Ostara 2017

It’s the night of the Spring Equinox as I write this. I’m tired (in a good way) from a long and relaxed day…even though I was working in the kitchen for half of it! Yesterday, my family tidied up the porch and planted another round of seeds we had in our fridge that were getting prepped to plant. We also repotted a few babies and took note of other plants that needed new homes soon. 

Today, my husband had to work in the morning so I spent the first part of the day alone with the kids. We ate a home cooked breakfast (as usual) and then took turns taking baths and showers so we’d all be clean and fresh for the day. I even got to do a face mask while washing the kids. By the time we were done my love arrived home! For lunch I made buttery seasoned Brussel sprouts roasted with pine nuts (I usually use almonds but wanted to switch it up) and topped with a egg. Keeping with the general Ostara food themes of potentially using seeds, nuts, greens, edible flowers and eggs for the day.

I also baked pretzel rolls despite having made regular pretzels yesterday. My husband loves these and always asks me to make them.

I topped half with sesame seeds. Yum! I love sesame seeds!

I even pickled some veggies! Someone likes the liquid so…

I had other treats I wanted to make but not enough mouths to eat everything I planned. Maybe next year! This year was more than enough for my family and for offerings. 

I even tidied the kitchen altar a bit for the day. It’s very simple due to the little grabby hands in the house. 

We played outside after I was done baking. My toddler Dagmar immediately jumped into this massive puddle. What else did I expect? 

Mina seemed to enjoy the light sprinkles of water that the breeze blew from the trees. Haha! (Not our car btw)

After ANOTHER bath for the toddler I took the baby upstairs to read while the other two napped on the couch. I rarely get uninterrupted time to read so this was very exciting for me. Then this cutie decided to giggle and smile the whole time which of course I couldn’t ignore! Aw! 

All in all it was a good and simple celebration. Nothing fancy and all done using things we had. You don’t need to break the bank or go all out to celebrate the change of the seasons! Recognition and time spent with loved ones or on some self care is all you need!

Homemade Bounty Bars Recipe

Most of the time when I feel like making something in the kitchen I want to make it immediately. So I go in and rummage through cabinets and the fridge to see what ingredients I have and start from there. I wanted to make something that didn’t require too much energy so I decided on a chocolate treat with minimal work involved. I decided to make Bounty bars. For those of us in the states it is like a Mounds bar. A Bounty bar is typically found in the UK and Canada but can be found in specialty shops, etc internationally. I am lucky enough to have had them and was happy to make some at home. I also didn’t have the corn syrup and marshmallows needed to create the base for Mounds or an Almond Joy so I kinda had to go this route. 

You will need:

*7 oz bag of coconut flakes

*14 oz can of sweetened condensed milk

*2 cups chocolate (I used chocolate chips but you can buy chocolate specifically made for candy)
You’ll also need wax paper and either a double broiler or a microwave for the chocolate. 
Optional: extracts for the coconut blend and sea or kosher salt for the chocolate to enhance the flavor. Though these are not used typically. 

Mix the condensed milk and coconut together. Use 1/4 cup less condensed milk for not so “milky” bars if you prefer that. 

I added 1/2 a teaspoon of almond extract but coconut or vanilla work too. They are not needed or required however. I added it for my personal tastes. 

Form into bars with your hands and set on wax paper. Freeze for 30-60 minutes. I put mine in the freezer then cleaned the house a bit. Leaving them longer doesn’t hurt them. 

Melt chocolate! Either in a microwave with a microwave safe bowl or in a double boiler. I didn’t temper mine as I had a toddler helping and forgot. You can temper yours by melting in increments before adding more chocolate and then setting the bowl or pan in cold water. Seeing as I don’t have pictures of this I would refer to a YouTube video for help if you need it. If you don’t temper it you will run into the issue of it cooling fast and making not so pretty bars. 

I used two forks to toss the bar around. Use whatever you have handy. Spoons, chopsticks, etc. I had also added raw almonds for a crunch in some pieces as you can see here.

Set to cool. Wax paper would have been best but you may get a pooling of chocolate so I went this route of using a greased cooking rack. 

Let the chocolate set for a few hours then enjoy! 

Steel Cut Oat and Honey Bread

If you have read some of my older blogs you would know we like to buy in bulk and store food in glass jars. My husband bought me the “Outlander Kitchen” (http://outlanderkitchen.com) book last year and with it a ton of oats. Then he went to sea and I had no one to cook and bake for. I was pregnant and had no appetite most of the time and even though my family loves my food I felt insecure in giving it away to others with different tastes. So I didn’t use much. I had my baby at the start of the year and decided to finally start using it up. Here is one recipe I wanted to share (not from “Outlander Kitchen” just FYI)! Steel Cut Oat and Honey bread! It’s a bit crumbly but delicious! You can easily add to it as well. Add in raisins, chocolate chips, spices such as cinnamon, etc. You can top it with a glaze, honey butter, chocolate drizzle, etc as well. I made mine “plain” to show you a good starting point. It doesn’t taste plain at all though! You can easily use this blend in muffin tins as well for individual treats. 

You will need: 

*2 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour

*1 cup steel cut oats (I used quick cook but both work)

*1 cup boiling water 

*1 egg

*2/3 cup milk (I used cashew)

*1/4 cup honey (at least!) 

*3 tsp baking powder

*1 tsp salt 

*1/2 stick butter (or 4 tablespoons oil of choice)

*butter, cooking spray or whatever you prefer to grease your bread pan

Take oats and add boiling water to them in a heat proof bowl. 

Let sit for an hour for quick cook or two hours for regular steel cut. 

Start to preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit as the next steps will go quickly. 

Melt butter and honey on low while stirring continuously. I used a whisk (my tiny one ran off with my toddler).

When the honey and butter are fully melted and combined add the mixture to the oats and blend together. 

In a separate bowl mix the dry ingredients fully.

Add milk to the oat blend before dropping in the egg. Mix well. 

Add the wet and dry ingredients together.

Here I used my Kitchen Aide as my kid likes to watch it work) but you can mix with a spoon. Mix until just fully blended. Do not overwork it. 

Grease bread pan and pour in mixture. 

Shake gently and then slap against the counter to even out the dough and have it fill in any gaps. 

Bake for an hour on the center shelf. Some ovens may require a little more time. Use a knife to check to make sure the dough is baked through. 

Immediately take out of the pan to cool. You can top it now if you wish or don’t top it at all. I used salted butter as it brings out the flavor. 

Let cool fully then slice and enjoy! 

Checking In – Life Update

Though I have decently kept up the Instagram and Facebook page for “The Heathen Homesteader” I have completely neglected the (this) blog (and the accompanying Twitter and Tumblr. Oops.). I got pregnant with my second child last year and my brain power and energy went down the drain. I thought that once I had the baby I could get back to work but now I’m even more tired. Parenthood is no joke! It’s difficult but worth it. 

I wanted to take a moment to check in however. To let you all know I am still here and don’t plan on abandoning this project of mine. I just need time.

Also, meet Wilhelmina “Mina” Johanna! She was born on January 3rd and weighed 10lbs 14oz. 

She’s about 16lbs now at a little over 2 months old. 

Her big sister Dagmar absolutely adores her and smothers her with love. 

So you can see I have my hands full! Literally. 

Working on a recipe today for an oat bread and I hope to be able to share it as soon as I can. Thank you all for your continued interest in my work and your support.