Making Headlines

Inch by inch we are making our way to our goal. We are excited about our article in the Gettysburg Times. We're gaining momentum and we'd love to keep the ball rolling! Help us out, share and support this cause.

Read more about why this is important to us. 

DIY Cheese Crackers

 Having 4 growing boys can be a challenge when it comes to choosing good, healthy snacks. I have a hard time choosing what snacks to purchase at our grocery store because everything I pick up has some strange ingredients that I can't pronounce. Not to mention they can be expensive!
I did some looking up online, and here is what I came up with - wholewheat cheese crackers!

Wholewheat Cheese Crackers

1cup all purpose flour (I used whole wheat)

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground pepper

4 Tbsp cold butter cut small

8oz grated cheddar cheese

3-4 Tbsp water

Pulse everything in a food processor til dough is formed. Chill the dough for 20-30 min. Roll it out thin and cut it up. Poke holes with a toothpick. Bake in 350 degree preheated oven for 15-20 min.

Kagen cutting the cracker dough with a pizza cutter.

Like the irregular shapes? :)

They were gone in a few minutes!

-Junko

The Road Trip Dilemma: How will we solve it?

We were loaded into the car packed with healthy snacks and headed to New Orleans, Louisiana. As it got later, and we got hungrier, we faced a problem: where to eat? Mile after mile passed. Many signs popped up advertising chain restaurants. After a while the snacks weren't cutting it. Finally we were forced to stop at a place that left us loaded down and feeling sick for the rest of the ride. The service was sub-par, the atmosphere dismal, and I couldn't even tell you where it was located.

It struck me once again: don't we deserve more?

Our inspiration for a rest stop that restores was a result of this question.

The problem with many places along the highway is that every bite is generic. It could be so much more. A bite could contain flavors that were grown and cultivated within thirty miles of where you consume them. It certainly shouldn't make you feel uncomfortable for hours afterwards.  

Packing meals is wonderful, but then again, it's vacation isn't it? Sometimes all we want is to stop, prop up our feet and enjoy a guilt-free meal. This just isn't available to many people on the road.

A very few places have begun to set a higher bar, but hardly any are accessible to the weary traveler. If only one place could exemplify the value of a whole eating establishment along the highway, it could change so much. Everywhere and every day I find another person somewhere on his way to whole eating. People have begun to search but are barred in every direction by broken cuisine.

Change will have to start somewhere, and in many ways it has. It's amazing to see the way people are revolutionizing the way we eat everyday. This is often accomplished by simply going back to our roots. As we cull through the facts to find the truth, we can move forward.

I hope you'll join us in the journey!

-Cate


Come read, support and most importantly share our endeavor here. 

Support Our Kickstarter!

We are finally live! The Kickstarter Campaign we have been preparing for our whole food rest stop is launched. We need your support. You can read more about it here on our blog or go to our project and find more information.

We will not be funded without your support! Spread the good news.

How can you resist that face?

Skillet Focaccia Bread

Focaccia Bread:

• 2 1/4 tsp. active dry yeast (1 packet)

• 2 tsp. sugar 

• 1/2 C warm water + another 1 1/2 C 

• 6 C bread flour OR 3 C all purpose & 3 C bread flour

• 1/2 tsp. salt

• 4 Tbsp. olive oil

Bread Topping: 

• 1/4 C olive oil

• 3-4 tsp. of your favorite herbs. (Ours include: rosemary, basil, oregano) 

• 1 tsp. each salt & pepper 

• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder 

Baking the Bread: 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In 1/2 cup warm water, gently combine yeast and sugar. Let it sit for a minute or two until the yeast becomes bubbly. 

Take your yeast mixture and, 1 1/2 cups warm water and 2 tablespoons oil and combine in a mixer with a dough hook. Slowly add your flour until you have a clean and barely sticky dough.

• If your dough is still too wet add more flour one tablespoon at a time.

• If your dough is too tight add more water one teaspoon at a time. 

On a lightly floured surface, knead your dough for 3-5 minutes then shape into a ball.  

Let your dough rise in a large, oiled bowl set in a warm place for 2 hours. For best results, cover the bowl with a damp towel. 

After it has risen, lightly punch the dough down. Douse your trusty skillet with a little olive oil and shape the dough into the pan. Press your finger lightly into the dough at 1 inch intervals creating small indentations all around. Let your dough rise an additional 25-30 minutes. 

Bake in oven at 400 degrees for 10-15 minutes. Remove and coat your dough with the remaining olive oil. When this is done place bread back into the oven and bake for another 15-20 minutes or until it is crusty and golden brown. 

Mix your topping in a small bowl or cup and pour directly onto your bread. From there you can transfer to a serving platter or serve from your skillet. Enjoy!     

 Slice and serve with your favorite Italian meal! 

 Pictured: Eggplant Parmesan from scratch.

Pottery Pandemonium

It's been too long since we have posted anything. It's been an INSANELY busy 2 months. The arrival of spring has brought with it myriads of new projects as well as rather unpredictable weather.

What exactly has been going on here behind closed doors?

We have been trying new recipes, preparing the garden, taking hikes, doing school. The 12-13 of April was the 1000 Mug Sale and brought lots of business. 1000 Mug Sale? Not just a name, my friends, we actually made 1000 mugs.

 

Thousand Mug Sale

Finally, along with everything else . . . dun-duh-duh-duh . . . We are working vigorously through all the chaos to prepare and launch a Kickstarter for our green rest stop. We don't have it up YET but it is in the final stages of preparation. Get ready! It's going to be an insanely exciting next couple of months. We are so passionate about this idea and we are praying to see where God will take us with it.  

Please keep us in your prayers as we juggle our current business, the launching of our new project as well as the continued home-schooling of the boys.

Thanks for reading!

On a hike!

Croissants in the making and the final product.

Gardening Projects.

Some plain old fun!

Upcycled Art Class

Every Wednesday we gather with our close friends for art class. When they are here there are a total of 9 boys darting around the house. It can get slightly chaotic!
This week's project was Upcycled Art. We laid out a myriad of supplies and let the kids go wild.

If you want to try this with your kids (or if you are feeling creative!) here are some good material ideas that worked for us!

• Toilet paper and paper towel holders
• Old plastic fruit baskets
• Plastic Bottles 
• Cans (Don't stick your hands inside; they're sharp!)
• Wire
• Bottle caps 
• Glass jars
• Cardboard
• The odds and ends left over from other crafts
• Rubberbands
• Popsicle sticks
• Egg cartons

Anything else that you can't use but don't want to throw out can become art! The boys got very creative.  

You will also need:

• Hot glue gun
• Scissors 
• Pliers 

The finished products!