a great baby gift.



And now on to Lavender Lemonade Making!

One of our lavender bushes on the walk up to our house is out of control. The good thing about it though is that it gives you a lovely whiff of lavender on your walk up the path.

Straining the lavender buds

After you add the lemon juice, it suddenly turns pink!

 

 

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Silver plated tray and pitcher available at my Etsy Shop, House of Lucien.

Lavender Lemonade

You can harvest your own lavender flowers, or buy culinary lavender from a well stocked grocery store. If you are using dried, I'd use a bit less.

Recipe from Local Harvest's newsletter


Ingredients

1 Tablespoon fresh lavender flowers (that have not been sprayed) Or if using dried, I'd use half that.

1/3 - 1/2 cup (64 mg-100 mg) (78 ml - 118 ml) sugar or honey

1/3 cup (78 ml) fresh lemon juice - it took me 3 lemons - You can add more if you like it more tart


Directions

Boil 2 cups water in a small saucepan. Once it comes to a boil add the lavender flowers and remove from heat. Let steep for 10 minutes. Strain the flowers from the liquid. Add the lavender liquid to a 1 quart (4 cups) (946 ml) jar and add the sugar or honey. (add the lesser amount, when you taste it later if you want it sweeter, add more to taste.) Shake it up to mix. Add the fresh lemon juice, then fill the jar the rest of the way with cold water. Refrigerate till cold. Taste it now and see if you need more sweetener, or if you want it more tart, add more lemon juice. Enjoy over ice.

Iced Tea Float and Cool Stuff

 "I will not die an unlived life. I will not live in fear of falling or catching fire. I choose to inhabit my days, to allow my living to open me, to make me less afraid, more accessible; to loosen my heart until it becomes a wing, a torch, a promise. I choose to risk my significance, to live so that which came to me as seed goes to the next as blossom, and that which came to me as blossom, goes on as fruit. "

-Dawna Markova

From "50 Inspirational Quotes to Power Up Your Inner Badass."

"This iced tea float is genius!", I thought when I first read about the recipe in a book called, "Best Places Seattle Cookbook: Recipes from the City's Outstanding Restaurants and Bars."

First you make some strong, sweetened iced tea, turn it into a sorbet, then float it in unsweetened iced tea for a refreshing drink that slowly sweetens the iced tea as the sorbet melts. The creator, Kaspar Donier of Seattles Kaspar's says a batch of leftover iced tea inspired this sorbet creation. He uses Earl Grey tea, I chose black tea with fresh mint and lemon. Recipe below.

And here are some things I'm loving this week:

Cardamom and Coconut Lip Balm by fawnlilybotanica - I'm in love with cardamom so I bought this yesterday. She not only uses organic cardamom oil, but also infuses the sunflower oil with organic cardamom seeds. I can't wait to try it! They also have a Vanilla Bean Facial Wash that looks equally fabulous.

Beautiful Audrey Hepburn Quote Art Print with Black and White Silhouette -  by ColeandCo. Designs

I've always loved this quote, and what a beautiful reminder hanging on the wall.

Shea Butter Turquoise Stone Soaps in Cool Water- By Beacon Hill Candles- I love the beauty of these turquoise stones. With Shea butter and coconut oil they are moisturizing as well. A great addition to a guest bathroom.

Blue-Green Aquamarine and Silver Sculpted Siren Ring-
By SamBraundJewellery- this ring caught my eye then I read about it and loved it even more. Now I think of it as the Pirates of the Caribbean Ring.

Here's the description- "This collection is inspired by myths and legends surrounding Mermaids, and their Siren songs that would lure mariners towards the rocky coastlines, causing shipwrecks to occur.

These rings are made with these mythical seductresses in mind. The gemstones are polished smooth by the sea, having fallen from these shipwrecked vessels and settled on the ocean bed, where over time coral and barnacles have encapsulated the gemstones creating part living sculptures.

Each ring is uniquely sculpted in Sterling Silver, with woven swirls depicting the coral, and Sterling Silver beads to represent the barnacles. The silver has been oxidised to create an antiqued look, which serves to highlight the intricate weaving."

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Iced Tea Float

Inspired by a recipe in "Best Places Seattle Cookbook: Recipes from the City's Outstanding Restaurants and Bars." by Kaspar Donier of Seattles Kaspar's


For the Sorbet

Ingredients

4 1/2 cups (1 liter and 65 ml.) water

1 1/2 cups (300 g.) sugar

5 - 7 strong black tea bags - I used Welsh Tea (which is a great black tea by the way and it is very strong) BUT if you are using a regular black tea, like English Breakfast by Stash or Lipton, I'd use 6 or even 7.  OR if you want to use Earl Grey, use 6 Earl Grey tea bags.

juice of one lemon

a small bunch of fresh mint


For the Liquid Element

Very Cold Unsweetened Iced Tea - I added fresh mint to this to let it infuse while it cooled


Instructions

To make the sorbet. First make some strong tea by adding the water to a saucepan, then add the sugar and stir it. Almost bring it to a boil. Add the tea bags and mint, and remove the pan from the stove. Cover it and let it steep for 30 minutes.

Remove the tea bags, squeeze out the tea from the bags and discard. Add the lemon juice. Now you can either leave the mint in the sorbet base while it cools, if you want a stronger mint flavor, or you can remove it now. Refrigerate this till it's very cold, at least 4 hours. Now remove the mint if you haven't already. Process the sorbet mixture in the ice cream machine according to manufacturers instructions. Freeze mixture until firm, at least 2 hours.

When you are ready to serve, first let the sorbet sit out a few minutes until it's soft enough to scoop. Add a few scoops of sorbet to a glass, then fill glass with iced tea and garnish with fresh mint.

You can also serve the sorbet as a refreshing dessert with some tropical fruit if desired.

IF YOU DON"T HAVE AN ICE CREAM MACHINE, Make an Icy Slushy- Make the sorbet mixture as directed above.

Pour it into a shallow dish in the freezer. Scrape it after it starts to freeze. About 30 minutes later, scrape it again. Keep scraping it every half hour or so till it's icy and frozen. Just like my Honeydew Ice. Put this mixture in a glass and add iced tea to it to make an icy slushy.