Tuesday, January 14, 2025

10 Things I Learned in 2024

 

October 10, 2024

1 - How to adjust the night mode on your iPhone camera.

      Yeah, those Northern Lights often look more vibrant through a camera lens.

2 - Biotin can skew your thyroid test.
      Don’t ask how I learned this. The story is too long!

3 – Great Divide Ski Area is fun, affordable, and makes me nostalgic.

4 – Long proofing sourdough bread is very satisfying.
      
5 – If you stop too soon, you might miss the best of show. See #9.

6 – I can still run a half marathon, albeit very slowly.

7 – What you do matters.
       My very slow time counted towards our team gold medal!

8 – I am still afraid of heights.
      Silverwood Theme Park rides are terrifyingly fun.

9 – You CAN see color of the Northern Lights with the naked eye - sometimes. 
   
10 – Pickleball must have been invented for old people.

Running Granny Green encourages women, especially grandmothers, to gain greater fitness by providing tips and inspiration to insure long years of joyful grand-parenting. The cookie recipes are a bonus!


Happy Running!
- Carol aka Running Granny Green

Follow me on Facebook and Instagram!

Strawberry Rolls with Lemon Frosting


Your Strawberry Rolls should be golden brown, or the center rolls will be gooier than you would like.

 “I run a non-profit Bed and Breakfast,” I answer when asked what I do in Montana. The response is always, “Really? That’s so cool!” Then the interviewer thinks about it for a moment and understands - I get a lot of company. Feeding people is part of my love language. Showing them awesome things is another part. So, they come to Montana, I give them a bed and food, and we take big adventures! There is no time for a sit-down breakfast. I prepare most of it ahead, put it all on the table and give instructions to help yourself when it’s convenient. This allows everyone time to get ready, get fed, and get out the door early! We have to go early. Montana is a big state!

Strawberry Rolls

Classic White Bread (Bread Machine Recipe)

12 Ounces warm water

1 ¾ tsp Salt

2 Tbsp butter or margarine

4 Cups Flour

2 Tbsp Dry Milk

2 Tbsp Sugar (More if desired)

2 ¼ tsp Active Dry Yeast

Select the dough setting on the bread machine.  When dough is ready, roll out to 12 x 18 inches.  Cover with filling as directed below.

Strawberry Roll Filling

Purchased at the Chef Store.
This is where this recipe gets messy, but it’s so worth it!

1 Can Strawberry Pie Filling (I purchase this tube of filling and use half for one recipe. The remainder can be frozen for later use or used on a second batch if you are baking for a crowd!)

2 Tbs White Sugar

1 tsp Cinnamon


Spread strawberry filling evenly over dough. Combine cinnamon and sugar and sprinkle as desired over the filling. (This step can be omitted without ruining the rolls!)


Roll into a long tube and cut into twelve to fifteen 1-1 ½ inch slices using string or dental floss to avoid smashing your rolls. Slide the floss under the dough, crisscross the floss above and pull. Voila! Place in a greased 9x13 inch baking pan. These rolls are gooey or to work with than my cinnamon rolls. They may require a little patience and reshaping when you put them in the pan.


Let rise for one hour.  Bake for 25-30 minutes at 350°.  They will take a little longer due to the gooey filling. Cool and frost with your favorite white frosting. I like this one.


Lemon Cream Cheese Glaze


3 oz. Cream Cheese

2 Tbsp Milk

Lemon Juice and/or Lemon extract to taste

Powdered sugar 


Sorry folks, I cook until the voices of my ancestors whisper, “That is enough, my child.” You may want to experiment with ingredient amounts. 


Blend together the cream cheese, and milk. Add powdered sugar until you get a desired consistency. Hint: If you frost the rolls while they are warm, you’ll want a thicker frosting. Add lemon flavorings until you have just a hint of the citrusy goodness. You may need to add more powdered sugar if using lemon juice.


Find more of my favorite recipes HERE.


Question: Do you have a recipe to share?  Comment below.

Running Granny Green encourages women, especially grandmothers, to gain greater fitness by providing tips and inspiration to insure long years of joyful grand-parenting. The cookie recipes are a bonus!


Happy Running!
- Carol aka Running Granny Green

Follow me on Facebook and Instagram!

Friday, January 10, 2025

Easy Tempura Batter

 This tempura recipe is so versatile! It’s quick and easy and will impress your guests. Use it for your main dish such as Mandarin Chicken or for appetizers like fried mushrooms, zucchini, onion rings (although I have another fabulous onion rings recipe I’ll share later), or seafood.


Tempura Batter for fried meats and vegetables


½ C All Purpose Flour

½ C Cornstarch

1 tsp Baking Soda

1 tsp Baking Powder

1 tsp MSG (Optional)

1 tsp White Sugar

½ tsp Salt

Dash of white pepper (Optional)

⅔ C Ice Water

1 Egg

Several ice cubes

Yellow food coloring (Optional)


Sift together dry ingredients. Beat egg slightly and mix with ice water and optional food coloring. Combine wet and dry ingredients in a container large enough for dipping. Stir only until mixed. It should resemble muffin batter. Float several ice cubes in the mixture to keep it cold while dipping. Dip the cooled chicken, shrimp, or vegetables and fry in deep hot oil until lightly browned. Drain on a paper towel and serve hot. 


Hint: Hotter oil will brown the batter faster and darker. I usually omit the MSG and food coloring, but I do love the little zing of white pepper in my batter.


Find more of my favorite recipes HERE.


Question: Do you have a recipe to share?  Comment below.

Running Granny Green encourages women, especially grandmothers, to gain greater fitness by providing tips and inspiration to insure long years of joyful grand-parenting. The cookie recipes are a bonus!


Happy Running!
- Carol aka Running Granny Green

Follow me on Facebook and Instagram!

Thursday, January 9, 2025

Mandarin Sauce Made to Order


Oriental food for a crowd! That's Nadine in the foreground.

This is one of two recipes I use for making Mandarin Sauce. I will share the other at a later date. You won't need it until summer because it's a canning recipe made with garden fresh tomatoes.

Nadine's Mandarin Sauce

1 Qt Canned Tomatoes
1 C Cider Vinegar
1 C Chopped Onion
1 C Crushed Pineapple
2 C White Sugar
1 Slice Fresh Ginger
2 Tbsp Soy Sauce (Optional. It’s prettier without it)
½ C Green Pepper (Optional)
Salt to Taste (I use about a teaspoon. Less if soy sauce is used)
Dash of Cayenne Pepper and MSG (I never have MSG, so it can be omitted)
Corn starch as needed for thickening
Combine all ingredients except green pepper in a saucepan and bring to a rolling boil. Let simmer for 20 minutes. Thicken to desired consistency with a cornstarch and water paste. Add green pepper if desired and let it sit for 2-4 minutes.
This recipe is good for tempura chicken or shrimp, sweet and sour meatballs, and as a dipping sauce for egg rolls.
Stay tuned for the egg roll recipe in a future post!


Find more of my favorite recipes HERE.


Question: Do you have a recipe to share?  Comment below.

Running Granny Green encourages women, especially grandmothers, to gain greater fitness by providing tips and inspiration to insure long years of joyful grand-parenting. The cookie recipes are a bonus!


Happy Running!
- Carol aka Running Granny Green

Follow me on Facebook and Instagram!

Wednesday, January 8, 2025

Uh-oh! Where have I been?



A little Montana Adventure at Avalanche Lake in Glacier National Park

Uh-oh! Where Have I been?

I'm all over the place, mostly in Montana. I created a website for my books and writing tips at Carol M Green. I've been writing for the local paper, The Valierian at Cut Bank Pioneer Press Homepage and I'm doing some other freelance work. 

Montana has been an adventure! I'm gathering so much material for future writing projects and honing my writing skills.

So ... why did I jump back on this old blog, you ask?

Well, I've discovered that I'm not the only person that visits this site for my recipes and that has been the catalyst for my current project. I'm putting together a recipe book that I plan to make available in paperback and digital. That requires creating, or writing out, some of my recipes that are not already on this site.

And since I don't know how NOT to give things away for free, I'm going to share them here as I go. Smart? Maybe, or maybe not. But ... readers will have access through three or more media forms.

So, watch here and on my Running Granny Green Recipes page for new recipes and updates.

Happy Cooking!