Aliesha, Author at Feathers in Our Nest

Fall Goodies

October 10, 2012 by Aliesha

For three years now, I have participated in Kristin’s Fall Friendship Swap! Kristin pairs up bloggers (or non-bloggers!) so that they can exchange boxes of fall goodies. My partner was Sarah, and she sent me a wonderful box of gifts perfect for fall! (Here is what I sent Sarah.)

I loved how she packaged my box.

Sarah included a sweet note, recipe cards, a little notebook, a handmade envelope clutch, a bottle of nail polish, an apple cinnamon candle, and a gorgeous scarf!

I’ve been wearing the scarf nonstop, since the weather just turned quite cool here!

I looooove how the candle smells!

The envelope clutch is so pretty (I love the colored top-stitching!) and the nail polish is perfect for me.

I’m excited to use the recipe cards and the notebook.

Thank you, Sarah, for my amazing fall box… and thank you, Kristin, for coordinating the swap once again!

Pumpkin Spice Bagels

October 9, 2012 by Aliesha

This post is part of the Grain Mill Wagon Challenge, a series of posts wherein I will feature recipes using whole grains ground in the WonderMill. You can read this post and others at The Grain Mill Wagon! I am being compensated for these posts, but that does not change my personal opinions about the WonderMill. You can read my review of it from last fall on She {hearts} It!

Yes, I know… another pumpkin recipe! But I couldn’t help myself since bagels are so fun to make and I have quite a large stash of pumpkin puree in my pantry!

These bagels are delicious…soft on the inside, but with a hard, chewy crust. They taste like fall should, with plenty of spices and pumpkin! They are excellent with butter or cream cheese, but I would imagine they would be OUT OF THIS WORLD with a generous spread of apple butter.

It’s not as hard as you might think to make bagels, so try these and let me know how they turn out!

Pumpkin Spice Bagels

2 cups freshly ground whole wheat flour
2 cups bread flour or all-purpose
1 Tbsp. sucanat
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 tsp. yeast
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. allspice
1/2 tsp. cloves
1/2 cup canned pumpkin puree
3/4 cup warm water

Grind wheat in WonderMill.

Measure all ingredients and pour into a mixing bowl. Stir to combine. (You can also mix in a stand mixer if preferred.)

Sprinkle flour on the counter and knead the dough 5-10 minutes until it is smooth and elastic.

Form 8 equal-sized balls of dough and allow to rest on the counter for 10-20 minutes.

After the rest, form each ball into a “snake,” wrap it around your hand, and pinch the ends together. Repeat with each ball of dough.

Let them rise for 20 minutes.

While they are rising, preheat the oven to 425. Bring a large pot of water to boil (add a tablespoon of brown sugar or sucanat to the water).

After they have risen, put each bagel (3 or 4 at a time) into the boiling water. Boil for 1 minute, flip over, and boil for 1 more minute.

Remove bagels and drain on a paper towel.

Place all the bagels on a greased baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes, flip over, and bake for 10 minutes more.

Congratulate yourself: you just made bagels!
Cool, then slice and devour!

Enjoy!

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This post contains an affiliate link to the grain mill I use and love!

Homemade Greek Yogurt the Easy Way

October 4, 2012 by Aliesha

I used to be SUPER intimidated about making homemade yogurt. I thought it required special equipment, large coolers, thermometers, etc. And, I thought, if I messed up even a little, I could poison and kill my whole family (hey, bacteria can be scary stuff!).

But I have found an easier way of making yogurt, and I want to share it with you. You can convert a gallon of milk into yogurt with less than 5 minutes of hands-on time and no special equipment other than a slow cooker. (Yes, really!)

You will need:
-1 gallon of whole or 2% milk (you may use 1/2 gallon)
-1 small container of yogurt (must contain live active cultures)
-slow cooker
-large towel

You will NOT need:
-a fancy yogurt-making machine
-a cooler
-a thermometer

If you can pour milk, you can make yogurt!

Here are the simple steps!

Homemade Yogurt the ~~Lazy~~ Easy Way

1. Pour a gallon of milk into your slow cooker (you can do half a gallon if you prefer). I like to use whole or 2% (I’ve never tried it with 1% or skim). Put the lid on your slow cooker and turn it on low for 2.5 hours.

2. After 2.5 hours, turn it OFF and set a timer for 3 hours.

3. After 3 hours, scoop out 2 cups of the milk using a large measuring cup. Add the container of yogurt to the milk and stir to combine. Pour this back into your slow cooker and put the lid back on.

4. Wrap your slow cooker in a large towel (for insulation) and let it sit for 8 hours (or overnight).

Your yogurt is finished! It will be somewhat thin (homemade yogurt usually is), but you can strain it to make Greek yogurt (highly recommended – see below).

Greek Yogurt

1. Line a colander with a double layer of paper towels or a single layer of cheesecloth. Set on top of a bowl to catch the whey. Pour in homemade yogurt.

2. Allow yogurt to strain for an hour or so until thick.

That’s it! Greek yogurt is delicious on its own, with honey, with granola, with fruit, or as a replacement for sour cream.

**Note: If you save 1 cup of yogurt from your first homemade batch, you can use it as the “starter” for your next batch instead of having to buy a container of yogurt! You can freeze it if you’re not ready to make a new batch right away.

Enjoy!

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Linked to:
Tasty Tuesday
Tempt My Tummy Tuesday
Tuesdays at the Table
Tatertots & Jello