Dawn's Red Thai Curry

Living in England for three years was one of the BEST things that has ever happened to my family as far as food horizons are concerned.  Thai food has become a favorite of ours, and I am happy to present to you what my family considers "perfected" red Thai curry based upon an Instant Pot recipe I found a while back.  Be careful of using the Instant Pot for curry type dishes...we've found it makes them watery, can curdle the broth, and reduces the flavor of the dish.  I've tweaked this recipe to be made in one pot on the stove as well as toyed with ingredients and amounts.  We hope you love it as much as we do!  BONUS: Gluten free, dairy free!

1 jar Thai red curry paste, about 8 Tbs
2 cans regular-fat coconut milk
2 chicken breasts, sliced into thin bite-size pieces
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup GF soy sauce
2 Tbs lime juice
1 Tbs + 1 tsp brown sugar
1 Tbs dried Thai basil leaves
1/4 tsp salt
1 onion
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 green bell pepper, thinly sliced
2 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
1 can sliced bamboo shoots, drained

Thinly slice vegetables and set aside.  A mandolin makes quick work and a quality dish!  Thinly slice chicken into bite-size pieces.

Heat red curry paste in a large pot.  Add chicken.  Cook and stir just until chicken lightens in color.  Add chicken broth and coconut milk; stir.

Stir in soy sauce, lime juice, brown sugar, Thai basil leaves, and salt.  Add sliced vegetables and drained bamboo shoots; mix well.

Bring to a simmer and cook ~15 minutes or until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally.  Reduce heat if curry begins to boil as this may cause the coconut milk to separate.

Serve in bowls topped with fluffy jasmine rice.

Instant Pot Jasmine Rice:

Use a 1:1 ratio of rice to water.  Rinse rice in a sieve.  Add rice and water to Instant Pot.  Season with a little salt; stir.  Use the Manual setting to pressure cook 4-5 minutes.  Quick release.  Fluff with a fork.

Mexican Rice Casserole ... Instant Pot version!

Having recently moved out of the States, I had to purchase several new appliances to meet different electricity such 'n such.  So instead of choosing a regular crock pot, I opted for the increasingly popular Instant Pot.  I've toyed with it a few times and not had anything turn out "off-ish" nor has it been too hard to learn.  That's a good thing!  One thing is for sure.  I have NEVER had such tasty and easy brown rice in my life!*  Which led me to try one of our family favorites, Spanish Rice Casserole.  Which we now have to call Mexican Rice Casserole thanks to mine and Hubz's trip to Spain last year where we learned real Spanish rice involves sea food and junk...I mean...stuff.  Mexican rice is the kind with the tomatoes and chili powder and such.  Or Rice 'a Roni style, if boxed is your thing.  But why?  It's so easy and much better for you to do homemade!

Four out of five people in my family are not too keen on brown rice.  I love the stuff!  It's so much better for you and has such a nice body and bite compared to plain ol' long grain white rice.  Well, guess what.  Making our Mexican Rice Casserole with brown rice in the Instant Pot went off smashingly!  EVERYONE loved it...even though it was brown rice.  Hubz didn't even realize it until I told him.  Success!

I am blogging the "recipe" so I can have a place to return to it (read: Pin it).  Just in case you thought this blog was dead.  ;-)

Mexican Rice Casserole - IP Style
Dawn E.

1 1/2 cups brown rice
4 Tbs butter
1 lb. ground beef
15 oz chicken stock (canned or homemade)
1 1/4  cups tomato salsa of your choice
2 Tbs onion flakes
1/2 - 1 Tbs chili powder
1/2 - 1 tsp salt
1/2 - 1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 - 1/2 tsp pepper
Shredded cheddar & sour cream

Set Instant Pot to Saute mode.  Melt butter; add rice and saute until toasted.  Remove and set aside.

Add ground beef and saute until browned and crumbly.

Add chicken stock, salsa, and spices (adjusting to your preference).  Add rice back in and stir well.

Lock on Instant Pot lid, making sure valve is set to pressurize.  Cook on Manual - High Pressure for 22 minutes.  Use Natural Release for 20 minutes.  Remove lid and stir well.

Dish up and top with shredded cheddar and sour cream!

Our favorite sides are sauted green beans seasoned with soy sauce, pepper, and sesame oil/seeds as well as tortilla chips.

....unfortunately, there were no leftovers.  ;-)

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*Brown Rice - 1.5 cups liquid and 1/4 tsp salt per 1 cup rice.  I made 2 cups for an Asian dinner and froze the leftovers in a muffin tin, 1/2 cup rice per muffin cup.  Boy it was sticky to accomplish!  Once frozen, dip the bottom of the pan in warm water and pop out the rice "muffins" to put in a freezer bag/container.  Perfect for quickly heating in the morning as a bed for a couple of fried eggs!  Great whole grain carb and excellent protein to start your day!  And perhaps one of the BEST food ideas I gained from a wonderful trip to Hawaii with my Hubz last December.  :-)

Mexican Rice Casserole ... Instant Pot version!

Having recently moved out of the States, I had to purchase several new appliances to meet different electricity such 'n such.  So instead of choosing a regular crock pot, I opted for the increasingly popular Instant Pot.  I've toyed with it a few times and not had anything turn out "off-ish" nor has it been too hard to learn.  That's a good thing!  One thing is for sure.  I have NEVER had such tasty and easy brown rice in my life!*  Which led me to try one of our family favorites, Spanish Rice Casserole.  Which we now have to call Mexican Rice Casserole thanks to mine and Hubz's trip to Spain last year where we learned real Spanish rice involves sea food and junk...I mean...stuff.  Mexican rice is the kind with the tomatoes and chili powder and such.  Or Rice 'a Roni style, if boxed is your thing.  But why?  It's so easy and much better for you to do homemade!

Four out of five people in my family are not too keen on brown rice.  I love the stuff!  It's so much better for you and has such a nice body and bite compared to plain ol' long grain white rice.  Well, guess what.  Making our Mexican Rice Casserole with brown rice in the Instant Pot went off smashingly!  EVERYONE loved it...even though it was brown rice.  Hubz didn't even realize it until I told him.  Success!

I am blogging the "recipe" so I can have a place to return to it (read: Pin it).  Just in case you thought this blog was dead.  ;-)

Mexican Rice Casserole - IP Style
Dawn E.

1 1/2 cups brown rice
4 Tbs butter
1 lb. ground beef
15 oz chicken stock (canned or homemade)
1 1/4  cups tomato salsa of your choice
2 Tbs onion flakes
1/2 - 1 Tbs chili powder
1/2 - 1 tsp salt
1/2 - 1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 - 1/2 tsp pepper
Shredded cheddar & sour cream

Set Instant Pot to Saute mode.  Melt butter; add rice and saute until toasted.  Remove and set aside.

Add ground beef and saute until browned and crumbly.

Add chicken stock, salsa, and spices (adjusting to your preference).  Add rice back in and stir well.

Lock on Instant Pot lid, making sure valve is set to pressurize.  Cook on Manual - High Pressure for 22 minutes.  Use Natural Release for 20 minutes.  Remove lid and stir well.

Dish up and top with shredded cheddar and sour cream!

Our favorite sides are sauted green beans seasoned with soy sauce, pepper, and sesame oil/seeds as well as tortilla chips.

....unfortunately, there were no leftovers.  ;-)

---------------------------------------------------------------------

*Brown Rice - 1.5 cups liquid and 1/4 tsp salt per 1 cup rice.  I made 2 cups for an Asian dinner and froze the leftovers in a muffin tin, 1/2 cup rice per muffin cup.  Boy it was sticky to accomplish!  Once frozen, dip the bottom of the pan in warm water and pop out the rice "muffins" to put in a freezer bag/container.  Perfect for quickly heating in the morning as a bed for a couple of fried eggs!  Great whole grain carb and excellent protein to start your day!  And perhaps one of the BEST food ideas I gained from a wonderful trip to Hawaii with my Hubz last December.  :-)

Mojitolyte Drink

No.  I have not forgotten about this blog.  I think of things to post and even consult previous posts.  The to-do list is this blog's enemy.

But I had to post this...if only to get it out of my brain so I can come back to it again and again!

I have mild to moderate problems with salt cravings, migraines, low blood pressure, heart irregularities, and static shock.  Oddly, all of these are connected one way or another in Researchdom with electrolytes.  Such a journey to take care of our bodies and do battle with the effects of the Curse on them!

I've been experimenting with homemade sports drinks because my neurologist asked that I drink Gatorade to help with electrolytes and hydration.  Gatorade has sugar and dyes.  Homemade is ok in flavor, but hasn't been great enough to make me guzzle.  Until today.

With a pending migraine and realization that I've neglected water intake today, I thought I'd just make a last ditch effort at an electrolyte drink I would actually like before reaching for IbuCoffee (my drugs of choice for migraine).  I love the taste of mojito - lime and mint, sometimes with coconut.  So I threw it together.  And shocked myself when I reached the bottom of the glass so quickly!  I bet some would even enjoy it made with coconut water which would boost the electrolyte content.  Me?  I like the taste and price of water.....

MOJITOLYTE

12 oz glass
Half glass of ice
1 tsp lime juice
1/4 tsp THM sweet blend (or sweeten however much with whatever you prefer)
4 shakes of salt
1 drop mint extract


Combine the above and fill glass the rest of the way with water.  Pop in a fun straw, stir, sip!  Repeat...?  :-D





TIP:  This changed my flavored water/micromuffin/oatmeal life.  Instead of opening your extract bottle all the way, poke a toothpick in the seal.  Now you can measure out one drop at a time into your water, micromuffin, oatmeal, what-have-you.  Just remember when you take the seal off after a while if you decide you need to measure large amounts more quickly.  I forgot I did that with my maple extract.  Yeah.  WAY maple-ized frosting.  Also, a near empty extract bottle.

I love my Oxo measuring cups and spoons.
But I sure wish they'd figure out how to make the labels stay on forever!

Superstition or Sovereignty?

It's been a good long while since a post has gone up on this blog.  We have good reasons.  Like having various roles in the end of the school/college year, an awesome wedding, and then a missions trip to Spain.  :-)  But today, something happened for me spiritually that I really want to write down to commemorate for myself but also to shed a teensy bit of light on just how wonderful our God really is, how He really is in the details and cares for us as we strive to live for Him.

For a couple of years, I seemed to have a weird knack for checking the time at 1:19.  It was not intentional.  It was annoying.  Why always 1:19?  Aside from the fact that it was so random to look at the clock at a consistent time, I was also annoyed that 1/19 is my birthday.  Two years I kept seeing the clock at 1:19!  It was one of those, "I don't believe in superstition, but come on!  What's the deal?"  I eventually started wondering if God was trying to either just amuse me or trying to tell me something.

Then my pastor started a sermon series (that no one knows how long it will take!) in James - one of my most favorite books of the Bible.  I've always known about the verse, "Be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger."  Of course I've always known about it.  I have struggled with anger for a long time, in varying levels, as I journey through life as a wife and mother.  It's flat out silly how long I've known and convictingly-loved that verse........and never realized it is CHAPTER 1 VERSE 19.  As in 1:19.  As in 1/19.

BAM.  Ok, God.  That is really cool.  How wonderful that You would BURN that reference and verse into my head.  It worked!  I've never been great at remembering references.  I won't ever forget this one now.  Ever.

So about the time I connected those dots, I started looking at the clock less at 1:19 and more at 10:42, both morning and evening.  I was in disbelief.  It was like making that realization and having that reference in James tatooed on my brain meant that I no longer had to keep looking at the clock at 1:19.  And now it was time to move on to a different annoying time.  Because it happened SO often.  And because, well, I was born at 10:42 pm.  What.  on.  EARTH?

It's been almost a year I've looked at the clock at 10:42, and I've been wondering this whole year if God was preparing to emblazon yet another verse in my memory.  I wanted to wait and see if it would connect on its own.  To see if I would have another "Aha, God!" moment.  Well, when I saw 10:42 today, I decided the wait was over.  My middle son came in about that time, and I said we were going to go on an adventure through the Bible.

We sat there and looked at every book, from Genesis to Revelation, that has 10 chapters.  And each 10th chapter we checked for the 42nd verse.  There aren't many!  But there were two that made my jaw drop.  Just like the James 1:19 incident.

But before I share the first one, here is a Back Story:  For several years, I have been convicted about choosing selfishness above serving my kids.  Kids constantly ask for things - whether needs or wants.  There's a lot of  times I would LOVE to change my name to something other than Mommy.  Mommy, mommy, mommy!!!  It dives me nuts sometimes - because I'm selfish (and perhaps because they need a touch of training in that area).  So the Lord started bringing to mind that one verse (remember, I'm not good at references) about when He told His disciples that giving even a cup of cold water to a child can be done in His name and is an honorable thing.  He has helped me over the last few years to focus more on the fact that children are DEPENDENTS.  They truly need us moms to DO for them what they flat out can't do or can't do well for themselves.  They need us to DO for them so that they can LEARN for themselves.  And my reactive bad attitude to their questions and requests showed selfishness - focus on doing what I wanted, whether a necessary task or a total time waster, INSTEAD of just SERVING the very children God ENTRUSTED to me to raise, protect, train, help, shape, teach, and send off flying from my nest (rather than being dumped out only to hit the ground).  Just serve.  My thought process looks something like this...  "Your child is thirsty, Dawn.  Stop and give your child a cup of water!  You get thirsty, and you can easily get yourself a drink.  Love your child, and get him/her a cup of water."  I know.  It sounds terrible that I even have to think that way.  It sounds simple.  But mothering is hard.  Mothering through chronic health issues is hard.  Mothering while homeschooling is hard.  Mothering is hard when you are a Martha in charge of a household (we'll get to the Mary in a moment...).  It's easy to self-implode when things are tremendously busy, and you just wanna do what you wanna do...which is sometimes nothing.  But that's not a luxury - it's a temptation towards selfishness.  Sure, we need good rest and to take care of our bodies.  But you know the line I'm talking about when it crosses over into selfishness.  Ok, ok.  Enough back story.

So we were talking about how I can't seem to avoid seeing 10:42 on the clock.  Guess what I discovered is written in Matthew 10:42 today.  "And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward."  NO WAY.  Reference forever remembered.  For an entire year, at the same time I kept looking at the clock at 10:42, God was also bringing to mind that verse as I struggled to grow in my mothering.  Unbelievable.  If you don't believe in a sovereign God, that is.  :-)

BUT.......there is another 10:42 I found.  I'm a Martha, as mentioned already.  I've known for years that I need to be more of a Mary, to be more disciplined in deep devotion and prayer.  Sitting at Jesus' feet drinking in all I can of who He is, what is in His Word, and communing with Him.  I get convicted EVERY time I hear a message on Martha and Mary.  Being a Mary is hard for me to do consistently and deeply all the time because my brain is the one that will get distracted by To Do's (or anything else for that matter), whether in thought or action.  Guess what Luke 10:42 is.  "but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her." That's just awesome.  A third verse the Lord has been using for years to grow me that "just so happens" to be a reference with the same numbers of a time I kept seeing on the clock which "just so happens" to be the time of day I was born.

I don't believe in superstition.  I never have.  But I have ALWAYS believed in God's sovereignty, even over the tiny details of life (like what flower is on a particular table...just ask my hubby about that story!).  I truly believe it is no coincidence that these times are my birth day and time, that I couldn't seem to NOT see those times of day, and that the numbers matched up with references to verses that directly correlate to what God has been teaching me the last several years.  Such a precious, unexpected gift from Him.  He knows I have a bad memory, so He has compensated and given me a way to remember references AND lessons.  :-)

Now, if I start seeing a new time on the clock................Ha!

How to Get Your Kids to Hand Scrub the Tiled Floor

Yep!  You read it right.  I actually found a really "fun" and successful way to garner help for my kitchen floor.  It goes month(s?) without getting mopped because, well, it's hard work.  And it's one of the jobs that isn't the kindest on my back, even when using a mop.

Yesterday, I found my sweet daughter having a creativity/generosity explosion.  She was doing all sort of things (without asking).  When I found her with a washcloth, Christmas towel, and I-know-not-where-it-came-from bucket of water cleaning the glass doors of the entertainment center "for Daddy," I had an idea.  "Hey!  Sweetie!  I have an idea.  The perfect job for you.  Do you really want to clean something?"  ::winkie face to self::  "Follow Mommy...."  ::sly grin::

I set her up to scrub the kitchen floor.  She was in heaven!  But how was I going to make sure each tile got clean?  And I knew she wouldn't last long, so how would I know which ones had been done?

Beads.  What else?  It would only add to the colorful "fun" of scrubbing the kitchen floor.  And it definitely did.  I got down on the floor with her, and we worked together.  When my middle son found out what we were doing, it was all he could do to make himself sit and finish his schoolwork so he could then come clean the floor, too.  Score two for Mom!  :-D

I told EA that he would get $0.05 per tile he scrubbed.  I gave him blue and yellow beads to put down as he cleaned.  Since Eden and I had put down beads, he knew which ones were already clean and could simply go to town.  Using beads also allowed us to create a line of red beaded tiles so we could break halfway for lunch and more school (and once we had the red line, we picked up all the other beads so we wouldn't have to keep dancing across the floor then counted out his beads and added up his earnings...bonus: Math!).  Later, EA and I went back to work, knowing exactly where to start and finished that kitchen floor!  It was great fun to spend time with him and watch him have so much fun working AND earning money.  He's so proud of his $4.45, which I will HAPPILY give him for scrubbing my floor clean.  It looks and feels beautiful!  And I'm pretty sure he'll do it again because he knows that's it's a fast and easy way to earn money.  And he loves beads and water!  Win, win.  Done.

The Best Simple Hot Choclate

For a while, we've been making our own chocolate sauce for ice cream and hot chocolate.  Recently, however, I wanted to try a Food Network recipe for "The Best Hot Chocolate."  It was good - but it was quite rich!  So the second time I made it, I tweaked the recipe.  The kids and Hubby LOVED it!  I did, too, because it was smooth, mild, and perfectly chocolaty.  Try it!

3 cups whole milk
1 cup half and half
1/8 cup cocoa powder
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla (optional)

Heat milk and half and half in saucepan (don't boil).  Combine cocoa and sugar in a small bowl.  Spoon out some hot milk and mix with the cocoa/sugar until it's a nice slurry.  Add this into the saucepan and stir well.  Continue to heat and stir about 2 minutes until everything is incorporated.  Add vanilla, if desired.  This makes 4 good cups of hot chocolate, 5 if you have slightly smaller servings which is what we do.

Don't forget the smosh-mallows!  My little Eme calls them that, and I refuse to correct her.  :-)

Asian Beef

This is a super easy, super delicious - loved by ALL - crock pot meal!  The ginger and soy sauce beef with delicious oven-roasted broccoli is a perfect combination!

1 sweet onion
1 tsp fresh grated ginger
pepper to taste
1 beef chuck roast
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup water

1 can sliced water chestnuts (optional)
enough broccoli crowns to feed your family
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
enough rice to feed your family

Place roast in crock pot.  Wedge or slice onion and place on top of roast.  Grate ginger on top of roast (or use a few sprinkles of ground ginger).  Pepper to taste.  Combine soy sauce and water; pour over roast.  Cover and cook on low at least 6 hours.

30 minutes before dinner time, preheat oven to 400.  Start your rice according to package directions.  Meanwhile, rinse and chop broccoli; place in baking dish.  Sprinkle water chestnuts throughout the dish.  Drizzle with olive oil and salt/pepper to taste.  Roast 10 minutes; stir.  Roast another 10 minutes or until it suits your fancy for doneness.  Your rice should be done about when your broccoli is - convenient!

NOTES:  The beef should shred easily simply by pinching with tongs or using a couple of forks to pull it apart.  Sometimes, if I haven't cooked it long enough or it was a not-so-great cut, it won't do that (always a bummer!).  Make it gluten-free simply by using gluten-free soy sauce.

Homemade Almond butter? Yes!

I have a confession to make. I don't like to try new things because I'm afraid I will fail. Every once in a while, I will branch out, be brave and try something new. Some time ago, I got brave and I tried making my own almond butter. You know what...it is so easy!

Now, I have been making my own almond butter for a while. I thought I would share with you how easy it is. I'm sure you could use this for other nut butters, since I actually got the idea from here where she is using peanuts. So without further ado here is a picture blog of how I do my almond butter.

 I use 2 cups of unsalted, dry roasted almonds bought in bulk at Whole Foods. You put the almonds in your food processor. Make sure you put the blade in first. I can.not. tell you how many times I've had to dump the almonds out of the processor bowl because I forgot to put the blade in. Once the almonds, and blade, are in the processing bowl turn it on and plug your ears. It is pretty loud for about 20 seconds. If you have others around you warn them there is a loud noise coming :)

 This is after about 30-45 seconds of processing. The almonds sort of look like course sand. At this point I stop the processor and scrape the sides down. I'm not sure you have to at this point, I just do.

You can see the almonds are a bit finer and are starting to clump together a little bit. I scrape the sides down again.

Here we have it a little bit more clumpy and you can see a change in the color. It is a bit darker that is because the oils are starting to release....scrape down and keep going. While you let it process this next time melt about 2 tablespoons of coconut oil. I have used both extra virgin and the more processed kind. The extra virgin will give just a hint of coconut flavor to your finished product.

It is really starting to stick together now and you can even see the sheen of some of the oil that has been released. Again scrape down. This time while you are scraping make sure you scrape up what is sticking to the bottom of your processing bowl as well. 

This is about 1/4 of a cup of melted coconut oil. I only use about 2 tablespoons.

If you can slowly pour the oil while the nut butter is processing and you don't need to process it long after you have added the oil, just until the oil is fully incorporated.

See how smooth and creamy it is. It is actually quite fluid at this point, which makes it easy to get it into the jar!

I have started saving jars and this is one I had on hand. Once you have finished mixing the oil in the butter simply add your butter to your jar and store it in the 'frig.

My 2 cups of almonds made about 1 1/4 cups almond butter. I do store it in the refrigerator for a couple of reasons 1) I think it will keep better, though honestly it doesn't last long around here and 2) it makes the almond butter a bit thicker consistency when it is cold. You will notice that your almond butter gets softer the longer it is out of the refrigerator.

So there you have it. It might look like a lot of steps but it really isn't. It literally takes about 5 minutes or so. If you decide to try your hand at this or another type of nut butter I'd love to know how it went. :)

My Go-To Essential Oil Relief Combos

All who are essential oil fans have to start their journey somehow, sometime.  I'm so glad I did!  I'm definitely not that experienced, but I also feel like I'm finally getting the hang of what to use for what.  And I'm happy to say they are effective!  I'm posting my favorite relief combos here mostly so I can remember what on earth I put in each, but also so you can maybe give it a go if you're interested!

Nighttime Asthma/Cough Relief

EA's first asthma episode was when he was only 6 months old.  That was the beginning of a saga.  A simple cold turned flaming ear infection turned asthma attack landed him in the ER and then a hospital stay for 3 days (missed my first ladies' retreat at our new church and also celebrated my birthday in the hospital with a preciously adorable but struggling infant...it was memorable).  Seven years later, we are finally not visiting the ER three or more times a year.  EA is not on multiple rounds of antibiotics for his ears or steroids for his asthma.  He's down to one asthma med instead of three (fingers crossed for this fall/winter!).  I attribute this vast improvement first to the Great Physician who has been so gracious to keep Elijah with us, healing his body over time, and allowing the medical world to have medicines and procedures to help little kids with asthma.  Second, I attribute the noticeable improvement over the last year to our introduction to essential oils used in conjunction with our humidifier.  It makes a HUGE difference.  When EA is having an episode, he will have terrible coughing spells throughout the night (puts us in a newborn-like-sleep-deprived state).  But, when we use the humidifier and essential oils at night, he sleeps the entire time (and so do we!).  It's incredible.  So here is what we do!  I've listed the specific reasons we use these oils though most oils have multiple uses.

1 full humidifier
pinch of salt
10 drops lavender (relaxing, calming)
7 drops peppermint (reduces inflammation, opens passageways)
5 drops eucalyptus (reduces airway inflammation, possible expectorant)
10 drops orange oil (I don't always this, but there is some research that has shown orange oil may possibly help asthma in particular.  I've found it doesn't really make a noticeable difference like the other three oils do.)

Drop oils in water.  Assemble humidifier.  Plug in.  Enjoy the scent and lack of coughing/breathing difficulty.  *Note* I have since doubled the oil amounts and diluted them a bit with sweet almond oil to have this combo at the ready.  Takes much less time to prep the humidifier when you don't have to do each oil separately!


Bite Relief

El mosquito es un insecto offensivo.  I think I said that enough in high school Spanish that it will stick with me the rest of my life.  I'm a mosquito magnet - sweet blood, according to my grandparents and parents.  :-)  But unfortunately, I am also allergic to mosquito venom.  My bites instantly sting, itch like fire, and swell up.  Some of them have gotten so large in my lifetime that I actually remember where they were and how big they got!  Biggest one on record was ONE bite on the back of my lower leg that made my entire calf swell, getting tight, uncomfortable, and ferociously itchy.  I have tried using essential oil repellent, but the only one that was successful works for me only for 20 minutes (or less most times).  I surrendered and use commercial repellents.  It's worth it to avoid the allergic reactions to bites!  However, I have discovered an essential oil combination that, when used asap, cuts the itch within a few minutes (you have to be patient for it) and drastically reduces both the reaction intensity and its duration.  I may have to reapply one or two more times over a couple days, but that's it.  And lemme tell ya.... that's INCREDIBLE.  Just ask my mom.  :-)  In a little bottle, combine...

2 Tbs sweet almond oil
20 drops lavender
15 drops tea tree
10 drops citronella
7 drops peppermint
7 eucalyptus

Boo Boo Oil

This combination is the latest one I've tried.  Last week, I had to give it some extra care to an ear piercing as it was having  trouble with being red, inflamed, and irritated on its way to infection.  I mixed up some "boo boo oil" and saw VERY quick results!  Within a few minutes of each use, the inflammation and redness goes down and the pain is gone.  The tea tree has definitely done its work at keeping infection away and promoting healing.  The peppermint has a wonderful cooling affect that brings quick relief, and the lavender is soothing.  All I do for treatment is place one drop on the back of the pierced area and a drop on the front.  Then I use a q-tip to wipe the extra oil that runs down my ear.  A small part of me wishes someone would get another boo boo so I can try it on different types, like a scrape or something!  But just a small part of me.  For the family to be boo boo free is a good thing!  :-P  In a little bottle, combine...

2 Tbs sweet almond oil
20 drops lavender
10-15 drops tea tree
10 drops peppermint

*Note*  The "little bottles" I use are simply essential oil bottles I've used up.  The labels come off very easily.  Then I just slap on a white address label and write on it with a sharpie, as seen in the Bite Relief photo.  I'm learning now that I need to write down exactly what I put in the bottle.  Hence the blog post.  And the recipes are hopefully accurate...I'm goin' on memory here!

UPDATE:  Ha.  While I was writing this post, EA tripped on the stairs and hit his chin.  It'll be more bruise than anything, but he did get a bit of an abrasion.  I asked if we could experiment.  He's a trooper.  :-)  He said the oil stung a little, then a lot, then not at all - less than one minute.  We'll see how the healing and pain relief goes!

Homemade Chest Rub

I used this recipe to make a kid-friendly version of chest rub for cough and breathing trouble.  I halved the essential oil amounts, but I think next time I may do 3/4 the oil amounts to make it just a touch stronger.  I don't have cinnamon or clove oil, so I used 15 drops lavender instead (again, will use more next time I make it).  EA really enjoys having this as part of his episode regimen, and I myself enjoy it when I'm having respiratory trouble.

Diluted Thieves Oil

My mom introduced me to this one, and I don't have as much experience or personal testimony of effectiveness as with the other combos.  It is thought to help keep the body from getting sick.  My mom used it on her feet at bedtime throughout last winter and did not get sick!  I've used it a few times on various family members when they have already gotten sick, but I'm not sure how much it helps cut sickness duration.  I am thinking about trying what my mom did to see if we have fewer illnesses this fall/winter!  Simply dilute Thieves oil with your carrier oil of choice (mine is sweet almond oil), rub on feet, and put socks on.  There is a TON of info online about Thieves oil and its uses...so if you want more info, get to Googling!

Sweet Taste of Autumn Cake

Because it's September.  And for whatever reason, my self-control completely goes away when September hits.  No more waiting for the sweet taste of fall!  Bring on the PuMpKiN!!!

I had a can of pumpkin.  I had a box of white cake mix and a can of chocolate frosting on hand (which never happens...long story).  There had to be a way, right?




Sweet Taste of Autumn Cake

1 box white cake mix
15 oz canned pumpkin
2 eggs
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ginger
1/8 tsp clove
1 can chocolate frosting (Choose your chocolate flavor!  We did chocolate fudge!)

Preheat oven to 350.  Combine cake mix, sugar, and spices; mix well.  Add eggs and pumpkin.  Beat on low speed 30 seconds to combine.  Beat on medium speed 2 minutes.  Pour batter into greased baking dish / cake pan / bundt pan / cupcake tin (because really...cake can take all forms).  Bake according to box directions based upon which pan you use.  Frost.  Eat.  Now you are ready to enjoy the best season of the year!  :-)

Ps 1 - Sweet Taste of Autumn because Autumn is my sister, and I love her.  And the chocolate/pumpkin combination always reminds me of her delish muffins she introduced us to years ago.

Ps 2 - Making this cake on a cloudy, cool, dank day will make you wanna break out sweaters and hot tea and boots and a cozy blanket.  Beware! :-)

Heavenly Penne Alfredo

For years upon years, I have always known that my "last meal" would include pasta alfredo from Olive Garden.  With grilled chicken, Caesar salad, garlic bread, and tiramisu.  I love alfredo.  And I no longer need Olive Garden to get it - goodbye restaurant prices and non-homemade!  Alfredo doesn't love the arteries, but I love it anyway.  I pinned a copycat recipe a while back, but the link no longer works.  Boy, am I ever glad that I printed it when I found it!  If you love alfredo...make this.  It is so super easy...

...it is divinely yummy.  x10.

Shown here with seared chicken marinated in Maggio's tuscan herbs olive oil,
basil, garlic, pepper, and salt then drizzled with a touch more tuscan herbs olive oil to finish.
Restaurant food at home, people.

Penne Alfredo
(with my editing)

1 box penne (or desired pasta)
1 stick butter
1 clove garlic, pressed
1 pint heavy cream
1 cup Parmesan cheese
2 Tbs cream cheese
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

In a saucepan, cook pasta according to package directions.  Drain; set aside.  Bring the saucepan to medium heat and add the stick of butter.  When melted, add garlic and cook two minutes.  Add heavy cream and cream cheese.  Heat and stir until bubbling but do not allow boiling.  Add Parmesan cheese and stir until melted and smooth.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Return pasta to pan; mix well.

Eat.  Die.  Go to heaven.  Alfredo perfection.

And, no, I'm not being dramatic.

D's Chicken Tortilla Chili

Wanna know what my family's TOPPEST OF THE TOP favorite meal is?  Chicken Tortilla Chili.  It's a recipe that started out as the "Super Flavor Soup" in a recent post a long time ago.  But it's been developing - and boy is it the tastiest now!  I usually use the leftover chicken from a crockpot chicken roast as well as broth made from said chicken.  You can also cook and cube your own chicken if you don't have leftovers.  Amounts are approximations as chili is the easiest recipe to add or take away whatever you want!

This yields a lot of soup.  :-)  Maybe 10ish servings or more?  My family eats two dinners from this one recipe.  Freezes well.  Gluten and dairy free!  Excellent with tortilla chips or fritos - we prefer tortilla chips as it doesn't overpower the soup as much as fritos.  But they're both good.  You can use cooked dry beans if that's your route, but use more broth to compensate liquids if desired.

~3 cups cooked chicken, shredded or cubed
3-4 cups chicken broth, or however soupy you want your soup (make your own!  cheaper and healthier!)
2 cans black beans, undrained
2 cans great northern beans, undrained
1-2 cans corn, undrained
1 can pinto beans, undrained
~2 cups salsa of choice
3-4 Tbs chili powder to taste (this is where the flavor power comes in!)
~1 Tbs cumin to taste
Salt to taste
Shredded cheddar, sour cream, and guacamole

Throw it all in the pot.  Stir it.  Heat and stir every so often.  Enjoy!

...

I'm.  Hungry.  Now.

PS Recipe...  Easy Guacamole for Two

(or one if you eat half today and half tomorrow because you are the only one in your family who will eat it...more for me...)

I used to hate avocados.  I adore them now.  Thank you, dear daughter, for being a baby in modern times and helping me branch out more.  ;-)  I make a super easy guac that I just love - there's no raw onion and no cilantro.  Eww to both.  But you can do whatever suits your fancy!

1 avocado, mashed
1/4 cup salsa of choice
Few splashes of lime juice (if I have it around, but it's fine without)
Dash of onion and garlic powders  (don't go hog wild here...you can always put in but you can't take out)
Salt to taste.

Mix.  Eat.

Homemade Ranch Dressing/Dip

Since wanting to start using less pre-packaged food, I have been on the hunt for a really good homemade ranch dressing.  Ranch is one of my favorites!  Apparently, I had found one and put it in a folder on my computer...and then forgot about it.  I made it for a church gathering and it seemed to be a hit.  It is so tasty!  I do think that it is a little thick for dressing, but you can simply add milk until it is the consistency you prefer.  Now, on to the recipe :)

Let me know if you try it and what you think!

Ranch Dressing/Dip

1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp. dried dill weed
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground pepper

Simply whisk all the ingredients together until smooth, adding milk as needed/desired for a thinner consistency. Pour into a container and keep in the 'frig. I imagine it will keep for a week or two.

Homemade Pizza

I've used a homemade pizza dough recipe for years!  I got it from a friend in college who blessed me with said recipe at one of my bridal showers.  She calls it "The Best Pizza Crust Ever."  :-)  It is not the Pizza Hut deep dish, greasy 'n crusty type.  Nor is it the thin crust cracker type.  It's is a soft bread type crust.  You could probably add herbs and such to kick it up a notch if that suits your fancy.  I've also included the sauce recipe I happened upon last month that is super easy and a perfect backdrop on pizza or sauce for dipping pizzadillas or homemade bagel pizzas.

Best Pizza Crust Ever
Jenny Heath

1 Tbs yeast
2 Tbs sugar
2-3 cups flour
3 Tbs oil
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup water
(cornmeal, pizza sauce and toppings)

Heat water to 110*.  In a mixing bowl, combine yeast, sugar, and 2/3 cup flour.  Add water and stir well.  Allow to sit for 20 minutes until a sponge is formed.  To sponge, add oil, salt, and 2/3 cup flour.  Mix together, adding flour if too sticky to come together a bit.  Turn out on well floured surface.  Knead with final 2/3 cup flour (or more if needed) for 5 minutes.  Let dough rest for 10 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400*.  Dust a pizza pan/stone with cornmeal.  Shape and roll out pizza dough; transfer to pizza pan/stone.  Prick a few times and bake 10 minutes or until lightly browned.  Remove from oven and top with sauce etc.  Bake another 10 minutes or until the pizza looks just right!

Easy Pizza Sauce III
allrecipes.com

15 oz tomato sauce
6 oz tomato paste
1 tablespoon ground oregano
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp ground paprika

In a medium bowl, mix together tomato sauce and tomato paste until smooth.  Stir in oregano, garlic, and paprika.

Rollin', rollin', rollin'....

Ready to go in the oven!

Ready to be topped!  I added garlic powder, oregano, and Parmesan cheese this time.

Toppings!

Let's eat!

Pinteresting Recipes & Reviews Pt. 2

French Dip Sandwiches - Slow Cooker Style

Here is a delicious, easy recipe!  This is one that I think would be great to serve when you are having a casual dinner with friends and/or family.  My Honey and I both really liked this.  Autumn, my oldest daughter, made this for her family (three kids, 11 and younger).  They all liked it as well.  So I feel safe in saying this is a dish that will satisfy a lot of different people.  I made this thinking we were going to have company but plans changed.  I was sad I didn't get to meet some new friends but happy that I now have the leftovers of this in the freezer for another day :)  Two things of note: 

1. I checked my meat after being in the crockpot for 6 hours since I had used a bit less than 4 lbs of meat.  I used tongs to pick it up and I was able to life the entire piece of meat.  I figured it wasn’t tender yet so I let it cook another hour or two.  When I checked it again; it fell apart as I lifted it with the tongs. It was so nice and tender *and* very easy to shred.  
2. I am trying to be careful about using processed foods so I didn’t use the boxed dry onion soup mix. I used a recipe from the Dining on a Dime cookbook Dawn and I have referred to in past blog posts.  Here is that recipe:

Onion Soup Mix

         3/4 cup instant minced onions

         4 tsp. onion powder

         1/3 cup beef bouillon powder (looking for a better form of this)

         1/4 tsp. celery seed, crushed

         1/4 tsp. sugar (didn’t add this)

         Mix all ingredients, and store in an airtight container.

         To use: Add 2 tablespoons mix to 1 cup boiling water. Cover and              

         simmer 15 minutes

        This makes a stronger soup than the store-bought mix, so you can      

        use less.

I used 4 tablespoons of this in the french dip.  I just sprinkled it on like it says in the french dip recipe.  I know if you make this you and your family will enjoy it.

Homemade Laundry Detergent, Take 2...Powder!

For Abbie, because I promised.  And the rest of our readers, too!

Well, I finally ran out of my 5 gallon bucket of liquid laundry detergent (Duggars' Recipe).  It lasted me over a year, and that includes a time when another family of 4 was living with us and using the detergent.  I also didn't dilute it nearly as much as the Duggars suggest because I felt like I needed more cleaning power.  My final review is that, while it definitely costs very little compared to store-bought, I felt that our clothes got a bit dingy after a while.  ESPECIALLY the whites.  Frustrating.  Also, I missed that "laundered" smell.  It's one of my favorite smells in life, after all!  It wasn't a big deal, but I also wasn't fond of measuring liquid.  It just seems messier than it needs to be, whether store-bought or homemade.

I didn't want to make another 5 gallons of the liquid without first trying a powder form.  Some people seem to caution away from powder because of it "wafting in the air" posing a problem to breathing health.  Others said they had trouble with caking in their dispenser.  It does cost a bit more than homemade liquid, but still not nearly as much as store-bought.  And powder?  Just so much easier to measure!  So I researched, chose a recipe, and went for it!

I used Liz Marie's Laundry Soap recipe.  I had 1 leftover bar of Fels Naptha, so I only did 1/3 of her recipe - yes, math was involved to figure out how much of the other ingredients to use.  Good brain exercise!  I also thought it would be good to only do 1/3 just in case I didn't like the recipe or it wasn't effective.  Here are my notes from making it:

• I left out the scent beads because of cost and non-necessity.
• Microwave the soap bar(s) on a plate.  It makes it SO much easier to grate or powder-ize.  After breaking up the pieces as much as I could by hand, I put it in a big ziploc bag and went to town with my rolling pin.  I figured, "The finer the bits, the better they dissolve" to avoid the caking issue.
• I picked up a simple plastic snap-top container from Target - plastic is cheaper, lighter, and IF per chance it falls off of washer/dryer/shelf, you'll only have to clean up detergent.  I use a 2 Tbs measure (harder to find in store, though not impossible...Amazon will rescue you).  Normal loads use 1 Tbs (half a scoop).  Bigger or more soiled loads use 2 Tbs (whole scoop).

I made my 1/3 batch back at the beginning of December.  It's mid-Februrary now, and I still have at least 2 months or so of detergent left!  Which means a full batch would last approximately a year to a year and a half!  My thoughts after using it for a few months:

• I.  Love.  It.  After the FIRST load, I thought I was seeing things.  The clothes seemed brighter - especially a particular green shirt my boys wear.  I called my boys into the laundry room and asked if they thought the shirt was a brighter green.  Even they agreed!  I'm pretty certain it's the oxyclean.  And if you keep extra on hand, you can add a little to any load you want to have an extra punch of clean!  I usually do this for whites and wash on warm.  They have revived a bit from the dingifying effect of the homemade liquid.  But new socks we've gotten recently are still perfectly white!  No dingifying!
• Laundry smell!  It's back!  I think because the Fels Naptha isn't so diluted down with water as in the liquid recipe, the smell is able to shine a bit more.  I imagine the powder version would smell like whatever soap you choose to use (Fels, Zote, etc.).  The smell is not incredibly strong like store-bought, but you might catch me with my nose in clothes.  Maybe frequently.  If you were a bug on a wall in my sunshiny laundry room.
• Measuring?  LOVE.  Super easy.  Mess free.  Unless you bump your hand or the measuring spoon or just completely miss your dispenser.  But that's user error.  ;-)
• Wafting and breathing powder in?  Not with daily use.  I did notice some of this action when pouring the batch into my plastic container, but I'm the only one around when doing it.  So no worries for my kids, namely my asthmatic boy.
• Caking?  I have had no issues with this at all.

Conclusion?  I'm sold.  For forever.  :-)

Ps - I would have pictures for you, but I believe my superhero power of spastic static ruined the memory card drive of my computer......  Apologies.  You'll just have to imagine my little container filled with powder and measuring spoon!

Pinteresting Recipes & Reviews

So the last week or two I have endeavored to actually make some of the recipes I have pinned on my Pinterest food board.  I have made bread, dessert, and a couple main dishes that I'd like to share with you.

FYI: I have included the links to the original recipes because I believe it is important to help fellow bloggers with their traffic and credit should go to whom credit is due for recipes!

Rosemary Olive Oil Bread

Though I have made quick breads before, this was the first yeast bread I have ever made.  It was quite tasty!  The reason I haven't made bread before is because I was afraid of failure.  And I saw success!  I was so nervous about making bread that I forgot to put the egg wash on until the last five minutes.  I realize now how silly I was to be afraid of making bread.  I encourage you to find something in the food world you've been hesitant to try, and go for it!

As for the recipe review... I was a teeny bit disappointed because the Pinterest user I found the recipe from said it was like the bread at Macaroni Grill.  I did think the flavor was better than Macaroni Grill, but it didn't have a hard crust on it.  Now, being a brand new bread maker, I don't know why the bread did not turn out crusty (perhaps from forgetting the egg whites)...and it certainly did NOT keep me from eating the bread.   :)  Also, I thought it needed more salt.  Perhaps sprinkling sea salt on top before baking would help.  I just put some salted butter on it which was really good.  I think you could dip it in olive oil with a little salt and pepper; and that would work, too.  I used fresh rosemary in the bread and dried rosemary on top.  I will make this again!

Beer Crockpot Chicken

The recipe will be found here.  Let me preface this review with a disclaimer (?) I started this early in the day, before I go volunteer at church for a few hours in the morning.  I don't know if I set my crock pot wrong or it malfunctioned or what happened but when I got home the crockpot was off.  I had no idea how long the chicken had already cooked but it didn't look cooked.  I needed dinner to be ready in a few hours so I re-set the crockpot for 4 hours on high.

So, I found this dry and tasteless.  I shredded two chicken breasts and mixed the meat with black beans and brown rice.  Then served it with tortillas, sour cream, cheese and taco sauce.  Once it was fixed up it tasted fine, good actually.  I saved the rest of the meat, in the freezer, to make chicken salad and maybe some sort of chicken casserole later.  I will try this recipe again because I don't know if the crock pot situation is what made it not taste as good as the reviews.

Main Dish #2: Philly Cheesesteak Stuffed Peppers
You can find this yummy recipe here.  This was so delicious!!  For people who are low-carbing, this is a great meal.  This is easy as well.  One word of warning, though it is a simple recipe, it takes a while.  I thought it would be a thirty minutes or less meal (the danger of not reading through a recipe).  It actually says to cook the onions and mushrooms for about 25-30 minutes to get them caramelized then you cook the actual stuffed peppers for about 20 more minutes.  But, seriously, don't let the time keep you from making these.  They are delicious.  I will definitely be making these again.


Dessert!:  Apple Enchiladas
This recipe is so good!  Another easy recipe.  We had this as part of my dad's birthday dinner.  We had Dawn's Chicken Tortillas soup.  I'm not sure we have posted that here but if we haven't we need to do that :)  It was fun to have a main dish and a dessert with a spanish/mexican flair.  I served vanilla ice cream along side the enchiladas.  The sauce that you make so pour over the enchiladas before baking is so good, I have thought about making it just as an ice cream topper.  I will make this again, but I think next time I may try it with cherries, since that is my Honey's preferred cooked fruit.

Let us know if you try any of these and what you think of them.  Remember Pinterest is only a worth while thing if you actually USE/DO the ideas that you pin...otherwise it is simply a time waster.

Update: Why update you ask? Well I actually typed this a while ago and forgot to publish it :P  I have another one that I did the same thing with that I will post in a day or so :)

Ninja Express Chopper: A Review

Oh. My. Goodness. I love this new little gadget. I have had the Ninja Express Chopper for several months now.  I have used it, exclusively,  for chopping almonds to put in my yogurt, until the other day. I was making a ragu (that sounds fancy but it really isn't). I needed to chop onions, carrots and celery. I don't mind chopping onions, to much, but chopping carrots and celery is not fun. I wondered how the chopper would do, since carrots are hard, celery is stringy and it didn't matter if everything was uniformly chopped. Well, you know the old saying, "a picture is worth a thousand words"? Here you go :)

The Ninja Chopper is a small, no frills chopper. It has one speed, go.

This is after 3-4 quick pulses. Strings were no problem.

I could have done more than one carrot at a time.

Again, just 3-4, maybe 5 pulses and done.

I am very happy with this little workhorse (I was not paid for this in any way, I just love this little gadget). I will use it more often now and for more than just almonds. 

Personal Testimony: Lavender Oil for Burn Treatment

I'm still sort of a newcomer to the world of essential oils, though I don't feel quite as "Huh?" as I once did.  :-)  Lavender oil seems to be a go-to oil for many, many things; and this last week, I learned from personal experience just how good it is at healing the skin.  I've read that you can combine it with witch hazel to use on cuts and scrapes as a natural wash before bandaging, but you can also use it to treat burns.  Lavender oil is one of the few oils that you can put directly on your skin - never put an essential oil directly on the skin unless you have checked if it's ok first!  Many oils need to be put in a carrier oil such as olive or sweet almond.  Do your research!

That said, I just wanted to share my personal testimony to the healing power of lavender oil for a burn that graces my forearm.  I received the burn while cooking by iPhone light - Hubz and my dad were installing a new dining light fixture which meant lack of electricity to the kitchen.  I was pulling something out of the oven, and quick as a wink my forearm touched the 400+* rack.  I didn't think it was a terrible burn.  I put an ice pack on it for a few minutes and called it good.  Apparently, it must have been one of those burns where your skin was touching for a bit longer than you thought...  It blistered.  It was swollen, red, and irritated.  I made a tiny mixture of real aloe from my plant, sweet almond oil, and a drop of lavender oil.  I dipped gauze in the mixture, and then wrapped the burn.  It felt SO cool and soothing!  I did this for a couple of days, but the burn didn't really seem to be improving. If anything, it seemed to start feeling more painful and irritated.  I tried antibiotic ointment - which did nothing.  So, "Whatever...I'm getting desperate...I'll just slap some straight lavender oil on it."

Amazing things happened, folks.  By the next morning, there was zero pain, irritation, and inflammation (it was actually dipped below my normal skin level just a bit!).  It looked noticeably better, too.  I kept it loosely covered throughout the day just to keep fabrics and such from rubbing against the burn.  By night, I could tell there was a little bit of swelling around the edges.  I put another drop of lavender oil straight on the burn and wrapped it up for another night.  Next morning, again, a remarkable improvement!  I wish I would have taken a picture when I started using the straight lavender oil, but I did start documenting a few days ago.  Here is the progression of healing over the last five days (minus day 4 in which I did not put any lavender oil on the burn just to see if it would continue healing quickly after several days of treatment).  See for yourself!

After one night of treatment.  Ask my mom about the level of improvement!  She was here when the burn happened!  The burn went from blistery and angry looking to calm and smoothly scabbed overnight!

Day 2 - the scab is noticeably smaller and new pink flesh is appearing.

Day 3 - Again, the scab is remarkably smaller and the pink flesh is calming down in color.

Skipped Day 4 just to see what would happen.  This is Day 5.  WOW!  Only a dot of scab left, and the pink area is much less noticeable.  Can you tell I'm amazed and excited?  :-)

Hubz and I wonder how society has departed so far from natural remedies when clearly they work!  There is definitely a place for medicine (we're advocates of that, too!), but if you can keep it simple for simple things...why wouldn't you?