Sep 24, 2010 | Green Living, In-Edibles, Recipes, Uncategorized
I like to post on this, but usually do it from my cooking blog so I thought you could indulge me…
Great Recipes for Keeping it Clean and Green:
Rub-a-Dub Tub Scrub
(or “Because I have 3 men in my tub scrub”?)
- In a mixing bowl pour about equal amounts of baking soda and Borax. (What I do is take 2 jars, fill one almost full of Borax and the other almost full of baking soda. Then I pour them both into a bowl.)
- Pour in some True Lemon powder (you can use True Orange or Lime also, or citric acid if you can get it) just enough to scent the mix, about 2-4 Tablespoons more or less.
- Mix and put back in your jars!
To use: Wet bathtub or sink. Sprinkle tub scrub in tub. Watch the fun! It bubbles when it gets wet!
Scrub and watch the sparkles! This smells yummy too.
Laundry Detergent
1 cup Washing Soda (you can get this at most grocery stores now)
1/2 cup Borax
7-10 drops of tea tree oil (disinfectant and antibacterial)
*You can add other essential oil drops if you want a scent but I don’t
1/4 cup or so of
Dr. Bronner’s Baby Castile liquid soap
4 quarts hot water (first) then added about 8 more quarts
Mix it in a bowl with a whisk because the washing soda (soda ash) gets hot when it gets wet. (Luckily I knew this from my pool or I’d have probably burned my hands trying to get the clumps out.) Let sit for about 20 minutes to cool off, then put in containers. I use old detergent bottles and glass bottles.
Very inexpensive and effective!
Natural Deodorant
1/4 cup corn starch
1/4 cup baking soda
*If you have sensitive skin (like me) use more cornstarch and less soda to still equal 1/2 c total.
10 drops essential oil (I like tea tree or bergamot)
Mix it all together(takes about 2 seconds)
You can use it just like that- dust it on as a powder
OR if you want to put it in a stick form you add
2-3 tbs coconut oil (I use more and a little water because it’s been dry here and seems to crumble if I don’t.) you find it in the baking aisle by the shortening (also good as a skin cream and lip balm)
Once you have it all mixed up you pack it into an old, empty stick deoderant container. You will have to add and pack and keep this up until you get to the top. I like to use a small baby spoon to help pack it down tightly.
Let “cure” about 24 hours for it to hold together properly when you apply it.
This really works well, especially with the tea tree oil/bergamot mixture. Haven’t tried the powder form. Makes about 2 sticks in a normal ladies’ sized container.
Sep 24, 2010 | Recipes, Sweets, Uncategorized
Can you tell I love homemade granola? I am always trying to make the perfect batch. And this last one has come extremely close if not made the grade. What did I do differently? Well, I took my recipe and then looked at my friend Alison’s from this cookbook and sort of did this:
I used my granola recipe (which basically is cleaning out my baking cabinet because I use up any nuts and fruit etc. that needs to be used.)
6 cups of oats or more (I use what’s on sale, but Bob’s Red Mill are my faves)
1 cup coconut (today I used a whole bag of unsweetened)
2 cups wheat germ (sometimes I do flax seeds ground up or half and half)
1 cup sliced almonds or walnuts
1 cup chopped pecans
1 package of sunflower seeds (I used about 1 1/2 or 2 cups)
1 cup of baby oats or wheat flour
1 cup dried fruit (more or less to taste, I’m allergic to almost all fruit so I used dates)
This is where things got different…
Normally I microwave or cook my liquids to a syrup to melt the butter etc. Today I did this:
1/2 stick of butter, melted
3/4 cup of molasses (I like dark or blackstrap)
1/2 cup of honey
1/4 cup of agave syrup (or a little less depending on how sweet you want it)
Mix the dry ingredients (except for fruit) in a bowl and wait. Mix liquids in a bowl and pour over dry ingredients, adding a little at a time until it looks fairly wet. Mix well and put in greased or parchment lined cookie sheets. I actually use my turkey pan because it’s deeper and things don’t fly out when I stir.
In another small bowl take some oats and flour and a little brown sugar- to equal about 2 cups. Melt about 2 T of butter and pour over this mixture and add some of the syrup from above if any remains, if not add some honey and water to make a cookie dough consistency. I pat this in a small greased pan.
Bake both at 350, checking every 5 minutes to stir, until lightly browned. (About 20 minutes or so total.) Just depends on how brown you like it. (I like my crispy to stand up in the milk!) Take the mix that was patted in the pan and flip out onto a cutting board. Break it up into chunks. (Adds crispy bits to the cereal!)
Store in the oatmeal containers!
*I’d love your input on granola. Here is a post to my
friend’s recipe. She is a fantastic cook!
Sep 1, 2010 | Panameña, Recipes, Uncategorized
Empanadas are about the best comfort food around. I grew up eating these yummy pastries from bakeries and carts downtown. Every country has their version of a meat pie, and I believe most Latin American ones are along these same lines. For my wedding my family and I made 100’s of these little dears and I can’t eat one now without thinking about it!
This particular recipe is from a military cookbook from Panama, made by the wives of the Intelligence division on the Atlantic side called “Cooking With Intelligence” (long, long, ago.) BUT, it says it’s taken from the “Interamerican Women’s Club Cookbook”- a club my grandma used to belong to in Panama. My mom uses this one and doubles it. I must say it’s much better than the one I used to use…
Empanadas
Dough:
2 1/2 cups of flour
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup of chilled butter
1/4 cup of chilled Crisco
1 to 3 Tablespoons of water
Sift flour and salt into a mixing bowl and cut in the chilled shortening and butter until it resembles a coarse cornmeal, using two knives or a pastry cutter. Add a little water until pastry is moist enough to stick together in a ball. Put dough in refrigerator for an hour. Roll out dough on lightly floured board to about 1/8″ and cut with round cookie cutter or glass. On each round of dough put a little of the filling, about 1/2 teaspoon. Fold over and flute edges with fork. Brush tops with beaten egg. Bake in oven 400 degrees until golden brown. Makes about 60 empanadas.
Filling:
3/4 lb. ground pork (my mom used ground chicken and turkey)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 sweet pepper, chopped
1/4 cup of currants
1 Tablespoon of capers
10 stuffed olives, chopped
1 hard boiled egg, chopped (I’ve never added this before, and mom doesn’t either)
1 bay leaf
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 lg. ripe tomato chopped (mom used a can of diced tomatoes)
4 Tablespoons of olive oil
1/2 tsp of oregano
1/2 hot pepper (optional)
1 sprig of parsley, chopped
*Put oil in frying pan and fry meat a little. Add ingredients and simmer for half an hour. Salt and pepper to taste.
I’ll try and make some soon and post pictures for you!
Aug 24, 2010 | Main Dishes, Recipes, Uncategorized
This is my quickie version of Sopa de Limón, a yummy chicken soup from the Yucatan peninsula. We had some in Cobá, Mexico while watching Mexico play in the World Cup a few years ago. An awesome family memory and a feel-good kind of soup for what ails ya…
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| Us in Cobá |
Sopa de Limón
- Saute half an onion (chopped) and some garlic cloves til transparent. Throw in some chicken (any parts or amount you want,) salt, pepper and I like a packet of Sazón by Goya to add flavor. Add water to cover chicken by about 2 inches. Add 1 lime that has been cut in two. Boil until chicken is cooked. *I had leftover broth and chicken from when I made the enchiladas which I froze and brought out for this purpose.
- Let cool til you can chop or shred the chicken. Put chicken back in broth and add more water and a few bouillon cubes if you need more broth (I like Knorr vegetable cubes but they are becoming increasingly harder to find here.) I also added some chopped cilantro. Add whatever else you want to now. (I put in some cooked brown rice that I had leftover in the fridge and some chopped zucchini.) Let simmer until you are ready to eat.
- On serving I like to put things in little ramekins to add as people like. A bowl of halved or quartered limes, chopped cilantro, black beans, pico de gallo…
I served it with some homemade quick bread I made using my pizza recipe (1 1/2 times the recipe) plus added a bit more yeast and some fresh oregano.
Aug 23, 2010 | Main Dishes, Recipes, Uncategorized
Do you have one of those dishes that people ask you to make?
(They may not be your personal favorites, but everyone else loves them?)
Mine are my enchiladas verdes, pizza, and carrot cake.
This recipe came from one from my grandma that I changed quite a bit. I do still like hers, and that’s the one folks actually expect, but this one is healthier and actually more of a real enchilada. My kids have become pickier (is that even possible?) so I took the rice out of these (which is inside them with Meme’s recipe and also has almonds, which I leave out now for kids.)
Enchiladas Verdes
Filling:
- Shredded Chicken (could use turkey) I boiled, cooled, and shredded breasts, about 3?
- Chopped onions or leeks (I used leeks this time)
- Packet of Sazon for flavoring (or you could just use salt, pepper, cumin, oregano)
- A bit of vinegar (maybe a tablespoon?)
- Broth if needed
- My grandma added cooked rice and chopped roasted almonds to her filling which is tasty for a more casserole type meal.
Saute onions and garlic first til transparent. Then add rest and simmer.
When sauce (below) is done add a little to the filling and stir.
Sauce:
- Sour cream, Greek Yogurt, or blended Cottage Cheese (I used sour cream and blended cottage cheese this time) about 2 cups, maybe a bit more depending on how creamy you like it. *My grandma’s recipe uses cream of chicken soup instead.
- Shredded cheese (Mexican cheeses, cheddar or a mix) I used a Mexican/Cheddar blend from the store. About a cup or so.
- Salsa Verde also known as Tomatillo Salsa. (I use a pre-made salsa, Herdez brand which I like. You could make your own but tomatillos are expensive here and I haven’t braved growing them myself.) Again, as much as you’d like- think I use about a third to half of a jar.
- Broth (I used chicken broth I’d made when I boiled the chicken breasts by adding some veggies to the boiling water.) Add enough to give it the right consistency, about a cup or so?
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| Filling Enchiladas |
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| Rolled Enchiladas |
Spread a little sauce in bottom of 9 x 13″ baking dish. Fill flour tortillas with enough filling to still be able to roll nicely. You can use store-bought tortillas or make your own. Roll and place seam side down in baking dish. You can sprinkle the top with more cheese if you want to.
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| Before Baking |
Bake in a 350 degree oven until they are a little brown on top and heated through.
Aug 4, 2010 | Recipes, Uncategorized
My aunt found this recipe on an old envelope when she was cleaning up my grandparent’s attic:
It is in my grandma’s handwriting, and written when her sister was still alive (before 1980 or so.) I’m thinking it was even written in the 50’s, but not sure.
12 eggs (this quantity was blurred so not sure)
1 T salt
4 T mustard
2 c sugar
2 c vinegar
1 cup cream or canned milk
Cook til thick.
*Notes- Real Good
We can’t figure out what the recipe is for! I haven’t tried to make it yet (because honestly, it doesn’t sound so yummy to me) but do really want to know what it’s for! My grandma and her sister were both Canadian, in case any Canadians out there know what this is!
It almost sounds like a cooked mayonnaise, but then also like a custard like lunch salad. Hmmmm…
Does anyone have any ideas?
