Coffee

A little coffee with my milk!

Coffee is GOOD for you....fully caffeinated in all it's glory.
http://raypeat.com/articles/articles/caffeine.shtml

Baked Cheesy Potato Shreds

It was another wet and dreary day and I was in a hurry.  I shredded some potatoes and pepper jack cheese in the Cuisinart  all together and poured some coconut oil in the baking dish.  I added the shreds to the dish and kind of tossed it around like a salad...to mix the oil in and to disperse the cheese a little more evenly.  I forgot to add salt....it did need it.
The dish was filled to the top before I stuck it in the toaster oven at 300*F for an hour.  We went and did other things for a while, so I am not sure how long it sat, cooling.  As you can see, it did reduce by about a third.
I LOVE this dish!  It took 2 minutes to prep and didn't need my presence to cook.

Fight Back Friday

Ooh applesauce...or is it pie filling?

Applesauce with Nectarines

This is my FIRST attempt at canning...looks good, doesn't it?

I followed the guidelines from here:
How to Make Homemade Applesauce
We like chunky in our household, so I decided to skip the grinding part, left the peels on, and fed the cores to the chickens.

Ingredients:

Coconut Oil 
10 lbs Nectarines
10 lbs Pristine Apples
10 lbs Ginger Gold Apples
Sucanat/Cream of Tartar Mix 
(1/4 tsp CT/TBS sugar)
Unrefined Sea Salt

Yield: 8 1/2 quarts

I put oil on the bottom of the pot to cover and prevent scorching.  I don't know that it was necessary, but I like to sneak it in where possible.  I filled the pot, with room to stir,  and set it on low with the lid on and went and did other things.  When it was mushy, we had some for lunch.  I just mixed in a little gelatin for protein and....viola...a complete meal.  WOW! Exquisitely yummy!  Totally NOT like anything store bought.

After lunch and with renewed motivation, I started filling jars.  I put it in my HOT jars from the dishwasher and placed them in the canner. My first batch only filled 3 jars.  My second batch filled 5 jars.  I had expected twice that amount...at least.  I suspect I may have cooked a lot of the water out.  I will  be having another go today with the rest of fruit.  I intend to have these on hand for emergency food....either the  "I'm hungry RIGHT NOW" type of emergency or the "power's out during an ice storm" emergency.  It mixes hot or cold with gelatin and can be reheated easily on the wood stove.

1 jar didn't seal due to too much space from the looks of it.  We were FORCED to eat that jar right away....with extra coconut oil and gelatin. Butter would work too.  Theses were store bought OG apples, picked under done.  I am so looking forward to tree ripened apples.

Two for Tuesdays
Tuesday Twister
Pennywise Platter Thursday
Simple Lives Thursday
CANNING WEEK 2011

Milestone

I had to tighten the band on my watch by one notch this morning...it was so loose, it was dangling like a bracelet.

Scalloped Potatoes

Today was a dismal and soggy day...over 9 inches of rain!  The creek was as full as it could be without going over its banks.  I craved hot, slow cooked, comfort food.  Here's what I chose to make:

Ingredients
Potatoes
Cheese
Milk
Butter and coconut oil
Salt 
Pepper

I sliced 3 medium potatoes in the food processor, then grated about 8 oz of  Munster and a little Parmesan type hard cheese.  After a heavy coating of the sides and bottom of the baking dish with coconut oil, I layered the mix of potatoes and cheese.  I ground some salt and pepper over the top, added about 1 cup of milk (what was left in the jar) and dotted with thin slices of butter, about 1-2 TBS.  I baked it in my toaster oven at 300* for an hour.  It sat for 15 minutes before our digging in.

This would be a good use for older or clabbered raw milk.

We didn't have any leftovers.

Simple Lives Thursday 
Pennywise Platter Thursday

Blackberries and Sour Cream

 We managed to pick a few gallons of blackberries this year from the local u-pick.  We ate some and froze the rest.  Blackberries don't lend themselves to our usual "berries & milk" dish like strawberries do.  The milk makes them taste bland for some reason.   They are enhanced, on the other hand, by sour cream.

Ingredients:

Fresh or frozen blackberries
Real sour cream (should only have 1 ingredient)
Cane sugar (whole cane lends a nice caramel flavor)
Cream of tartar
Pinch of unrefined salt

Mix the sugar and cream of tartar together 1/4 tsp to 1 TBS of sugar and the salt.  Sprinkle over the berries  with a dollop of sour cream or mix with sour cream  and mix into berries like a fruit salad.  I used equal parts sugar to sour cream, about 2 TBS of each for a cup of berries.  Fabulous!

This post part of Two for Tuesday Real Food Blog Hop,   Tuesday Twister

Beauty, Simplicity, Sustainability........an Orchid

Another new beginning....

My mother gave this to me about 5 years ago.  The first year I think it had a single flower and fit in its pot quite nicely.  As you can see, it will have 4 blooms on one stalk this year.  What you may not see is the other buds forming on the "leaf" in the back right of the picture.  I am eagerly anticipating the continuous display.

I've never had an orchid live over a year before, much less actually rebloom.  This sits in the "dead" space behind my kitchen sink.  The window on the left faces south, the window on the right faces west.  I have heavy duty, cream colored duette (double hexagon) shades on both windows which help reduce the sun in the summer and slow the cold air flow in the winter.  We open the windows when we can, but this summer has been a marathon of continuous hot and humid weather.  I water when I remember...usually when I see wrinkled leaves. I mist in the winter, but rarely water, with my little old fashioned brass mister.  It gives a very fine spray.  I leave dirty dishes in my sink for too long too often.  (That must be the secret, yes?)  I did purchase some fertilizer one year after I realized it wasn't going to die on me. It's still sitting in the basement in the bag it came in.  Now, I'm afraid to use it for fear of messing it up.  I think it's happy, what do you think?

Sept 5th 2010

UPDATE:  Here it is, one stalk in full bloom...glorious!

Cold Cocktail (antiviral)

At the first hint of a cold or flu or if you know you're going to get exposed to something...airplane, sick kids etc.

Mix 2 TBS ACV (apple cider vinegar) with a little water or juice and add 1/2-1 tsp baking soda and drink immediately....while still bubbling.  Do this 4x/day the first day, 3x/day the second and 2x, then 1x per day until kicked.  Don't stop just because you feel better or you can relapse, finish the cycle.  Kinda like antibiotics, continue for a few days after symptoms are gone.

I did this myself when I had a cough/deep lung thing starting.  I didn't care for the taste unless I used a little maple syrup, but it worked wonderfully!


Oh...and use a TALL glass.... ;)


UPDATE:
This worked well for cold sores too.
I've started taking some once/day (sometimes in the middle of the night) just because.  I think it's helping keep my core body temperature up.

Pennywise Platter Thursday
Simple Lives Thursday 
Home Remedies Carnival

Gone off the deep end.....homemade laundry soap

I haven't purchased laundry detergent in YEARS.  I am just now reaching the bottom of 2 boxes of commercial size laundry detergent.  Yeah, that's a lot of loads.

I have read about people making their own soap for a while now, but have just not been interested.  I didn't see the point and didn't quite realize just how significant the savings really was.  I like my current brand, it is biodegradeable, it works, it's cheaper than store bought.  Most "natural" cleaning products I had experience with in the past were...disappointing...to put it nicely.  However, this year is different...cash flow is a challenge, so my priorities have undergone some readjustment.

After doing some research, it turns out I already had all the ingredients I needed to try it...no "flow" necessary....a good thing!

Grating by hand...about 15 minutes

Ingredients:

1 or 2 parts soap 

1 part baking soda

1 part Borax (optional)

That's it.  

I used 1/2 cup of hand grated Kirk's castille soap about 1 quarter of the bar or 1 oz, because that's what I had in the cupboard.  I would have used more, but I got tired of grating.  You can use a food processor if you have one, just cut or slice it into smaller pieces first.  The soap is the most expensive ingredient here, so use what is available in your area and is compatible with your skin/nose needs....or homemade, if you've got it.  Avoid soaps with added moisturizers and such as they can leave spots on clothing.

I added about a 1/2 cup of Arm & Hammer "Rumen Buffer" (larger granule baking soda) and 1/2 cup of  20 Mule Team Borax that I had on hand as a supplemental fertilizer.  I decided that there wasn't enough difference between washing soda and baking soda to warrant buying it special.  Apparently, you can convert baking soda to washing soda by heating the baking soda.  Maybe it would make a difference if I only washed in cold water?

Finished product...24-48 loads!

I estimated the cost of the baking soda (50 lb bag from the feed store) at $.05, the borax at less than $.25 and the soap at $.32 for the batch.  I don't remember how much I paid for the borax and soap, so I guessed and rounded up.  The recommended dose is 1-2 tablespoons per load, so a 1 1/2 cup batch is $.62 for 24 or 48 loads or $.013-$.026 per load.

I wanted something that actually WORKED, not just something cheap or "natural," so I tested this on my toughest stuff first...the barn clothes!  I loaded my front loader with 2 pair of overalls (one dirty stiff and one with buck stink) plus my barn washcloths and other assorted rags.  I washed in warm water with a cold water rinse.  I used 1 rounded TBS of soap and my "softener" dispenser holds about 2 TBS of vinegar.  I used a rounded TBS because I didn't have anything to scrap the top with...since it didn't come out of a box.

The laundry came out at least as clean as my other stuff, so definitely takes the dirt out.  I will have to pay attention if I wash anything with blood or milk....since there no "enzyme" action.  Who knows, maybe that's just marketing?

If you want to make liquid soap, you can use the same ingredients plus heated water.  This blog has great step by step pictures.

UPDATE: I was at the local grocery store today and checked pricing on Washing Soda and Fels Naptha soap. Washing soda was 5x the price of the baking soda and the Fels Naptha was the same as the Kirk's but was a slightly bigger bar and had a VERY strong odor.

This post part of
Simple Lives Thursday 
Make It From Scratch

Potatoes anyway you like...as long as they're FRIED

Diced, fried potatoes

We're finally expecting a break from this weeks long heat wave.  It was a little cooler this morning than it's been in a while, only 76*, so fried potatoes are coming back to the menu.

To say that we like potatoes in our house, would be an understatement.  We like them fried, mashed, hot, cold, baked, scalloped, fried, sliced, diced, fried...you get the picture.

I used to think they were junky, of little nutritional value....like Wonder bread.  I was wrong.  According to www.nutritiondata.com, a potato has a complete protein profile, like an egg.  A large potato will have 7.5 grams of protein, a large egg has 6.3 grams of protein.  Add some good fat, like coconut oil, butter,  or sour cream and you have a complete meal all by itself.  (A sweet potato is lower in lysine and not quite as balanced.)

The wonderful thing about potatoes is they are so versatile.  You can make fried potatoes, french fries or potatoes chips just by changing the way you cut the potato and varying the length of frying time.   I use a SS wok with a narrow base and wide mouth.  It needs a slightly higher temp (MED) than if you used a larger burner. (MED/LOW)  Coconut oil lends itself to crispiness without high heat. When I am done frying and have scooped out all the food, I let it cool, cover with a lid and just set it aside for the next time.  I can reuse it over and over without it going rancid.

For fried potatoes, you can heat the coconut oil while dicing or slicing the potato into bite size pieces. Starting temperature of the oil is flexible...just cook until tender and add a good, unrefined salt.  I'm partial to a larger grind on my fried potatoes.

For french fries cut lengthwise to whatever thickness you prefer. Make sure the oil is already at temp before adding the potatoes CAREFULLY.  When they float, they are done.  Remove with a wide, flat, strainer  and add salt to taste.

For potato chips, slice very thin.  We've used a potato peeler quite successfully.  The end result was almost identical to a "Kettle Chip" brand potato chip.  Add salt to taste.  There's is no picture because if I left the room to get my camera, they would be GONE!

ENJOY!....and don't forget to CHEW!

This post part of
Make it Yourself Monday 
Two for Tuesdays 
Slightly Indulgent Tuesday
Tempt My Tummy
Real Food Wednesday 
Gluten-Free Wednesdays
Pennywise Platter Thursday