Friday, January 23, 2026
Anti Parasitic Pesto: A dressing and dip
These herbs, bought in bunvhes:
3 parts:Fresh oregano
1 Parts:Fresh Thyme
3 Parts: Fresh Basil
Cold Prssed pure extra virgin Olive oil
Blend in a mini chopper
put in small tupperware contianers about 1-2 Tbsp portion --the smallest and non-leak
and freeze until use on slads, or a fresh veggi dip to taste fresh, and boost immunity.
large batch for pesto, and to strech it for pesto sauce, or presto meatballs (using turkey burger) double or triple the recipe
Thursday, February 8, 2024
Footella
This is an utterly simple and delightful recipe with 4 ingredients-no measuring.
I am fascinated with the idea of a chocolatey nutty spread, but chocolate is not really my friend.
I saw someone on Youtube making homemade Nutella on youtube and it set my own wheels turning on swaps.
Buy some fresh raw hazelnuts-put them in your foodprocessor for a long time-you will need to knock down and or scrape the sides of the bowl at intervals, but it will get grond into a moist powder-yes powder, because you do not want chuncks.
Once satisfied that the final texture will be smooth, add carob powder-about a quarter to half cup, depending on how many hazelnuts-think of it as adding for color first, then flavor.
Now, the mixture will be more powdery. Open the smaller lid and put in about a TSP of either pure Monkfruit Powder or Pure Stevia Leaf---I prefer Monkfruit. Be sure to keep processing and scraping down until you are sure the carob poweder and the sweetner powder is consistenly incorporated.
If your mix forms and ball at anypoint -you are amazing and patient! I have become more impatient as I now work a day job that runs on a tight schedule and requires on time perfomance. I take this with me on 4-day work trips-so I am usually pressed for time for meal prepping on my off days.
At this point- it is possible to skip the next ingredient if your nut butter is smooth and again forms a ball---I have only had that happen once--So, I add raw extra virgin coconut oil. Then the smoothness with come. I use coconut oil becuase it becomes a solid when chilled--and travels well in my 4-day meal cooler tote. But I would be inclined to use and cold processed nut oil which stays liquid even when chilled if it were to be used at home.
When my travel version is done--it could easly be pored inot a parcement lines baking dish, and placed in the freide to become fudge--my husband is crazy about it! it really is a yummy satisfying--but non-addictive treat! for me, and my family---or anyone wanting healthy alternatives to junkfood!
I have this on crackers when I am away, or just a small spoonful for an energy bite on the fly-literally. if at home, and I used a quality liquified nut oil insted of a sold coconut oil, I would enjoy it drizzled over pancakes, waffles, and or ice cream...it really hits the spot.
Will try to post pictures...Happy flying!
Friday, June 26, 2020
Making Laundry Soap a visual...
Photos of making laundry soap...you can find the recipe online, but I just wanted to place the photos here:
Wednesday, June 17, 2020
Confetti Spiral Mac N Cheese...and the picky eater in my midst
one package of Tinkyada Brande Brown Rice Spirals
One Package of Lisanatti Brance Rice Cheese alternative grated
(To make grating easier, and mix the butter and cheese evenly into the hot drained noodles, grate 4 to 6 tbsp of cold butter first, which "greases the greater for easier cheese grating, and clean, up)
Dice:
one large white or sweet onion
One sweet red bell pepper
one or two washed but unpeeled Zucchini cut in half lengthwise, then halved 2Xs more, dice into wedges the size of the other diced items, the "points" will wear-off after cooked, and the green part will be square like the red pepper, the color of this dish- Mmm!
Olive out for sauteing
Boil water and start coking your spiral noodles
Saute onions until clear, add diced red bell pepper until combined, then add zucchini
saute and combine just until slightly tender
Drain noodles ( Use a pasta pot with drain holes in the lid....easy) while still very hot add sauteed vegetables and quickly combine, then add the shredded cheese butter mix, and sir un until melted and creamy. Place in an oiled casserole dish, and place in a warm oven until the rest of the meal is ready to serve. I like to put it into my old black Corelle casserole dig ...Beautiful!
So, a few notes, the veggies will come out perfect, and the dish will not become too dry like pail alternative mac n cheese.
Spell check thought that the way I typed onions was "intentions" So the sentence read, "Saute until intentions are clear." I had to laugh out loud because that was so true! it is often the heat and pressure of stress which can expose our motives. Sometimes, people's motives are not what they would seem or appear, and then the heat exposes true intention.
Lately, there has been so much upheaval, but this dish is a healthy twist on comfort food. I have fallen out of my love for cooking. One reason is, I should probably not have carbs after 12 noon, and I should only have about 30 carbs per day at that, because I'm getting old, and rat-a-tat-tat, I am fat. The other reason is, I got me an offspring, who still lives, studies and works from home, who has always had sensory issues when it comes to food and feels free to express utter disgust at just about everything I cook, when I have been creative, and the food is unpredictable. The ONLY cheese dishes he will eat are Italian dishes, or Mac and Cheese, the veggies in this dish made scared him away. My older two would have devoured it as if I was dessert, and then beaten each other to a pulp over the last spoonful. Sinners in the house!!! LOL! MY Husband and daughter LOVED it! Always a story...
In my next post, I will tell another story, about me entering anew season of culinary flexibility coming up...
One Package of Lisanatti Brance Rice Cheese alternative grated
(To make grating easier, and mix the butter and cheese evenly into the hot drained noodles, grate 4 to 6 tbsp of cold butter first, which "greases the greater for easier cheese grating, and clean, up)
Dice:
one large white or sweet onion
One sweet red bell pepper
one or two washed but unpeeled Zucchini cut in half lengthwise, then halved 2Xs more, dice into wedges the size of the other diced items, the "points" will wear-off after cooked, and the green part will be square like the red pepper, the color of this dish- Mmm!
Olive out for sauteing
Boil water and start coking your spiral noodles
Saute onions until clear, add diced red bell pepper until combined, then add zucchini
saute and combine just until slightly tender
Drain noodles ( Use a pasta pot with drain holes in the lid....easy) while still very hot add sauteed vegetables and quickly combine, then add the shredded cheese butter mix, and sir un until melted and creamy. Place in an oiled casserole dish, and place in a warm oven until the rest of the meal is ready to serve. I like to put it into my old black Corelle casserole dig ...Beautiful!
So, a few notes, the veggies will come out perfect, and the dish will not become too dry like pail alternative mac n cheese.
Spell check thought that the way I typed onions was "intentions" So the sentence read, "Saute until intentions are clear." I had to laugh out loud because that was so true! it is often the heat and pressure of stress which can expose our motives. Sometimes, people's motives are not what they would seem or appear, and then the heat exposes true intention.
Lately, there has been so much upheaval, but this dish is a healthy twist on comfort food. I have fallen out of my love for cooking. One reason is, I should probably not have carbs after 12 noon, and I should only have about 30 carbs per day at that, because I'm getting old, and rat-a-tat-tat, I am fat. The other reason is, I got me an offspring, who still lives, studies and works from home, who has always had sensory issues when it comes to food and feels free to express utter disgust at just about everything I cook, when I have been creative, and the food is unpredictable. The ONLY cheese dishes he will eat are Italian dishes, or Mac and Cheese, the veggies in this dish made scared him away. My older two would have devoured it as if I was dessert, and then beaten each other to a pulp over the last spoonful. Sinners in the house!!! LOL! MY Husband and daughter LOVED it! Always a story...
In my next post, I will tell another story, about me entering anew season of culinary flexibility coming up...
A Savory Spinach Side
1/2 pack od lean all-natural turkey bacon
one medium onion small diced
1 clove or garlic freely pressed
I package of frozen chopped spinach (One bag, or 2 boxes)
Olive oil
Butter
Saute the bacon in olive oil
as it gets tender-crisp, cut it into 1/4 inch squares
add diced ion, and a little more oil or butter saute until clear
make a hole in the center of the pan, press and add garlic, saute briefly to combine
either pull all this out of the pan or push it to a side and pull the pan off-center so the onion bacon mix is no longer sauteing.
add 2 tbsp of butter, and throw in the frozen spinach, how on a lid and let it sit in the heat for a few minutes until it is getting soft, then saute and mix all thoroughly, then place in an oiled baking dish, and let in a warm oven while cooking the rest of your dinner. You might even spriekle the top with parmesan cheese, we use a rice-based Parmesan cheese.
On lazier nights, I just saute frozen spinach in oil and butter and add parmesan at the end, and that too is good, but the bacon and onion version is outta this world good!
Another spinach hint: We add a layer of spinach and tofu to our lasagna, there are a few ways to get speinach into your diet!
Tuesday, March 5, 2019
DoNot Fear the Fastnaught
Decades of parenting and crazy memories. We went to recall only the good ones. When my husband and son woke up today, I was sore from shoveling yet another snow, you'd think my body would have been used to that, but I hurt all over. BUT when my daughter woke up she descended the stairs with high hopes, which she realized when she turned the corner into the kitchen, Yes I made them Fastnaughts! Pronounced Fosh-not, and spelled like fast-naught. It is the last day to eat like a hog if you practice 6 weeks of self-denial during the season of Lent, leading toward Easter. I delighted to hear her thanks, and see her go for her fair share.
Many years I forgot what day it was, what week it was, because I was experiencing season depression of wither and dark. Sometimes I would make them the next day, or skip it altogether. Some years it was a double fail of them falling all apart making greasy slop. But one year, I was attempting to use a pastry bag to make doughnuts, in circles, not blobs, and at the same time, I was trying to get more protein into our carbs, and funnel cakes came out. No easy task for the egg-free, sugar-free, dairy-free, gluten-free. My secret ingredient? Raw sesame seeds ground in a coffee grinder until a fine powder.
The last installment to my success was being in an antique market one day and coming across a doughnut dropper, in mint condition, in the original box. It could drop perfect circles and perfect amounts...well my batter thickens as it sits, so the first few are perfect, and then the rest look like onion rings, but hey! They are yummy! and that is all that matters! My recipes are all dump and throw, so I'm estimating, but here is today's recipe, the final after over 30 years of hit or miss homemade annual doughnut-making.
3/4 cup millet, 3/4 cup brown rice, 1/2 cup of arborio rice, into the grain mill
1/4 cup of raw sesame seeds into the handheld electric coffee grinder...
add 1 tsp baking powder, 1/4 tsp cinnamon....combine all of this in a separate bowl
(add a 1/4 tsp of stevia powder -optional)
wet ingredients: mash one or two very ripe bananas with an electric mixer, and add slowly about 1/2 cup of milk substitute, like rice milk, and 1/2 tsp vanilla then prep your doughnut dropper, or pastry bag for making a pain-full of funnel cake...
I use the smallest cast iron pan I own, and corral extra virgin coconut oil, making small batches.
I took a picture of the most perfect version all by itself, and then of all of them as they became smaller and like onion rings.
I took a picture of frying, in my pretty kitchen installed by my 20 yr old son. Enjoy!
Fat Tuesday! What might you be setting aside for the next 6 weeks, starting tomorrow?
Many years I forgot what day it was, what week it was, because I was experiencing season depression of wither and dark. Sometimes I would make them the next day, or skip it altogether. Some years it was a double fail of them falling all apart making greasy slop. But one year, I was attempting to use a pastry bag to make doughnuts, in circles, not blobs, and at the same time, I was trying to get more protein into our carbs, and funnel cakes came out. No easy task for the egg-free, sugar-free, dairy-free, gluten-free. My secret ingredient? Raw sesame seeds ground in a coffee grinder until a fine powder.
The last installment to my success was being in an antique market one day and coming across a doughnut dropper, in mint condition, in the original box. It could drop perfect circles and perfect amounts...well my batter thickens as it sits, so the first few are perfect, and then the rest look like onion rings, but hey! They are yummy! and that is all that matters! My recipes are all dump and throw, so I'm estimating, but here is today's recipe, the final after over 30 years of hit or miss homemade annual doughnut-making.
3/4 cup millet, 3/4 cup brown rice, 1/2 cup of arborio rice, into the grain mill
1/4 cup of raw sesame seeds into the handheld electric coffee grinder...
add 1 tsp baking powder, 1/4 tsp cinnamon....combine all of this in a separate bowl
(add a 1/4 tsp of stevia powder -optional)
wet ingredients: mash one or two very ripe bananas with an electric mixer, and add slowly about 1/2 cup of milk substitute, like rice milk, and 1/2 tsp vanilla then prep your doughnut dropper, or pastry bag for making a pain-full of funnel cake...
I use the smallest cast iron pan I own, and corral extra virgin coconut oil, making small batches.
I took a picture of the most perfect version all by itself, and then of all of them as they became smaller and like onion rings.
I took a picture of frying, in my pretty kitchen installed by my 20 yr old son. Enjoy!
Fat Tuesday! What might you be setting aside for the next 6 weeks, starting tomorrow?
Wednesday, February 20, 2019
Chick Pot Pie variations.
First, let me define chicken pot pie.
It is not a pie crust filled with of chicken stew with or without a top, or chicken stew in a foil pan with only a crust on top.
Pie crusts have no eggs, just grease, salt, and flour
It is not chicken and dumplings, which are spoonfuls of biscuit dough on top of chicken soup, making it into a bubbly stew.
Biscuit dough has baking powder in it and id made to be light and rise.
No, chicken pot pie is chicken soup, cooked long so that the chicken seems nearly shredded after picked from the bones.
There is no green in chicken potpie, ie no parsley, as would put in corn soup, pot pie dough is not rivels.
No, just a skinless chicken or parts, with bones in, and root vege--onions, diced carrots, and celery. That is it, maybe white pepper. Simple.
Yesterday, I actually dusted the chicken parts with salt, white pepper, and a little bit of dry garlic granules, and little bit of Frontier brand Poultry seasoning, then root vege and added water, then cooked it all day, turning it off whenever I have to leave the house or go upstairs, and turning it back on when I could watch it.
Chicken potpie is a soup with flat square homemade egg noodles containing only: flour, salt, and egg. That is it. Rolled to between 1/4 and 1/8 inch, and cut into 1 and 1/2 to 2-inch squares, which are then slipped one by one into boiling chicken soup. The soup thickens and the starchiness of the noodles make a gravy-like broth.
I am credulous anytime someone says that they had chicken pot pie, I want to see it for myself, If it is not the gravy like soup described above, with cream-colored slabs of dough floating on top and within, I just smile and say nothing, but I am setting the record straight here. Because it's my blog and I can be snobby about pot pie if I want to.
My noodles are made of rice a mix of rice and oat flours. A handful of brown rice, a few handfuls of oats, and a big handful of a sticky rice to bind ---all go into my grinder. I add a tsp of salt and about 2 eggs, and no more than a quarter cup of water, mix quickly, then knead a little bit, and roll out between 2 sheets of waxed paper. I like to cut them with a crimped edge into 1-inch squares, and preferably thinner than thicker.
Last night I made twice as many as the broth in my soup would afford because I cooked it down too long, but it was oh so tasty!! So, with my 2nd batch of noodles, I pulled the top waxed paper off, cut them, and let them sit while we ate supper, just enough time for the top surface to dry, I scarped them off the lower waxed paper, now sticking form having sit, and turned them onto an ungreased baking pan dry side down, and baked them at 3:50 until crisp. Now, my sister makes chicken soup with something that seems made like these "crackers" on top, and it is called Chicken Stolzfus. If you are ent form these parts, that is about as clear of an Amish name as one could have. This is PA Dutch food, and it is not for the keto-crowd, of which I SHOULD be. Amen
It is not a pie crust filled with of chicken stew with or without a top, or chicken stew in a foil pan with only a crust on top.
Pie crusts have no eggs, just grease, salt, and flour
It is not chicken and dumplings, which are spoonfuls of biscuit dough on top of chicken soup, making it into a bubbly stew.
Biscuit dough has baking powder in it and id made to be light and rise.
No, chicken pot pie is chicken soup, cooked long so that the chicken seems nearly shredded after picked from the bones.
There is no green in chicken potpie, ie no parsley, as would put in corn soup, pot pie dough is not rivels.
No, just a skinless chicken or parts, with bones in, and root vege--onions, diced carrots, and celery. That is it, maybe white pepper. Simple.
Yesterday, I actually dusted the chicken parts with salt, white pepper, and a little bit of dry garlic granules, and little bit of Frontier brand Poultry seasoning, then root vege and added water, then cooked it all day, turning it off whenever I have to leave the house or go upstairs, and turning it back on when I could watch it.
Chicken potpie is a soup with flat square homemade egg noodles containing only: flour, salt, and egg. That is it. Rolled to between 1/4 and 1/8 inch, and cut into 1 and 1/2 to 2-inch squares, which are then slipped one by one into boiling chicken soup. The soup thickens and the starchiness of the noodles make a gravy-like broth.
I am credulous anytime someone says that they had chicken pot pie, I want to see it for myself, If it is not the gravy like soup described above, with cream-colored slabs of dough floating on top and within, I just smile and say nothing, but I am setting the record straight here. Because it's my blog and I can be snobby about pot pie if I want to.
My noodles are made of rice a mix of rice and oat flours. A handful of brown rice, a few handfuls of oats, and a big handful of a sticky rice to bind ---all go into my grinder. I add a tsp of salt and about 2 eggs, and no more than a quarter cup of water, mix quickly, then knead a little bit, and roll out between 2 sheets of waxed paper. I like to cut them with a crimped edge into 1-inch squares, and preferably thinner than thicker.
Last night I made twice as many as the broth in my soup would afford because I cooked it down too long, but it was oh so tasty!! So, with my 2nd batch of noodles, I pulled the top waxed paper off, cut them, and let them sit while we ate supper, just enough time for the top surface to dry, I scarped them off the lower waxed paper, now sticking form having sit, and turned them onto an ungreased baking pan dry side down, and baked them at 3:50 until crisp. Now, my sister makes chicken soup with something that seems made like these "crackers" on top, and it is called Chicken Stolzfus. If you are ent form these parts, that is about as clear of an Amish name as one could have. This is PA Dutch food, and it is not for the keto-crowd, of which I SHOULD be. Amen
My Breakfast Shake Tasted Like a Pop Tart! What?
So, my bad, I woke up and ran to the grocery before it began to snow today. I came home past the time I needed to have had breakfast. I needed something fast, so I threw my normal "breakfast oat slurry" into my magic bullet, but added a dash of stevia, a 1/4 tsp of vanilla, a tsp of carob powder, and 5 small strawberries, then, I added some Lakewood Brand organic coconut blend, which I had just bought to make some freezer pops, about enough to make it a smoothie, and then 3 ice cubes. OK to be clear, I did put my nuts and seeds in the grinder, and the drink has a touch of lemon. When I drank it, Oh my goodness! I tasted like a strawberry pop tart. That is all I have to say. I cannot guarantee that it was not some kind of delusion. But It as good to me!
Saturday, May 26, 2018
Golden Glazed Chicken Strips .
So, I bought some chicken tenders to make with my home made McNugget recipe, and when I got home and pulled the cornmeal out to make the coating, that I was trying not to eat grans, or carbs...Well, in the end, i did use a little cornmeal, just a light dusting, but here is what I came up with.
I am really sensory about my cooking. I guess that is why I am always making up recipes. I was sad that my oven baked chicken strips would not be crispy golden brown, because of trying to avoid the corn meal. So, my mins flashed to turmeric. I have been an inflammatory mess, and turmeric is so helpful, I try to fit it in everywhere that I can. So, the color problem was solved, and I had the idea that my tarragon roasted carrots would be a good pairing.
So I created my chicken strips with a spice rub mixture of the following:
Turmeric, sweet paprika, salt, while pepper, a little of the Frontier brand poultry seasoning.
Into the bag which held my chicken tenders, I poured olive oil to liberally coat, then in went the spice mix, and I coated the chicken turning and squishing the bag, I hate touching raw meat...I use gloves even for touching the outside of the bag...
Then, so as to use as minimal corn meal as possible, i dusted the pieces with corn meal, I forget how, I think I laid out the strips in the pan, dusted the top, then turned it over, dusted the bottoms, then turned then over once more..because for oven frying, you need oil on the dusting flour to make it crispy...but you know what, baked in my outdoor oven, with the carrots and potatoes, it came out with a thinner 'pot-liquor'...it had a nice coating, but more gooey than crispy...and that was fine...it was moist...Mmm
I will be working with this one some more. I will add to this post as I experiment...but it was delicious flavorful and healthy!
I am really sensory about my cooking. I guess that is why I am always making up recipes. I was sad that my oven baked chicken strips would not be crispy golden brown, because of trying to avoid the corn meal. So, my mins flashed to turmeric. I have been an inflammatory mess, and turmeric is so helpful, I try to fit it in everywhere that I can. So, the color problem was solved, and I had the idea that my tarragon roasted carrots would be a good pairing.
So I created my chicken strips with a spice rub mixture of the following:
Turmeric, sweet paprika, salt, while pepper, a little of the Frontier brand poultry seasoning.
Into the bag which held my chicken tenders, I poured olive oil to liberally coat, then in went the spice mix, and I coated the chicken turning and squishing the bag, I hate touching raw meat...I use gloves even for touching the outside of the bag...
Then, so as to use as minimal corn meal as possible, i dusted the pieces with corn meal, I forget how, I think I laid out the strips in the pan, dusted the top, then turned it over, dusted the bottoms, then turned then over once more..because for oven frying, you need oil on the dusting flour to make it crispy...but you know what, baked in my outdoor oven, with the carrots and potatoes, it came out with a thinner 'pot-liquor'...it had a nice coating, but more gooey than crispy...and that was fine...it was moist...Mmm
I will be working with this one some more. I will add to this post as I experiment...but it was delicious flavorful and healthy!
Tarragon Roasted Carrots
This recipe is so easy. Why didn't think of it before!
I was making a special lunch for two. My husband kept taking Friday afternoons off,after a year of upheaval at work, he is trying to catch his breath, and I kept being at work or etc,..he was not even sure if He could get home, but I wanted to make a special lunch.
More backstory, I am taking steps to better my health. I have been lax for about 5 years, a fixed and specific date where my heath was better than ever, but I got cocky and thought I did not need to be pro-active...first step was to get off most carbs...
I wanted to make herb roasted potatoes, but I did not want to eat potatoes, that would have set me back. Potatoes are great, but not for me right now. All of a sudden, since I was on day 5 off carbs, my culinary creativity returned with clarity of thinking.
I sprayed a pan with coconut oil, and added chunks of potatoes, and then chunks of...yes, carrot! My mouth is watering as it type!
To those I liberally dusted with tarragon, as little salt, and a little white pepper,very little, not enough to tell that it is really there, but it balances the sweetness of the tarragon tossed...
And baked in a 400 degree oven until the bottoms of both root vegies were brown and caramelized,for about an hour. Oh my! Unbelievably flavorful!!!
That is what I am going for. Flavorful! Not salty, no more deceptive fleeting carb-fixes....just flavorful! Enjoy!
Next post is the baked chicken strips I made to go with...also a winner!
I was making a special lunch for two. My husband kept taking Friday afternoons off,after a year of upheaval at work, he is trying to catch his breath, and I kept being at work or etc,..he was not even sure if He could get home, but I wanted to make a special lunch.
More backstory, I am taking steps to better my health. I have been lax for about 5 years, a fixed and specific date where my heath was better than ever, but I got cocky and thought I did not need to be pro-active...first step was to get off most carbs...
I wanted to make herb roasted potatoes, but I did not want to eat potatoes, that would have set me back. Potatoes are great, but not for me right now. All of a sudden, since I was on day 5 off carbs, my culinary creativity returned with clarity of thinking.
I sprayed a pan with coconut oil, and added chunks of potatoes, and then chunks of...yes, carrot! My mouth is watering as it type!
To those I liberally dusted with tarragon, as little salt, and a little white pepper,very little, not enough to tell that it is really there, but it balances the sweetness of the tarragon tossed...
And baked in a 400 degree oven until the bottoms of both root vegies were brown and caramelized,for about an hour. Oh my! Unbelievably flavorful!!!
That is what I am going for. Flavorful! Not salty, no more deceptive fleeting carb-fixes....just flavorful! Enjoy!
Next post is the baked chicken strips I made to go with...also a winner!
Sunday, January 14, 2018
Shiitake Mushrooms, Not a phase
So, one day at Farmers Market I saw them, and thought, why not, the whole region has the flu, and it was after Christmas, when we were likely exposed, who couldn't use all the immunity they can get? So I submit to you the Shiitake Mushroom. Which I pronounce like "She-I ( a soft schwa e or i) tock- a (long a or ee)... or like "she-a ta(l)k-ie too much"...whatever, it is Japanese I think, and they have their own soft-spoken polite way of saying words, but either way the first half of the word is not pronounced like something you do in an outhouse, though, done on a daily regular basis, that too is good for immunity...LOL
I brought these critters home, and dumped them out on the counter, they seemed clean, but I washed them as I would a button mushroom, with my wonderful soft mushroom brush which is shaped like a mushroom. then I trimmed the stems because they would be too chewy. Knowing what I know now, next time I prepare them, I will pop those stems in a bag, and freeze them for use in making clear veggie stock. Ok, so as not to freak anyone out, because these are ugly mushrooms, I sliced the tops thinly, say and 8th of and inch, then cut the rows of slivers in half, before anyone (picky eaters) here saw me. I believe that this mushroom would be too chewy to leave whole. or eat raw, but some do, but not for me. I admit I was slightly afraid of them being poisonous. I usually like my mushrooms to be white and scrupulously cleaned and trimmed. I ate some first, just in case. LOL!
The first time I made them, I was considering only having broth that evening, as tummy aches had been hitting this one and that, so my plan was for a dual dinner, broth for me, and an oriental stir fry for the others, in a miso-like reduction of either braggs amino acids, or wheat free tamarii sauce...I can't remember, and it may have used both. First I sauteed the little mushrooms sliver in as little oil as possible, tasting them i realized that i had had this before, these mushrooms to my taste seem to have a flavor as if they have been lightly marinated in garlic, so I quickly added pressed garlic and an onion, and sauteed these three...that The combination was so dark and flavorful. I then added water to make my broth, which I boiled while cutting up vegetables for stir fry.
While the sauteed mix boiled to extract broth, I sauteed lean slivers of organic beef which had marinated in wheat free tamarii over night. Once the meat was done through, I added 1/8 inch carrot "pennies" cut on the diagonal to make ovals, not circles...because presentation is important to me, especially when introducing something new. To the wok, i added sliced water chestnuts and a large sliced onion...then I strained my broth, and added the solids to the stir fry, and then added a little more wheat free soy sauces.
The broth seemed like something cooked up by an Elf to heal Hobbits, but it tasted phenomenal and rich, almost "beefy." So I now know if I am make vegetarian "beef broth" that these will form a good base...along with potato and carrot peels....will start "banking" these in a container in the freezer....Mmmm and oh so healthy!!!) I drank the both and my tummy felt so good, I was able to eat dinner with the family with no repercussions...it was warming and soothing and healing and good! If you want to read about the proven benefits of Shiatke Mushrooms a simple Internet search will do! They are immune boosting, super anti-inflammatory, and full full full of vitamins, like B vitamins, which I would by FAR rather get from foods than form a pill, which seems to be hard on my kidneys and makes pee too yellow and smelly...TMI< but everybody knows what B-complex pills do to your pee, and if you are trying to keep it clear, then that messes with the ability to observe your hydration throughout the day.
Now the second time I bought Shiitake Mushrooms, it was to re-create a dish I had at a farm to table restaurant. I knew when I tasted them the first time, that that was a foundational flavor in the dish I had ordered at our fave restaurant, on our last anniversary. WE rarely go, but every time we do, I am inspired by the meal, and try to re-create it at home, because I must repeat it, but cannot afford to got there but once a year...anniversary...Ok yeah, we have to pinch pennies here. As a result, I CAN live on love. Ha!
I have no title for this dish. Which reminds me of the awful parenting I would resort to when my kids would ask what was for dinner. I was always making something up, but basically we eat poultry and potatoes or rice, with vegetables, in some combination or another...so if the kids asked me, and I had no really good answer, I would say one of to things, "Does every meal have to have a name? (ie a title) or I would just reply, "festering roadkill" and hoping nobody would ask me again, because I was either being lazy and making some boring thing, or being creative and did not want to be boxed, or held to my word about what I was making for supper, usually a combination of both of those, but I digress.
The dish was a vegetarian main dish using spaghetti squash, and small bits of flavorful vegetables, and in the restaurant, pistachios sprinkled on top. it was phenomenal, (yep, i used that word again...I am tryna get this recipe down, before I forget, if I get famous, I will have to severely edit...yep) and my mouth is watering just thinking about it. Mine own version turned out exceptionally well too, thought I did not have or use pistachios, I used a toasted sunseeds and raw green pepitas, or pumpkin seeds, and that nailed the pistachio flavor. Added those at the very end, so they did not become water-logged.
So, machete a spaghetti squash in half lenghtwise,remove the seeds and "guts" and palce it cut side down in water, about one half to one inch, and bake it for an hour or tow, depending on what else I have going on...once baked, and I like to bake it soft, so it even gets a little browned, I scoop out the strands and tossed them with just a little bit of olive oil, maybe even a hint of real butter, and a little salt. For the stir fry, I make the same shiitake and pressed garlic, and diced (small) onion...mushrooms first, then add the others...layering the flavor. Remove the mix to a bowl, dump the bowl of tossed squash into the saute pan, or wok, to "de-glaze" it while tossing spoonfuls of the veggies back in to the pan...then finally freshly toast the sun seeds and sprinkle those on top, then add the green pepitas for color, and interesting texture, and there is a full flavored, no carb, macro-nutrient-rich vegetarian dish, that you too will nee to repeat at intervals....
Mmmm....I had some side dishes for those who needed meat and potatoes, but I cannot recall what they were, because this to me was a hearty meal in itself.
And that is what I have to say about Shiitake Mushrooms. You body will thank me for this recipe.
I brought these critters home, and dumped them out on the counter, they seemed clean, but I washed them as I would a button mushroom, with my wonderful soft mushroom brush which is shaped like a mushroom. then I trimmed the stems because they would be too chewy. Knowing what I know now, next time I prepare them, I will pop those stems in a bag, and freeze them for use in making clear veggie stock. Ok, so as not to freak anyone out, because these are ugly mushrooms, I sliced the tops thinly, say and 8th of and inch, then cut the rows of slivers in half, before anyone (picky eaters) here saw me. I believe that this mushroom would be too chewy to leave whole. or eat raw, but some do, but not for me. I admit I was slightly afraid of them being poisonous. I usually like my mushrooms to be white and scrupulously cleaned and trimmed. I ate some first, just in case. LOL!
The first time I made them, I was considering only having broth that evening, as tummy aches had been hitting this one and that, so my plan was for a dual dinner, broth for me, and an oriental stir fry for the others, in a miso-like reduction of either braggs amino acids, or wheat free tamarii sauce...I can't remember, and it may have used both. First I sauteed the little mushrooms sliver in as little oil as possible, tasting them i realized that i had had this before, these mushrooms to my taste seem to have a flavor as if they have been lightly marinated in garlic, so I quickly added pressed garlic and an onion, and sauteed these three...that The combination was so dark and flavorful. I then added water to make my broth, which I boiled while cutting up vegetables for stir fry.
While the sauteed mix boiled to extract broth, I sauteed lean slivers of organic beef which had marinated in wheat free tamarii over night. Once the meat was done through, I added 1/8 inch carrot "pennies" cut on the diagonal to make ovals, not circles...because presentation is important to me, especially when introducing something new. To the wok, i added sliced water chestnuts and a large sliced onion...then I strained my broth, and added the solids to the stir fry, and then added a little more wheat free soy sauces.
The broth seemed like something cooked up by an Elf to heal Hobbits, but it tasted phenomenal and rich, almost "beefy." So I now know if I am make vegetarian "beef broth" that these will form a good base...along with potato and carrot peels....will start "banking" these in a container in the freezer....Mmmm and oh so healthy!!!) I drank the both and my tummy felt so good, I was able to eat dinner with the family with no repercussions...it was warming and soothing and healing and good! If you want to read about the proven benefits of Shiatke Mushrooms a simple Internet search will do! They are immune boosting, super anti-inflammatory, and full full full of vitamins, like B vitamins, which I would by FAR rather get from foods than form a pill, which seems to be hard on my kidneys and makes pee too yellow and smelly...TMI< but everybody knows what B-complex pills do to your pee, and if you are trying to keep it clear, then that messes with the ability to observe your hydration throughout the day.
Now the second time I bought Shiitake Mushrooms, it was to re-create a dish I had at a farm to table restaurant. I knew when I tasted them the first time, that that was a foundational flavor in the dish I had ordered at our fave restaurant, on our last anniversary. WE rarely go, but every time we do, I am inspired by the meal, and try to re-create it at home, because I must repeat it, but cannot afford to got there but once a year...anniversary...Ok yeah, we have to pinch pennies here. As a result, I CAN live on love. Ha!
I have no title for this dish. Which reminds me of the awful parenting I would resort to when my kids would ask what was for dinner. I was always making something up, but basically we eat poultry and potatoes or rice, with vegetables, in some combination or another...so if the kids asked me, and I had no really good answer, I would say one of to things, "Does every meal have to have a name? (ie a title) or I would just reply, "festering roadkill" and hoping nobody would ask me again, because I was either being lazy and making some boring thing, or being creative and did not want to be boxed, or held to my word about what I was making for supper, usually a combination of both of those, but I digress.
The dish was a vegetarian main dish using spaghetti squash, and small bits of flavorful vegetables, and in the restaurant, pistachios sprinkled on top. it was phenomenal, (yep, i used that word again...I am tryna get this recipe down, before I forget, if I get famous, I will have to severely edit...yep) and my mouth is watering just thinking about it. Mine own version turned out exceptionally well too, thought I did not have or use pistachios, I used a toasted sunseeds and raw green pepitas, or pumpkin seeds, and that nailed the pistachio flavor. Added those at the very end, so they did not become water-logged.
So, machete a spaghetti squash in half lenghtwise,remove the seeds and "guts" and palce it cut side down in water, about one half to one inch, and bake it for an hour or tow, depending on what else I have going on...once baked, and I like to bake it soft, so it even gets a little browned, I scoop out the strands and tossed them with just a little bit of olive oil, maybe even a hint of real butter, and a little salt. For the stir fry, I make the same shiitake and pressed garlic, and diced (small) onion...mushrooms first, then add the others...layering the flavor. Remove the mix to a bowl, dump the bowl of tossed squash into the saute pan, or wok, to "de-glaze" it while tossing spoonfuls of the veggies back in to the pan...then finally freshly toast the sun seeds and sprinkle those on top, then add the green pepitas for color, and interesting texture, and there is a full flavored, no carb, macro-nutrient-rich vegetarian dish, that you too will nee to repeat at intervals....
Mmmm....I had some side dishes for those who needed meat and potatoes, but I cannot recall what they were, because this to me was a hearty meal in itself.
And that is what I have to say about Shiitake Mushrooms. You body will thank me for this recipe.
Thursday, January 4, 2018
Warning Not Food: Reforming Soap Scraps
I am a weirdo who saves all her soap scraps. I have used one kind of bath soap all my life. it does not cause me skin reactions, it does not leave film on my tub or my skin. I like to save last of each bar, it is like a thick sliver, and when we go camping, we take one with us, and then we throw out whatever is left afterward, then we are not bringing any grossness back to our camper form the public showers. Well, my pile of ends no longer fit in the jar I had designated for it. So, I decided to attempt to re-form them.
Note, I SHOULD have microwaved them before placing them into my food processor to be ground to a powder. if you microwave soap, it will froth up into something that looks like shaving cream, but is dry, and will crumble almost into a powder, easier on your food processor...so you have been warned. I could have easily liked what is left of my good old food processor today.
Some recipes say to add water, i decided against it. Instead I melted some cheap coconut oil, so that perhaps my newly formed bars might add more moisture. i hope they do not clog my drains, or make my tub too slippery and make filmy rings. Anyhow, I melted about a half cup of hardened coconut oil, and added the powdered soap, and heated and stirred and mixed.I may have added a little water, now I cannot recall.. They are set, and out of the greased muffin tins, but they are still soft...more about them later.
I am using my little sample piece, and it is more moisturizing than in it original form. Will see if it cures and drys and how it "wears" in the soap dish.
Note, I SHOULD have microwaved them before placing them into my food processor to be ground to a powder. if you microwave soap, it will froth up into something that looks like shaving cream, but is dry, and will crumble almost into a powder, easier on your food processor...so you have been warned. I could have easily liked what is left of my good old food processor today.
Some recipes say to add water, i decided against it. Instead I melted some cheap coconut oil, so that perhaps my newly formed bars might add more moisture. i hope they do not clog my drains, or make my tub too slippery and make filmy rings. Anyhow, I melted about a half cup of hardened coconut oil, and added the powdered soap, and heated and stirred and mixed.I may have added a little water, now I cannot recall.. They are set, and out of the greased muffin tins, but they are still soft...more about them later.
I am using my little sample piece, and it is more moisturizing than in it original form. Will see if it cures and drys and how it "wears" in the soap dish.
Wednesday, November 15, 2017
Perfect Pumpkin
My friend Larry invited me out to his backyard to see his amazing vertical gardens. I was in awe. His picnic table displayed a bumper crop of huge neck pumpkins, and I was waxing fondly on the fruit of his labor, when he picked out the what seemed to me to be the largest one and handed it to me...I hardly knew what to say, I should have told him thanks, but to pick me out a smaller one instead, not the prized winner which he should have planned to enter into the the annual farm show competition. I just uttered stunned gratefulness, and carried it out to my car, in my arms like a baby.
I am no stranger to neck pumkin, or to even using mere jack-o-lantern pumpkins for food, but this thing deserved some VIP treatment. It took me a while to figure out just how to do it, but in doing so, I have created a recipe for pie filling which cannot be beat!
I peeled it, scraped out the guts (reserving the seeds for roasting) and chunked it and piled it high into my crock pot one afternoon...adding NO water. I brought it quickly up to temp on the high setting, for about and hour, maybe two, then tuned it low and cooked it overnight. OH key to the story: Later in the evening,as it cooked down a bit, I added Frontier brand pumpkin pie spice blend,tossed it about and popped the lid back on for the overnighter. In the morning it cooked down. It was a wonderful consistency, not watered down like before when I would steam it. The spiced went from the bitter way they come out of the jar, to the wonderful fall aroma. I stirred it and mashed it with a potatoe masher while it was still hot, then I returned the lid, after another hour on low, or keep warm setting, I turned it off, and allowed it to cool all afternoon while the spices continued to permeate the whole batch. Then when cooled, I ran it through the food mill and packed most of it for pies and baking later. I am now perfectly spoiled, and think pumpkin from a can is scary! (nt that I will not use solid pack punkin form a can, but this home made is by far the best!
The pot I had placed under my food mill was getting full, so I stopped while some was not yet milled, perhaps the more fibrous bits....I scraped those into the food processor, added some non-dairy cream cheese, and some sweetener (date or coconut sugar would have been best, I used molasses because that was what I had...and set that blend aside for making a pumpkin cheesecake. Her laziness dumped gluten-free rolled oats, butter, and a little more molasses into the food processor bowl to make a graham cracker crumb-like crust...dropped it into the pan and spread an flattened it, then added the creamy filling...it came out of the spring-form pan like and champ, and I served it for dessert. Mmmm....
Thanks Larry! Your prize-winning pumpkin was not wasted on this family! We will have pies and cookies and all sorts of goodies from it.
Happy Thanksgiving! Happy Harvest!
I am no stranger to neck pumkin, or to even using mere jack-o-lantern pumpkins for food, but this thing deserved some VIP treatment. It took me a while to figure out just how to do it, but in doing so, I have created a recipe for pie filling which cannot be beat!
I peeled it, scraped out the guts (reserving the seeds for roasting) and chunked it and piled it high into my crock pot one afternoon...adding NO water. I brought it quickly up to temp on the high setting, for about and hour, maybe two, then tuned it low and cooked it overnight. OH key to the story: Later in the evening,as it cooked down a bit, I added Frontier brand pumpkin pie spice blend,tossed it about and popped the lid back on for the overnighter. In the morning it cooked down. It was a wonderful consistency, not watered down like before when I would steam it. The spiced went from the bitter way they come out of the jar, to the wonderful fall aroma. I stirred it and mashed it with a potatoe masher while it was still hot, then I returned the lid, after another hour on low, or keep warm setting, I turned it off, and allowed it to cool all afternoon while the spices continued to permeate the whole batch. Then when cooled, I ran it through the food mill and packed most of it for pies and baking later. I am now perfectly spoiled, and think pumpkin from a can is scary! (nt that I will not use solid pack punkin form a can, but this home made is by far the best!
The pot I had placed under my food mill was getting full, so I stopped while some was not yet milled, perhaps the more fibrous bits....I scraped those into the food processor, added some non-dairy cream cheese, and some sweetener (date or coconut sugar would have been best, I used molasses because that was what I had...and set that blend aside for making a pumpkin cheesecake. Her laziness dumped gluten-free rolled oats, butter, and a little more molasses into the food processor bowl to make a graham cracker crumb-like crust...dropped it into the pan and spread an flattened it, then added the creamy filling...it came out of the spring-form pan like and champ, and I served it for dessert. Mmmm....
Thanks Larry! Your prize-winning pumpkin was not wasted on this family! We will have pies and cookies and all sorts of goodies from it.
Happy Thanksgiving! Happy Harvest!
Saturday, May 20, 2017
Chicken Veggie Noodle Soup
2 bone in but skinless all natural chicken breasts
1 medium onion diced
1/2 bunch of celery diced
3-4 carrots diced
2 garlic cloves minced/chopped
boil until the meat is tender
remove the meat to cool for picking off the bones and dicing
while the chicken is cooling,
add a bout a cup of frozen corn...
(the dices of corn and carrot make this easily like veggie chowder...adding the thickener of your choice with a little milk alternative could take this recipe another direction....I WILL try that
spiralize 3 bulky yellow squash...
cut a small head of cauliflower into florets, st aside, rough chop the smaller stumps and throw them into the food processor for a fine chop, then add the florets and pulse until they create "rice"add thise carb-poser veggie shapes into the soup, add the big nest of non-noodles.
Lastly, wash and shake dry a bunch of fresh thyme, strip all the little leaves off the stems...throw the leaves in the soup and the stems in the compost pile...Your soup will be so full of flavor, it will not even need to be salted. If you are sick, the broth is like medicine...this soup is excellent nourishment to feed a cold...in order to get over it.
Illness in this house is wicked and evil and hateful. and I have no further commentary of this soup. I'm sick and tired. This picture does this soup no justice...Life is unfair, sickness is sad reality...it happens, and you also make dumb decisions when sick...So stay home and eat soup.
1 medium onion diced
1/2 bunch of celery diced
3-4 carrots diced
2 garlic cloves minced/chopped
boil until the meat is tender
remove the meat to cool for picking off the bones and dicing
while the chicken is cooling,
add a bout a cup of frozen corn...
(the dices of corn and carrot make this easily like veggie chowder...adding the thickener of your choice with a little milk alternative could take this recipe another direction....I WILL try that
spiralize 3 bulky yellow squash...
cut a small head of cauliflower into florets, st aside, rough chop the smaller stumps and throw them into the food processor for a fine chop, then add the florets and pulse until they create "rice"add thise carb-poser veggie shapes into the soup, add the big nest of non-noodles.
Lastly, wash and shake dry a bunch of fresh thyme, strip all the little leaves off the stems...throw the leaves in the soup and the stems in the compost pile...Your soup will be so full of flavor, it will not even need to be salted. If you are sick, the broth is like medicine...this soup is excellent nourishment to feed a cold...in order to get over it.
Illness in this house is wicked and evil and hateful. and I have no further commentary of this soup. I'm sick and tired. This picture does this soup no justice...Life is unfair, sickness is sad reality...it happens, and you also make dumb decisions when sick...So stay home and eat soup.
Saturday, April 8, 2017
Smoked Turkey Breast Deli Meat
I received a smoker fro a milestone birthday and have been employing it mainly by smoking salmon, but last week I thought I would try my hand at smoking a boneless skinless turkey breast, and was rewarded richly!
First, I marinated it overnight in cider vinegar, salt, organic cat-sup, brown mustard and honey. Then slow smoked it for a bout 4 or 5 hours over hickory and apple wood. My family was crazy about it.
I am now spoiled, and can never care as much for even the best quality organic packaged kind again! Unbelievably tasty! Cooked to perfection, and not the least bit slimy, and the smokey flavor permeated it thoroughly!
Tuesday, March 28, 2017
Egg Salad "Good Save"
Today I had not sweet pickle relish for egg-salad, but I did have a few sweet bread and butter pickles at the bottom of a jar of homemade pickles...the last of the cans form downstairs...I chopped them finely, and strained out the celery seed and spices...and there I had some!
Oooo the mustard seeds that have been in brine for months...they add a little bit of texture to the egg salad, and the flavor cannot be beat....Now, will I have to make homemade relish all the time? No, I want to go get a full time job.
I will add more egg salads variation later....but for now, this is enough
Actually I will Not. Charlie Brown did it for me:
https://www.amazon.com/Peanuts-Lunch-Bag-Cook-Book/dp/B0006DWRTI
Charlie Brown suggested adding added bologna in. What kind he meant, I do not know, I mean the red kind from PA
There is Lebanon (PA) Bologna (pronounced baloney)it is peppery and spice, and moist
and there is Sweet Bologna, which is like above, but not peppery, just sweet and salty, and a little bit less moist
and there is double smoked sweet....very sweet and dry, a little like jerky, but not tough, it is almost like candy,
and goes well with Peanut Butter....and sweet gherkin or sliced pickles (but not with egg salad. LOL!
It also goes will with Philly Cream cheese
So, there, go get your Pennsylvania on!
OH, yeah, back to egg salad....stuffed green olives are good and so salty in egg salad
and I think my home smoked salmon would be good flaked into egg salad....I have not posted that recipe yet...another day
Oooo the mustard seeds that have been in brine for months...they add a little bit of texture to the egg salad, and the flavor cannot be beat....Now, will I have to make homemade relish all the time? No, I want to go get a full time job.
I will add more egg salads variation later....but for now, this is enough
Actually I will Not. Charlie Brown did it for me:
https://www.amazon.com/Peanuts-Lunch-Bag-Cook-Book/dp/B0006DWRTI
Charlie Brown suggested adding added bologna in. What kind he meant, I do not know, I mean the red kind from PA
There is Lebanon (PA) Bologna (pronounced baloney)it is peppery and spice, and moist
and there is Sweet Bologna, which is like above, but not peppery, just sweet and salty, and a little bit less moist
and there is double smoked sweet....very sweet and dry, a little like jerky, but not tough, it is almost like candy,
and goes well with Peanut Butter....and sweet gherkin or sliced pickles (but not with egg salad. LOL!
It also goes will with Philly Cream cheese
So, there, go get your Pennsylvania on!
OH, yeah, back to egg salad....stuffed green olives are good and so salty in egg salad
and I think my home smoked salmon would be good flaked into egg salad....I have not posted that recipe yet...another day
Paleo-Palooza
So, I made a triad of paleo staples today.
I made homemade almond milk, and will NEVER prefer the packaged kind again!
For that I took a small empty PB jar and soaked about a cup to a cup and a half for raw almonds overnight, well, I was lazy and it was over tow nights. I drained the water, threw those into the blender, with a couple of dates, and blended until as smooth and white as could be. Then I strained it twice, through finer mesh the 2nd time. placing the milk in a mason jar in the fridge.
The pulp form the dates and almonds, it throw into my dehydrator in a fruit leather tray and dried all day. Once that was done, I throw the rough dry pulp into my food processor and spun it until it was like a whole flour, threw that in a zippy bag and into the freezer for baking or flour-less grain-less pancakes etc...I have seen the pulp made into flour by baking all day in a warm oven, but in the dehydrator, the oils do not become rancid.
Not wanting to wast a half dirty food processor, I ground up some more whole raw almonds and dates, and raw coconut oil in and created some sweet raw almond butter....You can do this with maple syrup too...I try hard not to make it to fatty, so mine is a bit chunky.
Then, unrelated, BUT not wanting to wash my food processor, when I could employ it one more time, I threw the crumbs form the remnants of ricecakes at the bottom of a bag into the processor with spices for crumbling on the top of the fish I'm baking tonight for supper...
and then I did up the dishes.
I am lazy. but because of that, one good food begets another, and I am not wasteful...each ingredient will live up to its fullest potential
I made homemade almond milk, and will NEVER prefer the packaged kind again!
For that I took a small empty PB jar and soaked about a cup to a cup and a half for raw almonds overnight, well, I was lazy and it was over tow nights. I drained the water, threw those into the blender, with a couple of dates, and blended until as smooth and white as could be. Then I strained it twice, through finer mesh the 2nd time. placing the milk in a mason jar in the fridge.
The pulp form the dates and almonds, it throw into my dehydrator in a fruit leather tray and dried all day. Once that was done, I throw the rough dry pulp into my food processor and spun it until it was like a whole flour, threw that in a zippy bag and into the freezer for baking or flour-less grain-less pancakes etc...I have seen the pulp made into flour by baking all day in a warm oven, but in the dehydrator, the oils do not become rancid.
Not wanting to wast a half dirty food processor, I ground up some more whole raw almonds and dates, and raw coconut oil in and created some sweet raw almond butter....You can do this with maple syrup too...I try hard not to make it to fatty, so mine is a bit chunky.
Then, unrelated, BUT not wanting to wash my food processor, when I could employ it one more time, I threw the crumbs form the remnants of ricecakes at the bottom of a bag into the processor with spices for crumbling on the top of the fish I'm baking tonight for supper...
and then I did up the dishes.
I am lazy. but because of that, one good food begets another, and I am not wasteful...each ingredient will live up to its fullest potential
Monday, November 21, 2016
All-Natch Remedies 101
Below is an incomplete compilation of home remedies to save me from repeating myself:
It was inspired by the 3rd person this fall who I felt moved after they sent me a personal text or whose facebook post I saw and felt "nudged" to want to respond, so I wrote it like a "letter." Enjoy, and be well.
Dear _____,
I know that you know about PH, the things I share are meant to augment that base.
Here is a VERY effective you and your household can do right now----good to do together, then it is mutually offensive!!! LOL. My singer friends think I am awesome for this one...I did not think it up...it came from an ND I used to work with back in the 90's. It is simple and you can do it NOW. It works VERY well.
Garlic Germ Chaser: (my name for it)
Take out a coffee mug with a flat bottom
place a whole but peeled clove of garlic into it
use a small flt bottomed juice glass to crush it into the bottom of the mug
do not crush it on your cutting board..do it in the mug...that way you get ALL the oils
remove the juice glass...lol!
squeeze the juice of half of a lemon into the mug
then fill with boiling water
drink it down as soon as possible
adding salt, or honey to get it down is OK....but honestly, straight is best...
I have a DoTerra Bomb using 3 drops each of these oils into a capsule diluted with a few drops of fractionated coconut oil & taken immediately:
oregano, thyme and melaleuca (DoTerra only)
always dilute...oregano is so "hot" it can burn your skin, and worse on the inside!!!
also OnGuard (Thieves oll if using Young Living Brand) 3 beadlets or drops in and empty capsule ...also diffused into the air
And Sambuccol from Trick or Treat night to when Easter baskets are empty...some winters, we did this, because everyone around us ate junk food and were always sick. Suz could NOT miss rehearsals, or she would be removed form the cast list....yes, that strict!
There's plenty of help at local health food stores too, Like Probiotics and etc. All Drs in northern regions should check patients for Vitamin D Deficiency. Add more D3 when it's cold and dark and your immunity is down. Ask your REAL MD, if he does not know about that, change Drs.
I used to mentor in this area...Unofficially. I represented no company or products. I started out innocently, teaching all mama's who would bring their kids to church nursery with runny noses...then I stopped because I was getting weary of hearing myself talk about it. The ones who were eager to learn picked it up and went on to surpass me and mentor others...Now I ONLY take the time on those who are VERY serious...mainly singer friends now...since we get so desperate to avoid or at least shorten the course of colds! {Author Note: Now I will send a link to here!]
Here are two or three remedies that are not always on hand, but is ALWAYS on MY arsenal, and should be in every singers RX:
Alkalizing PINE TAR and THYME mouthwash:
http://heritagestore.com/alka-thyme-alkaline-mouthwash-16oz-liquid.html
Herer is the origila patenst---I used to use...but hated the ide of red dye:
http://www.glyco-thymoline.net/orderonline.html
If you order this dye free version get this too:
http://heritagestore.com/atomidine-2oz-liquid.html They might all be at Whole Foods already...under Heritage Products.
Gargling Atomidine deeply kills bacteria, and instantly removes the yellow/white infected layer off of canker sores and thrush sores....often happening back of the throat during a viral illness. it is so potent, it can make you hoarse, so NEVER on a singing Day, only on an off day, or early in the morning on a singing day, followed with hydration and vocal rest. Gargles deeply, I have only never needed tio use this product for more than 2 consecutive days. A trace of iodine might get into your system, but that is OK as it jump-starts the immunity at the glandular level.
Take Lysine (two at the end of every meal and snack, until healed or at least the sores or sore throat are gone) with all viral illnesses...What reverses retro-viral flares of herpes and canker sores, heals other viruses as well. FAST! When the pain goes away, back it off and discontinue.
Now, the Thymol Mouthwash products are much more than mouthwash, and more than they can say on their ads....never taken internally, but can go into the nose like salt water rinse---diluted 2 parts water one part product, can be compress behind ears and on chest to get the mucous flowing down and out....as a mere mouthwash, it is a mucus mop.
Gargle it way back and deeply it clears mucous from above and below...warm compress on the chest for congestion and to open airway (like Vicks*) for more productive coughing, behind ears to quickly drain fluids via the Eustachian tubes, on conjunctivitis in the eyes, and believe it or not---a room temp glyco compress draws the fluid out of poison ivy, without breaking the skin. (My neighbor swears by Vicks* on the feet, socked and well coveted at night...she is 80- and so she KNOWS!!! Do not throw out good old Vicks!)
I learned about Glyco-Thymoline and Atomidine and eating clean form a chiropractor who treated the Amish community. before I met him, my older kids were always on antibiotics and had ear infections and colds etc...also, I used to get pneumonia every Sept and April....He coached me with this and clean eating 21 years ago, and I have only had pneumonia once since, and that was due to a structural injury during childbirth, a torn lower esophagus, where my stomach herniated through and paralyzed my diaphragm. (Making me unable to sing for 7 years! Glad that was found all scarred over...and I could sing again!) Kids then 4 and 6 broke the antibiotic cycle, littler kids never got on that trap...it worked great!
This is personal and unpleasant, but he also prescribed saline retention enemas for any airway-challenging illness and well as any illness involving fever, even vomiting, both which severely dehydrate. The ratio: 2 qts warm pure water, 1 heaping tsp of salt, one level tsp of baking soda (dissolved into the water and mixed well. His premise was that it dramatically reversed severe dehydration, thus reducing fever and liquidating mucousa all through the body, and also that it quickly alkalized the lower digestive system, making digestion, as well as the proper downward flow of waste and mucous....like clearing a a sewer clean-out out on the front yard will will allow the kitchen and bath fixtures to flow freely upstairs. it sounds drastic, but...I hate to admit, it works. At our house, none of us resorted to even thinking this unless very desperate and begging to be passed a warm pitcher of solution through the bathroom door...if nothing else, the very thought is so threatening and daunting, that it makes a person drink more to to avoid it! Persons who eat clean should rarely ever have to resort to that!!! But there it is.
Lastly, he said to starve out fevers. Feed nourishing soup broths and lots and lots of fluids Digestion overwhelms the body, and takes away energy form the battle front. All soup here is de-fatted anyway....skin removed prior to all cooking. Do not fear, there is STILL enough fat in the dark meat of poultry to make the broth yummy or the roast or barbecue moist! If I see a shiny puddle of grease/fat on the surface of soup or stock, I throw a lettuce leaf onto the top of the pot, and quickly pull it back off. Surface oil will stick to it, and be removed-a lettuce leaf grease mop! I never cook anything with skin on here. We use all organic meat. My husband gets rashes from additives and hormones and chemicals in grocery produced meat. Than slowly add in vege based carbs and lean meat during recovery. When the first person in my house is sick...I start soup...a spooning on broth to those who could not eat....soups had fresh herbs or drops of oil into individual bowls, or both All herbs mentions for use on the DoTerra "Bomb" capsules, and garlic (see garlic ginger chicken recipe on another post) ...chicken soups so laced with herbs, it looks green! Low carb is better too. The broth is full or nourishment if no solids are allowed...nobody here starves, even when we are "starving, and is "starving a fever" or merely asking "When is supper going to be done Mom?"
Hot baths baths with Epsom salts and fresh ginger slices to bring on healing fever, if the illness is not spiking then relenting, but rather slow to come on and get over, and go away.
And do not even get me started on how much I LOVE Throat Coat tea! The singer's gig-saving grace!!!
Be Healthy and Well -All year round!!!
It was inspired by the 3rd person this fall who I felt moved after they sent me a personal text or whose facebook post I saw and felt "nudged" to want to respond, so I wrote it like a "letter." Enjoy, and be well.
Dear _____,
I know that you know about PH, the things I share are meant to augment that base.
Here is a VERY effective you and your household can do right now----good to do together, then it is mutually offensive!!! LOL. My singer friends think I am awesome for this one...I did not think it up...it came from an ND I used to work with back in the 90's. It is simple and you can do it NOW. It works VERY well.
Garlic Germ Chaser: (my name for it)
Take out a coffee mug with a flat bottom
place a whole but peeled clove of garlic into it
use a small flt bottomed juice glass to crush it into the bottom of the mug
do not crush it on your cutting board..do it in the mug...that way you get ALL the oils
remove the juice glass...lol!
squeeze the juice of half of a lemon into the mug
then fill with boiling water
drink it down as soon as possible
adding salt, or honey to get it down is OK....but honestly, straight is best...
I have a DoTerra Bomb using 3 drops each of these oils into a capsule diluted with a few drops of fractionated coconut oil & taken immediately:
oregano, thyme and melaleuca (DoTerra only)
always dilute...oregano is so "hot" it can burn your skin, and worse on the inside!!!
also OnGuard (Thieves oll if using Young Living Brand) 3 beadlets or drops in and empty capsule ...also diffused into the air
And Sambuccol from Trick or Treat night to when Easter baskets are empty...some winters, we did this, because everyone around us ate junk food and were always sick. Suz could NOT miss rehearsals, or she would be removed form the cast list....yes, that strict!
There's plenty of help at local health food stores too, Like Probiotics and etc. All Drs in northern regions should check patients for Vitamin D Deficiency. Add more D3 when it's cold and dark and your immunity is down. Ask your REAL MD, if he does not know about that, change Drs.
I used to mentor in this area...Unofficially. I represented no company or products. I started out innocently, teaching all mama's who would bring their kids to church nursery with runny noses...then I stopped because I was getting weary of hearing myself talk about it. The ones who were eager to learn picked it up and went on to surpass me and mentor others...Now I ONLY take the time on those who are VERY serious...mainly singer friends now...since we get so desperate to avoid or at least shorten the course of colds! {Author Note: Now I will send a link to here!]
Here are two or three remedies that are not always on hand, but is ALWAYS on MY arsenal, and should be in every singers RX:
Alkalizing PINE TAR and THYME mouthwash:
http://heritagestore.com/alka-thyme-alkaline-mouthwash-16oz-liquid.html
Herer is the origila patenst---I used to use...but hated the ide of red dye:
http://www.glyco-thymoline.net/orderonline.html
If you order this dye free version get this too:
http://heritagestore.com/atomidine-2oz-liquid.html They might all be at Whole Foods already...under Heritage Products.
Gargling Atomidine deeply kills bacteria, and instantly removes the yellow/white infected layer off of canker sores and thrush sores....often happening back of the throat during a viral illness. it is so potent, it can make you hoarse, so NEVER on a singing Day, only on an off day, or early in the morning on a singing day, followed with hydration and vocal rest. Gargles deeply, I have only never needed tio use this product for more than 2 consecutive days. A trace of iodine might get into your system, but that is OK as it jump-starts the immunity at the glandular level.
Take Lysine (two at the end of every meal and snack, until healed or at least the sores or sore throat are gone) with all viral illnesses...What reverses retro-viral flares of herpes and canker sores, heals other viruses as well. FAST! When the pain goes away, back it off and discontinue.
Now, the Thymol Mouthwash products are much more than mouthwash, and more than they can say on their ads....never taken internally, but can go into the nose like salt water rinse---diluted 2 parts water one part product, can be compress behind ears and on chest to get the mucous flowing down and out....as a mere mouthwash, it is a mucus mop.
Gargle it way back and deeply it clears mucous from above and below...warm compress on the chest for congestion and to open airway (like Vicks*) for more productive coughing, behind ears to quickly drain fluids via the Eustachian tubes, on conjunctivitis in the eyes, and believe it or not---a room temp glyco compress draws the fluid out of poison ivy, without breaking the skin. (My neighbor swears by Vicks* on the feet, socked and well coveted at night...she is 80- and so she KNOWS!!! Do not throw out good old Vicks!)
I learned about Glyco-Thymoline and Atomidine and eating clean form a chiropractor who treated the Amish community. before I met him, my older kids were always on antibiotics and had ear infections and colds etc...also, I used to get pneumonia every Sept and April....He coached me with this and clean eating 21 years ago, and I have only had pneumonia once since, and that was due to a structural injury during childbirth, a torn lower esophagus, where my stomach herniated through and paralyzed my diaphragm. (Making me unable to sing for 7 years! Glad that was found all scarred over...and I could sing again!) Kids then 4 and 6 broke the antibiotic cycle, littler kids never got on that trap...it worked great!
This is personal and unpleasant, but he also prescribed saline retention enemas for any airway-challenging illness and well as any illness involving fever, even vomiting, both which severely dehydrate. The ratio: 2 qts warm pure water, 1 heaping tsp of salt, one level tsp of baking soda (dissolved into the water and mixed well. His premise was that it dramatically reversed severe dehydration, thus reducing fever and liquidating mucousa all through the body, and also that it quickly alkalized the lower digestive system, making digestion, as well as the proper downward flow of waste and mucous....like clearing a a sewer clean-out out on the front yard will will allow the kitchen and bath fixtures to flow freely upstairs. it sounds drastic, but...I hate to admit, it works. At our house, none of us resorted to even thinking this unless very desperate and begging to be passed a warm pitcher of solution through the bathroom door...if nothing else, the very thought is so threatening and daunting, that it makes a person drink more to to avoid it! Persons who eat clean should rarely ever have to resort to that!!! But there it is.
Lastly, he said to starve out fevers. Feed nourishing soup broths and lots and lots of fluids Digestion overwhelms the body, and takes away energy form the battle front. All soup here is de-fatted anyway....skin removed prior to all cooking. Do not fear, there is STILL enough fat in the dark meat of poultry to make the broth yummy or the roast or barbecue moist! If I see a shiny puddle of grease/fat on the surface of soup or stock, I throw a lettuce leaf onto the top of the pot, and quickly pull it back off. Surface oil will stick to it, and be removed-a lettuce leaf grease mop! I never cook anything with skin on here. We use all organic meat. My husband gets rashes from additives and hormones and chemicals in grocery produced meat. Than slowly add in vege based carbs and lean meat during recovery. When the first person in my house is sick...I start soup...a spooning on broth to those who could not eat....soups had fresh herbs or drops of oil into individual bowls, or both All herbs mentions for use on the DoTerra "Bomb" capsules, and garlic (see garlic ginger chicken recipe on another post) ...chicken soups so laced with herbs, it looks green! Low carb is better too. The broth is full or nourishment if no solids are allowed...nobody here starves, even when we are "starving, and is "starving a fever" or merely asking "When is supper going to be done Mom?"
Hot baths baths with Epsom salts and fresh ginger slices to bring on healing fever, if the illness is not spiking then relenting, but rather slow to come on and get over, and go away.
And do not even get me started on how much I LOVE Throat Coat tea! The singer's gig-saving grace!!!
Be Healthy and Well -All year round!!!
Thursday, September 29, 2016
Fall Red Lentil Apple Soup
So, it is fall 2016. I have not made soup for months. it has been hot, and I have been busy. I cannot remember ever not making chicken corn soup in August, in the last 30 years of marriage, I probably did not even take off 16 years ago when I had a newborn baby and horrible case of pneumonia!
I am beginning a weekly soup documentary, because I am bartering with soup for a while, ad I want my business partners to know the recipe. Since I would be writing it down or typing it out....I thought that I might gain some traction here by posting it on my blog, I can make a record and write a books at the same time...Haha! Sure, if you want to hear my music, maybe I will post recipes from my album release party when that happens! :)
Today's soup was not delivered, as the meat was form my freezer and the veggies were on the edge of compost. It was a way to use op things I had on hand, and in that case, I do not serve my scrap based food to others....but this experiment was an keeper, and I will make it again next week!
1 & 1/2 cu. red lentils (dry)
1/2 cup any kind of brown rice
1 small apple chopped
2 medium onions chopped
1&1/2 cu. chopped celery
1 cu. chopped carrots
(chop all these confetti size)
1 lb. or less of regular turkey sausage
1 tsp of salt...or more...to taste + more salt in the table!
1/2 tsp sifted (powdered) thyme for a handful of fresh thyme
3 bay leaves
and finally a tbsp honey
Saute the mixture of tossed confetti diced veggies in oil...grape seed oil would be lovely, but olive oil is fine
add the sausage and stir...now do NOT burn any of this...only caramelize....the sausage will finish cooking while boiling.
Add the lentils and rice and stir through. Then pull the pot off the stove and add water to the pot,a little more than twice the height of the mixture. Replace the pot back onto the heat and bring to a boil...while impatiently waiting, add the herbs and stir...stir occasionally.
Once the soup has boiled long enough to cook the meat, add the tbsp of honey, and simmer a few more minutes, until the broth is caramel color and becoming opaque....then serve....Mmm!
Serves 4 to 6 a very hearty bowls ....maybe a quart leftover for the next day!
Now, a word about sausage. My local market carried maple apple sausage and it would be fabulous. I do not use it, because I do not think the maple is pure...and my kids do not like it. I could have used Applegate farms frozen breakfast sausage. But I used regular sausage from market. Soon, I will stuff my own apple sausage and smoke it in my very own smoker...yep, I found out I am getting a smoker for Christmas.
Also, I am lazy, so I placed the sausage into the pot with the caramelizing veggies...and boiled it until it was cooked and I could cut it with knife and fork, and throw it back into the pot to blend the flavors. One could cut the sausages before cooking...partially frozen would make more uniform slices. My home smoked links will already been thoroughly cooked....OH and you could bake the sausage, then slice into the soup.
Happy Fall 2016...Hearty soup to you!
This Just in: Her laziness (myself) just poured a jar of the leftovers into a saucepan in which someone else in the family had just sauted some spinach in...and this soup, having used the regular turkey sausage, looked 'boss" with the flakes of chopped frozen spinach stirred in liberally...I should have taken a picture, but I already ate it...Lol! Half eaten photo to come??? The Photo does not do it justice! This soup was awesome! Perfect for this gray rainy day! Mmm...
I am beginning a weekly soup documentary, because I am bartering with soup for a while, ad I want my business partners to know the recipe. Since I would be writing it down or typing it out....I thought that I might gain some traction here by posting it on my blog, I can make a record and write a books at the same time...Haha! Sure, if you want to hear my music, maybe I will post recipes from my album release party when that happens! :)
Today's soup was not delivered, as the meat was form my freezer and the veggies were on the edge of compost. It was a way to use op things I had on hand, and in that case, I do not serve my scrap based food to others....but this experiment was an keeper, and I will make it again next week!
1 & 1/2 cu. red lentils (dry)
1/2 cup any kind of brown rice
1 small apple chopped
2 medium onions chopped
1&1/2 cu. chopped celery
1 cu. chopped carrots
(chop all these confetti size)
1 lb. or less of regular turkey sausage
1 tsp of salt...or more...to taste + more salt in the table!
1/2 tsp sifted (powdered) thyme for a handful of fresh thyme
3 bay leaves
and finally a tbsp honey
Saute the mixture of tossed confetti diced veggies in oil...grape seed oil would be lovely, but olive oil is fine
add the sausage and stir...now do NOT burn any of this...only caramelize....the sausage will finish cooking while boiling.
Add the lentils and rice and stir through. Then pull the pot off the stove and add water to the pot,a little more than twice the height of the mixture. Replace the pot back onto the heat and bring to a boil...while impatiently waiting, add the herbs and stir...stir occasionally.
Once the soup has boiled long enough to cook the meat, add the tbsp of honey, and simmer a few more minutes, until the broth is caramel color and becoming opaque....then serve....Mmm!
Serves 4 to 6 a very hearty bowls ....maybe a quart leftover for the next day!
Now, a word about sausage. My local market carried maple apple sausage and it would be fabulous. I do not use it, because I do not think the maple is pure...and my kids do not like it. I could have used Applegate farms frozen breakfast sausage. But I used regular sausage from market. Soon, I will stuff my own apple sausage and smoke it in my very own smoker...yep, I found out I am getting a smoker for Christmas.
Also, I am lazy, so I placed the sausage into the pot with the caramelizing veggies...and boiled it until it was cooked and I could cut it with knife and fork, and throw it back into the pot to blend the flavors. One could cut the sausages before cooking...partially frozen would make more uniform slices. My home smoked links will already been thoroughly cooked....OH and you could bake the sausage, then slice into the soup.
Happy Fall 2016...Hearty soup to you!
This Just in: Her laziness (myself) just poured a jar of the leftovers into a saucepan in which someone else in the family had just sauted some spinach in...and this soup, having used the regular turkey sausage, looked 'boss" with the flakes of chopped frozen spinach stirred in liberally...I should have taken a picture, but I already ate it...Lol! Half eaten photo to come??? The Photo does not do it justice! This soup was awesome! Perfect for this gray rainy day! Mmm...
Monday, May 16, 2016
Raw Nuts Candied a spiced... 3 variations.
I use raw almonds for these recipes, and I use a dehydrator at low temp to bond the favors by drying, rahter than roasting.
Why, barbecue once a nut I roasted, the good fats/oils they contain are broke down. Rendering them not as healthy, as well as subject to rancidity.
I rarely eat roasted nuts, or grains, or any kind of heat process oils, or shelf table deep fried foods like chips, because the oil content is rancid unless eaten within minutes...end of sermon.
Great combinations:
Maple Cinnamon:
2 TBSP pure maple syrup
1TSP vanilla extract
1TSP cinnamon
coat nuts, (good with Almonds and or Pecans) place in dehydrator
then, lightly dust dried nuts with cinnamon, or they will still be sticky
Tamari Almonds:
Soak almonds in wheat free tamari Sauce, or Braggs Amino Acids...which is fermented soy
half hour, half a day..whatever
Drain in a colander or sieve, then into your dehydrator, they are done when they are dry
and sooo fail-proof tasty!!! You will never miss cracking open a can of salty roasted nuts again!
Carob Almonds...Mmmm
I have tried these two ways. One with water and carob powder, and one with raw extra virgin coconut oil and carob powder
If oil is used, then a light dusting of carob powder is needed after removal form the dehydrator, as with Maple recipe above.
When coating the nuts with an oil mixture, use a bag and knead the bag with your hands until they are all coated thinly and evenly, a little goes LONG way..say one tsp only of coconut oil 1 tbsp of carob powder per 2 cups of nuts. Place in dehydrator, when dry, dust with carob powder.
If using water,nuts can be stirred in the water carob mix in a bowl, similar to working with tamari. Like TBSp carob and 1-2 tsp of water to 2 cups of nuts. Place in dehydrator until dry...that is all
If desired, you can add setvai powder...mix a few pinches into carb powder, before adding water or oil, to evenly distribute---a little goes a long way of stevia too---too much and it is bitter.
Why, barbecue once a nut I roasted, the good fats/oils they contain are broke down. Rendering them not as healthy, as well as subject to rancidity.
I rarely eat roasted nuts, or grains, or any kind of heat process oils, or shelf table deep fried foods like chips, because the oil content is rancid unless eaten within minutes...end of sermon.
Great combinations:
Maple Cinnamon:
2 TBSP pure maple syrup
1TSP vanilla extract
1TSP cinnamon
coat nuts, (good with Almonds and or Pecans) place in dehydrator
then, lightly dust dried nuts with cinnamon, or they will still be sticky
Tamari Almonds:
Soak almonds in wheat free tamari Sauce, or Braggs Amino Acids...which is fermented soy
half hour, half a day..whatever
Drain in a colander or sieve, then into your dehydrator, they are done when they are dry
and sooo fail-proof tasty!!! You will never miss cracking open a can of salty roasted nuts again!
Carob Almonds...Mmmm
I have tried these two ways. One with water and carob powder, and one with raw extra virgin coconut oil and carob powder
If oil is used, then a light dusting of carob powder is needed after removal form the dehydrator, as with Maple recipe above.
When coating the nuts with an oil mixture, use a bag and knead the bag with your hands until they are all coated thinly and evenly, a little goes LONG way..say one tsp only of coconut oil 1 tbsp of carob powder per 2 cups of nuts. Place in dehydrator, when dry, dust with carob powder.
If using water,nuts can be stirred in the water carob mix in a bowl, similar to working with tamari. Like TBSp carob and 1-2 tsp of water to 2 cups of nuts. Place in dehydrator until dry...that is all
If desired, you can add setvai powder...mix a few pinches into carb powder, before adding water or oil, to evenly distribute---a little goes a long way of stevia too---too much and it is bitter.
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