tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17720850220344344652024-03-13T09:55:34.411-07:00Purposeful NourishmentKing's Daughterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11946812226614285331noreply@blogger.comBlogger40125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1772085022034434465.post-82824255404911049562013-09-18T14:22:00.001-07:002013-09-18T14:22:32.960-07:00Makeover! My Blog Has a Brand New Look!Purposeful Nourishment has undergone a complete makeover! Come find me at <a href="http://ohsweetmercy.com/" target="_blank">Oh Sweet Mercy</a> and check out the new look!King's Daughterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11946812226614285331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1772085022034434465.post-69113620260200649572013-07-08T12:33:00.000-07:002013-07-08T12:33:28.601-07:00<div style="text-align: justify;">
The last few months have been crazy busy. If you've been to my main blog over at <a href="http://lifeonpurposeandprinciple.blogspot.com/2013/06/grandbabies-moving-marriage-and.html" target="_blank">Life on Purpose and Principle</a>, you know that in the last 2-3 months, I've become a grandmother, moved (drastically downsizing in the process), become a mother in law, helped plan and host my youngest stepson's high school graduation and had company from out of state...twice. Whew. It seriously tires me to reminisce. And in all that busyness, sometimes our food choices were less than optimal. Now that the dust has settled, it's time to re-evaluate what we eat and make some changes.</div>
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Looking back, I see how God has gently led me to where I am now. Thanks to my grandmother, I learned how to throw things together, make bread, "get all the goody out" (use a spatula to scrape out every last bit of batter or whatever you've mixed up), and I am thankful for both the instruction and the fond memories of working with my grandma in the kitchen. I began cooking on my own at a young age and loved coming up with my own recipes. </div>
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About four years ago, I had my eyes opened by attending a <a href="http://nourishingourchildren.org/Home.html" target="_blank">Nourishing Our Children</a> seminar. I was so mad by the end of it, I wanted to go home and throw out all our food! Since that was not practical at all for this one-income family, I gave away the worst offenders (or just threw it away), and gradually used up what was left, replacing what was used up with healthier alternatives. I began to make my own mixes for <a href="http://heavenlyhomemakers.com/homemade-taco-seasoning-mix" target="_blank">taco seasoning,</a> <a href="http://heavenlyhomemakers.com/homemade-onion-soup-mix-with-no-msg" target="_blank">onion soup mix</a> (and yes, it can be made without boullion, and therefore without MSG), cookies, breads, and anything else I might have bought in a box at the store. </div>
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I eased into fermenting with <a href="http://www.keeperofthehome.org/2011/04/how-to-make-water-kefir.html" target="_blank">water kefir</a>, <a href="http://nourishedkitchen.com/milk-kefir/" target="_blank">dairy kefir</a>, and eventually <a href="http://gnowfglins.com/ecourse/classes/sourdough" target="_blank">sourdough</a>. I have to admit to being afraid of making my own <a href="http://www.nourishingdays.com/2009/07/the-benefits-of-fermented-food-lacto-fermented-vegetables/" target="_blank">lacto fermented vegetables</a>, and so I have not ventured into that arena, yet. I used to be afraid of <a href="http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/tag/balsamic-vinegar/" target="_blank">balsamic vinegar</a>, because it was so dark. I just had no idea what it would taste like and was afraid to try it. Turns out I've been missing out on one of the most delicious (not to mention healthful) condiments I've ever tried. I put that stuff on anything, even eggs. I'd put it on, or in, more things, but my husband doesn't like vinegar in general, and especially not balsamic. Boo. Sometimes I wonder how we connected...we seem to be polar opposites when it comes to many foods.</div>
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Eight months ago, I finally yielded to the Lord's leading and went gluten-free. After sulking for several days, I finally put my Big Girl Panties on and dealt with it. And I'm so glad I did! I've lost 20 pounds without doing anything other than not eating grains with gluten, my blood sugar is better controlled, and I just feel better in general. I've seen improvements in my children - my son no longer has paint-peeling gas, his bowel movements are normal, his bumpy rash on his face is gone, and he is somewhat less hyper; my daughter reported feeling less tired, more clear-headed, and no longer itches constantly. She has also learned to not "cheat" - because she feels so terrible after eating something with gluten. I'm glad she willingly makes the choice!</div>
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Lately, God's been nudging me to check out the Paleo thing. At first I thought good heavens, I don't think I can handle any more dietary changes and food restrictions. It's hard enough sometimes, especially when well-meaning family and friends don't quite "get it", or going to a get together and the only thing that is "legal" to eat is on the veggie tray...but no dip, since we don't know what is in it. I'm getting used to bringing our own food, eating what I can and being happy with it, or just not eating, but honestly, it just kind of sucks sometimes. I don't <i>want</i> to have to constantly watch what I'm eating. It's not fair that other people can eat anything and have no health problems! But, then again, perhaps that's what's wrong with the world these days, everyone doing what they want with no thought to the consequences. Maybe it's not such a bad thing to have to be <i>mindful</i> of what you're doing all the time. I'll have to remember that when we go to our daughter's 4H picnic tonight. At least they're having hamburgers, not just hot dogs! </div>
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Several years ago, I did the Atkin's diet and lost about 45 pounds. I don't want to do that again (the Atkin's diet...I have NO problem with losing 45 pounds!) because that diet requires the use of artificial sweeteners and soy, but I do know that cutting out carbs (which for me amounts to a lot of grains in general, gluten-free or otherwise) means I feel better and lose weight. I've found that I love love love Miracle Noodles, and am finding a lot of recipes to make tortillas, and other foods traditionally made with grains, with things like cauliflower instead. </div>
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A friend of mine and I recently discussed the trend of replacing "off limit" foods with something similar, made with "legal" ingredients. She wondered why do we do that instead of just not eating those things anymore. Why do we feel the need to replace everything with something similar? I see her point, because sometimes we just trade one thing for something else that may not be good for us. I've been thinking about it a lot, and I think that food is, for some people, something that is very intimate - it's a relationship. If you broke up with your boyfriend, you wouldn't want to replace him with a potted plant, even though it may be healthier for you. You want to find another boyfriend, another person to connect with. Someone similar, but without the traits you hated in the guy you dumped. </div>
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Humans are also creatures of habit! For some, there is so much comfort in the routine and ordinary it's hard to change. And there's also the fact that some of the things we eat we just don't want to eliminate because we really like them that much. But when your health is compromised, you have to make a choice. </div>
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I have seen a gradual improvement in my health, but it's time to take it to the next level. I KNOW I feel better when I don't eat a lot of carbs - I am not ravenously hungry all the time, am satisfied longer between meals, and often have more energy. I'm also on a budget, so "going Paleo" is going to require good planning and stewardship. I know that God provides when He calls us into anything...whether it's overseas missions or just something as mundane as diet (I can't tell you how many times I've been blessed with gluten free foods, either just given to me or finding them dirt-cheap at the store!). I've recently found Miracle Noodles for 30c a bag at a local discount grocery store. </div>
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So, what now? Research. Try new recipes. Do the best I can with what I have. Don't beat myself up when the budget says we have to eat rice this week...several times. Be thankful for what I have, and that God loves me so much He wants to help me be healthy. And try not to miss ice cream too much. And keep hoping that after a season of being grain-free, I can try introducing soaked grains again, because I do so love a good sourdough. Sourdough pancakes were a favorite around here...we even named our sourdough - Jack (after "Sourdough Jack" Mabee). I miss Jack. A lot. </div>
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My next bunch of posts will likely be Paleo recipes, either that I've tried or want to. I'd love to hear from you and your experiences with the Paleo lifestyle! Please share your stories, recipes and tips in the comment section!</div>
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King's Daughterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11946812226614285331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1772085022034434465.post-30301496394466335242013-05-01T11:55:00.000-07:002013-05-01T11:55:05.782-07:00And the WINNER is....<div style="text-align: justify;">
Since I posted the giveaway a couple weeks ago, we found a new house to move to. And Moving Day is tomorrow!!!! In all the chaos of packing and purging (should be PURGING and then packing but hey, we decided to move with a week to get it done so what can one expect?) I <i>nearly</i> forgot that today was the Big Day where I get to pick the winner of that free bag of All Purpose Gluten Free Flour from <a href="http://dolchhealthfoods.com/">CC Dolch</a>!</div>
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I also had limited time, so I hired my Junior Kitchen Assistant and asked him to pick a number out of his cool cowboy hat...</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE0HlDa8hF40p0FP3xaQB-ivkHYypFjpN1ZJKt3snOLrOfcVUixWkXjHvItIJKsTuedeeeeE0vkjLXCkoKIEyhAEmTiY9LZmRQj8KN_wh8udmXWITQcaV0MiVUG2CUDim0lg2lxBoONOA/s1600/DSCN2470%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE0HlDa8hF40p0FP3xaQB-ivkHYypFjpN1ZJKt3snOLrOfcVUixWkXjHvItIJKsTuedeeeeE0vkjLXCkoKIEyhAEmTiY9LZmRQj8KN_wh8udmXWITQcaV0MiVUG2CUDim0lg2lxBoONOA/s320/DSCN2470%5B1%5D.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Junior Kitchen Assistant with Cool Cowboy Hat. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3er0WAKtBrOhpQTGT7B9fCUD9P3Jl6PYrX7JK35vQ8dAfTCIf95anmQBlRSWTy6eMj1g_4IwyzW789yfCJgr2vASBai1uRH_P68Zd61h2J1Tr6Q-j0UGd5IMToSX8wjd_GgqCs-RU0VQ/s1600/DSCN2479.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3er0WAKtBrOhpQTGT7B9fCUD9P3Jl6PYrX7JK35vQ8dAfTCIf95anmQBlRSWTy6eMj1g_4IwyzW789yfCJgr2vASBai1uRH_P68Zd61h2J1Tr6Q-j0UGd5IMToSX8wjd_GgqCs-RU0VQ/s320/DSCN2479.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lucky Number 5!!</td></tr>
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<br />The fifth person to comment was...<div>
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<span style="color: #6aa84f; font-size: x-large;">Janet!</span></div>
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Janet, please contact me with your email address and I'll get this out to you as soon as possible (hopefully Friday). And could you please send them an email and thank them for their kind generosity? I am so impressed with this company!</div>
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Thank you all for participating and checking out my blog. I hope to have more giveaways in the future! Now, back to packing....ugh.</div>
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King's Daughterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11946812226614285331noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1772085022034434465.post-27211096163388900412013-04-17T07:57:00.002-07:002013-04-17T07:57:13.995-07:00DIY: Make Your Own Ground Beef Using an Old Fashioned Hand Grinder<div style="text-align: justify;">
My Aunt Kathy makes this amazingly yummy cranberry salad during the holidays. She's made it for decades, I believe. I know when I was little I always looked forward to the white covered dish with the blue square design, because that (usually) meant Cranberry Salad lay hidden within. Sometimes she would put something else in there instead...a crushing disappointment. I remember one time she shared that the secret is using one of those old fashioned hand grinders, not a food processor, because the texture is better...more "rustic" I'd call it. Food processors make everything uniform in shape, this puppy cranks out wonderfully random chunks of texture. I love it!</div>
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My husband's grandmother has one, and I borrowed it one year to make Aunt Kathy's Cranberry Salad and never gave it back. Not because I'm a thief though, I'm just forgetful! One day, my mom surprised me and gave me one she picked up at an auction, for something like $2. I couldn't believe it, it was in excellent shape and she only paid a couple of bucks for it. Awesome bargain shopping mom!</div>
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I've wanted to try grinding my own hamburger for a while, but a couple of things kept me from it...I wasn't really sure how to do it, I feared it would be a humongous pain to clean the grinder, and flashbacks from years ago when I used an electric meat grinder to grind venison. Blech. I don't want to talk about that. At ALL. </div>
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I wanted to make something with hamburger for supper, and didn't want to go to the butcher shop and spend money. So, I got a chuck roast out of the freezer this morning to thaw. I was blessed to receive a bunch of good quality meat (as in local, grass fed) from a friend who was cleaning out her freezer to make room for the annual meat order she does. I searched online for "how to grind your own hamburger with an old fashioned grinder"...turns out it's pretty straight forward. Cut the meat into chunks, freeze it a bit, then grind it. What was I worried about then? Ok right...</div>
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So, here is how you use that cool antique grinder your Great Aunt Tilly left you...</div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyD8Ic0q0e1TmWYdBCIGdanqlcpC8HXsu4K24hdyPAmb_fs6JfuYGiaJ6LG7ap9jDZxAToSV6FU1qI5ONeBEY1VJ6znHuus-Buv-uJudmm4ctmY3Yq2nGatCFfbRHRtV2T_Taz_jpOFKI/s1600/DSCN2308.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyD8Ic0q0e1TmWYdBCIGdanqlcpC8HXsu4K24hdyPAmb_fs6JfuYGiaJ6LG7ap9jDZxAToSV6FU1qI5ONeBEY1VJ6znHuus-Buv-uJudmm4ctmY3Yq2nGatCFfbRHRtV2T_Taz_jpOFKI/s400/DSCN2308.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Players: Antique Grinder, 2# (or so) Grassfed Beef Chuck Roast,<br />
and the ultimate kitchen tool...a VERY sharp Knife!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv81ZfYUFowfs5MFp9Kdjil0cfI1yAKAe8HKtMtNj94sfzOJ4pMk6WndjAHCYcHIccX_EEfp4z2RgaWG_RpYB1x5kvPE6da2xEk2l2hBY1u4T7lBoq0Tm-e16MykoA6MawmxVsHp0i_Ik/s1600/DSCN2314.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv81ZfYUFowfs5MFp9Kdjil0cfI1yAKAe8HKtMtNj94sfzOJ4pMk6WndjAHCYcHIccX_EEfp4z2RgaWG_RpYB1x5kvPE6da2xEk2l2hBY1u4T7lBoq0Tm-e16MykoA6MawmxVsHp0i_Ik/s400/DSCN2314.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cut mostly dethawed meat into chunks. Mine were about an inch square.<br />
If your meat is fresh, cut into chunks and put into the freezer for a bit to<br />
harden them up. Be sure to spread them out so they don't freeze together<br />
into a big clump. They'll also begin freezing sooner if there is space for<br />
air to circulate between the chunks.</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIrFf3PZeQGQi1Kyii-rG996pdiK80vefWl4VUleNMmiJtfgEeFGGfPKDMf9kO6uvlvMruOnrZirVL2ZizQVvXsdJU87iUyV7nVofX4CPbkvjFJD8OBPoJQAHF5fdA9FI4zaOcZDjn9zM/s1600/DSCN2317.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIrFf3PZeQGQi1Kyii-rG996pdiK80vefWl4VUleNMmiJtfgEeFGGfPKDMf9kO6uvlvMruOnrZirVL2ZizQVvXsdJU87iUyV7nVofX4CPbkvjFJD8OBPoJQAHF5fdA9FI4zaOcZDjn9zM/s400/DSCN2317.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.666668891906738px;">I got about eight cups of chunks and a couple nice meaty bones for<br />
broth out of my chuck roast. I'm just guessing at the weight, seemed<br />
like a couple pounds or so by the feel of it.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCe7cIJ6psgERGdtlGuumOTzZJLtTXKDA5DR1FiBQr1EJ_EzZ8fPkk7uPkn6AwVjG0ZrOwzavituXXv6z6fXtxMcjCIR52fq8ubFhHZ7ycoCWeqxPHPJXKTccslpMN7UXfQPuqH7ZbXeg/s1600/DSCN2318.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="display: inline !important; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCe7cIJ6psgERGdtlGuumOTzZJLtTXKDA5DR1FiBQr1EJ_EzZ8fPkk7uPkn6AwVjG0ZrOwzavituXXv6z6fXtxMcjCIR52fq8ubFhHZ7ycoCWeqxPHPJXKTccslpMN7UXfQPuqH7ZbXeg/s400/DSCN2318.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You'll want to attach your grinder to the edge of your kitchen counter with<br />
the clamp that is on the grinder. If your counter edge is nonexistent, or too big,<br />
you can use the edge of a table. I always put a towel or newspaper underneath the<br />
clamp, because any juices in whatever you grind will leak out as you grind. If<br />
you're doing cranberries, I highly recommend a bucket. Seriously...those guys are<br />
JUICY. And STICKY. And I should have taken a better picture of this. Sorry!!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh19vyL-0Av5CrOa0LPCuzOdcdPt9WjjGV_-D8AvHbdr_aznICNh1cKYOZBsME_hvpPkRZiefhPqQ_byVnhNDJfGtZUq7J3uce2dOeZIK1iF1902dyNYCyhX5IsUVkEyH6m15-W0NU8Tes/s1600/DSCN2319.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh19vyL-0Av5CrOa0LPCuzOdcdPt9WjjGV_-D8AvHbdr_aznICNh1cKYOZBsME_hvpPkRZiefhPqQ_byVnhNDJfGtZUq7J3uce2dOeZIK1iF1902dyNYCyhX5IsUVkEyH6m15-W0NU8Tes/s400/DSCN2319.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Put a few chunks of meat into the hopper. I think I put about five or six chunks in<br />
there. Start turning the handle. One piece of advice, if the handle doesn't want to turn<br />
away from you, check the nut on the front of the grinding plate. If it's too tight, it will<br />
only turn backwards, which of course will not work. Just loosen it up a bit. You'll have<br />
to push down the meat some, I always get horrible visions of my fingers getting<br />
caught in there, but I still use my fingers. You are probably more safety conscious<br />
than I am and would think to use a wooden spoon or something. I thought about<br />
getting the wood thing that goes with my food sieve, but I was too lazy to get it.<br />
Hey, I'm human...what can I say? Anyway, keep adding chunks of meat and<br />
grinding until you get it all ground.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmwEa8IBZQsV0I9PE5HGTopawVvqrTcj3ZgnjOW1iyz2xa6sH6ZZYfnB4SOVRZpN79rHGJun4EOFi84J599svnI89RlsxbhkrbjSL6eitkanXMa6ZYql8ZQ4P1gKnpDZ0lWFBwD85gJ78/s1600/DSCN2325.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmwEa8IBZQsV0I9PE5HGTopawVvqrTcj3ZgnjOW1iyz2xa6sH6ZZYfnB4SOVRZpN79rHGJun4EOFi84J599svnI89RlsxbhkrbjSL6eitkanXMa6ZYql8ZQ4P1gKnpDZ0lWFBwD85gJ78/s320/DSCN2325.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I was really pleased with the result. Looks nothing like the stuff you buy<br />
at the grocery store, or even like what I buy at my local butcher shop.<br />
I love my butcher shop, local meats and amazingly friendly service. I'm<br />
going to really, really miss that place when we move!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5zN1ozE7qOtxR75FMY6YRqD6KJ-YkTKn1-6f2v4RqwMxyZBCpi9QtVcGmQEjs4w73dMIIqsE-c0ZHMV_8PDyvYg755bWqVT52pt1e4zLKG-oeZpiYXMWOU5pmTjUMKKL7l0cC86df5II/s1600/DSCN2327.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5zN1ozE7qOtxR75FMY6YRqD6KJ-YkTKn1-6f2v4RqwMxyZBCpi9QtVcGmQEjs4w73dMIIqsE-c0ZHMV_8PDyvYg755bWqVT52pt1e4zLKG-oeZpiYXMWOU5pmTjUMKKL7l0cC86df5II/s320/DSCN2327.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I couldn't remember if I read you should grind it more than one time or not,<br />
so I ground a tiny bit twice. The piece on the left was ground twice, it looks<br />
less "chunky" than the only-one-time-through piece.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRg0aV1OK5j7161LN-QiCU_gg9kNflDLcKFaf7K_Z7t6fBFxAfQeGegNwWTOaMa6kJEJm19R_iOMeZyy_Aav5HM8m4EYWnkWGbWIa_5Qq6WEgZD7kCJI2wTxWib9CbUGNNjLA3qPxisHA/s1600/DSCN2328.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRg0aV1OK5j7161LN-QiCU_gg9kNflDLcKFaf7K_Z7t6fBFxAfQeGegNwWTOaMa6kJEJm19R_iOMeZyy_Aav5HM8m4EYWnkWGbWIa_5Qq6WEgZD7kCJI2wTxWib9CbUGNNjLA3qPxisHA/s320/DSCN2328.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Since I wanted to make hamburgers for supper, I decided to try out<br />
the two different grinds to see which texture I liked better. I made the cutest<br />
itsy bitsy burgers I've ever seen! I seasoned them with salt and pepper<br />
and cooked them. I actually like the coarser ground burger better. It was<br />
amazingly tender, which is what I've read about grinding your own burger.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf0rQ9BwNRi_Vo8Xg8Ms6R-5EcpfVY5WKHKGoOQXSf2k07E_JdcKAdLUtrtq5IW5n4USlIPivfrRW9G6TUWBxgaKiY0A2iXi5w9mKtdvCrY-oX-1ow8z4NCkIDr04jJh7-DH2cXlTSpvc/s1600/DSCN2347.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf0rQ9BwNRi_Vo8Xg8Ms6R-5EcpfVY5WKHKGoOQXSf2k07E_JdcKAdLUtrtq5IW5n4USlIPivfrRW9G6TUWBxgaKiY0A2iXi5w9mKtdvCrY-oX-1ow8z4NCkIDr04jJh7-DH2cXlTSpvc/s320/DSCN2347.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is Chloe, "the quicker picker-upper". She is always ready to lend a<br />
tongue in the kitchen and knows right where to station herself when I'm<br />
cooking. She was a big help today with helping me clean up ground beef mess.</td></tr>
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This was a bit labor-intensive, but worth the effort. I couldn't believe how <i>tender</i> this meat was! We've been wanting to try the <a href="http://mythbustersresults.com/exploding-steak">Mythbusters method of tenderizing meat with high explosives</a>, but grinding it ourselves is probably a much more legal and safe way to do it. Some day, though...</div>
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I ended up making some really delicious hamburgers for supper and have decided that when I want to make hamburgers, I'm going to grind the meat myself. It was seriously that good! Next time, I will add a bit more seasoning. The test burgers were terrific, and I didn't think they needed anything but salt and pepper. The full sized burgers needed a bit more salt...but I've been over-salting stuff lately so I didn't want to overdo it. Easier to add salt than take it out!</div>
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Check out my delicious <a href="http://purposefulnourishment.blogspot.com/2013/04/home-ground-hamburgers-with-carmelized_17.html">Home Ground Hamburgers with Caramelized Onions</a> here...and have fun grinding stuff! I'd love to hear about your own grinder stories (where did you get yours? What do you use it for?) and recipes so please comment below!</div>
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King's Daughterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11946812226614285331noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1772085022034434465.post-61636625999761257672013-04-17T07:53:00.002-07:002013-04-17T07:53:36.171-07:00Home Ground Hamburgers with Carmelized Onions<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgspP-KbB3F-lrkhO4wv9mKLAqAh18wCSg_dzXoPv27WKOT9jWSOdBqHMRa2hwtPH-ik9i3kOLZUCEpVClf9VZ6mENNaP3kEfU3ul-nr6hHekKPjtWs737_rMv3mJ-cFuRpD16hsaBsKyU/s1600/DSCN2366.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgspP-KbB3F-lrkhO4wv9mKLAqAh18wCSg_dzXoPv27WKOT9jWSOdBqHMRa2hwtPH-ik9i3kOLZUCEpVClf9VZ6mENNaP3kEfU3ul-nr6hHekKPjtWs737_rMv3mJ-cFuRpD16hsaBsKyU/s200/DSCN2366.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
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After making my own ground beef from a grassfed beef chuck roast yesterday, I could only do one thing...make hamburgers for supper! There's lots of fancy ways to make burgers, but I opted for simple. Salt and pepper were the only seasonings this flavorful meat needed, although I should have used more salt. But, other than that they were delicious, juicy and tender. Grinding your own beef really results in a more tender burger. Not sure how, but it does. Check out how to grind your own hamburger on my DIY post: Make Your Own Ground Beef Using an Old Fashioned Grinder. </div>
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I topped mine off with cheddar cheese, freshly sliced off the block and caramelized onions, hubby got Swiss cheese, and picky 12 year old daughter got mozzarella. Mister's got cheddar too. I'm typing this the next morning, and I would love to have a cheeseburger for breakfast right now. They were that good!</div>
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Caramelized onions...those are something I am trying to master and I get varying results. One thing I can tell you is that they can go from <i>caramelized</i> to <b>carbonized</b> in the blink of an eye. They are not really something you should try to make while you're doing something else, especially if you have a tendency to be distractible. Not that I don't try to prove that wrong. I <i>should</i> think about making them before whatever I'm going to put them on, but what usually happens is I get some idea for [______] with Caramelized Onions and start making everything. I wonder if I could make a bunch and freeze them in small portions. I think I'll try that.</div>
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I cut out an article in the paper years ago about making caramelized onions and it takes forever to do it right. One of these days I'm going to follow those directions instead of doing it my way, I have a feeling they'll turn out better. Or, I'll try making them in my crock pot, following the recipe I found at food.com, <a href="http://www.food.com/recipe/crock-pot-caramelized-onions-24750/review">Crockpot Caramelized Onions</a>. Definitely look through the comments, there's some good tips there. </div>
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<span style="color: orange; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><b>How I Make Caramelized Onions, and Sometimes Carbonized...</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">This is one of those "recipes" that is not really a recipe...I cut up some onion (I prefer Vidalia), melt some butter in a hot cast iron skillet, dump in the onions, salt them a bit, and let them cook slowly. Or try to. Seems like I always end up with the pan too hot. But anyway, stir them around to get them coated in the butter, and stir occasionally. When they start to turn brownish, you have to really pay attention...stir often, and don't walk away from the stove!</span></div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVg4A_3rJni8aCFv8ewehNQZTss30mMZmjZ1mJwoylKvI6XbW8jX-6iepbWIbfZH5zkMwZ8z_dIcfJmR2BrP7R374rQxdtKl8Rhm-XlwXV22ztIv9-fA4rrqeodsTHzBloFEg1NmaldLE/s1600/DSCN2349.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVg4A_3rJni8aCFv8ewehNQZTss30mMZmjZ1mJwoylKvI6XbW8jX-6iepbWIbfZH5zkMwZ8z_dIcfJmR2BrP7R374rQxdtKl8Rhm-XlwXV22ztIv9-fA4rrqeodsTHzBloFEg1NmaldLE/s320/DSCN2349.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.666668891906738px;">Add sliced, sweet onions to a hot cast iron skillet with melted butter.<br />This was one small onion and 2-3 Tbs butter and a sprinkling of salt.</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKd5ysGATdzFGkoNbFjwNqwnZyEXlde0XXdFteOfuzROTk8vFDubSPE6Q62i4_d1WGXmIya99MV7M_0UYpsVXs1Ho5qlJOmKnyl7u3l34q1TF4VQ2nEirgCqao-T8Odbq3dHqKSb0xEDw/s1600/DSCN2356.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKd5ysGATdzFGkoNbFjwNqwnZyEXlde0XXdFteOfuzROTk8vFDubSPE6Q62i4_d1WGXmIya99MV7M_0UYpsVXs1Ho5qlJOmKnyl7u3l34q1TF4VQ2nEirgCqao-T8Odbq3dHqKSb0xEDw/s320/DSCN2356.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.666668891906738px;">After several minutes of cooking, they are already starting to brown<br />a bit. </td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxIA70JAn5LNmJWiJlG-iCg5cJcVm_sXBvx_fEYyFdv0DkFuNKF1yU3RiZPHapjGZTsu_piK-a8C7nXXUixSV7rH1n5NRnNkJty-TRw3aYIutj9a37SXsRav7HQlmZFMIx_RaaMjt_Bkg/s1600/DSCN2358.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxIA70JAn5LNmJWiJlG-iCg5cJcVm_sXBvx_fEYyFdv0DkFuNKF1yU3RiZPHapjGZTsu_piK-a8C7nXXUixSV7rH1n5NRnNkJty-TRw3aYIutj9a37SXsRav7HQlmZFMIx_RaaMjt_Bkg/s320/DSCN2358.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.666668891906738px;">And, before you know it...they're getting overdone...sigh...</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0XOIGSA3qLIsOEAiqAyrC0bab0M79xQoESRsfjr2K6PCwV64suTaV1T7xaxlo-vk9jGftvIKd1xrriiGS46fCSKDDNpEy8mtFbtzKtVEi4qdDZ5mALaR03Ze67Z_mDLp4B0_ap-I5P8E/s1600/DSCN2342.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0XOIGSA3qLIsOEAiqAyrC0bab0M79xQoESRsfjr2K6PCwV64suTaV1T7xaxlo-vk9jGftvIKd1xrriiGS46fCSKDDNpEy8mtFbtzKtVEi4qdDZ5mALaR03Ze67Z_mDLp4B0_ap-I5P8E/s320/DSCN2342.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.666668891906738px;">And now for the burgers...freshly ground, pattied and seasoned<br />with salt and pepper.<br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh14Sh1GdNhmOsjBTQHY3QQ_Ixd5i21BfJN-khaEpPzdnpk9VSN7fenP8G0RFoPOyEzUOCgAzImICfI1ZBzCxQWVK8p-diYziSro32EJgSaNzVArSvvm4M5jM_wAtXR-0RFKNG248V2Cf4/s1600/DSCN2357.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh14Sh1GdNhmOsjBTQHY3QQ_Ixd5i21BfJN-khaEpPzdnpk9VSN7fenP8G0RFoPOyEzUOCgAzImICfI1ZBzCxQWVK8p-diYziSro32EJgSaNzVArSvvm4M5jM_wAtXR-0RFKNG248V2Cf4/s320/DSCN2357.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.666668891906738px;">This is how I have to cook our burgers. Cook mine and the kids<br />first, flip, then add my husband's. He likes his still mooing. YUK.</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxfgdr6Lck61vOUvrr3NrsipoDsKHn0VhyatcaEd8YJvXLTVchtzg947XHu9z_iHVSHeWvbz2yA2wFFkSzFeoUQU69DoAU-vG9pcjQCVsx26F6cQxNKQiEMhKK4oZiVvDEdLDH3p7keo4/s1600/DSCN2366.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxfgdr6Lck61vOUvrr3NrsipoDsKHn0VhyatcaEd8YJvXLTVchtzg947XHu9z_iHVSHeWvbz2yA2wFFkSzFeoUQU69DoAU-vG9pcjQCVsx26F6cQxNKQiEMhKK4oZiVvDEdLDH3p7keo4/s320/DSCN2366.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.666668891906738px;">I drizzled balsamic reduction over my burger, and enjoyed a simple<br />kale salad with green peppers, onions and homemade ranch dressing<br />along with it. Oh, and some Mediterranean seasoned potato chips.<br />Yummy!</td></tr>
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Grinding your own hamburger may or may not be more economical. Our local butcher sells ground beef for $3.89 a pound right now, a chuck roast is $4.39. But honestly, I loved the beef I ground myself so much I think I just might be willing to pay a little more and do the work myself, at least if I'm going to make hamburgers. If it's going into chili or some other kind of ground beef dish, I'd stick with the pre-ground hamburger. A big, juicy, delicious hamburger really showcases the tenderness of home ground beef. </div>
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<span style="background-color: #e69138;"><b>What are your favorite ways to prepare burgers? Have you ever ground your own beef? What's your favorite way to use caramelized onions?</b></span></div>
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King's Daughterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11946812226614285331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1772085022034434465.post-39022845509898528642013-04-15T15:57:00.001-07:002013-04-15T15:59:45.662-07:00Gluten Free: Chicken, Bacon and Ranch Pizza<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI8p5gY6YO5dRywP_IT6nE2GBmCZh0opu85M-y-YdJByFRj-g-HPjLLm1SuLt_XtUq1zOcYtDg8GmauBPhebfy7KThNjMeeP1VDijPRTlOXRAYWGZrBH5UYecUJPA0RLYGWKXV5ejjzGA/s1600/DSCN2299%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI8p5gY6YO5dRywP_IT6nE2GBmCZh0opu85M-y-YdJByFRj-g-HPjLLm1SuLt_XtUq1zOcYtDg8GmauBPhebfy7KThNjMeeP1VDijPRTlOXRAYWGZrBH5UYecUJPA0RLYGWKXV5ejjzGA/s320/DSCN2299%5B1%5D.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><i style="background-color: yellow;">Be sure to enter my Giveaway to win a</i></b><br />
<b><i style="background-color: yellow;">FREE bag of CC Dolch Gluten Free All Purpose Flour!</i></b><br />
<b><i style="background-color: yellow;">See the bottom of this post for more info...</i></b></td></tr>
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Supper tonight was Chicken, (Turkey) Bacon and Ranch Pizza, and I used the <a href="http://dolchhealthfoods.com/">C. C. Dolch Gluten Free Flour </a>pizza crust recipe. I really like that pizza crust...it's not 100% like the "real" stuff...there's no way, really, to get that chewy-ness in a gluten crust without the gluten. Just the nature of things. BUT, it's fantastically easy and doesn't have that weird flavor that a lot of GF flours and pizza crust mixes have because they don't put bean flour in there. Some people don't mind it, I guess. But I really don't care for it...weird flavor and weird texture. Boo.</div>
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I didn't have any ranch dressing on hand, and was out of mayo, so I went searching for a mayo-less ranch recipe. The one below was a good starting place, but for my tastes I needed to add some stuff to get it to where I liked it. I added vinegar (would have used lemon juice if I had any lemons), more garlic and onion powder, more salt, and a pinch of sugar. Most likely, it just needed a bit of time chilling in the fridge, but as I made it right before making supper, I had to use it as it was. </div>
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Freshly shredded cheese tastes soooo much better, and today I used a combination of mozzarella and cheddar. It's also cheaper by the pound, unless there is a tremendously good sale. I get lazy and forget that sometimes and buy the preshredded stuff. But really, nothing compares to creamy, melty mozzarella that was shredded directly over your pizza. Mmmmm!</div>
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So, here's the recipes...there's several: the crust, ranch dressing, and putting it all together. </div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b><span style="color: orange; font-size: large;"><u>Pizza Crust</u></span></b> (from the back of the CC Dolch flour bag or <a href="http://dolchhealthfoods.com/recipes.html">here on their website</a>)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: orange; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><i><b>ingredients:</b></i></span><br />
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<ul>
<li><span style="background-color: #fce5cd;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">1 T. yeast</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: #fce5cd;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">1 1/2 T. white sugar</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: #fce5cd;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">1 cup warm water</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: #fce5cd;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">1 1/2 T. oil</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: #fce5cd;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">1/8 tsp garlic powder</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: #fce5cd;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">1/2 tsp salt</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: #fce5cd;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">1/4 tsp oregano</span></span></li>
<li><span style="background-color: #fce5cd;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">3 cups sifted gluten-free flour</span></span></li>
</ul>
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<b><i style="background-color: #fce5cd;"><span style="color: orange; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">method:</span></i></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: #fce5cd;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #fce5cd;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Preheat oven to 350. Combine yeast, sugar and warm water and let set for 5 minutes. Add oil, garlic powder, salt, oregano and flour. Mix all ingredients and put in a large pizza pan. Bake 10 minutes at 350º. Top with your favourite sauce, topping and cheese. Finish baking until crust is light brown.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="color: orange; font-size: large;"><b style="background-color: #fce5cd;"><u>Ranch Dressing</u> </b></span><span style="background-color: #fce5cd;">(</span><a href="http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/No-Mayonnaise-Ranch-Dressing" style="background-color: #fce5cd;">on allrecipes.com</a><span style="background-color: #fce5cd;">)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span>
<i><b><span style="color: orange; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">ingredients:</span></b></i><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">1 c sour cream</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">1/2 c buttermilk or soured milk (milk + vinegar)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">1/2 tsp dried parsley</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">1/2 tsp dried chives</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">1/2 tsp garlic powder</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">1/4 tsp dried dillweed</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">1/4 tsp onion powder</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">1/8 tsp salt</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">18 tsp fresh-ground black pepper</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">1/2 tsp sugar (optional) </span></li>
</ul>
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<b><i><span style="color: orange; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">method:</span></i></b></div>
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</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">In a mixing bowl, whisk together all ingredients. Adjust seasonings to taste. </span></div>
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<span style="color: orange; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><b><i><u>The Pizza</u></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
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<b><i><span style="color: orange; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">ingredients:</span></i></b></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">1 pizza crust, prepared and baked 10 minutes</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">1/4-1/2 c ranch dressing</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">1-1 1/2 c chopped, cooked chicken</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">6-8 slices of turkey bacon, chopped and cooked to desired crispness</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">1/2 small onion, diced</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">1-2 c mozzarella cheese, shredded</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">1-2 c cheddar cheese, shredded</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">1/4-1/2 tsp garlic powder</span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="color: orange; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><i><b>method:</b></i></span></div>
</div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrT_nMM1xPxOM0wZUM4kPVAQyduuD-4wdq9DSLu7_MKfmPoufg2I4vkvmXWVK5qDeVzjPXNRUpLgA8Tjp3Hi4-qo_os6CnofJdmH2H2-A08Z7FwzK-UTwlsvgKQa0mhSFmll36DakwGb0/s1600/DSCN2287%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrT_nMM1xPxOM0wZUM4kPVAQyduuD-4wdq9DSLu7_MKfmPoufg2I4vkvmXWVK5qDeVzjPXNRUpLgA8Tjp3Hi4-qo_os6CnofJdmH2H2-A08Z7FwzK-UTwlsvgKQa0mhSFmll36DakwGb0/s200/DSCN2287%5B1%5D.JPG" width="200" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Topped with cheese<br />and ready to bake</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">After removing pizza crust from oven, spread ranch dressing over the top. Sprinkle cooked chicken, onions and bacon on top. Layer cheddar cheese and mozzarella. Sprinkle garlic powder on top and return to 350 degree oven and bake until crust and cheese are lightly browned, 18-25 minutes depending on your oven.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6PKpWbC02srJqpD8cSw4FqEi-yU0tZTmNq-jlo5_EbxQNWXMhxvAwQv4HtYZDoqCO8y0IYZYlRerj9YsKO7QXPRE8z-nINl5fkqPI_vWcWKEOCuh3ELwlJ3fAAzkS-P3qoAGR3w9i83U/s1600/DSCN2296%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6PKpWbC02srJqpD8cSw4FqEi-yU0tZTmNq-jlo5_EbxQNWXMhxvAwQv4HtYZDoqCO8y0IYZYlRerj9YsKO7QXPRE8z-nINl5fkqPI_vWcWKEOCuh3ELwlJ3fAAzkS-P3qoAGR3w9i83U/s320/DSCN2296%5B1%5D.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mmmm...good AND gluten free!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b style="color: orange; font-size: x-large;"><i><u>GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY!</u></i></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b style="color: orange; font-size: x-large;"><i><u>I am giving away a 22 oz bag of CC Dolch All Purpose</u></i></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b style="color: orange; font-size: x-large;"><i><u>Gluten Free Flour!</u></i></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b style="color: orange; font-size: x-large;"><i><u><a href="http://purposefulnourishment.blogspot.com/2013/04/giveaway-win-bag-of-cc-dolch-gluten.html">Visit my CC Dolch Flour Giveaway Post</a></u></i></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b style="color: orange; font-size: x-large;"><i><u>to Enter. Hurry, giveaway ends April 30, 2013!</u></i></b></div>
<br />King's Daughterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11946812226614285331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1772085022034434465.post-32524263706219609102013-04-15T15:56:00.000-07:002013-04-15T19:26:14.749-07:00GIVEAWAY!! Win a Bag of C.C. Dolch Gluten Free Flour!<div style="text-align: justify;">
I've been extolling the wonderfulness of <a href="http://dolchhealthfoods.com/">C. C. Dolch Gluten Free All Purpose Flour</a> in my last couple of posts. I even wrote to the company to tell them how much I loved their flour, and that I recommended it on my blog. I received a lovely reply and they even sent me a couple of bags of flour! </div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
Today, I made a scrumptious <a href="http://purposefulnourishment.blogspot.com/2013/04/gluten-free-chicken-bacon-and-ranch.html">Chicken, Bacon and Ranch Pizza</a> and while I was making it I thought, I should share the love! In fact, I was puzzled about why they sent two bags of flour and two brochures...well duh, so I could share! I made this realization after opening one of the bags, so i just have one to share now. They didn't specifically say that's what I should do with it, but I try to be generous when I can. Besides, I know first hand how hard going gluten free can be, especially at first when you've been a bread and pasta lover all your life. So, I would love to help someone out with this amazingly wonderful flour!</div>
<br />
So, up for grabs is one 22 oz package of C. C. Dolch Gluten Free All Purpose Flour, seen modeled here by my Kitchen Assistants...<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2ScB722h_rlqjYZ4a6xHbG3IC5OBYafLj66cIxvxkdLSqpyI97ajGkO-7KYTG1q1jVSN1fJfd-AH7vCMUVKhyphenhyphen8DLmMDT3eU1inODuiq4d-C7oP8tYZkNJ4_fxOt22KeeZuBpgA6ZG-1g/s1600/DSCN2294%5B1%5D.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2ScB722h_rlqjYZ4a6xHbG3IC5OBYafLj66cIxvxkdLSqpyI97ajGkO-7KYTG1q1jVSN1fJfd-AH7vCMUVKhyphenhyphen8DLmMDT3eU1inODuiq4d-C7oP8tYZkNJ4_fxOt22KeeZuBpgA6ZG-1g/s320/DSCN2294%5B1%5D.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sr and Jr Kitchen Assistants showing off the Grand Prize. I don't think Jr would be smiling quite so much if he understood that mommy is <i>giving away</i> that bag of flour!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
Complicated giveaway entries on blogs really irritate me, so I'm going to make it really, really simple for you. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<b>1. Follow my blog and...</b></div>
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<b>2. leave a comment on this post about what you'd like to make with this flour</b></div>
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<br /></div>
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Be sure to spread the word, too! </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: orange; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Giveaway ends on April 30th! </span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="color: orange; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">Good Luck!</span></b></div>
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<br />King's Daughterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11946812226614285331noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1772085022034434465.post-39369436412932130892013-04-11T09:12:00.000-07:002013-10-24T16:41:57.985-07:00Gluten Free Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIHpL2lBnhF6dNVkH62lYORH4xdSuo44BubWwKmDCWLulhgRZGxLGVIUOu6OVsNQ752MM2G2FjCbaAsE9gq0ukGHQjGM7myJl3O9vf-4LO9VDw5c1pli2BCDN38VYoQClnOiff-ouGI08/s1600/DSCN2281.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIHpL2lBnhF6dNVkH62lYORH4xdSuo44BubWwKmDCWLulhgRZGxLGVIUOu6OVsNQ752MM2G2FjCbaAsE9gq0ukGHQjGM7myJl3O9vf-4LO9VDw5c1pli2BCDN38VYoQClnOiff-ouGI08/s320/DSCN2281.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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***Purposeful Nourishment is now Oh Sweet Mercy! Come check out the new look! Click the link below to go there, and thanks so much for stopping by!***<br />
<br />
<a href="http://ohsweetmercy.com/" target="_blank">Oh Sweet Mercy</a><br />
<br />
Breakfast today was very pumpkiny. Pumpkin smoothies and these amazingly delicious <a href="http://www.food.com/recipe/pumpkin-cream-cheese-muffins-like-starbucks-189156">Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins</a> I found on food.com. The poster of the recipe says they are like Starbucks, but honestly it's been so long since I've had one I can't remember well enough what they taste like to say how true that claim is. You'll just have to make them and decide for yourself. Or, just make them anyway because they are really, really good.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I used the gluten free all purpose flour from <a href="http://dolchhealthfoods.com/">C. C. Dolch</a> that I used to make that <a href="http://purposefulnourishment.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-best-cornbread-everseriously.html">amazing cornbread</a> the other night, and was not at all disappointed (other than the batter was rather bitter, but the muffins were not bitter at all after they baked). I'm not sure what made it bitter, I'm just guessing it was the flour since I've made pumpkin muffins before going GF and the batter was never bitter. Yes, I sneak a taste of batter with raw eggs in it. Been doing it all my life. Started off with licking the beaters when I was a kid...you know how that goes...at least if you grew up in the 70's and 80's or before people got all freaked out about raw eggs.</div>
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I will definitely make them again, and if I'd thought of it when I was making them I would have added ground flax for the extra nutrition. Please see the <i><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">chef's notes</span></i> for tweaks, as I made a few. They really bake up nice with the C. C. Dolch gluten free flour, I think I've found my "forever (GF) flour"! I am not getting any kickbacks for promoting their flour, I am just really, really happy with it and can heartily recommend it!</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: orange; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><b>(Gluten Free) Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins </b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: orange; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><i><b>ingredients:</b></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">1 1/2 c gluten free all purpose flour, I recommend <a href="http://dolchhealthfoods.com/">C. C. Dolch's</a></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">3/4 tsp xanthan gum, <b><i>if your flour does not already contain it</i></b></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">1/2 tsp cinnamon</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">1/2 tsp nutmeg</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">1/2 tsp ground cloves</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">2 tsp pumpkin pie spice</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">1/2 pinch cardamom (optional, but I added it...probably 1/8 tsp)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">1/2 tsp sea salt</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">1/2 tsp baking soda</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">2 eggs</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">1 c sucanat, or sweetener of your choice</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">1 c pumpkin</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">5/8 c light olive oil</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">4 ounces cream cheese</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">2 tsp vanilla, divided...more or less to your taste</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">2-3 Tb powdered sugar or sweetener of your choice</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">nuts or seeds (such as pecans, walnuts, pumpkin or sunflower) if desired for topping</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">demerara sugar for topping, if desired</span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="color: orange; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b><i>method:</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">In a small bowl, mix cream cheese, powdered sugar and 1/2 tsp vanilla until well combined. Using a piece of wax or parchment paper, form cream cheese mixture into a long log (you'll need 12 slices, one for each muffin). Place in the freezer at least half an hour before starting to mix your muffin batter.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Preheat oven to 350. </span></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">In a medium mixing bowl, sift together gluten free all purpose flour, xanthan gum (if using) and spices. Whisk in salt, baking soda and sugar. In a separate bowl, beat together eggs, oil, pumkin and remaining vanilla. Mix pumpkin mixture and dry ingredients until combined, being sure not to over mix...a few lumps are fine. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Fill muffin cups half full. Remove cream cheese log from freezer and slice into 12 pieces. Push one piece into the batter in each muffin cup. Top with nuts and sugar, if desired.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the muffin (not the cream cheese center) comes out clean.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Let cool in pans for 5 minutes, then remove to cooling rack to cool completely. Be very careful, the cream cheese filling is very hot.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: orange; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b><i>Chef's Notes:</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The original recipe called for white sugar, which I try not to use any more than I have to. And vegetable oil. I would have used coconut oil but just didn't feel like melting it. I also didn't really measure it (5/8 of a cup...yeah), but eyeballed it. I should also note that the measurements above are <i>half</i> of the original recipe as well. The vanilla is also an addition, but if you know me at all you know I put vanilla in everything, especially since I learned how to make my own vanilla that is out of this world good. I didn't have allspice, and since the substitute for that is cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves in equal parts, I just did heaping-ish measurements of those spices. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Visit the <a href="http://www.food.com/recipe/pumpkin-cream-cheese-muffins-like-starbucks-189156">original recipe on food.com</a> and read through the reviews. Some people thought they were too spicy, some not spicy enough. Some added cocoa powder. Even though I "winged" it on the spices, I found it to be nicely spiced but not overpowering the pumpkin. The original recipe said to just use plain cream cheese, but many said it needed sweetening and I knew I would prefer it that way. I think next time I will mix the cream cheese with maple syrup instead of powdered sugar. I love maple, nuts and pumpkin together. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><i><b>Be sure to get that cream cheese in the freezer at least half an hour before you're going to need to slice it.</b></i> I didn't, and didn't want to wait any longer so I just went ahead and cut it and it was very messy. It needs to be fairly solid, but not necessarily like an ice cube.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">This could also be made with regular flour. The C. C. Dolch flour is substitutable at a 1:1 ratio so no adjustments in flour measurements should be needed.</span></div>
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King's Daughterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11946812226614285331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1772085022034434465.post-51034809684265565862013-04-09T16:22:00.000-07:002013-04-09T16:22:11.844-07:00The Best Cornbread Ever...Seriously!<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk6v1bIfRrr7H1sOwzKgbelx83kFsXUz1DyXWcIIUJzMbCAFbqBGqa_ftfH8QpfoF-Xhntcrr_5m7ucj5AFO1fSaSvILSd_X7hazBjJM4c0vGZBpaAq5Rm_gk6b1EHiRwGypT00IdzPzw/s1600/DSCN2256.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk6v1bIfRrr7H1sOwzKgbelx83kFsXUz1DyXWcIIUJzMbCAFbqBGqa_ftfH8QpfoF-Xhntcrr_5m7ucj5AFO1fSaSvILSd_X7hazBjJM4c0vGZBpaAq5Rm_gk6b1EHiRwGypT00IdzPzw/s200/DSCN2256.JPG" width="200" /></a>My husband is not as "into" food as I am. Food is just something you have to have to live, nothing to get excited about, really...at least for him anyway. I'm just the opposite...it's not just something you have to have to live, it's something to experience. Being a very sense-oriented person means that every aspect of a bite of something to eat is experienced...the way it looks, smells, and feels is just as important as how it tastes. </div>
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If my husband says something is "very good", that is akin to receiving a Michelin Star in my book. I've learned to not get offended if I just get an "it's good" or "it's OK" when I ask him how supper was. It's just not a big deal to him. I've also learned to relish those rare "very good" compliments and strive to get them more often.</div>
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This little number below really surprised me because it garnered a "wow this is really good" (a wordier version of the Very Good), which really amazed me because my husband does not particularly like cornbread. I'm not really crazy about it myself, although alongside a hearty bowl of chili or bean soup it's simply amazing, or can be anyway. I've been looking for "the" cornbread recipe and I think I've found it in this <a href="http://www.thebakingbeauties.com/2011/03/gluten-free-buttermilk-cornbread-muffins.html">Gluten Free Buttermilk Cornbread Muffins</a> recipe from <a href="http://www.thebakingbeauties.com/">The Baking Beauties</a>, a site I plan to further explore as the tagline reads "gluten free recipes for everyday living." While I like a good corn muffin, I just didn't feel like washing my muffin pan so I baked it in my lovely cast iron skillet. Mmmmmm. One of these days I'm going to get a cast iron muffin pan...</div>
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I loved this cornbread because it was moist, not dry and crumbly, and just had an amazing flavor. I used butter, "homemade" buttermilk (aka emergency buttermilk because I had none on hand...the old vinegar in milk trick), butter, and gluten free all purpose flour by <a href="http://dolchhealthfoods.com/index.html">C.C. Dolch Bakery</a>. It contains millet, white rice and tapioca flours, tapioca starch and xanthan gum. I've been very happy with this flour so far.</div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b><span style="color: orange; font-size: large;">GLUTEN FREE CORNBREAD MUFFINS</span></b> (or cornbread, if you feel lazy)</span></div>
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<span style="color: orange; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>ingredients:</b></span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">1/2 c butter</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">2/3 c sugar (or less if you want)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">2 eggs</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">1 c buttermilk</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">1/2 tsp baking soda</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">1 c cornmeal</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">1 c gluten free flour </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">1/2 tsp xanthan gum</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">1/2 tsp salt</span></li>
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<span style="color: orange; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>method:</b></span></div>
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<ol style="border: 0px; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 30px; text-align: start; vertical-align: baseline;">
<li style="border: 0px; list-style-type: decimal; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease muffin pan and set aside.</span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; list-style-type: decimal; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">In a microwave safe bowl, melt butter. Stir in sugar.</span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; list-style-type: decimal; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Add eggs and stir to combine.</span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; list-style-type: decimal; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Stir in buttermilk.</span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; list-style-type: decimal; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Add dry ingredients, and stir until few lumps remain.</span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; list-style-type: decimal; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Scoop into prepared muffin tin. <b><i>(or pour into greased, preheated cast iron skillet)</i></b></span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; list-style-type: decimal; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Bake for 20 minutes in preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. <i><b>(30-40 minutes if using a skillet or baking dish instead of muffin pan)</b></i></span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; list-style-type: decimal; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Allow to cool in pan for 5 minutes before removing to cooling rack. Best served warm.</span></li>
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<span style="color: orange; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px;"><b>chef's notes:</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 22.5px;">I used my favorite and trusty cast iron skillet in which I put about a tablespoon of beef tallow and put in the oven while it was preheating. It baked for about 35-40 minutes and turned out with a lovely crust, a little brown on top, and ooooh so yummy. The only change I would make is to omit the xanthan gum called for in the recipe because my all purpose flour already contained it. This is one recipe I don't feel the need to tinker with! Although I could see myself adding cheese or chilies or something like that some time, but honestly it's just perfect like it is.</span></span></div>
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King's Daughterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11946812226614285331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1772085022034434465.post-19537069367595611362013-04-02T09:48:00.001-07:002013-04-02T09:48:36.790-07:00Gluten Free Spiced Peach Buckwheat Waffles, Sans Xanthan Gum<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3FKXVbqjeJpFWDjC6HKdqcgN7Pvnczxnrw-Yss_Fla8kDatUnywE4IMgj7G2wbSi23Wg542sF0a2d4_TEPZQcr6r5WdHyx7z1h6qU8cfl2tEHXMzECxvdJ6LxGRbXsbh2zScb5w98kTQ/s1600/DSCN2201.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3FKXVbqjeJpFWDjC6HKdqcgN7Pvnczxnrw-Yss_Fla8kDatUnywE4IMgj7G2wbSi23Wg542sF0a2d4_TEPZQcr6r5WdHyx7z1h6qU8cfl2tEHXMzECxvdJ6LxGRbXsbh2zScb5w98kTQ/s320/DSCN2201.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Light, fluffy, flavorful and without gluten and xanthan gum!<br />Our family's favorite waffle recipe</td></tr>
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Many gluten free recipes call for xanthan gum...at least the ones that are mimicking their evil gluten-containing twins, like cakes, cookies and breads. Since xanthan gum is derived from corn, that can be an issue for people with corn allergy. I'm considering exploring that possibility here, but just haven't been able to bring myself to that point yet. Going gluten free is challenging as it is, and to eliminate another food that is so helpful in gluten free cooking (cornstarch and tortilla chips!!) is ratcheting it up a notch too high at this moment.</div>
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As I rediscovered my love of buckwheat, I began to notice most bread-like things made with it contain xanthan gum. I have a lot on hand, thanks to a friend and a good deal at a local "dented can" grocery store, but if I don't have to use it then I'd rather not. And, since we are Waffle Lovers over here (thanks to my awesome stepson Andrew who got me a waffle maker for a gift) I was trying to find a buckwheat waffle recipe that didn't require the use of xanthan gum.</div>
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My mother in law had shared her waffle recipe with me when I got the waffle iron and I thought why not just substitute the all-purpose flour with buckwheat? It has whipped egg whites in it and baking powder so that will make them rise and be fluffy. I tried it and they turned out great, and honestly, I like them better than their evil wheat twins. Like I said, I love buckwheat!</div>
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They are a bit more labor intensive since you have to beat the egg whites until moderately stiff, but that only takes a minute or two, and the result is amazing so it's worth it. I also add vanilla, because we love vanilla too, and the aroma while they are cooking is amazing. We also like to have these any time of day, really. I'm planning on experimenting with a "savory" type of waffle for supper time, although we frequently have these waffles and scrambled eggs for "brupper". Breakfast for supper...</div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="color: orange; font-size: large;"><b><u>Best Ever Waffles</u></b> </span>(<a href="http://foodnetwork.com/">foodnetwork.com</a>)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><i><b>Ingredients:</b></i></span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">1 1/3 c buckwheat flour (any type)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">4 tsp baking powder</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">1/2 tsp salt</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">2 tsp sucanat (or sugar of your choice)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">2 eggs, separated</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">1/2 c melted butter, coconut oil or olive oil</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">1 3/4 c milk</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">2 tsp vanilla, more or less (;</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><i><b>Method:</b></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Plug in your waffle iron to preheat it. Whisk together dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. Whisk together egg yolks, milk and vanilla. Beat egg whites until moderately stiff. Combine milk mixture and flour mixture and blend well (I just use a whisk), mix in melted butter, then fold in egg whites. Cook on well greased waffle iron until done, top as desired. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">We usually use butter and real, yummy maple syrup. We also like fresh blueberries and whipped cream...well, any kind of fruit and whipped cream. Today, I made spiced peaches to put on top, which would have been good with whipped cream...had I thought of it in time to make the whipped cream. I'm not a morning person. I'm also not a DST person. The combination has been especially brutal this year. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Anyway...the "spiced peaches" was not made as ideally as I'd prefer (fresh peaches and juice) but I do the best I can with what I have. Here's my "recipe"....</span></div>
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<span style="color: orange; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><b><u>Spiced Peaches and Syrup</u></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b><i>Ingredients:</i></b></span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">1 large can sliced peaches in heavy syrup</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">1/2 tsp cinnamon</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">1/2 tsp ginger</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">1/4 tsp nutmeg</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">1/4 tsp cloves</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">splash of vanilla</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b><i>Method:</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Drain some of the heavy syrup off the peaches and whisk in the spices until well combined. Add the rest of the peaches and juice and mix well. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">If I had fresh peaches, I would have sliced them and put a little sugar on them to draw out the juice, then proceeded as above. Makes my mouth water to think about it...I absolutely ADORE fresh peaches.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lightly spiced, no HFCS. Delicious on our waffles!</td></tr>
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King's Daughterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11946812226614285331noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1772085022034434465.post-34854177731139427242013-03-31T12:20:00.000-07:002013-03-31T12:20:15.288-07:00Allergy-Free* Spice Cake...FINALLY!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKrP3dRDHTexjvnOm0plY9hIFqgjYb-vIFweOubzzrU4CsxcpX1soM2VrWsgzxY2oynaDqmhyXVERjdpKbuxxfELWbe12btJmK2oXFmgT7jrPqzlpQkOmKFQaSW5TexGRXN06_aJpPwIU/s1600/DSCN2199.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKrP3dRDHTexjvnOm0plY9hIFqgjYb-vIFweOubzzrU4CsxcpX1soM2VrWsgzxY2oynaDqmhyXVERjdpKbuxxfELWbe12btJmK2oXFmgT7jrPqzlpQkOmKFQaSW5TexGRXN06_aJpPwIU/s200/DSCN2199.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
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Thankfully, we don't have nut or egg allergies here, but I know many do so I'm sharing this recipe I found...and modified to suit our gluten-free needs. We love spice cake, and cake in general, so it's great to be able to have our cake and eat it too even though we're gluten-free. I made this for a family gathering today, and eaters of gluten loved it too.</div>
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I found this recipe on All Recipes, it's called <a href="http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Wacky-Buckwheat-Spice-Cake/Detail.aspx?extkb=1">Wacky Buckwheat Spice Cake</a>. It's egg and nut free, and with some small modifications also gluten free. The title to my post is Allergy-Free*...but if you have a corn allergy you'll need to substitute for the cornstarch. I know there are people out there that are allergic to virtually everything, but I think this seems like a recipe that would suit many with egg, wheat, gluten and nut allergies. I was so happy to find this, because all the recipes I'd found for buckwheat cake always included almond meal...which I never have because it's kind of pricey. I'd wondered if ground flax would be a suitable substitute and decided that a family gathering was the perfect place to test out a new recipe.</div>
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The batter is thin, and seems like it would be too runny but it bakes up nicely. It fills the house with a delicious spicy aroma. And it tastes fantastic. The texture is different than regular spice cake, ground flax is not as fine as regular flour. It also calls for a couple pinches of black pepper, which did not sound good at all to me so I left it out. I topped it off with a creamy cream cheese frosting (add a couple spoonfuls of sour cream and wow is it yummy!), but it would be good by itself or topped with fresh whipped cream or a sprinkle of vanilla sugar, maybe even some fruit. </div>
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I doubled the original recipe and baked it in a 9" x 13" pan. Click on the link to go to the original recipe, what follows is how I made it...</div>
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<a href="http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Wacky-Buckwheat-Spice-Cake/Detail.aspx?extkb=1">WACKY BUCKWHEAT SPICE CAKE</a></div>
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Ingredients:</div>
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<li>1 cup flax meal</li>
<li>1 cup buckwheat flour</li>
<li>1 cup cornstarch</li>
<li>1/2 cup sucanat</li>
<li>1 cup white sugar (next time I will use all sucanat)</li>
<li>2 teaspoons baking soda</li>
<li>1 tsp salt</li>
<li>2 1/2 tsp cinnamon</li>
<li>1 tsp ground ginger</li>
<li>1 tsp allspice</li>
<li>1/4 tsp dry mustard</li>
<li>2 Tb molasses</li>
<li>1/2 cup light olive oil</li>
<li>2 Tb white vinegar</li>
<li>2 tsp vanilla</li>
<li>2 cups cold water</li>
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Method:</div>
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk together the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.</div>
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In a separate bowl, combine wet ingredients. Make a well in the center of the dry mixture and pour the wet ingredients into the well. Mix until just blended. Pour the batter into a 9" x 13" baking dish (the original recipe says ungreased, but I missed that and greased the pan with no ill effects). </div>
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Bake in the preheated oven until it passes the toothpick test, 30-40 minutes. Cool completely before frosting.</div>
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King's Daughterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11946812226614285331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1772085022034434465.post-54707954176657464832013-01-22T16:49:00.000-08:002013-01-22T16:49:51.330-08:00Cooking on the Fly with Perpetual Stock<div style="text-align: justify;">
A <a href="http://harrisheather.com/">very dear friend of mine</a> recently introduced me to "<a href="http://nourishedkitchen.com/perpetual-soup-the-easiest-bone-broth-youll-make/">perpetual broth</a> (or stock or soup...)." I was intrigued by the idea, but wasn't sure if I would use enough broth to make it worthwhile. Turns out, it's a magnificent kitchen tool to have on hand. Yes, I said tool.</div>
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<a href="http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/tool">5. anything used as a means of accomplishing a task or purpose (dictionary.com)</a></blockquote>
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In the case of the modern housewife faced with the task and purpose to feed her family nourishing, minimally processed foods, perpetual broth is definitely one tool no cook should be without..</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">WHAT DO YOU MEAN, "PERPETUAL BROTH"? </span></div>
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My first thought when my friend began to explain it to me was YOU PUT A CHICKEN CARCASS IN YOUR CROCK POT AND MAKE BROTH WITH IT FOREVER? Sort of. Into your crock pot, you put bones of your choice, good, filtered water, vegetables (be careful what kind, some will cause the broth to be bitter and, well, yucky), maybe some seasonings, and turn the crock pot on low. After 24 hours, you can start using the broth for meals or whatever ails you. As you remove broth, replace it with water...and you can keep that broth simmering for four to seven days. Yes, that long!</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">GRANDMA WAS RIGHT ABOUT CHICKEN SOUP</span></div>
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I'll admit, it sounded kind of...well...<i>gross</i>, to be honest. But I know the benefits of good, nourishing bone broth and seeing as how we're smack dab into flu season, the idea of always having some of that magical elixir on hand night and day was what made me decide to give it a whirl.</div>
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Grandma was right about chicken soup being able to cure what ails ya. The problem nowadays is that the broth in those convenient cans on the supermarket shelf is NOT your grandmother's, not by a long shot. Even aside from the fact that most broths contain MSG and other chemicals, it's just not made the way grandma did it. And the way grandma did it produces the magical healing qualities of broth.</div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Science
validates what our grandmothers knew. Rich homemade chicken broths
help cure colds. Stock contains minerals in a form the body can
absorb easily—not just calcium but also magnesium, phosphorus,
silicon, sulphur and trace minerals. It contains the broken down
material from cartilage and tendons--stuff like chondroitin sulphates
and glucosamine, now sold as expensive supplements for arthritis and
joint pain.</span></span>
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<a href="http://www.westonaprice.org/food-features/broth-is-beautiful">Broth is Beautiful, by Sally Fallon </a> Check out the Weston A. Price Foundation's website for lots of great information on nourishing foods. </blockquote>
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My husband recently started "coming down with something" and I forced him to drink broth. He didn't fight much, his mom raised him right! He never did come down with anything then. The kids and I have healthy constitutions and rarely get sick, for which I am so thankful, but since I babysit for a little girl who tends to catch colds at the drop of a hat, it's good preventive medicine for us...and as long as I can get this broth into her, hopefully it will help keep her healthy this winter, too.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE!</span></div>
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This is the end of week two in the perpetual broth experiment. Not only do we drink it straight from a mug, but I put that rich, delicious broth in everything I can. Mashed potatoes? Forget the milk, use chicken broth...OH.MY.WORD. Rice, pasta, beans...anything you'd use water in, you can use this nutrient-rich broth. </div>
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Our favorite is definitely chicken broth, made with the carcass (or <i>frame</i>, if carcass grosses you out too much...) of a locally raised, free-ranging chicken, rubbed with olive oil, salt and pepper, some garlic cloves in the cavity, baked and noshed on for Sunday lunch. Toss that in the crock pot with some carrots, celery, sea salt and freshly ground pepper, a splash of apple cider vinegar (to help draw out the minerals), set it to low and in no time you have a pot full of the best broth around. Strain the broth in a reusable coffee filter or other such thing, sufficient to catch bits of stuff floating around in the broth. My friend used an ice cube to "catch" the excess fat. After a couple of days, there is much less fat to fool with. The result is a rich, smooth, soothing broth perfect for a cold winter's day or a loved one who's feeling under the weather. I like to try and have a cup before each meal and before I go to bed. It aids digestion, and the abundance of minerals can have a calming effect...something I always need!</div>
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Today, I made chicken tacos and pinto beans for supper and it was a big hit. My daughter ate three tacos and begged me to make it again. My husband would have eaten more, but we had licked the pot clean of the chicken. My son and I love beans more than the rest of the family, so there were beans leftover (fine with me, pop them in the freezer for another meal!). But here's how I got more nourishing bone broth into my family:</div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b><u>Chicken Tacos</u></b> (no precise measurements, as I was cooking "on the fly" tonight)</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Saute about 1/4 c diced onion in olive oil until it begins to soften, add a minced garlic clove and cook briefly, being careful not to burn the garlic. Add about 2 cups of leftover chicken meat, about 1 c bone broth, about 1/3-1/2 c diced tomatoes and juice. I make my own taco seasoning and keep it in a jar, which I just shook out onto the chicken mixture until it looked right, adding more as necessary until it tasted right. I also added some ground marjoram (maybe 1/2 tsp) and a pinch of sugar. Simmer until chicken shreds easily and most of the liquid has evaporated. Serve with your favorite taco shells and condiments.</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b><u>Pinto Beans</u></b></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Last night (at around 8 p.m.), I rinsed and sorted a pound of dry pinto beans, covered with about 4 inches above the beans with warm water and added a generous pinch of baking soda. At around 3:30 p.m. this afternoon, I drained and rinsed the beans and put them in a heavy bottomed stock pot. I covered the beans and then some with the perpetual beef broth I had simmering away, probably about two quarts worth. Brought to a boil, then lowered the heat and simmered until they were soft, about an hour and a half. Seasoned gently with ground cumin and marjoram, generously with sea salt. I think these were the best pinto beans I've made yet. They had the most amazing "<a href="http://www.seriouseats.com/talk/2011/08/favored-uses-for-bean-pot-liquor.html">pot liquor</a>" that I've been trying to achieve, but before now had not yet managed to pull off. Fabulous.</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: large;">HEALTHY AND HANDY</span></div>
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I don't know if I'll brew perpetual broth all year long, as hot summer days call for cold, refreshing liquids, but I think I'll continue this practice during the cooler months of the year. It makes cooking many things, such as rice, potatoes and pasta...typical fall and winter fare...a breeze, not to mention incredibly flavorful. And with the added immune system boost, and the benefit to skin, hair and nails, well, I don't see how I can NOT keep making this amazing stuff. </div>
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King's Daughterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11946812226614285331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1772085022034434465.post-87759392055396998512012-10-30T19:11:00.000-07:002012-10-30T19:11:37.603-07:00Today's Gluten Free Eats<div style="text-align: justify;">
My last post was of my surprising results at GF baking, bread and brownies! That makes me so happy. But that wasn't all we ate of course. Here's our menu for the day:</div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><b>BREAKFAST:</b></span></div>
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Pumpkin Pie Millet and apple slices with "chia juice"</div>
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<b style="color: orange; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: x-large;">PUMPKIN PIE MILLET </b><b style="color: orange; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>based on <a href="http://www.sugarfreemom.com/recipes/pumpkin-vanilla-millet-porridge-dairy-gluten-free/">this great recipe at sugarfreemom.com</a></i></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: orange; font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">ingredients:</span></div>
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<li>2 cups water</li>
<li>3/4 cup millet</li>
<li>1/2 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)</li>
<li>1 tsp pumpkin pie spice</li>
<li>pinch of sea salt</li>
<li>2 Tbs plain yogurt</li>
<li>generous splash of real vanilla</li>
<li>1/4 cup real maple syrup</li>
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<span style="color: orange; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">method:</span></div>
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Cook 3/4 cup dry millet in 2 cups of boiling water until water is absorbed, about twenty minutes. Add canned pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice, a pinch of sea salt, plain yogurt and maple syrup and mix well. Serve warm with fruit or vanilla yogurt if desired.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNtCPTGL-wECoetY8BL9VdQsMfxEvjkEOUEJvveVwGSCjxbe0sMNghMyIlRqzTIGc3W1y2hBqe7Pr2BfWFs98kmkTSq5Xd45IN5O0uuvNOxip7eM5xn1BxE_pET14cRpgtvqBt9oNG9U0/s1600/DSCN2012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNtCPTGL-wECoetY8BL9VdQsMfxEvjkEOUEJvveVwGSCjxbe0sMNghMyIlRqzTIGc3W1y2hBqe7Pr2BfWFs98kmkTSq5Xd45IN5O0uuvNOxip7eM5xn1BxE_pET14cRpgtvqBt9oNG9U0/s320/DSCN2012.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pumpkin Pie Millet...yum!</td></tr>
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<span style="text-align: justify;">"Chia Juice" is a scoop of chia seeds in some home made grape juice I canned this summer. Stir for one minute, then let sit for five. The seeds get kind of gelatinous. Mister loves his chia juice!</span></div>
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<b style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: x-large;">LUNCH:</b></div>
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Carmelized Onion Burgers with Secret Sauce, Cottage Cheese, Monterrey Jack cheese slices, fresh broccoli</div>
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I had intended on eating tuna salad for lunch for some odd reason, just sounded good. My husband was home and requested a burger, and after making one for him I had a hankering for one myself. His had Swiss cheese, but I like sharp Cheddar. The "Secret Sauce" started out with mayo and then I added a whole bunch of spices and some nutritional yeast. When I made mine, I kicked it up a notch with an extra dose of <a href="http://www.food.com/recipe/Emerils-Essence-5031">Emeril's Essense</a> and a splash of Sweet Thai Chili Sauce. Mmmmm. </div>
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"Dessert" was plain yogurt sweetened with honey, a splash of vanilla and a sprinkle of cinnamon. </div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;">SUPPER:</span></b></div>
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Chili and Sticky Rice, veggies and homemade ranch dip, GF Brownies</div>
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No recipe for this...I grabbed a frozen chunk of leftover chili out of the freezer, dumped it in the crockpot, added some great northern beans and a generous splash of tomato juice and set it on low to cook for a while. Sticky Rice is glutinous rice (but not the kind of gluten that causes problems) and is steamed in a bamboo rice steamer. It's like the rice they use in Sushi. We love to dip it in our chili or just eat it plain. Not really a low glycemic index food, so I don't eat a lot of it, but man is it ever good. The GF Brownies were so delicious! You can read about these yummy brownies <a href="http://purposefulnourishment.blogspot.com/2012/10/bread-brownies-oh-my.html">here</a>. Then go make some, you won't be disappointed!</div>
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King's Daughterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11946812226614285331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1772085022034434465.post-61913692610494826382012-10-30T19:08:00.000-07:002012-10-30T19:08:02.788-07:00BREAD! BROWNIES! Oh My...<div style="text-align: justify;">
One of the things that I mourned at the thought of HAVING to be gluten free (instead of just choosing...very different, you see...) was bread. There is nothing so comforting as the smell of a delicious, yeasty wheat bread baking in the oven and filling the house with wheaty, carbolicious joy. And, God has given me a gift with bread making...I can usually turn out a pretty mean loaf. Then there's cookies, pies, biscuits...sigh...</div>
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Of course, I have been searching online for easy, tasty GF recipes and the two I tried today did not disappoint. In fact, I was quite impressed with the <a href="http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2010/05/how-to-make-gluten-free-sandwich-bread-recipe.html?obref=obinsite">GF Sandwich Bread from Serious Eats</a>. Seriously. I read through all the comments and the only changes I made were adding a tablespoon of honey (there is no sugar in the recipe, and someone suggested it to make the gf-ness less obvious, especially for someone new to GF eating) and I used whole milk...not a big fan of powdered milk here. I used 1 cup of water and 3/4 cup whole milk. Be sure to read through the directions and comments before making this, if this is the first time you've tried a GF bread. There is a lot of great information there regarding GF baking. I half expected it to flop, since I don't really know what I'm doing when it comes to using GF flours, but it was definitely a success and a keeper as far as I'm concerned!</div>
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The taste and texture are slightly different than wheat bread, but not in an offensive way. Sister LOVES it, so you know it's good. Mister likes it too (and so does the dog...he dropped a chunk on the floor). I'm happy that tomorrow, we can have sandwiches for lunch! Doesn't it look delicious? It looks like real bread!<br />
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We were having my mom over this afternoon, and company for dinner so I decided we needed some brownies. I found a great recipe for<a href="http://www.bobsredmill.com/recipes.php?recipe=7027"> Gluten, Casein and Soy Free Brownies</a> at the Bob's Red Mill website. I didn't have unsweetened chocolate, so I used the old stand-by substitute of 3 Tbs cocoa and 1 Tbs oil (coconut) and they turned out great! I prefer a fudgey brownie over a cakey one, and this one was nice and fudgey. The Teenager asked if I made them differently and when I told him I used a gluten free flour he didn't like them. Oh well, his loss...and more for the rest of us! This made a 9 x 13" pan and I cut it into 20-24 brownies, I should have counted but didn't, and only four were left when I cleaned up from supper. Really now, do you think you could pass these up?</div>
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My daughter said today "Well, maybe this gluten free thing won't be so bad after all." Yeah, I think she's right. I don't know why I had my knickers in a bunch now...</div>
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King's Daughterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11946812226614285331noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1772085022034434465.post-83059701089055440812012-10-30T12:00:00.000-07:002012-10-30T12:00:04.797-07:00Feeding the Kids While Mom and Dad are Away<div style="text-align: justify;">
It hit me yesterday that someone is going to have to feed the kids while hubby and I are in Phoenix. Normally, that wouldn't concern me too much (the grandparents have been warned not to feed Mister anything with MSG in it...if they do, well, it's their own fault.) because my parents and my in-laws are well experienced in feeding children. But, when you throw in Special Dietary Needs, well it gets a little more complicated. So, I decided to make some meals and freeze them as well as round up or make some GF snacks to make it as simple as possible for those caring for the kids while we're away for a few days.</div>
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The kids and I brainstormed over lunch, and here is the menu plan...which, of course, is subject to change.<br />
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<span style="color: orange; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>Breakfasts:</b></span><br />
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<ul>
<li>eggs and fruit (starting to be our go-to breakfast meal...)</li>
<li>GF oatmeal (twice, they LOVE oatmeal)</li>
<li>yogurt and fruit</li>
<li>Pumpkin Pie Quinoa Breakfast Bake (FINALLY!...only I won't get to try it...boo!)</li>
</ul>
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<span style="color: orange; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>Lunches:</b></span></div>
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<ul>
<li>GF quesadillas and veggies/fruit (assuming I can pull off making <a href="http://www.glutenfreecookingschool.com/archives/gluten-free-casein-free-flour-tortillas/">GF tortillas</a>)</li>
<li>GF sandwiches, either grilled cheese or PB&J (assuming I can pull off <a href="http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2010/05/how-to-make-gluten-free-sandwich-bread-recipe.html?obref=obinsite">GF bread</a>)</li>
<li>Celery and peanut butter, GF crackers, string cheese and fruit</li>
<li>Homemade vegetable soup and GF sandwiches or crackers</li>
<li>Scrambled eggs and fruit or yogurt (my kids LOVE eggs!)</li>
</ul>
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<span style="color: orange; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>Suppers:</b></span></div>
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<ul>
<li>Spaghetti and meatballs</li>
<li>Chicken, broccoli and rice casserole</li>
<li>Meatloaf, mashed potatoes and broccoli</li>
<li>Millet casserole (containing some kind of meat and most likely broccoli. They love broccoli, too!)</li>
<li>Noodley beef and mashed potatoes. This is essentially Beef & Noodles, but with ground beef instead of chunks of beef. One of those quick, budget-friendly things I whipped up one day that was a big hit. </li>
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<span style="color: orange; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>Snacks and beverages:</b></span></div>
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<ul>
<li>Lots of water, some juice</li>
<li>GF crackers with peanut butter or cheese</li>
<li>Veggies and fruit</li>
<li>GF cookies</li>
<li>Yogurt</li>
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This may be a tad ambitious, I don't know. Looks good on paper though, and since the kids had input they are more likely to not have a problem eating "special meals" when everyone else is eating something that might contain gluten. </div>
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This is definitely new territory for me...for one, I've never been away from the kids for five whole days, several states away and for two, we've never really had to deal with a special diet before (aside from NEVER, EVER, EVER GIVE MISTER MSG OR RED DYE. EVER.). </div>
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<i><span style="color: orange;"><b>How about you? How do you handle travel, other people caring for your kids, relatives and the gluten-free thing?</b></span></i></div>
King's Daughterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11946812226614285331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1772085022034434465.post-49229108448640993302012-10-29T15:05:00.000-07:002012-10-29T15:05:41.847-07:00Our Gluten-Free Table Today<div style="text-align: justify;">
I have to admit I have not planned well for meals this week...I've gotten lazy over the last several <strike>days</strike> <strike>weeks</strike> months to be honest. And I surely wasn't prepared for planning gluten-free meals! What a blessing kind and generous friends are, let me tell you. Each day, I'm kind of "flying by the seat of my pants" and trying to pray about what to make, but it is so easy to just slip into "well, what <i>sounds </i> good right now?" (along with the new "and how do I substitute the gluten ingredients in it?"). It's a process. </div>
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Today, I am quite certain gluten should not be a part of my diet, and my son's for sure, and most likely my daughter's. I accidentally consumed something with gluten in it last night and I have felt terrible all day...the same way I felt after absentmindedly eating Hidden Valley Ranch - tired and hung-over-ish, no motivation aside from a strong desire to crawl back into bed and sleep. Blech. I don't think there's much gluten-containing foods worth feeling like that. Well, except for cheesecake, maybe. And my mom's Old Fashioned Cream Pie....</div>
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Other clues are that my son was, although active and boyish, not "spastic" and driving me out of my gourd all day. His BM today looked more like a normal one, his face looks less bumpy. And, for my daughter, the doctor's office called and said her TSH test was a little elevated and they want to recheck in eight weeks. I so want to save her from ending up like me so if her diet is contributing to the elevated TSH, tiredness, brain fog, etc. then I want to fix it now while she is young! I also need to really watch for soy, although we don't eat as much soy as we used to. Just something else I need to be vigilant in watching for when reading labels.</div>
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We ate fairly well today, I think:</div>
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<ul>
<li>Breakfast was scrambled eggs and fresh apple slices. I like sharp cheddar melted on top and smothered in homemade salsa and sour cream (the eggs, of course!)</li>
<li>Lunch was Millet Meatballs in Quinoa Rotini Pasta and homemade spaghetti sauce, sprinkled with freshly grated parmesan cheese and a side of fresh veggies. Very tasty! I was a little unsure if I'd like the Qunioa/corn pasta, but it was practically like "real" pasta. I love that it is made with Quinoa!</li>
<li>Supper is in the oven right now: A hybrid Tater Tot Casserole. I quit buying canned soups ages ago, so it was a cornstarch-thickened gravy made with beef broth, sour cream and nutritional yeast, browned ground beef, and green beans. I am not sure if Tater Tots are safe yet (and I don't have any in the house, anyway), so I made mashed potatoes to put on top. All in one lovely, cast iron skillet too. Love those one-dish meals!</li>
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Here's how I made the Millet Meatballs (I just threw it together, so measurements are not guaranteed to be accurate!)</div>
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<span style="color: orange; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><b>Millet Meatballs</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: orange; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: orange; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">ingredients:</span></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">one free range egg</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">1/4-1/3 cup of leftover cooked, seasoned millet</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">1/4 pound or so of ground beef</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Miss Tink's House Seasoning</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">1-2 Tbs nutritional yeast</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">1-2 Tbs olive oil or fat of choice</span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="color: orange; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>method:</b></span></div>
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<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Whisk together egg, Miss Tink's, and nutritional yeast. Add millet and mix well, then add ground beef and mix very well. Form into meatballs. Gently heat olive oil in a cast iron skillet and brown meatballs on all sides until cooked through, or brown all sides then finish cooking in a 350 degree oven until cooked through, about 20 minutes. These can be seasoned however you like, of course...more garlic, some spicy hot pepper, even add shredded vegetables like carrot or zucchini. The kids and I loved them and there were none left over! I forgot to count how many it made, but my best guess is about 15 walnut-sized meatballs.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">________________</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I can't think of anything to go with our supper tonight, and honestly don't really care to make anything else. I just want to get done with the day and crawl into bed, into my nice, fragrant, freshly laundered flannel sheeties. I just love Fall!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Good Gluten-Free Eats to you!</span></div>
King's Daughterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11946812226614285331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1772085022034434465.post-43379098760902027342012-10-28T12:26:00.006-07:002012-10-28T12:34:17.614-07:00Gluten Free? What Can We Eat, Then?<div align="justify">
<a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-DgXc1nwDOTs/UI2GejZsIjI/AAAAAAAAAhQ/lSxfZvXvztE/s1600-h/pantry4.jpg"><em><img align="left" alt="pantry" border="0" height="224" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-YLeExLfi4FM/UI2GgJm69mI/AAAAAAAAAhY/W4Xuzrx5yG8/pantry_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; float: left; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="pantry" width="145" /></em></a><em>My initial response to the Go Gluten-Free directive from on high was not a very becoming one. All I could think about was what I couldn’t eat, how expensive GF products are, and how tight my grocery budget already is. It’s just not fair and it sucks. Fortunately, God has blessed me with wonderful friends who are encouraging and helpful. And, after a few days of not checking my blood sugar, since it was upsetting me too much, I felt a little better about the situation and started trying to look at what I </em><strong>can</strong><em> eat instead. Here’s what we’ve eaten for the last few days…</em></div>
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Our first, official gluten-free meal was...</div>
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<a href="http://tastyandglutenfree.blogspot.com/2009/01/delicious-beef-stroganoff.html" target="_blank"><strong><span style="font-size: medium;">BEEF STROGANOFF</span></strong></a> I chose this because my wonderful friend, <a href="http://harrisheather.com/" target="_blank">The Homesteading Hippy</a>, listened to me whine and cry and did her very best to get me to put my BGPs on (Big Girl Panties). Then she stopped by bearing gifts of delicious free range eggs, gf <a href="http://tinkyada.com/" target="_blank">Tinkyada pasta</a>, bone broth, two different <a href="http://www.bobsredmill.com/gluten-free/" target="_blank">Bob’s Red Mill gf flours</a>, <a href="http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=53" target="_blank">millet</a>, <a href="http://www.quinoa.net/199.html" target="_blank">quinoa</a>, flax seeds, and a fun <a href="http://www.funkymonkeysnacks.com/flavors.htm" target="_blank">Funky Monkey</a> treat. She is a great monkey. The best. I didn’t make this recipe PRECISELY, and I can’t quite remember what I did that was different, but it was a matter of time…and I already had the stew meat cooked in the crockpot so that eliminated the whole flouring/browning the meat part. It was really good, and I was very impressed with the pasta! I can’t stand whole wheat pasta anyway, the texture is just all wrong. But the brown rice pasta was practically the same as regular pasta, it just took a little longer to cook. The flavor was great and it made me feel a bit better because I LOVE me some pasta and the thought of eschewing noodley goodness forever was quite upsetting. </div>
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I also had made some <a href="http://www.adventuresofaglutenfreemom.com/2011/11/gluten-free-pumpkin-honey-spice-cookies/" target="_blank">gf Pumpkin Honey Spice cookies</a> to take to my mom’s group at church that evening. They were really good. I highly recommend using xanthan gum for gf baking, as these cookies turned out very nicely, like “real” cookies. I added chopped pecans and they were very delicious.</div>
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I had planned on making this yummy-sounding <a href="http://www.healthfulpursuit.com/2011/02/pumpkin-pie-quinoa-bake/" target="_blank">Pumpkin Pie Quinoa Breakfast Bake</a> for breakfast the next day, but when I was out riding on the Harley with my wonderful husband, bless his heart, who hated seeing me so upset but just didn’t know what to do about it (nothing really, unless he’s hiding a magic wand somewhere…) and thought a nice ride on what was probably the last nice day of the year would help, I had a profound…and humbling…thought. For most of my life, I’ve been making my own choices as to what I eat. It obviously has not been working out so well – I’m overweight, have high blood pressure and high blood sugar. Food is integrally connected to all of those issues. So, maybe, I should ask The Big Guy what I should eat instead of relying on “what sounds good.” After all, He created this body of mine and knows better than I do what it needs to work well. As I laid down to sleep that night, I prayed about breakfast and unfortunately, it was not that yummy sounding quinoa dish. It was a fried egg and apple slices. Not what I wanted but it was completely satisfying anyway. I also had some <a href="http://www.living-foods.com/articles/chia.html" target="_blank">chia seeds</a> and <a href="http://www.huntershoneyfarm.com/s.nl/it.I/id.5/.f" target="_blank">bee pollen</a> (courtesy of another wonderful friend, who has been gf for over 15 years. I had called her too and she gave me great advice and ideas, then also gave me a bunch of stuff that she felt God wanted her to give me. What a blessing!)</div>
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The next supper was hamburger patties in a gf brown gravy, cooked millet, and broccoli. I toasted the millet first before cooking it in beef broth, and felt like I should have invited The Road Runner for supper. It was, after all, a big pile of bird seed there in my skillet. I had the urge to put a sign in it and wait to drop an anvil from the cliff nearby. </div>
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I didn’t think my daughter would like it, as I found it to be so-so, definitely something to get used to, but she LOVED it. Mister liked it well enough to have two helpings. And, the best part of feeding Mister millet is that millet contains…TRYPTOPHAN!!!! That’s the stuff in turkey that makes you sleepy. Anything to calm Mister down is definitely a plus in my book! I seasoned the millet (which took longer than it said to cook, and I kept adding more broth to it) with my favorite all-purpose seasoning mix, <a href="http://www.food.com/recipe/miss-tinks-house-seasoning-335883" target="_blank">Miss Tink’s House Seasoning</a>, a little extra paprika, some <a href="http://www.livestrong.com/article/263528-what-are-the-benefits-of-nutritional-yeast-flakes/" target="_blank">nutritional yeast</a> and parsley. Maybe some other things too, but I can’t remember now. It was good with the brown gravy over it, and the leftovers I plan to use to make meatloaf or meatballs. I cooked the hamburger patties in my big ole cast iron skillet, which left nice browned bits on the bottom, and not gobs of grease since I got them from the local butcher and it’s really good meat. To this, I added beef broth and thickened with a spoonful of cornstarch and a spoonful of the gf all-purpose flour. I had seasoned the burgers with Miss Tink’s, and was delighted to find that I didn’t need to add any other seasoning to this gravy, which thickened up nicely and had a great, browned flavor. Just what I was going for! We also had cottage cheese (read labels!! Apparently anything that says “<a href="http://glutenfreecooking.about.com/od/gettingstarted/a/hiddengluten.htm" target="_blank">modified food starch</a>” can be a problem) and cucumbers with homemade ranch dressing. Very delish.</div>
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I really wish we could have chickens, we’ll be eating a LOT of eggs, I think. I need to start my day out with mostly protein and a little carbs, so anything that is grainy of any kind probably won’t be a good idea. Scrambled eggs with cheese, salsa and sour cream for breakfast the next day. Lunch was leftover beef stroganoff and fresh veggies for me, leftover millet and a fried duck egg for the little kids with fresh fruit for dessert. Supper was oven baked french fries, fresh carrots, broccoli, celery and cucumbers with ranch dressing, cheese cubes of colby and monterrey jack. </div>
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We (the kids and I) observe the Sabbath on Saturday, so that is a no-cooking day for me, unless it’s in the crockpot. We munched on leftover veggies, cheese, and some very tasty fresh pears from a local farmer’s market. I had no idea what to do for supper for most of the day, but then had an inspiration. In my crockpot, I put about 24 oz of already cooked great northern beans and juice, about a cup of beef broth, sliced up a few baby carrots and some onion, and about a quarter of a pound of raw ground beef. Seasoned with a bit of Miss Tink’s and set it on high. It turned out to be a very tasty, hearty bean soup. My family is not as crazy about beans as I am, but we all thought it was pretty good. The fact that my husband said it was “really good” means it was exceptionally tasty. Before serving, I stirred in about two tablespoons of nutritional yeast, some more paprika, a touch more salt and some smoked black pepper. Served with cottage cheese, applesauce and some bbq potato chips that I’m relatively certain do not contain any gluten.</div>
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Today, it’s been munchies and leftovers and my best Monkey has invited us over for supper. I’m quite happy to not have to think about what to make, although I was planning a Pizza Pasta casserole with Quinoa/corn pasta that I’ve been wanting to try anyway for a while. </div>
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The best advice I’ve gotten about gf cooking is from my friend who’s been gf for 15 years: “Just think about what you want to make for a meal, then find ways to replace the things that have gluten in the recipe.” Simple, although I’m sure there will be challenges. Like pizza, for example. And tortillas. I found a great recipe for thin pizza crust that is just absolutely my favorite pizza crust now, but I don’t know how using gf flour will work in it. There’s only one way to find out though, roll up my sleeves and give it a shot. </div>
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It’s still frustrating though, because I just want to eat without thinking about what I’m eating. I have so many other things to manage, I don’t want one more on my plate…especially one that is expensive, time consuming, and may require eating odd things. But, if our health improves then it is all worth it in the end. It’s the “in the middle of it” part that I don’t enjoy.</div>
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I still need to pray about our meals, because left to my taste buds, I’m sure I’ll still make poor food choices. But it is nice to know that a gf diet is not a Death (to enjoying food) Sentence. There is a whole, wide world of foods out there that don’t have gluten, why should I be content to sit in my little SAD box (Standard American Diet…which I have mostly walked away from, but still have a bit of that lingering mentality to cast off)? I should not. And so, here we go…</div>
King's Daughterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11946812226614285331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1772085022034434465.post-11936957333670240672011-08-03T10:37:00.000-07:002011-08-03T10:47:25.563-07:00Apple Pie-itas<div align="justify"><em>Do you ever just throw something together really quickly and it turns out amazingly yummy? I love it when that happens! Look what I did with a few simple ingredients today to satisfy my sweet tooth…</em></div><div align="justify"><em><br />
</em></div><div align="justify">I’m really trying to cut sugar out of my diet. But, it’s really, really hard. Today, I had a really bad craving for something sweet and fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it) I didn’t have any junky sweets laying around. We very rarely do, although on occasion I do buy my hubby cookies or there is leftover birthday cake. </div><div align="justify"><br />
</div><div align="justify">My daughter had just made a quesadilla for lunch, and I started thinking about those fried cinnamon things from Taco Bell. I don’t really like them…they kind of remind me of pork rinds with cinnamon or maybe what fried paper towels would be like if you sprinkled them with cinnamon and sugar. Gross, either way you look at it.</div><div align="justify"><br />
</div><div align="justify">I got an idea to fry up a tortilla in some butter and sprinkle some cinnamon sugar on top. Impromptu oreja de elefante. Then I got the idea to spread some homemade applesauce on that and drizzled a tiny bit of half n half (I’m unfortunately out of raw cream at the moment or that would have been even better!). I rolled it up and tooka bite and WOW was that good. Really satisfied my sweet tooth!</div><div align="justify"><br />
</div><div align="justify">It could have been healthier…homemade tortilla instead of store-bought, sucanat or raw sugar instead of white, and raw cream instead of pasteurized half n half, but I think it was still infinitely more healthy than an apple pie from Mc Death’s. Honestly, it kind of tasted like one…but better! I will be making these again with more healthy ingredients next time, but I’m glad I found a way to make something delicious, inexpensive, quick, and with minimal heat added to my kitchen on this hot, sunny day!</div><div align="justify"><br />
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</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-40yiwpMg7WU/TjmF5dD2kpI/AAAAAAAAAXo/f5gVcZqLUKc/s1600-h/100_3430%25255B8%25255D.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="100_3430" border="0" height="164" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-ayYe2iZEjyQ/TjmF6GYb0AI/AAAAAAAAAXs/36_Ws7IAYoc/100_3430_thumb%25255B5%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="100_3430" width="244" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I quick took a picture before it was gone...click on the picture for an up close and delicious look!</td></tr>
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<strong><span style="color: #ff8000; font-family: 'Courier New'; font-size: medium;"><u>APPLE PIE-ITAS</u></span></strong><br />
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<strong><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Courier New';">INGREDIENTS:</span></strong><br />
<ul><li><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Courier New';">1 soft tortilla</span></li>
<li><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Courier New';">1 Tb butter (or other healthy, traditional fat) for frying <em>I think coconut oil would be awesome!</em></span></li>
<li><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Courier New';">1 tsp (more or less to taste) cinnamon sugar, or combine your favorite sugar and cinnamon</span></li>
<li><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Courier New';">1-2 Tbs unsweetened or lightly sweetened applesauce</span></li>
<li><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Courier New';">drizzle of raw cream</span></li>
<li><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Courier New';">a bit more cinnamon sugar to sprinkle on top, if desired</span></li>
</ul><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New';">Makes 1 serving</span></div><strong><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Courier New';"><br />
</span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Courier New';">METHOD:</span></strong><br />
<div align="justify"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Courier New';"><br />
</span></div><div align="justify"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Courier New';">Melt fat in cast iron skillet, add tortilla and coat well in melted fat. Flip over to coat other side, then fry each side until slightly crispy (you need to be able to roll it up). Remove from pan, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Spread applesauce on top, drizzle with cream and stir it around a bit until combined. Roll tortilla, sprinkle with more cinnamon sugar, if desired. Eat. Would also be good topped with fresh raw whipped cream, raw vanilla ice cream, yogurt or kefir!</span></div>King's Daughterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11946812226614285331noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1772085022034434465.post-23858964165238891022011-07-06T16:55:00.000-07:002011-07-06T16:55:21.956-07:00What’s For Supper Wednesday: Tostadas de Alba<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-4moNfKkcpJU/ThTwT82G-aI/AAAAAAAAAWw/y6BHNeFUaYQ/s1600-h/tostadas%252520de%252520alba%25255B4%25255D.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="tostadas de alba" border="0" height="210" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-MejBEkdNi_k/ThTwUiiBkjI/AAAAAAAAAW0/VVaaNluDBSc/tostadas%252520de%252520alba_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-color: initial; border-left-style: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-color: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-color: initial; border-top-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="tostadas de alba" width="305" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Quick, tasty and fresh...just what I love in meal!<br />
Click on the picture for a closer look</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div align="justify"><em>In an effort to be more consistent with my blogging, I’m going to try to post on Wednesdays what we’re having for supper. PLEASE feel free to leave a comment and share what you’re eating too! I love to see what other people are cooking! </em></div><div align="justify"><em><br />
</em></div><div align="justify"><em></em></div><div align="justify"><em>And so, for the very first What’s For Supper Wednesday post, I’ll share the Mexican-y thing I whipped up that got an enthusiastic thumbs up from my toughest critic…My Husband...</em></div><div align="justify"><br />
</div><div align="justify"><em></em>I wasn’t sure what to call this dish…I guess they’re Tostadas, so for the lack of a better name, I’ll call them Tostadas de Alba…which is a very loose translation of my first name. I love artistic license…</div><div align="justify"><br />
</div><div align="justify">Supper needed to be quick and easy, and what can be easier than tortillas with something on them? I fried some ground beef and lightly seasoned it with a different blend of spices than what I usually use ( a homemade taco seasoning), which was what the Husband liked. He said he likes taco seasoning, but then ends up burping it all night. Come to think of it, so do I…and I unfortunately remember a bad night after eating too much taco salad while I was pregnant with my son. I didn’t eat anything Mexican for a long time after that. </div><div align="justify"><br />
</div><div align="justify">The tortillas were fried crispy in butter, topped with refried beans, meat, sharp cheddar cheese (if only I had some queso blanco….) and pico de gallo. The result was absolutely delicious! I just threw this together, so measurements are approximate…and feel free to substitute peppers…we’re not a spicy kind of family so it’s very mild, but I think I would have actually liked a bit more kick. My tastebuds are getting wild in their old age…</div><br />
<blockquote><span style="font-family: 'Courier New'; font-size: medium;"><strong><u>TOSTADAS DE ALBA</u></strong></span></blockquote><blockquote><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><strong>INGREDIENTS:</strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New';">1/2 lb ground beef</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New';">1/2 tsp ground coriander</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New';">1/2 tsp paprika</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New';">generous shake or two of <a href="http://www.food.com/recipe/miss-tinks-house-seasoning-335883">Miss Tink’s House Seasoning</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New';">salt, as desired</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New';">refried beans of your choice</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New';">flour tortillas</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New';">butter or other traditional fat for frying</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New';">shredded cheese</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New';"> </span></blockquote><blockquote><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><strong>PICO DE GALLO INGREDIENTS:</strong></span><br />
<div align="justify"><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><em>I made this with what I had on hand so it’s not necessarily “authentic.” It sure was tasty though!</em></span></div></blockquote><blockquote><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';">1 roma tomato, diced</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New';">1/4 cup onion, diced</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New';">1/4 c green pepper, diced</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New';">1-2 tbs hot yellow pepper, minced</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New';">1 tbs fresh lime juice</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New';">1/8 tsp ground coriander</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New';">salt to taste</span></blockquote><blockquote><strong><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';">METHOD:</span></strong><br />
<div align="justify"><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';">Make the pico de gallo first so the flavors can blend nicely while you’re cooking the rest of the dish. Combine the vegetables, lime juice and seasonings and set aside.</span></div><div align="justify"><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"></span></div><div align="justify"><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';">Brown ground beef, season with Miss Tink’s while cooking. When cooked, add coriander, paprika and more salt/Miss Tink’s as desired.</span></div></blockquote><blockquote><div align="justify"><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';">Heat refried beans. Meanwhile, melt butter or other fat in skillet and fry tortillas on both sides until crispy. Layer beans, meat, and cheese, waiting a bit for the cheese to melt slightly before topping with pico de gallo. Makes about 3 to 5 tostadas, depending on how generously you top them. </span></div><div align="justify"><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"></span></div><div align="justify"><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"></span></div></blockquote><blockquote><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';"><strong>CHEF’S NOTES:</strong></span></blockquote><blockquote style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: 'Courier New';">This was super easy to make and really tasted good! I would have preferred to use fresh cilantro, however I didn’t have any on hand…and the Husband doesn’t like as much cilantro as I do anyway. The hot yellow pepper I used wasn’t very hot at all, so if you like spicy, adjust accordingly. It also would have been good with some Mexican crema, sour cream, or homemade ranch dressing…but it was still delicious without it! The different seasoning on the meat was a delightful change from the plain old taco seasoning I usually use. I will definitely be making this again.</span></blockquote>King's Daughterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11946812226614285331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1772085022034434465.post-84954942256660218812011-06-08T09:21:00.000-07:002011-06-08T09:23:35.718-07:00I LOVE MY BIG BERKEY! Look at What We DON’T Drink Anymore!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.morethanalive.com/Big-Berkey" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img align="left" height="240" src="http://av.morethanalive.com/images/thumb/Berkey.jpg" style="display: inline; float: left;" width="210" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">photo from morethanalive.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div align="justify"><em>I love, love, love my Big Berkey! I’m not getting paid one cent to rave about it, either…I just love it that much! </em></div><div align="justify"><em><br />
</em></div><div align="justify"><em></em></div><div align="justify"><em>Today, I cleaned the black filtering elements in my Big Berkey, and I thought I’d show you what we’re NOT drinking anymore. It’s completely disgusting, seriously. I don’t know what it is…and honestly, I’m not sure I WANT to know. But I’m very happy that my family and I are not ingesting it, whatever it is. Take a look…I wish I had a better camera, because this picture does not fully capture the essense of the nasty that it is in real life.</em></div><div align="justify"><em><br />
</em></div><div align="justify"><em><br />
</em></div><div align="justify"><em><br />
</em></div><div align="justify"><em></em></div><div align="justify"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-wa65yGq8Ka4/Te-eK0mtW_I/AAAAAAAAAVk/zCGKtiExn-k/s1600-h/nasty%252520berkey%252520filter%25255B4%25255D.jpg"><img alt="nasty berkey filter" border="0" height="772" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-6NHoO7pBDYs/Te-eL6JFE1I/AAAAAAAAAVo/76J9a1SQvpo/nasty%252520berkey%252520filter_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="nasty berkey filter" width="516" /></a></div><div align="justify"><br />
</div><div align="justify">There you have it, folks…just one of many reasons I love my Big Berkey. I ordered mine from <a href="http://www.morethanalive.com/Big-Berkey">MoreThanAlive.com</a> and have really been happy with the product and their service. I’d like to encourage you to check it out…especially if you live in my town…our water is so nasty. I don’t even want to shower in it…yuck! Berkey makes showerhead filters too…I definitely want to get one for our shower!</div>King's Daughterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11946812226614285331noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1772085022034434465.post-73396977357311010852011-06-07T16:34:00.000-07:002011-06-07T16:34:24.755-07:00Music to a Real Foodie Wife’s Ears: “I Feel Like Crap”<div align="justify"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-GnVCM6jgVP8/Te6wu3GrvBI/AAAAAAAAAVA/wmaEPDBQSB8/s1600-h/sick%252520face%252520green%25255B2%25255D.png"><img align="left" alt="sick face green" border="0" height="148" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-s4gy6yrQ_hY/Te6wvTNvlLI/AAAAAAAAAVE/gjX_hTZo_s8/sick%252520face%252520green_thumb.png?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; float: left; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="sick face green" width="148" /></a><em>Yes, you read that right…my husband recently said that to me and I couldn’t have been more happy to hear it. Why? Because it reinforces why I do what I do and shows my husband that I’m not such a lunatic after all. What am I talking about, you ask? Read on…</em></div><div align="justify"><em><br />
</em></div><div align="justify"><em></em></div><div align="justify">For the last week almost, we’ve been busy getting ready for Number Two’s high school graduation. This meant cleaning house, moving furniture, shopping…busy busy busy. And if you don’t plan ahead (something I’m not exactly wonderful at…) you end up eating stuff you shouldn’t…and wouldn’t normally. Even though <a href="http://lifeonpurposeandprinciple.blogspot.com/2011/06/miracle-pill.html">I was feeling like a brand new person, after recently beginning treatment for low thyroid</a>, I had months of cleaning and organizing that I was behind on and that took center stage. I didn’t bake or soak or otherwise prepare anything that would necessarily be called “real foodish”. Honestly, I don’t even really remember cooking. I know we ate…but what, who knows!</div><div align="justify"><br />
</div><div align="justify">My father-in-law came from Arizona and stayed with us, and following tradition, treated us to supper one night. We ordered two giant take-out pizzas from a local pizza joint…and I mean GIANT. The leftovers ended up being breakfast and lunch at least twice! We had brats and hot dogs on commercially baked, white buns, potato chips, fried chicken from a local grocery store, and prepackaged coleslaw. Sodas. Capri Sun drink pouches. Cake...don't forget the cake...at least two of them were homemade by my mother-in-law, but one was a commercially prepared cake loaded with buttercream icing and lovely food coloring. It really looked neat though. And ice cream…mmmmm….I just love ice cream…and honestly, I didn’t care that it had red 40 in it, it was that yummy!</div><div align="justify"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxDQWOyBEmAmORxsOX8MhONDyInVwT-HLvGVn_jY-t6jrtTwxvkI4UDlvDpkOkeJZ8fjT2oMsaUV-qJigkabuBlSDGYKnGTBTrGCC_U6qUbfJFC0VOAtP1Qf_XPc9uuclArMaQrxJ2_Go/s1600/James+with+cake+resized.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxDQWOyBEmAmORxsOX8MhONDyInVwT-HLvGVn_jY-t6jrtTwxvkI4UDlvDpkOkeJZ8fjT2oMsaUV-qJigkabuBlSDGYKnGTBTrGCC_U6qUbfJFC0VOAtP1Qf_XPc9uuclArMaQrxJ2_Go/s320/James+with+cake+resized.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is my handsome second-oldest stepson. This young man will soon be serving our country and protecting our freedoms as a United States Marine and we are very incredibly proud of him! That's that cake I was talking about there...</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div align="justify"><br />
</div><div align="justify"><br />
</div><div align="justify">The graduate wanted a taco bar for his open house, and I bought pre-cooked and seasoned taco filling from GFS for far less than I could make it, even buying cheap meat…I didn’t look at the ingredient list, on purpose! Canned nacho cheese sauce…I would never buy that…for one, I don’t like pepper-flavored cheese, and for two, canned cheese is not necessarily food, I don’t think. Shredded iceberg lettuce has minimal nutritional value, and commercially prepared tortillas are laden with hydrogenated fats. There were, at least, brown rice and sesame tortilla chips and fresh veggies.</div><div align="justify"><br />
</div><div align="justify">I really struggle sometimes, when it comes to preparing food for others. On one hand, I know certain foods really are not healthy for you…but on the other, do I “waste” expensive, healthier foods on people who don’t particularly care what they eat? I feel guilty, but my main focus when it comes to food is my family. And so I do my best to feed my family foods that I know are healthy and nutritious, and when it comes to feeding others, I revert back to the SAD most people are used to (that’s Standard American Diet…no surprise the acronym for that is SAD!!) unless I can afford to do otherwise.</div><div align="justify"><br />
</div><div align="justify">Yesterday, my husband told me he felt like crap all day at work. Couldn’t concentrate or think clearly…tired, and generally feeling yucky. I felt bad that he felt bad, but secretly I was pleased in the sense that the benefits of the changes I’ve made in our diet aren’t just “all in my head”. My husband feels better…we all feel better, for eating, at the very least, less processed foods and chemicals. </div><div align="justify"><br />
</div><div align="justify">So, tonight, I enjoyed preparing some “real” food for a change. I must admit I enjoyed the convenience of the last several days, but at the expense of our health and well being…well, it’s definitely not a long-term habit I want to pick up again. As we enjoyed our supper tonight of ground turkey burger patties topped with sour cream, soaked and seasoned brown rice, buttery mixed veggies and fresh sliced tomatoes (with a lovely sprinkling of that heavenly pink Himalayan salt on mine….Oh. My. Word.), every cell in my body seemed to be giving me a standing ovation. It tasted lovely and was deeply satisfying. Plus, I know my husband will feel better tomorrow and that makes me very happy indeed.</div><div align="justify"><br />
</div><div align="justify"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-W_Qstuuaf5M/Te6wwyRAQbI/AAAAAAAAAVI/qh3Cen8zKlY/s1600-h/turkey%252520burger%252520rice%252520veggies%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img alt="turkey burger rice veggies" border="0" height="164" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-FDq0WV3YNDI/Te6wxVUuXaI/AAAAAAAAAVM/tkkKmCglNpI/turkey%252520burger%252520rice%252520veggies_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="turkey burger rice veggies" width="244" /></a></div>King's Daughterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11946812226614285331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1772085022034434465.post-27507393345622817032011-05-11T05:56:00.000-07:002011-05-11T06:32:21.394-07:00Attempted Homicide Biscuits<div align="justify"><em><a href="http://www.foodclipart.com/food_clipart_images/bag_of_flour_0071-0903-1518-3432.html"><img align="left" alt="white death flour" border="0" height="130" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_cMuoWTK3D7s/Tcp7DhKq3eI/AAAAAAAAATI/tqESlLPoSsw/white%20death%20flour%5B5%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; float: left; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="white death flour" width="175" /></a>Have you heard people refer to white flour as <a href="http://rigorfitness.blogspot.com/2010/03/devestating-effects-of-white-flour-and.html">White Death Flour</a>? That’s how I’ve come to think of it…but, my family is still rather fond of that stuff. They eat what’s in the house…and since I’m in charge of all things food, well, they don’t eat a lot of stuff made with that White Death Flour – at least not at home. And, truth be told, every now and again I get a hankerin’ for some biscuits or tortillas or a nice, thick hunk of white bread fresh out of the oven and kissed with butter. </em></div><div align="justify"><em><br />
</em></div><div align="justify">I made biscuits the other night. Killer biscuits, to be exact. When that descriptor went through my mind, I immediately thought of White Death Flour…BUT, I reasoned, since these biscuits were made from scratch and had raw milk, coconut oil and butter in them…well, they were at least <i>healthier</i> than biscuit mix or those refrigerated cans of dough. They couldn’t really be classified as killers, could they? Wouldn’t it just be more like attempted murder? </div><div align="justify"><br />
</div><div align="justify">Whatever helps me sleep at night, right?</div><div align="justify"><br />
</div><div align="justify">Strict Real Foodies are probably cringing as they read this. The ones that have banished white flour and sugar completely from their diet…and honestly, I wish I could say that’s where I’m at! I have to emphasize here the Real part of Real Foodie, for me anyway, also includes “being real” about my budget, my time, and my family…and sometimes, well, sometimes we eat stuff I really don’t want to. My family eats what I cook because they’re hungry and their choices are eat that or make your own meal. Which they would, probably, if we had ramen noodles, frozen pizza and blue boxes of mac ‘n cheese in the house. </div><div align="justify"><br />
</div><div align="justify">BUT…making a meal that no one but myself will eat defeats the purpose, too. I certainly don’t have room in my budget for throwing out food, nor do I want to – that is not good stewardship of God’s blessings. So, I compromise on occasion…and make a loaf of white bread, or pizza dough, or tortillas, or biscuits. We’re still eating healthier versions of store-bought foods, and sometimes that’s just the best we can do. As long as the majority of the time we’re eating better (or the best!) foods, we’re still coming out ahead.</div><div align="justify"><br />
</div><div align="justify">Check out the killer biscuits I made:</div><div align="justify"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_cMuoWTK3D7s/Tcp7EZge1EI/AAAAAAAAATM/kQxs-mMJHAY/s1600-h/killer%20biscuit%20dough%5B3%5D.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="killer biscuit dough" border="0" height="164" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_cMuoWTK3D7s/Tcp7E0C8EiI/AAAAAAAAATQ/jGXoM8KKLes/killer%20biscuit%20dough_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-color: initial; border-left-style: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-color: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-color: initial; border-top-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="killer biscuit dough" width="244" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Right before baking...click on the pic to see it bigger and you can see the layers</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_cMuoWTK3D7s/Tcp7F2iStbI/AAAAAAAAATU/dRZmbu1UvAk/s1600-h/killer%20biscuit%20fall%20over%5B3%5D.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="killer biscuit fall over" border="0" height="164" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_cMuoWTK3D7s/Tcp7GWjftPI/AAAAAAAAATY/MRR5gBtgUsQ/killer%20biscuit%20fall%20over_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-color: initial; border-left-style: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-color: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-color: initial; border-top-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="killer biscuit fall over" width="244" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">You know that nice looking chunk of dough up there in the first picture? Apparently, there was so much rise on that biscuit it toppled over! I think If I had cut them wider, say 6 biscuits instead of 9, they wouldn't have fallen over like they did. But the flaky layers are very evident!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_cMuoWTK3D7s/Tcp7HFw9P3I/AAAAAAAAATc/4IhJZNsMZI0/s1600-h/killer%20biscuit%20flaky%20layers%5B3%5D.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="killer biscuit flaky layers" border="0" height="164" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_cMuoWTK3D7s/Tcp7HspuSdI/AAAAAAAAATg/UxJgagyvZkU/killer%20biscuit%20flaky%20layers_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-color: initial; border-left-style: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-color: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-color: initial; border-top-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="killer biscuit flaky layers" width="244" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">When I was still at home, we loved "flakies" - those refrigerated biscuits with the flaky layers. I won't buy them now, no matter how cheap they are. They just taste gross to me. Besides, I can make my own flakies (:</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_cMuoWTK3D7s/Tcp7Ib4YEQI/AAAAAAAAATk/2Z7MqwKXq_o/s1600-h/killer%20biscuit%20flaky%20layers%20close%20up%5B3%5D.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="killer biscuit flaky layers close up" border="0" height="164" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_cMuoWTK3D7s/Tcp7I44nNDI/AAAAAAAAATo/iqY23vxe7JY/killer%20biscuit%20flaky%20layers%20close%20up_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-color: initial; border-left-style: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-color: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-color: initial; border-top-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="killer biscuit flaky layers close up" width="244" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">It's all in the technique, the cut and the fat: Don't overwork it while mixing, then FOLD the dough over on itself 5-6 times, don't knead it like the recipes usually say. You can see evidence of the folding in this biscuit. For higher rise on biscuits, USE A SHARP KNIFE OR BISCUIT CUTTER. The right side of this biscuit was the edge of the dough, the left side was cut with a Cutco bread knife...ubersharp! I don't make round biscuits anymore but squares because a knife is sharper than a glass dipped in flour and I get much taller biscuits that way. Sometimes I trim off the edges of the dough and have darned near perfect biscuits. And the fat secret? Most recipes say cut in the fat until it resembles cornmeal, but you actually need small chunks of fat to improve rise and flakiness. You need to leave some pea-sized chunks of fat in the flour. Also make sure the fat is COLD. I also use a baking stone and preheat it in the oven while making the biscuits.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_cMuoWTK3D7s/Tcp7JveUMtI/AAAAAAAAATs/ifI6bul605M/s1600-h/killer%20biscuits%20on%20platter%5B3%5D.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="killer biscuits on platter" border="0" height="164" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_cMuoWTK3D7s/Tcp7KL8_axI/AAAAAAAAATw/tzH9hlXx5rY/killer%20biscuits%20on%20platter_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-color: initial; border-left-style: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-color: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-color: initial; border-top-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="killer biscuits on platter" width="244" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">These biscuits not only looked beautiful (in spite of some oddly-shaped ones) but tasted absolutely divine! If I'm gonna die from eating white flour, this is the way to go...</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_cMuoWTK3D7s/Tcp7K6UMC3I/AAAAAAAAAT4/DKe9PpfSxK8/s1600-h/killer%20biscuits%20and%20butter%5B3%5D.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="killer biscuits and butter" border="0" height="164" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_cMuoWTK3D7s/Tcp7LWwrFZI/AAAAAAAAAT8/l7XFLOkfeoM/killer%20biscuits%20and%20butter_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-color: initial; border-left-style: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-color: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-color: initial; border-top-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="killer biscuits and butter" width="244" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">No self-respecting biscuit would be caught dead dressed in anything but real, honest to goodness butter...at least not at MY house!</span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">I debated on whether or not to include this recipe, since the "best" results (as far as rise goes, anyway) come from using White Death Flour. But, since I started out on this Real Food journey in baby steps, switching from canned biscuits or biscuit mix to making them from scratch, for example, I decided maybe someone else who is in that same place would like this recipe. I usually make these now with half whole wheat flour...and am journeying into the world of soaked grains...but I still fall back to this recipe when the urge for Death by Biscuit hits.</span></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: large;"><b>KILLER BISCUITS</b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><b>I<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">NGREDIENTS</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">:</span></span></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><ul><li style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: small;">2 c flour</span></li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: small;">1/2 tsp sea salt</span></li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: small;">4 tsp aluminum-free baking powder</span></li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: small;">1/2 tsp cream of tartar</span></li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: small;">2 tsp sugar</span></li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: small;">1/2 c traditional fat (coconut oil, lard, butter or combination)</span></li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: small;">2/3 c milk (raw, whole fat, or buttermilk will work wonderfully)</span></li>
</ul><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: small;"><b>METHOD</b>:</span></div></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: small;">Preheat your oven to 450, throw in your baking stone to preheat if using one. Mix dry ingredients, cut in fat with a pastry blender until it resembles coarse crumbs, making sure to have some pea-sized chunks. Add milk and stir gently with a fork just until moistened and the dough will follow the fork around the bowl. Turn out onto lightly floured surface and gently pat into a ball, then press out and fold the dough over onto itself 5 or 6 times. I usually try to shape it into a square or rectangle during this process to eliminate handling it too much before cutting. Using a SHARP knife or biscuit cutter, cut out your biscuits. Place on stone or baking sheet and bake 10-12 minutes, until golden brown.</span></div></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: small;"><b>CHEF'S NOTES: </b></span></div></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: small;"><b><br />
</b></span></div></div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: small;">It takes practice to get good at doing anything, and baking and cooking are no exceptions. Especially when learning to cook from scratch or learning traditional methods of preparing food...so give yourself some grace if they don't turn out perfectly the first time. Sometimes it's your flour, sometimes it's how you worked the dough, sometimes it's the weather (seriously...humidity will jack up a baking day, trust me!). I've been working on biscuits for over a year now and believe me, I've had some flops. But when they do turn out oh man, there's just nothing like a good homemade biscuit!</span></div></div></div></td></tr>
</tbody></table>King's Daughterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11946812226614285331noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1772085022034434465.post-30870097415716562092011-05-07T09:57:00.000-07:002011-05-14T20:12:57.185-07:00The Perfectionist Kitchen...Grace Under Fire<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.remodelingmyspace.com/files/ibrowser/kitchen11_comfy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="132" src="http://www.remodelingmyspace.com/files/ibrowser/kitchen11_comfy.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I wish this was my kitchen, but it's from<br />
www.remodelingmyspace.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Do you struggle with perfectionism? I always believed perfectionists live in those House Beautiful centerfolds, have perfectly behaved families, and never have a hair out of place. Then I discovered that I was one. And believe me, House Beautiful couldn't be paid enough to photograph my home, my family is not perfectly behaved, and I often have hairs out of place...in fact, it's almost noon as I type this on a cloudy Saturday morning, I'm still in my PJ's, and my hair is stylishly coiffed in a frightful Why-Yes-I-DID-Just-Roll-Out-Of-Bed 'do.</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">And yet, I'm busy working in my kitchen...the room that currently looks like a scale model of a nuclear testing ground. I've made sourdough pancakes, fed my starter, mixed up some healthy(ish..it's not <a href="http://gnowfglins.com/2008/04/01/a-grain-primer/">soaked</a>) granola that is currently infusing my home with the most delightful aroma of oats, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, honey, butter and coconut ( <a href="http://www.kitchenstewardship.com/2009/06/16/recipe-connection-homemade-granola-and-granola-bars/comment-page-2/#comment-88772">you can find the recipe here, at Kitchen Stewardship</a>!), and I just started some dough in my breadmaker to make the bratwurst <a href="http://purposefulnourishment.blogspot.com/2011/03/homemade-hamburger-buns-bread-machine.html">buns</a> we need for tomorrow's outing to a local park to hunt for mushrooms and just enjoy spending the day together. I'm very happy that my 16 year old stepson will be joining us...it will help make for a wonderful Mother's Day!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>I'm taking a coffee break...enjoying some freshly ground Starbucks House Blend, sweetened slightly with sucanat and lavishly lightened with some raw cream from local, happy, organically grass-fed cows. Mmmmm...</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">So, back to the perfectionist kitchen oxymoron...I've learned that "perfectionist" doesn't always mean one does things perfectly and always "has it together". In fact, it can mean just the opposite, because the inability to do something perfectly paralyzes the perfectionist, and <i>nothing gets done. </i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><br />
</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I had a long day yesterday...not enough sleep, I've started babysitting for a three year old girl so I toted two three year olds around with me on grocery/errand day (wow...that's a challenge!), came home, made homemade pizza (thank God for <a href="http://purposefulnourishment.blogspot.com/2010/06/friday-night-is-pizza-night.html">5-Minute pizza crust</a>...), tried to make some sourdough English muffins (emphasis on TRIED. I don't want to talk about that one.), had a daughter who chose to lose out on allowance rather than do her dishes...and I just didn't have the energy to do them, even though starting the day off with a clean kitchen is so much more inviting and efficient. So, I went to bed. And got some rest, which I really, really needed. I wasn't too worried about the dishes running off in the middle of the night, or someone breaking in and stealing them....or washing them for me (now that would be wonderful, though...)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I did neaten the mess up before bed...sounds kind of odd but you know what I mean...stack the dishes, wipe up some crumbs, little things that only took a few seconds and not much energy. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">So, I find myself facing the day, and the mess, early this morning after taking my daughter to a Girl Scout function for the day ("I'll do the dishes tomorrow, mom..."). I know that I want to get these things accomplished today:</div><ul><li style="text-align: justify;">make granola</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">make granola bars</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">make buns for our picnic lunch Sunday</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">move Little Mister's toys up into his new room</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">catch up on laundry</li>
<li style="text-align: justify;">clean up the kitchen, including mopping the floor</li>
</ul><div style="text-align: justify;">A To-Do list is always a little like shopping for clothes for me...I take a big pile of garments into the dressing room, spend forever in there trying them on, then come out with one or two that I like. I know I will not, realistically, be able to get all that done today. So, I have to decide...do I clean the kitchen first? It's tempting, since it is usually easier to work on clean, uncluttered surfaces...but then I'll have to clean the kitchen twice. I don't like to do it once, why make myself do it twice? Do I do laundry first? Well, I could start some, but my stepson beat me to the washer and honestly, I feel a bit ADD today, I'm not sure I could remember to stay on top of it! </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">My choices then, are, get the kitchen in Perfect Order and then start cooking....or do nothing. Yep, that's how my mind works...all or nothing, most of the time. If I can't do it perfectly, then I just don't do it. It's something I've struggled to overcome for years. So, today, I decided to do something completely different and allow myself to consider a third option: start cooking anyway, in spite of the less-than-perfect conditions. And to remember to give myself some grace...I'm a very real person, I don't have it all together, I can't actually be perfect.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">It was a stretch...I had to keep stopping myself from switching over to Clean Up The Kitchen Perfectly First mode, but I was able to get some things going...now my kitchen looks really bad! See, you won't find this in an issue of Better Homes and Gardens, I'm sure...<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCDFtbGAwqgso_1Uzsa707cT9V0rmEFTLbIIoGQr4RbERZ2LLsPoIbfiwSPT_K6tmwpQcVBbw6o91q9Xr1ZZfmNK3NQgWwJdD3YA5nOq55Azm2gRhT1ANMtgE3l9fWccTyJXQoQxrlEKw/s1600/hiroshima+kitchen1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCDFtbGAwqgso_1Uzsa707cT9V0rmEFTLbIIoGQr4RbERZ2LLsPoIbfiwSPT_K6tmwpQcVBbw6o91q9Xr1ZZfmNK3NQgWwJdD3YA5nOq55Azm2gRhT1ANMtgE3l9fWccTyJXQoQxrlEKw/s200/hiroshima+kitchen1.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglUBUncgYprNsl6tTlpFqTlzIWsGTz6ZgBzsACduvpW4_lCQs517B7DSN9sPUKlTcwzGvyVbeZCmduFPcUJKfiTdWutrVbtu9-C7kG7PWZSuNPrh_wnkn5W_hDT2axx_a69wh0A_KgimE/s1600/hiroshima+kitchen2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglUBUncgYprNsl6tTlpFqTlzIWsGTz6ZgBzsACduvpW4_lCQs517B7DSN9sPUKlTcwzGvyVbeZCmduFPcUJKfiTdWutrVbtu9-C7kG7PWZSuNPrh_wnkn5W_hDT2axx_a69wh0A_KgimE/s200/hiroshima+kitchen2.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">...kind of looks like squirrels were cooking in there. Highly distractable squirrels who have had one too many cups of coffee...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">But, I can take some comfort in knowing I will only be cleaning it once today. And if I can get myself away from this computer, I just might be able to get more than I thought accomplished. </div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Beating perfectionism, one baby step at a time...and making some darned good granola in the process...that's my day today...<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: orange;"><i><b>what habits or tendencies do you have that hinder you in the kitchen? How are you overcoming them</b></i></span>?</div>King's Daughterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11946812226614285331noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1772085022034434465.post-92181003856512718922011-04-14T09:04:00.000-07:002011-04-14T09:04:12.655-07:00Blueberry Bliss: Whole Wheat Pancakes with Blueberry Compote<div align="justify"><i><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_cMuoWTK3D7s/TacZUqTOBII/AAAAAAAAARo/Hz5GGE8BEKQ/s1600-h/ww%20pancakes%20w%20blueberry%20compote%5B3%5D.jpg"><img align="left" alt="ww pancakes w blueberry compote" border="0" height="164" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_cMuoWTK3D7s/TacZVOfDDDI/AAAAAAAAARs/Kvou9zt0H7M/ww%20pancakes%20w%20blueberry%20compote_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px none; display: inline; float: left; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="ww pancakes w blueberry compote" width="244" /></a> I woke up wanting pancakes, and after perusing my latest copy of Woman’s Day this morning, I had a plan – pancakes with blueberry compote (pg 182 of the May 2011 issue or you can click <a href="http://www.womansday.com/Articles/Food-Recipes/Kitchen-Tips-Shortcuts/Make-the-Perfect-Pancakes.html">here</a> for a slide show presentation of the article “How to Make Pancakes”). Of course, since I’ve basically eschewed White Death Flour, I make 100% whole wheat pancakes now. I decided to look for a new recipe since I’d just been adapting my normal pancake recipe by substituting whole wheat flour. I found this delicious recipe at AllRecipes.com and made a couple adaptations to suit our real-food lifestyle…</i></div><div align="justify"><br />
</div><div align="justify"><a href="http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/whole-wheat-blueberry-pancakes/Detail.aspx"><b><span style="font-family: Courier New; font-size: medium;">Whole Wheat (Blueberry) Pancakes</span></b></a></div><div align="justify"><br />
</div><div align="justify"><i>I left the blueberries out of the pancakes and made Blueberry Compote instead…recipe follows the pancake recipe</i></div><div align="justify"><br />
</div><div align="justify"><span style="font-family: Courier New;">INGREDIENTS:</span></div><ul><li> <div align="justify"><span style="font-family: Courier New;">1 1/4 c whole wheat flour</span></div></li>
<li> <div align="justify"><span style="font-family: Courier New;">2 tsp baking powder (aluminum-free)</span></div></li>
<li> <div align="justify"><span style="font-family: Courier New;">1 egg (pastured)</span></div></li>
<li> <div align="justify"><span style="font-family: Courier New;">1 c milk (raw)</span><span style="font-family: Courier New;">(+ up to 1/4 cup more if needed)</span></div></li>
<li> <div align="justify"><span style="font-family: Courier New;">1/2 tsp salt (sea)</span></div></li>
<li> <div align="justify"><span style="font-family: Courier New;">1 tbs <strike>artificial sweetner</strike> raw sugar</span></div></li>
<li> <div align="justify"><span style="font-family: Courier New;">1 tbs melted coconut oil (no oil called for in original recipe)</span></div></li>
<li> <div align="justify"><strike><span style="font-family: Courier New;">1/2 c blueberries</span></strike></div></li>
</ul><div align="justify"><span style="font-family: Courier New;">METHOD:</span></div><div align="justify"><br />
</div><div align="justify"><span style="font-family: Courier New;"><strike>Sift together the flour and baking powder </strike>(I’m too “efficient” for that…just mix them together well!), set aside. Beat together the egg, milk, salt and sugar in a bowl. Stir in flour until just moistened, add coconut oil and blueberries and stir to incorporate.</span></div><div align="justify"><br />
</div><div align="justify"><span style="font-family: Courier New;">Cook pancakes on a hot griddle or cast iron skillet. The most important part of making great pancakes is PATIENCE! You simply MUST wait until it’s the right time to flip them…when the top is bubbly and the <i>edges</i> look dry, then it’s time to flip. It’s hard, I know…I’m still guilty of premature pancake flipping from time to time…I don’t like to wait…</span></div><div align="justify"><br />
</div><div align="justify"><span style="font-family: Courier New;">Serve with your favorite pancake toppings…might I suggest:</span></div><div align="justify"><br />
</div><div align="justify"><span style="font-family: Courier New;">Organic, pastured butter made from raw cream and this fabulously easy and delicious Blueberry Compote recipe with a drizzle of fresh, raw cream…</span></div><div align="justify"><br />
</div><div align="justify"><b><span style="color: #f79646; font-family: Courier New; font-size: medium;"><a href="http://www.womansday.com/Articles/Food-Recipes/Kitchen-Tips-Shortcuts/Make-the-Perfect-Pancakes.html">BLUEBERRY COMPOTE</a></span></b></div><div align="justify"><br />
</div><div align="justify"><i><span style="color: black; font-family: Courier New;">The link above will take you to Woman’s Day magazine’s website, where you’ll find a slideshow showing how to make perfect pancakes. This recipe is on step 4 of the slide show, or on pg 182 of the May 2011 issue of Woman’s Day</span></i></div><div align="justify"><br />
</div><div align="justify"><span style="color: black; font-family: Courier New;">INGREDIENTS:</span></div><ul><li> <div align="justify"><span style="color: black; font-family: Courier New;">2 c frozen (or ideally, fresh organic) blueberries</span></div></li>
<li> <div align="justify"><span style="color: black; font-family: Courier New;">2 tsp fresh lemon juice</span></div></li>
<li> <div align="justify"><span style="color: black; font-family: Courier New;">2 tbs raw sugar (I actually used less and it was still delicious…adjust for your taste)</span></div></li>
</ul><div align="justify"><span style="color: black; font-family: Courier New;">METHOD:</span></div><div align="justify"><br />
</div><div align="justify"><span style="color: black; font-family: Courier New;">In a small saucepan, combine all ingredients and simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened and syrupy, 5 to 6 minutes</span></div><br />
<a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_cMuoWTK3D7s/TacZV1eQOyI/AAAAAAAAARw/3lf5b348Dpg/s1600-h/wwpancakes%20eaten%5B3%5D.jpg"><img alt="wwpancakes eaten" border="0" height="164" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_cMuoWTK3D7s/TacZWiMbtZI/AAAAAAAAAR0/c4SyD50TlCo/wwpancakes%20eaten_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border: 0px none; display: block; float: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="wwpancakes eaten" width="244" /></a><br />
<div align="center">Bon appetit!</div>King's Daughterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11946812226614285331noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1772085022034434465.post-77296259224842878562011-04-07T08:55:00.000-07:002011-04-07T08:55:13.656-07:00Oh Sweet Mercy…Loose Meat Sandwiches!<div align="justify"><i><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_cMuoWTK3D7s/TZ3ON0Z2uGI/AAAAAAAAARc/tmv3vOCthQQ/s1600-h/loosemeat%20sandwich%5B3%5D.jpg"><img align="left" alt="loosemeat sandwich" border="0" height="164" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_cMuoWTK3D7s/TZ3OOWQPDbI/AAAAAAAAARg/tbBAxoZSn6c/loosemeat%20sandwich_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" style="background-image: none; border-width: 0px; display: inline; float: left; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" title="loosemeat sandwich" width="244" /></a>Growing up in the 80’s, I watched </i>Roseanne <i>a lot. One thing I was always curious about was the mysterious “Loose Meat” Sandwich. Several months ago, I searched for the recipe and found one. It was pretty tasty. Last night, I couldn’t think of anything that sounded good for supper. Then all of a sudden, Loose Meat dropped into my head and set my saliva glands into overdrive. I searched again for a recipe, this time finding a different one – and boy am I glad I did! This recipe blows the other one away…(Click on the picture to get a nice close-up view of this amazing sandwich!)</i></div><div align="justify"><br />
</div><div align="justify">I have completely fallen in love with the Loose Meat Sandwich. Totally. Utterly. Head-over-heels, even. I’m eating them for breakfast right now as a matter of fact. And yes, I said ‘them’. I won’t elaborate on how many that entails…</div><div align="justify"><br />
</div><div align="justify">It’s a fairly simple sandwich, although there is a technique involved and it does take a bit of time. But it is worth every second slaving over that hot stove to create this amazing little Midwestern delicacy.</div><div align="justify"><br />
</div><div align="justify">They are known by several names. Maid Rite. Nu Way. Tavern Sandwiches. Apparently, they originated in 1924 at the Ye Olde Tavern in Sioux City, Iowa. I’ve never heard of them in my neck of the Midwestern woods, but I tell you…after making <a href="http://www.food.com/recipe/the-blue-mill-tavern-loosemeat-sandwich-87075">The Blue Mill Tavern Loosemeat Sandwich</a> recipe I found last night on food.com, well, let’s just say I wouldn’t be opposed to spontaneously jumping in the van and driving to Iowa for lunch. Seriously, they’re THAT good! Only, I won't have to because I can make them at home.</div><div align="justify"><br />
</div><div align="justify">There are a few other recipes floating around out there, but plantfreek, who posted the recipe, says:</div><blockquote><div align="justify">“If you see a recipe for loosemeats that contains tomato juice-run!<span class="summary"> A loosemeat is a sloppy joe without the slop-so stay away from anything tomato-ey please!</span>” (<i>Be sure to check out the original recipe <a href="http://www.food.com/recipe/the-blue-mill-tavern-loosemeat-sandwich-87075">here</a> and read the "About This Recipe" on the right...very informative and a great read!</i>)</div></blockquote><div align="justify">The first recipe I tried contained ground beef, onion, salt and pepper. That’s it. It was really good! Sounds kind of plain, but really, the way it’s cooked (<b>especially</b> if you use a cast iron skillet) and the toppings make it taste amazing.</div><div align="justify"><br />
</div><div align="justify">And then…there’s <a href="http://www.food.com/recipe/the-blue-mill-tavern-loosemeat-sandwich-87075">The Blue Mill Tavern Loosemeat</a>. With just a slight twist on the first recipe I found, it moved from an amazing sandwich to Sweet-Mercy-I-Have-Lived-Come-Take-Me-Now-Lord-delicious. My taste buds nearly leaped off my tongue in anticipation of delving into this sandwich...it was all I could do to keep from rushing the process and derailing perfection. Yeah, I love them that much!</div><div align="justify"><br />
</div><div align="justify">Ok…I’ve extolled the virtuous taste of these sandwiches long enough. Let’s get to the meat of the matter…</div><blockquote style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><div align="justify"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.food.com/recipe/the-blue-mill-tavern-loosemeat-sandwich-87075">The Blue Mill Tavern Loosemeat Sandwich</a></span></div></blockquote><div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><b>INGREDIENTS</b>: </div><ul style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><li>1 pound good quality ground chuck, round or sirloin</li>
<li>(if using round or sirloin) 1 Tb lard</li>
<li>2 tsp salt, just enough to lightly coat the bottom of your skillet</li>
<li>1 onion, finely chopped</li>
<li>1 Tb yellow prepared mustard</li>
<li>1 Tb white vinegar</li>
<li>1 Tb sugar</li>
<li>water, enough to cover</li>
<li>salt and pepper to taste</li>
<li>hamburger buns</li>
<li>dill pickle slices</li>
<li>yellow prepared mustard</li>
</ul><div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><b>METHOD</b>:</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><blockquote style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> Get out a cast iron skillet. They absolutely are the best...if you don't have one, borrow one! Pre-heat skillet over medium heat. When skillet is heated thoroughly, sprinkle salt in the skillet and add ground beef. </blockquote><blockquote style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><b>**IMPORTANT**</b> Using the back of a wooden spoon, crumble the meat as it cooks. It's essential that the meat is cooked in little crumbles. I don't have a wooden spoon...odd as that sounds (I'm waiting until I can get a good set of olive wood utensils)...so I used a metal spatula and kind of chopped it as it cooked, and that worked just fine. Add the onion and cook while browning the meat. Keep using the spoon or spatula to crumble the meat as it cooks.</blockquote><blockquote style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">When the meat is cooked, drain off any fat and return to the skillet. One of the comments left on this recipe said when you think the meat is done, cook it for five more minutes. Then cook it for one to two minutes more. This gives it a crispy crunchiness and tavern flavor. </blockquote><blockquote style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Next, add the mustard, vinegar, sugar, and enough water to barely cover the meat. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until ALL the water has disappeared...about 15 to 20 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. </blockquote><blockquote style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Loosemeats are traditionally served on steamed buns, some like them toasted. I've made them both ways and they're both delicious. I think steaming them is quicker...toss them in a steamer basket for about 20 seconds and that's it. </blockquote><blockquote style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Put some of the meat on the bottom bun, generously top with pickles and mustard. Top off with the top of the bun. Cast off all restraint and dig in!</blockquote></div><div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"> <b>CHEF'S NOTES</b>:</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><blockquote style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Two comments that helped the most in the original posting of the recipe are what I noted above about cooking the meat until it's kind of crispy and crunchy. I'm not talking about cooking it until it's hard little pellets, but you'll start to notice the crumbles getting brown and crispy on the edges. The other comment that was helpful was regarding the simmering. The commenter stated to simmer, simmer, simmer and simmer some more...it's essential that ALL the water is cooked out. This kind of leaves a carmelized coating on the crumbles. I tasted the meat at several stages during the cooking process and truly, the flavor you're after doesn't fully develop until the last few minutes. Be patient. If you can...it's worth it!</blockquote></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><blockquote style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Plantfreek also said don't mess with the recipe...at least not the first time you make it. It's a very authentic rendition of the actual Blue Mill Tavern recipe, so make it like this first to experience it then tweak it if you think it needs it. Honestly, as a habitual recipe-tweaker, it was hard not to start adding things like garlic or whatever, but after making this, I wouldn't change a thing. It's perfect as is!</blockquote></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><blockquote><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;">Of course, if you don't like pickles or mustard, you won't like the traditional way these are served: with plenty of both. I, however, love both and the slightly sweet taste of the meat balanced out with the salty, vinegary pickles and mustard are an absolute delight to my taste buds! </span></blockquote></div><div style="text-align: justify;">This wasn't as nourishing as I aim for because I used commercially-prepared hamburger buns made with white-death flour. But, I used good-quality locally raised ground chuck, sea salt, and home-canned pickles. So, it was mostly nourishing...and sometimes, that's the best that can come out of my kitchen. If I had planned ahead, I would have made my own hamburger buns and used grass-fed beef. There's always next time...and this is one recipe I will make as often as I can get away with! I'm hoping that means I can make them a lot since my husband said, in response to my comment about if we ever find ourselves in Iowa I want to eat the real deal there, "we could always<i> move</i> to Iowa..." </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Seriously, they really are that good!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><blockquote></blockquote>King's Daughterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11946812226614285331noreply@blogger.com0