Hurray for my sister!

She is letting me borrow her laptop. I need to save my monies to buy an ipad.

Garlic Italian Dressing

{Image from Beyond Wonderful}

Another great salad dressing! I got this one from a friend. This is my favorite salad dressing next to ranch.

1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 cup Water
1/2 cup Raw Apple Cider Vinegar
1/3 cup Honey
1 tsp Italian Seasoning
1 tsp Sea Salt
2 large cloves of Garlic, crushed (1 clove for kids)

-Blend ingredients together
-Store in cupboard

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Darn!

My computer is broken. Certain keys are sticking...

Pumpkin cookies

I made Dieter some pumpkin cookies. There not too sweet, but sweet enough to hit your sugar craving.

To cook a squash or pumpkin, put it whole into the oven. Cook on 350° for an hour or so. You should be able to poke your fork in easily when it's done. Then you can cut the squash and scoop out the seeds and stringy parts.

1/4 cup coconut oil
1/3 cup pumpkin puree
3 eggs
1/4 cup honey
1/2 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup coconut flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Preheat oven to 350° and grease your cookie sheet.
Combine wet ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
Combine dry ingredients in small bowl.
Blend or whisk dry ingredients into wet, making sure no lumps remain.
Let batter sit for a couple of minutes to thicken. Dough should be soft but hold its shape when scooped.
Bake 17-20 minutes. Cookies will be set and very lightly browned.

You can top with some cream cheese frosting.

1 package cream cheese, softened
honey to sweeten
vanilla extract

Blend cream cheese and honey. Let it cool in fridge before frosting.



Recipe adapted from Elana's Pantry

Check out this deal!!

I just bought 4 of them! I think they're adorable leggings! Happy Friday!

Groop Dealz

5 months Old

"Mantha" is 5 months old. Dieter says "Mantha" and it's kind of stuck. She loves to sit up on her own. She grabs at anything she can. She is very ticklish and her laugh melts my heart. She loves Dieter (sometimes I don't know why.) This past week she hasn't wanted to be set down (hopefully that passes.) She is such a calm, happy little girl. She is a little blessing to our home.

Another good one!

Gluten Free Granola

I made this granola yesterday. Dieter loves it! It's a great alternative if you can't have gluten (wheat,oats,rye,barley).

Granola

1 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup pumpkin seeds
1 cup coconut flakes or shreds
1/2 cup honey
2 tsp cinnamon
Pinch of salt
1/2 Tbs vanilla extract (mine isn't ready yet)
1 cup dried fruit

-Preheat oven to 350°
-Mix all the ingredients, excluding dried fruit.
-Spread on cookie sheet.
-Bake for 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes.
-Remove from oven and stir in dried fruit.



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Mamma, I peed!

Yep....On my bed....On my pillow...I was still sleeping...I admire parents that never let kids in the bed! I haven't begun potty training yet. His diaper was just full! Good times! Happy Monday!

Here is a very, very delicious sugar cookie recipe! They are always soft and fluffy (I think it's the sour cream that does it). Anyway, I frost them with cream cheese frosting. Yum! I don't have a picture because then I would have to make them, and then I would have to eat them. All of them because Kimball is out of town...

Sugar Cookies

1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup butter
3 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp soda
1/2 tsp salt

-Cream butter and sugar together. Then add vanilla, egg, and sour cream. Continue to mix until smooth.
-Add soda, salt, and half of the flour. Stir into above mixture and then slowly stir in remaining flour.
-Roll dough to 1/4 inch thickness.
-Place on buttered cookie sheet (I use a stone) and bake for 8-10 minutes at 375° (My first couple of batches take around 12 minutes on the stone).

Cream Cheese Frosting

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, melted
4 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

-Cream the softened cream cheese: blend with butter.
-Add powdered sugar and vanilla and beat well.

Lacto- Fermented Salsa

I found a recipe for Lacto-Fermented Salsa. You might be thinking, "What is that?" Lacto-fermented salsa will keep for weeks and even up to 6 months in the fridge. It has many health benefits; it is loaded with enzymes and probiotics (who doesn't need more of that?).

I found my recipe on Nourishingdays.com. I have a lot tomatoes and peppers so I tried some. I admit, I was a little skeptical keeping it on my counter to ferment. My first batch is finished and it is so good! Kimball asked me to make more so it will last all winter! I have four more quarts sitting on my counter as I type now.

Lacto-Fermented Salsa (makes 2 quarts of salsa)

1 large onion
3 small bell peppers, cored and cut into large chunks
6 large garlic cloves, peeled
1/2 cup packed cilantro leaves
2.5 pounds roma tomatoes, cut into quarters
juice of 1 lemon
3 tablespoons sea salt
1/4-1/2 teaspoon cayenne powder
1/2 cup whey
1/4-1/2 cup water

-Combine onion, bell peppers, garlic, and cilantro in food processor (I don't have a food processor so I chopped all of my ingredients.) Pulse 3-5 times. Add 1/3 of the tomatoes and pulse 2-3 times. Repeat with another one third of tomatoes, and finally the last of the tomatoes.
-Pour contents of food processor into large bowl. Add the lemon juice, sea salt, cayenne powder, and whey. Stir well and allow to sit a few minutes while you prep your containers.
-Wash two quart jars. Do the same for the food funnel and jar lids. Ladle salsa into jars, leaving 2-3 inches of head space. Add water to submerge the salsa.
-Close lid tightly and leave a room temperature for a few days, until bubbly and fermented. During this process the solid vegetables may separate from the liquid. Simply stir with a wooden or plastic spoon until redisbursed and submerged under the liquid. Transfer to cold storage. Should keep for months.



That is my breakfast this morning. Yum!!

I thought this was funny...

Cantaloupe Popsicles

Dieter has been asking for popsicles for a couple of weeks (popsicle season is about over). I usually make them out of our apple or grape juice that we press or steam. We have so many cantaloupe in our garden I decided to make it with them. I blended a cantaloupe and added a little bit of honey. If I had any lemons or limes I would have squeezed a little in. They taste delicious and are so creamy!

Yuck!

That is how I feel! I have spent the night and morning with my head in the toilet (sorry for the description). Hopefully tomorrow I will feel better...

Vodka Please!

Kimball: I am at the liquor store. What kind of Vodka do you want?
Shay: Uh, regular!
Kimball: There is no "regular". The wall is full of Vodka. Potato, wheat, all kinds of grains.
Shay: Uh, potato? I don't know!

That was mine and Kimball's conversation Saturday when I sent him to the state liquor store (Don't worry family. We have not started drinking). You see, I found a recipe to make my own vanilla extract. I had know idea real extract had alcohol in it (not your imitation stuff. Check your labels). Anyway, Kimball bought me wheat and potato vodka and I am using the wheat vodka now (I liked the bottle better). Three months from now it will be ready...

Vanilla Extract

6 Vanilla Beans (They smell soooo good!)
750 mL Vodka

-Split vanilla beans in half lengthwise.
-Pour out few ounces of vodka from the bottle to make room for the vanilla beans.
-Place split vanilla beans in the bottle with vodka and secure lid.
-Store in cool, dark place, shake occasionally, for two or more months.
-When vanilla extract is ready, it will have a deep caramel color and smell delicious.

Recipe found here:



Vodka picture is some random picture from the internet

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"You look like a nap"

That is what Kimball said to me when he came home yesterday. I just laughed because I had just woke up from a nap. If I can get my kids to nap at the same time I usually nap with them. His comment made me think of when your sleeping and the phone rings, and you try to sound like you haven't been sleeping. We've all done it...

This is a really cute video about love

Bottling Peaches with Honey

Ok, so I don't have a recipe. I pealed and sliced about 8 quarts of peaches and put them in a big bowl. Then I added around 3 cups of honey (taste your mixture and add more if needed) and I stirred everything together and let sit. Then I filled up my quart jars and made sure that the peach juice filled up the jars as well. The last jars I had a hard time getting enough juice. It think if I had added a little more honey I would have had more juice. I processed them for 25 minutes. I am trying more today and hopefully they turn out as well...

Delicious Pancakes

I grew up eating Bisquick. I still love it, but I don't use it very often (except when I'm pregnant, I crave "yellow" waffles). This is a really delicious pancake recipe. It is a Fanny Farmer recipe (She published a cookbook in 1896 and introduced the concept of using standardized measuring spoons and cups.) Anyway, when I make it I use honey and whole wheat flour. When I make it for Dieter I have to replace ingredients with almond milk, rice flour, coconut oil, and baking soda...


1 cup milk
1 egg
2 Tbsp melted butter
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp sugar
1 cup flour
2 tsp baking powder

Homemade Ketchup

Dieter can't have store bought ketchup because of the corn syrup, so I made my own. I was surprised how good it was! After having it, I will have a hard time using "regular" ketchup. I multiplied my recipe by 24 because I wanted to bottle it.

Ketchup

2 lbs Tomatoes, roughly chopped
1/2 cup White Vinegar
1 Onion, chopped
1 Clove of Garlic, crushed
1/4 cup Honey
4 whole Cloves
1 Bay Leaf
1 Cinnamon Stick
1/4 tsp Celery Seeds
1/4 Red Pepper Flakes
1/4 tsp whole Allspice
1 Anaheim Chile, chopped (optional)
1 1/2 tsp Salt

- In a small saucepan, combine vinegar, cloves, bay leaf, cinnamon, celery seeds, red pepper, and allspice. Simmer on low heat for 30 minutes.
- In a large skillet or wok, combine all remaining ingredients except honey. Cook on medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until onions and chilies are very soft, about 40 minutes.
- Strain the vinegar mixture through a fine-mesh strainer and add the infused vinegar to the tomatoes and stir.
- Puree the tomato sauce in a blender until smooth. Strain the sauce through a fine mesh strainer and return sauce to the skillet.
- Continue heating until the sauce is at a desired thickness, about 2 hours.
- When near completion, add the honey and stir until fully incorporated.
- Taste and adjust salt, honey, and vinegar as desired.


I need a new camera to take better pictures :)



Recipe found in the Internal Bliss cookbook



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Dehydrated Almonds

Almonds are one of Dieter's favorite snacks (They're the only nut he can have). They are easier to digest if you have soaked them 12-24 hours before. I found a recipe in my Excalibur book for Honeyed Nuts. Dieter loves them! He has about eaten them all!

1 cup Almonds (You could do any nut. Soak them 12 -24 hours before.)
1/2 tsp Coconut oil
1 tsp Honey
Dash Sea Salt
Pinch of Cinnamon

Mix honey, coconut, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl.
Mix in nuts (Taste mixture. Add more honey/cinnamon if needed)
Dehydrate at 145 until crisp



And I found this picture on my mom's computer over the weekend. It made me smile! It was taken before we were married, so about 6 years ago. Kimball looks so young!



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