Bedtime snack - Coconut Peaches

1 can of coconut milk
1 can of peaches, drained (NO HFCS)
2 TBS Beef Gelatin
Large pinch unrefined Salt
Sugar/COT mix to taste

Add wet ingredients to a small pan.  Mix dry ingredient together, then add and stir.  Let sit for a minute until gelatin is wet through.  Check for clumps.  Heat on medium low for a bit, stirring occasionally.  It's ready when the gelatin has dissolved completely.  Serve hot for a soup, room temperature for a "custard" or chilled for "jello."

I had a small bowl as soup right before bed and some leftovers again for breakfast.  A little goes a long way...YUM!

Monday Mania 
Real Food Wednesday 
Pennywise Platter Thursday

Fruit Juice Gelatin (before there was Jello)

Ingredients per serving:
1 TBS Unflavored Gelatin (preferably beef)
1 cup juice (choose your favorite)
1 pinch of salt or liquid minerals
1 tsp-1 TBS sugar/cream of tartar mix (optional)

Mix gelatin, salt and sugar/COT mix together, if using.  Sprinkle over juice and wait until dissolved. (A minute or two.)  Heat in a pan on medium/low while stirring occasionally, until clear.  Chill until firm.  If making a large batch, you can dissolve gelatin into a smaller amount of juice, then add the remainder of the juice after heating to help cool it down faster.  Reduce liquid if you wish a firmer end product.  Real Orange Juice has a lot of minerals and solids  in it and will make a slightly different texture gelatin.

'Shroom and Tater Scramble

I am liking our food coop more and more.  I can get fresh mushrooms for about half the cost of the grocery store.  I LOVE sautéed mushrooms...they have an amazing ability to infuse themselves with all the flavor you add to the mix.

So this is what I made with an abundance of homegrown eggs, fresh crimini mushrooms and potatoes that need to get used before they sprout.....

Canned potatoes would work in a pinch.

Ingredients:
Coconut oil (medium low heat)
1 small potato per person, sliced
Equal parts mushrooms, halves or quarters
Salt to taste
Chili powder (optional)
1-2 eggs per person

Add ingredients in order listed.  Clean and cut potatoes as the oil is heating and add to pan.  The potatoes will cook as you do the same for the mushrooms. Add the spices and test a potato...adjust as needed.  Add the eggs whole, then scramble in the pan. I like to use 2 eggs for breakfast and 1 egg for a light supper. Mix with other ingredients towards the end of cooking.  Serve when eggs are just firmed, but still moist.

Sweet and Sour Chops with Mushrooms

I found the combination of sweet and salty delightful for breakfast this morning.

Ingredients:
Mushrooms
Coconut oil
Salt
Chili powder (optional)
Leftover Sweet and Sour Sauce
Leftover Pork Chops

In a sauce pan, reheat sweet and sour sauce. Stir as needed.
Heat a wide pan with coconut oil for frying.  Sauté fresh mushrooms adding salt and a dash or two of chili powder, if desired.  When mushrooms are done, set aside on individual plates and cook (or reheat) pork chops in same pan. Add chops to plate and ladle sauce generously over chops.

Enjoy!

Pennywise Platter Thursday
Fight Back Friday 
Monday Mania

Sweet and Sour Sauce

Ingredients:

Can of pineapple
Beef Gelatin (1 TBS per 1/4 meat minimum)
Sugar/Cream of Tartar mix
Ketchup (glop or 2)
Vinegar (ACV, Rice or Coconut)
Sea Salt
Red pepper Flakes (optional)

Add the pineapple to the pan first.  Dissolve the desired amount of gelatin BEFORE you turn on the heat. Add the amount of sugar/COT mix desired.  (I usually start with equal parts gelatin and sugar and adjust the flavor from there.)  I had a few mostly empty bottles of ketchup collecting in the fridge, so I rinsed with some vinegar and added that for color. Salt and red pepper flakes to taste and add more sugar/COT and or vinegar as needed. Stir over medium/low heat until hot and gelatin is completely dissolved.

Deep Fried Beef

If you want stew meat that is soft and tender (easy to chew) try deep frying.  We keep a pot of coconut oil on the stove at all times. As an experiment one day, I decided to try frying some stew meat (chuck)  to see if I could cook it quickly without it becoming tough to chew.  It was a tremendous success!  They are tasty as a snack with just salt and a cup of sugar bomb coffee with gelatin or as a complete meal with a sweet and sour gelatin sauce and rice.

Directions:

Heat the oil for frying and cook any sides you might want first (ummm...like french fries.)  Have an appropriate utensil ready.  Take the pieces and individually drop them carefully into the oil.  By the time all of it is in there, they're done! Strain and serve.

Monday Mania
Hunk of Meat Monday

First taste...Milk Fed Ossabaw

Ossabaw Pork Chop

Sally was a lovely gilt, nice lines, good balance....had some more growing to do.  Sally led the charge anytime we we're outside, squealing like they were starving even after they just fed.  Sally made a bee line for any possible weakness in the fence when put in a new paddock.

Sally rushed into the crate intended for "Ham" for transport to the processor.

Sally has gone on to a good home.
Sally is very tasty.



The pigs have 24/7 access to pasture and are fed whole and skimmed milk at least twice a day.  We supplemented with too soft apples as well during the winter.  They mostly eat the grass.  When we had a thaw after a freeze, they'd select the mushiest stuff.  When we got mud, they would dig up the dandelion roots and spit out the tops.  They like new grass when it is first coming up, but seem to prefer the stems over the blades now that the grass is more mature.

The color is gorgeous.  The taste was wonderful, tender and moist.  I haven't eaten a pork chop in 15 years, but I remember them being very dry and bland.  What stood out for me the most was the nature of the fat.  We didn't feed any grain.  The milk was from our own grass fed cows.  The texture of this pork back fat was similar to the denseness of tallow (ruminant fat) but with the "lighter" taste of pork.  I don't usually eat the fat, but render it with the bones to make broth.  This stuff was amazing with just a little salt.  I ate it straight. Wow, yum.

The satisfaction of eating something I have cared for personally definitely added to the experience.

Simple Lives Thursday 
Barn Hop 
Hearth and Soul Blog Hop 
Real Food Wednesday
Gluten Free Wednesday
Fight Back Friday