tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14657062398529901362013-12-05T22:11:14.123-07:00real2liveLive real to live better.Tom Davisnoreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1465706239852990136.post-43012713901177323072013-10-14T01:20:00.000-07:002013-10-14T01:20:01.018-07:00We're moving.<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: x-large;">We're moving (finally! (yea!!))</span></h3><div><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.real2live.com/" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="224" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WF_NF7DHIXs/UlWvvLNv-nI/AAAAAAAAAjU/4S0ttCvo5RY/s640/R2L-banner-blue_B.png" width="640" /></a></div><h3 style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.real2live.com/">http://www.real2live.com</a></h3><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #444444;">Come and join us as we continue converting our family to a healthier lifestyle. There will be a lot going on on the new website!</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>Tom Davishttps://plus.google.com/104918751742812973804noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1465706239852990136.post-83987775133745668232013-09-22T22:28:00.004-07:002013-09-27T15:12:21.488-07:00Spicy Black Bean and Corn Salsa (Vegetarian, Vegan)<div style="text-align: center;"><b> </b><b><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-slrcoVerroA/Uj_FxyNHyGI/AAAAAAAAAhY/aCHhLrelaZs/s1600/DSCN2234%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-slrcoVerroA/Uj_FxyNHyGI/AAAAAAAAAhY/aCHhLrelaZs/s640/DSCN2234%5B1%5D.jpg" width="640" /></a></b></div><br /> I came across a form of this recipe years ago and had to give it a try. It turned out, whoever's recipe it was, had hyper-active heat sensors on their taste buds. There just wasn't any heat. The concept was there though, so I tweaked it. This still isn't hot hot, so most anyone can enjoy it, but there's also enough heat to please those who like it hot. If you have people over who really don't do spicy food, just eliminate the heat mixture. If you've got a heat loving crowd coming over, double up on the heat mixture. This recipe is easily customized.<br /><br /> The ingredient list on this one is longer than the instructions too (I love those kinds of recipes!) It also gives me the excuse to get out my molcajete and use it. I think I have <b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0042DFC0Y/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0042DFC0Y&linkCode=as2&tag=real2live-20">this exact one here</a></b> (it's really a mortar and pestle, but growing up in Arizona I always thought they were just called "molcajetes". I was nearly an adult before I realized there was a difference.)<br />*as always. whenever possible use, fresh, organic, and local)<br /><b><br /></b><b>Base </b><br /><table border="0" style="width: 500px;"> <tbody><tr> <td>1</td> <td>Can</td> <td>Black beans (homemade, or organic<br />canned (just beans, water, and maybe salt))</td> </tr><tr> <td>16</td> <td>oz</td> <td>Corn (frozen)</td> </tr><tr> <td>1/2</td> <td>Cup</td> <td>Cilantro (fresh, chopped)</td> </tr><tr> <td>1/4</td> <td>Cup</td> <td>Green onion (diced)</td> </tr><tr> <td>1/4</td> <td>Cup</td> <td>Red onion (diced)</td> </tr><tr> <td>1/3</td> <td>Cup</td> <td>Lime juice (fresh squeezed)</td> </tr><tr> <td>1/2</td> <td>Cup</td> <td>Red bell pepper (chopped)</td> </tr><tr> <td>3</td> <td>Tbsp</td> <td>Extra virgin olive oil (cold pressed)</td> </tr><tr> <td>1</td> <td>Tbsp</td> <td>Cumin (ground)</td> </tr><tr> <td>1</td> <td>Cup</td> <td>Tomatoes (fresh, diced)</td> </tr><tr> <td>1</td> <td></td> <td>Jalapeno (deseeded, deveined, diced)</td> </tr></tbody></table><br /><div><b>Heat mixture (optional)</b></div><table border="0" style="width: 500px;"> <tbody><tr> <td>1</td> <td></td> <td>Jalapeno (with veins and seeds, diced)</td> </tr><tr> <td>2</td> <td>Tbsp</td> <td>Vinegar (white)</td> </tr><tr> <td>4</td> <td>Cloves</td> <td>Garlic (fresh, minced)</td> </tr><tr> <td>1</td> <td>tsp</td> <td>Cayenne pepper (ground)</td> </tr><tr> <td>1</td> <td>tsp</td> <td>Chili powder</td> </tr><tr> <td>4-5</td> <td>drops</td> <td>Hot sauce (Tabasco, or...etc.)</td></tr></tbody></table><div> <br /> Drain and rinse the black beans. Juice about 3 limes for the 1/3 Cup (I love the convenience of this <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001ULC9I4/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B001ULC9I4&linkCode=as2&tag=real2live-20"><b>lime juicer</b></a>.) Combine all the ingredient from the "base" recipe except the tomatoes in a large bowl. Salt and pepper to taste.</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5YmdZPgTX3U/Uj_N9gIg3sI/AAAAAAAAAiU/Kh16pCnQ820/s1600/DSCN2233%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5YmdZPgTX3U/Uj_N9gIg3sI/AAAAAAAAAiU/Kh16pCnQ820/s400/DSCN2233%5B1%5D.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div> Put the vinegar in to the molcajete. Add the minced jalapenos (with seeds and veins.) Pay special attention to trying to grind the jalapeno seed as this helps to release some of those oils in the seed itself. Mash the jalapeno in to the vinegar.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1cUNLQl0qic/Uj_MTkcHEDI/AAAAAAAAAho/trvbYvYb0w4/s1600/DSCN2228%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1cUNLQl0qic/Uj_MTkcHEDI/AAAAAAAAAho/trvbYvYb0w4/s400/DSCN2228%5B1%5D.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fmafQGHs7KE/Uj_M0J9qWMI/AAAAAAAAAhw/x-e1q9zEXSg/s1600/DSCN2229%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fmafQGHs7KE/Uj_M0J9qWMI/AAAAAAAAAhw/x-e1q9zEXSg/s400/DSCN2229%5B1%5D.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div> This is also why using a molcajete is so fun, you can really get in there with some force and feel like you're being destructive...anything with pounding, smashing, grinding food by hand (well, without a motor at least)...it's a little primal.<br /> Add the garlic, spices, and hot sauce, and continue to smash together.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KPsBFC2URuc/Uj_NOXZVeVI/AAAAAAAAAh4/pm377bEqsZU/s1600/DSCN2230%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KPsBFC2URuc/Uj_NOXZVeVI/AAAAAAAAAh4/pm377bEqsZU/s400/DSCN2230%5B1%5D.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000Y3QINQ/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B000Y3QINQ&linkCode=as2&tag=real2live-20"><b>Ass Blaster</b></a> or <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000G6TNS8/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B000G6TNS8&linkCode=as2&tag=real2live-20"><b>Spontaneous Combustion</b></a> are a couple of my favorites.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OKlvawlewHM/Uj_NTvmGGhI/AAAAAAAAAiA/jTynQtfwcpw/s1600/DSCN2231%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OKlvawlewHM/Uj_NTvmGGhI/AAAAAAAAAiA/jTynQtfwcpw/s400/DSCN2231%5B1%5D.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sU4vPyR17P8/Uj_NYFk_XvI/AAAAAAAAAiI/Dk9uaCQsW7I/s1600/DSCN2232%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sU4vPyR17P8/Uj_NYFk_XvI/AAAAAAAAAiI/Dk9uaCQsW7I/s400/DSCN2232%5B1%5D.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> You'll end up with a finely chopped salsa looking mix.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: center;"> Once the heat mix is nice and combined take a taste test of it. If it needs a little more hot sauce, by all means, feel free.</span></div></div><div> If you can make the heat mixture a head of time and let it sit in it's own juices for a few hours, that flavor will develop even further, but this is not required. If adding the heat mix, add it to the base now and stir it all together. Cover and chill in refrigerator for at least 2 hours. Stir in tomatoes just before serving.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YQKPBHWxWw0/Uj_OIOpTetI/AAAAAAAAAic/L-h45agwnWU/s1600/DSCN2238%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YQKPBHWxWw0/Uj_OIOpTetI/AAAAAAAAAic/L-h45agwnWU/s400/DSCN2238%5B1%5D.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div>*Note - in my opinion, there's no such thing as "too much cilantro" so use the 1/2 Cup as a guide.<br /><br />*Note - If you're sensitive to peppers, or are prone to cutting peppers then touching your face, you might want to wear some rubber gloves while preparing the jalapenos.</div><div><br /></div><div> This is excellent on tortilla chips. You can also use it as a burrito filling by itself. If you want to be a carnivore add some shredded chicken or I imagine carnitas, or a shredded beef (barbacoa style maybe)) would be awesome as well, but haven't tried the carnitas or barbacoa yet.</div><div><br /></div><div> Enjoy!</div>Tom Davishttps://plus.google.com/104918751742812973804noreply@blogger.com0Phoenix, AZ, USA33.4483771 -112.0740372999999932.6020036 -113.36493079999998 34.2947506 -110.78314379999999tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1465706239852990136.post-66540874528957104712013-09-19T07:00:00.000-07:002013-09-19T13:43:51.286-07:00The Dirty Dozen and Clean 15<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WhtrgMUkW4I/UjtfycconkI/AAAAAAAAAhI/Or0ejX-d9Ik/s1600/clean+15+dirty+12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="128" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WhtrgMUkW4I/UjtfycconkI/AAAAAAAAAhI/Or0ejX-d9Ik/s400/clean+15+dirty+12.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div> No real food blog is complete without a "dirty dozen and clean 15" post, so here's ours! If this is your fist time seeing these lists then we're happy to have helped.<br /><br /> What are the dirty dozen and clean 15? "The Dirty Dozen" are the foods that you should always try to buy organics as they have been found to have the highest amounts of pesticide residues on them. The foods that were found to have the lowest amounts of these residues, even when not organic, are "The Clean 15" (I love creative naming.)<br /><br /> The <a href="http://www.ewg.org/"><b>Environmental Working Group</b></a> (an organization of scientists, researchers and policymakers) have expanded the typical "dirty dozen" and added domestically-grown summer squash and leafy greens, specifically kale and collards.<br /><br /> You can refer to their website for more detailed information at <a href="http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/summary.php"><b>www.ewg.org</b></a><br /><br /> Good news first? These are the foods that even when not organic you don't have to worry too much about.<br /><br /><h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0a7604; font-size: large;">The Clean 15</span></h3><table><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Nn43_KSmCZg/UjtNK5ANvCI/AAAAAAAAAdY/lXE4T-4CtgA/s1600/asparagus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Nn43_KSmCZg/UjtNK5ANvCI/AAAAAAAAAdY/lXE4T-4CtgA/s200/asparagus.jpg" width="200" /></a></td><td><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8giO2Lwh_nI/UjtNK8rJICI/AAAAAAAAAdQ/j_7j2Ma3BXM/s1600/avocados.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8giO2Lwh_nI/UjtNK8rJICI/AAAAAAAAAdQ/j_7j2Ma3BXM/s200/avocados.jpg" width="200" /></a></td><td><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nqFeBs1zJZs/UjtNKwrDqbI/AAAAAAAAAdU/U4hmoHD7jh0/s1600/cabbage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nqFeBs1zJZs/UjtNKwrDqbI/AAAAAAAAAdU/U4hmoHD7jh0/s200/cabbage.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="color: #0a7604; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;">Asparagus </td><td style="color: #0a7604; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;">Avocados </td><td style="color: #0a7604; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;">Cabage </td></tr><tr><td><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5bLXQbEyxak/UjtNLf0g_lI/AAAAAAAAAdw/8oBs098tk64/s1600/cantaloupe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5bLXQbEyxak/UjtNLf0g_lI/AAAAAAAAAdw/8oBs098tk64/s200/cantaloupe.jpg" width="200" /></a></td><td><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-O6oroJvWSHM/UjtNLjUyvjI/AAAAAAAAAdo/5ncBy5w4Idc/s1600/corn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-O6oroJvWSHM/UjtNLjUyvjI/AAAAAAAAAdo/5ncBy5w4Idc/s200/corn.jpg" width="200" /></a></td><td><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PTaL85pyZGo/UjtNLzeklvI/AAAAAAAAAds/Dq7xH9NFSTI/s1600/eggplant.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PTaL85pyZGo/UjtNLzeklvI/AAAAAAAAAds/Dq7xH9NFSTI/s200/eggplant.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="color: #0a7604; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;">Cantaloupe </td><td style="color: #0a7604; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;">Corn </td><td style="color: #0a7604; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;">Eggplant </td></tr><tr><td><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9PWny5hpMbI/UjtNMjZyPoI/AAAAAAAAAd4/s60QGNWE5IM/s1600/grapefruit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9PWny5hpMbI/UjtNMjZyPoI/AAAAAAAAAd4/s60QGNWE5IM/s200/grapefruit.jpg" width="200" /></a></td><td><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-snhS5d_-_y4/UjtNM_qDTHI/AAAAAAAAAe4/2cCopt5lv94/s1600/kiwi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-snhS5d_-_y4/UjtNM_qDTHI/AAAAAAAAAe4/2cCopt5lv94/s200/kiwi.jpg" width="200" /></a></td><td><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CjHhUm_qmHQ/UjtNM0LyGkI/AAAAAAAAAeQ/4j_UasQeads/s1600/mangoes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CjHhUm_qmHQ/UjtNM0LyGkI/AAAAAAAAAeQ/4j_UasQeads/s200/mangoes.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="color: #0a7604; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;">Grapefruit </td><td style="color: #0a7604; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;">Kiwi </td><td style="color: #0a7604; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;">Mangoes </td></tr><tr><td><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8TQoSeN9LQI/UjtNNeN3jaI/AAAAAAAAAeE/vQSJI8gpOiU/s1600/mushrooms.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8TQoSeN9LQI/UjtNNeN3jaI/AAAAAAAAAeE/vQSJI8gpOiU/s200/mushrooms.jpg" width="200" /></a></td><td><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ewoKdg_-2Fg/UjtNNopED8I/AAAAAAAAAeU/SrbKG21OqwI/s1600/onions.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ewoKdg_-2Fg/UjtNNopED8I/AAAAAAAAAeU/SrbKG21OqwI/s200/onions.jpg" width="200" /></a></td><td><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6_NLRXyJ_wI/UjtNOQeFvjI/AAAAAAAAAek/LT1AXB73VTQ/s1600/papayas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6_NLRXyJ_wI/UjtNOQeFvjI/AAAAAAAAAek/LT1AXB73VTQ/s200/papayas.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="color: #0a7604; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;">Mushrooms </td><td style="color: #0a7604; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;">Onions </td><td style="color: #0a7604; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;">Papayas </td></tr><tr><td><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hYiMY-hQtos/UjtNOolA6_I/AAAAAAAAAeg/-wQCOBzt2kE/s1600/pineapples.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hYiMY-hQtos/UjtNOolA6_I/AAAAAAAAAeg/-wQCOBzt2kE/s200/pineapples.jpg" width="200" /></a></td><td><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-S4Kn5A707Rc/UjtNPD-u2gI/AAAAAAAAAe8/yHuGb3mNCck/s1600/sweet_peas_frozen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-S4Kn5A707Rc/UjtNPD-u2gI/AAAAAAAAAe8/yHuGb3mNCck/s200/sweet_peas_frozen.jpg" width="200" /></a></td><td><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-T3aVk0mgnDA/UjtNPeqKwGI/AAAAAAAAAew/wXftLt9wOk0/s1600/sweet_potatoes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-T3aVk0mgnDA/UjtNPeqKwGI/AAAAAAAAAew/wXftLt9wOk0/s200/sweet_potatoes.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="color: #0a7604; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;">Pineapples </td><td style="color: #0a7604; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;">Sweat Peas </td><td style="color: #0a7604; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;">Sweet Potatoes </td></tr></tbody></table><br /> <br /><br /><br /> These foods you should specifically try to buy organic to lower your exposure to toxic pesticide residues.<br /><h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #5e4103; font-size: large;">The Dirty Dozen +</span></h3><table><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SI-1Xu0b7GE/UjtWjG42GJI/AAAAAAAAAfU/YMybPR52m0o/s1600/apples.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SI-1Xu0b7GE/UjtWjG42GJI/AAAAAAAAAfU/YMybPR52m0o/s200/apples.jpg" width="200" /></a></td><td><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nSIEAk9uI0o/UjtWjBb63hI/AAAAAAAAAfQ/_4hhdu3NX2Q/s1600/celery.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nSIEAk9uI0o/UjtWjBb63hI/AAAAAAAAAfQ/_4hhdu3NX2Q/s200/celery.jpg" width="200" /></a></td><td><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kfyAbyvZzTs/UjtWjKo7sJI/AAAAAAAAAgg/dn34SV4glws/s1600/cherry_tomatoes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kfyAbyvZzTs/UjtWjKo7sJI/AAAAAAAAAgg/dn34SV4glws/s200/cherry_tomatoes.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="color: #5e4103; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;">Apples </td><td style="color: #5e4103; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;">Celery </td><td style="color: #5e4103; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;">Cherry tomatoes </td></tr><tr><td><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ThUWi_YaLxA/UjtWjmFkYCI/AAAAAAAAAfg/FJRwpqxrTCo/s1600/cucumbers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ThUWi_YaLxA/UjtWjmFkYCI/AAAAAAAAAfg/FJRwpqxrTCo/s200/cucumbers.jpg" width="200" /></a></td><td><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AT2fapWfMHI/UjtWkJusEFI/AAAAAAAAAfk/7ymxJiUdAlY/s1600/grapes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AT2fapWfMHI/UjtWkJusEFI/AAAAAAAAAfk/7ymxJiUdAlY/s200/grapes.jpg" width="200" /></a></td><td><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oM5nRV8wwtM/UjtWkoIomrI/AAAAAAAAAf8/WXHrR4XFc4k/s1600/hot_peppers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oM5nRV8wwtM/UjtWkoIomrI/AAAAAAAAAf8/WXHrR4XFc4k/s200/hot_peppers.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="color: #5e4103; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;">Cucumbers </td><td style="color: #5e4103; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;">Grapes </td><td style="color: #5e4103; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;">Hot peppers </td></tr><tr><td><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rCQ26KSbP8w/UjtWk1iqDfI/AAAAAAAAAfs/4BzQIXw1UyI/s1600/kale_collard_greens.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rCQ26KSbP8w/UjtWk1iqDfI/AAAAAAAAAfs/4BzQIXw1UyI/s200/kale_collard_greens.jpg" width="200" /></a></td><td><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WBSe3TUuZus/UjtWlXqVt0I/AAAAAAAAAf4/l2fxixiLqII/s1600/nectarines_imported.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WBSe3TUuZus/UjtWlXqVt0I/AAAAAAAAAf4/l2fxixiLqII/s200/nectarines_imported.jpg" width="200" /></a></td><td><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5quiQgtnIM8/UjtWmGnW-pI/AAAAAAAAAgA/8aEdE1pMx6M/s1600/peaches.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5quiQgtnIM8/UjtWmGnW-pI/AAAAAAAAAgA/8aEdE1pMx6M/s200/peaches.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="color: #5e4103; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;">Kale/Collard greens </td><td style="color: #5e4103; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;">Nectarines </td><td style="color: #5e4103; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;">Peaches </td></tr><tr><td><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0uyLzfW0IDM/UjtWmtJccpI/AAAAAAAAAgE/E5OvQQnCSbU/s1600/potatoes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0uyLzfW0IDM/UjtWmtJccpI/AAAAAAAAAgE/E5OvQQnCSbU/s200/potatoes.jpg" width="200" /></a></td><td><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BPLlULAmTQE/UjtWm1SaxCI/AAAAAAAAAgY/BuXE9ewta_I/s1600/spinach.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BPLlULAmTQE/UjtWm1SaxCI/AAAAAAAAAgY/BuXE9ewta_I/s200/spinach.jpg" width="200" /></a></td><td><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3L7tFPgnllM/UjtWm6K1ZMI/AAAAAAAAAgc/0Tygu2jCA-w/s1600/strawberries.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3L7tFPgnllM/UjtWm6K1ZMI/AAAAAAAAAgc/0Tygu2jCA-w/s200/strawberries.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="color: #5e4103; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;">Potatoes </td><td style="color: #5e4103; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;">Spinach </td><td style="color: #5e4103; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;">Strawberries </td></tr><tr><td><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fFC_M9KSmz0/UjtWnvLILDI/AAAAAAAAAg4/Vr9xecsRzx0/s1600/summer_squash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fFC_M9KSmz0/UjtWnvLILDI/AAAAAAAAAg4/Vr9xecsRzx0/s200/summer_squash.jpg" width="200" /></a></td><td><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nplIMHJpZQo/UjtWnhJcPYI/AAAAAAAAAgo/w_1xIrdaCEM/s1600/sweet_bell_peppers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nplIMHJpZQo/UjtWnhJcPYI/AAAAAAAAAgo/w_1xIrdaCEM/s200/sweet_bell_peppers.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="color: #5e4103; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;">Summer squash </td><td style="color: #5e4103; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;">Bell peppers </td></tr></tbody></table><br />(images courtesy of <a href="http://www.ewg.org/"><b>www.ewg.org</b></a>)<br /><br /> PBS also has a very informative article posted about these two lists and you can read further details here on <a href="http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/health/the-dirty-dozen-and-clean-15-of-produce/616/"><b>www.pbs.org</b></a>.<br /><br /> Here's the bottom line. Eat lots of fruits and vegetables. Conventionally grown is better than none at all. They truly can and should be snack foods more often than they are. Using this now common guide will help you avoid buying foods that have been found to have higher amounts of pesticide residues on them so you can make sure you get the cleanest nutrition for you and your family.Tom Davishttps://plus.google.com/104918751742812973804noreply@blogger.com0Phoenix, AZ, USA33.4483771 -112.0740372999999932.6020036 -113.36493079999998 34.2947506 -110.78314379999999tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1465706239852990136.post-49614570237700784562013-09-15T23:42:00.000-07:002013-09-16T11:31:16.707-07:00Invention could clean oceans<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NlReAoM2TYU/UjdFh-A1KGI/AAAAAAAAAcw/bTKvPX268dc/s1600/article-2415889-1BB659B6000005DC-489_634x329.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="332" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NlReAoM2TYU/UjdFh-A1KGI/AAAAAAAAAcw/bTKvPX268dc/s640/article-2415889-1BB659B6000005DC-489_634x329.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">(image courtesy of <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/">www.dailymail.co.uk</a>)</div><br /><h2>Oceans cleaned of floating plastics in 5 years.</h2><br />This invention by 19yo Boyan Slat could clean the oceans of the tonnes of floating plastics in about 5 years! This is actually being considered and the recouped plastic could be sold for recycling.. So Awesome!<br /><br />It uses water and solar energy, and uses the oceans currents to bring the plastics to it. This also lets marine life swim free.<br /><br />Read link below from the Dailymail.co.uk for details; and thanks to <a href="http://www.trueactivist.com/ingenious-19-year-old-develops-plan-to-clean-up-oceans-in-5-years/">www.trueactivist.com</a> for the heads up!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2415889/Boyan-Slat-19-claims-invention-clean-worlds-oceans-just-years.html">http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2415889/Boyan-Slat-19-claims-invention-clean-worlds-oceans-just-years.html</a><br /><br /><br />Tom Davishttps://plus.google.com/104918751742812973804noreply@blogger.com0Phoenix, AZ, USA33.4483771 -112.0740372999999932.6020036 -113.36493079999998 34.2947506 -110.78314379999999tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1465706239852990136.post-6713052765434620452013-09-13T00:06:00.001-07:002013-09-13T02:10:42.562-07:00Do you get enough Vitamin D?<div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QtYzg_tRgX0/UjK4_4Oa5AI/AAAAAAAAADQ/1q2ju0ex-ZM/s1600/Infographic-The-Vitamin-D-Guide-1120.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="528" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QtYzg_tRgX0/UjK4_4Oa5AI/AAAAAAAAADQ/1q2ju0ex-ZM/s640/Infographic-The-Vitamin-D-Guide-1120.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">(image courtesy of <a href="http://www.naturalnews.com/infographic-the-vitamin-d-guide.html">NaturalNews.com</a>)</div><br /> The link below is an in depth article on Vitamin D, the importance of it, and the best sources for it. It is also a call for us to get outdoors and enjoy the sunshine. Some of us are lucky enough to have PLENTY of sunshine all year long and can even manage a round of golf in shorts in December.<br /><br /> We also need to seek out rich food supplies of Vitamin D. One of my favorites is salmon. I can't get enough of it! Also, good old lard is VERY high in Vitamin D and that's good because I just made my first batch! You'll get to see the experiment of rendering the fat down to lard and clean and white as snow shortly.<br /><br /> Follow this link to an article on the Weston A Price foundation's website for much more on Vitamin D<br /><br /><h3> <a href="http://www.westonaprice.org/fat-soluble-activators/miracle-of-vitamin-d">http://www.westonaprice.org/fat-soluble-activators/miracle-of-vitamin-d</a></h3>Tom Davishttps://plus.google.com/109152830234917281519noreply@blogger.com0Phoenix, AZ, USA33.4483771 -112.0740372999999932.6020036 -113.36493079999998 34.2947506 -110.78314379999999tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1465706239852990136.post-65880928027606466252013-09-12T00:55:00.000-07:002013-09-13T14:20:56.418-07:00What to do with homemade yogurt.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-F9vgjxzfsuQ/UjOBmQh9EeI/AAAAAAAAAcg/DmVR2QKeMgI/s1600/DSCN2126_edited-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-F9vgjxzfsuQ/UjOBmQh9EeI/AAAAAAAAAcg/DmVR2QKeMgI/s640/DSCN2126_edited-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> (Honey vanilla flavored)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />So you just made a batch of fresh, homemade yogurt from <b><a href="http://real2live.blogspot.com/2013/09/homemade-yogurt.html">our other post here</a>.</b><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">"So I made this 1/2 gallon or gallon of yogurt. That's a lot! What do I do with it?"</blockquote><br /> What don't you do with it? I mean this could be a seriously long post, and I don't think I feel like typing that much really :) Let's just cover some of the basics and then you can roll with it from there.<br /><h3>Greek Yogurt</h3> One of the most popular types of yogurt today is Greek yogurt, and for good reason. Pint for pint it has a lot more protein in it than regular yogurt (about double). It's also thicker making it a suitable sour cream substitute.<br /><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">"Well, I just made regular yogurt not Greek yogurt."</blockquote><br /> That's right, but all Greek yogurt is is strained regular yogurt (what you just made<b> <a href="http://real2live.blogspot.com/2013/09/homemade-yogurt.html">here</a></b>.) With one more step and some extra hours you can take your regular yogurt and make Greek yogurt and have some whey left over!<br /><br /> Here's what you do. Depending on how much yogurt you want to strain get a sufficiently sized bowl. Rubber band some (about 5-8) layers of cheesecloth to the top of the bowl (with some slack in the cheesecloth). Pour your yogurt onto the cheesecloth and wait. 2-4 hours later (depending on how thick you want it) scrape the yogurt off the cheese cloth into a dish and you're done. You now have a plain Greek yogurt. Us this anywhere sour cream is called for as a high protein substitute. DON'T throw away the whey! Like buttermilk, yogurt whey is just the byproduct of the process, but whey too is a liquid gold and is very versatile in the kitchen.<br /><br /><h3>Yogurt Cheese</h3><div> Mmmm cheese. Did you know you can turn yogurt into cheese? The process is identical to the process above for making Greek yogurt only let the yogurt strain on the cheesecloth longer. To get a good yogurt cheese, let the yogurt strain for anywhere from 6 to 12 hours depending on how thick you want it. Scrape off the cheesecloth and chill in the fridge. You now have a yogurt based cream cheese substitute! Allow for about 1 cup of yogurt for every 1/3 Cup of yogurt cheese you want to end up with (that's how much whey we strain out)</div><div><br /></div><h3>Flavored Yogurt</h3><div> Plain is pretty yummy, but most people aren't going to sit down to a bowl of plain yogurt. Add some flavor! The limits here are up to your imagination. Puree some strawberries and add a little local raw honey and stir it in. Stir in a tablespoon of organic, no sugar added fruit jams. Put 1 tablespoon of local honey and a splash of vanilla extract. Mash up some blueberries and some banana and stir it in. The point is it's all just real food you're adding and it's awesome! You're flavoring options are limited to only what ingredients you can find.</div><div><br /></div><h3>Whey!</h3><div> This probably will become it's own post shortly and will link to it soon.</div>Tom Davishttps://plus.google.com/104918751742812973804noreply@blogger.com0Phoenix, AZ, USA33.4483771 -112.0740372999999932.6020036 -113.36493079999998 34.2947506 -110.78314379999999tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1465706239852990136.post-23140203356179119542013-09-12T00:54:00.000-07:002013-09-15T15:46:16.521-07:00Homemade Yogurt<div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NF3jaJ5r6YY/UjFTxeHfD4I/AAAAAAAAAbE/GkEuJTSNH1M/s1600/DSCN2098.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NF3jaJ5r6YY/UjFTxeHfD4I/AAAAAAAAAbE/GkEuJTSNH1M/s640/DSCN2098.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> The health benefits of yogurt (some of which we discussed in our post about <a href="http://real2live.blogspot.com/2013/09/americans-lack-culture.html"><b>cultured dairy here</b></a>) are many. Today it is or already has become one of the new "it" foods. Just look at the grocery store, there's probably one aisle dedicated to yogurt and cheese. The variety and type of yogurt seem endless; </div><blockquote class="tr_bq">"Do I buy kefir, or do I buy Greek?"</blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq">"What about goat's milk yogurt?"</blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq">"Swedish yogurt? I don't even know what that is!"</blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq">"2%, fat free, whole, ....raw!?"</blockquote> With that kind of selection why make your own yogurt? Well, maybe you're just obsessed with knowing how everything is made and trying to make it yourself (or maybe that's just me.)<br /> <br /> Well, the main reason to make your own yogurt is sugar. To a lot of people, plain yogurt just doesn't taste that good, so how do you sell it? Add sugar! Mmmmm, yummy, "now they'll buy it!" The problem is depending on type and flavor, there's quite a bit of sugar in these. A cup of a major name brand has 26 g of sugar (a 12 oz Coke has 39 g)! The little plain yogurt that I use some of as a starter has 15 g and we don't even use the whole thing. Plus that little bit of yogurt makes a 1/2 gallon of yogurt. One of the main points of yogurt and that the bacteria eat the lactose (dairy sugar) and convert it to lactic acid (tangy yumminess!). Then we go and add refined sugar back into it so that it "tastes better."<br /><br /> Also, as is the case with all do-it-yourself recipes, there's ingredient control. Want to know what quality of milk your yogurt started out as? Want to know how many (or few) live active cultures are in your yogurt? How about which and how much of those sweeteners are used? Well, we should want to know all of this, and making it at home you get to decide what does and does not go in.<br /><br /> But really, it's cheap, it's EASY, and it's amazingly good! Maybe it's even a little fun doing the process right in your own kitchen that is THOUSANDS of years old (if you're a history buff and/or love geeking out on useless info check out this <b><a href="http://www.dairygoodness.ca/yogurt/the-history-of-yogurt">history of yogurt on dairygoodness.ca</a>)</b>!<br /><br /> There's many ways to make yogurt (the variety is in the details), but the science is simple. Heat the milk to prepare the whey proteins. Cool the milk a bit to not kill the incoming bacteria. Add bacteria. Let it sit while bacteria multiply. Stop bacteria from multiplying. That's it, easy right?<br /><br /> Here's my method and tools I use. What you'll need:<br /><ul><li>3qt sauce pot</li><li>2 one quart jars (glass)</li><li>Candy or cooking thermometer (I use <a href="http://astore.amazon.com/real2live-20/detail/B00004XSC5"><b>this kind</b></a>)</li><li>Whisk</li><li>Igloo style lunch box like <a href="http://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20href=%22http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000GUAG7G/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B000GUAG7G&linkCode=as2&tag=real2live-20%22%3EIgloo%20Playmate%207%20Quart%3C/a%3E"><b>this one</b></a> I use</li><li>1/2 Gallon milk (grass-fed, non-homogenized, organic...all three if possible)(I use <a href="http://www.organicvalley.coop/products/milk/grassmilk/"><b>Organic Valley Grass Milk</b></a>)(we prefer the 2%, but many will prefer the whole milk.)</li><li>3-4 Tbsp plain (must be plain) yogurt (We use <a href="http://www.stonyfield.com/products/yogurt/smooth-creamy/whole-milk/plain"><b>Stonyfield Organic</b></a> as it has the most active cultures I can find on the market here locally.)</li><li>3 Tbsp of liquid pectin</li></ul><div> To start, put your half gallon of milk in a sauce pan on low heat (we're trying to heat the milk without scalding it). Heat the milk to 190 degrees.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--lecJJ5PwV4/UjFZeMCUcqI/AAAAAAAAAbU/IPAUXmb24OQ/s1600/DSCN2079.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--lecJJ5PwV4/UjFZeMCUcqI/AAAAAAAAAbU/IPAUXmb24OQ/s400/DSCN2079.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xfnR-zcpeds/UjFZrkibxYI/AAAAAAAAAbc/WLF6y1TsZM8/s1600/DSCN2082.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xfnR-zcpeds/UjFZrkibxYI/AAAAAAAAAbc/WLF6y1TsZM8/s400/DSCN2082.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">(the fat floats to the surface when the milk is not homogenized.)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> Once at 190, we need to quickly cool it down to 120 degrees. I do this by "floating" the 3qt pot in a 8qt pot will some ice water in it and whisk until cooled to 120. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AeiH9xOa5HI/UjFZ_rPGXiI/AAAAAAAAAbk/XKoTJnRnoaw/s1600/DSCN2086.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AeiH9xOa5HI/UjFZ_rPGXiI/AAAAAAAAAbk/XKoTJnRnoaw/s400/DSCN2086.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> Whisk the yogurt and the pectin in well and then divide the yogurt into the two 1qt jars. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fZPyeuMlUQA/UjFaOXb_5MI/AAAAAAAAAbs/H7r_4lKZwwc/s1600/DSCN2087.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fZPyeuMlUQA/UjFaOXb_5MI/AAAAAAAAAbs/H7r_4lKZwwc/s400/DSCN2087.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Place the jars in the lunch box and fill with HOT tap water (tap water needs to reach temp of about 120 degrees and mine sits right at 120 on full heat). </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-in5dqgWVYfM/UjFarvQcZzI/AAAAAAAAAb8/VCm-cJ9bPzg/s1600/DSCN2092.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-in5dqgWVYfM/UjFarvQcZzI/AAAAAAAAAb8/VCm-cJ9bPzg/s400/DSCN2092.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Once filled with water up to the line on the jar where the top of the yogurt reaches, cover the lunch box and let sit for 4-8 hours. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SDaCv6Vfv3E/UjFa066Ow-I/AAAAAAAAAcE/402YVRp8Svg/s1600/DSCN2094.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SDaCv6Vfv3E/UjFa066Ow-I/AAAAAAAAAcE/402YVRp8Svg/s400/DSCN2094.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The longer it sits, the stronger the tangy yogurt flavor will be. When it's ready, take the jars out, dry them off, and whisk the yogurt in the jar (the whisking helps stop the culturing process). Put the jars in the fridge and let cool. When cooled, you have 1/2 gallon of awesome yogurt!</div></div><div><br /></div><div> Great! Now what do I do with it? This post was for the why and the how. See <a href="http://real2live.blogspot.com/2013/09/what-to-do-with-homemade-yogurt.html"><b>our post here</b></a> for what to do with it.<br /><br /><b>*UPDATE </b>- I realized I said those were 2qt jars, when in fact they are 1qt jars. I have updated this post accordingly.</div><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq"></blockquote>Tom Davishttps://plus.google.com/104918751742812973804noreply@blogger.com0Phoenix, AZ, USA33.4483771 -112.0740372999999932.6020036 -113.36493079999998 34.2947506 -110.78314379999999tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1465706239852990136.post-54533261792437032542013-09-11T01:54:00.000-07:002013-09-19T16:16:30.857-07:00Italian Red Sauce<div style="text-align: center;"> Use links below or <a href="http://astore.amazon.com/real2live-20">Our Amazon Store</a> if you'd like to purchase any of the listed items.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WsY_iKoxbXc/UjAXJCRTUwI/AAAAAAAAAB8/vMUB_1UPmgY/s1600/DSCN2156.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WsY_iKoxbXc/UjAXJCRTUwI/AAAAAAAAAB8/vMUB_1UPmgY/s640/DSCN2156.jpg" width="640" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B71VGGWhl8Z-T3BkTnU0VjYtNTA/edit?usp=sharing"><span style="font-size: large;">Printable 4x6 recipe card here</span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div> Is it marinara sauce? Is it pizza sauce? Is it spaghetti sauce? Who cares!? It's freaking delicious. It's actually called a tomato sauce. However, since we can go to the store and buy a can of "tomato sauce" and it's not even close to this we're going to just call it "Italian red sauce." Put it on a pizza, smother some spaghetti with it, pour it on some chicken; it's just crazy good. The second best part of this awesome mess is the scents that floats out from the kitchen and through the house as you're making it. If you haven't taken the time to break away from the store bought jar of spaghetti sauce and make a pot at home, then you're missing out. Seriously, you might be a deprived individual (well, you might be anyways, but we won't address that here.)<br /><br /> One of the best parts for me is the aroma from each step is unique and builds on the last one. If you're like me you could just sit there and smell onions and garlic simmering together in olive oil all day right? However it gets even better. Use local organic ingredients where possible. Let's begin:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kqbs_YUapQQ/UjAeh5FZjXI/AAAAAAAAACg/ucpZ9-O1sGk/s1600/DSCN2189.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kqbs_YUapQQ/UjAeh5FZjXI/AAAAAAAAACg/ucpZ9-O1sGk/s400/DSCN2189.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div align="center"><span style="font-size: x-small;">(that's all it is!)</span></div><div align="center"><br /><div style="text-align: left;">3 Cans - Organic whole tomatoes (28oz cans)(or six 14.5oz cans)(30-36 fresh tomatoes)</div><div style="text-align: left;">3/4 Cup - Onion (finely chopped)</div><div style="text-align: left;">4 Cloves - Garlic (finely chopped)</div><div style="text-align: left;">3 Tbsp - Olive oil (cold/expeller pressed if you can find it)</div><div style="text-align: left;">1/4 Cup - Beef stock</div><div style="text-align: left;">3/4 Cup - Italian parsley (fresh, finely chopped)(1/4 Cup if using dried per my <a href="http://real2live.blogspot.com/2013/07/herbs-dried-vs-fresh.html"><b>post here</b></a>)</div><div style="text-align: left;">3/4 Cup - Basil (fresh, finely chopped)(1/4 Cup if using dried per my <b><a href="http://real2live.blogspot.com/2013/07/herbs-dried-vs-fresh.html">post here</a></b>)</div><div style="text-align: left;">2 Tbsp - Greek oregano (fresh, finely shopped)(2 tsp if using dried per my <b><a href="http://real2live.blogspot.com/2013/07/herbs-dried-vs-fresh.html">post here</a></b>)</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 tsp - Italian seasoning (dried)</div><div style="text-align: left;">2 tsp - Brown sugar</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 tsp - <a href="http://astore.amazon.com/real2live-20/detail/B0055GZZLI">Real salt</a></div><div style="text-align: left;">1 1/2 tsp - Red chili flakes (optional)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">* If using the smaller cans of tomatoes add a slight bit more of all the flavor ingredients as that's a few more ounces of tomatoes</div><div style="text-align: left;">* Look for canned tomatoes that come in BPA free cans to be safer (erring on the side of caution). Most canned tomatoes on the market are lined with BPA. More info on BPA can be found <a href="http://children.webmd.com/environmental-exposure-head2toe/bpa"><b>here at WebMD</b></a>.</div><div style="text-align: left;">* If in season, always look to get fresh tomatoes (if you're willing to peel them (for me, that depends on what day it is)). Tomatoes in the stores, when out of season, tend to have tougher skins as they are bred to withstand colder winter temps. Canned would be the better option during the winter. Here in AZ, locally harvested tomatoes are in season May-November. Use <a href="http://localfoods.about.com/od/searchbystate/State_Seasonal_Produce_Guides.htm"><b>this seasonality guide</b></a> at ask.com for you state.</div></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pzjNrivQGXc/UjAZUE8lGrI/AAAAAAAAACI/iK6JnXfZfEw/s1600/DSCN2180.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pzjNrivQGXc/UjAZUE8lGrI/AAAAAAAAACI/iK6JnXfZfEw/s400/DSCN2180.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div align="center"></div> <strong>FRESH HERBS</strong>! It's still crazy good with dried, but it's a unique experience eating fresh herbs cooked into a tomato sauce. Mince, or chop all the herbs (though most purists out there will says you never cut an herb, only tear it. I don't care THAT much about that....yet) and set aside in a separate bowl. Add the brown sugar, salt, and Italian seasoning mix to the bowl. What is that awesome cutting board chopper thing you ask? Some kitchen gadget I got from my brother and sister-in-law straight from Alaska. It's an "ulu" which is Eskimo for "Woman's knife", but please don't remind me (and I REALLY wish I didn't know that in the first place.) Translation aside, these things, along with their Italian counter-part the mezzaluna (many physical differences between the two, but in this case both seem to work great), are amazing for mincing fresh herbs. The cutting board on this even had a bowl formed into it. I'd link to it for you, but never cared to look for one (because I have one.)<br /> Put the tomatoes in a blender and puree them. This may need to be done in two batches depending on the blender jar size.<br /> Chop the onion and mince the garlic.<br /><div align="center"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cM2UVWvjna8/UjAcr6MDCAI/AAAAAAAAACU/dez5i4SZ8a8/s400/DSCN2184.jpg" width="400" /></div><div style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">(I know the recipe says 4 cloves, but every time my eyes read the recipe my brain tells me that this much is "4")</div></div><div align="center"></div> Get out a 5 qt or 8 qt sauce pot. Preheat it over medium heat.<br /> Add olive oil (not Extra Virgin unless EV is all you have (EV should never be heated)) and onions to the pot. Season this layer with a little salt and pepper. Let onion saute until translucent but not browned. <br /><div align="center"></div> About halfway through the onions being done add in the garlic. I find the garlic sautes faster so I don't add them at the same time.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OA98sHLjiuA/UjAftyvmJ8I/AAAAAAAAACw/fXVgY-rmYvA/s400/DSCN2192.jpg" width="400" /> </div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div> When onions and garlic are near done, raise the heat to medium high for a minute and then deglaze the pot with the beef stock. Stir it together and let it simmer to reduce for a few minutes (we're just trying to concentrate the beef flavor here, but not cook off the liquid.)<br /> After reducing the stock add in the tomatoes. Stir together and bring this mixture to a boil. Once at full boil let it cook for 7 minutes. You will want a <a href="http://astore.amazon.com/real2live-20/detail/B0002MR0TA"><strong>mesh splash screen</strong></a> here to avoid a kitchen disaster as you do not want to put a lid on the pot here.<br /> After the tomatoes have cooked for 7 minutes lower the temperature to a simmer. Dump in all the herbs, salt, and brown sugar you set aside previously and stir into the sauce. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hBdhfTo2Dmk/UjAiFYdSFmI/AAAAAAAAAC4/YQHB2PCR8zo/s1600/DSCN2193.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hBdhfTo2Dmk/UjAiFYdSFmI/AAAAAAAAAC4/YQHB2PCR8zo/s400/DSCN2193.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div align="center"></div> Replace the splatter guard if simmering tomato sauce makes you nervous. Simmer for 25 minutes.<br /> When done, taste, and adjust the salt to your liking if needed. <br /><div align="center"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Upv9Gn4ME9s/UjAixQzqUhI/AAAAAAAAADA/OUp6TVGKVxc/s1600/DSCN2202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Upv9Gn4ME9s/UjAixQzqUhI/AAAAAAAAADA/OUp6TVGKVxc/s400/DSCN2202.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div align="center"></div> Tada! Buon Appetito!<br /><br /> In our house this is our default pizza sauce on homemade pizza. You can also use it in stuffed and breaded chicken breasts with this on top (recipes for both coming soon.)<br /><br /> *If you like a smooth sauce (or need it for a particular use) just pour back into blender. Do not put lid on completely, but cover blender jar well. If you put the blender lid on and turn the blender on with hot sauce inside you will get a sauce explosion and that's not the kind of "Wow!" effect we're going for here. Leave room for steam to vent away from your hand as you hold the lid. Puree again until smooth.<br /><span style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 16px;"></span>Tom Davishttps://plus.google.com/104918751742812973804noreply@blogger.com2Phoenix, AZ, USA33.4483771 -112.0740372999999932.6020036 -113.36493079999998 34.2947506 -110.78314379999999tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1465706239852990136.post-67585135526005860192013-09-06T01:59:00.003-07:002013-09-13T14:14:37.828-07:00Study says gut bacteria may fight obesity!<div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9t5avKpFvMs/UjN_kJzvp1I/AAAAAAAAAcU/r5q1-StJwTc/s1600/gut+header.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9t5avKpFvMs/UjN_kJzvp1I/AAAAAAAAAcU/r5q1-StJwTc/s640/gut+header.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">(image courtesy of <a href="http://askmaryrd.com/2012/10/25/2896/">askmaynard.com</a>)</div><br /> In line with our posts on <a href="http://real2live.blogspot.com/2013/09/americans-lack-culture.html" style="font-weight: bold;">"Americans Lack Culture"</a>, and <a href="http://real2live.blogspot.com/2013/08/grind-fresh-flour-at-home.html"><b>"Grind Fresh Flour at Home"</b></a> it appears as though there are now some more scientific findings to back up our belief that we need to try to replace as much of the beneficial gut bacteria that we can.<br /><br /> From a new article on azcentral.com <a href="http://www.azcentral.com/news/free/20130905gut-bacteria-may-help-people-fight-obesity-study-says.html"><b>Gut bacteria may help people fight obesity, study says</b></a><br /><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq"><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; padding: 0px;">"What happened was a surprise. Certain bacteria from the lean mice invaded the intestines of the fatter mice, and their weight and metabolism improved.</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; padding: 0px;">But the trade was one-way — the lean mice weren't affected."</div></blockquote> Our overly sterile/pasteurized lives aren't helping us maintain the healthy gut bacteria need to fight the bad bacteria and keep our digestive system running optimally.<br /><br /> Also found in the study was a benefit relating to having a high fiber and low fat diet. I don't mean buy "diet" and "low fat" everything, definitely don't do that. However we do need to watch our calories from fats and make sure we are getting the rights fats when we do consume them.<br /><br /><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">"Moreover, the fatter mice got the bacterial benefit only when they were fed a low-fat, high-fiber diet. When Ridaura substituted the higher-fat, lower-fiber diet typical of Americans, the protective bug swap didn't occur."</span></span></span></blockquote><br /> We strongly suggest getting a grain mill and begin making breads at home. Your body will love the nutritious whole grain, non-rancid flour without any sugar or high fructose corn syrup (just natural local honey.) Also, if you don't make it at home, take the time to look for cultured butters, quality sour creams, cultured buttermilks...etc.<br /><br /> I leave you with some genius add work by the folks over at Saturday Night Live:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.hulu.com/watch/223360"><b>SNL - High Fructose Corn Syrup commercial on Hulu</b></a></div>Tom Davishttps://plus.google.com/104918751742812973804noreply@blogger.com0Phoenix, AZ, USA33.4483771 -112.0740372999999932.6020036 -113.36493079999998 34.2947506 -110.78314379999999tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1465706239852990136.post-70569773370130741572013-09-03T19:04:00.000-07:002013-09-03T22:37:36.966-07:00Americans lack culture?<div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tiB7kEQbfuQ/UiY_kmvEfGI/AAAAAAAAAZk/HXBBRL7s220/s1600/DSCN2069%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tiB7kEQbfuQ/UiY_kmvEfGI/AAAAAAAAAZk/HXBBRL7s220/s640/DSCN2069%5B1%5D.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><strong> </strong> It's butter, you can't get any better than butter right? Wrong. If you love butter, sour cream, buttermilk, etc. already then this is going to be, well....cruel.<br /><br /><strong>Sweet cream</strong><br /><strong></strong><br /><strong> </strong>In The United States, by law, dairy products are pasteurized to reduce/eliminate the threat of pathogens inside the dairy growing and causing disease. Info on pasteurization is readily available and I won't dive into a dissertation on the history of that. Long story short, pasteurization kills much of the bacteria inside dairy products. This is both good and bad. As stated, it eliminates/reduces the risk of disease, so that's good. However, it also kills the beneficial bacteria that are actually good for us.<br /><br /> After pasteurization, the cream we end up with is known as sweet cream. In this case, it's sweet as opposed to "sour". Not sour like lemon sour, but sour like sour cream and sourdough. Sweet cream has not been soured or fermented as nothing can grow inside it anymore. This leaves the cream sweet in that it has higher levels of lactose (aka dairy sugar.)<br /><br /><strong>Soured Cream</strong><br /><br /> On the other hand, in Europe and many other countries most dairy products like this are fermented or "soured". Sour cream in Europe is called crème fraîche (what I don't understand is why they call a soured cream "fresh cream", but that's all on them for being confusing (at least we got the name right haha.) It is a naturally soured cream. Butter in Europe is also a cultured butter and not a sweet cream butter.<br /><br /> If cream is allowed to sit at fermenting temperatures without having been pasteurized that same bacteria that we kill here grow and begin to ferment the cream. That is how the term sour cream came about. It was initially cream that had been soured so that it had thickened and the flavor compounds had changed to a more yogurt like tanginess.<br /><br /> Side note is we can find cheesemakers and other "artists of cultures" who can use culture starters and grass-fed cream to create crème fraîche from pasteurized cream. This crème fraîche by <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000D9MX0/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0000D9MX0&linkCode=as2&tag=real2live-20"><strong>Vermont Butter and Cheese</strong></a> I have bought and it is amazing. I can only imagine what it might taste like traditionally made. <a href="http://wagoncreekcreamery.com/"><strong>Wagon Creek Creamery</strong></a> sells a grass-fed variety. Also, just use your own grass-fed cream and make your own! For instructions on how to make cultured butter and buttermilk see <a href="http://real2live.blogspot.com/2013/09/homemade-cultured-butter-and-buttermilk.html"><strong>this post here</strong></a>.<br /><br /><strong>Why do I care?</strong><br /><br /> Diacetyl, lactic acid bacteria, and good digestion. Diacetyl is the compound that gives butter it's buttery aroma (whoever invented English got real creative with the adjectives on that one "ummm, it's...."buttery"?). Anyways, as the cream ferments this compound is concentrated and intensifies. If you're a butter lover and you haven't smelled cultured butter before I hope you have strong will power or you may gain weight just by smelling it repeatedly. It can be added to foods to give a buttery flavor (stay away from these foods (if something doesn't taste like butter because it has butter in it then it shouldn't taste like butter)), but here we get it the way nature intended it.<br /><br /> Lactic acid bacteria is responsible for giving a tangy flavor. Imagine a butter or sour cream or buttermilk with an even more intense butter flavor AND the slightest tangy undertone similar to yogurt. Are you following me now?<br /><br /> Those who are lactose intolerant may find cultured creams easier to deal with. The fermenting process converts lactose to lactic acid. It takes the sugar that some people have troubles digesting and turns it into flavor. Win, win, right!? The bacteria in the culture are also probiotic and aid in the digestive process. If you were able to add more naturally probiotic foods to your diet there would be less searching labels for foods specifically formulated to have probiotics added in.<br /><br /> If you love butter, sour cream, buttermilk...etc. then I feel you owe it to yourself to experience cultured butter, cultured buttermilk, and crème fraîche. You'll fall in love all over again.Tom Davishttps://plus.google.com/104918751742812973804noreply@blogger.com0Phoenix, AZ, USA33.4483771 -112.0740372999999932.6020036 -113.36493079999998 34.2947506 -110.78314379999999tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1465706239852990136.post-50758910176673697532013-09-03T03:11:00.001-07:002013-09-03T22:26:16.165-07:00Homemade Cultured Butter and Buttermilk<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Use links below or <a href="http://astore.amazon.com/real2live-20">Our Amazon Store</a> if you'd like to purchase any of the listed items.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Switch back to real butter and ditch the margarines and the I can't believe it's...what?s</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Xzml-ZRLI7c/UiROnKWOzRI/AAAAAAAAAWc/BJEbOSXgL-8/s1600/DSCN2068%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Xzml-ZRLI7c/UiROnKWOzRI/AAAAAAAAAWc/BJEbOSXgL-8/s640/DSCN2068%5B1%5D.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B71VGGWhl8Z-b0lFWnN6UWhkbGM/edit?usp=sharing">Printable 4x6 recipe card</a></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> The joys of real buttermilk. Sometimes I make butter just because we're out of buttermilk (joking, but I have been tempted.) When I first realized that buttermilk was just the liquid that separates from the fat when you make butter I ran out and got a couple pints of the common brand name cream that is available here and ran home and (after a little research for instructions) made butter. I chilled the buttermilk and made my usual pancake recipe with it......epic fail! Total disaster. They were so salty we couldn't eat them. What!? Isn't buttermilk supposed to make pancakes and waffles insanely better? Now I was on a mission to figure this out. Turns out, there's A LOT to it.</div><ol><li><div style="text-align: left;">You want to start with cream from grass-fed or mostly grass-fed cows (<a href="http://real2live.blogspot.com/2013/09/cows-are-herbivores.html"><b>see here for why</b></a>).</div></li><li><div style="text-align: left;">You want to start with cultured cream (<a href="http://real2live.blogspot.com/2013/09/americans-lack-culture.html"><strong>see here for why</strong></a>).</div></li><li><div style="text-align: left;">Try to find an organic cream that is ideally low pasteurized, else pasteurized, if not, then ultra pasteurized in that order. The lower the temps used in the pasteurization process the better.</div></li><li><div style="text-align: left;">If you have awesome grass-fed organic raw cream then you've got a whole different process to follow. This post deals with pasteurized cream.</div></li></ol> Once you have the right kind of cream and have it prepped, you're ready to churn. "<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=A_sY2rjxq6M#t=34"><b>Churn baby churn!</b></a>" No? That could be your new theme song that you play while making butter...just a thought.<br /><br /> <b>The recipe:</b><br /><br /> 2 - Pints - Heavy whipping cream<br /> 2-4 - Tbsp - Plain yogurt<br /><br /> Let the cream sit until room temperature. In a very clean mixing bowl lightly whisk the yogurt and cream together. Cover air tight and leave on the counter for 12-24 hours. I tend to lean towards the 12 hour mark. The longer it cultures the more "soured" the flavor comes out to be. If you're new to cultured butter, 12 hours might even be a little strong for you. After about 12 hours your cream will look similar to this when lightly sloshed:<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Yb0E5f3_aEk/UiWlSFxr-aI/AAAAAAAAAX8/-d7r-rexFp4/s1600/DSCN2054%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Yb0E5f3_aEk/UiWlSFxr-aI/AAAAAAAAAX8/-d7r-rexFp4/s400/DSCN2054%5B1%5D.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div> Once cultured, put the cream in the fridge for 3-5 hours and chill to stop the culturing process. If you have an electric mixer with a metal bowl put it in the freezer for an hour before beginning. Your mixer might also have a cold water bath accessory you can use. Keeping the cream chilled will aid in keeping the butter firm while kneading it later.<br /><br /> Remove cream from fridge and whisk it to blend it back together and pour it into the chilled mixer bowl. Turn the mixer on to a low speed (I set my <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002Y5X9W/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0002Y5X9W&linkCode=as2&tag=real2live-20"><strong>KitchenAid Professional 600 Series</strong></a> to speed 2). You'll prefer a slow churn. Your butter comes out silkier, softer, and easier to spread. Churning at high speed seems to toughen the butter up a bit. Let it sit churning, for a long time, churning away at low speed (you can introduce churning theme song here)(this can be 45 minutes to an hour churning)(at about 30 minutes start checking regularly) once the cream is ready to start separating it will happen quickly and can potentially make a mess of your kitchen if you don't have a splatter guard set up (at speed 2 mine doesn't make a mess, so no splatter guard in the pictures.) The following are pictures just before separation and after separation and a video of that whole stage.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zJEVDVdB3ok/UiWlwGlfZSI/AAAAAAAAAYE/XrwYpDCDLFA/s1600/DSCN2055%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zJEVDVdB3ok/UiWlwGlfZSI/AAAAAAAAAYE/XrwYpDCDLFA/s400/DSCN2055%5B1%5D.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><object class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://i1.ytimg.com/vi/C3Wa0LydTtM/0.jpg" height="266" width="320"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/C3Wa0LydTtM?version=3&f=user_uploads&c=google-webdrive-0&app=youtube_gdata" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/C3Wa0LydTtM?version=3&f=user_uploads&c=google-webdrive-0&app=youtube_gdata" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JHh9kYJTVN4/UiWl8FJ0gWI/AAAAAAAAAYM/6eEGvHO_KLg/s1600/DSCN2059%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JHh9kYJTVN4/UiWl8FJ0gWI/AAAAAAAAAYM/6eEGvHO_KLg/s400/DSCN2059%5B1%5D.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">(notice the yellow color of the fat)</span></div><br /> Once the buttermilk and butter have separated, pour through a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000HVBES4/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B000HVBES4&linkCode=as2&tag=real2live-20"><strong>Fine Mesh Strainer</strong></a> over a bowl to catch the buttermilk. Knead butter in the strainer with a spoon or spatula to squeeze out the buttermilk. I love these <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004TXBFQC/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B004TXBFQC&linkCode=as2&tag=real2live-20"><strong>Silicone Super Spatulas</strong></a> as it's very easy to scrape butter off of them. Try to get every last drop of buttermilk (it's liquid gold! (culinarily speaking that is)). Pour buttermilk into a mason jar and put it in the fridge.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8Jn0wOiktOc/UiWs5w6atqI/AAAAAAAAAYc/jxfsVzSOMtw/s1600/DSCN2060%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8Jn0wOiktOc/UiWs5w6atqI/AAAAAAAAAYc/jxfsVzSOMtw/s400/DSCN2060%5B1%5D.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6mdeTuAllCQ/UiWtG9MeT_I/AAAAAAAAAYk/TIk0pybDlIs/s1600/DSCN2061%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6mdeTuAllCQ/UiWtG9MeT_I/AAAAAAAAAYk/TIk0pybDlIs/s400/DSCN2061%5B1%5D.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-N6gOoBm0xjE/UiWtMTagN_I/AAAAAAAAAYs/QaZRAqo_MEk/s1600/DSCN2062%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-N6gOoBm0xjE/UiWtMTagN_I/AAAAAAAAAYs/QaZRAqo_MEk/s400/DSCN2062%5B1%5D.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div> Now you need to rinse the butter. If you leave any of that buttermilk in the butter it will spoil quickly. To rinse, put the butter back in the mixer bowl and add some ice water (ice included is OK) back into the bowl and mix it at speed 1; this will knead the butter and rinse out the buttermilk. I cover the mixer bowl with something similar to this <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002MR0TA/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0002MR0TA&linkCode=as2&tag=real2live-20"><strong>Stainless Steel Splatter Screen</strong></a> and pour the water out. Repeat this step 2-4 times until the water remains fairly clear. You can also just put the butter and ice water in a bowl and get your hands down in there and knead it yourself.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qQJFcrcyjvM/UiWtj_GHgaI/AAAAAAAAAY0/qYCQq89pDOY/s1600/DSCN2063%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qQJFcrcyjvM/UiWtj_GHgaI/AAAAAAAAAY0/qYCQq89pDOY/s400/DSCN2063%5B1%5D.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-g-mvfNpbwJ4/UiWtq5gosqI/AAAAAAAAAY8/bhD-h8JUcsQ/s1600/DSCN2065%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-g-mvfNpbwJ4/UiWtq5gosqI/AAAAAAAAAY8/bhD-h8JUcsQ/s400/DSCN2065%5B1%5D.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Bmm4X0pCyiI/UiWtw8dtyQI/AAAAAAAAAZE/pPcUKB94NXE/s1600/DSCN2064%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Bmm4X0pCyiI/UiWtw8dtyQI/AAAAAAAAAZE/pPcUKB94NXE/s400/DSCN2064%5B1%5D.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">(water is mostly clean though the butter on bottom of bowl makes it look less clear)</span></div><br /> When it's finally rinsed I like to put the butter in a cheesecloth and wring it out compressing the butter and forcing the remaining liquid out.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BO7HPnNxdHM/UiWuEbyuvfI/AAAAAAAAAZM/vKq6a_n9rP8/s1600/DSCN2066%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BO7HPnNxdHM/UiWuEbyuvfI/AAAAAAAAAZM/vKq6a_n9rP8/s400/DSCN2066%5B1%5D.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div> You can leave the butter unsalted, or at this stage you can knead in some salt by hand. You can also put it in your butter dish and let it warm up a bit and then mix some salt into the butter with a fork. Just a pinch or two of salt will be enough to enhance the flavor.<br /><br /> Any recipe for pancakes, cornbread, or waffles...etc that calls for milk you can now substitute 1 for 1 with your new cultured buttermilk and taste the amazing difference. Also, you're getting the added bonus that this buttermilk is probiotic and full of healthy for your gut bacteria...awesome.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AzxIGJcsuIQ/UiWuQBUPCSI/AAAAAAAAAZU/P3eKq23WKiw/s1600/DSCN2067%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AzxIGJcsuIQ/UiWuQBUPCSI/AAAAAAAAAZU/P3eKq23WKiw/s400/DSCN2067%5B1%5D.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div> Again, don't make this a staple of your diet. Butter, used in moderation and real, traditional, healthy butter is good for you.<br /><br /> Enjoy!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>Tom Davishttps://plus.google.com/104918751742812973804noreply@blogger.com0Phoenix, AZ, USA33.4483771 -112.0740372999999932.6020036 -113.36493079999998 34.2947506 -110.78314379999999tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1465706239852990136.post-34225079070217630922013-09-02T16:20:00.000-07:002013-09-19T16:19:06.794-07:00Cows are herbivores<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ceMhEpgkB5I/UiTeFKbr-tI/AAAAAAAAAXE/NUOU2DYJa8U/s1600/filepicker-HHHtwpoSnlKel9hhVKAr_cows.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="382" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ceMhEpgkB5I/UiTeFKbr-tI/AAAAAAAAAXE/NUOU2DYJa8U/s640/filepicker-HHHtwpoSnlKel9hhVKAr_cows.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> Cows are herbivores. They were not designed to eat a diet consisting of grains such as wheat, corn and their byproducts. Sometimes even candy is mixed into their concentrated feed (<a href="http://money.cnn.com/2012/10/10/news/economy/farmers-cows-candy-feed/index.html"><b>read here</b></a> how farmers are feeding candy to cows because corn prices increased.) Grains are an excellent energy source and when cows are confined in feed lots (industrial farms) that energy can't get burned so it converts to fat. This gets that cow up to weight so it can go to slaughter sooner.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> <b>Conditions</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"> The conditions pictured above look idealistic right? However, the American demand has been "more food for less money." Cheaper, cheaper, cheaper! How many of us have bragged about how cheap a food purchase we made was (guilty!) That has led us to the industrialized feed lots which aren't exactly ecological havens (see Google Earth pictures of a feed lot <a href="https://maps.google.com/?ll=41.367695,-99.663184&spn=0.015604,0.025513&t=h&z=16"><b>here</b></a>). That's a whole lot of brown by the satellite image. Does this system do what the consumer has demanded? Yes, and they do it very efficiently with the latest technologies. However, it's not healthy for the planet, surely not healthy for the cows, and it's definitely not producing healthy food for us.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> <b>Nutrition</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b> </b>Grassfed products tend to be much lower in total fat than grainfed products. Grassfed products have an added benefit of having the highest levels of CLAs (conjugated linoleic acid). Studies show that a small amount of CLA in your diet will greatly reduce tumor growth. A Finnish study has shown that women with the highest levels of CLAs in their diet had a 60 percent lower risk for breast cancer. Sources found in footnotes 12 and 14 on the bottom of <a href="http://www.americangrassfedbeef.com/grass-fed-natural-beef.asp"><b>this page</b></a> at americangrassfedbeef.com.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> The grain-fed diets produce cows that have normal amounts of Omega-6 and are virtually devoid of all Omega-3. As humans, we need a balance of both at a 1:1 ratio. A typical western diet has a ratio of about 15-16.7:1 high in Omega-6 fatty acids. This imbalance<span style="font-family: inherit;"> can cause <span style="background-color: white; line-height: 17px;">cardiovascular disease, cancer, and inflammatory and autoimmune diseases per the National Center for Biotechnology Information <b><a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12442909">found here</a>.</b> Dr Weil also has a good write up <b><a href="http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/QAA400149/balancing-omega-3-and-omega-6.html">on his site here</a></b> on the differences in Omega-6 and Omega-3 fatty acids. Grassfed products have 2-6 times more Omega-3s than their grainfed counterparts.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 17px;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 17px;"> Fats are still fats and fats should not be the base of our diet, so we should consume in moderation and at healthy levels. However, our bodies do need the right fats to be healthy. Eating the healthy fats and eating them in the correct proportions will greatly increase our health and/or reduce our risk for certain disease.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div>Tom Davishttps://plus.google.com/104918751742812973804noreply@blogger.com0Phoenix, AZ, USA33.4483771 -112.0740372999999933.4483771 -112.07403729999999 33.4483771 -112.07403729999999tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1465706239852990136.post-53401685381340494912013-08-20T14:11:00.000-07:002013-09-26T13:14:19.353-07:00Homemade Basic Mayonnaise<div style="text-align: center;"><br />Use links below or <a href="http://astore.amazon.com/real2live-20">Our Amazon Store</a> if you'd like to purchase any of the listed items<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VLo35vQRy3s/UhPMiiAMunI/AAAAAAAAASo/ULZkkKXW9m4/s1600/DSCN1982-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VLo35vQRy3s/UhPMiiAMunI/AAAAAAAAASo/ULZkkKXW9m4/s640/DSCN1982-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><b><a href="https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B71VGGWhl8Z-UzJURURRYkNzTHM/edit?usp=sharing">Printable 4x6 recipe card</a></b><br /><frameset border="0" rows="80,*"> <frame frameborder="no" name="topFrame" noresize="noresize" scrolling="no" src="INSERT_YOUR_PAGE_HERE"></frame> <frame frameborder="no" name="mainFrame" src="http://astore.amazon.com/elmuea-20"></frame><br /><div style="text-align: left;"> First I would start by getting a food processor if you don't have one yet. I have and love this one:</div><div style="text-align: left;"> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002MH3O2/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B0002MH3O2&linkCode=as2&tag=elmuea-20">KitchenAid 12-Cup Food Processor</a></div></frameset></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> This isn't the most healthy hippie mayonnaise (that'll get posted later) due to the oil of choice, but if you're a fan of mayonnaise (or even if you're not a fan, but are open to becoming one) and would like to taste how amazingly rich and bright real homemade fresh mayonnaise can be this is a great recipe to begin with. My wife is usually a mayo avoider, but this one even she will eat.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> Many (most?) mayonnaise recipes call for adding mustard (this is common in classical French cuisine.) I, however, prefer my mayo plain without any mustard added. It'd be hard to make a blue cheese dressing with mustard flavored mayo. You can also add herbs, spices, even chopped pickles (if you're disgusting like that)(no offence). You can also get crazy and experiment with using different oils or combinations of oils. Do not use all of any oil that will solidify in the fridge or your mayo will become plastic until it reaches room temperature again. Using mayo as a base you can get into making different remoulades and aiolis.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> *RAW EGGS!</div><div style="text-align: left;"> OK, so I personally don't make my mayo with raw eggs. There's a need in my house at the time to cook them so I just avoid it at the moment. If you have the right kind of eggs this would be perfectly safe to use a raw egg in this recipe. Raw eggs have higher nutritional content than cooked eggs. I won't dive into the science here as the recipe is amazing raw or not, but if interested feel free to do some research on the matter. I will say from research done that I feel raw eggs from organic, pasture raised hens are especially safe to eat. I get my eggs from <a href="http://www.farmergoose.com/">Farmer Goose</a> here locally.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> If you don't have safer eggs to use and/or just want to avoid them raw altogether you can still make mayo at home by simply tempering the egg. This brings the egg to just hot enough to kill the potential threat, but leaves the eggs still runny and not yet scrambled (have a couple extra eggs available if this is your first attempt at tempering eggs as you may end up with a scrambled egg or two at first.)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> <b>*If you're going to make this recipe with raw eggs and skip the tempering step then you MUST have all ingredients at room temperature to get consistent results.</b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> If you're going to temper your egg as I do then I recommend using a double boiler like this <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005DTMTX4/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B005DTMTX4&linkCode=as2&tag=elmuea-20">All-Clad Sauce Pan with Double Boiler</a>. If you do not have one you can improvise with holding a mixing bowl over a pot of hot steaming water on the stove (be careful of the hot stream and your hand holding the bowl)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> The recipe:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">1 - Whole egg (best pastured, farm fresh)</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 C - Extra light olive oil (look for a brand that's not cut with canola oil, and is only 100% olive oils)</div><div style="text-align: left;">1/4 C - Extra light olive oil</div><div style="text-align: left;">2 Tbsp - Acid of choice (vinegar, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice...etc) I prefer organic lemon juice and use <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BNQFGHW/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00BNQFGHW&linkCode=as2&tag=elmuea-20">Santa Cruz Organic Lemon Juice</a></div><div style="text-align: left;">1 tsp - <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000E6BRUW/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B000E6BRUW&linkCode=as2&tag=elmuea-20">Real Salt</a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> Put 1/4 Cup olive oil in a food processor and add the tsp of salt. If using the egg raw add it and your acid here as well and skip the next step.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> Combine the egg and acid in the double boiler and whisk together until egg is just thickened (there is a fine line here between just thickened and scrambled.) Once thickened remove quickly from double boiler and pour into food processor that already has salt and oil measured into it. Your egg may scramble if this isn't done quick enough.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AumUWtgBXX4/UhPJHVqsMHI/AAAAAAAAARc/Zw7QWZhp4zI/s1600/DSCN1966-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AumUWtgBXX4/UhPJHVqsMHI/AAAAAAAAARc/Zw7QWZhp4zI/s400/DSCN1966-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5DvZst0l4MU/UhPJtyDbpvI/AAAAAAAAARk/iJ6vA_ptQQQ/s1600/DSCN1967-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5DvZst0l4MU/UhPJtyDbpvI/AAAAAAAAARk/iJ6vA_ptQQQ/s400/DSCN1967-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> Put food processor lid on and mix the oil, salt, acid, and egg together for about 30 seconds.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ef4dXNcP_RA/UhPKEaoMkrI/AAAAAAAAARs/R_pYAmmyiJk/s1600/DSCN1970-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ef4dXNcP_RA/UhPKEaoMkrI/AAAAAAAAARs/R_pYAmmyiJk/s400/DSCN1970-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-naheu0wZESU/UhPKE1wq5lI/AAAAAAAAAR0/ZUmO-5NpCDc/s1600/DSCN1971-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-naheu0wZESU/UhPKE1wq5lI/AAAAAAAAAR0/ZUmO-5NpCDc/s400/DSCN1971-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> If you have a Kitchen Aid food processor, or your processor has a pusher that has a small hole on the bottom of the pusher (shown below) this must have been designed to make mayonnaise.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Jf1K1h6iDS8/UhPKm1F_hvI/AAAAAAAAAR8/qWrxYPPCPw4/s1600/DSCN1968-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Jf1K1h6iDS8/UhPKm1F_hvI/AAAAAAAAAR8/qWrxYPPCPw4/s400/DSCN1968-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> Slowly pour the remaining 1 C olive oil into the top of the pusher and that hole will allow the oil to stream/drip out just slow enough to make mayonnaise. If yours doesn't have the hole in the pusher then you must pour the slowest steady stream of oil into the processor as it is running as you can (it should take 3-4 minutes). If the stream is too fast the mayo will not emulsify. I don't believe there is such a thing as too slow.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--INfMFMRFi4/UhPKm_29slI/AAAAAAAAASA/ypMrDJ-Zb-M/s1600/DSCN1972-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--INfMFMRFi4/UhPKm_29slI/AAAAAAAAASA/ypMrDJ-Zb-M/s400/DSCN1972-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> Once the 1 C of oil is incorporated let food processor run another 5-10 seconds and stop. All done!<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AHwrOqqFOlY/UhPLM1nN-hI/AAAAAAAAASM/uTX77V9d_iI/s1600/DSCN1976-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AHwrOqqFOlY/UhPLM1nN-hI/AAAAAAAAASM/uTX77V9d_iI/s400/DSCN1976-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> Put your mayo in a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000VDYUJI/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B000VDYUJI&linkCode=as2&tag=elmuea-20">Wide Mouth Mason Jar 1 pint</a>. If you typically go through your mayo quickly then just let chill in the fridge and enjoy.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-s4gz9o8SLxU/UhPL0rHdDrI/AAAAAAAAASU/m1wiKew0PRU/s1600/DSCN1978-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-s4gz9o8SLxU/UhPL0rHdDrI/AAAAAAAAASU/m1wiKew0PRU/s400/DSCN1978-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />If you're a slow mayo user like me then I use my <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001E42R8O/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B001E42R8O&linkCode=as2&tag=elmuea-20">FoodSaver Vacuum Food Sealer</a> (mine's an older model, but I'd get that today.) with the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00005TN7H/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00005TN7H&linkCode=as2&tag=elmuea-20">Wide-Mouth Jar Adapter</a> and vacuum seal the mayo to increase it's fridge life.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uYMhrQ5uIHU/UhPL0lvaFOI/AAAAAAAAASY/agMo8a0OZS0/s1600/DSCN1979-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uYMhrQ5uIHU/UhPL0lvaFOI/AAAAAAAAASY/agMo8a0OZS0/s400/DSCN1979-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> You can also try adding in some whey to increase it's fridge life (especially if you don't have the vacuum sealer). The good bacteria in the whey will fight off the bad bacteria that would cause the mayo to spoil. I've heard you can also lacto-ferment the mayo by adding the whey and leaving it out on the counter for several hours resulting in a probiotic enzyme rich mayo.<br /><br /> Done. Enjoy!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div>Tom Davishttps://plus.google.com/104918751742812973804noreply@blogger.com0Phoenix, AZ, USA33.4483771 -112.0740372999999932.6020036 -113.36493079999998 34.2947506 -110.78314379999999tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1465706239852990136.post-33688830588201504462013-08-08T22:24:00.000-07:002013-09-05T00:34:26.257-07:00Grind Fresh Flour At Home<div style="text-align: center;">Use links below or <a href="http://astore.amazon.com/real2live-20">Our Amazon Store</a> if you'd like to purchase any of the listed items<br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: large;">Why grind your own flour?</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Uc71emTiFsI/UfnppTl4G9I/AAAAAAAAAQY/yS9cUHYWHrw/s1600/DSCN1837_edited-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Uc71emTiFsI/UfnppTl4G9I/AAAAAAAAAQY/yS9cUHYWHrw/s640/DSCN1837_edited-1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> Ever walk in to an actual bakery in the morning and you could smell the freshly baked breads that had just come out of the oven? There's that yeasty aroma, the feel of the moisture, and warmth in the air that you can't help but fall in love with. That smell just seems to resonate within us on some deep level...we just love baked breads.<br /><br /> Grains are truly the staff of life. Bread however has been getting a bad reputation these days. Why? Our industrial food system. Grains, whole grains, will last almost (maybe even entirely) indefinitely if the entire bran is left in tact. However, once the bran is broken open the grains start to oxidize and go rancid due to the oil content inside.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> How does flour on the shelf of the grocery store last for weeks and months in the bags until you buy it, and then for however long it sits in your pantry until you've used it all? The processing the wheat goes through strips all the nutrition out leaving a dead, nutrient-less product.<br /><br /> Why strip all of this nutrition out of the flour? As stated before, fresh ground whole grain flour goes stale and rancid quickly (think a couple weeks). How can you turn a profit on a product that can't sit on the store's shelf for months? You can't, so you gotta remove the parts that cause the product to go bad. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HwUfqYOLf7k/UfnvyercbhI/AAAAAAAAAQo/-dBGWC7ogm0/s1600/whole-grain-nutrition.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HwUfqYOLf7k/UfnvyercbhI/AAAAAAAAAQo/-dBGWC7ogm0/s400/whole-grain-nutrition.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> Wheat, for instance, as a complete whole grain is rich in proteins, vitamins, antioxidants, fiber, minerals and healthy fats. The complete grain is made up of the wheat bran and middlings (the outside layers), the wheat germ and wheatgerm oil, and the endosperm. The endosperm is the wheat's power house providing the energy to the young plant to shoot roots down into the soil and send up sprouts to bathe in the sun. What is white commercial flour? Ground up endosperm, essentially pure energy without the fiber and protein to balance the energy absorption. It's is so devoid of nutrition that it must be "enriched" with small amounts of synthetic thiamine, niacin, B1, B2, folic acid, and iron. Store bought whole wheat flour just has some of the bran added back in to the white flour which is better than pure white flour, but still lacking some nutrition and a lot of flavor.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> Would eating breads made of this commercially processed, high energy content flour cause you to gain weight? Sure, if you're not burning off those calories they will convert to fat and get stored. If you were active enough could you burn it off without the weight gain? Also, sure, but that doesn't solve the problem of the nutrition that's missing. Now, what if you were eating a complete grain that contained all the parts intact? It would provide you a long lasting supply of energy and nourishment. You really do not get hungry as quickly when you eat complete grains because all the parts work together to regulate how the body digests the food to give it staying power you need for you day. You need the higher fiber content found in freshly ground grains.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> Invest in your health and invest in a grain mill. Aside from all of this, the flavor you get from fresh grains isn't even a comparison to buying flour from the store. One of the first purchases we made when we started trying to eat better was a grain mill. Ultimately I will end up having two, and electric and a manual hand crank. We bought the electric one first. We chose the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001UI37N8/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B001UI37N8&linkCode=as2&tag=elmuea-20">L'EQUIP Nutrimill Grain Mill</a> primarily because it'll turn popcorn into corn flour and it's quiet. It's no louder than a vacuum and with kids in the house noise level was a big factor. My typical whole wheat bread recipe takes 6-7 cups of flour and this mill will grind all of that in about a minute (maybe even less)<br /><br /> The processing and the synthetic add-in just can't match the flavor of the real deal as nature intended it. We are not sure about how well the synthetics are even absorbed and how efficient they are. So the bottom line is to just make it the real way. You'll love the richer, deeper flavor. Your body will love getting the nurtients it's expecting in their original forms. For me, there's just something a little primal about about going through this process that's thousands of years old right in my own kitchen. It really is, truly satisfying.</div>Tom Davishttps://plus.google.com/104918751742812973804noreply@blogger.com0Phoenix, AZ, USA33.4483771 -112.0740372999999932.6020036 -113.36493079999998 34.2947506 -110.78314379999999tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1465706239852990136.post-78141106481369891152013-07-30T22:57:00.000-07:002013-09-23T00:40:03.068-07:00 100% Whole Wheat Bread<div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">(only 6 ingredients! (optional 7th))</span><br />Use links below or <a href="http://astore.amazon.com/real2live-20">Our Amazon Store</a> if you'd like to purchase any of the listed items</div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><a href="https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B71VGGWhl8Z-bW9FYUNUQ2ZpaFE/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;">Printable 4x6 recipe card</span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>Turn this:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DkRzgfhizw0/UfhuUjLJKAI/AAAAAAAAAOQ/CEixRG0kfgk/s1600/DSCN1807%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DkRzgfhizw0/UfhuUjLJKAI/AAAAAAAAAOQ/CEixRG0kfgk/s640/DSCN1807%5B1%5D.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Into this:</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VS5ILn3aFNA/UfgP1v1AirI/AAAAAAAAANI/KlsGv4HDzCQ/s1600/DSCN1833%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VS5ILn3aFNA/UfgP1v1AirI/AAAAAAAAANI/KlsGv4HDzCQ/s640/DSCN1833%5B1%5D.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">6-7 Cups - Whole wheat flour (<a href="http://muchoeato.blogspot.com/2013/08/why-grind-your-grind-your-own-flour.html">fresh ground is best</a>)<br /> (I use <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0049YK20Q/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B0049YK20Q&linkCode=as2&tag=elmuea-20">Great River Organic NonGMO Red Spring Hard Wheat</a>)</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 tsp - Salt (I like to use <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000E6BRUW/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B000E6BRUW&linkCode=as2&tag=elmuea-20">Real Salt</a> brand sea salt. If you do, add an extra 1/2 tsp as it's slightly less salty)</div><div style="text-align: left;">3 Tbs - Butter from grass fed cows (melted and cooled) I use <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001LNPHNA/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B001LNPHNA&linkCode=as2&tag=elmuea-20">Kerrygold Pure Irish Butter</a></div><div style="text-align: left;">2 1/2 tsp - Yeast</div><div style="text-align: left;">1/3 Cup - Honey</div><div style="text-align: left;">2 tsp - Honey</div><div style="text-align: left;">2 1/2 Cups - Water (I use filtered as our tap water is very hard)</div><div style="text-align: left;">1/4 Cup - Water<br />1 Tbsp - Apple Cider Vinegar (I use <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00B7E2D9Y/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00B7E2D9Y&linkCode=as2&tag=elmuea-20">Bragg Apple Cider Vinegar Organic Raw</a>)<br />1 - Pastured Egg (optional)(gives a little egg bread flavor to this loaf...delicious)<br /><br /> I would recommend getting a mixer if you do not have one yet. These two are your common mixers:<br /> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00515BM6A/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00515BM6A&linkCode=as2&tag=elmuea-20">KitchenAid Professional 6-Quart Stand Mixer</a> or <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0016KU16G/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B0016KU16G&linkCode=as2&tag=elmuea-20">Bosch Universal Plus</a><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> I started with a recipe found here at <a href="http://myhealthygreenfamily.com/blog/wordpress/100-whole-wheat-sandwich-bread-recipe-that-rises-like-white/">myhealthygreenfamily.com</a> and tweaked it a little. I'd been on the hunt for a whole wheat flour bread recipe that called for 0 white flour. Most of what I was finding was a 50/50 mix of the two. The typical problem with making bread with only whole wheat flour is your end product is a big dry brick that may be suitable for doggy biscuits but not for sandwiches. This is a bit long, but the first time I attempted homemade bread it seemed a bit intimidating so I'll try to be detailed and include pictures along the way. PS. I'm by no means a pro at this nor to be considered a baker. I just got this process down to where it works for me. I'm all open for tips/suggestions from experienced bakers out there.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> Soaking your grains essentially begins predigesting them for you. This is how you get lighter, spongier bread that is soft and moist. I'm still experimenting with soaking mediums (pure water, a little vinegar, a little whey...etc.) and times, but this will get you started. Soaking increases nutrient absorption as well, but that's another post later. To further increase nutrients use fresh ground flour, but that's also another post.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> Start with 2 1/2 cups water and warm on your stove in until the water feels just room temperature on your finger. I put the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0039UH5DS/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B0039UH5DS&linkCode=as2&tag=elmuea-20">4-Cup Pyrex</a> right on the burner.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-J7_EBxG5Wd0/Ufhn-O8sXyI/AAAAAAAAANc/e98UatJo9to/s1600/DSCN1802%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-J7_EBxG5Wd0/Ufhn-O8sXyI/AAAAAAAAANc/e98UatJo9to/s400/DSCN1802%255B1%255D.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-J7_EBxG5Wd0/Ufhn-O8sXyI/AAAAAAAAANY/bFr2c7BvK9s/s1600/DSCN1802%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">(Pardon the spills. The pot of cracked wheat boiled over this morning. I clearly didn't care too much.)</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> Pour that warm water and apple cider vinegar over 3 cups of the wheat flour and whisk it until there's no more dry flour left and it's like a slightly thinner pancake batter. At this time if your yeast is in the fridge get it out, measured, and on the counter. The yeast needs to be at room temp when added in. Once the flour and water are whisked together cover the bowl with a warm, damp tea towel.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yA7dBmYX1Y4/Ufhp7jLphqI/AAAAAAAAANo/X4viw16CHVc/s1600/DSCN1803%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yA7dBmYX1Y4/Ufhp7jLphqI/AAAAAAAAANo/X4viw16CHVc/s400/DSCN1803%5B1%5D.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KVLApSQo58U/Ufhp_vFMQ-I/AAAAAAAAANw/0CoTFI84zyU/s1600/DSCN1806%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KVLApSQo58U/Ufhp_vFMQ-I/AAAAAAAAANw/0CoTFI84zyU/s400/DSCN1806%5B1%5D.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> Let the flour soak for at least 2 hours, but even longer if you can. I've got up to a 5 hour soak and the bread was even better, but I wouldn't go less than 2 hours.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> About 30 minutes before your flour is done soaking bring take a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000CFMZN/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B0000CFMZN&linkCode=as2&tag=elmuea-20">1-Cup Pyrex</a> and put 1/4 cup of filtered water up to room temperature and stir in 2 tsp of honey in at least a 1 cup measuring cup. Add the 2 1/2 tsp of yeast and gently stir in the yeast until it's just mixed it. Let it sit at room temperature for about thirty minutes. This and the soaking of the flour are the two secrets to this bread. After 30 minutes your yeast mixture, aka "the sponge", will look like this: </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7FtVr0iBCQ4/Ufhr6o1IdNI/AAAAAAAAAOA/zBsEJD6iqcU/s1600/DSCN1809%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7FtVr0iBCQ4/Ufhr6o1IdNI/AAAAAAAAAOA/zBsEJD6iqcU/s400/DSCN1809%5B1%5D.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">"It's alive!"</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><object class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://img.youtube.com/vi/QuoKNZjr8_U/0.jpg" height="266" width="320"><param name="movie" value="http://youtube.googleapis.com/v/QuoKNZjr8_U&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://youtube.googleapis.com/v/QuoKNZjr8_U&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> Put your salt in the bowl of a mixer (unless you're some mad scientist sort and are making this by hand). Add the 1/3 cup of honey. Add the 3 Tbs of melted butter. Pour in your soaked flour mixture. Finally pour in the sponge mixture. If you were adding the egg this is when you would add it. Turn your mixer on a low speed (on my Kitchen Aid it's a 2) and mix for about a minute until fairly well combined. You'll probably have a bit of a butter ring around the edge.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WGvXH-AFgAE/Ufhvy1aASaI/AAAAAAAAAOg/ULTM01Jwyxg/s1600/DSCN1812%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WGvXH-AFgAE/Ufhvy1aASaI/AAAAAAAAAOg/ULTM01Jwyxg/s400/DSCN1812%5B1%5D.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> Now, about 1/2 cup at a time, add in the dry flour. Mix (again on setting 2 for my mixer) until fully incorporated, and then add another 1/2 cup and repeat. Occasionally scrape down the sides of the bowl. Continue this until the dough is cleaning the bowl for you.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><object class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://img.youtube.com/vi/EZP7ZZPmpZs/0.jpg" height="266" width="320"><param name="movie" value="http://youtube.googleapis.com/v/EZP7ZZPmpZs&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://youtube.googleapis.com/v/EZP7ZZPmpZs&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> Let this mix for about 5 minutes. Then add the smallest amount of water back in (think about a tsp at a time). Let mix more until it doesn't appear wet and sticky. Repeat that 2-3 times. The dough will take in more water after this initial 5 minutes of kneading. Stop adding water when you think "if I add more, it's going to begin to start to stick again." Let the mixer run for another 3-5 minutes.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> Grease a large glass bowl (I use a little cold expeller pressed olive oil.) Put a little of the oil on the counter. Take the dough out and form it into a ball on the counter with your hands. Put it int he glass bowl and cover with a kitchen towel. Put the bowl somewhere warm and let it proof rise for an hour. We don't use our microwave, but have found that it makes an excellent built in dough proofer.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TXDCGQ2HZlU/UfhzN1gfzJI/AAAAAAAAAOw/SkzxozUlBE4/s1600/DSCN1815%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TXDCGQ2HZlU/UfhzN1gfzJI/AAAAAAAAAOw/SkzxozUlBE4/s400/DSCN1815%5B1%5D.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vl4-_Pza1ig/UfhzT2ggbPI/AAAAAAAAAO4/W9kEvOHTb4Y/s1600/DSCN1816%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vl4-_Pza1ig/UfhzT2ggbPI/AAAAAAAAAO4/W9kEvOHTb4Y/s400/DSCN1816%5B1%5D.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> After about an hour the dough should have doubled. Depending on your elevation, room temperature, humidity...etc, etc. etc. it might be a little more or less. After 60 minutes mine looks like this:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-v1EPMaSqLPE/Ufh0VaPgHBI/AAAAAAAAAPI/OdgsIrPjgZs/s1600/DSCN1817%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-v1EPMaSqLPE/Ufh0VaPgHBI/AAAAAAAAAPI/OdgsIrPjgZs/s400/DSCN1817%5B1%5D.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Punch the dough down. Oil the counter again (if needed) and knead the dough by hand for a minute or two (mostly to try to remove any bubbles). Divide the dough in half. This will make two 2 lb loafs. If you have a kitchen scale put a plate on top and zero it out. Put the dough on the plate to compare the two half to make sure they are nearly equal in weight. Form your loaf shape. A good beginner technique is to flatten you dough out into a rectangular(ish) shape where the narrow width is the same as the length of your loaf pan and then roll it up length wise. I use a 9 x 5 x 2.75 (2 lb) loaf pan. I have found <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002UNMZOO/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B002UNMZOO&linkCode=as2&tag=elmuea-20">USA Pans brand Loaf Pans</a> and LOVE them. They are coated in a silicone coating somewhere that makes them nonstick without all of the chemicals found in most (or all?) nonstick coatings. If you have non coated loaf pans you might want to use some butter and grease the inside of your loaf pan. Once loaf is formed put the loafs in your pans.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IUWEjWfQioM/Ufh2wKzBvbI/AAAAAAAAAPY/xJ_B_RLele0/s1600/DSCN1818%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IUWEjWfQioM/Ufh2wKzBvbI/AAAAAAAAAPY/xJ_B_RLele0/s400/DSCN1818%5B1%5D.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Cover again with a kitchen towel and back into the microwave. Let these rise until the dough just crests the top of the loaf pan (they will continue to rise A LOT in the oven). This will take between 30 minutes to an hour so check regularly. It's time to stop letting them rise when they look like this:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-d6mVE3D4gco/Ufh3pRXtGmI/AAAAAAAAAPo/u4cubIWKqww/s1600/DSCN1820%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-d6mVE3D4gco/Ufh3pRXtGmI/AAAAAAAAAPo/u4cubIWKqww/s400/DSCN1820%5B1%5D.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> Put these in the oven and reset the oven to 350 degrees F. Bake for about 40-50 minutes. Use a thermometer with a probe this <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00004XSC5/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00004XSC5&linkCode=as2&tag=elmuea-20">Digital Cooking Thermometer</a> to check internal temperature. We're looking for 180 degrees F. Remove loaves from oven and place on a cooling rack. Notice the rise difference from entering the oven to leaving the oven:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-I7jH8RkiAWs/Ufh5OMRj5cI/AAAAAAAAAP4/9xUNO-cVlMc/s1600/DSCN1825%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-I7jH8RkiAWs/Ufh5OMRj5cI/AAAAAAAAAP4/9xUNO-cVlMc/s400/DSCN1825%5B1%5D.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> Let these cool completely (this time, this is where I went to bed. When I woke up they turned right out and fell onto the cooling rack (with no greasing the loaf pans!)). That's it! You're done! Get a serrated bread knife and cut it as thin or thick as you want. Make sure it is completely cool before cutting. Warm bread will be too soft and you'll tear the slices up. Gotta be patient if you want to slice. If you want to tear it off by the fist full then dive right in ans soon as they're cool enough to touch!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6vNU5jLQxgY/Ufh6haAVbsI/AAAAAAAAAQI/qE0bu-oVymQ/s1600/DSCN1832%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6vNU5jLQxgY/Ufh6haAVbsI/AAAAAAAAAQI/qE0bu-oVymQ/s400/DSCN1832%5B1%5D.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">(I missed a bubble when kneading this loaf apparently)</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> I've had this last easily over a week maybe two before it seemed too old/dry to eat as is (still toasts great at that point though.) Spread with homemade butter (recipe/directions coming soon) and you're good to go.</div></div><script src="http://wms-na.amazon-adsystem.com/20070822/US/js/link-enhancer-common.js?tag=elmuea-20" type="text/javascript"></script><noscript> <img src="http://wms-na.amazon-adsystem.com/20070822/US/img/noscript.gif?tag=elmuea-20" alt="" /></noscript>Tom Davishttps://plus.google.com/104918751742812973804noreply@blogger.com0Phoenix, AZ, USA33.4483771 -112.0740372999999932.6020036 -113.36493079999998 34.2947506 -110.78314379999999tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1465706239852990136.post-81027563895728423182013-07-22T19:37:00.000-07:002013-08-28T16:05:40.473-07:00100% Whole Grain Pancakes (no white flour)<div style="text-align: center;">Use links below or <a href="http://astore.amazon.com/real2live-20">Our Amazon Store</a> if you'd like to purchase any of the listed items</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lcf7YiwZTRk/Ues7J-cEkOI/AAAAAAAAALE/eMYT1wkuWSo/s1600/DSCN1771%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lcf7YiwZTRk/Ues7J-cEkOI/AAAAAAAAALE/eMYT1wkuWSo/s640/DSCN1771%255B1%255D.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">2 Cups - <a href="http://www.chefbrad.com/store/details.php?prodid=317">Wonderflour</a> (equal parts of spelt, barley, and brown rice flours)(<a href="http://muchoeato.blogspot.com/2013/08/why-grind-your-grind-your-own-flour.html">fresh ground is best</a>)</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 1/2 Cups - 2% or whole Milk, but preferably real buttermilk</div><div style="text-align: left;">1/4 Cups - White vinegar</div><div style="text-align: left;">2 Eggs</div><div style="text-align: left;">2 Tbsp - Butter from grass fed cows like <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001LNPHNA/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B001LNPHNA&linkCode=as2&tag=elmuea-20">Kerrygold Pure Irish Butter</a>, melted and cooled</div><div style="text-align: left;">1 tsp - <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000E6BRUW/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B000E6BRUW&linkCode=as2&tag=elmuea-20">Real Salt</a></div><div style="text-align: left;">1 tsp - Baking soda</div><div style="text-align: left;">2 tsp - Baking powder</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> Start preheating a heavy cast iron skillet like this one <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0008G2W2U/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B0008G2W2U&linkCode=as2&tag=elmuea-20">12" Lodge Pro-Logic Square Griddle</a> over medium heat (on my stove it's set at 4). Whisk vinegar into milk gently and let it sit for 5 minutes to sour the milk. Whisk in to the milk the 2 eggs. Mix all dry ingredients together. Whisk the milk, vinegar, and egg mixture into the dry ingredients and whisk well to break down all lumps. Finally whisk in the melted butter. You could probably combine it all in a blender too, I just haven't gone there yet. Hand whisking is easier than blender cleaning I guess.</div><div style="text-align: left;"> Once batter is mixed, put a bit of butter on the skillet and spread it around. I actually use my own purified bacon drippings instead of butter for this. Use a 1/2 Cup measuring cup to pour batter on to skillet. Let it cook for 2-3 minutes until edges start to appear dry and air bubbles releasing from batter has slowed like this.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lLdKKH-z14U/UetA4BFOwoI/AAAAAAAAALQ/qqJxDuCzhu4/s1600/DSCN1765%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lLdKKH-z14U/UetA4BFOwoI/AAAAAAAAALQ/qqJxDuCzhu4/s400/DSCN1765%5B1%5D.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> Use a wide and heavy spatula (even if you're a master flip it straight from the pan type of chef, the weight of the cast iron makes this technique a little extra challenging.) I use my pancake spatula like this <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000VVO91E/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B000VVO91E&linkCode=as2&tag=elmuea-20">Stainless Steel Turner with Wood Handle</a>. Pancakes should be a nice golden brown.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6P5MxvI7JG0/UetC2otzxqI/AAAAAAAAALg/083NPgSQgJc/s1600/DSCN1766%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6P5MxvI7JG0/UetC2otzxqI/AAAAAAAAALg/083NPgSQgJc/s400/DSCN1766%5B1%5D.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> Cook for another 3-4 minutes. Flip again and look for desired color on the other side. Cook a little more and flip until cooked to your liking.</div><div style="text-align: left;"> This batch should make about 6 pancakes of this size plus 1 more slightly smaller than the others.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nr-JTylDAN4/UetEHcuMojI/AAAAAAAAALw/8qFd9pPR3d8/s1600/DSCN1774%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nr-JTylDAN4/UetEHcuMojI/AAAAAAAAALw/8qFd9pPR3d8/s400/DSCN1774%5B1%5D.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> Now just server yourself a nice manly stack of three of these (or 4 if your insanely awesome.) You may not need to eat for the rest of the day. These will not make you feel like you need to roll to your bed and die because you're sooooo fuuuuull. You will, however, not be hungry for a long time. These grow big and tall and are so fluffy</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><object class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://img.youtube.com/vi/1SI6rhotAkE/0.jpg" height="266" width="320"><param name="movie" value="http://youtube.googleapis.com/v/1SI6rhotAkE&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://youtube.googleapis.com/v/1SI6rhotAkE&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Just look at this stack when cut in to soaked in real maple syrup (feel free to expand on the use of maple syrup if you choose.)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KVxk-CX0CZI/UetFqunoIgI/AAAAAAAAAMA/dsWsznaJG_4/s1600/DSCN1775%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KVxk-CX0CZI/UetFqunoIgI/AAAAAAAAAMA/dsWsznaJG_4/s400/DSCN1775%5B1%5D.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eaChj78G3nk/UetFwucX1kI/AAAAAAAAAMI/2ccEVWf6hfA/s1600/DSCN1777%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eaChj78G3nk/UetFwucX1kI/AAAAAAAAAMI/2ccEVWf6hfA/s400/DSCN1777%5B1%5D.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Enjoy!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>Tom Davishttps://plus.google.com/104918751742812973804noreply@blogger.com0Phoenix, AZ, USA33.4483771 -112.0740372999999932.6020036 -113.36493079999998 34.2947506 -110.78314379999999tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1465706239852990136.post-28875653447856079422013-07-21T13:34:00.000-07:002013-09-11T12:01:26.507-07:00Using dried herbs versus fresh herbs<div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oKKg7Ej_TKU/UjAySLgBBuI/AAAAAAAAAak/zzF9HeM1o8c/s1600/herb+bunches.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oKKg7Ej_TKU/UjAySLgBBuI/AAAAAAAAAak/zzF9HeM1o8c/s640/herb+bunches.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div> Depending on what the recipe calls for; when it comes you herbs you can most always substitute fresh for dried or vice versa.<br />The general rule:<br /><br /> Fresh to dried - Divide amount by 1/3 (1 C fresh = 1/3 C dried)<br /> Dried to fresh - multiply amount by 3 (1/3 C dried = 1 C fresh)<br /><br /> Flavors in fresh herbs always more pure, and flavors in dried herbs are always more concentrated.<br />Fresh is always more desirable, but we all have dried on hand already. Dried herbs should be bright or deep in color. If the color has faded, chances are the herbs have gone stale. If you can crush a couple leaves, and you don't get the strong aroma, the herbs are dead. Buy new ones.Tom Davishttps://plus.google.com/104918751742812973804noreply@blogger.com0Phoenix, AZ, USA33.4483771 -112.0740372999999932.6020036 -113.36493079999998 34.2947506 -110.78314379999999tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1465706239852990136.post-33106951240358401242013-07-20T19:37:00.001-07:002013-09-04T15:29:55.755-07:00Welcome to Real2Live <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-p2Pk9JNlRfA/UiUiKpz4CkI/AAAAAAAAAXg/gdyOSlMs0ik/s1600/R2L+Orange+sq.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-p2Pk9JNlRfA/UiUiKpz4CkI/AAAAAAAAAXg/gdyOSlMs0ik/s200/R2L+Orange+sq.gif" width="200" /></a></div> Sometimes we say "I told you that, so that I can tell you this." You first create an experience, so that you can build on it and create another.<br /><strong>The focus:</strong><br /> Such is life; stacking one experience on top of another.<br />Recently food things have been done industrially, machines, technology, science....more, more, more, cheaper, cheaper, cheaper. Maybe we had to go there so that we could learn and take that experience to build a new experience.<br /> Nature has a certain way she likes things to be done. Natural systems were designed to work symbiotically. We seem to have forgotten about the circle of life, or think that it only exists in the wild (now the movie "Madagascar" is in my head).<br /> The current food system we've created is not the solution. We need to take what we have learned (the good and the bad) and reinvent it. Use new ideas and new technologies to produce and provide clean, nutrient dense real food as nature intended it that's available to everyone.<br /> Disease doesn't exist on symbiotic farms and it's not disease free because of pesticides, it's just naturally clean as things coexist in symbiosis. Can we learn how to fight, reduce, maybe even eliminate disease simply by reinventing our food system? I don't know, but we can be healthier and not starved of nutrition, and that itself is worth the effort. Who knows what other benefits we might discover along the way.<br /><br /> We will follow with posts, links, recipes , "how-to"s and results from experimenting (ask my wife how much she's enjoyed all my "experiments".)<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />Tom Davishttps://plus.google.com/104918751742812973804noreply@blogger.com0Phoenix, AZ, USA33.4483771 -112.0740372999999932.6020036 -113.36493079999998 34.2947506 -110.78314379999999