Spring is in the air | Back to Basics

I love Spring!

I love the way the warm sun and the cool breeze feels on my skin as I sit outside, close my eyes and lift my face to the sky with content and gratitude. I love the way the flowers fill the air with their sweet fragrance. I love the way the cold green grass feels on my feet when I am outside playing in the yard with my kids.

 

I love to watch as nature literally changes before my eyes and takes on new vibrant shades of greens, blues, pinks and purples. Every color of the rainbow can be found in nature. Every time, every year, it takes my breath away. Nature amazes me. I could sit outside for hours just watching life happen. I watch these two little birds that live under my carport live their lives. They are so content to do the same things over and over again everyday with great purpose and peace. They sing along as they collect twigs and random tidbits lingering about to build their nests. They hangout in a small tree that grows on the side of our house and chase each other back and forth. It is simply humbling to watch these simple and small, yet extremely important creatures

living for the moment and loving every second. It is a beautiful thing.

I have not been blessed with a natural green thumb and it shows when I have tried to do vegetable gardens in the past. However, with each year I try, I learn more and more and nature is my teacher. This year looks promising so far. I started with seeds and planted squash, zucchini, tomatoes, spinach, bell pepper, onions and jalapenos,  

My seedling got a little overtaken by mold when we had a week of rain and straight humidity.

In my search to remedy this situation as naturally as possible, I came about a post that insisted that sprinkling cinnamon on the plant's soil would help to kill any mold since cinnamon has natural

anti-fungal properties.

 As you can see it certainly didn't hurt them and also seemed to remedy my mold problem.

These little seedlings are loving the sunshine.

No matter how many times I see a plant grow from a seed into something edible, it amazes and humbles me. It is the coolest thing to see something grow right before your eyes. It is kind of like watching your children grow, but a lot less intense and emotional. These living things are just doing what comes naturally to them. JUST BEING! They have no agenda but to Grow and thrive. So humbling!

I never knew I would ever love to garden as much as I do. I love to take care of these plants, flowers and vegetables. I love to watch them grow and just marvel in the beauty that is life. It kind of puts life in perspective in a strange sort of way. It brings me peace.

Growing herbs is something else that I am trying to get good at. I cook daily and I cook okay, but I am learning to cook with a broader pallet and trying to incorporate more fresh herbs as well as unfamiliar ingredients in my food. I figured one of the best ways to do that was to start growing my own herbs and unfamiliar foods so that I am forced to experiment. I hope it works! 

 I have tried to grow food from scraps in the past, like pineapples and avocado pits, but they never worked out. So I decided to try something more simple and it just so happens that this red onion was more than happy to regrow for me. This guy has gotten like a foot and a half now. It is huge in my garden. I think it might be doing even better than all of my other plants.  

You can regrow scraps from garlic, lettuce, celery and a few other items too. Nature is so crazy.

I love it!

Getting this garden started. My love finally got one of my raised beds put together. My little plants have been holding on until they could get transplanted.

I feel very fulfilled now. It is so rewarding growing your own food. Planting a seed and watching it grow from a tiny little green sprout popping out of the dirt for the first time is really awesome. And then watching it grow and flourish into something you can feed your family and consume for a healthy body is even more awesome. I love it and I love nature. I think everyone should have the opportunity to grow their own food. It takes me back to being at my great grandmothers on her ranch in Llano, Tx and picking the beans and snapping them, picking the berries off her vines for some of her homemade jellies and jams. She made the best berry jelly. She also had the best garden that was almost as big as half my house. Those memories will last a lifetime and the older I get, the more I appreciate that simple kind of life. Here's to good memories, gardening and a simpler time. 

 The most fragrant roses! I still have this bowl sitting on my kitchen counter as the petals wilt and let off this sweet, soft and rosy fragrance that fills the house.

 Get the kids involved! Inspire! Teach! Create!

 We bought our first lemon tree this year and I was concerned that something was wrong with it. It has been growing but has not produced any flowers or blooms in the couple of months that we have had it. Then I saw this little lovely poking out of the side. Our first lemon tree blossom.

This long leafed plant was planted in my yard well before I ever moved in over 8 years ago. I never knew what it was. I just knew this big green plant won't go away. I have to admit that I have mowed over her a few times over the years. Well the day after Easter I came outside to find this. She is absolutely fabulous and gorgeous. Even when I didn't manage to mow over her, she had never bloomed. This was an awesome surprise to wake up to and find out that this strange green plant was actually a beautiful Lily all along.

 

It is a great gift to stop and watch life happen right in front of you and take notice of the simplicity and yet extreme intricacy of everything in nature.

Life is beautiful . . .When you get back to the basics.

 

Blessings to all

 

Nature's Bounty | Fresh, Healthy, Colorful, Vibrant Ingredients

 If I would have seen all of this fresh and delicious food when I was younger, I would have been like, Nooo!!!

I never knew I could be so in love with real food.

My horizons are expanding and I learn to cook and utilize new and different vegetables every week and I love it. Some people probably think, "why would you take pictures of your food or plain fruits and veggies", and probably think it's weird. I feel like, how can I not? Look at all of the color, and on top of their simple beauty, I know how they taste and how wonderful they are for me.

Look how different and vibrant their colors are. Shiny red tomatoes, Vibrant greens, sunny yellows, deep purples and bright oranges. You can't get any better or more beautiful than that. I got the green apples to make a few small apple pies or crisps in the next couple of days. I got jalepenos and cilantro to make some fresh salsa fresca. One of my favorites. I save a lot of money by making my own in a big batch and storing it in the fridge to snack on or add to our favorite fresh dishes, like salmon and rice. Mmm mmm good!

See those little heirloom cherry tomatoes in purple, yellow, orange and red?

Heaven! They taste like heaven.

I made a small layered dip with beans, sour cream, avocados, cheese and topped it off with those superb little tomatoes and they made the dish. The purple ones are my favorite, with a robust tart and lingering sweet flavor.

How can I not get excited about real food that is so amazing for my health? This is beautiful and it makes me happy and most importantly, it makes me want to cook well and eat well.

So grateful for this food!!! Get you some!!!

 

Blessings to all

 

 

Check out my previous post on

The Benefits of Himalayan Salt

 

How to freeze berries

It has been such a gloomy and dreary day. But I got these fresh strawberries and a giant thing of blueberries on sale and I am washing them up good so I can freeze them. I love fresh berries and freezing them while they are in season or on sale is a great way to ensure their availability.

I can't stand to see my fruits and veggies go bad before I can eat them. For some reason I always forget about freezing them. Really, you can freeze just about anything. Think about all the varieties of food that fill the packages in the frozen food aisle at the grocery store. Green beans, corn, onions, squash, zucchini and everything else under the sun. In order to stock my freezer up and make sure that I don't waste any of my food, I am going to start taking half of my fruits and veggies and wash them and freeze them. I started with my berries that are so sweet and bright. I was surprised to stumble upon such good berries and at such a great price in January. I don't want to let these puppies go to waste.

Freezing berries or really anything is actually quite simple. First, I get a baking sheet and cover it with two layers of papers towels so that I can dry/drain the berries of their excess water after rinsing.

Take all of your fruit that you want to freeze and give it a good washing. I use a strainer and let them sit in the sink for a few minutes to drip off as much excess as possible. I then spread the fruit out over the paper towels to dry off. After a few minutes I turn the fruit over and try to get the other side too. If you have any paring or trimming to do with your food, this would be the time to do it. I usually cut out the core and take off the greenery on my strawberries before freezing them.

I then throw away the paper towel and use a silicone mat on the baking sheet to prevent the berries from sticking. This isn't necessary. I just happen to have one. You can place your berries directly on the cookie sheet. I wouldn't use paper of any kind because the berries may stick to the paper as they freeze. Try to separate your fruit as much as possible. Sometimes the berries will freeze together when they still have water on them. The goal is to try to freeze your berries separately so that you can use as much or as little as you want from your bag without them all being frozen in one big clump. That is why drying them on the paper towels is an important step. After they are washed, dried and spread out on the cookie sheet, you can then put the cookie sheet of fruit in the freezer for about an hour. You mostly want the berries to get pre-frozen enough not to stick together. After an hour, take the berries out of the freezer and put them into your freezer-friendly ziplock bags that have been pre-labeled with the date they were frozen and the name of the item. Then you can store them in your freezer for up to six months.

If you like smoothies as much as I do, then this will also make smoothie-making that much easier. A great idea for smoothies is taking this same concept but preparing baggies of pre-prepared fruit combinations for your smoothies. For instance if you love strawberry banana, then you can make a bag of already sliced bananas and strawberries for a smoothie. It's a great way to save time and to make sure that you have the fruits you want when you need them. Try this with spinach and yogurt too. Like I said before, you can pretty much freeze anything.

Happy Berry Freezing!!!

Blessings to all

Vanilla

 

 

I ordered some Madagascar vanilla beans a few months ago. Every time I go to the store and see those glass jars with the one vanilla bean for $10 I am like,

"I want some vanilla beans". But not for $10 and not just one. So I found this awesome vanilla bean company online and ordered me some beans.

THEY SMELL SO GOOD!!!

As soon as I opened the package, I knew I made the right choice to purchase these bad boys.  

 

Bailey stamp of approval. You know it's good!!!

 

 

I knew I did not want these precious little heavenly beans to go to waste, so I started researching things to make with them. There are a lot of homemade goodies to make with vanilla beans. Homemade vanilla ice cream, where you scrape the seeds of the bean into the ice cream while it is churning and it is oh so yummy. Done that! Vanilla bean sugar scrub. Want to do that! Plan to do that. I have planned to make a special holiday vanilla bean lip balm. I can't wait for that. I already know that is going to be lovely. But Vanilla Extract? Something I use all the time. I can make my own? Vanilla Extract is perfect. Just in time for the holidays.

The recipe is so simple. Who knew that you could make almost anything into an extract. Not anything but a lot of things. All you need is vanilla beans and alcohol. Specifically Vodka or Bourbon.

 

The process takes anywhere from 4-6 weeks or longer. My vanilla has already been brewin' up for 7 weeks now. The longer the vanilla beans soak in that bourbon bath (or vodka) the stronger your vanilla is going to be. The vanilla has to be stored in a dry dark and cool area. Certainly not in the sun like it is in my pictures. I just took my vanilla on a little adventure for picture purposes and approval of course.

 

This is how I made my Vanilla Extract

 

What you will need

Mason Jar with lid (or similar vessel)

Paring Knife

16oz Bourbon or Vodka  (the higher quality alcohol, the higher quality extract)

6 Grade A or B Madagascar Vanilla beans (or Tahitian)

 

First, pour the bourbon into the mason jar. Then, using your paring knife make a slit down your vanilla bean length wise, starting from 3/4 of the way up and working it all the way down to the end. Again, run the tip of your knife down the inside of the pod from top to bottom and scrape out the seeds of the bean. Put the seeds in the bourbon as well as the bean. Do this to all 6 beans.

Screw the lid on tight. Label the top with the date that it was made. It is easy to forget how long the extract has been fermenting, so writing it down helps. The only thing you have to do now is give the jar a little gentle shake and store it away. Again, it is important to not leave the vanilla sitting out in a sunny place or cold or hot or wet. Store it in the pantry or somewhere dark and safe. Let the little angel get it's beauty rest. She's gonna need it.

I just go in every couple of days or so and give the jar a little rocking. You don't have to do it as often. Once a week is fine. I just get excited watching something come to life. Yes, something as little as a delicate jar of sweet vanilla extract.

 

Jaxon approved too!

He wanted to give the vanilla a little shake too after playing in the rainwater barrel. That is the kind of love that went into this batch of vanilla extract

 

Blessings to all

 

Pretty Petit Fours

These little Alice in Wonderland inspired petit fours are so light, airy and delicious. They literally melt in your mouth. Ok, so before you get too excited about this, I don't have a recipe ready for these delicious little tea cakes. I just love them so much that I wanted to share them and could not wait any longer. I will of course try to get one together.

I remember watching Alice in Wonderland when I was a little kid and seeing Alice eat that precious little blue round cake that said, "Eat Me" on it. I was like, "I want a bite" lol. Then she grew like 20 feet tall and broke through the roof. But I still loved the way that lovely little bite sized cake was stored perfectly in that little glass box and it all just seemed so magical.

I have also always loved petit fours and tea cakes and wanted to make my own. I have attempted making petit fours a couple of times before and they can be a little tricky. I will say that what worked best for me was making a large sheet cake and using a small round cookie cutter to cut out the little cakes. Then I used a light glaze and smothered them over a grated cookie rack.

My favorite part about making sweets like this is the creativity that happens. It is like food art.

IT IS Food Art!

I love food and I love art. It is a win win. I have been passionate about food and art since I was very young. So to get to combine the two is really fun for me. I like to write inspirational sayings on my food sometimes too. Like Love. I write that one a lot, lol.

I will do my best to get a recipe together for these as soon as possible. Let these be inspiration as to little cakes to come. As always, Enjoy your journey in the kitchen. The more you practice, the more you learn. It is a blast either way.

Blessings to all

 

 

 



Orange Julius copycat recipe

Remember those delicious Orange Julius smoothies that Dairy Queen used to make? They stopped making them for years and then in the past couple of years they brought them back but they don't taste quite the same. I am not sure if they changed the recipe or did something different but something is definitely different.

 

I always loved the Orange Julius and have attempted to make my own on several occasions. They didn't always come out so great but never so bad that I didn't drink them. I have searched high and low for the perfect copycat recipe for making my own Orange Julius and I finally found some good ones. There are a lot of these out there. The general ingredient seem to be pretty common among all the recipes that I have found. I did find this one on Pinterest from The Recipe Critic that I liked in particular. I had to do a little tweaking to make the recipe just how I wanted it and this is what I ended up with. I hope you like it.

 

Recipe

What you will need:
Blender
Spoon
Cups
Straws

Measuring cups

Measuring Spoons

 

Ingredients:
6oz frozen orange juice concentrate (half a can)
1 cup milk (try 2% or skim for a healthier version)
1 cup cold water
1/3 cup sugar or (sugar alternative)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

10-15 ice cubes

Makes about 4 - 8oz glasses

This is such an easy recipe and all in all not too fattening. If you use a less fattening milk (or milk alternative) and less sugar (or a sugar alternative) then this can really be a healthy. I don't mind the few extra calories and I want my Orange Julius to taste as close to the original as possible, so I use the original ingredients. 

 

To make the smoothie, combine all ingredients into your blender and mix until smooth. It should take a couple of minutes. I use the ice crush button on my blender because I don't like chunks of ice in my smoothie. Use your spoon to taste and make sure it is sweet enough or thick enough for you. Most recipes called for more sugar, about half a cup. Also, less ice. I found that I like mine with a little less sugar and a little more ice. 

If the Orange Julius Smoothie meets your standards, then pour into glasses, add a straw, maybe a little orange garnish and go to town. 

Yum!!!

Well, I hope that your Orange Julius experience is as good with this recipe as it was way back when the original Orange Julius was around. If you find that it doesn't quite fit the bill then tweak the recipe a little until you find your own balance. That is what is so fun about cooking and playing in the kitchen, you get to be creative. 

 

As always, Enjoy your journey in the kitchen!

Blessings to all

Eat & Drink

 

I love to cook. I have ever since I was a little girl. I was raised on real good southern food like buttery biscuits and creamy sausage gravy, chicken fried steak, enchiladas and all of the other fattening southern dishes you can think of. The older I got the more I loved cooking and the better I got at it. I can make some mean fried chicken and a delicious apple pie from scratch. I've always loved those southern favorites, and I still do. The older I get though, the healthier I want to eat. I do a lot of research and read a lot of articles on health and nutrition and once I became educated, I just couldn't go back to the way things were. The more I ate healthy, the better I felt. Foods that may have tasted disgusting to me before, soon became delicious and highly enjoyable. I feel great after I eat healthy food. I have become addicted to eating healthy over the past couple of years.

 

I am a baker at heart and I love sweets, so I still enjoy indulging occasionally and I still make less then healthy meals sometimes. However, the important thing to remember is always "moderation." Have some cake, but don't eat three slices. Have some bread, but not the whole loaf. It is okay to enjoy and indulge in moderation. Don't starve or deprive yourself. You will only pay for it in the end. There is some satisfaction and pride that comes from having a few bites and allowing yourself to enjoy something but then having enough self control to stop when you feel satisfied instead of gorging. Eating smaller meals throughout the day has proven to be the best way to keep the body's metabolism up and to maintain a healthy weight. It makes sense. 

 

"we all have a love affair with food"

 

You can check out my full collection of photos on my Food & Drink page. I am working on putting recipes to all of the photos. My 5 month old isn't interested in my recipes right now. So it'll take time. In the meantime, use them as inspiration to create your own healthy dish. Remember to have fun cooking! Experiment and play. Cooking is art and the expression of your soul through food. Whether you like to create or simply take part in the delicious creation someone else has made, we all have a love affair with food. We all associate memories and experiences with different events that revolved around food. Get the kids involved! It is a beautiful thing when a child is helping in the kitchen. I let my son help me cook and bake all the time and he really really loves it. Letting little ones help in the kitchen allows them to be creative and understand the process of making something with your own hands and then enjoying the fruit of their labor. It's teaching our little girls to be confident in their skills and they will take that with them to being a wonderful wife. I love cooking for my husband. I know he loves it. We are teaching our boys to be confident cooks as well, but also independent and a great husband. It's nice to know if I had a long day and don't feel like cooking every now and then that he can hold his own in the kitchen. So get cooking and enjoy the journey in the kitchen!

 

 

 

Tequila & Lime marinated Shrimp Tacos

 

 

My attempt at Chuy's Salsa Fresca

It came out REAL good! I think I may have liked mine better!!!

 

 

Giant Lump Crab Cakes

 

 

Shrimp Salad

I love making bowls. Rice, beans, cheese, veggies and sometimes a protein like shrimp or chicken. This shrimp salad bowl is so yummy. I use whole grain rice, black beans, pico de gallo, avocados, shrimp and sprinkle with a little cheese. Squeeze a little lime juice over the top. Enjoy!  I use very little fats and they are good fats. I sautee' my shrimp in extra virgin olive oil (coconut oil is a great alternative.) This reminds me of an Island dish. I love Island foods. I could probably survive off of fruits, veggies and fish.

 

 

Texas Teas at Chuy's

I love Chuy's. You may have never been there before. But let me tell you.... One, they make one of then best Texas teas that I have ever had and Two, they make some amazing salsa fresca and this delicious little concoction they came up with call "creamy jalapeno." Mmm, so good!

If you ever find yourself in San Antonio, you should stop by a Chuy's and enjoy some of their out of this world Tex-Mex dishes and taste bud tantalizing Texas Teas. You won't regret it. Spicy!!! 

 

 

A good hostess provides a collection of mixers and liquors!

Getting ready for the New Years Eve Party. I like to get at least a small to medium sized bottle of 4 to 5 liquors and at least 4 to 5 mixers as well. It is also a good idea to get a few citrus' together. Some lemons, limes and maybe oranges or pineapples for garnish too. It's always nice to have options.

 

 

This is what 21 well spent dollars at the produce market looks like. I love that I live in walking distance of the market. I put the baby in the stroller and we take a little walk. I will say that it makes it much easier to eat healthy and eat veggies when there is a convenient way to get them. A good reason to start a garden.

 

 

Banana Blueberry & Strawberry smoothies to start off the day. I love making smoothies. It is a great way to get a lot of fruits in at once if you have a hard time eating fruits. Use some sugar free natural apple juice or orange juice instead of milk. Other healthy options for smoothies include any other fruits, yogurt, honey, flax seed and kale. Their are smoothie combinations than I could even name. Have fun playing and experimenting until you find your favorite. Who knows you could come up with some amazing flavors.  

 

 

"Enjoy the Journey in the kitchen"