We Like Making Our Own Stuff

Homemade Furniture Polish II

2012-03-05T08:19:00.000-08:00

Did you know that many commercial furniture polishes contain ingredients that are known neurotoxins? Common products, such as Pledge, contain ingredients that can cause depression, damage to the central nervous system, and memory loss.

Do away with that junk, and make your own lemony furniture polish at home. Not only is it a healthier alternative, but it is very inexpensive and easy to do.

In the past, I used a recipe containing oil and lemon juice. This recipe is good, but I found one that I like even better! It smells so nice, and it has a secret ingredient in it: alcohol. The idea with the alcohol is that it will evaporate, pulling up some of the oil with it, which will in turn leave less of a residue on your furniture. ...That's my theory anyway.

You will need to infuse some oil with lemon peels before you mix this up. This is quite simple to do, so have no fear!

Lemon Infused Oil

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups olive oil
peels from one lemon

Place lemon peels in a large jar. Pour in olive oil to cover peels. Be sure that the peels are completely submerged in the oil to prevent any molding. Cover with square of cloth secured with a rubber band.

Allow the peels to steep in the oil for at least two weeks in a cool, dark place, stirring occassionally.

Strain the peels out of the oil. You can toss the peels in the compost pile, and save the oil to make your cleaner.

Now that you have your oil made, you can mix your furniture polish up.

Lemon Furniture Polish

Ingredients:

1 cup lemon infused oil
1/4 cup vodka, rum, or whisky (you can infuse it with lemon peels if you'd like)
1/4 cup vinegar (this can also be infused with lemon peels)

1. Combine all ingredients well. Pour into a squirt bottle or oil sprayer .

2. To use, squirt or spray the cleaner onto a soft cloth and polish your wooden furniture.

Here, you can see my homemade furniture polish on my freshly cleaned table:

Our First Double Yolk Egg

2012-03-01T08:14:00.000-08:00

I am so happy that our lovely hens have started laying again! We had a monster egg out of the first four eggs we found. It was so large because this egg had two yolks inside:

I was curious as to why this happens, and found an answer at poultryhelp.com:

DOUBLE YOLK EGGS: Double Yolkers appear when ovulation occurs too rapidly, or when one yolk somehow gets "lost" and is joined by the next yolk. Double yolkers may be by a pullet whose productive cycle is not yet well synchronized. They're occasionally laid by a heavy-breed hen, often as an inherited trait.

You can see the cracked shell from the double-yolked egg in my picture above compared to a regular egg. The double-yolked egg was much larger--poor hen!

Homemade Microdermabrasion: There is fresh looking skin under there!

2012-02-28T08:30:00.003-08:00

I do not consider myself a shallow person. I don't Botox or spend hundreds of dollars on anti-aging serums.

But when I noticed a wrinkle beginning to form on my brow, three words popped into my head: WTF!?

I'm only 31. A wrinkle? Really? I used to hear older women complain about them, and would think to myself, big deal. It's a natural part of aging. Get over it already. I'd like to go back in time and smack 25 year old me in the face.

Still, I do not consider things like botox or plastic surgery as being options. They just creep me out. Therefore, I look for alternatives--something I can do myself at home that wont cost a fortune. And that is how I stumbled upon a very simple idea: baking soda.

Baking soda is a cheap exfoliant, which means that you can use it often without breaking the bank, and it will remove dead skin cells, revealing the beautiful, healthy skin beneath.

When you use baking soda, remember not to rub it in too hard. Just gently massage it over the face and neck--the little baking soda particles will do their work just as well when gently massaged. You can do this treatment as often as every other day, but once a week would probably suffice. I noticed a difference after the very first time that I tried this! I highly recommend it!

Basic Baking Soda Microdermabrasion Rub

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon baking soda
enough filtered water to make a paste

Combine baking soda and water in a small bowl to make a paste. Using your fingertips, gently massage this paste into your face and neck, avoiding the delicate areas around they eyes. Use circular motions and apply only a light pressure while rubbing. Massage the baking soda into the skin for a few minutes. Then, rinse with warm water and pat the face dry.

Follow with a gentle toner and then a moisturizer. I have some recipes for toners and moisturizers in a past blog: Homemade Skin Care.

Now, if you are feeling quite ambitious, you can make an even more effective rub using an infusion of calendula petals and some essential oils.

Calendula and Baking Soda Microdermabrasion Rub

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon baking soda
enough calendula infusion to make a paste
1 drop lavender essential oil
1 drop helichrysum essential oil

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl to form a paste. Using your fingertips, gently massage this paste into your face and neck, avoiding the delicate areas around they eyes. Use circular motions and apply only a light pressure while rubbing. Massage the baking soda into the skin for a few minutes. Then, rinse with warm water and pat the face dry. Follow with toner and moisturizer.

I also have a few more suggestions for keeping healthy looking facial skin:

Coconut Oil: I have been using plain, raw coconut oil as a nightly moisturizer. After cleansing and toning at night, I gently massage about 1/2 teaspoon of coconut oil onto my face and throat. In the morning, I rinse my face with plain water and use my toner. Then, I mix a bit of my foundation with a little coconut oil, and apply my makeup.

Pineapple Juice: This has fast become one of my favorite skin treatments, because like with the baking soda, I noticed an immediate improvement. You will need a fresh pineapple for this, as canned juice will not work--it has been heated, and this destroys the enzymes needed. Simply squeeze about a tablespoon of juice from a little chunk of pineapple. Gently rub this juice into the face and throat, avoiding the eyes. Leave on for 5-10 minutes, and then rinse with warm water and pat dry.

Water: No, not to apply to the skin. To drink! Stay hydrated. Water keeps the skin plump and healthy, so make sure to drink enough of it!

Homemade Fabric Softener

2012-02-02T09:29:00.000-08:00

Making your own fabric softener is both easy and inexpensive. It can be as simple as buying a jug of vinegar, or a little more complex if you'd like to have added scent. Vinegar does a great job not only softening your clothing, but also in brightening colors and removing odors. Following are a few easy recipes to get you started.

Fabric Softener #1 - Plain

Ingredients:

White Vinegar

Place 1/2 cup of white vinegar in your fabric softener dispenser per load of wash. (Pretty darn simple!)

Fabric Softener #2 - Scented

Ingredients:

1 gallon jug of white vinegar
A big handful of your favorite herb (such as lavender, chopped orange peels, or peppermint)
20 drops of a matching essential oil (optional)

You will need to remove some of the vinegar from the jug in order to infuse the herbs in it. Just pour a cup or so into a jar or bottle. You can save it to pour back into the jug of vinegar once it is infused, or use it for something else (perhaps some homemade all-purpose cleaner).

Place the herbs into the jug of vinegar, cap, and shake. Allow the herbs to infuse the vinegar for a couple weeks, shaking every few days.

Strain the herbs out of the vinegar by pouring the vinegar through a mesh screen into a large pitcher. Once the herbs are strained out, you can pour the vinegar back into the jug, and add the essential oil. Cap and shake well.

Use 1/2 cup per load as a scented fabric softener.

Fabric Softener #3 - For Tough Odors

2 cups hot water
1 cup baking soda
1 cup white vinegar (scented if you'd prefer)

Combine hot water and baking soda in a large pitcher. Add vinegar (watch for the fizz-up!) and stir well.

Store the mixture in a quart jar, and shake well before each use. Use 1/2 cup per load.

Other Laundry Tips & Ideas

*Cut an old t-shirt into squares. Place a few drops of your favorite essential oil onto a square, and toss it into the dryer with your load of wash to add a little fragrance.

*Add 1/2 cup of washing soda to your wash with your laundry soap at the beginning of the wash cycle for heavily soiled loads.

*Add 1/2 cup of borax to your wash with your laundry soap at the beginning of the wash cycle to help remove stains.

*Add a tablespoon of salt to your colored loads to help keep colors vibrant.

*Add 1/2 cup hydrogen peroxide to your wash with your laundry soap at the begining of the wash cycle to brighten whites.

*Add a splash of lemon juice to your wash with your laundry soap at the beginning of the wash cycle to brighten whites.

*The best way I have found to remove blood stains is to saturate the stain with hydrogen peroxide, then sprinkle with baking soda, and rub the stain out.

Homemade Valentine's Day Gifts for Your Man

2012-01-30T11:59:00.000-08:00

The best gifts come from the heart and are built by our own hands. This Valentine's Day, make your gift to the special man in your life something special, something homemade. Following are some recipes and ideas for gifts you can make yourself to brighten your guy's Valentine's Day.

Just treating the man in your life to a special evening where he is "King for the Night" is gift enough for most men. Let him have his way on Valentine's Day, and make an effort to extra nice and attentive--don't spend time worrying about what he got for you, or what he will do to make your day special. Think about what you can do to make his day special. Men are usually pretty straight forward--give them love, and you will get it in return.

Start the night off with a romantic dinner made by your very own hands, complete with a yummy dessert. After dinner, give him a full body massage...and let that lead where it may.

Fettuccine Alfredo

A candlelit dinner will set the mood for a romantic evening. The secret to this delicious recipe is the addition of cream cheese, along with choosing a high quality Parmesan cheese (in other words, skip the stuff that comes in the plastic shaker).

Ingredients:

1 pound fettuccine

½ cup butter

2/3 cup heavy cream

3 ounces cream cheese

1 ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon salt

Dash pepper

Cook fettuccine until tender; drain and keep warm. Meanwhile, heat butter, cream, and cream cheese in a medium sauce pan until butter and cream cheese have melted. Add the Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper. Stir until cheese is melted, and sauce is smooth. Add the sauce to the noodles, tossing to coat. Serve at once, topping with additional Parmesan cheese if desired.

Serve this dish with garlic bread and salad, along with a cold beer or glass of wine (whichever your man prefers).

Peanut Butter Cups

These homemade peanut butter cups are so much tastier than anything store bought! And your man will appreciate that you put the time and effort into making him a treat, rather than just going out to buy something. Caution: you may want to make two batches of this treat so you can have some for yourself!

Ingredients:

7 ounces dark chocolate*

¼ cup butter

1 tablespoon coconut oil

¼ cup peanut butter

Line miniature muffin tin with paper baking cups (this recipe should make 12). In a double boiler, combine chocolate, butter, and coconut oil. Melt, stirring, until mixture is smooth.

In a small saucepan, heat the peanut butter until it is melted.

Pour 1 tablespoon of chocolate into each baking cup. Top chocolate in each cup with 1 tablespoon of peanut butter. Top each cup with remaining chocolate to cover peanut butter.

Place the peanut butter cups in the refrigerator for a half hour to set.

*I used 6 ounces of Hershey's dark chocolate, and 1 ounce unsweetened baker's chocolate. They were really yummy, and I think next time, I'll add even more unsweetened chocolate! This depends on a person's tastes however,--how dark does your man like his chocolate? If he isn't a dark chocolate fan, use milk chocolate instead.

Aftershave

Whip up some of this minty aftershave for him to show you care.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup witch hazel extract
2 Tablespoons vodka
10 drops peppermint essential oil or 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract
1 Tablespoon aloe vera juice

Using a funnel, pour all ingredients into a small, 4 ounce bottle . Cap the bottle and shake well to combine ingredients. As with any other aftershave, this is applied to the skin after shaving.

Foot-rub Oil

Your man will be in heaven if you give him a nice, long foot-rub using this basic oil that is so easy to make. You can use all or only some of the essential oils suggested; these particular essential oils are good choices for use on the feet because they deodorize, increase circulation, and aid in relaxation. If you do not have essential oils, but do have any of actual herbs on hand, you can click here to find a recipe to make an infused oil for foot massages instead.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup olive oil
2-3 drops each: peppermint essential oil, lavender essential oil, rosemary essential oil, lemon essential oil, tea tree essential oil, and eucalyptus essential oil

Combine the olive oil and essential oils in a small bottle or jar. Shake well. Allow the mixture to sit for 24 hours to allow the essential oils to synergize. Use as a foot massage oil.

Edible Body Butter

Rub this on sensitive parts--and feel free to lick it off! ;)

Ingredients

1/4 cup raw coconut oil

1 tablespoon honey

5 drops peppermint or cinnamon essential oil

Mix all ingredients well; store in a small jar.

Homemade Venison Jerky (Recipe)

2011-12-09T08:00:00.001-08:00

If you are a hunter, or have hunters in the family, you may want to try making some venison jerky. This is a simple and tasty way to preserve meat, and venison is an excellent choice for making jerky since it is low in fat, allowing for better dehydration. All you will need to do is slice your meat, marinade, and then dehydrate.

There are two important things you will want to do to be able to easily slice your venison thinly. The first is sharpening your knife. A sharp knife makes cutting meat so much easier! Then second is to freeze your meat for about an hour or so before you cut it. It will be partially frozen, which makes the slicing much easier since the meat wont be squishing around.

Once your meat is sliced, it's pretty smooth sailing after that. Just marinade it and then dehydrate it. For this recipe, I used my Nesco dehydrator . However, there are other methods of dehydration, such as using an oven or the power of the sun. Whichever method you choose, you will want to be sure you have adequate heat and low humidity. When the jerky is done, it should crack a little when you bend it in half. If it breaks completely apart, you have probably left it in the dehydrator too long (it is still edible, but will be pretty dry). If it only bends, but doesn't crack at all, you will want to dehydrate it a little longer.

Venison Jerky

Ingredients:

3 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce
3 Tablespoons water
1/2 Tablespoon salt
1/2 Tablespoon maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon red pepper (cayenne)
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 lb. venison roast or loin, sliced into 1/8" to 1/4" thick strips

1. Combine all ingredients except for the venison in a small sauce pan. Heat gently on low, stirring until hot and ingredients are well combined. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.

2. Place the venison in a shallow dish or large, plastic zipper bag. Pour in marinade, and stir meat to coat it well.

3. Allow the meat to marinade for 12 hours in the refrigerator.

4. Pour the meat into a colander, and allow it to drain for 15 minutes, tossing occasionally to shake the marinade off.

5. Arrange meat strips on electric dehydrator trays. Dehydrate at 160 degrees Fahrenheit for 4-12 hours.

6. Store meat in an air-tight container for two to three months. To increase shelf life, the jerky can be refrigerated or frozen.

Homemade Toothpaste (Recipes)

2011-11-29T09:08:00.001-08:00

Why make your own toothpaste?

For one, you will be avoiding fluoride. Despite the claims that fluoride is necessary for healthy teeth, there is quite a bit of evidence contradicting this. In fact, fluoride may cause a discoloration of the tooth enamel and damage to the bones. Children are particularly effected by this.

Aside from fluoride, there are many other substances in commercial toothpaste that you may want to think twice about putting in your body. Many of these ingredients are toxic, and some are actually known carcinogens! Ingredients like triclosan, artificial sweeteners, and sodium hydroxide (aka lye) are best kept out of your mouth. Look at the ingredients list on your toothpaste and start googling some of them...you may not like what you find.

Making your own toothpaste is easy and affordable, so without further wait, here are a couple recipes, starting with the simplest first. The tooth powders are by far the most cost effective, but as far as taste goes, the coconut oil toothpaste wins that one. None of these recipes will be the same as the ultra-sweet store toothpastes that we have grown accustomed to (just fair warning in case anyone is expecting that).

Baking Soda Tooth Powder

Ingredients:

Baking Soda
5 - 10 drops peppermint essential oil (optional)

This is very simple. If you are using plain baking soda, just pour it into a small jar and keep it in the bathroom. Moisten your toothbrush and dip it into the soda, then brush as usual.

If you wish to add essential oil, put a few tablespoons of the baking soda into a mortar and pestle and add the essential oil. If you don't have a mortar and pestle, put the ingredients in a small bowl and use a fork to combine. Grind the essential oil into the baking soda until it is well incorporated. Then transfer to the jar.

Baking Soda and Salt Tooth Powder

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons Baking Soda
1 Tablespoon Sea Salt
5 - 10 drops peppermint essential oil (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a mortar and pestle (or small bowl) and blend well. Store in a small jar. Moisten your toothbrush and dip into the mixture, then brush as usual.

Coconut Oil Toothpaste

3 Tablespoons coconut oil, melted
3 Tablespoons baking soda
1 teaspoon powdered licorice root (optional)
5 - 10 drops peppermint essential oil (optional)

Combine all ingredients in small jar and stir well with a fork. Allow the oil to cool. As it cools, it will begin to harden. Check it often as it hardens, and stir it so the baking soda doesn't all settle to the bottom. Once your toothpaste is solid (it will still be somewhat soft and spreadable), it is ready to use. Just dip your toothbrush in, and brush as usual.

Pumpkin Bread Stuffing

2011-11-16T08:18:00.001-08:00

I had a brilliant idea. I was going to create my very own recipe from scratch for this blog. It was going to be Soaked Multi-Grain Pumpkin-Cranberry Bread. I was so excited...

I was less excited when I tried to remove the bread from the pan, and it turned into a big pile of pumpkin bread crumbs. So, it's back to the drawing board with that one! But all is not lost, because I can simply re-purpose my pumpkin bread. Hence, a recipe for Pumpkin Bread Stuffing!

Put a new twist on stuffing this Thanksgiving by using pumpkin bread rather than the traditional plain bread cubes. If you are a fan of cornbread stuffing, you are sure to like this version.

Pumpkin Bread Stuffing

Ingredients:

6 cups cubed pumpkin bread
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1/2 cup bacon grease or lard
1 cup chopped celery
2 cups diced red onion
2 cups sliced mushrooms
2 teaspoons dried rosemary or 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
2 teaspoons dried tarragon or 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon
2 teaspoons dried parsley or 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon rubbed sage
1 teaspoon dried marjoram
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
1 teaspoon ground pepper
1/2 cup chicken stock

Process:

1. Spread the cubes of pumpkin bread on a cookie sheet and place in a 250 degree oven for one hour. Alternatively, a couple days before you make the stuffing, spread the cubes on a cookie sheet and cover loosely with a towel. Allow the cubes to dry out before making the stuffing.

2. Melt the butter and bacon grease in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the celery and onion to the skillet and saute for 10 minutes.

3. Add the sliced mushrooms and cook for about 8 minutes longer, until tender.

4. Add the herbs to the skillet--rosemary, tarragon, parsley, rubbed sage, and marjoram--as well as the salt and pepper. Stir to combine.

5. Fold in bread cubes and add broth.

6. Transfer to a greased 2-quart baking dish. Cover and bake in a preheated 375 degree F oven for 40 minutes.

7. Uncover and bake for an additional 10 minutes, until the top is crispy.

***Recipe Notes***

-If you are using plain pumpkin bread, you may want to add a handful of dried cranberries when you add the bread cubes. They add a nice flavor to the stuffing.

-I made some chicken stock, and saved the carrots, leeks, and celery that I used in the stock for this stuffing. I just chopped it all and sauteed it in the butter/grease mixture. Any veggies that you have on hand would probably taste fine in this stuffing, so use up your leftovers!

Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting

2011-10-26T11:28:00.000-07:00

I am finishing up processing most of our garden harvest at this time, but I still have not taken care of my pie pumpkins yet. The reason being, I still have a huge container of frozen pumpkin puree in my freezer from last year's harvest!

Needless to say, we are going to be eating lots of pumpkin this month. My first pumpkin recipe was pumpkin bars with cream cheese frosting. This probably isn't good for you. So make a batch, let everyone at home have one, and take the rest to work to share with your coworkers.

The original recipe for these pumpkin bars comes from the Betty Crocker Cookbook, but I have modified it so that I could use the ingredients I prefer.

Pumpkin Bars

Ingredients:

4 eggs
2 cups raw sugar
1 cup coconut oil (melted)
2 cups pumpkin puree
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup oat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

Process:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and lightly grease a 15 x 10 x 1 inch jelly roll pan.

2. In a large bowl, beat eggs, sugar, oil, and pumpkin until smooth. Add flours, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, ginger, and cloves. Stir until combined.

3. Spread batter in jelly roll pan.

4. Bake 25-30 minutes, until light brown. Cool completely.

5. Frost with Cream Cheese Frosting:

3 ounces cream cheese
1/3 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups powdered sugar

In a medium bowl, beat together the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla until smooth. While continuing to beat, gradually add powdered sugar until the frosting is smooth and spreadable.

Upcycle a T-shirt Into an Off-the-Shoulder Top

2011-10-13T10:59:00.000-07:00

I sewed this in less that an hour, and it turned out pretty cute. I took one of my husband's t-shirts that he wasn't wearing anymore, and modified it into an off-the-shoulder top.

All you need is:

T-shirt
Elastic (3/4" width or less)

1. Cut off the top of the t-shirt at the tops of the sleeves and across the chest.

2. Cut off an inch or two from each sleeve.

3. Put narrow hems in to finish the edges of the sections you cut off.

4. If you'd like, you can bring the sides of the shirt in somewhat so that it has a more fitted look, and cut some off the bottom if you'd like the shirt to be shorter.

5. Measure yourself around your shoulders. Take that measurement, and subtract 2" from it. This will be the length of the elastic for the top.

6. Measure your upper arm, and subtract 1". Cut two pieces of elastic to this size for the arm holes.

7. Use pins to mark the off-the-shoulder top into quarters. Mark the sleeves the same way, and mark all 3 pieces of elastic by quarters. This is so you stretch the elastic far enough while sewing; you will match the pins up as you go along.

8. I used the elastic stitch on my sewing maching, but zig-zag would work fine too. Start stitching the long piece of elastic onto the inside of the off-the-shoulder top, pulling the elastic as you go to line up the pins you used as markers. Do the same with the 2 smaller pieces of elastic and the armholes.

And, voila!

Yellow Pear Tomato Jam (Plus Sweet and Sour Chicken recipe)

2011-08-25T09:14:00.000-07:00

This is my first year growing yellow pear tomatoes and I have a bajillion of them!

These little tomatoes are only a couple inches long and have a nice golden color. They are less acidic than red tomatoes, which gives them a more mellow, sweeter taste. They have been very prolific in my garden this year, producing far more than any of our other tomato varieties. They make a nice addition to salsas and look pretty in salads. I also dehydrated a batch and packed them in olive oil, and am looking forward to using them.

My latest culinary creation utilizing my abundance of yellow pear tomatoes was jam. Now, at first when you hear "tomato jam," it may sound weird, and even kinda gross. But trust me, this jam is anything but gross! It somewhat reminds me of sweet and sour sauce, and it's got a little bit of spice to it, which I find to be absolutely delicious. You can use this jam as a topping for toast or biscuits, poured on cream cheese as a cracker spread, or a glaze for meats. Following the jam recipe, I will also have a recipe for sweet and sour chicken that I made the other night using this jam--yum!

Yellow Pear Tomato Jam
From: The Big Book of Preserving the Harvest: 150 Recipes for Freezing, Canning, Drying and Pickling Fruits and Vegetables by, Carol Costenbader

4 c sugar
3/4 c water
6 c yellow pear tomatoes
3 jalapeno chilies, seeded and finely chopped
3 Tb chopped fresh basil
3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp distilled white vinegar

1. In a 6-quart saucepan combine the sugar and water. Bring to a boil over medium heat and simmer until the syrup reaches 234 F on a cooking thermometer.

2. Remove from the heat and add the tomatoes, mixing well. The syrup may change consistency, but continue stirring and eventually the tomatoes will mix evenly.

3. Return to heat and add the chilies, basil, lemon juice, and vinegar. Simmer, uncovered, on very low heat until the mixture thickens, about 1 1/2 - 2 hours. Stir often, being careful not to burn. The jam will darken.

4. Ladle into clean jars, leaving 1/4 inch of head space (I used the little 4 oz. jars and ended up with 6 of them, plus a tad extra that I put in the refrigerator). Cap and seal.

5. Process for 15 minutes in a boiling water-bath canner.

And an additional recipe for you to put your jam to use:

Sweet and Sour Chicken

1 lb. chicken breast meat, cut into 1" pieces
2 Tablespoon flour
1/3 cup cooking fat (I used bacon grease)
4 ounces tomato jam
1 cup chopped pineapple
1/2 cup pineapple juice
1 Tablespoon vinegar
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
3 Tablespoons soy sauce

1. Dredge chicken pieces in flour.

2. Heat fat in wok or large skillet on high until shimmery. Carefully add chicken pieces and stir continuously until chicken is cooked (approximately 5 minutes). Reduce heat to medium.

3. Add tomato jam, pineapple chunks, pineapple juice, and vinegar to wok. Stir well, until all ingredients are combined and the chicken is thoroughly coated.

4. Mix together the cornstarch and soy sauce. Add to the wok, stirring well. Bring to a simmer. Simmer 2-3 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened. Serve over cooked brown rice.

How to Make Infused Oils

2011-08-17T09:33:00.000-07:00

Infusing dried herbs and spices in oil is a great way to preserve their, therapeutic and aromatic properties. Infused oils can be used in the kitchen and will add extra flavor to your recipe. They can also be used for medicinal purposes, for beauty, and even to clean.

Before you begin making an oil infusion, you will need to decide which herbs or spices you would like to use. Following is a list of various herbs and spices that I have infused in the past, along with a short description of what I use them for:

Calendula (aka Pot Marigold) (Calendula officinalis): The dried flower of this plant makes a skin-soothing infused oil that can be used for dry skin, bug bites, rashes, and a myriad of other skin irritations. In a past blog, I describe the procedure for making a skin soothing salve out of Calendula flowers.

Catnip (Nepeta Cataria): Catnip infused oil can be rubbed onto the skin for a mosquito repellent. But beware if you have cats! They may try to latch onto you!

German Chamomile (Matricaria recutita): Chamomile infused oil has a lovely, sweet smell, perfect for rubbing on after stepping out of the shower. Not only will it make you smell nice, but it is great for dry, irritated skin.

Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia): The flowers of this familiar herbs will make an infused oil that will make you smell nice, is great for soothing massages, and can be added to bath water.

Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis): The leaves of this citrusy smelling plant make an infused oil that is wonderful for cold sores, bug bits, and rashes.

Rose (Rosa sp.): I have used rose petals to make some of the loveliest smelling infused oil ever! It smells nice, and it great for softening skin.

Vanilla (Vanilla planifolia): Vanilla beans also make a great infused oil, for general use on the skin, massage oil, and desert recipes.

There are many other possibilities when making infused oils--use your imagination! You can even combine herbs to make your own custom blends. For beginners, I would like to recommend, however, that you use dried herbs to make your infusions. Fresh herbs can contain moisture that can cause the oil to go rancid.

Now that you have an idea of which herbs you would like to infuse, you can make the infused oil recipe. It is a very quick and simple process:

Herbal Infused Oil Ingredients and Equipment:

1/3 Cup dried herbs or spices
Olive Oil
Pint Jar

Clean and thoroughly dry the pint jar. Be sure there is no moisture present, since the least bit of moisture can cause mold to form. Add the herbs to the jar, and cover with olive oil to about an inch under rim to allow for expansion of the herbs. Cover the jar with a clean piece of cheese cloth, cotton cloth, or nylon and secure with a rubber band or string. Do not put the actual jar lid on yet, as some herbs release gasses while infusing that could cause the jar to break. Let the oil infuse in a sunny window for at least 10 days, or as long as a couple months.

Strain out the plant material and compost it. The remaining oil can be returned to the jar for storage, with the lid on, for up to a year. You can top the jar off with some extra olive oil if you would like to fill it the rest of the way; this also helps to avoid mold growth, since there will be less air space in the jar.
Once you have made your infused oils, you can begin putting them to use. There are many possibilities, but I have a few favorite uses that I will share.

Culinary Uses:

Oils infused with herbs, spices, and even lemon or lime peel, make a wonderful addition to many recipes. You can infuse your favorite herbs to make oils for salad dressings, dips, to saute vegetables, marinades, or as a dip for french bread (garlic and rosemary are wonderful for this).

Beauty and Health Products:

Infused oils can be used plain as a body oil or massage oil. Your infused oils also make great additions to many products that you can make at home, such as soap, balms, salves, ointments, and lotions. My husband loves when I give him a foot rub using peppermint infused oil.

Infused oils are also useful for many bodily ailments. For example, dandelion infused oil is said to be helpful for easing stiff muscles; ginger root infused oil can be used for arthritic pains; plantain infused oil is excellent for bug bites and stings; and a couple drops of garlic infused oil works well as an ear oil to soften wax.

Cleaning Products:

Go out on a limb and infuse some pine needles. Pine infused oil can be used as a furniture polish; or add a glug to your mop water to clean and polish floors. Orange peels, lemon peels, lavender, thyme, rosemary, and peppermint are other good choices if you plan to use your infused oils for cleaning purposes.

Mud!!!

2011-08-03T05:44:00.000-07:00

It's been rain, rain, rain around here! The garden is getting squishy!

But at least the cucumbers are loving it. I found a bunch yesterday that I didn't even know were growing.

And, as you can see, I've got one lonely roma tomato ripening. Have a great Wednesday!

How to Use Homemade Rose Water

2011-08-01T10:41:00.000-07:00

In my last post, I described how to make your own "steam distilled" rose water. In this post, I will suggest a few ways to use your rose water now that you have made a batch. Rose water is great for the skin, so it has a variety of uses for skin care; rose water is also useful for hair care, and even has culinary uses.

Using Rose Water for Skin Care

Toner

My favorite use for rose water is as a skin toner. Rose water will help to improve your skin's tone and texture. After I cleanse my skin with a mild soap or my oatmeal cleanser, I like to follow up with rose water as a toner. Dab a cotton ball into the rose water, and apply it to your face, using short, upward strokes; do not rinse it off. You can also get a little more creative if you'd like, and mix the rosewater with a splash of witch hazel or vodka. This will create a mild astringent helpful for removing any dirt your cleanser may have missed and tightening pores.

Help for Skin Irritations

Sunburn, bug bites, rashes, and dry skin are all examples of skin irritations that rose water can help remedy. Rose water has anti-inflammatory properties, and helps to repair skin cells and regenerate new skin tissue. Applied to the skin with a cotton ball, soft cloth, or spritzer, it is very soothing.

Facial Masks

Rose water is a great addition to any facial mask, in place of the plain water you would normally use. Here is a recipe for a very soothing facial mask, perfect for those with sensitive skin.

Milk 'n Honey Facial Mask

2 teaspoons rose water
2 teaspoons milk
1 teaspoon honey
oatmeal (powdered in a grinder or mortar and pestle)

Mix together the rose water, milk and honey. Add enough powdered oatmeal to make a paste. Apply the paste to the face and neck. Allow the mixture to stay on your skin for 20 minutes. Then, rinse the mask off your face with lukewarm water, and pat dry. This mask can also double as a facial cleanser.

Using Rose Water for Hair Care

The pH of rose water is near the same as the pH of a healthy head of hair. When your hair's pH is off, it is more prone to breakage, frizziness, and split ends. To improve your hair's health, put 1 cup of rose water in a spray bottle with a teaspoon of fresh lemon juice. After showering, spritz the rose water mixture onto towel dried hair and comb through. Style as usual. Keep refrigerated to prolong shelf life.

Culinary Uses of Rose Water

Rose water is fairly uncommon in most food prepared in the United States, but it can be found in many ethnic dishes. Rose water is a fragrant flavoring that pairs well with sweet foods, and can even be used in cocktails. Try replacing some of the water or vanilla extract with rose water the next time you make cake, cookies, and other desserts.

This recipe for a Rose Water Champagne Cocktail would be a nice compliment to any celebration or party:

Rose Water Champagne Cocktail

Ingredients:

1 ounce rose water
1 ounce orange juice
Champagne
Rose petals

Pour the rose water and orange juice into a champagne flute. Fill the rest of the glass with champagne, and drop in a couple rose petals for garnish.

Homemade Rose Water

2011-07-29T09:22:00.000-07:00

These days, roses are best known as an ornamental garden plant, or as a gift between lovers. But in years past, roses were much more than a young man’s means of wooing a pretty lady. Roses were once used for medicine, decoration, beauty products, and even food.

One easy way to make use of your roses is to make rose water, using a simple distillation method. You won’t need any special equipment to do this, and chances are you have everything you need already.

Note: Please read my upcoming blog post to find out what to use your rose water for once it’s made.

Homemade Rose Water

Ingredients:

Handful of rose petals

3 Quarts filtered water or rain water

Ice or frozen cold packs*

Equipment:

Large Pot with rounded lid

Large Rock with a flat top or a large, heavy glass bowl*

Small glass bowl

Process:

1. Thoroughly wash the rock and place it into the pot.

2. Scatter the rose petals around the rock.

3. Pour the water into the pot.

4. Place the small glass bowl onto the rock. Place the lid onto the pot upside down.

5. Heat on high until the water boils; reduce heat to a simmer.

6. Place the cold packs or ice into the inverted lid. Simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, replacing the cold packs with ones fresh from the freezer if necessary.

7. After the simmering time is up, turn off the heat, and allow the pot to sit and cool.

8. Once the lid is cool to the touch, remove it. The bowl you placed on the rock should have 1 to 2 cups of liquid inside. This is your rosewater! Pour the rosewater into a bottle or jar, and store it in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it.

*Rose water notes

Ice or Cold Packs: I prefer to use cold packs, since the melting ice can be a bit messy.

Large Rock or Glass Bowl: I decided that I liked the rock better. When I tried to use a bowl, it would always start to float when I added the water. So, unless you’ve got a very heavy bowl, the rock will stay put better.

Chinese Chicken Casserole

2011-07-13T10:20:00.000-07:00

I made up a recipe the other night to use up some leftovers. I had cooked chicken from making chicken stock, leftover cooked rice from another meal, and some broccoli from the Farmer's Market. So, I combined them in this Chinese-food inspired, stove-top casserole. This is a one bowl meal, and it's delicious!

Chinese Chicken Casserole

Served my family of 4, with about a cup of leftovers.

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon maple syrup or honey
1/4 teaspoon fresh grated ginger root
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 cloves pressed or minced garlic
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
5 tablespoons lard
2 cups chopped broccoli
2 shallots, minced
4 cups cooked brown rice, chilled
1/2 cup water

1. Combine salt, sugar, ginger, cayenne, soy sauce, and garlic in a bowl; mix well.

2. Add chicken; mix well and leave sit while preparing broccoli in Step 3.

3. Heat 3 tablespoons of the lard over high heat in a large pan or wok until it is hot and melted. Add broccoli; stir fry for about 5 minutes, until tender-crisp. Remove broccoli from pan; set aside.

4. Heat remaining 2 tablespoons lard. Add chopped shallots and stir fry for a few minutes (or longer if you prefer more caramelized shallots).

5. Add the cooked rice to the onions in the pan, breaking it apart. Stir fry the rice and onion mixture until rice is heated through.

6. Add broccoli back to the pan, along with the chicken mixture, and water. Cook, stirring, until thoroughly hot.

***Recipe Notes***

I always keep a hunk of ginger root in my freezer. You can grate it while it's frozen, and then just pop the rest back in the freezer.

Soy Sauce: Do yourself a favor and buy naturally fermented soy sauce. Most soy sauces are now chemically made and have lots of MSG added, which is not a good thing. Soybeans, like many other grains and legumes, are high in phytic acid. Foods high in phytates will prevent your body from absorbing many essential minerals, such as calcium and magnesium. The natural fermentation process used to make traditional soy sauce will neutralize the phytic acid. You will also want to avoid pasteurized soy sauce, since the beneficial enzymes present from the fermentation process will be absent if the soy sauce is pasteurized. I plan to post a "how-to" on making your own soy sauce in the upcoming weeks.

Lard: I have started to save our bacon and sausage grease in a jar that I keep in the refrigerator. It adds a really nice flavor to the casserole.

Pictures from the July Garden

2011-07-06T11:41:00.000-07:00

July has brought some hot, sunny days to us in central Wisconsin. The warm, humid afternoons are doing wonders for the garden, though a little more rain would be nice! Luckily, we have had great success collecting rain water this year to supplement our watering. We have just been strategically place five-gallon pails around the house to catch the run-off from the roof. We then pour these buckets of water into a large barrel, that my husband has outfitted with a spigot, next to our greenhouse.

Here is a view of our garden showing the front of our greenhouse, which is like an island in the middle:

And this is a view showing the back of the greenhouse:

This year, we interplanted our corn with the potatoes. Our hope is that the corn will give the potatoes a little reprieve from the hot sun, while the bushy potato plants will shade the ground by the corn, helping to keep the roots moist.

We have planted French marigolds (Tagetes patula) throughout the garden, since they are a natural repellent to many garden pests.

Thyme (Thymus vulgaris) is a lovely perennial. I planted some last year, and it has done wonderfully. It is also helpful in repelling garden pests. Right now, it is flowering:

Here we have our beans: black beans and the tongue-of-fire beans. I had purchased some fresh tongue-of-fire beans from a lady at our local Farmer's Market, and thought they were just beautiful, so I dried some to plant. I am looking forward to harvesting these red-streaked beans.

At the end of the school year, my son's fourth grade class received cabbage plants to take home. We planted it in our garden, and it has been growing quite nicely.

Catnip (Nepeta cataria) is a wonderful herb to grow. It is another plant that aids in discouraging garden pests, but it is also great for tea and medicinal uses. And, of course, the cats love it (which is why we have a cage around ours).

The entire north edge of our garden will have giant sunflowers lining it:

The yellow pear tomatoes are the first of our tomato plants to bloom:

We gave the kids a spot in the garden all their own this year, which they have been loving! Looks like the first one to harvest will be my youngest son; his peas are just about ready.

This year I have decided to grow peppermint. This is the first time I have grown peppermint, and I am keeping in mind all the warnings I've been getting about how it will quickly take over a garden if left unchecked.

There have been some volunteers (that most would consider weeds) popping up in the garden. We pull most of the weeds, but I allow some of them to go, like this red clover (Trifolium pratense). Red clover tea (made from the fresh flowers) is surprisingly tasty.

I also had some white campion (Silene latifolia) pop up in my "wild patch." This is an area that I have, for the most part, let go just to see what will pop up. Birds really like this spot.

I've enjoyed sharing scenes from my garden. Hope yours is growing well too!

Homemade Pita Chips

2011-06-30T08:49:00.000-07:00

Last night, I made my own homemade pita chips for the first time. As I was chewing my first bite of crispy heaven, I thought to myself, "Why have I never made these before?" They were absolutely delicious! They are so easy to make, I think I'll be making a batch every week now.

Homemade Pita Chips

Ingredients:

6 whole pita rounds
4 Tablespoons butter
4 Tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.

Cut each pita round into 4 wedges, and separate the layers into individual wedges. You will have 8 chips per pita round. Arrange the pita chips in a single layer onto large baking sheets, with the rough side up.

Melt the butter in a small sauce pan, then add the olive oil, garlic powder, and sea salt. Brush the butter mixture onto the pita wedges. Bake pita wedges for approximately one hour, or until the chips are crispy and just starting to turn a golden color.

Serve with salsa, bean dip, or just eat them plain. They're delicious either way!

Homemade Calendula Salve

2011-06-29T11:56:00.000-07:00

No herb is better suited for first-aid uses than the cheery, golden flowers of Calendula officinalis.

Calendula is easy to grow from seed and produces an abundant amount of flowers, which can be used in the kitchen, medicine cabinet, and for beauty products.

One of my favorite preparations to make out of Calendula blooms is Calendula Salve. This salve is wonderful for skin health, and can be used for dry skin, cuts, scrapes, burns, eczema, blisters, and rashes. So plant some Calendula, and begin harvesting the flowers as soon as they start to bloom, cutting off a few inches of stem along with it. Hang them in bunches to dry, and keep them in jars or paper bags. Alternatively, if you cannot grow Calendula yourself, find someone locally who can supply it or order it online.

To make Calendula Salve, you will first need to make Calendula Infused Oil. The oil is simple to make, and you can make extra for other uses besides the salve. The infused oil is a nice moisturizer for the skin right after showering, and can also be used for skin irritations much like the salve.

Calendula Infused Oil

Ingredients and Equipment:

1/3 Cup dried Calendula flowers
Olive Oil
Pint Jar

Clean and thoroughly dry the pint jar. Be sure there is no moisture present, since the least bit of moisture can cause mold to form. Add the dried flowers to the jar, and cover with olive oil to about an inch under rim to allow for expansion of the herbs. Cover the jar with a clean piece of cheese cloth, cotton cloth, or nylon and secure with a rubber band or string. Do not put the actual jar lid on yet, as some herbs release gasses while infusing that could cause the jar to break. Let the oil infuse in a sunny window for at least 10 days.

Strain out the plant material and compost it. The remaining oil can be returned to the jar for storage, with the lid on, for up to a year. You can top the jar off with some extra olive oil if you would like to fill it the rest of the way; this also helps to avoid mold growth, since there will be less air space in the jar.

Once you've got the infused oil made, you can move on to making the actual salve.

Calendula Salve

Ingredients

1 Cup Calendula Infused Oil
1/2 Ounce beeswax, cocoa butter, or emulsifying wax

In a saucepan, warm (but don't boil) the infused oil.

In a separate saucepan, heat the beeswax just until melted. Pour the melted wax into the warmed oil, and gently stir until combined. Allow the mixture to cool slightly before pouring into jars or tins. Then, allow the salve to cool completely before covering. Store in a dark, cool place for up to one year.

If you would like a thicker or thinner salve, try adjusting the amount of beeswax. The more beeswax you add, the thicker it will be.

I like to keep my salve in the little, wide-mouth half-pint jars, but you can use just about any non-reactive container you can find. You will want to be sure that whatever container you use has a wide enough opening for you to comfortably get your fingers in, however.

Once you have mastered the recipe, it is fun to branch out and experiment a little. Try using different dried herbs in place of the Calendula. For example, Lemon Balm is good for healing dry, cracked lips and cold sores; Lavender salve can be rubbed on the temples to relieve headaches; and Peppermint salve makes a good foot-rub for sore feet. Just be sure that whatever herb you choose is positively identified and non-toxic.

In addition to trying different herbs in your salves, you can also experiment with using different types of oils when you make the Infused Oil. You can try using or combining other liquid oils, such as sunflower oil or avocado oil.

You can even use solid oils, such as coconut oil or palm oil, as long as you melt it down with the liquid oils first. I like to add a little dollop of palm oil to my Calendula Salve, because it gives it a nice golden color. To do this, place both the liquid oils and the solid oils in a double boiler, and heat just until the solid oils have melted. Then use the oil blend in place of the olive oil in the Infused Oil recipe. Generally, you don't want the solid oils to make up more than 1/4 of the total oil, so that it stays liquid for infusing.

It's such a rewarding feeling growing your own herbs and then putting them to a practical use!

Homemade Furniture Polish

2011-06-28T10:56:00.000-07:00

If you've gotten into making your own cleaning products, like I have, you will want to try this super-easy recipe for furniture polish. This is a great way to make your wooden furniture look clean and shiny, without the creepy chemicals being added.

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 Tablespoons lemon juice or vinegar

Combine ingredients in a small bowl. Dip a small section of soft cloth (I like to use old, cut up t-shirts) into the oil mixture, and rub into wood, buffing until it has a nice shine.

And that's all there is to it! I hate cleaning, but using my own homemade products helps to make it a little more tolerable.

Homemade Air Freshener

2011-06-27T10:10:00.000-07:00

Making your own air freshener at home is easy and inexpensive. This recipe will add a subtle, yet pleasant fragrance to your home:

2 Cups water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
10 drops lavender essential oil (or other EO of your choice)

Combine all ingredients in a spray bottle and shake well. Spray through-out your home.

Praiseworthy Pineapple Juice

2011-06-16T07:58:00.000-07:00

Photo Credits

Pineapples are one of the world's favorite tropical fruits, coming in second only to bananas. This sweet, juicy fruit is high in vitamin C, which is why it was carried by sailors in the days of old to protect them from scurvy. Pineapples made it on the Environmental Working Group's "Clean 15" list, since they are relatively low in pesticide residue. If you do not have access to organically grown produce, pineapples are a good alternative to many fruits that are high in pesticide residue, such as apples and strawberries.

Not only are pineapples a delicious food, but the juice of this fruit is a very useful commodity to have around the house. When using pineapple juice, it is always best to use fresh, raw pineapple juice. Canned or bottled juices have been pasteurized, and this heating renders one of pineapple's most useful components, bromelain, inactive.

To get the juice out of your fresh pineapple, you can use a blender or food processor, mortar and pestle, or simply place it in a bowl and squish it with a masher. Then, strain out the chunks (saving them for eating or cooking), and store the juice in a covered glass jar in the refrigerator for seven to ten days; alternatively, store the juice in a freezer-safe container (leaving one inch of head-space to accommodate for expansion) for up to a year.

So, now that we've got all this pineapple juice, what should we do with it?

1. Give Yourself a Facial

Pineapple contains an enzyme called bromelain, which digests protein. This makes pineapple juice beneficial for the skin because it will eat away the dirt and dead skin cells on your face, revealing the fresh, supple skin underneath. In addition, pineapple juice will help to fade skin discolorations, so it is helpful for age spots and dark circles under the eyes.

Ingredients:

1 Tablespoon pineapple juice

Once a week, apply the pineapple juice to your face and throat using your fingers or a soft cloth. Be sure you don't get any of the juice in your eyes. Leave the juice on your skin for 5-10 minutes, then rinse well.

Pineapple juice can also be applied to your whole body, and is especially helpful for dry, callused knees and elbows.

2. Meat Tenderizer

Pineapple juice can be used to tenderize tough cuts of meat, such as round steak. To use pineapple juice as a meat tenderizer, about an hour before you prepare your recipe, cover the meat in pineapple juice and allow it to soak. Discard the juice after you have soaked the meat, and prepare the meat according to your recipe.

3. Sourdough Starter

Making your own bread is fun! Pineapple juice is great for this sourdough bread starter recipe from Fieldstone Organic Farm:

½ C unsweetened pineapple juice
½ C whole grain flour
1 C whole grain flour (additional starting on day 4)
1 C water (make sure you use reverse osmosis or distilled water)
¼ t cider vinegar (optional)

Day 1: Mix 2 T whole grain flour and 2 T pineapple juice. Stir well, cover and let sit for 24 hours at room temperature.

Day 2: Add 2 T whole grain flour and 2 T pineapple juice. Stir well, cover and let sit again. You may or may not see bubbles at this point.

Day 3: Add 2 T whole grain flour and 2 T pineapple juice. Stir well, cover and let sit again.

Day 4: Stir mixture and measure out ¼ Cup. Discard the rest. To the ¼ C add ¼ C whole grain flour and ¼ C water. Let sit 24 hours at room temperature.

Repeat day 4 until mixture expands to double it's size and smells yeasty. Mixture may start to bubble after a couple of days and then go flat and look totally dead for a couple more days. If this happens, at day 6 add the ¼ teaspoon vinegar with your daily feeding. This will lower the PH and wake up the yeast, which will then start to grow.

Once the yeast starts growing, starter should be fed equal parts of flour and water in a quantity sufficient to make enough starter for your recipe. Store the starter in the refrigerator when you are not using it. It needs to be fed equal parts flour and water once a week to keep it alive. This is very important to maintain a healthy starter. (You can either use or discard part of it when feeding so that you do not become overwhelmed with starter.)

And, just so you know, you shouldn't throw away the peels and cores of your pineapples. Make vinegar out of them instead!

Pineapple Vinegar
From Wild Fermentation by Sandor Ellix Katz

Ingredients:

1/4 cup sugar
Peel of 1 pineapple
water
cheesecloth (or old T-shirt)
glass jar

1. In a jar or bowl, dissolve the sugar in 1 quart of water. Coarsely chop and add the pineapple peel. Cover with cheesecloth to keep flies out, and leave to ferment at room temperature.

2. When you notice the liquid darkening, after about 1 week, strain out the pineapple peels and discard. (compost!)

3. Ferment the liquid 2 to 3 weeks more, stirring or agitating periodically, and your pineapple vinegar is ready.

Black Bean Wraps

2011-06-09T08:19:00.000-07:00

Beans, beans the magical fruit, the more you eat, the more you... Well, you know how it goes.

Despite all the silly poems out there about beans making you "musical," I went ahead and planted some in the garden this year (it helps that I found out adding a pinch of baking soda to the water when you soak them will alleviate some of your "musical" talent). I have black beans and tongue-of-fire beans planted, and they are currently growing quite nicely.

Since I will have some fresh beans from the garden, I started searching for recipes to use them. I found a site called Frugal Granola that had some really great recipes. I found this recipe, that included not only black beans, but many other veggies and herbs that we have in our garden.

Black Bean Wraps

1 Cup cooked black beans
1 Cup diced fresh tomatoes
1 Cup fresh corn
1 cucumber, diced
1/4 Cup diced red onion
1/2 Cup diced bell peppers
1/4 Cup chopped herbs (fresh basil, cilantro, parsley, lemon basil, etc.)
2 Tablespoons lime juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
Sprinkle of red pepper flakes, salt & pepper to taste
4 thin slices of chicken or turkey breast
4 tortillas (if using homemade, make sure they are thin enough to roll up)

Stir together beans, tomatoes, corn, cucumber, onion, peppers, herbs, lime juice, garlic, and seasonings. Lay one slice of meat on each tortilla. Sprinkle veggie mixture on top, and roll up. Slice in half and serve.

This recipe is one of my favorite kinds: quick and easy!

Homemade Raspberry Iced Tea

2011-06-07T09:24:00.000-07:00

"Iced tea is too pure and natural a creation not to have been invented as soon as tea, ice, and hot weather crossed paths." -John Egerton

Mr. Egerton had it right; no hot, sticky, summer day would be complete without a tall glass of iced tea. Iced tea ranks right up there with lemonade as one of the best thirst-quenching summer drinks. But besides being deliciously satisfying, tea (especially green tea) is very high in antioxidants, which help your cells to regenerate and repair. And since tea is relatively low in caffeine, it won't dehydrate you like sodas, iced coffee, or alcoholic beverages.

The tea recipe that I am going to share with you today is a favorite of ours, and my husband requests it every summer. I prefer to use green tea since it provides more health benefits, but any kind of tea could be substituted.

Raspberry Iced Tea

Ingredients:

4 Quarts water
1 1/2 Cups sugar or 1 Cup honey
12 ounces (3 Cups) raspberries
16 (1.8 g) green tea bags or 2/3 Cup loose leaf green tea
1/4 Cup lemon juice

Combine water and sugar/honey in a large, non-reactive pan. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar/honey. Remove pan from heat and add the raspberries, tea, and lemon juice. Stir and cover. Allow to steep for 20 minutes. Strain out raspberries and tea. Pour hot tea into a heat-proof container, or allow the tea to cool if using a glass tea jug. Refrigerate. Serve tea with ice cubes and lemon wedges if desired.

If you would prefer to make a smaller batch of this tea, just cut the ingredient amounts in half. For a little something different, you may want to try adding some peppermint sprigs or lemon balm with the green tea.

This is a very tasty and refreshing tea for hot, summer days. Stay cool this summer and get all the benefits of antioxidants by drinking some raspberry iced tea.

Fermented Dandelion Soda

2011-06-03T09:22:00.000-07:00

It is Spring! And it is likely that your yard is harboring an abundance of those cheery, little weeds known as dandelions (Taraxacum officinale). Rather than let this prolific plant go to waste every year, I attempt to utilize them in some way. I have dried and preserved the roots and leaves for medicinal uses, and eaten the fresh greens as a food source.

This year, however, I thought I would try my hand at making a special treat using the flowers: Dandelion Soda. I started with a recipe I had found in a book years ago, called Dandelion Fizz. Problem was, it wasn't really all that fizzy. Still a good tasting drink, but it needed some work. This year, I worked on modifying the recipe, and I came up with a good tasting drink that fizzes just like soda.

Dandelion Soda

2 Cups tightly packed dandelion flowers (gathered from a pesticide/herbicide free area)
4 Cups boiling water

2 Cups sugar
or
1 1/3 Cups honey

2 lemons, juiced (save the rinds!)

1. Rinse the dandelion flowers well to remove dirt and any little creepy-crawlies (I found several ants on my flowers).

2. Place the dandelion flowers in a heat-proof container made of glass, ceramic, enamel, or stainless steel (I used a large stainless steel bowl, but a crock would also work well); pour the boiling water over the flowers. Cover the container with a lid or a large dinner plate, and allow the dandelions to steep in the boiling water over night.

3. The next day, strain out the dandelions using a mesh stainer, a piece of nylon, or cheesecloth. Pour the liquid into a non-reactive pot (again, enamel or stainless steel work well). Add the sugar/honey, lemon juice, and lemon rinds to the pot as well. Heat until the sugar/honey dissolves, but do not bring to a boil. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.

4. Strain out the lemon rinds, and ladle or pour the liquid into a crock, a quart jar, or other non-reactive container. I have used canning jars, but I also have a glass decanter that I saved from some Captain Morgan and up-cycled into a soda fermenter-er for this project. I prefer to use glass; since it is transparent, you can easily check the progress of your soda to see if it has started to bubble.

Once you have poured the liquid into your container, you will need to cover the top so no fruit flies try to taste your soda. I used a scrap of nylon secured with a rubber band to cover the top of my bottle, and cheesecloth would also work well. Whatever you choose, make sure that it is not air-tight. Air needs to be able to escape as the soda ferments, or your container could explode.

5. The soda will ferment best at around 75 degrees F. However, I just let mine sit on the kitchen counter, and it did just fine. Allow the brew to sit for approximately a week, but check it daily. In the first few days, it may develop a film on the top. Do not be alarmed, this is normal. Gently stir it to break up the film on top. Eventually, the mixture will begin to have a pleasant scent, and you will be able to see little bubbles rising to the top. This is carbon dioxide, and is produced as a by-product of the fermentation. Once your soda has a nice smell, and is bubbly, it is ready to drink!

6. You may notice that a layer of sediment has formed on the bottom of your container. You can either try to filter this sediment out using a damp piece of nylon (I don't ever throw out my stockings if I get a run in them, they work great for filtering), or you can gently pour off the liquid, leaving the sediment in the container. Once you have taken care of the sediment, you can wash your container and return the soda to it for refrigeration, or you can serve it right away with some ice.

Should you decide to refrigerate your soda, keep in mind that although the fermentation will be slowed, it is still occurring. This means that carbon dioxide is still being produced, so you should leave the nylon or cheesecloth on as your cover to prevent explosions.

Dandelion soda is an easy project and a great alternative to the corn-syrup filled cans at the grocery store. My kids are generally the ultimate product testers for me, and they both gave it a big thumbs-up! So, don't let those dandelions go to waste! See what you can make of them...you may be pleasantly surprised.