In the Kitchen: Autumn Cooking and Baking

Autumn cooking and baking is the best! Sharing a few from my kitchen from the past few weeks/months. 

A new recipe for me in recent weeks ... Chicken Parmesan. I had made a different Chicken Parmesan recipe in the past, but this one from a favorite food blogger caught my attention, and it did not disappoint! It was delicious, and I think it looks especially beautiful during the autumn months.

Soup season is here! I usually try to serve a soup menu once each week during the fall and winter. My very first one for this season was Best-Ever Potato Soup! I often even double the recipe for just the two of us, as we like to freeze it in meal-sized portions to use on days when I don't have the time to cook a meal from scratch. 

I haven't prepared this delicious Hot Spiced Cider yet this season, but just had to share it here. Whenever I serve it, it fills the kitchen with the warm aroma of autumn ... and tastes like autumn, as well.

The Apple Coffee Cake with Cream Cheese Filling shown above is made in my kitchen most every year at this time. We enjoy it as a dessert, often served with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream on top, or sometimes a dollup of Cool Whip.

Pumpkin Squares are a dessert that I make every autumn season, as well. It tastes just as delicious as pumpkin pie, and is even easier to make than the pie. I make a 9x13 pan of it to serve for guests, and then freeze the remainder in meal-sized portions for the two of us. 

My Ongoing Love of Sourdough Baking

I ask myself this question sometimes ... why do I love sourdough baking so much? My sourdough journey started in late summer of 2023, while in the home of one of our daughters. I saw a jar of her sourdough starter on her kitchen counter, and was drawn to it like a magnet. I had been interested in learning the process, but had been hesitant to try to create a starter on my own. But with a starter gifted to me in August 2023, I began the journey of learning sourdough baking. And now, a bit over two years later, my interest in and love of sourdough baking has even grown from those beginning days!

And it has been quite a journey! Though really quite easy once you learn the rhythms of caring for a sourdough starter, initially it was quite a learning curve for me. And I am still learning. And maybe this is one reason why I love it so much ... there is so much to learn, so many ways to perfect the process, and unending things to make with a simple sourdough starter. Natural yeast + water + flour = absolutely delicious, nutritious breads and more. It is an adventure that keeps going on and on ...

Click these links for my first two posts on sourdough baking:

Beginning with Sourdough - from Dec. 2023

My Current Sourdough Rhythm - from Jan. 2024

Having now passed my two-year mark of sourdough baking, I thought it would be fun for me to share some of the things that I have learned since my beginning days. For my own records, also as hopefully it may be encouraging to others who are in the process of learning, as well. 

I have learned a lot about the various feeding ratios of starter + flour + water. Where I started out using the 1:1:1 ratio, I now use a variety of different ratios, depending on the timing of needing my starter ready for baking. During the hot and humid days of summer, I used a 1:10:10 ratio for an overnight feeding of my starter, as I wanted to have it ready to mix dough with first thing in the morning.

I have also learned a lot about how the temperature of the water, also of the  dough, plus the temperature of my kitchen affects rising times. It has become much easier for me to plan ahead for when I want to mix my dough, and also for when I want to bake my bread. 

I also love to use my electric baking mat to speed up the rising of the dough during the daytime hours. This is especially helpful during the colder winter days, but I have also used it during the summer and fall days, as well. Click HERE for the one I was gifted for my birthday over a year ago. (Mine is the Large size, 12x18 inches.)

I have also learned a variety of helpful techniques to strengthen the dough, giving the bread a higher rise. One of these helpful tips is to lengthen the time of the actual mixing of the dough, even spending up to 7-8 minutes with the mixing itself. This has made a significant difference in my bread.

Basically, sourdough baking becomes easier as we become acquainted with all the ways that we can make it work for us individually. Making it fit into our own personal daily life, and also how to get optimal results in the different seasons of the year.

I continue to learn from multiple sourdough bakers by following them on Instagram. One of the most helpful to me has been Second Rise Sourdough, who gives great tips on understanding ratios, temperature, and more. I have learned so much from purchasing her ebook entitled: Sourdough YOUR Way.

As a result, my weekly sourdough baking rhythm has changed. I can now determine which feeding ratio to use depending on when I want to be mixing my dough. How much starter to prepare for what I plan to bake, resulting in very little discard. I can also fluctuate with the ratios and timing, as the weather changes.

My overall current timetable for my weekly baking covers a three-day span. Day 1: feeding my starter after being stored in the refrigerator - once midday, then again in the evening for an overnight rise. In the summer I used a ratio 1:10:10 ratio for the overnight rise. Now with colder weather coming, I'll be changing that ratio for the overnight rise. Day 2: mixing up the bread first thing in the morning, and then taking it through the various steps of the recipe through the day. Then shaping it and putting it in the refrigerator overnight. Day 3: the actual baking of the bread.

The best part of the whole process is the beautiful, and absolutely delicious bread, made with natural yeast which is healthier and easier to digest. I don't think that I have purchased any loaves of bread from the store since I started sourdough baking in the late summer of 2023. I enjoy the process, the warm aroma of bread baking, and the delicious taste of sourdough bread. An added bonus is the joy of sharing it with others. I am thankful.

                                      

A Feast for the Eyes, the Table, and the Heart

Each day can be a feast for our souls, and these beautiful Autumn days give us such a grand feast. Our yard and deck continue to be filled with the beauty of summer blooms, in addition to the vibrant colors of our fall mums. My husband and I can hardly take in all the beauty around us ...

Our small veggie garden continues to produce tomatoes and green peppers, and we recently brought in the rest of the butternut squash. We love baking these squash (after cutting them in half lengthwise), and brushing on a bit of olive oil, also a generous amount of melted butter and honey, some of which overflows into the pan. Then sprinkled with salt & pepper, and some herbs, as well.  So delicious to serve alongside a main dish.

It was time this past week to make some more granola. We have come to really love this recipe for Chunky Sourdough Granola, and don't like to be without it for very long. I double the recipe, and make it just as the recipe says except for substituting roasted sunflower seeds for the pumpkin seeds in the recipe.

I took a bit of time this past week to simplify my vast recipe collection from over the years, choosing some of my favorites from each recipe category and keeping them in a notebook for easy access. This will make for more ease in decisions of what to make each week. Two main dish recipes that I used this week are definitely two of my favorites that will be repeated again and again.

Smothered Chicken Breasts

Beef and Bean Burritos

The best and most long-lasting feasts come when we are feeding on the Word, and a truth from a familiar verse can all of a sudden bring new insight into clear view. This is what happened when I read the words above from Ephesians 6:18 recently. Sometimes I slip into thinking that I need to set aside lengthier periods of time to focus on prayer for my family, for our friends, and also for our country and world. And though it is good to do so, it doesn't happen often for me. I am so easily interrupted by other thoughts or other needs to be cared for. 

I was greatly encouraged with this glimpse into the heart of prayer ... and need to be reminded again and again. We can have a spirit of prayer at all times, in the midst of our daily life, whenever a need comes to our mind. We can focus our heart on staying alert all through our days, whatever we are doing. And can pause our minds and hearts to bring these concerns to Jesus. Joining in with the ongoing prayers that are always going on from His Spirit within, interceding for us and through us. For me, it often includes picking up my daily planner, and jotting down the prayer need on my daily page, or also sometimes in the special prayer section I keep in the planner, as well. In the midst of daily living, praying at all times. Such a treasure and a privilege ... one of our highest callings as followers of Jesus.

A New Month and New Season

I love new beginnings - each new month, each new season, each new year. And somehow the start of September has become even a more significant beginning for me than New Year’s Day. With six grown kids and ten grandkids and two great-grands, the beginning of September, the start of the beginning of Autumn, always brings significant changes in our routines and in our lives. It’s a time for change and new focuses. This is true for our family members, and it continues to be true for me. 

It’s good to have lofty goals and desires, but I was also reminded this past week of the simple things that God desires for us. As I begin this new month, this new season, I am reminded to be faithful. Each day. To keep my mind and my heart focused on Him above all. To spend time learning and soaking up His love. To let this love flow through me in simple ways … to my precious hubby and family, and to all who He brings my way.

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“Trust in the Lord and do good.

Dwell in the land, and cultivate faithfulness.”

(Psalm 37:3 NASB)

The Way to Grow

 

I love all the seasons, and perhaps God brings the sometimes slower days of summer to teach us, and to grow us in fresh, beautiful ways. All I need do is to linger in the beauty of our gardens ... our new planter boxes built into our brand new deck, our herb garden, and our veggie garden. The beauty, the growth, the blossoms and the fruit do not happen overnight. And it does not happen with a loud fanfare. It happens quietly, in silence, in the sending down of the roots deep into the soil, of soaking up the spring & summer rains. The tender new plants gain strength so very quietly. And we can hardly take in the beauty of what comes over time.

It's the quiet daily routines and rhythms that bring growth. Resulting in beauty. We can become used to the prevailing thought of our day, that things need to happen instantly. If we need to wait for anything, we very quickly become impatient. But this is not the way that brings lasting growth.

Make it your ambition to live a quiet life.
(I Thess. 4:11)

Our souls need the same ... quietness, pausing, listening, letting our roots grow down into Him. What does the pausing and listening look like for you? For me? Does it happen automatically, or do we sometimes need to make an intentional effort to be quiet, to pause. You would think it would just automatically happen, and yes, sometimes it does.

But other times maybe we need to intentionally plan for quiet. For rest. For a pausing of our work.

Solitude is when you set aside time 

to feed and water, to nourish your soul.

(The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry)

Could this be what our great Creator God modeled for us in the beginning? When "He rested from all His work" on the seventh day, blessing the day and "declaring it holy" (Gen. 2:2-3). Could this be what our loving Father meant when He said "You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest". (Deut. 5:13-14) 

Maybe we've grown up with a bit of an aversion to the word Sabbath. It has often been abused, misinterpreted, and has often led to legalistic practices. But maybe we need to relearn the importance of the gift that God desires to bless us with continuously.

About a year ago, after reading The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry, and several other books on the same topic, my dear hubby and I put a new rhythm into practice. Even in our retirement, we sensed a need to intentionally set aside days for quiet, for rest. These words are sprinkled throughout all of God's Word. And our days and our weeks so easily can become completely filled up with tasks and responsibilities. This can happen at whatever season of life we are in.

We decided to set aside one day each week to focus specifically on rest. Though we usually think of Sundays being the day for rest, for us Sundays actually are the day of the week that we need to get up even earlier than the other days, causing the day to begin with a sense of hurry. Our Sundays do continue to be a special day set aside for corporate worship with our spiritual family, learning from the insight and teaching of our pastors, all things we love so much. And we do enjoy a slower pace throughout the rest of the day. But we craved for more rest, for a whole day of rest. 

So one year ago on the first Saturday of June 2024, we began what we call our weekly "Sabbath Rest" day. An intentional day of pausing from our work, of resting, of listening to and seeking after God. It's also a day of taking a break from our regular "tasks", and focusing on hobbies, on things that feed our souls, things that give us deep joy. 

Be still and know that I am God.
(Psalm 46:10)

And this is where you would find me today, if you were here with me as I am writing this post. I'm sitting out on our new deck (built for us by dear friends last fall), surrounded by beautiful flowers in the planter boxes and the flower pots right next to me. I'm pausing from my work of the week - much of it that I do enjoy, but also that keeps me quite busy. And I am resting, listening, and my soul is being filled up, and renewed in Him. Which in turn fills me up with joy as I write this post. 

Maybe for you it doesn't work to take a whole day each week for true rest. But you can start with a few hours, or with part of a day. Or with pockets of time sprinkled throughout a very full season of your life. The daily quieting of our souls is so essential, even when we intentionally take a whole day for rest. Pausing, leaving our work to take short, or extended times to care for our hearts and souls is a gift from Him. Cultivating Sabbath hearts, creating healthy soil for our roots to grow down deep into the truths of His love. And we will then overflow with the fruit of thankfulness.

Let your roots grow down into Him,
and let your lives be built on Him.
Then your faith will grow strong
in the truth you were taught,
and you will overflow with thankfulness.
Colossians 2:7 NLT

Slowing Down to Enjoy and Focus on the Most Important Things

 

I always love to find books that speak the language of my heart. And The Urgency of Slowing Down was just this kind of book for me. It was a joy to read through this book recently by a new-to-me author.

Though the concepts were not new to me, I loved the refreshing reminders of how to slow down in our everyday lives. It seems there will always need to be reminders for this, no matter our age. It is written with so many practical, and fresh ideas to make slowing down a reality in our lives. 

As I often do when I finish reading an insightful and encouraging book, I will go back and make some notes of some of the favorite things I have underlined while reading through the book. Good quotes to keep nearby to share, or to even be reminded of myself. 

Here are a few to share with you ...

"We need to be intentional if we desire quiet. 

In the quiet God speaks to us about what's important."

"The more we step into Christ's unforced rhythms of grace, the more they become our rhythms. When we feel the benefits of things like silence, solitude, and prayer in our daily lives, we begin to crave them all the time."

"If you're slowing down enough to listen to His voice, spending time in prayer, finding some pauses and quiet in your life, worshipping the God who made you, you'll be better able to sense what pace God is setting for you."

"Incorporating these practices into our daily lives, slowing down and remembering who God is, what He does, and who He says we are - these things change our entire point of view. For the better. Not because of something we're doing, but because Jesus's light naturally emanates from us when we clear clutter out of the way."

Banana Cream Dessert

Doesn't this dessert look like spring? I think it tastes like the freshness of spring, as well. I made it again this past week, this time for our CityGroup (small group within Citylight Midtown) that we hosted over the weekend.

I have been making this recipe for years, after discovering it in a "Quick Cooking" magazine over twenty years ago! And it has remained in my collection of "favorites" since then. I have even used it as a special birthday dessert for family birthdays in the past. 

It's delicious, refreshing, beautiful ... and also very easy to make! No baking, or cooking; just assembling of different layers of goodness: a graham cracker crust, vanilla pudding, sliced bananas, crushed pineapple, and topped off with a carton of whipped topping. I also like to sprinkle some chopped pecans on top. It can't get much easier than that.

You can click here to see the recipe on the Taste of Home website, and to print it out, if you wish.

 Banana Cream Dessert

3 cups graham cracker crumbs (about 48 squares)

1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted

3 1/2 cups cold milk

2 pkgs (3.4 ounces each) instant vanilla pudding mix

5 medium firm bananas, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/2 inch slices

1 can (20 ounces) crushed pineapple, drained well

1 carton (20 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed 

         (16 ounces fills up my 13x9 pan quite full)

1/3 cup chopped pecans, optional

Combine cracker crumbs and butter. 

Press into an ungreased 13x9 inch dish.

 

In a mixing bowl, beat milk and pudding mix on low speed for 2 minutes. 

Pour over crust; top with bananas and pineapple. 

Spread with whipped topping (dish will be full). 

Sprinkle with pecans, if desired. 

Chill for at least 4 hours before cutting. 

Yield:  about 15 servings

Hope you enjoy this refreshing spring dessert! 

NOTE: This is an updated version of my original post back in June 2011. Click here to see the original.