Salted Caramel Popcorn, made without refined sugar!!

Just because you're leading a healthier lifestyle, it doesn't mean that sweet treats are never going to happen again. I have been allowing myself to create and enjoy one sweet treat every Sunday. Now, the treats I allow myself still have to fit into my healthy lifestyle plan but can be just a deacadant as I remember but now will help me lead a healthier life!

This week we're enjoying Salted Caramel Popcorn made with unrefined Coconut Sugar. I'm sure for most of you, Coconut Sugar isn't something you already stock in your pantry and to be completely honest I've only been using it for the past few months. I spent hours researching alternative sweeteners that I could use in strict moderation, yet without compromising the versatility of sugar. It was love at first taste for me, it's a rich, deep, complex sweetness, more similar to brown sugar than to white sugar. It's properties are very similar to the regular white refined sugar cane sugar we're all very familiar with, it's swapped out at 1:1 ratio. 

Coconut Sugar is a far superior choice to regular sugar, here's a table comparing the macro nutrients from www.sugarcoconut.com/health-benefits/nutritional-values.html

Macro-nutrients (mg / l – ppm, dry)	Coconut Sugar	Brown Sugar	Refined, White Sugar
Nitrogen (N)	2,020	100	0
Phosphorus (P)	790	30	0.7
Potassium  (K)	10,300	650	25
Calcium (Ca)	60	240	60
Magnesium (Mg)	290	70	10
Sodium (Na)	450	20	10
Chlorine (Cl)	4,700	180	100
Sulfur (S)	260	130	20
Boron (B)	6	0	0
Zinc (Zn)	21	2	1.2
Manganese (Mn)	1	2	0
Iron (Fe)	22	0.6	0.6
Copper (Cu)	2	12.6	1.2

Nutritionally - Coconut Sugar is far superior to regular or brown sugar, which is a huge bonus! And Coconut Sugar has less of an impact on your blood sugar when you eat it! "The glycemic index of coconut sugar based on test results from the Philippines, USA, Japan and Australia is in the range of 35 to 54 GI per serving. Other sugars such as refined white sugar, muscovado sugar, and molasses have a range of 65 to 100 GI per serving! Other natural sweeteners such as date sugar has a 100 GI per serving, Maple Syrup has 69+ GI per serving and Honey has a 70+ GI per serving." from http://www.sugarcoconut.com/health-benefits/glycemic-index.html

And there is no "refinement" process for Coconut Sugar like there is for white-table sugar.. They take the sap from the coconut tree flowers, the sap is heated to evaporate out the moisture and what's left behind is Coconut Sugar!! Only bad news is that the flower that had it's sap removed won't make a coconut :( All sweeteners need to be used in very strict moderation, because it's easy to get carried away and over consume. Even healthier sugars can be a problem if you eat too much. We only have our sweet treat on Sunday (and we just have enough for one sitting - leftovers would extend to monday or tuesday and that's waaaay to many sweets for us to have as part of our healthy diet!)

So who doesn't love Caramel Popcorn!? I know I do, but I was really craving something salty-sweet, I modified the traditional method and pre-seasoned my popcorn with a drizzle of butter and added sea salt to my caramel for an extra punch!

Here's my recipe:

Preheat oven to 350F

1/3c Popcorn Kernels, Preferably Air Popped
1/8c Butter or Ghee, melted

Drizzle butter over popcorn and toss to mix, set aside

In a small saucepan with a candy thermometer combine:

2T Water
1c Coconut Sugar

1/2t Vanilla

Cook over medium heat do not stir, swirl pan gently or use a pastry brush dipped in water to 

wipe the coconut sugar crystals down. When it reaches "Soft Ball" state (240F) remove from heat and gently wisk in:

1T Butter, room temp
4 pinches of Baking Powder (why dirty a measuring spoon!?)
1/8t Celtic Sea Salt (more or less to taste)

Drizzle carmel over pre-buttered popcorn, toss to evenly distribute. All your popcorn won't be completely coated - remember you don't want to over do it, this is still part of a healthy diet, right?! 

Spread the carmel coated popcorn on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet, bake at 350 for 5 minutes.

Quick and Simple Gluten-Free Cheese Sauce

Ok this morning (on my day off) I remembered we had leftover broccoli in the fridge from last night's dinner and started craving broccoli and cheese sauce! Since I'm wheat/gluten-free I wasn't exactly sure I could come up with a quick and simple cheese sauce - sans wheat-flour - OH and we're out of milk!

So - my first try is a huge success and only proves how easy real food cooking from scratch can be! This recipe is a keeper!!!

1T Organic Salted Butter
1t Organic Tapioca Flour/Starch
1c Organic Cheese (i used Raw Longhorn cheese)
1/4c Organic Coconut Milk (or cow's milk)
Salt, Pepper, spices, etc..

In a small pot melt butter over medium/low heat, wisk in the Tapioca starch cook for a minute, add milk  and cheese - keep wisking till smooth!

I seasoned mine with lots of ground mustard (maybe 1/4 to 1/2t) and white pepper (1/8t to 1/4t) and sprinkled in a dash of onion powder, garlic powder, turmeric and paprika.. then salted to taste.. '

It's super yummy and the most complicated part was grating the cheese! You can add more milk to thin your sauce to your desired consistency!

Puffball (Mushroom) Parmesan

Have you seen those large white puff ball mushrooms growing - most of the time they can easily be mistaken for a volleyball :) It's a little known fact that puffballs are edible mushrooms - as long as they are completely white the whole way though. I'm not a mushroom expert and eating wild mushrooms isn't something to jump into there are risks of illness and death - I always stress to beginners to find someone local who's knowledgable, buy some books and find an internet group to ask questions. There's lots of people out there that will help! So I can't stress enough, I'm not an expert but my husband and I have been hunting mushrooms for years and years and years.. only recently we've gotten really serious - it's addictive to find and identify new mushrooms and it's a culinary delight when it's a choice edible!!

Here's some great info - check it out for more details: http://www.wildmanstevebrill.com/Mushrooms.Folder/Giant%20Puffball.html
http://americanmushrooms.com/edibles3.htm
http://www.mushroom-appreciation.com/puffball-mushrooms.html

I haven't had the luck some mushroom hunters to find lots of giant puff balls but from the ones that we have found, I've come up with a really awesome recipe for Puffball Parmesan. The best part is - it's gluten-free and low carb!!

Puffball Mushroom(s) - remove dirt and any tough outer skin
Parmesan Cheese
Eggs
Fat for Frying - I recommend Lard, Tallow, Butter or Coconut oil
Tomato Marinara Sauce for topping

I can't give you exact measurements - it depends on how much mushroom you've found!
Take your clean puffball, slice about 1/2 inch thick (you'll be sure its all white too!) Dip the slices of puffball in beaten egg then bread with parmesan cheese then fry over medium heat till golden brown, drain on a paper towel lined plate, serve with Marinara Sauce. I can only explain the taste as cheese crusted mushroom flavored marshmallow!

All Natural Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

I've been searching for the perfect ice cream recipe for years.. and have consistently failed. Too hard, Too Icy, Too much cream/eggs to be affordable, etc. Finally I found "Jeni's Splended Ice Creams at Home" by Jeni Britton Bauer (I recommend it! It's really an awesome book!!) and made several of her recipes with great success. However her recipes weren't exactly what I was looking for - unique hard to find supplies and cumbersome measurements... so with several more batches of ice cream I've come up with a fantastic recipe!!

Yield: 2 quarts of ice cream

4c Whole Milk, (preferably Organic Grass-fed Raw Milk, shaken well)
2c Heavy Cream, (preferably Organic Grass-fed Raw Heavy Cream)
1/3c Organic Brown Rice Syrup
1-1/3c Organic Sugar (I use 2/3c cane sugar and 2/3c coconut sugar)
2 Vanilla Beans (split & scraped)

1/2c Whole Milk (preferably Organic Grass-fed Raw Milk, shaken well)
3T Organic Tapioca Starch (same as Tapioca Flour)

3oz Organic Cultured Cream Cheese
1/4t Celtic Sea Salt

In a small bowl or measuring cup wisk together milk/tapioca starch...

Place cream cheese and sea salt in your blender or food processor (with 2 quart capacity)

In a large pot, combine milk, cream, syrup, sugar and scraped vanilla bean pods/seeds.... bring to a boil over medium/high heat, stirring occasionally... Boil for 4 minutes then remove from heat and wisk in the milk/tapioca starch then over medium/high heat bring back to a boil for 1 minute stirring constantly, remove from heat.... remove vanilla bean pods

Pouring through a fine mesh strainer (to remove vanilla bean pods) add 1/4 of your cooked mixture to your blender/cream cheese/salt and mix gently until combined - add the rest and gently blend for 2 minutes... Remember to be really careful since when you blend hot stuff, the steam can cause a mini-explosion (I did it with tomato soup) so make sure not to fill your blender over 3/4 full and be mindful of the lid!! Our Vitamix has a steam lid so that it won't explode :)

Completely chill the mixture.. I've done it 2 ways - putting the whole blender container in the fridge over night or to chill quickly... Pour your ice cream base into a gallon ziploc bag and sandwich in layers of ice in a big bowl it will be chilled in about 30 min...

Add your chilled base to your 2 quart automatic ice cream maker, I have a Cuisinart ICE_30BC and love it!! Mine is frozen in about 20 min, then transfer to a freezer container, pressing to remove any air. Freeze until firm, about 4 hours!

DIY Citrus Enzymatic Cleaner

I was watching the news earlier this week and they did a special report on the best and worst cleaning sprays - I wasn't surprised when they said that regular old white vinegar out performed all chemical-laden toxic spray cleaners! WHOO-HOO!

There's lots of information on the Internet regarding making an enzymatic citrus cleaner - which is basically super-charged vinegar! And a great way to utilize citrus rinds before composting.

I keep a jar in the fridge and accumulate citrus rinds after we've juiced them. Once the jar is full of rinds (any combination of lemon, lime, orange, and/or grapefruit will work - cut larger pieces to fit in your jar) fill your jar with white distilled vinegar, seal up with a lid and store in a dark place. Let it sit for a month or longer.

I use mine as an all-purpose spray cleaner. Equal parts of Citrus Enzymatic Vinegar and water, then I add in a few drops of Dr Bronner's Sal Suds in a spray bottle. Give it a light shake and it's ready to use through out your house!

All Natural Agave Margarita Mix Recipe!

Have you ever looked at the ingredients in the mixers for adult beverages? Let's just say that it's on the list of things that now that I know, I wish I could forget :) I'm ruined. I love a margarita, on the rocks with LOTS of salt.. and there aren't any commercial-bottled margarita mixers that I can put into my body. (honestly, I know I'll drink the booze but god-for-bid I ingest HFC or preservatives!?! Oh the irony, but we each have our weaknesses, mine is definitely booze!) So, what a great way to spend a Friday Night - creating my own Margarita Mix!

Here's my (soon to be famous) Margarita Recipe:

5 Limes, juiced
1 Lemons, juiced
1/2c Water
1/2c Organic Agave

In a pint (or other similar 2c container) combine aguave, water and fresh juice - shake well to combine. I've found that a hand-press juicer works best (I got ours at Target for $10)

I must say - DO NOT under any circumstances cheat and try to use the bottled juice crap, cause it's crap, OK? thanks! I mean really - just buy the crap in the bottle then if you can't handle the citrus juicing!!

BUT WAIT! .......Don't toss out or compost those citrus rinds! Use them to make my Citrus Enzymatic Cleaner!

Ok back to the Margaritas - cause I'm getting thirsty!  Tequila.   Need I say more, it's been such a good friend to me over the years :) Now - I don't normally tell stories on my blog but I will make this one exception :) Last year we vacationed at Secrets Huatulco (which is breath-takingly beautiful!) along with a group of friends...

Vacay 2012 at Secrets Huatulco Mexico

One of our dearest friends joined us on vacay last year for the first time, I'll call her "Suga" (pronounced sugar without the r at the end, like the song "Oh, sugar-suga") Suga took a mid-day break from the sun and returned late afternoon - I found her sitting at the pool-bar doing shots of tequila, because "She is behind on drinking" .. and I believe that was the same night the Mr. Suga had to climb through the 'secret door'  since he didn't have a room key and Suga was asleep :) Please keep in mind we're not young people.... but we typically are the life of the party where ever we go!

Mixing your Margarita:

1/4c Homemeade Margarita Mix
1.5 oz Tequila
.5 oz Triple Sec
Kosher or Margarita Salt
Ice

Fill a pint sized canning jar with ice, add in your margarita mix, tequila and triple sec - put on a lid and shake-shake-shake... and Yes I love canning jars!

In one bowl put your salt and another bowl a folded up wet paper towel. Rub the rim of your glass on the wet paper towel then dip in the salt.. Carefully pour you Margarita into your salted glass and enjoy!

Try it out and let me know what you think!

Hot Fudge Sauce made with Coconut Sugar and Honey!

Here's a quick and easy (Refined Sugar-Free) recipe for Hot Fudge Sauce!

1/2c Butter
3T Cocoa Powder
3/4c Coconut Milk
1c Coconut Sugar
1/3c Honey

Combine and bring to a simmer over medium heat - simmer for 7 minutes. Remove from stove then add 1/2t vanilla and blend for 1 minute in your blender - Yield 2 cups of Hot Fudge Sauce!

NOTE: be careful not to fill your blender over 1/2 way when blending hot stuff - the steam can make the lid pop off and make a painful mess - I have a vitamix with a steam releasing lid so I don't have to worry.

Salted Carmel Sauce made with Coconut Sugar!

Yes, I get the occasional craving for a sweet treat too! But just because I want something soothing and sweet, doesn't mean that I abandon my convictions regarding food choices!

We planted several tiny apple trees nearly 10 years ago when we bought our house and they are finally producing beautiful apples!! And who doesn't love Carmel and Apples?!?! I know I have always loved carmel apples - I remember my grandmother buying me those 3 packs of carmel apples in the grocery store.... But the challenge is we don't eat "sugar" or "corn syrup" - that makes it tough to make a carmel....

Coconut Sugar - Have you ever had it? I encourage you to seek some out and I'm sure it will become a staple of your pantry. But I must caution, just because it's better than refined sugar options, it's still a sweetener and you still must use self-control! Coconut sugar has similar properties to sugarcane sugar, but lower Glycemic Index and a more complex flavor similar to brown sugar.

I treat myself with having coconut sugar in my coffee on Friday, Saturday and Sundays (Mon-Thur I have stevia) and along with coconut milk - I think it's the most heavenly coffee ever!

Tonight was my 2nd time making Coconut Sugar Salted Carmel Sauce and it's not going to be the last time!! Here's my recipe:

1c Organic Coconut Sugar
2T water

Combine in small pot and bring to a simmer over medium high heat for 5 minutes. Once it starts to boil/simmer DO NOT STIR! You can lightly swirl the pan or using water on a pastry brush- wipe the sides of the pot to wash any melted carmel down.  I keep a candy thermometer in mine, but have not be focusing on a specific temperature as a stopping point but just the 5 minutes - which seems to be around 250 degrees.

Remove your pot from the stove and wisk in - in small amounts since it will bubble up:

1t Ghee or Butter
1/2c Organic Coconut Milk
1/4t Vanilla
1/4t Sea Salt

Makes about 1-1/4 c carmel sauce, will be runny at first but refrigerate to thicken.

I started using Ghee (clarified butter) as opposed to just butter to eliminate the dairy milk solids - to make it a pure fat. I've been reducing my dairy intake as Ghee is a great way to keep the taste without "diary" - for those following Paleo or dairy-free diets some consume Ghee but not butter.

Sauerkraut - Part 1

Sauerkraut is so simple to make and when you make fermented sauerkraut at home it's SO GOOD FOR YOU! There's lots of media attention regarding the benefits of incorporating probiotics into your diet - don't just rely on pills, use real food to boost your friendly-gut-bacterias!

Today we started 2 gallons of Kraut.. this post is how to get started, look for more posts as I track it's progress...

Here's a step by step of how we're making ours, required supplies are pretty basic and the process is really simple. Shred cabbage, sprinkle salt, pound to release liquid, cover and let sit...

Today we bought 6 medium heads of cabbage at the farmers market and gathered our supplies. We got our antique kraut shredder from Ray's parents and our 2 gallon crock from my grandmother. (you can use a food processor with a slicing blade or just hand-cut your cabbage too! and you don't need a crock any non-plastic or non-metal vessel will work!)

We cut each head of cabbage in half and removed the core....

Ray shredded each half....

 Then we'd put about 2 inches of shredded cabbage in the bottom of the crock and sprinkled liberally with Celtic sea salt...

 Then pound your salted cabbage, you are trying to get the cabbage to release it's liquid. We use the wooden plunger for our kitchen-aid mixer's meat grinder attachment along with our fists in a punching motion...

 Keep  pounding the cabbage until the liquid released will cover the shredded cabbage when you press it down..

Keep adding additional cabbage/salt in 1-2 inch layers, and keep pounding.

 Our 2 gallon crock held 6 heads of shredded cabbage.. In order for the cabbage to ferment into sauerkraut you need to allow it to sit with the cabbage fully submerged underwater. Use a plate or other flat item that fills up the crock but can be pressed down (I used the lid from my rice cooker, it fit in the crock perfectly! If the weight of the item you are using as a submerged lid isn't heavy enough to keep the liquid above the cabbage, apply weight like a gallon jug of water or a brick.

Cover the entire top of your crock with cheese cloth and allow it to sit at room temperature and out of direct sunlight... every couple days check it out to make sure everything is submerged and to skim any foamy stuff that may collect on top...

Creamy Coleslaw

I don't know about you, but I love coleslaw! I worked to perfect a wonderfully sweet-tangy coleslaw recipe that's similar to what you've had our at chain restaurants and kept full of real food ingredients! Here's my recipe:

1/2c Mayo
1/2c Sour Cream
1/3c Sugar (I use honey and/or coconut sugar, since we no longer use sugar)
3T Lemon Juice, fresh squeezed (I've used red wine vinegar and it's good too)
2T White Vinegar
1t Sea Salt
1/4t Black Pepper, fine ground
1t Onion powder

Mix everything together and toss over shredded cabbage/carrot. The dressing will work on about 1 med head of cabbage or 1 bag of pre-shredded coleslaw mix.

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Spice Latte

I'll admitt it, last week during a lunch time trip to Target - I splurged on a Pumpkin Spice Latte at Starbucks and it was AMAZING! Those warm-fall flavors got me thinking - I can make this at home and it can be healthy!

The recipe I came up with is a Pumpkin Spice Creamer you can mix up ahead of time and just use it in your coffee throughout the week.. best part it's low carb, dairy and sugar free! I think we could even call it is paleo-ish!

1-3/4 cup Organic Coconut Milk (13.5 oz can)
1/4 cup Organic canned Pumpkin 
1/2 teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice
Yield 2-3/4 cups

Add everything to a bottle and shake it up really well - it will turn a beautiful light orange color!
You can use it as-is and add sweetener separately in your coffee - but I like to streamline things, so I added stevia (to taste) driectly into the creamer mix - you could use coconut sugar also - but I'm carb-concious so stevia works for me! (you can put the rest of the canned pumpkin in the freezer in 1/4 cup baggies to use in weeks to come!)

Use your homemade Pumpkin Spice Latte creamer in your coffee - it will keep in the fridge for a week, if it lasts that long :)  Let me know what you think!

 The total recipe has 24g effective carbs (29g carbohydrate - 5g fiber = 24g) If you use 1/4 cup per cup of coffee that's 11 servings with 2.2 carbs per serving!!

DIY Dry Shampoo for Brunettes

I've always wished I was one of those lucky ladies that could just wake up in the morning and have my hair look clean! However I'm not. My dark brown (and gray) hair that's been washed in the morning starts getting oily and flat looking by dinner, let alone the mess it becomes after I slept on it.

I've tried many brands of dry shampoos with less than ideal outcomes. Most are white powders that make me look (grayer) than I do already or like I have a wig on. And if the color wasn't bad enough it stripped all the shine from my hair and still just laid there doing nothing. So I came up with my own amazing recipe for Dry Shampoo for Brunettes you can make at home for just a few dollars!

Here's my recipe:

1/4c organic corn starch
1/4c cocoa powder

Mix them up, I store mine in a old spice jar with a small hole shaker lid, shake a little powder into the lid and using an old make up brush - apply to the roots of my hair. I leave it sit for about 30 minutes then I brush my hair with a natural (boar) bristle brush to spread it through my hair and remove excess.

Now, it's not like fresh-washed-clean hair but looks perfectly fine pulled back in a ponytail or head band! It's awesome to skip a day from washing my very long thick hair!!!

Enjoy!

DIY Toothpaste

Super easy toothpaste with all natural stuff you (should) have at home! My teeth feel so clean and smooth. Just be prepared it's not sweet and bubbly like the store bought tube of toothpaste. This will get firm and you just rub your toothbrush through it!

This recipe fits nicely in a 1/4 pint canning jar:
3T Aluminum-Free Baking Soda
3T Organic Coconut Oil

Optional Additions to your taste:
Essential Oil (Peppermint, Cinnamon, Wintergreen or Spearmint are all good)
Liquid Stevia

Mix everything well. It was warm in our house tonight so our coconut oil was nearly liquid, if yours is solid just warm up on your oven on the lowest temp setting and only until it's soft enough to use.

Enjoy!!!

Roasted Tomato Soup

Hayley's Homemade Roasted Tomato Soup with Feta Crumbles!

I hated tomato soup until I tried this recipe. After making a big batch of this you'll never want to purchase the canned-crap at the store again! The recipe I'm posting is for a single batch, with great success I've doubled, tripled and quadrupled it! Today I made a triple batch with 15 pounds of tomatoes fresh picked from our garden!

20# of tomatoes picked 8/17/12

5lbs of fresh tomatoes, wash, core, and quarter
1/4c fat of your choice (tallow, lard, coconut oil, etc)
6 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed

2T Butter
1c chopped onion
1-2T sugar or honey
2c water
Crushed Red Pepper, Salt and Pepper to taste

In a 9 x 13 pan (or other similar pan with sides) combine the tomatoes, fat, garlic and liberally salt and pepper. Roast in the oven at 450  on the middle rack for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Some tomatoes may get browned and will become very juicy!

15# of tomatoes roasting in the oven 8/17/12

While your tomatoes are roasting in the oven, In a large pot over medium heat, add butter and onions. Cook about 5 minutes until soft and translucent. Add 1T sugar, and a pinch of crushed red pepper, cook 1 minute, then add 2c water... simmer over med/low. Add in the roasted tomato/garlic mixture and simmer for 10 minutes.

Fill your blender no more than 1/2 way with the hot tomato soup and puree until smooth. I then pour my soup into another clean pot through a fine mesh colander to be sure i don't have any seed or skin lumps - the extra step is what makes the soup velvety!! (be very very careful if your blender does not have a steam escaping lid - over filling your blender will cause a huge mess of very hot liquid exploding out of your blender!!! We have a vitamix and its lid vents the steam so I don't have to worry but most normal blenders do not - I recommend blending very small batches as a precaution!

Simmer your blended, strained soup over low until it's your desired thickness. Season with additional crushed red pepper, sugar, salt and pepper to your taste. We like about 1/3t crushed red pepper and 1 1/2T sugar - it's a little spicy!

Add some cheese or cream if desired into your bowl! We love a grilled cheese with feta, mozzarella and pesto dipped in this soup!!!

If you make a big batch - you can freeze it or, like me, I can pint and quart jars (pressure can 40 min at 10# pressure using standard 2part lids and sterilized jars)

Meatza - Thanks to Divine Health!

Tonight Ray and I enjoyed a "Meatza" after I got my inspiration from Divine Health's posting..
I've been going back and forth regarding my "issues" with gluten and am finally back on the anti-gluten program. I'm not a huge pizza fan (i know it's shocking - but I'm not a sandwich fan either) but the "Meatza" recipe sounded amazing!!!!!! Recipe in our house = Idea. I just can't "follow" a recipe, I just read them and then do my own thing.. no disrespect but I want everyone to add their own special twist to what I do too, that's what makes what you cook your own.

Here's what I did tonight for our "Meatza"...

The Sauce:
In a small skillet over medium heat, lightly cook 2 pressed cloves of garlic in coconut oil. Then I added in a 1/4 pint of my homemade tomato paste (recipe to be posted later this summer!!) and 1 pint of canned pureed tomatoes, cook over medium/high to thicken for about 30 minutes - stirring frequently. Add Salt, Pepper, Basil, Crushed Red Pepper to taste.....

The Crust:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees
Combine 1 pound of grass fed organic beef with 1 free range-organic egg, about 3/4c grated Parmesan cheese (I don't measure, just grate and figure it out!) and salt/pepper.... spread on cookie sheet with sides (jelly roll pan) .. easiest way was to put the meat crust mix on the pan then top with parchment paper and use your fingers to press the meat out into a large oval (about 1/4 in thick). Bake at 450 for 10 minutes. I used my pampered chef cookie sheet with sides that's been seasoned well over the past 10 years.

Toppings:
Top your baked crust with sauce and lots of grated mozzarella cheese. Bake for an additional 8-10 minutes. Yes it will be runny and messy... it's ok. Top with Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and more Parmesan cheese - let cool for at least 10 minutes......

It's not pretty, I know.. but sometimes things that taste amazing don't look so pretty and we're ok with that!

This is a "Fork Pizza" and I can tell you that after we each ate 1/4 of the "Meatza" we were already thinking about making 1/2 pork sausage and  1/2 beef next time, cause we just love pork! and by the time we both ate our half... we were wishing we could go back in time and eat it all over again, since it was so amazing. It's meals like this that remind me that I truly love eating this way and it's so much better tasting that bread-pasta-gluten crap!!!

Divine Health did a great job with this "Recipe-Idea" thank you so much for sharing!!!

Canned Meadow (Button) Mushrooms

If you consult any present day canning recipe book or do a search on the internet - you'll read all the warnings about attempting to can wild mushrooms at home - poisonous mushrooms are dangerous as is canning, put the two together and people get really freaked out.. that being said let's move on... I have been canning mushrooms for over 10 years, both meadow mushrooms and maitake turn out wonderful!!

We pick meadow mushrooms in our yard every year (we are 100% sure they are edible) They taste like the white button mushrooms from the store but have a stronger flavor - so much better. I throughly cleaned the mushrooms and separated only the best mushrooms for canning. Be aware mushrooms shrink to about 1/2 their fresh volume once cooked... it takes a lot of mushrooms to fill big jars so I always stick to 1/4 pint jelly jars, which is the perfect serving size for us.

Put a pot of water on the stove to boil (as large as needed based on the quantity of mushrooms you have to can) Once water is boiling, add cleaned mushrooms, time for 5 minutes then drain.

In a separate pot or 220 degree oven, sterilize canning jars and warm flat lids in a small pot of water on medium/low. Also prepare another pot or tea kettle of clean boiling water.

Pack drained/boiled mushrooms into sterilized jars, adding a scant 1/8t salt per 1/4 pint, then top each to 1/2 inch head space with boiling water. Wipe rims and fit with 2 part lids. Pressure Can for 40 minutes at 10 pounds pressure. After depressurized, remove lid, pick out jars and allow to cool for 12 hours - discard any that did not seal...

I cannot guarantee that my directions are deemed safe by our government and I can't take responsibility for the mushrooms you gather.. but for me this works perfectly!!!

Chanterelle Mei Fun

One "Chinese Food" Ray and I really enjoy is Pork Mei Fun, so I came up with a healthy and gluten-free version we make at home using fresh ingredients. Since we found a bunch of fresh wild Chanterelles, I made Chanterelle Mei Fun!! It's really easy and quick! Here's my recipe:

What I made tonight was A LOT for just the two of us, I suggest this recipe as a meal for 4 people :)

Coconut Oil

Butter

Tamari Sauce (Gluten Free Soy Sauce)

Mei Fun Noodles (Brown Rice Noodles)

2c Ham, chopped 

1c Onion, chopped

1c Celery, chopped

1c Carrots, peeled chopped

1c Frozen Peas

2c Cabbage, sliced thin

2c Chanterelle mushrooms, chopped

6 eggs

Salt and Pepper

In a large pot, bring water to a boil and cook Mei Fun noodles for 3 minutes, then rinse with cold water - set aside to drain. In a large skillet, add coconut oil and butter (about 2T each) lightly saute ham over medium heat, then add onion, celery, carrots, mushrooms... when veggies are just begining to soften season with Tamari, Salt and Pepper to taste.  Add cabbage then remove from heat and set aside. 

In a separate skillet, prepare scrambled eggs (leaving egg in large pieces). In pot that you cooked Mei Fun noodles, heat over medium heat,  1T butter and coconut oil then add Mei Fun noodles gently tossing. Add cooked veggies, frozen peas and scrambled eggs - toss gently and stir fry - adding more Tamari, Salt and Pepper to taste.... Enjoy!

Oatmeal Cream Cream Cookies

Who doesn't remember those Little Debbie Oatmeal Cream Pies? I do. I didn't eat them frequently as a child, I've never been a big sweets eater....but occasionally I get a craving for something sweet too.

Tonight, I really wanted to make some kind of sweet treat but our pantry is pretty bare - no milk, no sugar.. which really limited my options. I did have Coconut Sugar and have been promising my self to start using it more often, searching for coconut sugar recipes didn't provide me many options. I decided to improvise and look at a few recipes for "regular" oatmeal cookies and see what happens... Here's the recipe I came up with - and I'll definitely be making these again (next time gluten free!)

Oatmeal Cookie Recipe:
1/2c + 1/8c salted butter, room temp
3/4c coconut sugar
1 small/medium egg
1t vanilla
1/2t baking soda
1/4t sea salt
1/8t cinnamon
3/4c organic unbleached Flour
1-1/2c organic quick cook oats, not instant

Preheat oven to 375, line cookie sheet with parchment paper

With Mixer on Medium-high, Cream together butter and coconut sugar until fluffy then add egg and vanilla.

In a separate bowl combine dry ingredients and mix well.. then add into the wet ingredients, mixing on low just until everything is well mixed.

Drop by small spoonfuls 2 in apart onto parchment lined cookie sheet. (if you are going to make cookie sandwiches, press wet dough flat prior to baking) Bake 10-12 min at 375. Cool on a wire rack.
While cookies are in the oven, make frosting/filling...

Frosting/filling Recipe:
3oz Cream Cheese
1/4c salted butter, room temp
2T honey
1/2t vanilla

Cream everything together until combined and fluffy. Frost cooled individual cookies or fill for cookie sandwiches!

DIY: Tub and Soap Scum Remover!!

Ok I have a little bit of a "dirty" secret... I have a big garden tub in our master bathroom that rarely gets used and even more rarely gets cleaned. It's WAS a disaster, until this morning. In literally 10 minutes total time, it's sparkling clean with very little effort.

Here's my recipe for the best Tub Ring and Soap Scum Remover:

• Mix equal parts of White Distilled Vinegar and Dishwashing Soap in a spray bottle. (I found that a recycled spray cleaning bottle worked better than the $1 store spray bottles for a finer mist spray)
• Spray Vinegar/Soap mixture liberally on your tub/shower and let sit 30+ minutes (I forgot about mine for at least an hour!!) Then I just wiped away the scumminess and rinsed with water. 

I was completely shocked at how well it worked!! and the best part is,  since everything in the spray I make is non-toxic, I'm not afraid of getting it on my skin, no need to worry about toxic fumes or wearing those awful rubber gloves!!!

NOTE: It also works on other scummy areas of your home, like inside your oven or on your cook top!

Filthy Dirty Martini

Admittedly, I've probably never really had a proper Dirty Martini.. So, for those of you who have, maybe this post isn't for you.

One day, a long time ago, when I was a complete Martini-Virgin.... I kept hearing about "Martinis" and specifically a "Dirty Martini" Curiosity got the best of me so I started looking into what was in this oh-so-distinguished beverage... It was love at first sight.. Gin and Olive! What more could I have ever wanted in an adult beverage!?!?! Where have you been all my life? How have we not met sooner??? I was instantly full of regret - calculating the years I have been missing out on such a wonderful creation.

Of course, I ended up at the liquor store... it's like Toys-R-Us for adults. I can browse for hours reading labels and getting lost in all the pretty bottles! Bombay Sapphire was already a tried and true friend of mine along with his bff Tonic water.. So, I spared no expense and started martini experience that very night! It was basically a glass of Sapphire with a touch of olive juice right out of the jar - PHEW! That was a tough first drink......

Needless to say, years later and lots of Dirty Martini recipes and research.. I finally found the perfect mixture for my taste!!!

1. Fill up your Martini Glass with ice, preferably crushed to get it nice and chilled
2. Fill your stainless steel shaker with crushed ice
3. Drizzle a little Martini & Rossi Extra Dry Vermouth over the ice in the shaker
4. Add in your shaker 2 shots of Burnett's Dry Gin* and 1 shot of Dirty Sue**
5. Put the lid on the shaker (both parts) and Shake-Shake-Shake till the outside of the shaker gets icy
6. Dump Ice out of your, now chilled, Martini glass
7. Spear as many jumbo green olives as you can on a toothpick, set in your chilled glass
8. Strain your Filthy Dirty Martini into your glass over the olives....
9. Drink up, buttercup!

Notes:
* If you're having a dirty martini, don't waste you money on the best gin, Burnett's isn't the cheapest but good enough to make this drink work!
** If you haven't been introduced to Dirty Sue, please stop by and introduce yourself. It's basically Premium Olive Juice just for martini lovers like myself - who always run out of olive juice! I purchase it from Amazon.com  I love the subscribe and save option!!

DIY Dishwasher Detergent $.01/load

How awesome?! I just added, yet another, homemade and really cheap household product to my existing recipe book and it really really works! I run my very cheap dishwasher a lot and I abuse it..  I hate rinsing dishes and this works better than finish or cascade that I've used for years!!

Dishwasher Detergent Recipe ($13.94 total cost)

1 Box Arm and Hammer Washing Soda ($3.24/box)
1 Box Borax ($3.38/box)
2 Bottles of Lemi Shine $3.66/each x 2 = 7.32)

Combine the Washing Soda, Borax and Lemi Shine - Mix up really really well! Store in an air tight container (or several containers this recipe made enough to fill 2 - half gallon ball canning jars and 1 quart jar) Use about 1.5t per load - I sprinkle a little in my prewash compartment then 1t in for the regular wash. The recipe will make about 20 cups of Dishwasher Detergent, using 1.5t per load, will wash 960 loads of dishes at $ .01 a load - - - R U KIDDING??  I just triple checked my math - $13.94 total cost /960 loads = $0.01452083 per load!!

Dishwasher Rinse Aid Recipe

Use Distilled White Vinegar as you would any other rinse aid. If you would buy one bottle of jet dry or other rinse aid each month for $5 - one gallon vinegar is only $2 and would last you a whole year - saving you  $58/year!

DIY Asparagus Beetle KILLER!

Dirty Rotten Asparagus Beetle

O-M-G! For the past 5+years we've been growing Asparagus and I've been exclaiming how very easy it is to grow... But this year I've been proven wrong :( We have a horrible infestation of Asparagus Beetles, the kind with the red spots on their backs.. they eat away at your baby asparagus, opening the tight flower heads, leaving trails cut into the stalks and planting little egg things all over the plants.

We have 2 raised asparagus beds (1) 4ft by 8 ft and (2) 4ft by 8ft which gives us a total of 96 sq/ft of asparagus. The thing about growing Asparagus is it slowly increases in quantity year by year. You can't even pick any asparagus until year 2 after you planted the crowns! Then year 3 you pick all the asparagus for a week or two then let the ferns grow (they need the top plant to feed the roots lovely vitamin D sunshine! - bigger root system, more asparagus) Year 4, you pick 3-4 weeks, Year 5 you pick 5-6 weeks, etc.. you got the concept right? Each year the roots have grown/expanded and are sending up more shoots. We've been enjoying asparagus from our first (smaller) bed for about 4 years now.. the larger bed we started a couple years later so which we just really started harvesting last year... SO It's a complete bummer when I go out every evening (yes you have to pick asparagus every day or else it flowers and is yucky) that all my beautiful asparagus is chewed up and covered with bugs.. the darn bugs are even eating the tiny ferns that are from very new/young roots... remember if the plant can't send out it's solar panels to collect the sunshine it can't keep growing roots, the plant will die...

I started researching how to kill these Asparagus Beetles, between my gardening books and the internet, the solution is simple, Insecticidal Soap! Great, I thought, I can do that! Look out bugs here I come! Insecticidal Soap is just soap in water... it's not scientific, it's not precise.. or so I thought! I grabbed one of my spray bottles, filled it 3/4 of the way with water then added about 1T Seventh Generation Dishwashing Soap gave it a little shake and out the door I went to kill some bugs!

Asparagus Beetles 1, Hayley 0..... I failed. None died, So back to research.. ok so I added more soap 2T and 1T olive oil - oil is supposed to help coat the bug/plant to make it stick better.. Asparagus Beetles 2, Hayley 0.. Failed again... Back to research again... someone swore by Dr Bronners Peppermint soap in their insecticidal soap - Great! I have it.. I started over water, peppermint castile soap and olive oil.. Asparagus Beetles 3, Hayley 0.. this sucks.

Ok, everyone searching for an Organic/Natural solution comes to a point where the question the hassle of the direction they are going.. is this worth it? what is the cost to loosing all this Asparagus? Sometimes I almost wish I didn't know how bad things like Roundup, Sevin Dust, etc are us and are planet.... times were simple 10 years ago I sprayed weeds with round up and dusted everything with sevin dust, gardening had little frustrations... but I can't forget what I know and there has to be a solution!! And with complete honestly, I can't imagine spraying a chemical on my asparagus to kill some bugs with all my chickens standing right next to me.. in the overspray.. looking for bugs and worms all around the asparagus.. breathing and eating such horrible things.. because we eat their eggs and we eat their meat.. I don't want to eat contaminated meat and eggs or feed them to my friends and family!

Yet again, I set out looking for more ideas to kill these bugs and save my asparagus.. I saw references to cayenne peppers, essential oils, garlic, etc added to insecticidal soap. I decided that I might have to really make up a formula that's a little more complex that soap in water.. and that's ok. I've come to accept that if it takes some time this year to figure out a fool-proof solution, it will provide me with years of beetle free asparagus.... and I've got to admit it's kinda fun to be a mad-scientist running tests to find a cure! I mixed up a recipe that I thought was covering every option I've read about, filled my sprayer and even took some paper plates to collect beetles on and watch them (hopefully) die.  It was a success! I found a solution!!!!! Here's my recipe:

Asparagus Beetle-Killing Insecticidal Soap
3 cups water
1t crushed red pepper
2 cloves of garlic
3T Dr. Bronners Peppermint Castile Soap
1T Olive Oil

*Warning, do not put everything in a pot and bring to a boil, it will get foamy and boil over, making a big mess on your stove!

Bring the water to a boil, remove pot from burner. Add in the crushed red pepper, garlic-no need to peel, just coarsely slice, soap and olive oil. Let everything marinate until the liquid is cool then fill up your sprayer (don't drain the peppers/garlic out, leave it in) This should be enough to fill a standard dollar store or recycled spray bottle (roughly 24-30 ounces)

I've yet to test this mixture on a variety of bugs, but I did kill 2 tent caterpillars with it too!!!

DIY Powered Laundry Soap $ .03/load

I love knowing our Laundry Detergent for the next year is only costs about $10! and I won't run out or have to buy any.. it's all stored neatly in 2 jars in my cabinet above the washer! I hate spending our hard earned money on household supplies, and knowing that they are so damaging to our environment! So, for few years I've been making my own Laundry Detergent and I think it's pretty amazing! There are lots of recipes on the internet and I've tired many of them.. previously I was using a liquid form but it's a lot of extra work that isn't necessary. I came up with a recipe for a powder that is quick and cheap. I use this in my top loading washer, but you can also use it in a front load washer (since there are virtually no suds) only use 1/2 the amount per load... which means its even cheaper!!!!


Powered Laundry Detergent (Beginners Single Batch Recipe)
1c Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda
1/2c Borax
1 bar Fels-Naptha Laundry Bar Soap

Grate the bar Fels-Naptha on regular cheese grater and combine with washing soda and borax, mix well. Use 1T per load, recipe yields about 3 cups of detergent which will do 48 loads of laundry for just $1.69

When I make my laundry detergent I like to make a bunch at once - I try to make enough to last us at least a full year! Here's my Large Batch Recipe and modified instructions:

Powered Laundry Detergent  (Large Batch Recipe)
1 box Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda, 55 oz
3c Borax
6 bars Fels-Naptha Laundry Bar Soap

Same instructions as above or to eliminate hand grating the bar of soap..
In food processor or blender: 1/2c of washing soda, 1/4c Borax, and 1/2 bar of soap, coarsely chopped... on low-medium process into a find powered. This grinds the soap and mixes it up all in one step - Repeat for each 1/2 bar of soap.

I found that putting the soda/borax in the bottom of my Vitamix blender and the soap on top, grinds it up more efficiently (if you are using a large capacity food processor you may be about to put in a full bar of chopped soap/1c soda/1/2c borax all at once - experiment to see what works best with your equipment!)

This large batch recipe will make enough laundry detergent to do 288 loads of laundry, using 1T for each large load - for us this will last us a year (we do 5 to 6 loads of laundry per week on average) 

Don't forget to check out my blog post on Homemade Fabric Softener!

DIY Fabric Softener

I've been doing without Fabric Softener for over a year, but last week when I was changing from the winter-fleece to spring organic cotton sheets on our bed, I wanted to make sure they were soft and smelled pleasant! So, I looked around for some ideas for homemade fabric softener.... the most common is a mix of conditioner (for your hair) and vinegar. That didn't sound appealing to me for many reasons..... SO I determined that the vinegar is what makes the clothing soft and the conditioner is used for scent, so I figured I'd just use white distilled vinegar and some essential oil!

Oh - and don't worry your laundry won't smell like vinegar - the vinegar smell dissipates. Just ask Ray, I frequently smell like salad right after my shower (between using it as a facial toner and a hair rinse) but once I dry the vinegar smell is completely gone!

Lavender Essential oil is great for relaxation, so that's the scent I felt would be best for the sheets in our bedroom, why not get the added bonus when using a scent and help with a restful night's sleep?? Here's my Recipe:

1 Gallon White Distilled Vinegar ($1.99 at my local shop and save!)
Lavender Essential Oil or other essential oil for scent as desired

Simply add the essential oil to the gallon of vinegar then use Use 1/4 to 1 cup per load -depending on size of load - added to the rinse cycle (if your organized enough to remember to add it - I am not :) Thank goodness for my fabric softener dispenser that came with my washing machine and Thank Goodness Ray didn't let me throw it away when I stopped using fabric softener!!)

Don't forget to check out my blog post on Homemade Laundry Detergent!