Rachel Ray Magazine had a recipe for Shrimp and Scallion Pancakes and I just had to try them.  As as Rachel would say, "They are Delish!"   My husband and I loved them.  My kids not so much.  So this might be an Adult Only kind of meal.  They pancake part reminded me of a soft flavorful tortilla.  I also made a peanut dipping sauce.  Let me know what you think!

Shrimp and Scallion Pancakes with Peanut Dipping Sauce

ingredients

2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup plus 1 tsp toasted sesame oil

1 cup thinly sliced scallion greens (from 1 bunch)

6 ounces thawed frozen cooked shrimp, patted dry and finely chopped

4 tablespoons butter using a tablespoon at a time when frying pancakes

1 1/2  tablespoons peanut butter

2 tablespoons braggs apple cider vinergar or seasoned rice vinegar

1 tablespoon sugar

directions

In a small saucepan, boil 1 cup water. In a large bowl, combine the flour and salt. Stirring, slowly pour in 3/4 cup of the boiling water until just incorporated. Knead briefly until a dough forms, adding more water in very small increments if needed. Transfer to a floured work surface and knead for 1 minute more. Return to the bowl; cover with a damp cloth when not using dough.

Divide the dough into 4 pieces and shape each into a square. On a floured surface, roll 1 dough square into a 7-by-10-inch rectangle. Brush the top with 1 1/2 tsp. sesame oil; fold in half. Brush with 1 1/2 tsp. more sesame oil; fold in half again. Repeat with the remaining dough squares.

Roll each dough piece into an 8-by-11-inch rectangle. Distribute the scallions and shrimp lengthwise over half of each rectangle. Fold the other half over the filling; fold in half again. Roll into 9-inch pancakes.

In a skillet, heat 1 tbsp. butter over medium-high heat. Fry the pancakes 1 at a time, turning once, until golden, 5 minutes. Add more butter to the skillet as needed. Transfer the pancakes to paper towels to drain. Cut each one into 8 wedges.

For the dipping sauce: In a small bowl, combine the peanut butter, vinegar, sugar and 1 1/2 tbsp. water.  It may help to warm the peanut butter up for a few seconds in the microwave.  If you don't just mix really well.

Adapted from: http://www.rachaelraymag.com/recipe/shrimp-scallion-pancakes/

Enjoy!

Cheap Plant VS. Zombie's Costume For Your Boys

For Halloween, my son wanted to be a Zombie from the Plants vs. Zombies game.  When it comes to cooking I can be creative but that's as far as my creativity goes.  We looked at the various Zombies on the game's almanac.  He chose the zombie with the bucket on his head.  I thought, "Hmm, I could do this!"  I found a cheap $1.99 Halloween bucket and bought some silver spray paint for about $3.50.  My husband spay painted the bucket in about 5 minutes.  For the rest of the costume we used clothes we already had.  We cut up a pair of jeans that had holes in it.  We used a suite jacket that was two small and my son's Sunday white shirt and tie.  We painted his face along with his exposed leg with green face paint.  We also added some cuts and scrapes using the makeup that came with the face panting kit.  We finished the costume off with some cheap fake teeth.

Halloween Night after a long trek of collecting candy.

Before makeup.

Crepes Glorious Crepes

I had a roommate who lived in Belgium and learned to make crepes.  She claimed that there was only one way to make them which resulted in the best ever crepe.  We would have parties and she made them for a bunch of our friends.  She would not allow anyone to touch a crepe until the batter was used up.  It would drive us crazy!  Those crepes looked and smelled so good!  Oh and they were so good!  Those were good times.  I followed her recipe for years.  I'm not sure why I decided to try another recipe but I did.  It was from a large cookbook I had purchased from a traveling salesman.  I couldn't imagine the recipe being better then my roommate's Belgium crepes but I tried the it anyway.  The crepes turned out Wonderful!  If I even dare to say it, they are better then my old roommates (I am seriously scared for my life if she every found out!).  I am sharing this delicious recipe with you.  My favorite way to eat crepes is the way I had them served at French crepe eatery in a mall back East.  They served crepes with a little sprinkle of lemon juice and a dusting of powdered sugar.  

This picture is actually from the book "What's Cooking."  I don't think I could make mine crepes this pretty.  If you are interested in the book you can find it here.

Crepes

The book says that Crepes are better if you let the batter stand for a while before cooking but I can't really tell a difference.  Makes 4 servings.

1 cup flour
1 1/2 cups milk
2 eggs
1 TBS melted butter
1/4 tsp salt

• In a bowl, mix all ingredients and refrigerate for 2 hours (As I said, I don't wait. I just start cooking.)
• In a lightly buttered skillet, pour 1/4 cup crepe mixture, spread evenly on skillet surface.  Cook for 1 minute over medium heat.  Turn crepe and cook on other side for 30 seconds.
• Garnish crepes with your choice of stuffing.  Roll crepe or fold in quarters before serving. 

It takes practice making crepes.  Usually the first one or two or five don't look too great but they will still taste great.  Let me know what your favorite crepe toppings are.

Vintage 1948 Church Cookbook Page 7

1948 Cookbook Page 6. . . More Salads

C

When Life Gives You A Fallen Cake, Fill It With Pudding

Boy, it's been a while since I posted.  Summer is crazy with kids home from school and I don't think I accomplished half of what I wanted.  So here's to a new school year!  I hope it will be the best for you and the children in your life! 

I debated making my son's birthday cake this year.  I usually always make my cakes but I thought, "wouldn't it just be easier to buy one?"  But I couldn't do it.  So I looked online for a yellow cake recipe and found one that called for a cup of butter and four eggs all at room temperature.  I made sure I had my eggs and butter at room temperature and got started.  With so much butter and eggs the cake had to be good!

As my oven timer was beeping I anxiously pulled open the door and this is what I saw .  . .

Well this isn't exactly what I saw.  It was a yellow cake and all I saw, at the time, was wasted butter and eggs!   I would have to buy a store bought cake after all.  Now, I'm one of those people who hate to waste things and I ruminated for a long time about letting this two layer cake go to waste.  I decided to poke holes in the cake and pour warm Jello on it so that way at least my kids could have a snack.  But it wasn't good enough for my obsessed mind.  Suddenly, I had an epiphany!  When life gives you a fallen cake, fill it with pudding! 

I made a big batch of vanilla pudding and filled the perfect little bowls, my fallen cakes had made, with it.  Voilà!  I had my cakes and make them even better!

I frosted the cake with homemade cream cheese frosting and decorated it with matching candies.  My fallen cake turned out to be a hit!

1948 Cookbook Page 5 . . . Some Pretty Interesting Salads

1948 Cookbook Page 4 Bread and Butter Pickles Continued

It Isn't Easy Cooking Green , , , Natural Green Food Dyes

I don't have a problem having a Ding Dong now and then or letting my kids have really bad-for-you candy once in a while.  But when I cook, I feel an uncontrollable need to use all natural ingredients.  Adding food coloring to cakes, frostings and cookies causes inner turmoil as I feed these items to my kids.  St. Patty's day is coming up and I want to make it a day of green food.  But how do I do it naturally?  After doing some searching on the web, I found I've had the answer all along in my fridge.  Chlorophyll!  

It does have a bit of a salty taste but the color is very dense and I imagine you would only need a bit to make anything green.  So this St. Patrick's day we won't only have food colored green naturally but with with added nutrients.  For health benefits of Chlorophyll click here.

Here are some other links I found of ways you can color food naturally:

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_coloring#Natural_food_dyes 
• http://www.ehow.com/how_5668579_make-green-food-dye.html 
• http://om-paramapoonya.hubpages.com/hub/make-food-coloring 
• http://www.ehow.com/how_2302808_make-natural-food-coloring.html 

Enjoy!

Watermelon Slushie

I don't have a talent for picking out good melons.  If fact, I'm pretty bad at it as shown in the picture below.  The frozen square in the picture is watermelon though it's almost orange.  

I bought many not so good melons last summer and I hated throwing them away so I cut them up, bagged them and placed them in the freezer.  They have sat in my freezer taking up space until I discovered Pinterest.  Watermelon recipes were often pinned and gave me ideas on how I could use my massive amount of frozen not so good melons.  This is the recipe I came up with.  It was a hit with my family.

Ingredients:
4 cups cubed watermelon, seeds and rind removed
1 cup raspberry sherbet
Juice of one lemon
1 1/2 cups cold ginger ale

In a blender, blend watermelon, sherbet, and lemon until smooth. Stir in 1 1/2 cups ginger ale. Enjoy!

Page 3 of 1948 Cookbook: Potato Salad Dressing Continued, Chili Sauce, Cranberry Sauce and Sandwich Spread

Here is page 3.   The sandwich spread recipe sounds interesting!  Let me know if you try any of these recipes and how they turn out.  Mrs. A T Eyring was my great-grandmother.

1948 Church Cookbook Page 2: Corn Relish, Dill Pickles and Start of Potato Salad Dressing

Here's the much anticipated page two.   Enjoy!

Almond-Chocolate Blondies from Master Your Metabolism Cookbook

This recipe is one I didn't want to miss.  I clicked on the little advertisement link on Facebook and this recipe came up along with a push for me to join Jillian Michaels' program.  I didn't want lose this recipe so I'm posting it.   It looks so yummy!  Enjoy!

Almond-Chocolate Blondies

  1 cup almond butter

  2/3 cup honey (clover or orange blossom)

  1/4 cup coconut milk

  3 large eggs, at room temperature

  2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

  3/4 cup white whole-wheat flour

  3/4 cup ground flaxseed

  3/4 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder

  1/4 teaspoon baking soda

  3/4 cup 70% cocoa mini chocolate chunks

        Olive oil spray for the pan

 Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray an 8-inch square glass baking dish with olive oil. In a large bowl, place almond butter, honey,  coconut milk, eggs, and vanilla. Whisk  together until well blended and smooth. In a  separate bowl, whisk together flour,  flaxseed, baking powder, and baking soda  until well mixed. Add dry ingredients to  almond butter mixture and stir just until  blended. Then stir in chocolate chunks.  Scrape the batter into prepared dish and  bake until browned around the edges and a  toothpick comes out with moist crumbs  clinging to it, about 35 minutes. Let cool  about 15 minutes before cutting.   Cut into 20 squares and serve. (Store at  room temperature an airtight container  for up to 3 days.)  

Source:  https://www.jillianmichaels.com/register.aspx?promo=5B290769-0C11-4383-ADF3-E1FB75F6B99B&awardid=FB&visit_id=0&np=1

Lion Birthday Cake

When my son was turning five, I asked him what kind of cake he wanted.  Of all things he said, "A lion cake."  A lion cake?!  How was I supposed to do a lion cake?  So I turned to my trusty friend the Internet and found this Lion Cake with directions.  I tweaked it a bit and made it larger since I wasn't in my right mind and invited a bunch of  kids to the party.  The lion Cake was a hit!  I mainly followed these directions but here are some changes I made:

• Followed these directions to make my cake taste more homemade
• Added another round for the body
• Sliced sides off the cake, meant for the face, slicing narrower at the top and wider at the bottom
• Used the sliced pieces for the legs and tail
• Added chocolate chips for the claws
• Frosted with homemade cream cheese frosting 

Enjoy!

Recipes from 1948: Stuffed Green Chili Peppers, Green Chili Sauce and Sweet Pickles

More recipes from a 1948 church cookbook.  Leona Eyring was my great aunt.  I am excited to try to first two recipes.  I'm not a fan of sweet pickles.  It's interested to see how some things have changed and how others have stayed the same.

Beauty Hints from 1948

My sweet aunt is going through all my grandparents things and came across this 1948 church cookbook.   Here is a page giving Beauty tips.

Asian Cabbage & Sprout Salad with Agave Soy Ginger Dressing

This is a Yummy salad! With most recipes I improvise with what I have and this is a great recipe to do that with. This salad is delicious and can be used as a side dish or as a main course (just by adding chicken). The dressing has a wonderful Asian flavor and can be used as a dressing on mixed greens as well.  Best of all my kids LOVE it!

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

Salad:

1/2 head green cabbage

1/2 head red cabbage

2 carrots, julienned

2 cups bean sprouts

2 cups snow peas

1 red pepper, diced

2 grilled chicken breasts, cubed (optional)

Dressing:

1/3 cup Xagave

1/3 cup white rice vinegar (unsweetened)

1/3 cup soy sauce (I use Bragg's Liquid Aminos)

1 tsp. fresh chopped garlic

1 tsp. fresh chopped ginger root

1 tsp. hot chile oil

1 tsp. toasted sesame oil

Garnish:

1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds

Steps:

Combine all salad ingredients in a bowl and mix. Combine all dressing ingredients in a blender and blend. Pour dressing over salad mix, toss and sprinkle sesame seeds over top.

Tips and Notes: This salad and dressing will taste delicious for several days.

Source: http://blog.xagave.com/?s=asian+cabbage+and+sprout

Chewy Toffee Almond Bars

Yummy!

Chewy Toffee Almond Bars

Ingredients:

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

2 cups all-purpose flour

1-1/3 cups (8 oz. pkg.) HEATH BITS 'O BRICKLE Toffee Bits

3/4 cup light corn syrup

1 cup sliced almonds, divided

3/4 cup MOUNDS Sweetened Coconut Flakes, divided

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease sides of 13x9x2-inch baking pan.

2. Beat butter and sugar until fluffy. Gradually add flour, beating until well blended. Press dough evenly into prepared pan.

3. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Meanwhile, combine toffee bits and corn syrup in medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until toffee is melted (about 10 to 12 minutes). Stir in 1/2 cup almonds and 1/2 cup coconut. Spread toffee mixture to within 1/4-inch of edges of crust. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup almonds and remaining 1/4 cup coconut over top.

4. Bake an additional 15 minutes or until bubbly. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Cut into bars. About 36 bars.

Source: http://www.hersheys.com/recipes/5689/Chewy-Toffee-Almond-Bars.aspx

Savory Veggie Smoothie

A spicy savory smoothie is a nice addition to a healthy diet. As with most smoothies you can adapt with what you have and change things up to fit your taste.

Savory Veggie Smoothie

2 cups baby spinach

1/2 cup cabbage

1 cup water

1 cup chopped carrot (about 1 carrot)
1 avocado
1 Tbs of lime juice
2 garlic cloves
½ tsp coarse sea or real salt
pinch of cayenne pepper
some ice cubes
Place all of the ingredients in your blender and puree until smooth and creamy. 

Adapted from

http://healthyblenderrecipes.com/recipes/raw_vegan_spicy_vegetable_green_smoothie/

Bloody Nose and EVCO

My poor son has had bloody noses for most of his life.  We have curbed the problem after lots of trial and error.  He still gets bloody noses but much less frequently.  This is what we have learned . . .

1. Go to the doctor.  We went to the doctor first to find out what was going on and found that he had an infection in his nose. So our first step was to use an antibacterial ointment.  The doctor also told us that my son had large blood vessels close to the skin's surface so a bloody nose could be a common occurrence.  
2. Keep nostrils clear.  After a bloody nose, a blood clot would form in my son's nose.  It would dry and then my son would bump his nose usually while sleeping and it would start to bleed again.  When my son was younger, he refused to blow his nose so, and this is gross, we taught him to pick his nose.  Each night I would give him a tissue and he picked his nose.  This would clear out his nose and help significantly.
3. Keep moisturized.  After trying many ways to keep his nostrils moistened, we finally settled on extra virgin coconut oil (EVCO).  Supposedly, EVCO has anti-fungal, antiviral and antibacterial properties.  When my son has a bloody nose we put a bit of EVCO on the tip of his pinky finger (I want to use something that is big enough that it won't go too far into his nose) and have him rub it around.    Now instead of having bloody noses 3 times a day he has one once a month or less.  Yeah!

If you any ideas that have helped you are your children with this issue please share in the comment section below.

A Dollar off 2 Pounds of Cheese and 75¢ off a Gallon of Milk . . . Could it be True?

I'm not a big fan of coupons because

1. I'm not that organized
2. Coupons are usually for processed prepared food 
3. I can usually find cheaper prices on a store brand 

CouponSuzy.com it is different.  This site has great coupon options.  My favorite coupons are for the milk and cheese.  

Things I've learned about CouponSuzy.com:

• You are not given an option for black and white when printing the coupons.  The coupons are printed in full color.  So if you are trying to save money on ink, copy the original coupons with your black and white option
• Some coupons can only be printed a couple times, so once again, you can copy them or log on with a  different browser or computer to print more
• The coupons won't scan at some stores.  I have never had problems with these coupons at Walmart but at our local grocery store they sometimes won't work.  So be prepared to either return some coupon items or pay full price.  
• Walmart has let me buy a combination of cheese totally to 2 lbs.  Some stores may require one package (brick, cheese sticks, sliced or shredded) to be 2 lbs.

Anyway, hope this help!  Enjoy!

Raisin Filled Cookies

These cookies are divine!  A lot of people are aren't fans of raisins but this cookie could change that.

This a combination of a couple of recipes with winning results. Enjoy . . . 

Raisin Filled Cookies

Raisin Filling Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds seedless raisins
         Hot water
2       cups sugar
1/2    teaspoon salt
1/2   cup flour

Put the raisins in a bowl and cover with hot water.  Let sit several hours or until they are plump and soft.  Drain the raisins, reserving the water, and mash them up a bit.  Put them in a medium saucepan and add the sugar, salt and 1 1/2 cup of water.  Mix the flour with just enough of the water to make a smooth paste and mix it into the raisin mixture.  Heat to a boil, stirring regularly, then set aside to cool.

Make up one batch of Sugar Cookies (Click here for recipe)

Turn dough onto a floured surface and knead in just enough flour to prevent dough from sticking to your surface and rolling pin.  Roll out dough to about 1/4-inch thick.  Cut dough out with cookie cutters and lay half the pieces on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper.  Put about (depending on how big your cookies are) 1 tablespoon of raisin filling in the center.  Top with another piece of the same shape.  Pinch the sides together to seal.

Hint: Create a couple of cookies, bake them and then, once they are cool enough, taste them to test the thickness and amount of filling.  Adjust cookie thickness and amount of filling to your taste.

Bake at 350 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes, then remove to a cooking rack.

Raisin filling and cookie assembly directions source: http://elanwoman.com/eat/

Kneader's Sugar Cookies . . . Almost

Who doesn't like a good sugar cookie? This is a great recipe. I altered it just a bit. The original calls for lemon flavor and I prefer almond flavoring. The frosting recipe is not correct and the icing turns out too thick. If this is the case for you, add extra milk and corn syrup just a bit at a time until it is runnier but will still cling to the cookies. Although I get raving review on the cookies and frosting each time I make them, I really prefer a sugar cookie with cream cheese frosting. But using this icing make the cookie look amazing and professional!

Kneader's Sugar Cookies . . . Almost

2 cups butter
2 ¼ cups sugar

4 large eggs
1 cup milk

7 ¾ cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp almond flavor or extract
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp nutmeg
1 Tbsp honey

1. Cream together butter and sugar until fluffy.
2. Add eggs, then milk. Scrape the sides of the bowl often.
3. Stir in remaining ingredients. Dough will be soft and sticky.
4. Place dough on well floured pastry cloth or workspace.
5. Knead in just enough flour to make dough workable. Dough will be very soft. It is best to knead with a rolling motion so you have a smooth surface and you will not get cracks on the tops of your cookies.
6. Gently roll out to 3/8 inch thick.
7. Cut into desired shapes and place on baking sheet lined with parchment.
8. Bake at 325 for 10-12 minutes or until just the edges barely start to change colors. Makes approx. 4 dozen.

Icing . . . See note in bold letters above.  This icing recipe is not correct.  

4 ½ cups powdered sugar
4 Tbsp corn syrup
3 Tbsp milk
¼ tsp lemon flavor (I use almond extract)

1. Mix together all ingredients until smooth.

To decorate as pictured above, reserve a bit of the icing and set aside. Color the remaining icing pink. Dip cookie in the pink icing and smooth with side of palm of hand.Let set. Dip your fingers tips in the white icing and drizzled it on top of the cookies.

Source: http://www.abc4.com/mostpopular/story/Kneaders-Sugar-Cookies/tE2aCurRMU6kN_GXt_f8Qw.cspx

Better then Bacon Pumpkin Seeds

This is a great little recipe for many reasons: it's sprouted, easy, very good for you and it's a good replacement for bacon when used as a garnish. My kids call these salty seeds. You do need a dehydrator so, if you don't have one, borrow one from the neighbors. This recipe takes quite a bit of inactive time but it's worth it! To preserve the enzymes in these sprouted seeds, dehydrate under 115 degrees (Green Smoothie Girl keeps her temperature at 105 degrees. See the note below on the benefits of sprouting.

Better then Bacon Pumpkin Seeds

3 cups raw pumpkin seeds (hulled)

Water

2 1/2 TBS Bragg’s Liquid Aminos

Soak pumpkin seeds in water overnight. Drain well. Dry seeds in dehydrator for 3-4 hours until they are mostly dry (to be able to absorb liquid again).

Mix pumpkin seeds with Liquid Amios well. Let sit to absorb liquid, stirring occasionally, until all liquid is absorbed (15-30 min.). Taste and add another 1/2 to 1 teaspoon if more flavor is needed. Spread on teflex sheets in dehydrator and dry until crispy, for a few hours.

Adapted from 12 Steps to Whole Foods

Note: Sprouting seeds, grains, nuts, and legumes causes the starches to convert to easily

digested sugars. Germinating activates the enzymes so the plant begins to produce

vitamins that it needs for its own growth. According to research performed at the

University of Minnesota, sprouting increases the nutrient density of foods. Sprouted

wheat had 28 percent more thiamine (B1), 315 percent more riboflavin (B2), 66 percent

more niacin (B3), 65 percent more pantothenic acid (B5), 111 percent more

biotin, 278 percent more folic acid, and 300 percent more vitamin C than non-sprouted

wheat. In some legumes, vitamins multiply by up to 500 percent after the bean is

sprouted. Enzyme content is sometimes more than 40 times higher in the sprouted grain,

and even fiber multiplies 300 to 400 percent over the ground, dry whole grain! Another

change brought about in the sprouting process is that carbohydrates decrease and protein

increases substantially, as atmospheric nitrogen is absorbed in the breakdown of carb

molecules, reformed as amino acid building blocks of protein. Source: Green Smoothie Girl's 12 Step Program.

Party in your Mouth Quinoa

Quinoa?  I could take it or leave it.  I know it's one of the super good for you foods but I haven't jumped for joy after trying it in various recipes.  But this Quinoa recipe was a party in my mouth!  It is combined with ingredients you wouldn't normally think of pairing with Quinoa.  Here's the recipe.  Enjoy!

Party in your Mouth Quinoa


Ingredients
1 cup quinoa, (see Note)
2 teaspoons canola oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 4-ounce can chopped green chiles
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 14-ounce can reduced-sodium chicken broth, or vegetable broth
1/4 cup toasted pumpkin seeds or better yet use Better then Bacon Pumpkin Seeds
3/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 cup chopped scallions
2 tablespoons lime juice
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions
1. Toast quinoa in a large dry skillet over medium heat, stirring often, until it crackles and becomes aromatic, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a fine sieve and rinse thoroughly.
2. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring often, until softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add chiles and garlic; cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add the quinoa and broth; bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer, cover and cook until the quinoa is tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed, 20 to 25 minutes.
3. Add pepitas, cilantro, scallions, lime juice and salt to the quinoa; mix gently and fluff with a fork.
Tips:
Notes: To toast nuts & seeds on the stovetop: Toast in a small dry skillet over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until fragrant and lightly browned, 3 to 5 minutes.


Recipe Source: http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/recipes/recipecomprint.jsp?recipeId=25113181&adCategory=&format=fullpage


For the benefits of Quinoa click here http://www.3fatchicks.com/5-health-benefits-of-quinoa/

Great Basic Healthy Diet Info That So Many People Aren't Aware Of

I came across this little video that has great basic diet info that so many people aren't aware of.  The "no fat" diets are often so unhealthy.  This basic video has wonderful guidelines.  Towards the end, it will give you an offer to sign up for their program so just turn it off or maybe it will be something you are interested in.  I think these guys are right on without being fanatical.

Here's the website link:

http://www.beyonddiet.com/bd/landing?food=avocado

Enjoy!

Kung Fu Panda Dragon Dumplings for Chinese New Year . . . .Awesome YouTube Video!

I saw this video and loved it!  I couldn't pin it directly from Youtube so I am attaching it to my blog and hoping it will work.  Our family loves making and eating dumplings or potstickers.  This mom and son do an entertaining video demonstrating how to make their version of Chinese Dumplings.  Enjoy!

Crockpot Korean Tacos with Purple Cabbage Slaw . . . Heaven in a Tortilla!

Oh my heavens, these are so good.  I made way too much and we ate Korean Tacos three dinners in a row but my son was still asking to have them at lunch.  I saw a few Korean Taco recipes on Pinterest and I've adapted mine from two.  This recipe is quite easy and made more then enough for our family of two adults and two youngsters.  Enjoy!

Crockpot Korean Tacos

For the Meat:
3 or 4 pounds boneless pork ribs (I used boneless pork ribs because they were on sell but I'm sure you could use chicken or beef)
3/4  cups soy sauce
1/2 cup and 2 TBS packed brown sugar
5 cloves garlic, grated (I roughly chopped)
2 tablespoons grated ginger (again I roughly chopped)
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoons sesame oil
1/2-1 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes

Optional:  if you are using the pork ribs and want less fat, cook in a pot of water for a few minutes to render some of the fat off.

In a slow cooker base add the ribs (some people spray their crock-pot with non-stick cooking spray first but I found that it makes no difference).  In a small bowl, whisk together remaining ingredients until combined; pour over the ribs. Cook on low heat for 8 hours. The original recipe suggested that you rotate the ribs halfway through and use a turkey baster to do a quick baste on the ribs but I didn't do this. When ready to serve, take out of crockpot, and shred.

Prepare Purple Cabbage Slaw by shredding 1/2 head of purple cabbage and tossing it with 1 TBS of soy sauce (I always use Braggs Amino Acids) and 2 TBS of rice vinegar.  Salt and pepper to taste.

Lightly fry tortillas.  If you need detailed instructions for cooking a tortilla check out this website http://gastronomygirl.blogspot.com/2008/02/corn-tortillas-and-how-to-cook-them.html

To serve, top cooked tortilla with finished Korean Pork and top with Purple Cabbage Slaw.

Adapted from http://www.mylifeasamrs.com/2011/09/crockpot-korean-beef-tacos.html for the meat and http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2011/11/slow-cooker-shredded-korean-beef-tacos.html for the slaw

Studio 5 "10 Pound Challenge" "quick" calorie-burn workout! (no equipment needed)

This video didn't work for me.  So if it didn't work for you try clicking here http://stage-v2.ksl.com/video/FitnessVideo.m4v

Studio 5 "10 Pound Challenge" is ending today and I am just starting.  Their first challenge is to go to bed  a little bit hungry.   K, I will go to bed a little bit hungry.   I will go to bed a little bit hungry.   I will go to bed a little bit hungry.  I did the quick calorie burn and it was great.  Here is the link:

Enjoy!

Fixer Elixer

This is great stuff and addicting. It's great for when you have a cold or you are cold. It's great to use as a snack when you are trying to loose weight. It's great just as a refreshing healthy drink. You can add a little cilantro too if you want to include greens. Adjust the ingredients to your taste. This is pretty potent.  Enjoy!

Fixer Elixer

Add the following to a blender

• 2 cups fresh squeezed Lemon Juice
• 5-10 cloves of Garlic
• 1-2 inches of Ginger
• 1/16 tsp. Cayenne Pepper
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup Raw Honey (see note)
• 1/4 tsp. Raw Salt

Blend until smooth and add 5 cups of very warm water. Blend again and enjoy!

Note: my raw honey is thick and hard so you may need to adjust depending on the consistancy of your honey

Fig and Ginger Truffles

I made Fig and Ginger Truffles right after my daughter was born.  I wanted something healthy yet chocolaty decadent.  These did the job!  They are healthy too.  I was reminded of these little gems today by a friend.  She hasn't been able to forget them either.  Guesss what I'm making tomorrow?

Find the recipe here:  http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/healthy-appetite-with-ellie-krieger-/fig-and-ginger-truffles-recipe/index.html

Chocolate Bread Pudding

I've been making this recipe forever.  I think I got it originally from a Eagle Brand Chocolate Sweetened Condensed Milk can.  Unfortunately, they don't make chocolate sweetened condensed milk anymore.  This is the recipe that was on Eagle Brand's website quite a few years ago.  It has been a hit every time I make it for parties or family gatherings.  It's also a delicious way to use up old bread.  Enjoy!

Chocolate Bread Pudding

4 c. French bread cubed
½ c. chopped nuts
3 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 can sweetened condensed milk
2- 1 ounce squares of unsweetened chocolate melted
1 ½ c. water
2 tbs. butter melted
Whipped cream

Preheat to 350.  Butter a 9-inch square-baking dish. Place bread cubes in baking dish and sprinkle chopped nuts evenly over bread. Blend melted chocolate and sweetened condensed milk. Set aside. In bowl beat eggs and vanilla.  Add, water, butter and chocolate milk mixture. Mix well.  Poor evenly over bread, moistening completely.  Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until knife is inserted and comes out clean.  Serve warm with whipped cream.
Makes 6-9 servings

Make a Compost Bin from a Plastic Storage Container

We don't have room to create a compost pile. At least, that is what I thought until now.  I just found this awesome idea that most anyone can do even if they only have a balcony.  I'm going to get started on this right away.  Here is the link to find out how http://organicgardening.about.com/od/compost/ht/storagecompost.htm

Yummy Healthy Tomatillo and Avocado Salsa

Made this yummy salsa and it was a hit.  It's also very healthy so it's a double good whammy!   Enjoy!

Yummy Healthy Tomatillo and Avocado Salsa

2 cups coarsely chopped rinsed husked tomatillos (I had about 6 tomatilllos and didn't chop and measure)

1 4 oz. can diced green Chiles

2 large avocados, halved, peeled, pitted, diced

3/4 cup chopped white onion

1 garlic clove, thinly sliced or chopped

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 tablespoon vinegar (I always use Bragg's apple cider vinegar)

Place tomatillos and chiles in food processor or blender. Using on/off turns, process until coarse puree forms. Pour puree into medium bowl. Mix in all remaining ingredients. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 4 hours ahead. Cover; chill).

Adapted from http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Avocado-and-Tomatillo-Salsa-108062