pumpkin cake

4 eggs
1 2/3 c. sugar
1 c. oil
2 c. pumpkin
2 c. flour
2 t. baking powder
2 t. cinnamon
1 t. salt
1 t. baking soda
Mix like a cake (sugar and wet blended thoroughly, mix in the dry ingredients together, beat until smooth) , bake in a greased and floured 9x13 at 350 for about an hour (for me it is a lot less - 45 min or so). Frost with cream cheese frosting.

gaps legal white bean chicken chili

Navy beans, dried (1 lb)
Filtered water
Chicken stock, homemade (5 cups)
Butter, ghee, lard, tallow, grass-fed, duck fat, or expeller-pressed coconut oil (4 tablespoons) —where to buy coconut oil
Garlic (2 cloves)
Onion, yellow or white, medium (1)
Green chiles, canned (8 oz)
Chicken breasts and/or thighs, pastured or free range organic, skinless & boneless (1 lb)
Cumin, ground (1 TBS)
Oregano, dried (1 TBS)
Red pepper flakes (1 pinch)
Sea salt (to taste) — where to buy sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
Sour cream or coconut milk kefir — where to buy starters
Garnish: Cheese, cheddar, or Parmesan, from grass-fed cows (2 oz)

Equipment

Stock pot or Dutch oven

Directions

1. Rinse beans well, and pick out any stones.
2. Put the dry beans in a stockpot or Dutch oven and cover with warm filtered water. Cover with a lid, set in a warm place and let soak for 12-24 hours.
3. Drain and rinse beans.
4. Place beans back in the stockpot with chicken stock and bring to a boil over high heat.
5. Meanwhile, cut up chicken into bite-sized pieces. Set aside.
6. Chop the onion and mince or crush the garlic. Set aside.
7. In a large saucepan, heat 4 TBS of butter or other fat (see ingredients) on medium heat.
8. Add garlic, onion, and green chiles and saute for 5 minutes.
9. Stir in the chicken, cumin, oregano and red pepper flakes.
10. Add to the stock pot with the beans.
11. Set the heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, for 1-2 hours. Or you can transfer to a crock pot and cook for 3-4 hours.
12. Serve with lots of grated cheese and sour cream or, if you are dairy intolerant, add fermented coconut yogurt.

MacPenneys chicken nugget

• 1 lb local or organic boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 egg
• 1 cup whole-wheat breadcrumbs
• ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
• ½ teaspoon paprika
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Cooking oil

DIRECTIONS

1. Chop the chicken into small chunks and sprinkle them with salt and pepper (if desired).
2. Lightly beat the egg in a shallow bowl.
3. In another shallow bowl mix together the breadcrumbs, cheese, paprika, and garlic powder with a fork.
4. Now you are ready to bread the chicken. There is a simple technique that will make this part very easy. Make one of your hands the “wet hand” and the other one the “dry hand”. With your wet hand toss some of the chicken chunks into the egg mixture until they are coated on all sides. Then with your wet hand drop them on top of the bread crumb mixture. With your dry hand sprinkle some breadcrumbs on top of the chicken and then flip them over a few times until the pieces are coated. Put the coated pieces on a plate while you work on the rest of the chicken.
5. Heat a thin layer of oil in a large sauté pan (a non-stick pan is recommended) over medium-low heat.
6. Cook the chicken nuggets for several minutes on each side until they are golden brown. You want the nuggets to be cooked all the way through by the time they get brown on the outside. Cut one down the middle to make sure it is fully cooked.
7. Transfer the nuggets to a plate lined with paper towels to help drain off any excess oil.
8. Serve with organic ketchup or homemade honey mustard sauce (equal parts honey, mustard, and mayo). And don’t forget to freeze the leftovers!

Naan

Ingredients

• 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
• 1 cup warm water
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 4 1/2 cups bread flour
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic (optional)
• 1/4 cup butter, melted

Directions

1. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand about 10 minutes, until frothy. Stir in sugar, milk, egg, salt, and enough flour to make a soft dough. Knead for 6 to 8 minutes on a lightly floured surface, or until smooth. Place dough in a well oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and set aside to rise. Let it rise 1 hour, until the dough has doubled in volume.
2. Punch down dough, and knead in garlic. Pinch off small handfuls of dough about the size of a golf ball. Roll into balls, and place on a tray. Cover with a towel, and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.
3. During the second rising, preheat grill to high heat.
4. At grill side, roll one ball of dough out into a thin circle. Lightly oil grill. Place dough on grill, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until puffy and lightly browned. Brush uncooked side with butter, and turn over. Brush cooked side with butter, and cook until browned, another 2 to 4 minutes. Remove from grill, and continue the process until all the naan has been prepared.

pickles

Yup. I soaked my cucumbers in cool bath overnight to loosen the dirt so I didn't have to scrub hard to clean them. I'm told if you soak them with alum it makes them crisper, but I haven't tried it personally.

1 Qt. white vinegar
3 Qt. water
3/4 C. pickling salt
fresh garlic
alum
fresh dill

Mix vinegar, water & salt and bring to a boil.
Put 2 garlic cloves, one large dill head and 1/8tsp alum in each jar.

Pack jars with cukes and pour in boiling vinegar solution to within an 1/2 inch of the rim.

Put lids and rings on tight.
Process 10 minutes in boiling water bath (with water at least an inch over the lids).

Remove and let sit for 24 hours. Ready to eat after 2 weeks.

Texan cornbread

Cornbread
(yield: 8x8 pan)
400°, bake for 15-20 minutes (or more if doubling recipe)

1/2 c. cornmeal
1 1/2 c. all purpose flour
2/3 sugar
1 T. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1/3 c. oil
3 T. butter, melted
2 eggs
1 1/4 c. milk

Mix wet ingredients, mix dry ingredients. Combine and bake according to your liking. You will enjoy.

moroccan braised chicken

Serves 6

• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 6 whole chicken legs, (about 12 ounces each), drumsticks and thighs attached, skin removed
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 cups large pitted prunes, (dried plums)

Directions

1. In a large (5-quart) heavy pot, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high. Season chicken generously on all sides with salt and pepper. Place 3 chicken legs in pot; cook, turning once, until browned, about 10 minutes total. Transfer to a plate. Repeat with remaining chicken and oil.
2. Add onion and 1/4 cup water to pot; cook, stirring to loosen browned bits on bottom. Add turmeric, ginger, and cinnamon; cook, stirring occasionally, until onion has softened, about 5 minutes. Return chicken to pot. Add 2 cups water and half the prunes; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; partially cover, and simmer until chicken is cooked through and very tender, about 45 minutes.
3. Transfer chicken to a platter; cover tightly with aluminum foil to keep warm. Add remaining prunes to pot; raise heat to high. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce has thickened, about 10 minutes more. If not serving immediately, top chicken with sauce, cover and refrigerate up to 1 day in an airtight container. Otherwise, divide chicken among serving plates, and top with sauce.