Under the weather? Here are some cookies!

Everytime we get sick (which is all the time this school year), we try to make molasses cookies. Joe made this recipe. There was no way I was going to take the time to make a MOLASSES cookie recipe. Ew. I owe him an apology... these are sooo good! Molasses and ginger are so beneficial when you have the ick. Try it out!

Molasses Cookies

1 cup softened unsalted butter

1/2 cup maple sugar or date sugar

1 egg

1/2 cup molasses

3 cups whole wheat flour

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ginger

a dash of nutmeg

a dash of cloves

Preheat oven to 350.
Cream together the butter, sugar, molasses and egg until blended. Mix the baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger into the molasses mixture. Now add the flour.
Using your hands roll the dough into walnut size balls. Place the cookies 2 inches apart onto your cookie sheet.
Bake for 8 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on cookie sheet for a few minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. (They never cool completely in our house

Chocolate Waffles Remix

Remember that Chocolate B A N A N A S waffle recipe I posted waaayyy back? I like it better this way.

Chocolate Waffles Remix

2 eggs (I think these can be replaced with more banana... if you are vegan)

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 c maple syrup (if you double the recipe only increase this to 3/4 c... idk why but it's better that way)

1/2 c whole wheat flour+2 Tbsp (i use barley for the 2 tbsp... you can use wheat)

1 Tbsp coconut flour (optional flavor that is WONDERFUL!)

1/4 c spinach puree

1/4 c cocoa

1 smashed up banana

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp cinnamon (also optional but we LOVE it)

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

-Beat with an electric hand mixer... the eggs, vanilla, and syrup together well.

-Add the spinach and banana. Mix well

-Add the rest and mix until smooth.

-Pour 1/4 cup into the middle of each section of your heated waffle iron.

-Remove when you get the green light from your waffle iron.

-Stuff your face.

*Makes about 4 whole waffles... we double the recipe!!

Coming soon- Our grocery list. For those of you who have asked, 'where do you get such and such or which one DOESN'T have sugar' ;)

Meatless Monday

Tonight for dinner we are having Potato Soup w/potato bread! OMG goood

Updated with recipes... sorry the pics are so awful this time... it was dark and rainy so there was NO sun to help light the kitchen.

Potato Bread
• 2 pkgs dry active yeast
• 2 Tbsp honey
• ½ c warm water (110 degrees)
-Combine and let sit 5-10 min or until yeast is doubled.
• 1 c buttermilk
• 3 Tbsp melted butter + 2 Tbsp for brushing
• 1 tsp sea salt
• ½ tsp pepper
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 Tbsp dried chives
• 5 ½ c flour (rye, barley, and whole wheat or just whole wheat)
• 2 c shredded, peeled potatoes (I use 3 smallish potatoes and forget the measuring)
• 1 c shredded cheddar cheese
• ¼ onion minced
-Mix yeast mixture, buttermilk, butter, spices, and 2 ½ cups of your flour (I use ½ c rye, 1 ½ c barley, and ½ c wheat)
-Beat with electric hand mixer for 2 minutes.
-Add potatoes and the rest of your flour (I use wheat flour)
-Knead for 8 minutes on a lightly floured surface.

-Split in half to make 2 equal balls.
-Let rise until double (approx 1 hour)
-Preheat oven to 400
-Punch down and pat out into any shape.

-Add cheese and onion and knead into dough for 5 minutes.

-Roll into 2 roundish shapes and place each in a 9 in pie plate.
-Cut an X into the tops of each.

-Brush with the butter and bake for 35-40 minutes.
-Cool on pan for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Potato Soup
• 6 small-medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
-In a medium saucepan, add potatoes and cover them with water. Boil until potatoes are tender. Drain, reserving 1 1/2 cups of the liquid.
• 1 small onion, minced
• ½ c butter
• 5 Tbsp whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (more if you like spicy)
• ½ tsp ground black pepper
• 6 cups milk
• 1 tsp honey
• 2 c cheddar cheese, shredded
-Melt butter in large saucepan and add onion. Cook until onion is tender but not brown.
-Add flour to saucepan; season with pepper flakes and black pepper. Cook until it starts to thicken.
-Add potatoes, reserved water, milk, and honey. (Only add a little milk at first and use a fork or potato smasher to smash up some of the potatoes so it isn’t SO chunky... we like smooth soup) Mix well.
-Add cheese. Simmer over low heat for 15 minutes. Stir frequently.
-Serve to your army with a dollop of Daisy. This makes a lot!

Above: You may be asking yourself, "Why is potato soup so funny?" Well, it's not. She thinks she's so funny, because she just stole MY spoon!

Below: Um yeah... thanks Arwen

Meatless Monday... um Wednesday

I missed 2 weeks in a row so I am going to make up for it and give you dinner and dessert.

Monday's (actually last nights... I forgot what we had on monday) menu was Pinocchio Bread and D&D ice-cream. Never heard of those before? It's just my version of Stromboli and Mint Chocolate Chip Ice-cream. What exactly is stromboli and how do you say that word? Well, you have to wave your arms around while speaking (like a crazy Italian) to get it right. Stromboli=[strahm-BOH-lee] it is like a calzone but it's wrapped up in pizza dough and usually contains mozzarella cheese and pepperoni or other meats. But this is Meatless Monday so we will not need that mean and ugly Stromboli. We prefer Pinocchio. He is a bit naughty, but you can't blame him... he is just a little wooden boy. Why do you call your ice-cream D&D? It stands for dungeons and dragons. I named it that because it's green and I made it the night we played Dungeons and Dragons for HOURS. Yes, we really played it, and enjoyed it, and are playing again on Saturday. Wanna come? On to the recipes!

Pizza Dough

*makes enough to feed your army 2 medium pizzas or 1 giant cookie sheet size pizza

1/4 c garbonzo bean flour

1/2 c barley flour

2 3/4 c whole wheat flour (more for your kneading surface)

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp sea salt

1 tsp Italian Seasoning

1 Tbsp EVOO or coconut oil (more for your bowl)

1 3/4 c warm water (about 110 degrees)

1 Tbsp honey

1 Tbsp active dry yeast

-Mix the water honey and yeast. Cover and let it sit for 5-10 min

-Mix dry ingredients from above. Make a well in the flour and add oil.

-Now add the yeast water and mix it into the flour until you can't any more. Turn it out onto a floured surface and knead for 10 minutes.

-Put your dough ball into a lightly oiled bowl. Grease up the top of your dough too.

-Cover and let rise 1 hr or until double in size.

Pinocchio Bread

*makes enough to feed your army

1 pizza dough recipe

-Roll it out into a giant rectangle. The dough should be as thick as you like it. (We like it about 1/4 inch thick.)

2 c broccoli

1 Tbsp minced garlic

1/2 a chopped onion

2 Tbsp unsalted butter

-lightly fry all these together (you don't have to fry... my kids are just more likely to broccoli and onion in their food if it isn't so crunchy... just don't add butter to it and go to the next step)

-Set aside

1 c spaghetti sauce (your choice but look for one without corn syrup... or sugar if you can handle that!)

1/4 c spinach puree

1 oz cream cheese, softened

-mix these together and spread it over the dough. Do not touch the sauce to the sides of the dough. It will roll and pinch together better this way.

-add the broccoli mixture on top of the sauce

2 c mozzarella cheese

1/4 c parmesan cheese

-sprinkle over the sauce and broccoli

-Roll up! Fold in your long sides about an inch. Then, starting at one of the shorter ends, start rolling. Pinch the end your left with into the dough a little.

-Place the roll on a lightly greased cookie sheet, pinched side down.

1 egg

1 tsp water

-Beat together and brush on top of your pinocchio bread.

-Back in a preheated 400 degree oven for 30 minutes. Let cool 5 before cutting. Serve warm.

D&D Ice-Cream

1 large egg

2 c half and half

1/2 c pure maple syrup

1 Tbsp vanilla

2 c heavy whipping cream

1 1/2 tsp pure mint extract

1/4 c spinach puree

1/4 c grain sweetened chocolate chips (we ran out so I used unsweetened baking chocolate and put it in the food processor until it was chopped into teeny tiny bits... we prefer it this way now)

-Put egg, half and half, syrup, vanilla, peppermint, and puree in a blender. Blend on medium speed about 30 seconds. Adding the chocolate towards the end of your 30 seconds.

-Slowly add the whipping cream and continue blending for 30 more seconds.

-Transfer the deliciousness to your ice-cream maker and follow the manufacture's directions.

-If you can't wait... "taste it" before it's finished... make sure nobody is watching then use a ladle instead of a spoon ;)

Monday's Recipes

My Meatless Monday started with...

Crock Pot Refried Beans

3 cups dried pinto beans, rinsed and drained

1 small onion (chopped as small as possible if you have a picky eater) OR 2 Tbsp dried minced onion

4 cups water

3 cups chicken broth, beef broth, or veggie broth (This time, I used leftover turkey broth.)

1 1/2 tsp black pepper

2 Tbsp minced garlic

1/4 tsp ground cumin

*Next 2 ingredients added to final steps... NOT the crock pot.

*1/2 cup Daisy Sour Cream

*1/2 cup shredded or crumbled cheese (Whatever you have in the fridge will work. We used Colby Jack this time.)

-Put first 7 ingredients in a crock pot and cook on high for 4-5 hours (the longer you cook the mushier they will get... you will need to add more water if you let it go longer).

-After they are done, empty all the contents of your crock pot into your food processor. Mash the beaners up to a smooth consistency. NOW add the sour cream and cheese. Mix until they are combined into the beans.

-Store in whatever containers you have available, and put in the fridge. It will last about 3-4 days.

Taco Seasoning

2 1/2 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp onion powder

1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1/4 tsp dried Italian Seasoning

1/2 tsp paprika

1 1/2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp sea salt

1 tsp black pepper

-Mix all of the above in a baby food jar, small plastic container, ziploc baggie, empty spice bottle, or whatever small container you may have sitting around. Store with the rest of your spices. (we usually double this recipe because we use it quickly)

Meatless Meat

3 1/2 cups water

1 1/2 cup red lentils, rinse them and drain

1/2 an onion chopped OR 2 Tbsp dried, minced onion

1/2 tsp sea salt

1 Tbsp minced garlic

1 Tbsp fresh snipped cilantro OR 1 tsp dried cilantro (I never have fresh cilantro. This ingredient is optional.)

2 tsp taco seasoning (add more if you like spicier foods... some of our kids do not)

-In a medium saucepan stir all together. Bring to boil. Then reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 12 minutes. Use a fork to mash the lentils if you'd like (I usually forget this step... doesn't matter though, it still tastes the same.)

Tortillas

I am not sharing my tortilla recipe yet. It's not right yet... Rather, Joe and the kids loved it, but I did not. I LOVE flavor and these had none. They were good, but if you are going from store bought tortillas to this then your taste buds will get a shock! It is not hard to find a recipe online. Google tortilla recipes and pick one to try.

Now, for the final product!

Take your homemade tortilla and top it with delicious refried beans, spicy lentils, shredded cheese, salsa or pico (My pico recipe is missing... will get on that one soon!), and a dollop of Daisy. Now, enjoy all that yummy hard work! If you are going to try this, and have any questions, feel free to ask!

Homemade Vanilla

I've been making vanilla and decided to document the color process each week... until we started eating it. As you can see in the first picture, some of this deliciousness is missing! So here it is in backwards order.

4 weeks old

3 Weeks old

2 weeks old

1 Week old

Birth/Day 1

Have you ever read the ingredients in your vanilla? Go, right now, and read them. The only thing that should be in that bottle is vanilla beans and alcohol. Unless you have spent the extra $13 or so for the 'fancy bottle' (it was costing us about $15 a bottle) it probably has some extra ingredients. I make an awful lot with vanilla so I have decided to take care of this issue and make my own!

Few fun facts about vanilla:

*McCormick Pure Vanilla Extract contains...

Vanilla Bean Extractives In Water, Alcohol (35%), and Corn Syrup.

(hum I thought it was PURE VANILLA?!)

*The FDA requires that the solution contain a minimum of 35% alcohol and 13.35 ounces of vanilla bean per gallon (so most companies only use the minimum... then mix it with whatever crap is cheap... water, corn syrup, or sugar)

*Imitation vanilla extract is usually made by soaking alcohol into wood, which contains vanillin. Vanillin is chemically treated to mimic the taste of vanilla.

*My vanilla is made with 40% alcohol Vodka and vanilla beans... only

*For 1/2 lb Madagascar Bourbon vanilla beans I paid $20.79 and got 10 Tahitian vanilla beans free. That is approximately 80-90 beans. I use 6 beans in 350 ml (or 12.68 oz). If you add the price of cheap vodka (like absolut) it is much cheaper than the real pure vanilla in a grocery store and now I know exactly what is in my vanilla. That alone is priceless in my opinion.

Traveling from home

Last week we tried Ethiopian food for the first time... I made it myself. I was unsure at first. But once it started cooking and those smells started to rise from the pots I knew it was going to be a hit! I almost never follow a recipe exactly so that could be why it was so delicious... it was Alice-ified. Here was the menu for the night...

Injera (this is the bread 'plate') with Amhari Mesir Wat (this is a red lentil dish) and Yekik Alicha (Ethiopian Split Peas) I also made Niter Kibbeh (Ethiopian Spiced Butter) for cooking the dishes above and found I like to sautee onions and mushrooms in this for my 'normal' everyday cooking. You wouldn't believe how filling this was! It was so cheap to make and we all (minus Molly... she never eats) went to bed with nice full tummies. A+ in my book!

Sorry the pictures aren't the best... it was the best I could do with the lighting I had... nothing creative.

Sometime this week... maybe tonight... we are going to Mexico for some homemade Tamales!

You too should have that 'special' drink in the morning

No, NOT booze your floozy! I’m talking about tea… more specifically a wonderful concoction I’ve made with black tea. If you too have a terrible time waking up in the morning you’ll want to try this. I’ll tell you why but I’m guessing you want to know what the heck is in it first so here is the recipe I have come up with.
I ask that if you share this recipe please leave a link to this blog post, email me, or just leave a comment letting me know you’ve used it. After all, I worked hard on getting this one just right (as with all the recipes I post here) J
Alice Hearts Chai 
1 bag Dargeeling tea (I prefer Twinnings brand)
½ cup water
1 3 inch cinnamon stick
~Put all the above in a small pot and bring to boil. Remove from heat, cover, and let it sit for 5-15 minutes. Remove the cinnamon stick (save for tomorrow because it has a few uses in it) and squeeze out that tea bag. Then add…

a Smidgeon of Ground Cardamom
1 tsp vanilla (homemade is wonderful!)
1 Tbsp Pure Maple Syrup (again guys I’m talking about the REAL stuff… corn syrup is an awful way to kick off your day)
1 Tbsp Honey
2 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
~Mix well over medium high heat and grab your choice of milk and when the cocoa seems to have unchunked itself add…

2 cups milk
~Heat to your liking, stirring constantly. If you don’t watch your milk, the kids will distract you and you won’t remember you were even going to have tea until you hear sizzling and smell milk burning to your stovetop!
ENJOY! *Makes approx. 2 mugs of tea*

Ok back to WHY this is THE drink for me (and possibly you too).
Did you know that the health-giving properties of tea have been many for centuries!? I found these fun little bits online… 1st Century AD period attributed these properties to tea: refreshing effect, relaxes the nerves, brightens eyes, helps combat alcoholism, cleanses blood of heat, reduces obesity, cleanses blood of impurities, eliminates phlegm, cures dysentery, stimulates digestion, cleanses the bowels, gives energy, and strengthens teeth. Research confirms much of this today. Black Tea contains enzymes called polyphenols, which include, flavinoids. Falvinoids are anti-oxidants that help resist many diseases by preventing cell damage. Favinoids have also been found to help prevent clots that cause most heart attacks. Tea also contains fluoride so its helps to fight tooth decay!

Who would have thought plain ol’Cinnamon was anything but wonderful? It gets better though. Cinnamon contains calcium, iron, fiber, and Vitamins C and K to name a few. It has a mild anti-inflammatory effect, helps relieve gas and bloating, and has anti-fungal properties but mostly it can improve blood sugar levels, blood pressure, and cholesterol!

Cardamom is a wonderful Indian spice that is known to ease muscle tension, aid in digestion, and improves metabolism. It is also known to have antioxidant properties.

Vanilla is more than just a way to make things taste better. The compound in vanilla is called vanillin. Vanillin is a polyphenol, which is a strong antioxidant. Because vanilla is such strong antioxidant it may offset some of the oxidative damage in your brain keeping cells healthy and preventing effects of diseases like Alzheimers. Studies show that vanillin can stop cancer growth as well as slow cancer spreading in lab mice (poor mice)!

Maple syrup is a good sweetener to use if you care about the health of your heart. It contains manganese and zinc, which are important to your white blood cells, immune system, male reproductive system and helps prevent heart damage. It also has an anti-inflammatory effect. It tends to be sweeter than table sugar, meaning you will use less, and has less calories.

Honey’s natural sugars help prevent fatigue during exercise. The glucose in honey is absorbed quickly to give an immediate energy boost, while the fructose in absorbed more slowly providing sustained energy. It has antioxidant and anti-bacterial properties that can help improve digestion and fight disease. This one is for you floozies; honey is known to speed up the oxidation of alcohol by the liver.

Cocoa has reported use for about 2,000 years with over 100 uses such as: treatment of fatigue, heart pain, anemia, kidney complaints, and bowel issues. Many of cocoa’s therapeutic properties can been attributed to flavinoids. Scientists have established that regular consumption of flavinoid rich foods can reduce the risk of many chronic illnesses such as cancer, stroke, and heart disease! Flavinoids, act as antioxidants, by cleaning out free radicals. Excessive free radicals cause damage to cells including DNA… making you age quicker aka look old! Cocoa flavinoids also do the following: inhibit the oxidation of ‘bad’ cholesterol, keep blood clots from forming, regulates inflammation, regulates blood pressure, and may relieve diarrhea. Cocoa also contains phenylethylamin and seratonin, both of which lift your mood giving it a reputation as an aphrodisiac.

Finally, milk! Calcium, potassium, protein, Vitamin K, iodine (essential for thyroid function), riboflavin, Vitamin B12, Vitamin A, and Vitamin D are important to your health and can be found in milk. Milk helps maintain bone mass, may help maintain a healthy blood pressure, can reduce PMS symptoms. Milk produced by grass fed cows is said to contain a fatty acid called conjugated linoleic acid, which kills human skin cancer, colorectal cancer, and breast cancer cells! If you are worried about your weight or cholesterol opt for skim milk like I do; if you fear processed foods you’ll want to get the whole milk like Joe does.

So if you were lucky enough to inherit really crappy DNA such as I have then you will see clearly the benefits of  Alice Hearts Chai.
Mix all the above with a good Bible reading, add the caffeine and you will absolutely be good to go.

Chocolate B-A-N-A-N-A-S Waffles

I love to cook but I’m one of those people who NEVER follow the recipe and sadly my food ends up different every time. Well, I have finally started writing down my recipes! This way I can actually remember what goes in my crazy concoctions and can share the love. Soon every recipe will have a name instead of, “Mom’s surprise dinner,” which they are often referred to by the kids. Sunday I was given a waffle maker (by a cook that puts me to shame!) and just had to try it this morning. As we all should know, Valentines Day is right around the corner (I still need help with my gift! Comment on the Teddy Bear post to win the ‘special prize!’), so, to mimic the spirit of love and giving, I am sharing the recipe I came up with this morning. Remember it is still a works in progress and may get better but for now… Enjoy!  

Chocolate B-A-N-A-N-A-S Waffles 
  4 large eggs
  2 tsp vanilla (homemade is best!)
  1/2 c. + 2 Tbsp maple syrup (the REAL stuff ladies!)
  2 B-A-N-A-N-A-S, smashed
  1 c. carrot puree*
  1/2 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
  1 tsp cinnamon
  1 tsp. baking soda
  ½ tsp. baking powder
1c. flour
coconut oil for greasing
pure maple syrup for drizzling over the finished waffles

Turn on your waffle maker and lightly grease. In a large bowl, blend together the wet stuff… vanilla, maple syrup, bananas, and carrot puree. Then add the dry ingredients… cocoa, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and flour and blend until just combined. Try not to over mix it. (I know you are thinking WAIT WAIT WAIT shouldn’t I mix the dry ingredients separately first?! Well sure if you want to wash an extra bowl today but it’s not necessary for this recipe.) When the ready light appears on your waffle iron you are ready to GO! Using a ¼ measuring cup, dump the batter in the center of each section of the waffle iron. Close and wait for the magic light to reappear! Remove and shovel into face before the kids get any... they can have some of the next batch after it’s cooled.

*Making carrot puree the ‘easy way’- buy a bag 1 lb. of baby carrots. Steam until a knife or fork can be poked in the carrots and removed easily. Fill your food processor with the carrots and blend on max speed until the carrots turn to a smooth mush, adding bits of water as needed. Time to freeze… Using a ½ measuring cup, scoop the carrot puree into plastic baggies (only put ½ cup in each bag) and toss in the freezer for a later date.