Busy In The Christmas Workshop

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Maple Marinated Pork

• 2 pounds pork, I used boneless pork chops, pork roast would work well
• 1/4 cup Amino Acid or Soy Sauce
• 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
• 2-3 tablespoons maple syrup
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced

Lightly sauté pork, onions and garlic in a bit of olive oil.
Mix all ingredients and pour over pork in a marinating dish. Marinate several hours or overnight. Place everything in your crock pot and cook on low 6 to 8 hours.

Pepper Steak

• 3 pounds beef stew cubes
• 1 1/2 cups chopped onion
• 1 1/3 cups chopped green pepper
• 1 pound button mushrooms, sliced
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 3 14.5 ounce cans diced tomatoes
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons coconut palm sugar
• 1 cup amino acids

Sauté beef cubes in olive oil. Place in crock pot.
Sauté vegetables in olive oil. Place in crock.
Add remaining ingredients to crock pot and stir well
Cook on high until ingredients heat to bubbly.
Reduce heat and continue to cook for 6 to 8 hours.

Super Special Muffins

Super Special Muffins

• 2 cups cashew butter
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 2 bananas, mashed
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 4 eggs
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 6 tablespoons coconut flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Thoroughly mix wet ingredients. Sift in dry ingredients and blend well. (I stirred in about 1/2 cup of hemp seed.) Let sit a few minutes for coconut flour to become a bit absorbed. Spoon into greased muffin tins. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 25 minutes.  
Makes 24 muffins.

2014 Applesauce With Cherry Juice

 

This is the first year we have gotten a good amount of apples from the trees we planted. I have no actual recipe for this years applesauce. I peeled and chopped up lots of apples. When I had about 6 cups of chopped apples I put them in my supersized pot and barely covered them with water. Brought to a boil, then turned down to a low simmer. I continued to peel, chop and add apples to the pot throughout the day. Adding water as needed. I wanted some of the apples to be more cooked than others. Some apples cook down to a sauce while some remain in chunks. I sprinkled in cinnamon and Truvia to taste throughout the cooking process. It still tasted bland to me so I poured in some Montmorency Tart Cherry concentrate. YUM!!

Packed applesauce into clean, hot canning jars leaving 1/2 inch space from the top of the jar. Closed the jars with sterile lids and rims and processed pints in a boiling water bath for 25 minutes.

 

I placed 14 pints of really tasty Apple Cherry Sauce on a dish towel to cool.

The kitchen spells heavenly!

Unstuffed Pepper Casserole

I have made lots of stuffed peppers for the freezer this season!
Time to try something new with the last peppers in the garden.

Unstuffed Pepper Casserole

• 1 cup Quinoa ( I used Organic Red Quinoa)
• 2 cups vegetable or chicken broth
• olive oil, coconut oil or ghee to sauté vegetables in
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 pound ground turkey
• 3 to 4 peppers, cut into chunks
• 15 ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
• 2 cups marinara or spaghetti sauce

Rinse Quinoa thoroughly in cold water and drain. Place 1 cup quinoa and 2 cups broth in saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for about 20 minutes.

Add oil or ghee to a large sauté pan. Add onion and garlic. (I generally add in other chopped vegetables also, depending on what I have on hand such as carrots, mushrooms, zucchini, etc.) Sauté just until they begin to become translucent. Add in ground turkey and continue cooking until turkey is thoroughly cooked.

Mix together all casserole ingredients and spoon into a greased casserole. Cover and bake in a 350 degree oven for about an hour.

* I like to stir in dried spinach flakes to add some other healthy vegetables.
* Cheese is also a tasty addition. But then cheese is always good.
    Have not managed to go dairy free yet :/

Egg Fu Young or Frittata?

Egg Fu Young or Frittata?

5 large eggs

1 cup frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry (1/3 to 1/2 cup)

1 cup of ham, shrimp, mushrooms, water chestnuts or a mixture of your favorites

chopped green onion, to taste

kosher salt, to taste

¼ cup coconut flour

½ teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar

Freshly ground black pepper

Whisk all ingredients together. Fry small amounts in olive or coconut oil.

Seafood Stuffed Mushrooms

Seafood Stuffed Mushrooms

• 12 - 14 large white button mushrooms
• 6 oz. shrimp (about 1 cup, chopped)
• 6 oz. lump crabmeat
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup Alfredo sauce

I Have Zucchini!

Freeze it.   Bake it.   Zoodle it.

Zucchini Lasagne     Zucchini Bread     Cocoa Zucchini Muffins

Zucchini Fries     Zucchini Chips     Zoodles

Zucchini Fries

Zucchini Fries

• 3 small zucchini
• 2 egg yolks
• 3/4 cup Panko bread crumbs
• 6 T. grated parmesan cheese
• 1 T. Italian herbs

Preheat oven to 425ºF. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray. In a small bowl beat your egg yolks. (I usually thin with a touch of water or milk.)  Blend bread crumbs, cheese and herbs in another bowl.
Slice each zucchini in half  and then lengthwise into 3 slices and widthwise another 3 slices. Ending up with 18 fries per zucchini. Place the zucchini sticks in a colander over a bowl, and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of salt. Let them drain for 1 hour or longer. Rinse them and pat dry.

Dip into egg yolks and dredge in bread crumb mixture. Place coated zucchini on prepared baking sheet and repeat with remaining ingredients; liberally coat with cooking spray.
Roast, turning once, until desired crispness, about 12 minutes. Yields about 5 servings.
3 pts         97 calories

These are neither wheat free or a SCD recipe. Just really craving them and it is difficult to resist when my garden is bursting with zucchini!

"FREE" Soaps

Correspondence which actually occurred between a London hotel's staff and one of its guests. The London hotel involved submitted this to the Sunday Times. No name was mentioned.

I have no clue why I find it so funny but it really cracks me up!

Dear Maid,
Please do not leave any more of those little bars of soap in my bathroom since I have brought my own bath-sized Dial. Please remove the six unopened little bars from the shelf under the medicine chest and another three in the shower soap dish. They are in my way.
Thank You,  S. Berman

Dear Room 635,
I am not your regular maid. She will be back tomorrow, Thursday, from her day off. I took the 3 hotel soaps out of the shower soap dish as you requested. The 6 bars on your shelf I took out of your way and put on top of your Kleenex dispenser in case you should change your mind. This leaves only the 3 bars I left today which my instructions from the management is to leave 3 soaps daily.
I hope this is satisfactory,
Kathy, Relief Maid

Dear Maid -- I hope you are my regular maid.
Apparently Kathy did not tell you about my note to her concerning the little bars of soap. When I got back to my room this evening I found you had added 3 little Camays to the shelf under my medicine cabinet. I am going to be here in the hotel for two weeks and have brought my own bath-size Dial so I won't need those 6 little Camays which are on the shelf. They are in my way when shaving, brushing teeth, etc. Please remove them.
S. Berman

Dear Mr. Berman,
My day off was last Wed. so the relief maid left 3 hotel soaps which we are instructed by the management. I took the 6 soaps which were in your way on the shelf and put them in the soap dish where you Dial was. I put the Dial in the medicine cabinet for your convenience. I didn't remove the 3 complimentary soaps which are always placed inside the medicine cabinet for all new check-ins and which you did not object to when you checked in last Monday. Please let me know if I can be of further assistance.
Your regular maid,
Dotty

Dear Mr. Berman,
The assistant manager, Mr. Kensedder, informed me this A.M. that you called him last evening and said you were unhappy with your maid service. I have assigned a new girl to your room. I hope you will accept my apologies for any past inconvenience. If you have any future complaints please contact  me so I can give it my personal attention. Call extension 1108 between 8 A.M. and 5 P.M.
Thank you.
Elaine Carmen
Housekeeper

Dear Miss Carmen,
It is impossible to contact you by phone since I leave the hotel for business at 7:45 A.M. and don't get back before 5:30 or 6 P.M. That's the reason I called Mr. Kensedder last night. you were already off duty. I only asked Mr. Kensedder if he could do anything about those little bars of soap. The new maid you assigned me must have thought I was a new check-in today, since she left another 3 bars of hotel soap in my medicine cabinet along with her regular delivery of 3 bars on the bath-room shelf. In just 5 days here I have accumulated 24 little bars of soap. Why are you doing this to me?
S. Berman

Dear Mr. Berman,
Your maid, Kathy, has been instructed to stop delivering soap to your room and remove the extra soaps. If I can be of further assistance, please call extension 1108 between 8 A.M. and 5 P.M.
Thank you,
Elaine Carmen
Housekeeper

Dear Mr. Kensedder,
My bath-size Dial is missing. Every bar of soap was taken from my room including my own bath-size Dial. I came in late last night and had to call the bellhop to bring me 4 little Cashmere Bouquets.
S. Berman

Dear Mr. Berman,
I have informed our housekeeper, Elaine Carmen, of your soap problem. I cannot understand why there was no soap in your room since our maids are instructed to leave 3 bars of soap each time they service a room. The situation will be rectified immediately. Please accept my apologies for the inconvenience.
Martin L. Kensedder
Assistant Manager

Dear Mrs. Carmen,
Who the hell left 54 little bars of Camay in my room? I came in last night and found 54 little bars of soap. I don't want 54 little bars of Camay. I want my one damn bar of bath-size Dial. Do you realize I have 54 bars of soap in here? All I want is my bath-size Dial. Please give me back my bath-size Dial.
S. Berman

Dear Mr. Berman,
You complained of too much soap in your room so I had them removed. Then you complained to Mr. Kensedder that all your soap was missing so I personally returned them. The 24 Camays which had been taken and the 3 Camays you are suppose to receive daily. I don't know anything about the 4 Cashmere Bouquets. Obviously your maid, Kathy, did not know I had returned your soaps so she also brought 24 Camays plus the 3 daily Camays. I don't know where you got the idea this hotel issues bath-size Dial. I was able to locate some hotel-size Ivory which I left in your room.
Elaine Carmen
Housekeeper

Dear Mrs. Carmen,
Just a short note to bring you up-to-date on my latest soap inventory.
As of today I possess:

•  On shelf under medicine cabinet - 18 Camay in stack of 4 and one stack of 2.
• On Kleenex dispenser - 11 Camay in 2 stacks of 4 and 1 stack of 3.
• On bedroom dresser - 1 stack of 3 Cashmere Bouquet, 1 stack of 4 hotel-size Ivory, and 8 Camay in 2 stacks of 4.
• Inside medicine cabinet - 14 Camay in 3 stacks of 4 and 1 stack of 2.
• In shower soap dish - 6 Camay, very moist.
• On northeast corner of tub - 1 Cashmere Bouquet, slightly used.
• On northwest corner of tub - 6 Camays in 2 stacks of 3.

Please ask Kathy when she services my room to make sure the stacks are neatly piled and dusted. Also, please advise her that stacks of more than 4 have a tendency to tip. May I suggest that my bedroom window sill is not in use and will make an excellent spot for future soap deliveries. One more item I have purchased another bar of bath-sized Dial which I am keeping in the hotel vault in order to avoid further misunderstandings.
S. Berman

SCD Hamburger Buns

Hamburger Buns

• 1 cup creamy almond butter
• 5 eggs
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar                                  SCD Recipe
• 1/2 tablespoon honey
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

English Muffin Rings

1. In your food processor, process almond butter and eggs until really smooth.
2. Add remaining ingredients one at a time in shoot with pulsing butter and eggs.
3. Line a baking pan with parchment paper.
4. Place muffin rings on parchment paper and spray inside rings with cooking spray.
5. Pour batter into rings.
6. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes.
7. Cool completely, wrap in paper towels, then in a sealed container and refrigerate.

Co Co Coconut Pancakes for Catey!

Co Co Coconut Pancakes For Catey!

Ingredients
4 eggs, room temperature
1 cup canned natural coconut milk
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 tablespoons honey (or 1-2 pkg Truvia if you prefer)
1/2 cup coconut flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
coconut oil for frying                                                           SCD Recipe

Directions
1. Beat eggs until frothy. Mix in milk, vanilla and honey (or Truvia).
2. Sift flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and sea salt into a medium bowl.
3. Stir wet mixture into dry until well combined.
4. Heat griddle over medium low heat and grease with coconut oil.
5. Ladle a few tablespoons of batter into pan. Spread out slightly with back of spoon.
     Do not make them too big or there is no flipping. Learned this the hard way.
6. Cook 2-3 minutes on each side. I use 2 pans and 2 burners. It makes the flipping of these extremely fragile crepes a little easier. And quicker, since I am making two crepes at a time.

I LOVE Hollandaise Sauce

I LOVE Hollandaise Sauce

Almond Bread



More experimenting today. Making bread with my almond butter.



Almond Butter

Almond Butter
It took a lot longer to make almond butter than cashew butter.
I would have liked it to be creamier but it is tasty.

Soaking Almonds

Soaking Almonds
This has become a very familiar sight in my kitchen.

What A Grandmother Is

WHAT A GRANDMOTHER IS   -  by a third grader

"A grandmother is a lady who has no children of her own. She likes other people's little girls. A grandfather is a man grandmother. He goes for walks with the boys and they talk about fishing and tractors and things like that.

 

Grandmothers don't have to do anything but be there. They're old so they shouldn't play hard or run. It is enough if they take us to the market where the pretend horse is, and have lots of dimes ready, or if they take us for walks and slow down passing things like pretty leaves or caterpillars. They never say "hurry up."

 

Usually they are fat, but not too fat to tie your shoes. They wear glasses and funny underwear. They can take their teeth and gums off. They don't have to be smart, only answer questions like why dogs hate cats and how come God isn't married. When they read to us they don't skip words or mind if it is the same story again and again.

 

Everybody should try to have one, especially if you don't have a television, because grandmothers are the only grown-ups who have got time."

Lemon Bars

Can't sleep so I am making lemon bars for my daughter :-)

Cold Winter Day In The Kitchen

Another cold winter day working on new recipes.
We are suppose to have a record breaking cold night tonight.
A record that has been in place for 120 years!!

Let It Snow ;-/

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow ;-/
It's ugly outside so let's cook INside.

Cashew Butter

Going to Trader Joes Monday so I can make my own Cashew Butter.

Actually I have a huge list. I always do when I get to TJ  :-)

I absolutely love their Dried Wild Blueberries for my Fruity Nut Bars.

 

Cashew Butter

2 cups raw cashews

3-4 tablespoons warmed coconut oil

Plan to process in my food processor. I can't wait to try it.

Turned out fantastic!!

 

 

 

Almond Cheese

Almond 'Cheese'

Finally trying Almond 'Cheese' in my new food processor today!