Recipe: Teething Biscuits

I got this recipe from my grandma, who got it from the Amish cook book. It was great when Critter was teething, then we threw some extra ones in the freezer. Now his teeth are all grown in, but he opened the freezer one day and decided he wanted to eat these "donuts". They are healthy, simple and effective.

I like to make the recipe extra healthy by using rapadura sugar and fresh ground flour. That is also all we have on hand so its easier. These are nice because they are hard enough to be good for teething, and sweet enough to keep their attention.

This recipe makes approximately 12 durable and relatively crumb proof teething biscuits. If you make them too thin, like I did the first time, it makes quite a few more but they still work.

TEETHING COOKIES
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
2-2 1/2 cups sifted flour

Break eggs into a bowl and stir in one direction until creamy. Add sugar and continue stirring in the same direction. Gradually add flour into the mixture and continue stirring until mixture is stiff.

Roll out dough with a rolling pin, between 2 lightly floured sheets of wax paper, to a thickness of 3/4 inch.

Use a drinking glass and a salt shaker to cut out doughnut shaped. Place cookies on a lightly buttered cookie sheet. Let formed cookies stand overnight (10 – 12 hours).

Bake in preheated over at 325 degrees until lightly brown and hard.

Working With Whole Grains

We hear the importance of eating whole grains, and labels tell us how many different grains and enriched grains they have. Meanwhile, grains are being blamed as one of the causes of obesity and digestive issues. What does it all mean? Besides reading the ingredients on the label, how can we incorporate more healthy grains into our diet?

What Are Grains?

What Does It Mean To "Eat Healthy"?

When I married my husband, I knew that he tended to eat healthier than me. I accepted the transition and realized this would be a good opportunity to kick some of my unhealthy habits. I was sad at the thought of giving up my fluffy white bread and I was thrilled that he considered frozen burritos to be a standard lunch food. When it wasn't just me depending on the food I made, it was a lot easier to make better meals. But it wasn't until I got pregnant that I really started wondering what was healthy and what wasn't.

It didn't take long to discover that there were lots of different opinions. One source would emphasize the importance of avoiding all fats and say you should stay away from fatty foods like avocados at all cost. Another source listed avocados as one of the top 5 foods to eat while you are pregnant. With so many different, and sometimes contradictory ideas and theorys out there, how could I know what was really true and best for me and my family?

A Good Recipe Vs. Good Science

Back in the day before restaurants and ready made meals, most children would learn to make bread by watching their parents. I did learn from making bread with my mom, but I didn't pay as close attention as I should have. When I finally got around to making my own bread, my mom was in Guam and I got to learn a lot of things through trial and error!

Bread is really quite simple: flour, water, and yeast. You can add in other things, and probably should, but I found that understanding how and why things work was far more helpful than all the great recipes that I could never quite recreate. I actually don't use a recipe so much now, I just know what to look for. Here are some things I have learned that I hope can help you in your bread baking!